htc one s vs galaxy nexus speeds

[danarmitage1898]

I know there are other threads like this but, i have different needs.
I plan on using the $30 a month tmobile plan with 5gb 4g data. I can get a galaxy nexus unlocked on google play for $ 400 and the htc one s for 450. My main concern was if there was a considerable difference i data speed between the hspa+ 21 mbps versus the htc's 42 hspa+ data speeds. i still dont get this much and am still confused if it means double the speed. i am a data hog and right now im on virgin mobile *shudder* and it has really slow 3g using sprint. 4g datais available on tmo where i live( its the only one where i live that gets 4g) , and i was just curious if there was a considerable difference in speed. If there is, then I will get an HTC one s and if not then the galaxy nexus it is. I have foud there are pros and cons and i have settled on this being the breaking point. thanks to all who answer!

 

[ajonesma]

hspa+ 21mbps is 21mbps and the hspa+ 42 is 42mbps, so that means HSPA+ 42 is twice as fast.

 

[Ironzey]

In reality you probably won't see any where close to those speeds. My nexus has seen speeds as fast as 10mbps. Where I live (a 4G area) I get a little less that 5mbps. In my experience not all 4G areas are the same downtown Denver gets better speeds than the suburbs.

I don't have any experience with the One series but my recommendation is: if you really must have the fastest phone on T mobile go with the one with the faster theoretical speeds.

 

[swebb]

I'm probably the best barometer for this. My wife has the S and I have the GSN. Her downloads are typically 50% or more better than mine. If I get 8mb she will get 12mb or better. Rarely will her's be double but they are almost always 50-75% faster. We are on T-Mobile's family value plan.

 

[Stelv]

Honestly anything above 7mbps is fast. You can stream HD video at that speed. So the difference between hspa21 and 42 is not really noticeable IMO. I get about 7mbps on my nexus and the att tower is like 3 blocks down from me. The only time you would need insanely fast 42mbps internet speeds is if you are downloading gigs of data at a time, which you won't because everyone throttles these days. These insanely fast internet speeds are mostly a sales gimmick.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Android Central Forums

 

[Darrkman]

I'm in NYC and this is a pretty good example of what I get on tmobile with my One S:

Sent from my HTC One S