Pentaband switching

[simons3]

Hi,

I am also new to the forum and in need of some advice.

Sent the following email to Samsung but as yet no reply:


Re: Pentaband switching Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE i9305

Hello,

I was wondering if this statement is correct: ibtimes


Battery Life
One of the significant changes in the device is its battery life as the new version''''s battery wears off easily. There is no report yet if the 4G capability is the culprit for this. The real problem here is that there is no option to just turn off 4G.
In the settings, under Wireless and Networks, you can switch 4G off, but only by selecting either just WCDMA (3G) or GSM (2G). In Sydney, we found that we could drop back to just WCDMA and continue using the phone as we normally would. But if you live in an area where your phone regularly switches between 2G and 3G, this could be a major consideration in buying the handset.
This suggests to us that 4G is the battery sap, and it should be something that you strongly consider before signing up for a 4G version of this phone. For some people, the phone''''s 12-hour battery life will be sufficient but it may not be enough for others.
Thus, it is a trade-off between 4G speed and battery life and will likely affect your decision to buy the smartphone. In our opinion, this is a bad trade since you will not be able to fully enjoy the perks of high speed connectivity when you have fast depleting battery.
To contact the editor, e-mail: editor@ibtimes.com

The reason I ask is because I live in an area which has average 3G coverage, but would like to purchase a 4G phone in anticipation of better coverage in the near future.

Will the S3 automatically switch between 2G & 3G if 4G is switched off?

Many thanks for you time.

Kind Regards,
Simon.

 

[s73v3]

I am currently in the UK, as you mention Sydney I do not know how this idea may relate to your question but here goes.

My LTE s3 is 4g capable and on the network EE (orange/t-mobile) who have not yet released their 4g network, however, I have been told the 4g portion of the phones connectivity is not activated unless the phones sim is compatible with the new data speeds. When they release their new speeds I have to request a new sim card and request my carrier to activate this. Until I do this my phone is switching between 2g and 3g flawlessly still achieving 20+ hours batter life with moderate to high usage throughout the day. Although I am not sure if there is a toggle option on the handset its self, I cannot find one.

Hope that helps, oh and I dont use power saving and the performance settings I can alter are all the way on high...