Data Plan Comparison: Unlimited Options From T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T and Sprint

[Slevin]

Just an hour of 4k footage- which is becoming increasingly prevalent takes roughly 22gb, then throttling may or may not happen. Unlimited is a joke.

How many mobile devices can display 4K footage? Also is bandwith capable of streaming 4K without buffering or lag?

In the future this may become an issue but for the vast majority of users it's inconsequential. By the time it becomes relevant providers will have changed their plans.

 

[jujufreeze]

How many mobile devices can display 4K footage? Also is bandwith capable of streaming 4K without buffering or lag?

In the future this may become an issue but for the vast majority of users it's inconsequential. By the time it becomes relevant providers will have changed their plans.

Chroma subsampling enhances 4k content downsampled to 1080p. 4K videos have 4 times the amount of pixels in a 1080p screen and there is a relation of 4 pixels to 1, so those 4 pixels are merged to one, with the best possible color representation. In the end, every single pixel is going to have its unique Luma, as before, but also its unique Cb and Cr components. Basically downsampling 4K to Full HD will appear sharper and preserve details better than 1080p content. Color subsampling also improves from 4:2:2 to 4:4:4.

 

[samcraig]

I'm on a t-mobile 10gb plan with my wife - 2 lines and we pay 100 + taxes - so winds up being $116.50 Is there ANY reason why I shouldn't switch to the new ONE plan now where it's unlimited for $100 and no taxes?

 

[Resist]

I'm on a t-mobile 10gb plan with my wife - 2 lines and we pay 100 + taxes - so winds up being $116.50 Is there ANY reason why I shouldn't switch to the new ONE plan now where it's unlimited for $100 and no taxes?

Unlimited everything and no taxes....why wouldn't you switch? Just remember the no taxes thing won't be offered forever, so I'd grab it.

 

[Resist]

I just switched from AT&T (15 years with them) to T-Mobile. The SIM card currently is on special for $0.99.

T-Mobile says there is no such offer right now. I did see that this offer was last year though.

 

[dcingie]

T-Mobile says there is no such offer right now. I did see that this offer was last year though.

I was offered that price when I called them to switch to their service. I did not see it offered online.

 

[GadgetGeek407]

I have had ATT for since the iphone 4 days, came from Sprint which was horrible. I live in Orlando FL and ATT use to be amazing and blazing fast data speeds, in the year or two data speeds are horrible everywhere and signal is like one bar or two at best on major areas. I do have the DirecTV deal at the house being at ATT customer so not sure how that would play out?

Also I like the Tmobile offerings due to the international deals, we do travel quiet a bit. If I get the business plan I save monthly but no Netflix correct? They use to offer a few months back the employee monthly percent off code, is it better to switch now or wait a while for deals? We are all a family of iPhones and one android. 10 phones in total. Unlimited data is important, I have read a lot about different bands on tmobile, I think Apple does not suppose a lot of these correct? Will they next year?

What are the downsides to Tmobile? I need service indoors as well as having it in elevators is a plus of course but not a must. Am I better off putting mom and dad on senior plan and rest on TMO or the business?

 

[McGiord]

I have had ATT for since the iphone 4 days, came from Sprint which was horrible. I live in Orlando FL and ATT use to be amazing and blazing fast data speeds, in the year or two data speeds are horrible everywhere and signal is like one bar or two at best on major areas. I do have the DirecTV deal at the house being at ATT customer so not sure how that would play out?

Also I like the Tmobile offerings due to the international deals, we do travel quiet a bit. If I get the business plan I save monthly but no Netflix correct? They use to offer a few months back the employee monthly percent off code, is it better to switch now or wait a while for deals? We are all a family of iPhones and one android. 10 phones in total. Unlimited data is important, I have read a lot about different bands on tmobile, I think Apple does not suppose a lot of these correct? Will they next year?

What are the downsides to Tmobile? I need service indoors as well as having it in elevators is a plus of course but not a must. Am I better off putting mom and dad on senior plan and rest on TMO or the business?

I was a former AT&T grandfathered unlimited plan and every time I traveled out of the US it was a terrible and expensive experience.
I got a T-Mobile line just to test it and get coverage while traveling to a Europe, my experience in eirope was so awesome that I switched all my lines to T-Mobile.
Certainly at work I don’t have good coverage indoors, if you can get Wi-Fi it will be no issue.
The free data roaming, and no bs billing is great, they gave something extra without even asking, like the One Plus promo: free GoGo inflight Wi-Fi.
When I switched they gave me a Visa gift card $300 per line.
When I switched early this year they told me that from the iPhone 6S they got more bands supported, I had an iPhone 6+ Back then, now I have an 8 +.
If coverage at your workplace is really an issue for you, in their website they offer a solution with a wireless cell device, I think was for $25 deposit. I have not needed it yet as I had been on the road most of the times. Just one thing to check with them.
The Tuesday’s promos are some good extras that sometimes are worth the bother to claim them, not the main reason to switch or they it but are nice tokens of appreciation for every line you’ll get with them.

 

[stylinexpat]

T-Mobile is great if you travel often. In California coverage depends on where you live and work.

 

[J Gonzo]

T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint, the four major carriers in the United States, all offer unlimited data plan options as of last week, allowing customers to forget about traditional data caps.

With so many options now available for unlimited data, we thought we'd do an in-depth video comparing the plans offered by the four companies to figure out the best value based on price and coverage.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos​

Unsurprisingly, Sprint offers the lowest prices, but many people choose not to use Sprint because its LTE coverage is poorer than other carriers. Eliminating Sprint, T-Mobile offers the next best deal, while Verizon comes in third, and AT&T comes in at a distant fourth.

For a single individual, Sprint charges $50 for new customers (for a limited time -- it goes up to $60 next year). T-Mobile charges $70, Verizon charges $80, and AT&T charges $100, making it the most expensive unlimited plan of the four carriers for an individual user.

Prices even out a bit more with an increasing number of lines. At four lines, Sprint is charging $90 (new customers only -- and it's $160 next year), T-Mobile charges $160, and Verizon and AT&T both charge $180. Not all plans are equal though, especially in AT&T's case.

While Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile all offer high-definition video streaming by default, AT&T limits video streaming to 480p unless customers specifically opt out. Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile all also offer 10GB of tethering data per line for connecting your Mac or iPad to your phone, but AT&T offers no mobile hotspot functionality with its unlimited plan.

T-Mobile offers the same video streaming and hotspot option that Verizon and Sprint do, but its prices are better than Verizon and aren't much more than Sprint, while offering a better network. T-Mobile is also the only network that offers fee-free data plans, so the price listed -- $70 -- is what you pay. T-Mobile doesn't charge activation fees, but other carriers do, which is something to take into account.

All networks will "deprioritize" (aka slow down) data after a certain amount of data is used per month. T-Mobile's limit is 28GB, while AT&T's is 22GB, Verizon's is 22GB, and Sprint's is 23GB. When these caps are hit, data speeds are slowed down.

On paper, T-Mobile seems to offer the best value for the price, but it's always worth taking a look at coverage maps and getting the opinion of other cellular users in your area before choosing a provider. There are also other benefits to look into, such as coverage abroad -- another area where T-Mobile leads the pack.

Article Link: Data Plan Comparison: Unlimited Options From T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T and Sprint

[doublepost=1514438014][/doublepost]You must wonder if the newly removed net neutrality will impact which service to switch to...

 

[Tech198]

Kind of like four guys in a ring boxing each others brains out.

AT&T
T-Mobile
Sprint
Verizion