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Is iPhone 5 on sprint actually cheap?
- Thread starter cennix
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Sprint is cheap , yes , but 3G on Sprint real bad , real real bad . If your city have LTE with Sprint , go with it.
Well, I was on the same boat as you and made the switch to Sprint once the iPhone 5 came out. I'm not data hungry and don't use that much data, I just stream music once I'm at work and check emails and that's it. The unlimited plan is great for me as I don't need to check how much data I used already. I have hope in Sprint and hopefully we have LTE here in Honolulu by the end of this year. And plus my bank offers monthly discount with Sprint. But overall Sprint 3G is okay for me.
I left tmobile for sprint because of the price and just left them for verizon. my city supposedly has LTE but it doesnt work 
I've been on Sprint since 1999. First iPhone though. We have the Everything Data family plan (but with the old 1500 minutes, not the current 3000) with a 2GB/month hotspot.
Unlimited data is great and I remind my friends of this often as most of them are not on Sprint and therefore have to watch their data consumption. But what most people don't seem to realize is that the Unlimited Data plans aren't just about data. They bring a lot of other benefits.
We barely break 100 minutes each month out of our alloted 1500. That's because Sprint has free mobile to mobile and it doesn't matter what network the other device is on. Nights are free from 7pm. Long distance is free period. Weekends are free. Texts are unlimited and that includes MMS. I've never had Sprint cut off a picture mail either because the picture was too big. Sprint also sometimes throws in freebies called Anytime minutes. Those are minutes that you can use 24/7 and they don't count against your plan minutes.
The only real downside to Sprint (to me) is the customer service. I generally do all I can to avoid calling them. However, it seems that Sprint (which knows this) has improved on this in the last few years or so. Still, if I need something I generally go to my local Sprint store which is corporate and also happens to be a repair store. Won't benefit me now though as now I have to go to the Apple store and that is much farther.
As to 3G, I hear that (at least in my area) Sprint is actually in the permitting stage which indicates buildout of towers and backhaul will begin either by the end of the year or beginning of next year for 4G LTE (or whatever Sprint calls it). I am discovering that at least with the iPhone my old HTC Touch Pro was faster on 3G. But I'll live with it because I like my iPhone.
Unlimited data is great and I remind my friends of this often as most of them are not on Sprint and therefore have to watch their data consumption. But what most people don't seem to realize is that the Unlimited Data plans aren't just about data. They bring a lot of other benefits.
We barely break 100 minutes each month out of our alloted 1500. That's because Sprint has free mobile to mobile and it doesn't matter what network the other device is on. Nights are free from 7pm. Long distance is free period. Weekends are free. Texts are unlimited and that includes MMS. I've never had Sprint cut off a picture mail either because the picture was too big. Sprint also sometimes throws in freebies called Anytime minutes. Those are minutes that you can use 24/7 and they don't count against your plan minutes.
The only real downside to Sprint (to me) is the customer service. I generally do all I can to avoid calling them. However, it seems that Sprint (which knows this) has improved on this in the last few years or so. Still, if I need something I generally go to my local Sprint store which is corporate and also happens to be a repair store. Won't benefit me now though as now I have to go to the Apple store and that is much farther.
As to 3G, I hear that (at least in my area) Sprint is actually in the permitting stage which indicates buildout of towers and backhaul will begin either by the end of the year or beginning of next year for 4G LTE (or whatever Sprint calls it). I am discovering that at least with the iPhone my old HTC Touch Pro was faster on 3G. But I'll live with it because I like my iPhone.
The 3G is still un-upgraded, so it is still absymal, but the lte is spreading and it's great. I usually have lte in most places I travel now.
Friend of mine just switched to sprint from AT&T, he isnt thrilled. Lte is spotty at best and when it's not on he gets around 300kbps. When it is on he gets around 5-10mbps. He lives north of the city - spring area (almost zero lte) and works downtown (off and on all day). I stuck with AT&T even though I had connection issues downtown with 3G and am thrilled I did.. 20-40mbps north of town (oak ridge area) and 5-10mbps all day downtown. We are both unlimited, and yes I have to worry about throttling, but his non lte speeds are sub-throttling speeds anyway. He does save a few bucks a month. I'm sure sprint lte will improve over time, it was only switched on in July.
On the contrary the 3G speeds you get with Sprint are going to be pretty close to what you're getting on T-Mobile's 2G network right now. Unless you're in one of Sprint's few LTE markets, I would just wait for T-Mobile to finish the refarm for HSPA+ 3G/4G in your area.
If you're going to leave T-Mobile for the iPhone then I would at least go to AT&T or Verizon to make it worth it.
Sprint isn't even THAT cheap. And for the garbage dial-up speeds you get the unlimited data is rendered useless. If you want to actually enjoy your iPhone to the fullest you should just go with Verizon or AT&T, which ever has better service in your area.
I switched to Sprint myself and I'm not completely dissatisfied. I don't get LTE and their 3G is not as fast as I experienced with AT&T or Verizon (about half as fast), but it's comparable to slow DSL. Not dial up.
Their coverage is great (actually better than AT&T). I just keep reminding myself, it's a phone. I don't need 10+mbps. It'd be nice, but I can do everything I need on a phone with the speeds I get.
However, I am hopeful we'll get LTE soon. ~$70 a month (with corporate discount) for unlimited data, text and free calls to any mobile (free nights and weekends) would be an amazing bargain compared to Verizon and AT&T, who would charge a minimum of $100 for a comparable plan.
Their coverage is great (actually better than AT&T). I just keep reminding myself, it's a phone. I don't need 10+mbps. It'd be nice, but I can do everything I need on a phone with the speeds I get.
However, I am hopeful we'll get LTE soon. ~$70 a month (with corporate discount) for unlimited data, text and free calls to any mobile (free nights and weekends) would be an amazing bargain compared to Verizon and AT&T, who would charge a minimum of $100 for a comparable plan.
I got off my parent's T-Mobile family plan (with an unlocked iPhone 4), to my own Sprint iPhone 5 line, and so far, Sprint 3G, as slow as it is, is a vast improvement over slow EDGE speeds. I can live with it.
What I love about Sprint so far:
Here's where Sprint could use some work:
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I beg to differ, Sprint 3G has been a vast improvement over T-Mobile's 2G network. T-Mobile isn't a bad company at all however! Their coverage however isn't any better than Sprint, and their pricing isn't all too off either from Sprint.
What I love about Sprint so far:
- My first bill was $137, but after this month, it would only be around $88 after taxes.
- Sprint TV is actually pretty cool. I watch it a lot when I am waiting in a waiting room etc. Not gimmicky like I thought it would be, actually works great, even over the 3G connection.
- I live very close to a Sprint store, so if anything I need help with, I go into the store, and the guys in there actually are pretty helpful.
- Much better to have than EDGE. Web pages load up in ok times, and YouTube still works decently.
Here's where Sprint could use some work:
- LTE coverage! Sprint used Phoenix to test out LTE, but Phoenix still isn't on the list yet for LTE deployment. I really hope that they get to it soon here in Phoenix. My contract is for two years, let's hope I will see LTE before my contract is over.
- Charging you a fee for getting a paper bill. At least charge only the 47 cent stamp, but not $1.99. Online billing took care of that, but I have Asperger's Syndrome (a form of autism), so it is hard sometimes for me to manage all of the eBills, and prefer a paper bill. They said they would email the bill, but I never got anything in my email. I just have to check on Sprint.com every so often to see if there's a balance.
- In building coverage could be a lot better. I should really say, In POCKET coverage. In some areas, I pull my phone out of my pocket only to find the iPhone say "Extended Network"….after a few minutes outside of my pocket, it goes back to saying "Sprint" with an almost full signal. I don't wear aluminum pants or anything of the sort! It could be the iPhone itself using the antenna band around the phone, I had the same issue with a caseless unlocked iPhone 4, and an AT&T iPhone 4.
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I beg to differ, Sprint 3G has been a vast improvement over T-Mobile's 2G network. T-Mobile isn't a bad company at all however! Their coverage however isn't any better than Sprint, and their pricing isn't all too off either from Sprint.