Getting 4g with amazon purchased phone

[Luke9876]

I was thinking about buying this phone off of amazon: Amazon.com: Samsung Galaxy S III/S3 GT-I9300 Factory Unlocked Phone - International Version (Pebble Blue): Cell Phones & Accessories
and then using it with the tmobile bring your own device service. I've heard that tmobile is changing over to the 1900 frequency so if I use this phone will it get 3g/4g and maybe LTE? Or would it just be a better idea to just put up the extra $120 and buy the device from tmobile themselves.

 

[IAmSixNine]

If it doesnt support 1700aws spectrum then you will not get the full back bone of TMO network.
Not all areas of the country have the re-farmed 1900PCS freqs either.
If you want TRUE TMO speeds and coverage get a TMO branded phone. If you want LTE get a Note 2 or some of the new phones about to be released.

 

[patruns]

T-Mobile already uses the 1900 spectrum for HSPA+, so you will get it's current 3g/4g service. They are slowing adding 1900 LTE service so eventually you should be able to get that. Not surprising since T-Mobile already offers this phone.

 

[RumoredNow]

T-Mobile already uses the 1900 spectrum for HSPA+, so you will get it's current 3g/4g service. They are slowing adding 1900 LTE service so eventually you should be able to get that. Not surprising since T-Mobile already offers this phone.

Not quite...

They have switched some areas over to 1900 MHz for 3G/H+, but not all areas have been enabled.

They are freeing up their 1700 band for LTE service.

Here is the unofficial map of 3G/H+ on the 1900 band for T-Mo: Sightings of T-Mobile 3G/4G/HSPA+ coverage on 1900MHz (PCS/UMTS band II)

If your area is not on the map, you will only get EDGE speed with that Galaxy S3.

 

[swebb]

Go by what iamsixnine says. The above post is incorrect. TMob will use 1700aws for their LTE. But to make this happen they need to refarm their legacy HSPA from 1700 aws, where it is currently, to 1900. Then they can deploy LTE in the 1700 aws. If you get a phone without 1700 AWS support then you will never get their LTE, and if you don't live in a refarmed area, you won't get HSPA. You will be on the EDGE network and won't be happy about it.

Why don't you just get the Nexus 4? It's cheaper than the SG3, it's also unlocked, and it has all the frequencies you need for TMob.

Edit. Rumourednow beat me to it.

 

[RumoredNow]

...Why don't you just get the Nexus 4? It's cheaper than the SG3, it's also unlocked, and it has all the frequencies you need for TMob.

Edit. Rumourednow beat me to it.

Thanks for the edit, swebb.

As a new Nexus 4 owner on T-Mo, I'm pretty darn happy with the phone and the data speeds. It's a sound answer.

BTW: I ordered a Nexus 4 late on a Tuesday morning and had it in my hands early Thursday afternnon. Can't beat the shipping time.

 

[patruns]

Go by what iamsixnine says. The above post is incorrect. TMob will use 1700aws for their LTE. But to make this happen they need to refarm their legacy HSPA from 1700 aws, where it is currently, to 1900. Then they can deploy LTE in the 1700 aws. If you get a phone without 1700 AWS support then you will never get their LTE, and if you don't live in a refarmed area, you won't get HSPA. You will be on the EDGE network and won't be happy about it.

The Nexus 4 "unofficially" supports LTE, so that would not be my first choice.

Why don't you just get the Nexus 4? It's cheaper than the SG3, it's also unlocked, and it has all the frequencies you need for TMob.

Edit. Rumourednow beat me to it.

 

[patruns]

Not quite...

They have switched some areas over to 1900 MHz for 3G/H+, but not all areas have been enabled.

They are freeing up their 1700 band for LTE service.

Here is the unofficial map of 3G/H+ on the 1900 band for T-Mo: Sightings of T-Mobile 3G/4G/HSPA+ coverage on 1900MHz (PCS/UMTS band II)

If your area is not on the map, you will only get EDGE speed with that Galaxy S3.

In major areas it is already there. I am in the NYC area and get the full speed. Also, the S3 does support 1700 LTE so "it should" be ok in the future.

 

[Korama12]

As stated by the majority of posters in this thread, the I9300 model of the Galaxy S III will most likely not give you the HSPA+42 speeds that you want. Find a Galaxy S III with the model number T999. That is the T-Mobile edition of the phone with 1700 AWS.

 

[Luke9876]

I live in the DC area, so I think I should be fine getting 4g here with the I9300 phone right? So if I get the T999 I will probably get LTE some time in the future. The thing is it's about $80 more expensive, so is there really that much of a difference between 4g and LTE?

I prefer the GS3 over the Nexus 4 mainly for the memory and slightly larger screen/ slimmer build. I also find the menu taps on the Nexus really annoying since they're part of the actual display.

 

[RumoredNow]

In major areas it is already there. I am in the NYC area and get the full speed. Also, the S3 does support 1700 LTE so "it should" be ok in the future.

That's why I posted a link to the map... The OP didn't say where he was and would need to look it up for himself.

There is more than one version of the S3. Here is the spec on the one he linked from Amazon. I can't find any 1700 band or LTE listed there. Are the rest of us missing something? Do you have a link that shows the I9300 version with the spec you claim for it?

I live in the DC area, so I think I should be fine getting 4g here with the I9300 phone right? So if I get the T999 I will probably get LTE some time in the future. The thing is it's about $80 more expensive, so is there really that much of a difference between 4g and LTE?

I prefer the GS3 over the Nexus 4 mainly for the memory and slightly larger screen/ slimmer build. I also find the menu taps on the Nexus really annoying since they're part of the actual display.

In DC you should be alright inside the beltway and up/down the I-95 corridor from Baltimore to Alexandria. But if you travel at all outside that area you will get forced to EDGE speed and that could be frustrating when using Navigation or other data intensive tasks associated with travel... Once more I urge you to check the map before deciding: Sightings of T-Mobile 3G/4G/HSPA+ coverage on 1900MHz (PCS/UMTS band II)

 

[Luke9876]

Korama12 mentioned the T999 version, which would give me the 1700 band. The T999 cost around $490 on amazon and the I9300 is about $430. So I was wondering if the extra $60 is worth getting LTE. How much faster is it than 4g?

 

[Hiberny]

Neither of those two phones has LTE. I believe the I9300 only does HSPA 21 (but I could be wrong). I wouldn't give up the AWS HSPA band, but that's me. I feel $60 is well worth double the 4G coverage. As they refarm more areas, that difference will shrink, but right now it's a big deal.

 

[swebb]

Korama12 mentioned the T999 version, which would give me the 1700 band. The T999 cost around $490 on amazon and the I9300 is about $430. So I was wondering if the extra $60 is worth getting LTE. How much faster is it than 4g?

I've never experienced LTE but TMo HSPA 42 is very fast. I've had up to 15mb download and get at least 3-5mb when I'm in a faux 4g area. However you should not give up the 1700 mhz band. If you are not in a refarmed area you will be on edge, which is pitiful. TMo still has far more 4g areas that have not been refarmed versus those that have.

 

[Korama12]

Korama12 mentioned the T999 version, which would give me the 1700 band. The T999 cost around $490 on amazon and the I9300 is about $430. So I was wondering if the extra $60 is worth getting LTE. How much faster is it than 4g?

Personally I wouldn't buy a phone that I intended to use on T-Mobile service without the 1700 AWS band built-in. You may or may not eventually get LTE with the T999 (it depends on who you believe), but you will get HSPA+42 which is plenty fast. If you get the I9300, and you find yourself in an area that hasn't been refarmed yet (i.e. 99% of the country), then you're going to be stuck with EDGE speeds. :-(

GSMArena.com has a handy advanced search tool that will let you look up all phones that have the 1700 AWS band and are complatible with T-Mobile HSPA+. I find that it's a valuable resource when trying to ensure that you order the right model number of a phone from places like Amazon or eBay.