Should I wait for 4G?

[Destiny989]

I am due for an upgrade of my Verizon Moto Droid and considered getting the new Droid 3, but I see that phone is only 3G and now that their have been announcements for the 4G network upgrade I am debating whether to wait or get an upgrade. A friend recently showed me her Thunderbolt and I kinda like it but I hate not having the physical keyboard (I just can't seem to type well on the on screen one). Does anyone know if they plan on introducing a Droid 4G?

 

[carson1]

If it's something you need, it's never a good idea to wait. No mater how long you wait the is always something new coming.
A smart phone is generally obsolete the week after you buy it.

 

[sitlet]

Does anyone know if they plan on introducing a Droid 4G?

The Droid Charge has 4g, but it seems like you want an original Droid. I'm sure within the year there will be one.

A friend recently showed me her Thunderbolt and I kinda like it but I hate not having the physical keyboard

If that is the ONLY thing keeping you from it, I woudn't worry too much. I had used smart phones with physical keyboards for 4 years, and then bought an Evo last year. It really only took me about a month to get fully used to it.

 

[ArmageddonX]

Personally I think 4G is over-rated. I live in an area where I get no 4G at all and 3G speeds are fine for me. If I was using my phone as a hotspot or using it to do a lot of broadband downloading I can see how 4G might be nice... maybe I'm off base but I don't know why I need a 20mbit connection on my cell phone.

Get the phone that will do everything you need it to, then anything it does extra that you want it to is just a bonus.

 

[Destiny989]

If it's something you need, it's never a good idea to wait. No mater how long you wait the is always something new coming.
A smart phone is generally obsolete the week after you buy it.

Oh I know, LOL! Sucks doesn't it?

I think 4G will help me as I travel alot and use the internet frequently while on the road, but this quote from an article I read on Huffingtonpost.com kinda bugs me: "But for customers on the new 4G networks, straying outside the covered zones could be a serious headache. Verizon has stated it does not plan to let calls placed on its 4G network to roam on its 3G network, which could lead to dropped calls for users moving out of 4G coverage zones."

My original Droid is starting to get a little wonky, I can factory reset it if I need to and wait a bit if there are going to be more 4G phones coming out. Was just wondering if those that are using 4G now see a significant difference between them?

 

[Destiny989]

Personally I think 4G is over-rated. I live in an area where I get no 4G at all and 3G speeds are fine for me. If I was using my phone as a hotspot or using it to do a lot of broadband downloading I can see how 4G might be nice... maybe I'm off base but I don't know why I need a 20mbit connection on my cell phone.

Get the phone that will do everything you need it to, then anything it does extra that you want it to is just a bonus.

I need it to be a mini computer for me when I travel...I work in the music biz and sometimes people send me things I need to listen to as well as contracts to read. What I am trying to do is eliminate carrying around my laptop, but at the same time having reliable service. So far I have been handling most of this from my Drioid with no problem.

 

[scarredupmario]

I went from OG Droid to Charge and don't miss the physical keyboard at all. I thought I would but it has been a non issue.

I don't notice a switch to 4G/3G problem but I seldom on the phone while moving.

I would say you might as well get 4G if you are going to get a new phone and you are regularly in 4G areas. We all can usually use a little faster connection.

Another option is to root your OG, I was running 2.3 and my OG Droid was working great except the battery was crap but that comes with any 2 year old battery.

 

[Lombardi]

I have the samsung infuse 4G, which is on att's network, which from what I've read isn't a true LTE 4G. Anyway, 4G is really not relevant to me because of my life style. When I'm at work my phone is pretty much in my pocket. And I download via wifi ALOT, when at home. 4G seems to be for people who just can't wait. Screen size was the biggest issue with me... the buttons on my 4.5" touch are huge. I never miss. My town is small and att covers the whole thing,(although not 4g) as well as att hotspots and other wifi hotspots a lot of places. GPS 4G/ non factor, pics/ non factor. Many movies and games will only allow u to download via wifi so, I'm not sure my phone will ever use 4G, even though it is capable.

 

[xmr405o]

I need it to be a mini computer for me when I travel...I work in the music biz and sometimes people send me things I need to listen to as well as contracts to read. What I am trying to do is eliminate carrying around my laptop, but at the same time having reliable service. So far I have been handling most of this from my Drioid with no problem.

If you weren't having any problems with your OG droid with the connection you had, then you won't have a problem with the D3. For business type usage, you might want to consider battery life. 4G phones will generally have worse battery life than 3G phones. VZW 3G isn't bad for downloading songs or email attachments.

However, I believe 4G is totally a plus but I'm not sure if it is right now. I'm waiting until maybe the 2nd gen or even 3rd gen LTE phones come out before I buy into 4G phones.

 

[Destiny989]

Thanks All appreciate the input. Just do not want to get stuck with an obsolete phone for 2 years and since I live on my phone faster is always better

 

[cds0699]

Someone may have already mentioned this (didn't read the replies yet)...

One thing to remember about 4G is that it uses a lot more battery life than a 3G smartphone currently. I think its probably a good 1-2 years out for having widespread 4G that actually gets decent battery life. So you could probably get a dual core, 3G phone now, and have a good phone to last you until they get 4G to a point that is solid enough. This is all something you should definitely think about if battery life is a concern of yours.

Please keep in mind that this is just my opinion, and I could be wrong, but I think I'm pretty accurate.

 

[sethman88]

if you really feel like you really must have the keyboard and dont live in a large populus area I would buy the droid 3 because 3g speeds are good and by the time you were ready for an upgrade again they would probly have a 4g slider phone out and the 4g network would be almost all around by that time but, if you can live without a keyboard or atleast try it for like the 30 day period I would get one of the 4g phones or atleast one of the more powerful and more capable phones.

 

[Destiny989]

Unfortunately Verizon doesn't let you try phones for two weeks anymore, they charge a 15-20% restocking fee. I have tried that on screen keyboard and I wind up typing with one finger because it is so annoying to keep clicking backspace.

I live in NJ where we are very populated but still can't get a decent signal when I am at the Beach (Hello Verizon?)

I may just go check out the Droid 3, I saw the screen is bigger (bonus), dual processor w/keyboard works for me and it sounds like 4G is quite ways out of being up and running everywhere anytime soon.

 

[dylo22]

I'm addicted to the speed of 4G LTE. I love being able to stream HQ music/video without buffering issues. You also feel the difference when surfing the web and downloading stuff. The experience is close to wifi. If you live in area that has good 4G signal, I say go for it. If you live on fringe, then maybe you should wait. The last thing you want is your phone constantly switching between the two radios.

Battery life is an issue, but it's manageable. I know the Tbolt has manual 4g/3g toggle, so you can turn 4g off when you're in bad reception or non 4g area.

 

[takeshi]

If that is the ONLY thing keeping you from it, I woudn't worry too much. I had used smart phones with physical keyboards for 4 years, and then bought an Evo last year. It really only took me about a month to get fully used to it.

That's really a call that each person needs to make for his/her self. I'd suggest trying a change like this for at least 2 weeks but some people are stubborn when it comes to physical keyboards. The OP is the only one that can determine whether 4G and/or a physical keyboard is a must or just a "nice to have".

The keyboard app used with a virtual keyboard can make a difference. I can't stand my Droid's stock virtual keyboard but Swype works great for me. YMMV, of course. Few things are one-size-fits-all despite how people tend to present their opinions on forum sites.