Samsung Galaxy S 2 and Verizon, any possibility of LTE? (discussion)

[DolfanCole]

A couple of things ...

The two 4G/LTE phones launched higher than the "standard" $199 price point (Thunderbolt at $249 and Charge at $299). Seeing the DX2 launch at the $199 price point may be a good indication that high-end 3G smartphones will continue to launch at that price point. Therefore, should the GSII only have 3G, hopefully it'll launch at $199 too.

I really like this phone and have just about convinced myself that it may not matter to me if it has LTE or not. I don't have LTE service in my area (and not in the plans for this year). But, I do have significant WiFi speeds at work, and the only time that I would truly benefit from LTE is during non-working hours. And I've been using 3G so far and have had to deal with the 3G speeds (which isn't too bad where I am). So, I'm wondering whether that's really enough to convince me that I need it or if it should be a strong influence on whether I get it or maybe the Bionic (even though I wouldn't be able to even use it until next year). Of course, this could all be the "impatience" in me talking.

 

[Robin_M]

Hmmm...LTE? Maybe they know something we don't?

Samsung Function specs - Phone Arena

I think it's more likely that they are confused by the term "4G", which of course means different things to different carriers. If we could place bets on this forum, I'd give 3 to 1 odds that the GS2 will not have LTE. Any takers?

 

[BigDFSU]

"The information for this phone is PRELIMINARY and could be incomplete or inaccurate. If you have any information about it, please send it to: phonearena@phonearena.com"

Written right at the top, so I wouldn't rely on that page for info about LTE, at least not yet.

Robin also nailed it with the confusion of the term "4G".

Really the best way to approach anticipation of this phone, until we receive some official announcements, is just to think of it as a 3G only phone when it comes to Verizon.

 

[Friend-O]

"The information for this phone is PRELIMINARY and could be incomplete or inaccurate. If you have any information about it, please send it to: phonearena@phonearena.com"

Written right at the top, so I wouldn't rely on that page for info about LTE, at least not yet.

Robin also nailed it with the confusion of the term "4G".

Really the best way to approach anticipation of this phone, until we receive some official announcements, is just to think of it as a 3G only phone when it comes to Verizon.

Oh, I know, and I totally agree. It's just that we don't have any new info on this device, so I figured we could use something to spark a little discussion. Mission accomplished.

 

[Castor Troy]

I think it's more likely that they are confused by the term "4G", which of course means different things to different carriers. If we could place bets on this forum, I'd give 3 to 1 odds that the GS2 will not have LTE. Any takers?

Phonearena doesn't make newb mistakes like that they know the difference.

As far as it not being LTE compatible I'm not going to outright rule it out based on things I've heard. Appears phonearena heard that the possibility exists as well BUTT im not confident enough in the info to bet on it

I personally hope its released as 3G though. LTE needs to mature before I jump in the game but if by chance it does release with LTE I will still purchase it. Its too nice of a handset to pass up....

Sent from my Droid

 

[Robin_M]

I personally hope its released as 3G though. LTE needs to mature before I jump in the game but if by chance it does release with LTE I will still purchase it. Its too nice of a handset to pass up....

My feelings exactly! I'm hoping for 3G, but I've decided it'll be my next phone no matter what.

 

[BigDFSU]

As long as it wouldn't become a huge problem with battery life then I wouldn't mind LTE being added in. In fact if that was the case it would almost guarantee I get this phone over the Bionic.

 

[cordoni]

My feelings exactly! I'm hoping for 3G, but I've decided it'll be my next phone no matter what.

You can always turn the 4g radio off, if it has one, forcing it to go 3g.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

 

[Robin_M]

You can always turn the 4g radio off, if it has one, forcing it to go 3g.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

People have reported that whether the LTE radio is on or off, an LTE phone still consumes substantially more battery than a 3G only phone. I don't know whether that's true or not, but battery life is a leading issue with me. With moderate use, I want to be able to get an entire day's use out if it with a bit of room to spare, if possible. Friends I have with LTE phones say they can't do that. But that's easily possilbe on the Samsung Fascinate, which is this phone's predecessor.

Also the phone will have to be a bit thicker and it will undoubtedly cost $100 more with an LTE radio in it.

 

[clucernoni]

People have reported that whether the LTE radio is on or off, an LTE phone still consumes substantially more battery than a 3G only phone. I don't know whether that's true or not, but battery life is a leading issue with me. With moderate use, I want to be able to get an entire day's use out if it with a bit of room to spare, if possible. Friends I have with LTE phones say they can't do that. But that's easily possilbe on the Samsung Fascinate, which is this phone's predecessor.

Also the phone will have to be a bit thicker and it will undoubtedly cost $100 more with an LTE radio in it.

With my thunderbolt, I have the 3g off by default when I know I won't be near a charger all day. When I want to use it, I switch the 4g on and it flies, then when I am done, I switch it back to 3g. In 3g mode, I don't notice any difference in battery life compared to my OG Droid. Also, when connected to wifi, the phone can last forever. So battery life isn't really an issue for me and it seems people just don't understand how to make theirs last. (I agree that we should progress to a point where we don't HAVE to know how to make it last)

If this phone doesn't have LTE, I am going to have to pass it up. The speeds are just too awesome to not have it once you have tasted the 4G flavor

 

[corymcnutt]

People have reported that whether the LTE radio is on or off, an LTE phone still consumes substantially more battery than a 3G only phone. I don't know whether that's true or not, but battery life is a leading issue with me. With moderate use, I want to be able to get an entire day's use out if it with a bit of room to spare, if possible. Friends I have with LTE phones say they can't do that. But that's easily possilbe on the Samsung Fascinate, which is this phone's predecessor.

Also the phone will have to be a bit thicker and it will undoubtedly cost $100 more with an LTE radio in it.

I read all the time about the awful battery life on LTE phones, especially the Thunderbolt, but I have a friend that uses her TB quite a bit (mostly emails, texting, little internet, lots of phone calls) and she can make it for 8-10 hours minimum. That is not bad to me...I have a Storm2 that I use a lot for emails, texting, and occasionally browsing the internet and I can easily make it for 18 hours...BUT, if I make several longer phone calls or use the medai player, the battery drains like crazy. I always had a charger at work and I also put it in a stand at night; now that I work from home, the phone calls are a lot shorter, so I am back to all day on a charge. I don't kid myself; there are trade-offs for a BIG, beautiful screen, and speed on the internet, if I have to charge it during the day while I'm working, so be it. As long as I can get 5-7 hours that gives me time to charge it and enjoy all of those wonderful attributes with these new phones. People seem to expect miracles; they want it all (thin, fast, big, colorful, bright, music player, internet, and 15 hours of battery life, etc.), and that just isn't going to happen; we demand so much of these phones and those demands will take its toll on the battery.

 

[Friend-O]

You can always turn the 4g radio off, if it has one, forcing it to go 3g.

Good point. That pretty much nullifies the argument for sticking with a 3G phone over a comparably spec'd 4G unit. Maybe the Bionic will be calling my name after all...I'm so confused now, lol.

 

[Mooem]

Turning the 4G radio off my Thunderbolt (and some other syncing crap from HTC sense) and leaving it on 3G seems to have greatly improved my battery life. Turning 4G on makes it a power hungry beast, however.

It would be amazing if the GS2 has LTE but I doubt it. Maybe next year for any potential GS3 model (and tested/verified smaller LTE radio). I just hope by that time phone tech will be more power efficient.

 

[pc747]

I think it needs to be a LTE device being customers will be stuck with it for 2 years. If its a 3g device I would hold off on it until the GS3 and hopefully that is a lte device.

 

[Castor Troy]

I honestly can do without LTE. I have wifi at home and the areas that I most frequent. I don't do any heavy surfing/streaming and use a lot of data. My phone is pretty much just used for business. Other than that using tapaptalk is the only data intensive thing I do in it. I need a killer handset first and foremost. Killer network speeds will just be icing on the cake.

Would it be nice to have LTE speeds? Absolutely. Is it a necessity for me? Not in the least.



Sent from my Droid

 

[Cruiserdude]

I don't see why people would hope it would release without LTE. I understand that its not mature yet, but its getting there, and current LTE devices are significantly faster in LTE areas, enough that most owners are willing to deal with the few extra hassles it brings. I understand the price is high, but as long as 4g data costs the same as 3g it certainly seems worth it for the next 2 years or more. If you don't live in an area with LTE coverage yet, you certainly will within 2 years time, and that's how long you'll be stuck with whatever phone you get now if you'll wait for your next upgrade. And if you're just gonna buy retail anyway, I don't see why price is such an issue, LTE devices will have better resale value.

I'd love for the GS2 to have LTE, but I realize that its unlikely. I can see why LTE is not a big deal, or even much of an issue for many people, especially if its not in your area yet. But I don't understand those who are opposed to the idea of it being LTE-capable. I for one would love to be able to keep a phone longer than the 20 months it takes me to get to my next upgrade, I've already done that now. If I can have a significantly powerful device that also has LTE, I can do just that, and it would be nice to know that the Bionic isn't the only thing on the horizon that could easily get me through the next 2 years.

 

[Castor Troy]

I don't see why people would hope it would release without LTE. I understand that its not mature yet, but its getting there, .

You can't swap out the radio in the handset. The phones hardware will remain the same as the LTE network matures. As the network evolves and matures so will the radios.

So suffering through issues for 2 years is a long time. In my opinion at least. I understand that some people don't care about all that but I rely on my phone for busisiness and can't afford any hassles.

So thats my reason for hoping it doesn't release as an LTE capable handset. I just want something tried and true at this point. 3G and Wifi is plenty good for what I use my handset for.

I'll have the option to purchase an LTE phone next year (use 2nd line upgrade) if I want. Mid 2012 the tech will begin to smooth out in handsets and I'll get onboard then if something comes along that blows my socks off.

 

[ckstou]

I don't see why people would hope it would release without LTE. I understand that its not mature yet, but its getting there, and current LTE devices are significantly faster in LTE areas, enough that most owners are willing to deal with the few extra hassles it brings. I understand the price is high, but as long as 4g data costs the same as 3g it certainly seems worth it for the next 2 years or more. If you don't live in an area with LTE coverage yet, you certainly will within 2 years time, and that's how long you'll be stuck with whatever phone you get now if you'll wait for your next upgrade. And if you're just gonna buy retail anyway, I don't see why price is such an issue, LTE devices will have better resale value.

I'd love for the GS2 to have LTE, but I realize that its unlikely. I can see why LTE is not a big deal, or even much of an issue for many people, especially if its not in your area yet. But I don't understand those who are opposed to the idea of it being LTE-capable. I for one would love to be able to keep a phone longer than the 20 months it takes me to get to my next upgrade, I've already done that now. If I can have a significantly powerful device that also has LTE, I can do just that, and it would be nice to know that the Bionic isn't the only thing on the horizon that could easily get me through the next 2 years.

Agreed

 

[Robin_M]

Agreed

Not me. I agree with CK. I'll buy it anyway, but I'll be much happier (and $100 richer) if it's 3G only. :-*

 

[Mastaking]

Verizon is making comments that they want to have a full 4G LTE Network by 2013 and there is a probability that by that time they will make phones with only 4G LTE radios and NO 3G at all. This really leads me to believe that this phone will be 4G LTE considering it isn't even released and there is no known release date for this phone.

Motorolas Super phone will be the Bionic which will be 4G. They have since released the Droid X2, which is 3G and will be considered a mid level phone by enthusiasts.

HTC's super phone is currently the Thunderbolt which is 4G. They have since released the Incredible 2 which is 3G and again only a mid level phone.

LG is releasing the Revolution soon and even though it is 4G I am under the impression that it will be mid level (I could be severely wrong, I haven't done too much research on this device) and that they will release a monster in the future that will be 4G.

Samsung released the Charge which is 4G and to me feels like mid level. The specs aren't amazing on this phone when looking forward. They are planning to release a monster phone which could be top tier for a long time and I can't believe in any way that they would allow it to be 3G. It just doesnt make any sense to me.