AT&T: HSPA+ versus LTE....does it really matter?

[zrxoa1]

I switched over the the 10gb plan today. So far just myself and one of my boys. I will slowly bring rest of the family over from Verizon. Will have total of 6 phones once we're done. I want to keep to the 10gb for cost savings. A few of the family rarely use and data so the 10gb should be fine.

My question is will it advantageous to keep phones on hspa versus lte? My one son is on a Moto G so that is all he will get anyway. I have a Nexus 5 and wonder if it would save data use to turn off the LTE. On Verizon I found using LTE over 3g showed much more data use. Just wondering if it is just perception or hard fact?

Thanks for any help!



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[Photon4glover]

Re: HSPA+ versus LTE....does it really matter?

Really depends on your area in central ohio I get a solid 8mbs up and 1.5 down where lte ranges from that to 50mbs but unless you're downloading you'll notice no difference. And showing more data use was probably just because things loaded faster so you loaded more things


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[dpham00]

Re: HSPA+ versus LTE....does it really matter?

Well Verizon 3g is a bit slow for me, so using it does end up using less data. H+ depends but can be pretty fast for normal tasks , so probably not much savings. You can set it to edge of you want to save data, it is pretty slow so people would most likely use less data

dpham00, Android Central Moderator
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[erwaso]

Re: HSPA+ versus LTE....does it really matter?

Lte uses more data. It is also much MUCH faster and worth it. If you'll have 6 lines total and worried about using too much data try to not download apps off mobile data, just wifi.

AT&T will text all phones on the plan warnings at 60% and 90% of your total allotment so you shouldn't go over. Even if you do, they are good about crediting your account the 1st or even 2nd time it happens

 

[dpham00]

Re: HSPA+ versus LTE....does it really matter?

For the same exact task, lte won't use more data, but if it is faster in your area then you would likely use it to complete more tasks

dpham00, Android Central Moderator
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[Almeuit]

Re: HSPA+ versus LTE....does it really matter?

For the same exact task, lte won't use more data, but if it is faster in your area then you would likely use it to complete more tasks

dpham00, Android Central Moderator
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This.

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[sierrajinx9]

Re: HSPA+ versus LTE....does it really matter?

The Reason 3G uses less data is MOST APPS, Videos, Youtube... Detect the SPEED of data you are using "3G" and lower the quality of the pics, or videos to still be flawlessly streamable... So yes, if you are on 3G the video quality is lower, meaning yes, less data! 4G LTE Will let almost anything run at FULL HD Quality...

 

[dpham00]

You can set youtube so it doesn't use hd.

dpham00, Android Central Moderator
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[Almeuit]

The Reason 3G uses less data is MOST APPS, Videos, Youtube... Detect the SPEED of data you are using "3G" and lower the quality of the pics, or videos to still be flawlessly streamable... So yes, if you are on 3G the video quality is lower, meaning yes, less data! 4G LTE Will let almost anything run at FULL HD Quality...

This is true since LTE will allow HD YouTube which can eat up bandwidth fast (see my current usage below).

You can set youtube so it doesn't use hd.

dpham00, Android Central Moderator
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This as well is also true.. Just as long as the person thinks to Uncheck the HD box so they don't use up their cap .


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[dpham00]

This is true since LTE will allow HD YouTube which can eat up bandwidth fast (see my current usage below).



This as well is also true.. Just as long as the person thinks to Uncheck the HD box so they don't use up their cap .


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I am pretty sure default is that high quality on mobile is disabled.

dpham00, Android Central Moderator
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[Almeuit]

I am pretty sure default is that high quality on mobile is disabled.

dpham00, Android Central Moderator
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Usually yes but you never know someone could turn it on.. Forget.. Watch videos and feel it later in the wallet.

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[natehoy]

It all depends on what they need to do with their phones. I don't stream high-def video or even audio over my mobile connection, even though I probably could (single plan, 5GB with tethering). For almost everything I do, I find that HSPA/HSPA+ has more than enough speed to handle it.

Most of the performance differences I see are due to latency, not raw speed. If I'm updating prices on GasBuddy, getting directions from Google Navigation, playing Ingress, checking the weather/radar, reading/sending email, etc - most of these work just fine even over 3G when I had Verizon (which is MUCH, MUCH slower than AT&T's HSPA). If I want to stream high-def YouTube, I'll use my home WiFi with its 250GB monthly cap for that.

Sharing 10GB across 6 phones means you have to watch out for your heavy-bandwidth users. Turning off LTE can help a bit with that. Some phones also do a better job with battery when you turn off LTE. But if you have anyone who actually needs over 15M/s, they'll need LTE for the most part (and you'll also need a bigger plan, I think).