Carrier ABOUT TO SWITCH TO TMO. WOULD UNLOCKED VS TMO IPHONE 8+ FOR BETTER RECEPTION?

[rjdoc74]

Hi everyone,

I am about to switch my 6 line family plan from Verizon to TMO and having real trouble deciding what to do. I can pay for 8+ outright, but I am thinking about doing a payment plan, so that I could upgrade to new Iphone next year that supports 600 band. Only thing I am concerned about is reception with current Iphone, especially in buildings. Would Veriozon phone with Qualcomm chip be significantly better than TMO phone with Intel? Does anyone have real world experience? I am in LA and rarely go anywhere rural if it helps. TIA!

 

[LarryNyquil]

I had a 7 with the intel modem and my coverage was horrendous indoors with T-Mobile. I bought the unlocked 8 and I'm planning to switch to Verizon shortly, but in the meantime I'm still on T-Mobile. I haven't noticed any significant improvement with coverage or reception with the qualcomm modem in the 8. It seems like when I have signal it's a little faster but I don't have numbers to back it up.

Honestly, though, I would never get a purposefully crippled phone if I didn't have to (no choice with my 7). Keep your options open for any carrier, and get the unlocked one.

 

[PBz]

If you can buy unlocked.. buy unlocked.

 

[0000757]

Real-world, you're not going to see a single bit of difference. The only reason you'd need the model with a Qualcomm modem is if you ever plan on connecting to a CDMA network again (which are pretty much all dying now; rural Asia is the largest CDMA market and even then I'm pretty sure they have solid LTE coverage too).

 

[danniexi]

it will be at least another year or two until T-mobile fully rolls out the 600mhz band. they are starting with rural areas first and then rolling out the more congested metropolitan areas. as for real world differences in terms of the phones, there probably isn't any with the different modems.

 

[rjdoc74]

One of the reasons I wanted to go with TMO iphone would be ability to use payment plan with sole purpose of being able to upgrade to 2018 iphone with no cost. I am very concerned about TMO coverage though. Ah decisions, decisions.

 

[0000757]

One of the reasons I wanted to go with TMO iphone would be ability to use payment plan with sole purpose of being able to upgrade to 2018 iphone with no cost. I am very concerned about TMO coverage though. Ah decisions, decisions.

The unlocked model would not have any affect on T-Mobile's coverage at all. The only thing you get from the Qualcomm modem is CDMA support.

 

[TravisPNW]

I am very concerned about TMO coverage though. Ah decisions, decisions.

As you should be. You couldn't pay me enough much to switch from Verizon to TMO.

I'm in Seattle metro with Verizon and my friend has TMO. I can't tell you how many times she drops calls... static connections... etc etc... especially indoors.

Mine is flawless... hers? Not so much.

Good luck with the transition.

 

[avtella]

Get the QCA version, in low signal situationions at least with the iPhone 7 Plus I noticed a difference. That’s what reviews also said, it makes a bigger difference in low signal areas.

 

[LarryNyquil]

Real-world, you're not going to see a single bit of difference. The only reason you'd need the model with a Qualcomm modem is if you ever plan on connecting to a CDMA network again (which are pretty much all dying now; rural Asia is the largest CDMA market and even then I'm pretty sure they have solid LTE coverage too).

Verizon and Sprint in the US are CDMA, and the phones are required to support it to connect to their networks. Doesn't matter that they have LTE as well. You'd be more than halving your options (including MVNOs) by excluding CDMA.

 

[0000757]

Verizon and Sprint in the US are CDMA, and the phones are required to support it to connect to their networks. Doesn't matter that they have LTE as well. You'd be more than halving your options (including MVNOs) by excluding CDMA.

Interesting.

Maybe that's why I said "The only reason you'd need the model with a Qualcomm modem is if you ever plan on connecting to a CDMA network again".

Not to mention, if the T-Mobile/Sprint merger really is true, Sprint's CDMA network will be dropped, and Verizon's already announced plans to phase out it's CDMA network by the end of 2020.

There are way more LTE/GSM based networks than CDMA based network. Every CDMA based network in the US is based off of Sprint or Verizon. There are more GSM compatible MVNOs than there are CDMA ones in the US. Most MVNOs in the US support both GSM and CDMA, and out of all the CDMA only ones, only 4 lack any LTE support.

CDMA is dead. It's not needed. You can live your whole life never connecting to a CDMA network. Unless you know you're going to need to be on a CDMA network (Verzion, Sprint, one of their MVNOs, or legacy Asian carriers), you don't need the Qualcomm modem.

If its easiest for OP to get his device from T-Mobile, that's the best choice, unless he knows he needs CDMA compatibility (which he most likely does not).

 

[rjdoc74]

After reading TMO experience responses, I will probably end up staying with Verizon. My family members will sure an me for “switching to bad network” if they keep having dropped calls and no LTE. I have enough drama in MH life. I guess I will continue paying more for Verizon. It was a nice idea to save some money by switching to TMO

 

[That70sGAdawg]

It really depends on where you live & spend most of your time. In Atlanta, We switched 5 phones from AT$T to unlimited T Mobile last December and the only difference is my bill has been $70 cheaper EVERY month!

 

[0970373]

Why don't you get a pre-paid SIM and try it out for a week and see if the coverage in the places you need work for you. Blanket statements about coverage w/ a carrier should be taken with a grain of salt. Especially if it's a TMO opinion older than 3 years. They have improved their network significantly with a focus on major cities, obv.

I went apple picking w/ some friends upstate last year and the only person who had coverage was the one who had Sprint - and we had the whole spectrum of major carriers on that trip. Every city I've traveled to w/ TMO, including LA & Seattle, has had good coverage. Internet can slow down at peak hours on any network, anywhere. But I've never lost coverage nor have I have been unable to make a phone call or alternatively send a text in places where I expect to be able to. Indoor coverage has significantly improved and WiFi calling really takes care of that problem anyway. But perhaps your office doesn't allow personal devices on WiFi, as an example. And if that's the case then it is worth it for you to spend the extra $ to stay on Verizon.

 

[brian3uk]

After reading TMO experience responses, I will probably end up staying with Verizon. My family members will sure an me for “switching to bad network” if they keep having dropped calls and no LTE. I have enough drama in MH life. I guess I will continue paying more for Verizon. It was a nice idea to save some money by switching to TMO

It really depends where you live, and if you travel a lot. I switched to TMO last year and have had no trouble in the majority of places I spend my time. I live near Disney World and have to compete with tourists for bandwidth, and I still get 63-103 Mbps. AT&T used to be almost unusable during the busy season because of the tourists. If i venture into the rural areas of Florida, then its a little spotty for data speed, but i've always been able to make a call. I do not go to those places often enough for it to make a difference. The worst I've experienced in less densely populated areas of metro Orlando is 26Mbps.

BTW: I had the Intel 7 and switched to the QC 7 and I did notice a difference in low signal areas. I bought the QC 8 this year.