OT: New Cell Phone Suggestions

[St. Anger]

...and the obligatory, periodic thread appears. I'm using a Galaxy S3 (yeah, a little old) on Sprint and need a new phone. I like everything about the Samsung...except the phone. Absolutely nobody can hear me. I've had to end so many calls after I start talking and they say, "Hello? I can't hear you." Frustrating as hell. I had an HTC before that and loved it, so may check into those again.

Any suggestions are appreciated. Been a long while since I shopped.

 

[TwinsRRUs]

I have the Galaxy S3 and have never had anyone say they couldn't hear me, but I have US Cellular.
I do not get great signal sometimes, but neither does anyone else in my family with different carriers and different phones.
I am no help I love my GS3

 

[St. Anger]

I have the Galaxy S3 and have never had anyone say they couldn't hear me, but I have US Cellular.
I do not get great signal sometimes, but neither does anyone else in my family with different carriers and different phones.
I am no help I love my GS3

I also had to rip the power button out of mine, as it kept restarting over and over again. There are all kinds of pixels out in my camera too. Glad you're having better luck than I did. I have had it for 2 1/2 years though.

 

[TwinsRRUs]

Got mine Jan. 27th 2013 and it's been pretty good to me.
Ouch, sounds like yours does have issues. Glad mine has been good so far if those problems occur with them. I use my camera a lot and it would suck if that went out on mine. I would have to get a new phone if that happened.

 

[nothingkevin]

I have a Samsung galaxy S6 and I like it thus far. Just can't figure out how to use it

 

[St. Anger]

I have a Samsung galaxy S6 and I like it thus far. Just can't figure out how to use it

Yeah, the big thing I'm wondering about my lack of call quality is whether it's the S3 or Sprint.

 

[huskerbux]

Yeah, the big thing I'm wondering about my lack of call quality is whether it's the S3 or Sprint.

If you are in Omaha...or Nebraska really, its Sprint. The S3 is a good phone - my son has it and doesn't want to upgrade yet.
I was looking to switch from Verizon to Sprint last year because of the great deals they were throwing out there. Problem is, EVERYONE I talked to and heard from was saying Sprint coverage here is horid. They don't have their own towers here and don't plan on it for another year IIRC.

 

[HuskAir]

I have a Galaxy S5 with Verizon. More often than not, the person on the other end cannot hear/understand me. Next year when my contract is up, I'm probably going to go away from Samsung.

 

[TheNewNU]

Get the S6 Edge I went from the S3 to this S6 Edge and I am absolutely loving it. Call quality has been great, the biggest step up from the S3 is by far is the battery life. My S3 would last 8 hours maybe on a full charge. The S6 lasts me 2 days and gets a full charge in a half an hour. Samsung did a 180 with the S6 and went with a really premium build with metal sides and gorilla glass backing, there is no removable battery but you don't need it with the improved battery life or sd card slot but I use so much cloud storage anymore it doesn't really matter.

 

[Tyante]

I've been really impressed with the LG G3. I had the S2 before going to LG. Samsung makes a good phone. I'm guessing your call quality had more to do with Sprint than the phone. HTC used to be really good phones, then their quality dropped, but recently it has come back up again. LG has come out with a G4. The LG phones have slightly bigger screens than the S6 so the phone is going to be bigger as well. It may sound weird, but a feature I really like about the LG is the power button on the back. With the S2, my phone would constantly turn on while in my front pocket. I don't have that issue anymore.

 

[TheBeav815]

If you are on Sprint now, check out Republic wireless. They use Motorola phones. The Moto X is one of the top rated phones out there, and their plans are CHEAP.

It's Wi-Fi first, then Sprint's network for cell coverage. I pay about $30 a month for unlimited texting, talk and data. Very happy with it. Can get you a referral for $20 off.

 

[Mike402]

I had a Samsung Galaxy S5 with T-Mobile when I lived in El Paso. Best phone I have ever had. Moved to Lincoln only to find out T-Mobile is completely irrelevant here. Had to switch to Verizon and upgraded to an S6, which is more or less the same thing as the S5. The wife got the Galaxy Note Edge and she seems to like it. I wanted to go for the S6 Edge but there isn't a big market for protective cases for it so that was a deal breaker for me. At any rate, pretty much anything in the Samsung Galaxy family is top of the line in my opinion.

 

[c2o]

Lumia.

 

[otismotis08]

Got the Galaxy S5...likey

 

[oldred]

I had an S3 and just switched to an S6, so far good luck on calls plus good battery life. I hear the battery time on an HTC m9 is not real good.

 

[suhnami]

If you are in Omaha...or Nebraska really, its Sprint. The S3 is a good phone - my son has it and doesn't want to upgrade yet.
I was looking to switch from Verizon to Sprint last year because of the great deals they were throwing out there. Problem is, EVERYONE I talked to and heard from was saying Sprint coverage here is horid. They don't have their own towers here and don't plan on it for another year IIRC.

The S3 is so outdated it isn't even funny. If you're outside Omaha or Lincoln and a little loop to Fremont or I-80 to Grand Island, you're not even going to be on Sprint, you're going to be roaming.

Sprint most certainly has their own towers. Whoever you're getting your information from stop talking to them immediately.

go to network.sprint.com to see where towers that have been upgraded in the last 6 months are.

New phones that are available now have service on different, farther reaching radio waves than was included in older phones, and that has improved the service immensely.

 

[suhnami]

Here is an independent ranking of the 4 major services in the Omaha area. http://www.rootmetrics.com/us/rsr/omaha-ne/2015/1H

Sprint is very close to the top.

Without a doubt Verizon is the leader in the state due to them buying out Alltel. Nebraska isn't really a priority market for ATT due to their low subscribers. And Tmob is a joke.

 

[St. Anger]

Honestly, I'd like to stay on Sprint, for nothing more than the hassle of switching and the unlimited data. The unlimited data thing made me switch initially from Verizon. Just wish I could figure out if it's Sprint or the S3.

 

[suhnami]

What city are you in?

 

[St. Anger]

What city are you in?

Omaha

 

[suhnami]

I think they have a 14 day trial, if you decide it is Sprint and not the phone just return it and switch carriers.

If you want data you're definitely going to enjoy the better screen.

Your phone is pulling signal from the 1900 mhz band only. Sprint now has 3 different bands. The 800 mhz band is the game changer. Signal reaches much much farther, really fills in a lot of coverage gaps. The other is 2500 mhz, when you get on that you get blazing speeds. It's not as wide spread yet, but it is out there.

 

[St. Anger]

I think they have a 14 day trial, if you decide it is Sprint and not the phone just return it and switch carriers.

If you want data you're definitely going to enjoy the better screen.

Your phone is pulling signal from the 1900 mhz band only. Sprint now has 3 different bands. The 800 mhz band is the game changer. Signal reaches much much farther, really fills in a lot of coverage gaps. The other is 2500 mhz, when you get on that you get blazing speeds. It's not as wide spread yet, but it is out there.

Which carrier you referring to? Sprint?

 

[suhnami]

Yes, Sprint.

The new phones pick up all 3 bands.

 

[suhnami]

I was in Omaha over CWS, didn't have a problem. But other people with different phones can have an entirely different experience. IDK where you live in Omaha, but I'd check that network.sprint.com map to make sure you're within a decent distance to a tower.

 

[St. Anger]

I was in Omaha over CWS, didn't have a problem. But other people with different phones can have an entirely different experience. IDK where you live in Omaha, but I'd check that network.sprint.com map to make sure you're within a decent distance to a tower.

It's literally everywhere. My house, work, doesn't matter. Nobody can hear me.

 

[suhnami]

It's literally everywhere. My house, work, doesn't matter. Nobody can hear me.

My guess is the phone is going bad. Possibly a speaker issue. You said you had issues with other parts of it. Try out a new phone. If it doesn't cut it for you take it back. It's approximately a 3 year old phone (even if you haven't been using it that long.) It is outdated like a computer from 2004. I would get the Galaxy S6 over S5 just because it has the newest internals/radios. And it's going to be future proof that much longer.

 

[TheBeav815]

Seriously, google republic wireless. You need a new phone anyhow, get the moto x or the 16gb moto g and stop paying $80 a month for cell service.

Solved all my problems. Bad service at home no longer a problem because I am on wifi. When I am away from wifi, I have Sprint's network and it's great.

My bill is $29.36 a month. Unlimited data.

 

[wholecorn]

I have the HTC One M9 on Sprint. The phone is reliable and have not had any issues with it so far.

 

[Hoosker Du]

Sprint's network is far from perfect, but it's less expensive, so pay less and get crappier service than Verizon. It is what it is.

As far as phones, I just did a pretty extensive search for a new phone, because I was due for an upgrade. I ended up going with the S6, because overall, in the videos I've watched, it always ends up on top. That being said, after having it for a few weeks, I've noticed that it had slowed down much more than my LG G2 did after having it for a couple years. I've heard that the S6 gets pretty glitchy, and that is what I'm seeing. It slows down substantially on at least a few occasions each day.

Based on my experience with both, LG's version of the Android OS is much more user friendly too. If the LG G4 would have been the same size as the G2 (instead of getting bigger), I would have probably stuck with LG.

I looked at The HTC One (M9) solely because of the front speakers, but honestly the sound quality improvement isn't nearly worth it when you take into account that the volume in speaker mode isn't nearly as loud as either the S6 or the G4. I had an HTC prior to my LG, and I really liked the Android OS of HTC probably the best. That's been about a year and a half ago though, so I'm sure things have changed a bit.

To me, it came down to being between the Samsung Galaxy S6, LG G4, and the HTC One (M9), because the size of the others was prohibitive...and I will not use an effing holster (it's not 1998). I eliminated the HTC One because the speakers weren't loud enough on speaker mode. I have a fair number of conference calls where I like to use speaker mode.

So...to me it then came down to the S6 and G4. Both are very good choices, but if I had to do it again, I might reconsider, given the fact that the LG version of Android OS is more user friendly than Samsung, battery life of S6 isn't as good as G4, and that my S6 has become slower than my G2 in 3 weeks of use.

I didn't even really look at the iPhone, because I've never been a fan of the Apple computer OS. It's always seemed antiquated to me. I hear the iPhone isn't nearly as customizable as Android either, but that may be up for debate.

 

[Hoosker Du]

Seriously, google republic wireless. You need a new phone anyhow, get the moto x or the 16gb moto g and stop paying $80 a month for cell service.

Solved all my problems. Bad service at home no longer a problem because I am on wifi. When I am away from wifi, I have Sprint's network and it's great.

My bill is $29.36 a month. Unlimited data.

Beav may have it right here. No matter how you slice it, it's still a phone...and paying less than a third of the price for service vs what I am paying for Sprint makes more sense than anything.

 

[red rover 70]

I'm done with Sprint as soon as my 2 year contract is up in January. Biggest bunch of crooks this side of the Gambino family. Plus the coverage is worthless.

 

[suhnami]

HuskerDu: Do you leave your phone on all the time? Try shutting it down. That should bring back the snappiness.

Beav: Do you get roaming with Republic?

 

[Hoosker Du]

HuskerDu: Do you leave your phone on all the time? Try shutting it down. That should bring back the snappiness.

Beav: Do you get roaming with Republic?

I actually did have it on for a few days, but turned it off yesterday, and it did speed up substantially. Probably not to the level of when it was new, without all the downloaded apps., but still much better than it was.

What does turning it off actually do? Get rid of all the temp. files or something?

 

[Tyante]

I actually did have it on for a few days, but turned it off yesterday, and it did speed up substantially. Probably not to the level of when it was new, without all the downloaded apps., but still much better than it was.

What does turning it off actually do? Get rid of all the temp. files or something?

One of the biggest things is cleaning up the memory. Many programs have memory leaks that just keep using up, both with computers and phones. This happens when memory is allocated by a program, but the program never gives it back to be used again by the system. As more an more memory gets used up and less is available for other programs those programs run slower. It can also eventually cause a system crash.

 

[c2o]

suhnami said snappiness.
snappiness is a good word.

 

[BleedRed89]

Out of the current crop of phones, there are 4 IMO that are above all the others, no point in not getting one of them.

Galaxy Note 4 - If you want amazing specs and a huge screen, this is the go to.
Galaxy S6 - If you were a fan of the S3, the S6 is improved in every way. The build quality on it makes the S3 feel like a toy.
LG G4 - I have an S6, but if I didn't I'd have the G4. Another phone with an amazing build.
iPhone 6 - I'm not an iPhone guy, but I can't deny the phone has impressive hardware and a solid build. Just not my cup of team.

Everything else, meh.

Your biggest overall problem is Sprint. As much as I hate the prices Verizon and AT&T charge, there's no denying that their networks are head and shoulders above everyone else. You get what you pay for in the end.

 

[BleedRed89]

Seriously, google republic wireless. You need a new phone anyhow, get the moto x or the 16gb moto g and stop paying $80 a month for cell service.

Solved all my problems. Bad service at home no longer a problem because I am on wifi. When I am away from wifi, I have Sprint's network and it's great.

My bill is $29.36 a month. Unlimited data.

Unlimited data in this day and age always has a catch.

At what point do you start getting throttled? 1GB, 2GB? At that point most networks slow your speeds down to a point where it's not even usable. If you're usually around WiFi and rarely use data it's not a problem, but for someone like myself I'll generally use anywhere between 7-10 GB of mobile data a month. On a network like that, my phone would become worthless a few days into a billing cycle.

 

[FerociousKyle]

Sprint's network is far from perfect, but it's less expensive, so pay less and get crappier service than Verizon. It is what it is.

As far as phones, I just did a pretty extensive search for a new phone, because I was due for an upgrade. I ended up going with the S6, because overall, in the videos I've watched, it always ends up on top. That being said, after having it for a few weeks, I've noticed that it had slowed down much more than my LG G2 did after having it for a couple years. I've heard that the S6 gets pretty glitchy, and that is what I'm seeing. It slows down substantially on at least a few occasions each day.

Based on my experience with both, LG's version of the Android OS is much more user friendly too. If the LG G4 would have been the same size as the G2 (instead of getting bigger), I would have probably stuck with LG.

I looked at The HTC One (M9) solely because of the front speakers, but honestly the sound quality improvement isn't nearly worth it when you take into account that the volume in speaker mode isn't nearly as loud as either the S6 or the G4. I had an HTC prior to my LG, and I really liked the Android OS of HTC probably the best. That's been about a year and a half ago though, so I'm sure things have changed a bit.

To me, it came down to being between the Samsung Galaxy S6, LG G4, and the HTC One (M9), because the size of the others was prohibitive...and I will not use an effing holster (it's not 1998). I eliminated the HTC One because the speakers weren't loud enough on speaker mode. I have a fair number of conference calls where I like to use speaker mode.

So...to me it then came down to the S6 and G4. Both are very good choices, but if I had to do it again, I might reconsider, given the fact that the LG version of Android OS is more user friendly than Samsung, battery life of S6 isn't as good as G4, and that my S6 has become slower than my G2 in 3 weeks of use.

I didn't even really look at the iPhone, because I've never been a fan of the Apple computer OS. It's always seemed antiquated to me. I hear the iPhone isn't nearly as customizable as Android either, but that may be up for debate.

Really? Sprint has been fine for me, and I switched my wife from Verizon to Sprint because Sprint actually had coverage where Verizon did not.. I have had no issues what so ever, perfect phone coverage, perfect data coverage, and no issues what so ever with customer service.

As for phones, I would suggest go with the Galaxy S5, LG G3/4. Between those two, I would choose the G3/4.

 

[TheBeav815]

HuskerDu: Do you leave your phone on all the time? Try shutting it down. That should bring back the snappiness.

Beav: Do you get roaming with Republic?

Haven't had any roaming issues. Been on republic almost a year now and love it. Network is WAY better than when I was on Tmobile. It's Sprint's towers, Republic buys bandwidth from them.

Everyone is gonna go to Wi-Fi based voip IMO because it will drop the carriers' costs. But they'll keep charging you a pantload a month, whereas Republic just rolled out an even cheaper plan where you pay for up to x amount of cell data and you get a credit back for what you don't use.