advice on who to go with

[newtothis1]

hi people, ive searched the threads but still need help deciding who to get a new iphone 6 from.

my options are sprint or t mobile, the reason its between the two is because i like the option of having unlimited data. unfortunately im on a tight budget so i cant go for the best plan in all cases.

at sprint im looking at doing the easy pay iphone 6 64gb and unlimited plan for 50 dollars.

with t mobile im looking to do the installment plan for the same type of iphone, but get only the 1gb of data 4g lte, with unlimited talk text and data at 2g speeds.

ive seen lots of different opinions about sprint and t mobile, about better speeds on 4g lte, about unlocking iphones. can you guys give me input on which carrier i should go with, im moving from att to one of the two, its too pricey to stay with att. im located north of sacramento, ca but also spend lots of time in LA.

thank you for your help with this decision, i really need help with this.

 

[Black Magic]

Sprint sucks horribly and network coverage is very spotty. You get unlimited data with them because there is no way in hell you would ever be able to use it. Imagine driving around the city trying to find out where you can get LTE? Don't do it.

I'd go T-Mobile of the two but you do get what you pay for. Me personally, I left Sprint after 10+ years and went to AT&T. Very satisfied!

 

[ROLLTIDE1]

hi people, ive searched the threads but still need help deciding who to get a new iphone 6 from.

my options are sprint or t mobile, the reason its between the two is because i like the option of having unlimited data. unfortunately im on a tight budget so i cant go for the best plan in all cases.

at sprint im looking at doing the easy pay iphone 6 64gb and unlimited plan for 50 dollars.

with t mobile im looking to do the installment plan for the same type of iphone, but get only the 1gb of data 4g lte, with unlimited talk text and data at 2g speeds.

ive seen lots of different opinions about sprint and t mobile, about better speeds on 4g lte, about unlocking iphones. can you guys give me input on which carrier i should go with, im moving from att to one of the two, its too pricey to stay with att. im located north of sacramento, ca but also spend lots of time in LA.

thank you for your help with this decision, i really need help with this.

I Would go with none of the above

 

[Pjrufus]

If T-Mobile coverage is good in your area, I would go with that. In my area, Verizon is the only carrier with coverage everywhere, T-mo is good at my home and most of the areas I go to. It was worth the cost saving for me to switch. Use wifi when you are home and download/update then, and you can get by with 1GB of data. I do have my ipad on Verizon, so I am covered everywhere, but with this combo, I still pay half what I did on Verizon for my phone.

They do have a one week try out program, if you are not sure about T-mo coverage where you are.

 

[newtothis1]

thank you for the replies! i appreciate your insights.

im leaning towards going with t mobile, if the coverage is good in my area, of course. ill have to see about that week try out program.

to those with t mobile, is the unlimited 2g data usage good enough, to check email and such? i can do like Pjrufus suggested, to get by on 1gb 4g lte. it will be a bit difficult since ive had unlimited data with att, but changing a few habits to pay less and still having 2g unlimited data, just in case, seems fine to me. ive never had 4g lte with att just 3g, still rocking an iphone 4, so i dont think it will be too bad. seems most people dont care for sprint, and lots of people are moving to t mobile, so thats promising.

anyone else with advice, please share.

also is it true that on sprint you cant surf the web and talk on the phone, like if im talking to my friend and looking at google maps on my iphone to get directions for him/her i wouldnt be able to do that if i went with sprint?

anyone have experience with what happens to cell coverage on t mobile when youre out of their network? seems like sprint allows roaming on other carriers w/o charge as long as it doesnt happen a lot..

 

[newtothis1]

one more thing, sprint is impossible to unlock for domestic use on another carrier such as att verizon or t mobile right? thats not true for t mobile?

 

[Pjrufus]

Since you are trying to keep costs down, I would start with the minimum amount of data. You can change it easily at anytime. Just updating apps when you are home on wifi saves a ton of data use.

 

[newtothis1]

Since you are trying to keep costs down, I would start with the minimum amount of data. You can change it easily at anytime. Just updating apps when you are home on wifi saves a ton of data use.

Pjrufus, would you recommend the simple starter plan with 2gb 4g lte for 45 dollars a month, or the 1gb 4g lte data plan for 50 dollars which comes with unlimited data at 2g speed once you reach the 1gb 4g lte?

thanks for the help thus far!

 

[Black Magic]

thank you for the replies! i appreciate your insights.

im leaning towards going with t mobile, if the coverage is good in my area, of course. ill have to see about that week try out program.

to those with t mobile, is the unlimited 2g data usage good enough, to check email and such? i can do like Pjrufus suggested, to get by on 1gb 4g lte. it will be a bit difficult since ive had unlimited data with att, but changing a few habits to pay less and still having 2g unlimited data, just in case, seems fine to me. ive never had 4g lte with att just 3g, still rocking an iphone 4, so i dont think it will be too bad. seems most people dont care for sprint, and lots of people are moving to t mobile, so thats promising.

anyone else with advice, please share.

also is it true that on sprint you cant surf the web and talk on the phone, like if im talking to my friend and looking at google maps on my iphone to get directions for him/her i wouldnt be able to do that if i went with sprint?

anyone have experience with what happens to cell coverage on t mobile when youre out of their network? seems like sprint allows roaming on other carriers w/o charge as long as it doesnt happen a lot..

Yes, CDMA carriers can't talk and surf. That is Sprint and Verizon which are CDMA. This may change in the future with voLTE. Yes, Sprint phones are locked domestically so resale value isn't as good unless you can find a sucker.

Your iPhone 4 doesn't support LTE so you aren't getting the goodness. If I were you, I would try and buy a iPhone 5, 5C or 5s so you can go to T-MOBILE without paying an equipment charge. You can then use LTE if you want or turn it off in settings.

 

[Pjrufus]

Pjrufus, would you recommend the simple starter plan with 2gb 4g lte for 45 dollars a month, or the 1gb 4g lte data plan for 50 dollars which comes with unlimited data at 2g speed once you reach the 1gb 4g lte?

thanks for the help thus far!

I'm not familiar with the simple start plan. I have the $50 + $20 for an extra line. My roommate is on my plan and we split the bill. He uses phone & text, no data, and I use all 3, so 1Gb data works for me.

 

[newtothis1]

thanks for the suggestions and help, Black Magic and Pjrufus!

 

[0970373]

hi people, ive searched the threads but still need help deciding who to get a new iphone 6 from.

my options are sprint or t mobile, the reason its between the two is because i like the option of having unlimited data. unfortunately im on a tight budget so i cant go for the best plan in all cases.

at sprint im looking at doing the easy pay iphone 6 64gb and unlimited plan for 50 dollars.

with t mobile im looking to do the installment plan for the same type of iphone, but get only the 1gb of data 4g lte, with unlimited talk text and data at 2g speeds.

ive seen lots of different opinions about sprint and t mobile, about better speeds on 4g lte, about unlocking iphones. can you guys give me input on which carrier i should go with, im moving from att to one of the two, its too pricey to stay with att. im located north of sacramento, ca but also spend lots of time in LA.

thank you for your help with this decision, i really need help with this.

It really depends on how the service is in your area and where you use your phone. I am loving my switch to TMO. But I knew that switch couldn't happen until WiFi calling was available, and it is awesome.

I highly recommend using T-MObile's Test Drive program to see if it works for you in your areas. If it does, then definitely get them over Sprint. If TMO service is bad in your area, you might want to think about an AT&T or Verizon MVNO - services like Cricket, etc. If you do go w/ TMO, have someone refer you when you sign up. You'll get a free upgrade to unlimited data for 1 year.

 

[newtothis1]

It really depends on how the service is in your area and where you use your phone. I am loving my switch to TMO. But I knew that switch couldn't happen until WiFi calling was available, and it is awesome.

I highly recommend using T-MObile's Test Drive program to see if it works for you in your areas. If it does, then definitely get them over Sprint. If TMO service is bad in your area, you might want to think about an AT&T or Verizon MVNO - services like Cricket, etc. If you do go w/ TMO, have someone refer you when you sign up. You'll get a free upgrade to unlimited data for 1 year.

thank you for the information E3BK, how does the referring to get unlimited data for a year work? have any advice on how to get someone to refer me? i assume it needs to be someone whos on t mobile right?

thanks again for all the input, really appreciate it!

 

[MsRandall]

Tbone - my sister still has Sprint and an iPhone 6plus- it's very sllllooow because it on Sprints lte network

 

[newtothis1]

Tbone - my sister still has Sprint and an iPhone 6plus- it's very sllllooow because it on Sprints lte network

thank you MsRandall, good to know, seems its best to stay away from sprint.

 

[themyst]

hi people, ive searched the threads but still need help deciding who to get a new iphone 6 from.

my options are sprint or t mobile, the reason its between the two is because i like the option of having unlimited data. unfortunately im on a tight budget so i cant go for the best plan in all cases.

at sprint im looking at doing the easy pay iphone 6 64gb and unlimited plan for 50 dollars.

with t mobile im looking to do the installment plan for the same type of iphone, but get only the 1gb of data 4g lte, with unlimited talk text and data at 2g speeds.

ive seen lots of different opinions about sprint and t mobile, about better speeds on 4g lte, about unlocking iphones. can you guys give me input on which carrier i should go with, im moving from att to one of the two, its too pricey to stay with att. im located north of sacramento, ca but also spend lots of time in LA.

thank you for your help with this decision, i really need help with this.

Sprint vs T-mobile is a toss-up depending on where you live; Sprint offers "true unlimited data" in a sense you'd only get throttled if you go way overboard.

Sprint's "true unlimited data" is far cheaper than T-Mobile; $50 vs $80.

If you want to unlock a phone for resale down the road, Do NOT go Sprint.

T-Mobile pricing is not that competitive really after you read all the fine print. Sprint beats T-Mo in price all day long... but its data speeds that can be an issue DEPENDING on where you live.

FWIW - I have a grandfathered AT&T plan, 550 shared/rollover mins, 200SMS per line (we both use Google Voice or iMessage), a 3GB and 2GB data plan for $101 (2 lines) after my employee discount. This is a contract plan. And it sure as heck beats anything else out there for my needs.

 

[newtothis1]

Sprint vs T-mobile is a toss-up depending on where you live; Sprint offers "true unlimited data" in a sense you'd only get throttled if you go way overboard.

Sprint's "true unlimited data" is far cheaper than T-Mobile; $50 vs $80.

If you want to unlock a phone for resale down the road, Do NOT go Sprint.

T-Mobile pricing is not that competitive really after you read all the fine print. Sprint beats T-Mo in price all day long... but its data speeds that can be an issue DEPENDING on where you live.

FWIW - I have a grandfathered AT&T plan, 550 shared/rollover mins, 200SMS per line (we both use Google Voice or iMessage), a 3GB and 2GB data plan for $101 (2 lines) after my employee discount. This is a contract plan. And it sure as heck beats anything else out there for my needs.

thanks for the input themyst, im going to try and get t mobile, seems to be good in my area, and really good in LA where i visit often. also going to try and use a referral to get unlimited data for a year, like E3BK suggested.

 

[0970373]

thank you for the information E3BK, how does the referring to get unlimited data for a year work? have any advice on how to get someone to refer me? i assume it needs to be someone whos on t mobile right?

thanks again for all the input, really appreciate it!

Yes, referral needs to come from someone on TMO. I'm happy to refer you if you don't already have it. You'd both get the promo. I already have it but happy to help. Just need your email. The test drive is important to see if it works out for you. http://explore.t-mobile.com/test-drive-free-trial

 

[newtothis1]

Yes, referral needs to come from someone on TMO. I'm happy to refer you if you don't already have it. You'd both get the promo. I already have it but happy to help. Just need your email. The test drive is important to see if it works out for you. http://explore.t-mobile.com/test-drive-free-trial

thanks for the info E3BK, i did get someone to refer me but if they dont work out, ill see if you still can. i appreciate your help with this, your input has been very useful and helpful.

i wish i could do the test drive, but i can only get the test drive phone sent to my credit card address, and unfortunately i moved recently so i cant get it sent to my current address. based on the coverage maps, it seems like it covers my area well enough, looks like i get very good and good signal with some excellent areas. the wifi calling can be helpful if i dont get service, also the unlimited 2g data and service partners 2g cellular will help in those worst case scenarios.

once again thank you all for the advice, if anyone has more to share please feel free too.