New HTC Inspire 4G has 3G sim card!

[chasedickerson]

I purchased two HTC Inspire phones a few days ago for my wife and myself that were advertised and sold as 4G, only to discover that both phones are equiped with 3G sim cards (disturbing). When I called the store to inquire about the matter, I was told that 4G is not currently available in Columbia, SC and the 3G sim cards provide the same performance as a 4G sim card in 4G areas like Charlotte, NC (even more disturbing).

I am very uncomfortable with this sim card revelation and the explanation provided by the AT&T representative. To me this is equivalent to being sold a car that is advertised as an 8 cylinders only to look under the hood and discover that it has a 6 cylinder engine. And then be told by the dealership not to worry because the car is limited to 6 cylinder performance in one locale, but will offer 8 cylinder performance levels in other designated areas... contrary to its design specifications.

"I AM NOT SATISFIED NOR COMFORTABLE WITH THIS EXPLANATION!!!"

Could this constitute product misrepresentation by FTC guidelines and thus be construed as false advertising??? Your thoughts...

 

[NativeTxn]

The short answer to your question is, no.

The somewhat long answer is that the AT&T "4G" is not really a 4th generation technology (like LTE). Instead, it piggybacks off of the current 3G technology. That is part of the reason that there you do not need a new SIM card and even the "4G" SIM cards that some people have received do not (or at least should not) provide higher speeds.

You should only see noticeably higher speeds if you are in one of the areas where they have already turned on the backhaul (which is very few at the moment). Last I heard a week or so ago, Baltimore was the only place where they had actually "flipped the switch" for the backhaul. If this is in fact the case, that means Baltimore is the only area right now where you would see faster data speeds.

So no, getting a 3G SIM card is not going to provide actionable grounds for a lawsuit. You would most likely have to sue AT&T claiming that their entire "4G" marketing campaign is false and misleading advertising. However, if you go to their website (4G Speed from AT&T - AT&T 4G with HSPA+ and LTE - Wireless from AT&T), they have a lot of information that would probably prevent you winning any such suit.

 

[Shempster]

I bought my Inspire from Costco 2 weeks ago, (since returned) & when the guy put in the SIM card he remarked that he hadn't seen a card like that before. Must be a 4G card he said. (This was in Metro Charlotte, by the way.) Real life - yea, in your situation it won't make a diff now, but I'd still go back & ask about it for the future unless you know you'll be getting rid of the phones sooner than later.

 

[ajholt7]

It is my understanding that you only need the 4G SIM card for LTE which the Inspire is not capable of.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

 

[ZeroRilix]

It is my understanding that you only need the 4G SIM card for LTE which the Inspire is not capable of.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

Just got my Inspire today and had to replace my 3G sim with their "4G" sim. I live near Covington, TN just north of Memphis. They replaced the sim card for free.

 

[netposer]

ATT has been sending out the new SIM cards for over a month. The are orange, white and blue and only have the ATT Globe logo in blue. There's no marketing text on it at all unlike the 3G cards which had a 3G logo on them.

I will have to test different SIM cards since I have a few of each that are in other phones.

 

[pounder001]

Just got my Inspire today and had to replace my 3G sim with their "4G" sim. I live near Covington, TN just north of Memphis. They replaced the sim card for free.

I live in Munford, and I've been to the AT&T Corporate Store in Millington and Covington and have been told that there is not a special 4G sim card for the Inspire - This has also been verified by AT&T Technical support - I've been told until LTE rolls out there will be no change in sim cards

If you don't mind please post a pic of your 4G sim card

TIA

 

[ZeroRilix]

I live in Munford, and I've been to the AT&T Corporate Store in Millington and Covington and have been told that there is not a special 4G sim card for the Inspire - This has also been verified by AT&T Technical support - I've been told until LTE rolls out there will be no change in sim cards

If you don't mind please post a pic of your 4G sim card

TIA

No problem. Give me a little while and I'll post back with it.

 

[droidX1991]

Ok, so basically i have an unlocked iPhone 4 and have been looking to get an inspire 4G. If I manage to get my hands on one, I can just swap out the sim card no problem? On a side note, hopefully AT&T doesnt recognize I have an Inspire and take away my unlimited data plan...

 

[ZeroRilix]

I can't get the pic. If you search for "sim card" on AT&T's website you'll be taken to the 3G sim. The SKU number on it says 75043. The supposed "4G" sim is not listed, but the SKU on it is 73057. This new sim is the same size as the 3G sim. The lady who sold me my Inspire was Sonja Brandon. She told me my 3G sim from my A777 would not work and that I would have to get a new sim. I asked her how much and she said it was free. Pounder001, I would call the Covington store and ask for Sonja, and tell her Daniel Moody said to talk to her about the 3G and "4G" sim cards. Tell her what you were told there, in Millington, and by Tech Support.

 

[pounder001]

I can't get the pic. If you search for "sim card" on AT&T's website you'll be taken to the 3G sim. The SKU number on it says 75043. The supposed "4G" sim is not listed, but the SKU on it is 73057. This new sim is the same size as the 3G sim. The lady who sold me my Inspire was Sonja Brandon. She told me my 3G sim from my A777 would not work and that I would have to get a new sim. I asked her how much and she said it was free. Pounder001, I would call the Covington store and ask for Sonja, and tell her Daniel Moody said to talk to her about the 3G and "4G" sim cards. Tell her what you were told there, in Millington, and by Tech Support.

Thanks ZeroRilix, I'm going to stop by today

 

[pounder001]

Ok, so basically i have an unlocked iPhone 4 and have been looking to get an inspire 4G. If I manage to get my hands on one, I can just swap out the sim card no problem? On a side note, hopefully AT&T doesnt recognize I have an Inspire and take away my unlimited data plan...

From what I've read the iPhone has a micro sim and would need to be changed - You will not lose your unlimited data plan, but you would have to change it to an unlimited 4G data plan.
Good Luck

 

[CutRiteFX]

From what I've read the iPhone has a micro sim and would need to be changed - You will not lose your unlimited data plan, but you would have to change it to an unlimited 4G data plan.
Good Luck

Yes the iPhone 4 does have a Micro Sim. You will need to get a new sim when you get your HTC iNspire as I did.

 

[Ryan Roland]

I purchased two HTC Inspire phones a few days ago for my wife and myself that were advertised and sold as 4G, only to discover that both phones are equiped with 3G sim cards (disturbing). When I called the store to inquire about the matter, I was told that 4G is not currently available in Columbia, SC and the 3G sim cards provide the same performance as a 4G sim card in 4G areas like Charlotte, NC (even more disturbing).

I am very uncomfortable with this sim card revelation and the explanation provided by the AT&T representative. To me this is equivalent to being sold a car that is advertised as an 8 cylinders only to look under the hood and discover that it has a 6 cylinder engine. And then be told by the dealership not to worry because the car is limited to 6 cylinder performance in one locale, but will offer 8 cylinder performance levels in other designated areas... contrary to its design specifications.

"I AM NOT SATISFIED NOR COMFORTABLE WITH THIS EXPLANATION!!!"

Could this constitute product misrepresentation by FTC guidelines and thus be construed as false advertising??? Your thoughts...

Ok relax, Your phone and mine (inspire) do not require a "4G" sim card to acheive what our "4G" network is doing which is providing faster internet. The "new" sim cards that stores are giving you dont say 3G or 4G on them and they are just a new design not a new card. LTE will require a new sim card.

as far as you feeling like you got a 6 cylinder, think of it like this, they sold you a 8 cylinder and theres 8 cylinders under the hood and it uses the same gas as the 6 cylinder. gas=sim card. as far as coverage, at&t is adding backhaul support which will increase your 3g speeds of 1.5mbps or 3.6mbps if you have HSPA in your area to HSPA+ which is currently at 7.2mbps but will double again to 14.4mbps before LTE launches later this year and completes in 2013.

Does that explanation make more sense then the reps?

 

[Dilrod]

I work for AT&T, and we are told to put the new sims in the inspire and Atrix, but there is no difference in them at this time. The new one (73057) is simply replacing the old one (75043). They aren't "4g" sim cards.

 

[Dilrod]

 

[ZeroRilix]

Thanks ZeroRilix, I'm going to stop by today

No problem!

 

[pounder001]

Lot's of good information being shared in this thread, as I know there are lots of rumors running around in many of the Android forums about having the "correct sim card" in your Inspire

 

[homescrub]

Ok, so basically i have an unlocked iPhone 4 and have been looking to get an inspire 4G. If I manage to get my hands on one, I can just swap out the sim card no problem? On a side note, hopefully AT&T doesnt recognize I have an Inspire and take away my unlimited data plan...

No. iPhone 4 has a Micro SIM card, which will not fit into the Inspire.

Left: Regular SIM - Right: Micro SIM

But yes, if you were grandfathered in with the unlimited data plan, they will just do the switch from iphone 4 to the inspire.

In DC, I noticed that the down speeds are about 2-3mbps, with less than crappy upload speeds of about 100kbps. Its really crappy.

 

[13#AC]

droidX1991,
I just switched from iPhone to Inspire, AT&T kept me on the unlimited data plan, no worries.

As for the sim, you all got lucky. Both my inspires came with micro sims inserted so far into the regular sim slot that I had to use my iPhone sim removal tool to pull them out. I put my regular sims in and they work fine. Some people just need to be slapped, hard.