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HSPA+ and LTE

H

Hadlander

Lurker
Question: As far as real world performance goes, is LTE truly so incredible that it makes anything non-LTE look like slow-moving garbage?
Or another, non-hyperbolic way to ask is: is HSPA+ really so bad compare to LTE?

I ask because I've had my eye on the Nexus 4 for quite some time, but so many people viciously write it off because of it's lack of LTE, and talk about how it's not future proof and will become obsolete very, very shortly. Can anyone shed a little light on this topic (without going nuts)?
 
I just ran a test for you on Verizon 4G LTE ... 22,799kbps down 8,147kbps up. That is about 4x my DSL connection.

The highest I ever saw was ONCE at 63,000kbps down.

... Thom
 
Your mobile data speeds will depend on how much of the local cell's data bandwidth is shared. Much more so than with home DSL, cable, etc.

In some local cities I frequent, my HSPA flies - as there are very few t-mobile users, etc. Meanwhile, in my my home area it gets down to about a quarter of that peak rate. And at work it is about half as fast as my home neighborhood.
 
Hadlander said:
Question: As far as real world performance goes, is LTE truly so incredible that it makes anything non-LTE look like slow-moving garbage?
Or another, non-hyperbolic way to ask is: is HSPA+ really so bad compare to LTE?

I ask because I've had my eye on the Nexus 4 for quite some time, but so many people viciously write it off because of it's lack of LTE, and talk about how it's not future proof and will become obsolete very, very shortly. Can anyone shed a little light on this topic (without going nuts)?
Click to expand...

If you're on T-Mobile and willing to root, you can enable LTE on it. However there are differences between LTE and HSPA in real world usage. For downloading, they can be very similar. Some people on T-Mobile have gotten HSPA speeds above 20 Mbps. LTE has a much better upload speed capability; on LTE I have gotten upload speeds above 10Mbps while on HSPA not much above 2. Latency is also a major difference as well. Ping times on LTE tend to be about 40-60 ms while HSPA they tend to be about 500-600 ms. This is not something you're going to notice though unless you're using a VoIP app though. One advantage HSPA has over LTE is that it's better on your battery.
 
In my experience between LTE and HSPA+ on T-Mobile over the past few months, here's what I have noticed.

Download speeds: 8-20mbps (LTE) vs. 1-10mbps (HSPA+)
Upload speeds: 5-15mbps (LTE) vs. 1-5mbps (HSPA+)
Latency: 20-50ms (LTE) vs. 120-250ms (HSPA+)

I also get throttled a lot because I'm too cheap for the unlimited plan right now. Despite this, the latency is noticeable. Even while throttled, LTE offers a superior browsing experience due to the lower latency.

With that said, even though LTE is superior, HSPA+ is more than adequate. I'd be fine with just that. Given the cost of the Nexus 4, if I were buying one today, I'd be fine with it not having LTE simply because, at that cost, I'd probably upgrade again in a year. And as mentioned above by jhawkkw, you can always make it work on T-Mobile LTE.
 
HSPA+ ...go through your limited 3GB data allowance in 5 hours.
LTE - ....go through your limited 3GB data allowance in 1 hour.

Is that the main difference between the two？
 
mikedt said:
HSPA+ ...go through your limited 3GB data allowance in 5 hours.
LTE - ....go through your limited 3GB data allowance in 1 hour.

Is that the main difference between the two？
Click to expand...

For me, it's the latency that's the biggest difference. I only have 100 minutes a month with no freebies. So because I have a high data allowance, I use VoIP to make up most of my minutes. Making calls on HSPA often introduce some mild echo or lag in the conversation due to higher latency. On LTE latency is significantly lower, making it very close to the same as making calls on WiFi.
 
Having had both I can tell the difference, yet hspa+ is plenty fast for most anything you'd do on today's gadgets. I have a Nexus 4, Note 2 (T-Mobile version unlocked) and Xperia Z Ultra on AT&T hspa+21 and they all work great.
 
funkylogik said:
Ive never even used lte so i dont know what im missing :beer:
Click to expand...

Don't know what I'm missing either. However I have experienced HSPA vs EV-DO. And EV-DO seems to have much less latency than HSPA. Particularly noticeable when using VOIP. EV-DO seemed to be like almost instant, like using WiFi. But there's no EV-DO in the UK (Scotland) either, so you'll have to miss that one as well funky....sorry.
 
Never used lte either... But when Im on the road, im with the gprs some of the time. It keeps changing between, gprs, edge, h+ all the time. I bet the lte version doesnt change that :D

Anyway, i have only 0,5mbps connection on my phone (because it is for free) and it is enough for me to check mails, read news etc. when im outside. When im at home, i use wifi (cable 110mbps and my phone get something like 20mbps). I dont miss or need higher speeds like lte. And definitely I wouldnt pay for it what they ask...
 
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