Sprint tri-band LTE on 4 devices, but none of the important ones

s44

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2006
9,427
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So, "Sprint Spark".
http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/1...-phones-coming-nov-8-speeds-around-50-60mbps/

Tech wise, it's good: their current LTE was just on 1900, which has crap for distance coverage and building penetration. Clearwire 2600 should be nice for urban outdoor coverage, but refarming 850 gives them LTE now on a low enough frequency to actually cover people.

However, isn't it massive fail that the only phones getting this are the Mega, the Max, the S4 mini, and (months and months from now, via OTA) the G2? Sprint had a great opportunity to get their best signal coverage on real flagship devices: the Note 3 and the 5S. That they didn't is incredibly weak.

Is the S4 mini the only recommendable Sprint device?

Edit:
Well, maybe the Nexus 5 will be decent too.
 
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AkumaX

Lifer
Apr 20, 2000
12,643
3
81
Potential to reach 1gbps... "future"...

I'm not falling for that again, Sprint! No 4G WiMax, spotty 4G LTE1900, 3G CDMA reduced to trash!! Don't fall for it, ITS A TRAP!!
 

Roland00Address

Platinum Member
Dec 17, 2008
2,196
260
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It really depends on where you are at with sprint. For example I get what I consider good service on sprint with my s4 which only uses 1900 mhz lte. Other people would get crap services with the same phone and the same network for they are a in a place where sprint has not put the infrastructure in place to have good service.

Note the below numbers are in KBs so a 1000 KBS is equal to 1 MB. Most people look for data in Mbs (remember 8 Mbs is equal to 1 MB)

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Supposedly the nexus 5 is coming out soon and rumor has it sprint may support it. It is supposedly based off the LG G2 but with a smaller screen and a smaller battery

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Also the LG G2 is a pretty nice phone.

From Brian Klug from Anandtech (he is the cell phone reviewer)
I've been using the G2 as my daily since getting it, and have been really quite impressed with the device. LG's battery size is large, and the battery life tests back up the subjectively long longevity that I've noticed.
...
There are, of course, performance benefits to talk about as well. Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974), delivers solid improvements relative to Snapdragon 600 (APQ8064T).
...
LG took a bold risk by putting the volume and power buttons on the back of the G2, something I initially suspected would be awkward and cumbersome. However it actually makes a lot of sense and allows the G2 to further decrease the edge bezel thickness and prevent the device from getting too wide, which is what I find affects in-hand fatigue quite a lot. After a day or so the back buttons are basically second nature, and I've been using the volume down to launch camera shortcut quite a bit. I'd take a back mounted power button over a top mounted power button anytime after using the G2.

The G2's large display doesn't really add to the overall dimensions of the device, thanks to its unique design decisions. The panel also seems to come reasonably well calibrated out of the box, generally equaling the color accuracy we've seen from the iPhone 5 and HTC One. I can't help but be happy that we're finally seeing color accuracy taken seriously by some Android vendors.

On the camera side, having another Android phone with OIS is an awesome bonus. I love that we're getting more devices now with OIS and better emphasis on camera, and the results out of the G2 with the combination of that feature and 13 MP CMOS look very impressive in all but challenging low light situations. There's definitely OIS performance differences between the players that have it now, and room for further tuning and improvement, but it's already a huge help especially in handheld video. Likewise, finally having 1080p60 on a flagship device is absolutely awesome, now if only YouTube and other sharing mediums would follow suit with 60 FPS support.

Overall LG's G2 is surprisingly good. It's built on a great platform, with great battery life and includes a number of design decisions that show honest to goodness innovative thinking on LG's part. We'll wait to give our final recommendation on the G2 until we get an LTE version with final software, but if you're looking for an Android phone with a ~5" display this fall the G2 looks like it could be high on your list.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7251/lg-g2-and-msm8974-snapdragon-800-a-quick-look/8

Best Buy has the LG G2 for $99.99 for new customer or customer extension.
 

s44

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2006
9,427
16
81
The G2 is pretty nice, but if Sprint wants to rebuild their brand they need to deliver a good experience on phones people actually buy. Way more people will get the Note 3 and the iPhone 5S than will even hear of the G2.
 

s44

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2006
9,427
16
81
FYI the Nexus 5 lists compatibility with all three LTE bands Sprint is going to use for this (25, 26, and 41). So *two* recommendable devices on Sprint...