To those with LTE, it is a must have from now on?

[planoman]

I bought the SR on launch day, November 6 and live in an LTE area (DFW). I was thrilled to have LTE in my home town and could not wait to have it.

After first getting the the Skyrocket I never thought I would get anything but a LTE device going forwrd. After a month and half, I wonder how fast is fast enough? Do I really need to have LTE speeds or is HSPA+ fast enough. Where is the data speed versus battery life sweet spot? I have used only 2 GB this cycle since I am on wifi a lot. Would any of you still consider non LTE devices if you lived in an LTE area?

 

[20blks]

Yes. I love the speed. If it's there, why not.

 

[dmarquand]

I live in a suburb near San Francisco. LTE is great when it works. Half the time my phone uses normal 4G.

 

[SAENZ_SCENE]

I wouldn't consider it anymore. I love having LTE and for me, speed is worth sacrificing battery life. I carry around a spare battery anyway in case I need it. So for me, yes. It is a must have.

SeNt FrOm My HtC ViViD

 

[gaygeek]

Coming from Verizon with LTE to AT&T without (not in my area yet), I am finding I don't really miss it. HSPA+ is more than fast enough to do my most bandwidth intensive task (streaming Pandora in high quality), and I don't really notice that Facebook loads slightly slower than on Verizon LTE... it's still pretty quick. That said, I got the Skyrocket because of the eventuality of LTE in my area... I consider it a "nice to have", not a must.

 

[erwaso]

Its also nice to have hspa+ as a back up. Verizon LTE outage and everyone suck on 3mbps max.

 

[LoSt180]

I work in an area with LTE (Baltimore/DC) and everything loads so fast, like I'm on WiFi. When I get home however, I only get hspa+ and feels soooo slow, like I'm back using my BlackBerry. LTE is now a must if I'm not on WiFi, and AT&T needs to extend the coverage areas father into the suburbs!

Only thing I would hope for is that LTE chipsets get smaller with better battery life, I feel like the SR is just a bit too big to hold with one hand. Feels like it could slip any second, a 4" screen would be perfect (in between the 4S and the SR).

 

[canaah]

It's a must! I had an Infuse 4G which was HSPA+.........The problem is HSPA+ is inconsistent depending on time of day, location, exct.....yeah i can achieve speeds of 12mbs which is not typical, good speeds on HSPA+ are typically 5-8MBS, but I also would still experience speeds of 150kbs depending on data congestion and time of day. In a major city like NYC and Atlanta I would experience ridiculously slow speeds on HSPA+. LTE pretty much eliminates that. In Atlanta the lowest speeds Ive got on LTE is around 3.5MBS which is rare, but still fast enough to have snappy browsing and download speeds. I typically get anywhere from 10-60mbs. I dont have any data lag when im under LTE. Its always fast. So bottom line LTE will typically be consistent no matter where you go or how many people is using it, while HSPA+ isnt.

 

[kevinqian]

I wouldn't count on that as more and more ppl switch to LTE on AT&T. Just look at vzw's LTE service now is much more pedestrian than at launch.

 

[planoman]

Good info. Thanks to all. I have been using my Atrix 2 this week since I am off from work. The bluetooth actually works in my car, so I have been using it as I drive around running errands before the holiday catching up with people. The battery life is also very good.

I asked this question because my Atrix is HSPA+ and seems fast enough for daily use. I have not thought, "man,I miss my SR and LTE right now" while using it. I am also considering the Galaxy Note as a back up device and was thinking of getting it now to be free of AT&T bloatware and update delays etc. It is HSPA+ for data if I choose to put my SIM card in. I guess as long as I have my SR, I will have LTE if and when I want it.

 

[jsarino]

Hard to say for me since I don't have LTE in my area, but going from 3G to HSPA+ is a far better improvement.

 

[anon(605125)]

I was impressed. Over in Kansas City I got over 10Mbs downloads on ATT LTE. Pay for at least that much on cable at home but only receive half or less the speed of the LTE.