Flashed Phone or LG Esteem?

[Optimus_User]

Should I buy a phone with better specs and flash it to MetroPCS* or buy the Esteem?

*are there any downsides to a flashed phone? (Ie; 4G won't work) How hard is it to flash a phone?

 

[ShinySide]

4G wont work and alot of times only talk and text work. Also its a pain in the ass to get Metro to add the ESN to their network

 

[travioso]

4G wont work and alot of times only talk and text work. Also its a pain in the ass to get Metro to add the ESN to their network

Couldn't have said it better.. If your with metro id stock with the esteem.. Especially if your in 4g coverage

 

[danyvw]

Couldn't have said it better.. If your with metro id stock with the esteem.. Especially if your in 4g coverage

Agreeeeeee 100%

 

[JayBondzeWell]

+1. but 4G seems to work fine for a friend of mine has the EVO on it and he loves it

 

[Martykus]

I for one do not like flashed phones and Esteem is the best option now on metro and since metro is going to update their 4G speeds, LG Esteem should be, in my own opinion, the way to go.

 

[danyvw]

Before Esteem arrived I would bought a flashed phone if I wanted a big screen android but after the Esteem arrived I don't think is worth it.

 

[k1llt4c]

My GF has a flashed droid, her mobile network only works half the time and no picture messaging :/ no fun. I'd highly reccomend the LG Esteem.

 

[ChazzMatt]

but 4G seems to work fine for a friend of mine has the EVO on it and he loves it

He's NOT getting MetroPCS 4G LTE on his flashed Sprint HTC EVO phone. The EVO does NOT have the chipset for Metro's LTE frequencies.

Metro operates LTE on 1700/2100 MHz frequencies. Sprint's 4G Wi-Max operates in the 2.5-2.6GHz band. Completely different frequencies, completely different chipsets in the phones. Same reason you can't "flash" Verizon LTE phones or or upcoming AT&T LTE phones to MetroPCS LTE network. If you took an LTE Verizon LG Revolution and tried to flash it to MetroPCS, only the CDMA part would work, not the LTE parts -- even though the LG Rev and the LG Esteem are otherwise almost identical phones.

So... he's either getting a wi-fi signals and thinks it's 4G, or he's lying, or he's confusing EVDO speed (where available) with LTE speed.

 

[roccotanto]

i would go with the ESTEEM -=- flashed phones are always an option, but the Esteem does a GREAT job on the Metro 4G network, with blazing fast data speeds. And Metro is going to be supporting that phone, as well as updating their LTE/4G network - so if you are sticking with Metro, get the Esteem, it i worth it.

 

[Optimus_User]

Wow, all of these answers are, well, spectacular. +Thanks for everyone, fo'sure.