Which Mega is the best to use with Tmobile? - Samsung Galaxy Mega

I'm currently with sprint and switching to Tmobile. I have my heart set on the Mega. I have read people having mixed results with getting tmobile lte working is that correct? hell, i've never been able to use lte since sprint blows in my area but supossedly i have lte with tmobile here.
anyways, i can buy an unlocked international mega on ebay for like $400 and i've seen some used At&t mega's for around $300 as well.
which of these two models would be best for tmobile and why? thanks.

knives of ice said:
I'm currently with sprint and switching to Tmobile. I have my heart set on the Mega. I have read people having mixed results with getting tmobile lte working is that correct? hell, i've never been able to use lte since sprint blows in my area but supossedly i have lte with tmobile here.
anyways, i can buy an unlocked international mega on ebay for like $400 and i've seen some used At&t mega's for around $300 as well.
which of these two models would be best for tmobile and why? thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I527!

My i9205 works fine with with tmo
2SHAYNE

2shayne..... are you getting USA T-Mobile true LTE Speeds with your 9205??
Can we see a screen shot of the LTE icon in the task bar if so??
Thanks..
Sent from my GT-I9205 using xda app-developers app

jimmbomb said:
2shayne..... are you getting USA T-Mobile true LTE Speeds with your 9205??
Can we see a screen shot of the LTE icon in the task bar if so??
Thanks..
Sent from my GT-I9205 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont think you can get lte with the i9205 as that has been my goal since I got this phone. This is the european version and runs on different frequencies from what i understand. The most i get is hspa+ which is great but the signal is very inconsistent. Get the i527 so you can enjoy lte.

Post above I think is correct... I get h+... And so forth but haven't seen LTE... I don't really have LTE around me either I don't believe but I'm happy with it at least.. I use wifi a lot too though
2SHAYNE

cakegetter said:
Get the i527 so you can enjoy lte.
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Click to collapse
I second this.
I just got my AT&T unlocked Mega i527 today, and I get 16-18 Mbps download speed on T-mobile. The upload speed I get is around 3-6 Mbps.
It is definitely the one you wanna get if you want fast data on T-mobile.

I have the i9200 and get hspa+ speed of about 11-12mbps download and about 2.5mbps upload on t-mobile in nyc. I also have an at&t galaxy note lte unlocked that I use on t-mobile and get about 20mbps down and 10mbps up. I tested the internet speeds on both devices in my everyday usage (live streaming, internet surfing, email, etc.). Seems like whatever streamed smoothly on the galaxy note while on lte also streamed smoothly on the galaxy mega on hspa+. When something buffered on the mega while on hspa+ it also buffered on the note while on lte. They basically performed about the same in my everyday usage. My goal was to see the difference between lte and hspa+ on t-mobile.
I was seriously considering getting the i527 (unlocked so i could use it on t-mobile) just for the lte but I'm not sure it will be worth me spending the money. The only time I really saw a difference between hspa+ and lte on t-mobile is with Speedtest (which isn't real life usage but just the app i used to test the internet speed on both devices) and downloading very large files. Downloading large files took noticeably less time on lte. I don't download or upload large files on a regular basis so that's not an issue for me.
Fyi...I went to an AT&T store to try out their i527 on their lte network. The internet speed seemed slower than my i9200 on t-mobile's hspa+ network (both Speedtest and surfing/streaming). I thought it would have blown my phone out the water. I was NOT impressed. Also their locked, unrooted and bloated i527 seemed laggy compared to my unlocked, rooted and unbloated i9200. I haven't had the opportunity to test a rooted unbloated i527.
I got my phone when it first came out a few months ago and have not ran across 1 person yet with any version of the mega. Strange since different carriers have versions of this phone plus the unbranded versions that have been out for a few months already.
Sent from my GT-I9200 using xda app-developers app

how do I go about unlocking the at&t mega to use on tmobile?

Related

Question about International Phone compatibility

I was thinking about buying the International unlocked Galaxy SIII GT I9300 and saw how it would be cheaper in the long run, but my main motivation was being able to move from carrier to carrier if I wanted to and not having a contract. I seem to be reading though that the international version is only compatible with AT&T and T-mobile at 3G and is not capable of 4G speeds at all. Also, that even American versions are not always compatible with eachother. So am I correct in thinking that if I get an international version I'll be stuck between T-Mobile and Sprint at 3Gs. And that nothing can be done to the phone to allow an International phone to work with Sprint or even an American Sprint to work on a T-Mobile network? I'm starting to think it might be easier to just get an American phone and jailbreak it.
The international one will never work with sprint or Verizon, the AT&T and t-mobile versions will never work with sprint or Verizon.
The difference is hardware, Verizon and sprint are cdma, the rest are gsm.
The international one will work with AT&T with 3g and 4g(actually its hspa+ which is technically 3.5g) and will work on T-Mobile only in 2g for now, in a few months it will work on 3g and 4g when they refarm their 1900 or 1700mhz (can't remember which) band to 3g.
No matter what you do to either the international or US gsm versions they will NEVER EVER WORK ON SPRINT OR VERIZON.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
I see, that's what I was afraid of. The AT&T and T-Mobile option still seem attractive, but in your opinion will the Verizon/Sprint with a jailbreak route be better in the long term since the LTE is by far the superior option(from what I've read)? I've seen AT&T has LTE but the International version wouldn't be able to work on a LTE network anyway, would it??? I plan to download most things on my laptop and move them to the phone anyway, the only important thing to me internet speed would affect and my main concern would be live video chat, would the 3G or HSPA+ be sufficient for that? Other than talk and text the phone will be mainly used for games, movies, music and the superior GPU in the International version I think would be better for that? Are there any other phones comparative to the Galaxy III you know of that might have both the CDMA and the GSM, the "world phones" as I've seen them called?
Matt45045 said:
I see, that's what I was afraid of. The AT&T and T-Mobile option still seem attractive, but in your opinion will the Verizon/Sprint with a jailbreak route be better in the long term since the LTE is by far the superior option(from what I've read)? I've seen AT&T has LTE but the International version wouldn't be able to work on a LTE network anyway, would it??? I plan to download most things on my laptop and move them to the phone anyway, the only important thing to me internet speed would affect and my main concern would be live video chat, would the 3G or HSPA+ be sufficient for that? Other than talk and text the phone will be mainly used for games, movies, music and the superior GPU in the International version I think would be better for that? Are there any other phones comparative to the Galaxy III you know of that might have both the CDMA and the GSM, the "world phones" as I've seen them called?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't/don't jailbreak Android phones. Hard to even know what you are talking bout trying to accomplish? It's very simple.
1. Buy a phone from a carrier and use it on that carrier. That's the easiest option.
2. Buy an International GS3 and use it on AT&T 3G or 2G.
3. Buy an International GS3 and use it on T-Mobile 2G.
If you try any other options you are just going to confuse yourself.
Definitely don't get the sprint or Verizon ones, you are stuck on cdma then. The at&t one has LTE and the T-Mobile one has dc hspa+ (theoretically up to 42mbps) the international one has standard hspa+ (up to 21mbps) and I regularly get between 5-8mbps down and 2-3mbps up and I live in the country.
The gpu and cpu on the international one are better too.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
I have a bad habit of using the words root and jailbreak interchangeably, I meant root the phone. I guess I have to decide how important LTE is to me. It'll either be AT&T or the International version. The superior GPU and CPU are attractive, but so are the LTE speeds. But I guess with the limited data maybe not. But thanks for your help, this clarified a lot for me.
Frequency Concern
I have the exact same problem!
I am planning to buy a Galaxy Nexus, which works for UMTS (850/900/1700/1900/2100MHz) and GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz). I read from wikipedia that the 3G and 4G networks from Tmobile are carried on the frequency of both 1700MHz and 2100 MHz. Does that mean Galaxy Nexus can use 3G and 4G on Tmobile network?
playmaker1 said:
I have the exact same problem!
I am planning to buy a Galaxy Nexus, which works for UMTS (850/900/1700/1900/2100MHz) and GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz). I read from wikipedia that the 3G and 4G networks from Tmobile are carried on the frequency of both 1700MHz and 2100 MHz. Does that mean Galaxy Nexus can use 3G and 4G on Tmobile network?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the galaxy nexus will work fine on tmo, its pentaband.
I brought my Irish one to america and used it on tmo no problem.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
nodstuff said:
Yes, the galaxy nexus will work fine on tmo, its pentaband.
I brought my Irish one to america and used it on tmo no problem.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
Oh really?! Then I should sell my international version of Galaxy S II for a Galaxy Nexus. S II doesnt receive 1700MHz. I read from Wikipeida: This band (Tmobile 3G and 4G) was an area of wireless spectrum, half in the 1700 MHz (1.7 GHz) and half in the 2100 MHz (2.1 GHz) frequencies. SO I was thinking: Hey, how about getting a phone with both 1700 and 2100MHz to work on Tmobile 3G and 4G.
So you can actually use 3G? or even 4G on Tmobile? Is it so slow or weak that makes you want to change carrier?
I9300
nodstuff said:
The international one will never work with sprint or Verizon, the AT&T and t-mobile versions will never work with sprint or Verizon.
The difference is hardware, Verizon and sprint are cdma, the rest are gsm.
The international one will work with AT&T with 3g and 4g(actually its hspa+ which is technically 3.5g) and will work on T-Mobile only in 2g for now, in a few months it will work on 3g and 4g when they refarm their 1900 or 1700mhz (can't remember which) band to 3g.
No matter what you do to either the international or US gsm versions they will NEVER EVER WORK ON SPRINT OR VERIZON.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Help, I have an I9300 and I can't configure it to recieve data I am on the AT&T GO $60 data plan and AT&T says it is my phones problem. I've tried a lot of different settings and it still shows up as disconnected under the mobile network state. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
---------- Post added at 01:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:56 PM ----------
nodstuff said:
Definitely don't get the sprint or Verizon ones, you are stuck on cdma then. The at&t one has LTE and the T-Mobile one has dc hspa+ (theoretically up to 42mbps) the international one has standard hspa+ (up to 21mbps) and I regularly get between 5-8mbps down and 2-3mbps up and I live in the country.
The gpu and cpu on the international one are better too.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Help, I have an I9300 and I have tried for a week to get AT&T GO set up for data. I can talk and text fine, but no luck with data AT&T says it is my phone. Under mobile network state it says disconnected. any help would be greatly appreciated. It is an unlocked international GSM phone.
I have a Samsung GT-I9300 unlocked Gsm phone. I have started AT&T GO $60 data plan. I have tried for a week now to get data with no luck. I can talk & text fine, and it works great off of WI-FI. AT&T has tried everything they can do and says it is a problem with my phone. I was previously on Straight Talk but was stuck with EDGE speeds and not good coverage. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Will it work on T-Mobile's HSPA+

I want the 64gb version, will AT&T's HTC One work on T-Mobile's HSPA+ Network??? I get sick speeds on T-Mobile's HSPA+ Network, over 20mb down and 5mb up. After 6 oclock it gets faster. These are not just spiked speeds these are every day speeds all day. I hoping to hell that HTC somehow put T-Mobile's HSPA+ Network in AT&T's as well. Has anyone tried this yet.
Thanks, Vinny
I was told it won't but don't quote me on it I'm not 100 percent sure.
I too would like the answer to this.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
Hmm... Good question. I bought both versions (temporarily) to test the two networks (att has tmo beat here in Austin). I'm gonna test switching the sims before i return the tmo one in a couple of days. I'll post the results then, if nobody beats me to it.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
timbercoyote said:
Hmm... Good question. I bought both versions (temporarily) to test the two networks (att has tmo beat here in Austin). I'm gonna test switching the sims before i return the tmo one in a couple of days. I'll post the results then, if nobody beats me to it.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please post your results, only issue the phone might have to be unlocked to work on the others Network, I think. Would love to get my hands on the 64gb version, pissed off T-Mobile just doesn't have it. May have to bite the bullet and buy the 32gb version but still hoping that AT&T's 64gb version is a go on T-Mobile's HSPA+ Network, I know the LTE will work OK it is just the HSPA+ Network that is in question.
Thanks
I just talked to the HTC tech support dept. today and they mentioned that although on their site, all the speeds are listed for the 64Gb developer edition, the phone will only work on 2G on T-Mobile's network! Yes, that was 2G, not 3G, not UMTS and of course not LTE. I just signed up with AT&T and I get nothing but dropped calls, disconnects, garbled voices, data drops or no data. That happens every day, quite a few times, at different hours of the day. I had wonderful luck with T-Mobile here in Orange County, CA before. I'm selling my HOX+ for an HTC One, but I'll stay with AT&T because of the penalty and the 2-year contract. It's not Europe here... Oh, well.
mobiware said:
I just talked to the HTC tech support dept. today and they mentioned that although on their site, all the speeds are listed for the 64Gb developer edition, the phone will only work on 2G on T-Mobile's network! Yes, that was 2G, not 3G, not UMTS and of course not LTE. I just signed up with AT&T and I get nothing but dropped calls, disconnects, garbled voices, data drops or no data. That happens every day, quite a few times, at different hours of the day. I had wonderful luck with T-Mobile here in Orange County, CA before. I'm selling my HOX+ for an HTC One, but I'll stay with AT&T because of the penalty and the 2-year contract. It's not Europe here... Oh, well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank You for the information.
Good Luck,
Vinny
vinnyjr said:
Please post your results, only issue the phone might have to be unlocked to work on the others Network, I think. Would love to get my hands on the 64gb version, pissed off T-Mobile just doesn't have it. May have to bite the bullet and buy the 32gb version but still hoping that AT&T's 64gb version is a go on T-Mobile's HSPA+ Network, I know the LTE will work OK it is just the HSPA+ Network that is in question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can confirm. Att version will not work on Tmo HSPA+. It works on some bands (in some places), but not good enough to think about trying move one phone to the other carrier either way. The Tmo version works a little better on the Att network, but again doesn't support all the correct frequencies. I'm returning the Tmobile version and sticking with the Att one for the better network here in Austin.
HTC One having same network problems as HOX+
timbercoyote said:
I can confirm. Att version will not work on Tmo HSPA+. It works on some bands (in some places), but not good enough to think about trying move one phone to the other carrier either way. The Tmo version works a little better on the Att network, but again doesn't support all the correct frequencies. I'm returning the Tmobile version and sticking with the Att one for the better network here in Austin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, after selling the HOX+, I got 6 HTC One's thinking it might have been the phone. All 6 of them had the same network issues. So, it's AT&T in my area that has all those problems. I have confirmed with 2 of my friends and my wife and we all have similar problems. Does AT&T work in more than 5 US cities? Wow - nothing but problems. In any event, the HTC One's had crack problems and the On/Off button was very recessed and half of it was inoperable so I returned all of them!!!
I only have problems with att during and immediately after wicked storms.
Sent from my Optimus G using xda premium

Mistake to get for T-mobile

I went from a note 2 on T-mobile to the mega. (paid $515 us, no tax). I knew what i was getting into, about the bands, but i went for it anyway. I think in retrospect it may have been a mistake. The issue is, that it doesnt have the right bands for hspa+ a lot of the time. It has the edge and the 1900 that was refarmed for hspa+. Granted, i live in NYC which was refarmed, and it my house i do have hspa+, but it was a mistake because a lot of places i go, i dont have service, or i only have edge. And i do wedding jobs all over the tri state area, and that is going to suck. To me, Tmo is awesome, they have 3g, hspa21, hspa42 and now also lte. I can do without the LTE but now i'm limiting myself to only one band of hspa.... Not the smartest idea.
I've heard that a new ported radio may help this but....
mottyengel said:
I went from a note 2 on T-mobile to the mega. (paid $515 us, no tax). I knew what i was getting into, about the bands, but i went for it anyway. I think in retrospect it may have been a mistake. The issue is, that it doesnt have the right bands for hspa+ a lot of the time. It has the edge and the 1900 that was refarmed for hspa+. Granted, i live in NYC which was refarmed, and it my house i do have hspa+, but it was a mistake because a lot of places i go, i dont have service, or i only have edge. And i do wedding jobs all over the tri state area, and that is going to suck. To me, Tmo is awesome, they have 3g, hspa21, hspa42 and now also lte. I can do without the LTE but now i'm limiting myself to only one band of hspa.... Not the smartest idea.
I've heard that a new ported radio may help this but....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why would you buy this phone knowing you wouldn't get consistent HSPA? I would return it if I were you. Good luck.
mottyengel said:
I've heard that a new ported radio may help this but....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have a link for this? I'm used to slow speeds where I am anyway, so edge to HSPA isnt a difference for me. The only places it gets faster is in the areas where they have the 1900 bands anyway...
mottyengel said:
I went from a note 2 on T-mobile to the mega. (paid $515 us, no tax). I knew what i was getting into, about the bands, but i went for it anyway. I think in retrospect it may have been a mistake.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is me pretty much exactly.
It is not bad in Atlanta, I get H+ most of the time and my prior tablet (LG G Slate) wasn't really better coverage wise so I'm not unhappy, I just keep thinking I could be happier if I had that extra band of H+
If you find out something that improves TMo experience please note it here so others can benefit also.
damastah said:
Do you have a link for this? I'm used to slow speeds where I am anyway, so edge to HSPA isnt a difference for me. The only places it gets faster is in the areas where they have the 1900 bands anyway...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think a modem has been ported yet. I don't think there is a compatible radio out there for this phone. AT&T MIGHT get a version of the Mega (the I-527). If so, someone might be able to port it's radio over to our device and we MIGHT get better signal. Until then, we will have spotty / inconsistent coverage. I get HSPA+, Edge, G, and complete loss of signal almost every day in New York (I drive around a quite a bit between Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan in New York). AT&T and T-Mobile (refarmed), for the most part, use the same bands now.
I came from the AT&T original Galaxy Note (LTE) which I used on T-Mobile's network. I knew I would be taking a step back in terms of data speed by getting the Mega but figured I would at least get HSPA+ which is sufficient for what I do (email, internat and streaming video). When I have HSPA+ signal, I have no data lag even when streaming live tv so it's definitely fast enough (for me at least).
The only issue is, as I already said, the inconsistency. I like the device though and am trying to stick with it until the AT&T Mega comes out (no telling when that will happen - it has been rumored for this month but I'm not holding my breath).
I see the Mega as a mini tablet with GSM phone connectivity, mobile internet connectivity, bluetooth, wifi, nfc, gps, and infra-red (for infrared tv remote control capability). Looking at it from that perspective, I stick with it (because not many tablets have this much connectivity).
Plus, it fits in my pocket (a lot more portable than normal sized tablets).
curgervending said:
I don't think a modem has been ported yet. I don't think there is a compatible radio out there for this phone. AT&T MIGHT get a version of the Mega (the I-527). If so, someone might be able to port it's radio over to our device and we MIGHT get better signal. Until then, we will have spotty / inconsistent coverage. I get HSPA+, Edge, G, and complete loss of signal almost every day in New York (I drive around a quite a bit between Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan in New York). AT&T and T-Mobile (refarmed), for the most part, use the same bands now.
I came from the AT&T original Galaxy Note (LTE) which I used on T-Mobile's network. I knew I would be taking a step back in terms of data speed by getting the Mega but figured I would at least get HSPA+ which is sufficient for what I do (email, internat and streaming video). When I have HSPA+ signal, I have no data lag even when streaming live tv so it's definitely fast enough (for me at least).
The only issue is, as I already said, the inconsistency. I like the device though and am trying to stick with it until the AT&T Mega comes out (no telling when that will happen - it has been rumored for this month but I'm not holding my breath).
I see the Mega as a mini tablet with GSM phone connectivity, mobile internet connectivity, bluetooth, wifi, nfc, gps, and infra-red (for infrared tv remote control capability). Looking at it from that perspective, I stick with it (because not many tablets have this much connectivity).
Plus, it fits in my pocket (a lot more portable than normal sized tablets).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right, I hear you. What will be the difference with the AT&T one? I'm really looking for a radio port like they did for the AT&T Note with the Galaxy Blaze and S II modems
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
damastah said:
Right, I hear you. What will be the difference with the AT&T one? I'm really looking for a radio port like they did for the AT&T Note with the Galaxy Blaze and S II modems
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The AT&T Mega will have LTE so the data speeds will be faster. However, if AT&T gets the Mega, it will be locked to their network and it's currently illegal to unlock your phone yourself (you're supposed to ask the carrier to unlock it for you). I would imagine that AT&T won't be so quick to unlock the phone for you since they wouldn't want to make it convenient for anyone to take the phone to another GSM carrier. Oh well...welcome to America. In Europe (and probably the rest of the world), when you get a phone (even if its carrier-branded and purchase directly from the carrier), it's unlocked. I usually only buy unlocked phones.
I want to wait for a radio port. If I get consistent HSPA+ connectivity, I'm fine. I got about 15mbps download and about 2mbps upload on an HSPA+ connection in Manhattan this morning. That's fast enough for my data needs. I WAS using a Galaxy Note on T-Mobile's LTE network and got up to 22mbps down and 11mbps up. To be honest though, I could only tell the difference between HSPA+ and LTE when downloading huge files (500MB and up). For web surfing, email, streaming video, and live tv, I saw no noticeable difference between LTE and HSPA+.
IF, at the end of the day, you get the data performance you need with HSPA+, having LTE won't really matter that much.
It's kinda like upgrading your car from one that has 160mph on the dash (current Mega with HSPA+) to the exact same car with 320mph on the dash (AT&T Mega with LTE) when the legal speed limit is 70mph (the data speed you need). You may be able to brag about it being faster but do you actually need the extra speed? Bottom line, you have to determine your data speed needs and then make a choice..
curgervending said:
The AT&T Mega will have LTE so the data speeds will be faster. However, if AT&T gets the Mega, it will be locked to their network and it's currently illegal to unlock your phone yourself (you're supposed to ask the carrier to unlock it for you). I would imagine that AT&T won't be so quick to unlock the phone for you since they wouldn't want to make it convenient for anyone to take the phone to another GSM carrier. Oh well...welcome to America. In Europe (and probably the rest of the world), when you get a phone (even if its carrier-branded and purchase directly from the carrier), it's unlocked. I usually only buy unlocked phones.
I want to wait for a radio port. If I get consistent HSPA+ connectivity, I'm fine. I got about 15mbps download and about 2mbps upload on an HSPA+ connection in Manhattan this morning. That's fast enough for my data needs. I WAS using a Galaxy Note on T-Mobile's LTE network and got up to 22mbps down and 11mbps up. To be honest though, I could only tell the difference between HSPA+ and LTE when downloading huge files (500MB and up). For web surfing, email, streaming video, and live tv, I saw no noticeable difference between LTE and HSPA+.
IF, at the end of the day, you get the data performance you need with HSPA+, having LTE won't really matter that much.
It's kinda like upgrading your car from one that has 160mph on the dash (current Mega with HSPA+) to the exact same car with 320mph on the dash (AT&T Mega with LTE) when the legal speed limit is 70mph (the data speed you need). You may be able to brag about it being faster but do you actually need the extra speed? Bottom line, you have to determine your data speed needs and then make a choice..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see. So the at&t one will have an extra T-Mobile compatible band in it? I thought the only one was the 1900 band getting converted into affect by T-Mobile
damastah said:
I see. So the at&t one will have an extra T-Mobile compatible band in it? I thought the only one was the 1900 band getting converted into affect by T-Mobile
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The AT&T Mega should have both the 1900 (the refarmed HSPA+ band on T-Mobile) and the LTE 1700/2100 band (which is the same frequency that both AT&T and T-Mobile use for LTE). The I-9200 version Mega only has the 1900 band and no LTE at all. The I-9205 version Mega has the 1900 band and LTE but not the 1700/2100 LTE band that works on T-Mobile and AT&T .
Radio Question
curgervending said:
The AT&T Mega should have both the 1900 (the refarmed HSPA+ band on T-Mobile) and the LTE 1700/2100 band (which is the same frequency that both AT&T and T-Mobile use for LTE). The I-9200 version Mega only has the 1900 band and no LTE at all. The I-9205 version Mega has the 1900 band and LTE but not the 1700/2100 LTE band that works on T-Mobile and AT&T .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, bit of radio ignorance here. So is this a physical hardware difference or could it be adjusted on an existing I-9205 to use the 1700/2100 LTE band by flashing a new radio/rom once TMo/AT&T have a specific version out?
I must admit, this is the only thing that is keeping me from getting the Mega. IF I knew with certainty that a version of this phone would work 100% with T-Mobile, I would jump on it. Unfortunately, i'll probably just have to wait for the Note III. I know there will be a version of that for T-mo.
Mega
Coming to the US carriers soon?
http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/17/galaxy-mega-6-3-press-render-surfaces-with-navy-blue-body-atandt/
I know I want the Mega so bad & I see them unlocked on Ebay. I've asked a couple of sellers if it will work for TMobile but they say either edge or 3g. I have the Note 2 now and I'm more into size wise so not really looking forward to the Note 3. I was wondering if the AT&T one would work unlocked but they don't want you to leave the store without activating it. So I just have to wait patiently like you friend.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
jminatl said:
Sorry, bit of radio ignorance here. So is this a physical hardware difference or could it be adjusted on an existing I-9205 to use the 1700/2100 LTE band by flashing a new radio/rom once TMo/AT&T have a specific version out?
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Click to collapse
Physical hardware difference. The I-9205's LTE physical hardware is "tuned" (for lack of a better word) to bands LTE2100, LTE850, LTE1800, LTE2600, LTE800. AT&T / T-Mobile uses band LTE 1700/2100 frequency. Using a different radio in the I-9205 won't change the bands that the phone is tuned to. If anyone out there knows better please chime in. I certainly don't claim to know much. One thing I'm not clear on is whether LTE2100 band in the I-9205 will partially work on T-Mobile / AT&T. I think the phone specifically has to have LTE1700/2100 which is different from LTE2100. Again, someone with more knowledge, please chime in.
would the att version work on T-Mobile? Here are the specs on it;
GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900,
UMTS850 (B5), UMTS900 (B8), UMTS1900 (B2), UMTS2100 (B1)
LTE700 (B17), LTE850 (B5), LTE1700/2100 (B4), LTE1900 (B2)
I live in a refarmed area with LTE.
mottyengel said:
I went from a note 2 on T-mobile to the mega. (paid $515 us, no tax). I knew what i was getting into, about the bands, but i went for it anyway. I think in retrospect it may have been a mistake. The issue is, that it doesnt have the right bands for hspa+ a lot of the time. It has the edge and the 1900 that was refarmed for hspa+. Granted, i live in NYC which was refarmed, and it my house i do have hspa+, but it was a mistake because a lot of places i go, i dont have service, or i only have edge. And i do wedding jobs all over the tri state area, and that is going to suck. To me, Tmo is awesome, they have 3g, hspa21, hspa42 and now also lte. I can do without the LTE but now i'm limiting myself to only one band of hspa.... Not the smartest idea.
I've heard that a new ported radio may help this but....
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By the way, what version of the Mega do you have (i9200 or i9205)? I have T-Mobile and live in a refarmed area (NYC). I've heard people say that the i9205 gives them H+ speeds here.
T-mob 4G with AT&T mega?
I have just bought an AT&T mega (SGH-I527) from a guy. It's 8 days old, unlocked and running T-mob 4GLTE no problem.
21940kbps dl with the 4GLTE icon.
Sweet!
Does it give you spurts of edge 3g and lte or is it steady lte. In other words does it work pretty good to get online or does it lag sometimes?
Sent from my SGH-T889
MR.MEMORYLANE said:
Does it give you spurts of edge 3g and lte or is it steady lte. In other words does it work pretty good to get online or does it lag sometimes?
Sent from my SGH-T889
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I've had it for only a few hours but when 4GLTE lights up and I stay in the same position then it holds the icon no problem. The area is patchy and not far away I loose 4G and it drops to 3G but it gets back the 4G where it can. In that regard it works like my previous phone but it didn't have the benefit of of LTE!
I went to the AT&T store today and I can buy it cash without contract but I just don't want it to be just edge service if you know what I mean.
Sent from my SGH-T889

[Q] Samsung Galaxy Mega I527m or m819n for T-mobile LTE

I am currently wondering which phone works best for T-mobile's LTE. The Rogers version of the mega has the 1700/2100 band in some websites specs but some say only 1900 so im not sure if that will get tmobile's hspa+ or lte. On the other hand the metropcs version i believe uses the same bands as tmobile now so idk. Which one will work best with t-mobile or are they both equally the same and will both work on tmobile's lte?
I own the MetroPCS galaxy mega. I'm a MetroPCS subscriber. T-Mobile bought MetroPCS and MetroPCS is using T-Mobile's 4G network. So, technically, I'm using a MetroPCS mega on T-Mobile.
That said, I live in NYC and I normally get between 25 and 30mbps download and around 15mbps upload. I've gotten as high 42mbps down and over 20mbps up.
I haven't experienced any dropped calls and I've only experience occasional drops from LTE to HSPA+ (and when on HSPA+ my data speeds are around 15mbps down and 2mbps up). I've never dropped below HSPA+ in NYC.
Sent from my SGH-M819N using xda app-developers app
curgervending said:
I own the MetroPCS galaxy mega. I'm a MetroPCS subscriber. T-Mobile bought MetroPCS and MetroPCS is using T-Mobile's 4G network. So, technically, I'm using a MetroPCS mega on T-Mobile.
That said, I live in NYC and I normally get between 25 and 30mbps download and around 15mbps upload. I've gotten as high 42mbps down and over 20mbps up.
I haven't experienced any dropped calls and I've only experience occasional drops from LTE to HSPA+ (and when on HSPA+ my data speeds are around 15mbps down and 2mbps up). I've never dropped below HSPA+ in NYC.
Sent from my SGH-M819N using xda app-developers app
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What he said.:good:
if you are looking to root and us custom roms. remember Metro's Mega doesn't have the firmware out yet.
How about the At&t version? Will that connect with LTE with T-Mobile?
richardpnl3 said:
How about the At&t version? Will that connect with LTE with T-Mobile?
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It will. That's the one I'm using. I can't fully explain it because I don't feel like it, but go with the Metro PCS one. It will be better on T-Mobile's network because Metro PCS uses T-Mobile's towers. There's a thread on here that explains it better. The AT&T on isn't bad, but the Metro one works better.

[Q] SCH-I545 T-Mobile Switch

Howdy all,
I bought the VZW S4 when it was brand new and am lucky enough to still have an mdk bootloader. But wow vzw is expensive and living in Denver and being a world traveler for work, T-Mobile has peaked my interest with their prices and the international data usage...
I am running hyperdrive 17.1 and the phone is great and running like butter. From what I've read I can get a T-Mobile Sim card, change the APN and voilĂ . But T-Mobile employees say my 4G LTE will go in and out and only work where T-Mobile has certain bands of 4G. The coverage map looks good but I have no idea what band of 4G LTE it is.
My question is if I can flash the T-Mobile version of hyperdrive or another T-Mobile rom onto my mdk vzw s4, change the APN and have a fully functioning T-Mobile S4? Or will it lack certain frequencies and drop 4G often? Anyone who has attempted the switch please feel free to comment on your experience so far. Thank you XDA!
ElBow513 said:
Howdy all,
I bought the VZW S4 when it was brand new and am lucky enough to still have an mdk bootloader. But wow vzw is expensive and living in Denver and being a world traveler for work, T-Mobile has peaked my interest with their prices and the international data usage...
I am running hyperdrive 17.1 and the phone is great and running like butter. From what I've read I can get a T-Mobile Sim card, change the APN and voilĂ . But T-Mobile employees say my 4G LTE will go in and out and only work where T-Mobile has certain bands of 4G. The coverage map looks good but I have no idea what band of 4G LTE it is.
My question is if I can flash the T-Mobile version of hyperdrive or another T-Mobile rom onto my mdk vzw s4, change the APN and have a fully functioning T-Mobile S4? Or will it lack certain frequencies and drop 4G often? Anyone who has attempted the switch please feel free to comment on your experience so far. Thank you XDA!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing you flash will add more bands than this phone has, it's a hardware issue, it only has AWS (which T-Mobile uses) and 700c (band13) which (I think only) Verizon uses.
I'm not sure exactly what other (if any) bands T-Mobile uses for LTE
I've got the sane setup in Chicago. I'm not a world traveler but while your her you can expect anywhere from 20 to 33 mbps. You should tell your job to get you a dedicated line w/ tmo.
kyedmipy said:
I've got the sane setup in Chicago. I'm not a world traveler but while your her you can expect anywhere from 20 to 33 mbps. You should tell your job to get you a dedicated line w/ tmo.
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That's great to hear! Did you flash a T-Mobile rom or just use the vzw rom with T-Mobile APN?
I just want to make sure that I still get a decent connection in most cities, not slugging along at 2g, 90% of the time because its not a T-Mobile phone. If that's the case, I might consider buying a T-Mobile phone, but that hurts the whole argument of ditching vzw to save $$
changed mine to metroPCS...
ElBow513 said:
That's great to hear! Did you flash a T-Mobile rom or just use the vzw rom with T-Mobile APN?
I just want to make sure that I still get a decent connection in most cities, not slugging along at 2g, 90% of the time because its not a T-Mobile phone. If that's the case, I might consider buying a T-Mobile phone, but that hurts the whole argument of ditching vzw to save $$
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I changed mine to MetroPCS which runs on the T-Mobile network. the guy at the store did the swap and it runs on the network and 4G/LTE in most metro areas very well, but loses any data connection in remote areas (I live in east-central Wyoming and it only works data in the larger towns here but still gets calls and texts anywhere you get a signal. It will at times toggle between 3G to 4G in some areas. and foxfi will run on it too if you hide the data usage when tethering. hope it helps.

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