Want to upgrade, any advantages to a 4G phone?

[stingray389]

I'm due for an upgrade right now, and I'm looking at the current verizon smartphones. I originally had an OG droid, then moved to an iPhone 4. I am looking at the galaxy nexus as a possible choice, and I'm wondering if having an LTE phone should be one of the major upgrade points that I should be looking at.

I live/work in the NYC/Long Island area. According to the verizon coverage maps, I should have 4G coverage in around 95% of the places that I visit in my daily travels. So my question to everyone who already have (and are able to use) the 4G network - What do you guys think? I realize 4G will be the future for cell phones but realize that the tech is still new. After using an iPhone for the last 9 months, I appreciate using the phone all day, and having it last around 16 hours between charges. I understand the battery life on any one of the 4G phones will take a hit in comparison, but that would not necessarily be a deal breaker if LTE brings other advantages to my usage. I mostly use the phone for calls, texting, internet, twitter/facebook, watching an occasional video, playing a game on rare occasions. I really don't stream or listen to music on the phone very often, and I try to use wifi whenever possible.

 

[droidman2177]

4g kicks major butt and the apple idiots have missed the boat. VZW is way ahead as usual in the network dept.! Just do it! I have a Rezound and am loving it! I don't think the GN is for everyone.

 

[meballard]

For Internet usage, it depends on the site, but generally things are just snappier/load faster. It's a game changer for video watching.

I would suggest making a decision on the phone you want, with a slight preference towards 4G devices. Note that you can turn off 4G on most devices to conserve battery life if you want when you don't need the extra performance.

 

[Jude526]

I have the thunderbolt. Love it

Sent from my Thunderbolt using Tapatalk

 

[Lodingi]

The only advantage of LTE is shorter battery life.

Seriously though, I too am on Long Island. For me, the only advantage LTE has over 3G is download speeds. I frequently watch Netflix when I am only on 3G. The videos stream fine & picture quality is very good. The same is true for YouTube. I'm actually going to ditch my Charge for an iPhone 4s. I am confident 3G speeds are more than adequate for my needs.

 

[tennvol]

Assuming LTE works and isn't down its much faster than 3g..... but with a penatly of a shorter battery life.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

 

[cubez]

I have a thunderbolt and I often toggle between 3G and 4G. To be honest I sometimes don't even realize it's on 3G. I can be on 3G and surf the web just fine. The only time I do feel a huge difference is when I'm downloading or updating apps. It feels like 4G gets the task done in half the time if not quicker.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

 

[adauth]

4g lte is amazing. Those who say differently are either lying or in denial. 1-3 mbps down on 3g compared to 20+mbps down on 4g is not a small difference. Faster is always better. Imagine those people saying 3g is fast enough to people using dial up internet that use a broadband connection for the first time. Once you have it whenever you want it, you won't want to go back.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

 

[YourMobileGuru]

4g lte is amazing. Those who say differently are either lying or in denial. 1-3 mbps down on 3g compared to 20+mbps down on 4g is not a small difference. Faster is always better. Imagine those people saying 3g is fast enough to people using dial up internet that use a broadband connection for the first time. Once you have it whenever you want it, you won't want to go back.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

Agreed. Both speed and sanctimonious voice and data are the two chief advantages of LTE. Battery life is a lot poorer but you can turn it off when you aren't using it.

The question is kind of moot though as all the phones worth having from this point on will have LTE and all of the best from the last 3-4 months have as well. It's pretty much mainstream now.

 

[jay_akins]

4G is great but the problem I have is that where I live at, 4G isnt available yet.

 

[anon(30235)]

Without a doubt LTE should be your first criterium with everything else secondary. Verizon's LTE will change HOW you use your smartphone.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

 

[PWC Realtor]

Another advantage of LTE over Verizon 3G is the ability to talk and use data simultaneously (unless you use a HTC Thunderbolt which supports 3g SVDO)