Who has the best phone radio reception?

[Feldhege]

So I am looking to upgrade my phone. I have a verizon GS3. I always try to pick up a highend phone as I live and work with my phone all the time. I have always had good cell coverage with it until the last recent update. It was about the time that verizon updated the tower in our area so I am not sure if it is the phone or the service. Either way, looking at the Droid Turbo by Motorola, Samsung GS5 (Note is too big for me), or the HTC M8. Is any manufacturer known for producing better radios then the others? I really want the Turbo but want to hedge my bets by getting a relaible phone first. Thanks in advance.

 

[STARGATE]

As far as I know, and from personal experience, Motorola has the best radios.

Having said that, it also depends on the coverage your carrier provides.

In my case, I have Sprint, and I've had the GS4 last year and the GS5 this year. I get great reception everywhere, even at the same places my Motorola Photon had great reception.

 

[fraged]

I was on Verizon for the last two years, Sprint before that for 4 years. My partner had AT&T and Verizon for the last two years and I compared the coverage every where we went. For me I switched to AT&T because of the limited 4G LTE coverage. But that could be different for your locations. The coverage is there but it seemed for me the signal strength was usually less or no 4G LTE. Another thing I noticed was that AT&T network allows you to surf the NET while on the phone and every time I tried to do use that with Verizon the network never supported it. Not like I used it all the time but would have been nice. I saw your post about voice quality well I just got that LG G3 with HD voice (which other phones have) which only works with 4G LTE and wow I can really hear people again. The quality with 3G and 4G is great and the people on the other end say it was a step up. My previous phones on Verizon was the Moto Razr Max and iPhone 4s. I do have hearing problems and so do some of the folks I talk to. I ahve been impressed by the sound quality on both ends. But it seems every phone has its issues.

Good luck on finding happiness..

 

[Rukbat]

After a couple of decades in the business, I can tell you that, level for level (cheapest phone, flagship, etc), it's about 85% carrier and 15% phone. Many of the cheapie phones (the Motorola W385 was a classic example) are deaf. Even with good coverage, you have to be in a good spot. The flagship phones are usually all pretty good and can hold a phone call through a weak signal. But I can use the most sensitive receiver made on Sprint in my daughter's house and due to a knife-edge effect from a nearby ridge, it won't pick up any signal. Yet I can use a $50 Sprint phone a block away with no problem. (And Sprint's not going to put up even a nanocell to cover one house for people who aren't customers any more).

Choose the carrier first. (Check with others on Verizon to see what kind of signal they get where you have problems, compared with what they get where you don't have problems.) If it's a Verizon problem, complain long and loudly (and very politely - that always gets the attention of someone whose job is usually being a punching bag - if you're super-nice, they'll be so happy to have 5 minutes of their day be nice that they'll do anything they're allowed to do for you). If it's the phone's problem, take it in to where they repair phones (it may not be the closest store, but ask there first where that store would be) and tell them what's happening (that, since the update, you're getting poor Verizon reception in a spot that no one else is) and let them see if they can fix it. (Flashing the older modem will put it back to where it was as far as reception goes, but still with the new firmware everywhere else.)

Then you'll know a lot more - and you'll know what kind of service your local Verizon repair center gives. (If you're looking to upgrade, maybe your contract is coming up for renewal, and maybe it's time to find a better carrier. Sprint is great all over town here, but useless to me [and their "techs" here graduated from "look for the answer in a book" Tech]. Which carrier is best is a pretty individual thing. As long as a carrier gives me coverage where I need it, I pay for the best support. I used to give it, now I want to get it.)