Become a MacRumors Supporter for $25/year with no ads, private forums, and more!
Sprint vs T-Mobile for iPhone 5
- Thread starter utl768
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Southern Florida is too broad a term for anyone to give you really good advice. Have a look at some service maps. That should tell you pretty quickly what to go with. Also, keep in mind Tmobile doesn't force you into a contract while sprint will. Assuming you have a handset currently which you could get unlocked, you can try tmobile out for as cheap as $30 for the month. This won't be unlimited data, but you will be able to Gaige whether reception is adequate for you or not and then upgrade to another plan.
My understanding is that tmobile won't charge overages for any of the "limited" data plans. They just slow you down after you go over. They do have the unlimited plan for extra if you need it. That said, I've heard terrible things about Sprint. They still have contracts and will jack you around if you try to leave. Good call service but not good data coverage. Either way, neither is AT&T or Verizon.
Comment
T-Mobile definitely. T-Mobile's 4G speed is equivalent to Sprint's LTE speed. Don't even get me started on how slow Sprint is for normal 3G. T-Mobile also has an insanely fast LTE network that supports HD voice. As of right now, it is the only carrier that supports HD voice on the iPhone (sounds amazing btw). Pricing is the lowest out of all the carriers and there are no contracts, need I say more?
Comment
]I also suggest Tmobile. Sprint's 3G is very slow so you would have a tough time getting 20gbs of data with their speeds. In some cases their 3g speeds are as slow as T-Mobile's 2G/Edge network. Plus south Florida is one of Tmobiles strongest markets.
Comment
I would vote Verizon easily as the overall best choice of network for an iPhone 5. But since you say you HAVE to have unlimited data then I would give the edge to T-Mobile on this one.
Sprint is the absolute worst carrier for the iPhone. If you're not in an LTE area (which there are very few where they have consistent LTE signal), then they're terrible. They're doing their LTE rollout backwards by starting with small cities just to say "oh we have more LTE cities" while many of the large markets are not even live yet and it's been almost a year. From what I understand T-Mobile will have LTE live in many of the large markets by the end of the summer. How is it that T-Mobile just started and is well on their way to having a better LTE network in just a few months? Sprint is pitiful. I laugh at my friends who still use Sprint and get those 0.20-0.60 "3G" speeds on their iPhones. But hey at least it's unlimited.
Sprint is the absolute worst carrier for the iPhone. If you're not in an LTE area (which there are very few where they have consistent LTE signal), then they're terrible. They're doing their LTE rollout backwards by starting with small cities just to say "oh we have more LTE cities" while many of the large markets are not even live yet and it's been almost a year. From what I understand T-Mobile will have LTE live in many of the large markets by the end of the summer. How is it that T-Mobile just started and is well on their way to having a better LTE network in just a few months? Sprint is pitiful. I laugh at my friends who still use Sprint and get those 0.20-0.60 "3G" speeds on their iPhones. But hey at least it's unlimited.
Comment
Would guess TMob will have better overall data speeds compared to Sprint...with that said there's abs no way of knowing until you actually test out the service. Would try T Mob first and see how you like it, if not cancel your plan since TMob has no contract thus no ETF (assuming you signed up directly through TMob).
I have "4G" on T Mobile and have DL speeds from 2-15 mbps, you will not get anywhere close to that on Sprint's 3G.
Just make sure you get the "tweaked" iPhone 5 that was released April 12 to take advantage of the 1700/2100 "4G" T Mobile band. I Believe Miami metro will be getting T Mob LTE in the next few months as well.
I have "4G" on T Mobile and have DL speeds from 2-15 mbps, you will not get anywhere close to that on Sprint's 3G.
Just make sure you get the "tweaked" iPhone 5 that was released April 12 to take advantage of the 1700/2100 "4G" T Mobile band. I Believe Miami metro will be getting T Mob LTE in the next few months as well.
Last edited:
Comment
Do NOT go with Sprint, the service is horrible and as stated their 3g speeds terrrible, they are "dial up" worthy, in addition there is a major issue with the iphone 5 and the sprint network, I dropped the 5 and went with the s3 due to the issues, I was getting anywhere from .001-.50 download speeds on 3g, I am currently going to drop sprint and go with verizon.
Comment
It's all in where you live if your in a densely populated area tmobiles could be the best choice but as far as roaming agreements and actual voice coverage sprint wins hands down but tmobiles hspa+ network is smokin if u get service
Comment
Thats not a very good excuse! Me, my bro, and sis are in our late 20s, and our family of 5 are still on a family plan together.
We all pay an equal share (since its unlimited everything), which comes out to chump change, because we all agree with saving money.
Comment
I live in Coral Springs as well. Recently, LTE has been popping up all over our area, CS, Margate, Tamarac. Boca. Speeds have been decent 7mbs-25mbs depending on area. When the phone switches back to 3G there are some slow speeds, but for the most part LTE has been nice. I'm also a heavy data user and haven't had any issues lately.
----------
Also check Sensorly.com for coverage info
----------
Also check Sensorly.com for coverage info
Comment
I'd suggest T-Mobile as well.
Good pricing and good service, the same cannot be said about Sprint.
Good pricing and good service, the same cannot be said about Sprint.
Comment
I would rather have tmobile gsm with LTE coming in the next few monthes then sprint LTE
Comment
