Thank you kindly for confirming... I can't imagine why this is not a deal-breaker for more people, but everyone has different needs. But because of my need, I guess I'm locked to at&t, which is not necessarily a good thing. 
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iPhone 5 AT&T or Verizon?
- Thread starter Orlandoech
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I went and picked up an iPhone 5 at VZ to test out, its blows ATT out of the water. VZ has LTE coverage every where in the SLC Valley that i have been so far without issues.
Even when Im on 2 bars of LTE, it loads webpages more than 3 times as fast as ATT does with full 4G Bars because ATT didnt have LTE in that area.
I will be switching permanently today.
Even when Im on 2 bars of LTE, it loads webpages more than 3 times as fast as ATT does with full 4G Bars because ATT didnt have LTE in that area.
I will be switching permanently today.
I tried out Verizon with the Galaxy Nexus last year. I found them to be very inconsistent in my area. I then switched to the iPhone 4S on Verizon and found it to be better but still nowhere as good as AT&T is in my area.
Verizon liked to switch back and fourth between O and 3G. I believe the "O" is the CDMA equivalent to EDGE.
That and me being a GSM fan made me stick with AT&T.
Verizon liked to switch back and fourth between O and 3G. I believe the "O" is the CDMA equivalent to EDGE.
That and me being a GSM fan made me stick with AT&T.
I have a 4 line AT&T family plan with all iPhone 5's and 1 VZW line/iPhone 5. The AT&T family plan each line has unlimited data and the VZW line has unlimited data.
I'm in the Philly market and 'lucky' enough to test both networks with the same device.
AT&T isn't the same AT&T like they were up until 2 years ago I have to say. AT&T has gotten significantly better.
My experience in the Philly market AT&T VZW are equal with each having those issues. All in all they are equal in terms of coverage and reliability.
What I like a about AT&T better is that in my area HSPA+ is plenty good enough for me. I find with both carriers in the burbs they fall back out of LTE just as equally. Verizon 3G is pretty close to unusable. In the city both networks are fantastic. AT&T LTE is faster but in real life operation you can't tell a difference.
Since I have unlimited data from each carrier this is my take. Since I have 4 unlimited data lines with AT&T, AT&T allows you to upgrade at device subsidy and still keep your unlimited data. With AT&T you get throttled when you reach 5GB on LTE. The LTE throttled speeds are 500'ish Mbps down and up with 40-90 pings. My experience is being throttled you really can't tell that your iPhone 5 is throttled. I assume the low pings still make for a snappier experience when throttled. The kicker is I haven't experienced being throttled in a non AT&T LTE area. I'm assuming if I was in a HSPA+ only area I would experience the same throttling and pings, but that I'm not sure of. People have commented when you're throttled on AT&T LTE 'your life will be miserable' but my experience hasn't even been close. But being throttled on AT&T 3G with an iPhone 4 and even a 4S isn't the same experience as being throttled on an AT&T LTE device.
With VZW if I want to keep unlimited data I either have to pay full retail for an iPhone 5 or buy a used iPhone 5. I can see that if you're only a single account this might not be so significant. But when you have 3-4 other devices that will also need new devices eventually I can see this being an issue.
Since my experience with AT&T LTE throttling I don't know a huge difference, I consider unlimited data from both carriers as a level playing field. So I would say that AT&T LTE wins in this situation because of device subsidy and being to keep unlimited.
However VZW has consumer friendly features that AT&T doesn't offer. This applies to unlimited plans. Unlimited mobile hot spot for $30/month. The ability to use your iPhone 5 sim in your iPad resulting in unlimited data with your iPad. The ability to use your LTE sim from your device in a MiFi or Jetpack.
So since my experience applies to unlimited data on each network, you have to weigh out who's better.
If you have metered data from each network then the same can apply in regards to which performs the best in your area. You'll read that AT&T LTE is better than VZW in some areas and visa versa. But I do believe that it's hype that VZW is the best overall and offers the best coverage everywhere. I'm not saying VZW isn't good in my area, in fact VZW is FANASTIC in my area. But AT&T is equally FANASTIC.
I'm in the Philly market and 'lucky' enough to test both networks with the same device.
AT&T isn't the same AT&T like they were up until 2 years ago I have to say. AT&T has gotten significantly better.
My experience in the Philly market AT&T VZW are equal with each having those issues. All in all they are equal in terms of coverage and reliability.
What I like a about AT&T better is that in my area HSPA+ is plenty good enough for me. I find with both carriers in the burbs they fall back out of LTE just as equally. Verizon 3G is pretty close to unusable. In the city both networks are fantastic. AT&T LTE is faster but in real life operation you can't tell a difference.
Since I have unlimited data from each carrier this is my take. Since I have 4 unlimited data lines with AT&T, AT&T allows you to upgrade at device subsidy and still keep your unlimited data. With AT&T you get throttled when you reach 5GB on LTE. The LTE throttled speeds are 500'ish Mbps down and up with 40-90 pings. My experience is being throttled you really can't tell that your iPhone 5 is throttled. I assume the low pings still make for a snappier experience when throttled. The kicker is I haven't experienced being throttled in a non AT&T LTE area. I'm assuming if I was in a HSPA+ only area I would experience the same throttling and pings, but that I'm not sure of. People have commented when you're throttled on AT&T LTE 'your life will be miserable' but my experience hasn't even been close. But being throttled on AT&T 3G with an iPhone 4 and even a 4S isn't the same experience as being throttled on an AT&T LTE device.
With VZW if I want to keep unlimited data I either have to pay full retail for an iPhone 5 or buy a used iPhone 5. I can see that if you're only a single account this might not be so significant. But when you have 3-4 other devices that will also need new devices eventually I can see this being an issue.
Since my experience with AT&T LTE throttling I don't know a huge difference, I consider unlimited data from both carriers as a level playing field. So I would say that AT&T LTE wins in this situation because of device subsidy and being to keep unlimited.
However VZW has consumer friendly features that AT&T doesn't offer. This applies to unlimited plans. Unlimited mobile hot spot for $30/month. The ability to use your iPhone 5 sim in your iPad resulting in unlimited data with your iPad. The ability to use your LTE sim from your device in a MiFi or Jetpack.
So since my experience applies to unlimited data on each network, you have to weigh out who's better.
If you have metered data from each network then the same can apply in regards to which performs the best in your area. You'll read that AT&T LTE is better than VZW in some areas and visa versa. But I do believe that it's hype that VZW is the best overall and offers the best coverage everywhere. I'm not saying VZW isn't good in my area, in fact VZW is FANASTIC in my area. But AT&T is equally FANASTIC.
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iPhone is better in a GSM version. As a Verizon user I'd recommend AT&T. The iPhone 5 is the only LTE phone on Verizon that can't do data and voice when connected to LTE. This is due to the iPhone only having one antenna but that's besides the point. Verizon 3G is absolutely terrible, so if you drop off LTE you are doomed.
I just ran this. It's as about as fast as I ever see.
![eqedapar.jpg]()
My friend with a 4 on AT&T which is HPSA gets 3-4 mbs and my buddy with an AT&T 4S which is HPSA+ gets around 6-7. All tested at my house.
I just ran this. It's as about as fast as I ever see.
My friend with a 4 on AT&T which is HPSA gets 3-4 mbs and my buddy with an AT&T 4S which is HPSA+ gets around 6-7. All tested at my house.
Truly depends where you'll be spending most of your contract time and who gives the best service in that area.
It also may depend on service features you may desire. For instance, if you feel tethering should be included in your data plan, then Verizon may be the way to go but if that isn't a deal-breaker, then your golden unlimited plan may be the way to go.
But that speed and service..that's the kicker to all of this. If all of the features you have can't be enjoyable where you are or may end up going, why hold on to it, it has no value at that point to you.
I'm here in the DC area (Alexandria, VA) at the moment and just bought my fiancé her SG3 on Verizon. They have really nice features on their plans but I wanted to see speeds with Verizon vs my AT&T. While she was getting between 12-13Mbps, I was getting 22, and this was inside their store!
So it truly depends on what features you need, who is providing them in a way that is benefit to you.
It also may depend on service features you may desire. For instance, if you feel tethering should be included in your data plan, then Verizon may be the way to go but if that isn't a deal-breaker, then your golden unlimited plan may be the way to go.
But that speed and service..that's the kicker to all of this. If all of the features you have can't be enjoyable where you are or may end up going, why hold on to it, it has no value at that point to you.
I'm here in the DC area (Alexandria, VA) at the moment and just bought my fiancé her SG3 on Verizon. They have really nice features on their plans but I wanted to see speeds with Verizon vs my AT&T. While she was getting between 12-13Mbps, I was getting 22, and this was inside their store!
So it truly depends on what features you need, who is providing them in a way that is benefit to you.
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Typically for a mobile device, anything over a certain speed is overkill. I would challenge you to tell a difference in the web experience, for example, from 12 Mbps vs. 22. It's virtually identical.
If LTE JUST launched in your area, it pays to wait it out a couple weeks. This isn't just a AT&T issue. Same with VZW. They fine tune the whole area and areas with low coverage are then revisited to add more sites. This is all apart of the initial rollout.
I went from 1 "bar" of LTE to full within 2 weeks during the initial LTE rollout in Boston.