Is Epic 4G Touch still a good phone for non LTE market?

[marioc21]

The Epic 4g touch seems to getting some good sales this week. Sprint has it for $99 and it's a buy 1 get 1 too. Best Buy has it for $49.99. Would you guys consider this phone a good choice if your in a non 4g LTE market? I live in Richmond, VA and it looks like we're a 3rd round market at best. So no LTE for us until late 2013 at least. We do have wimax here and when you can get it's pretty fast.

[xcharles718]

It's a great phone.

I would recommend you get if off-contract though, keep that upgrade open for a LTE device when you're ready.

 

To give you a idea on pricing,

http://tinyurl.com/6p7jerv

[pyroscott]

The Epic 4g touch seems to getting some good sales this week. Sprint has it for 99 and it's a buy 1 get 1 too. Best Buy has it for 49.99. Would you guys consider this phone a good choice if your in a non 4g LTE market? I live in Richmond' date=' VA and it looks like we're a 3rd round market at best. So no LTE for us until late 2013 at least. We do have wimax here and when you can get it's pretty fast.[/quote']

 

I loved that phone. IMHO it is the all around best option out there for a WiMax phone. The Photon and Nexus are right there too, with the photon having the slight edge in signal strength and the added bonus of being a world phone. The nexus s has the definite software advantage. Both photon and nexus s are EOL, so if you want new, the E4GT is the only way to go.

 

From JBtoro on Forum Runner

[marioc21]

It's a great phone.

I would recommend you get if off-contract though, keep that upgrade open for a LTE device when you're ready.

 

To give you a idea on pricing,

http://tinyurl.com/6p7jerv

 

The contract/no contract thing is almost irrelevant. Like I said we're not getting LTE until late 2013 or early 2014. If I renewed I would be upgrade eligible again in May/June of 2014. Hopefully, LTE would be mostly deployed here by then.

[xcharles718]

The contract/no contract thing is almost irrelevant. Like I said we're not getting LTE until late 2013 or early 2014. If I renewed I would be upgrade eligible again in May/June of 2014. Hopefully, LTE would be mostly deployed here by then.

If you don't mind the wait, then I highly recommend it. It's the best WiMAX phone available(and the last one sold, since all the others have been EOL'd).

[marioc21]

I loved that phone. IMHO it is the all around best option out there for a WiMax phone. The Photon and Nexus are right there too, with the photon having the slight edge in signal strength and the added bonus of being a world phone. The nexus s has the definite software advantage. Both photon and nexus s are EOL, so if you want new, the E4GT is the only way to go.

 

From JBtoro on Forum Runner

 

Since I never travel outside the U.S. the worldphone capabilities are kind of wasted. The nexus is S is almost two generations old now. If I got a nexus I would go ahead and get a galaxy nexus. I would trade 4g for getting android updates. But the epic 4g touch has CM9 and soon CM10 so I think I'd prefer the wimax capability.

[Abyss19707]

The Epic 4g touch seems to getting some good sales this week. Sprint has it for $99 and it's a buy 1 get 1 too. Best Buy has it for $49.99. Would you guys consider this phone a good choice if your in a non 4g LTE market? I live in Richmond, VA and it looks like we're a 3rd round market at best. So no LTE for us until late 2013 at least. We do have wimax here and when you can get it's pretty fast.

I was recently in Richmond and it is actually part of the DC/Baltimore market I beleive. I was connectd to an eHRPD network which tells me that LTE is coming ery soon to the market. I recommend buying on off contract f you really want the phone. You can get a used model on eBay for about $200-$300. You would still be able to get an LTE in the following monthes if LTE does come to Richmond this year.

[marioc21]

If you don't mind the wait, then I highly recommend it. It's the best WiMAX phone available(and the last one sold, since all the others have been EOL'd).

 

Waiting has never been a problem. I'm a two year phone buyer type of person. The only time I ever bought off contract was to replace my wife's blackberry. I paid $450 for an EVO. I just can't make myself pay that kind of money for a phone.

[xcharles718]

Waiting has never been a problem. I'm a two year phone buyer type of person. The only time I ever bought off contract was to replace my wife's blackberry. I paid $450 for an EVO. I just can't make myself pay that kind of money for a phone.

I'm more of the "buy an new phone every 6 months" type of person(generally selling my current phone covers most of another phone in good condition).

You could look into Sprint re-sellers like Amazon & Wirefly, which they might have it for free or a penny.

[marioc21]

I was recently in Richmond and it is actually part of the DC/Baltimore market I beleive. I was connectd to an eHRPD network which tells me that LTE is coming ery soon to the market. I recommend buying on off contract f you really want the phone. You can get a used model on eBay for about $200-$300. You would still be able to get an LTE in the following monthes if LTE does come to Richmond this year.

 

That comes as news to me. I'm pretty sure Robert's market update articles for Washington, D.C. have never included Richmond. I'll have to go back and check.

 

Update:

 

http://s4gru.com/ind...chedule-update/

 

See according to the post, the D.C. market only goes to about Stafford maybe Fredericksburg. Richmond does not seem to be included. And then there's separate articles for Norfolk. I think we're just out in cold for a while. Maybe there's some backend stuff that's already been set up, but I don't expect any tower here for a while. If it did turn out that we would get LTE this year then I would not buy a new phone until then.

[marioc21]

I'm more of the "buy an new phone every 6 months" type of person(generally selling my current phone covers most of another phone in good condition).

You could look into Sprint re-sellers like Amazon & Wirefly, which they might have it for free or a penny.

 

I wish I could be a new phone every 6 months kind of person. Sigh. Not in my budget though. but the Epic Touch is already approaching $0. Best buy has it for $50 I have a $50 best buy discount that I haven't used. And Sprint's offering to buy my old epic 4g for $54 so that would cut the price in half if I got it directly from them.

[xcharles718]

I wish I could be a new phone every 6 months kind of person. Sigh. Not in my budget though. but the Epic Touch is already approaching $0. Best buy has it for $50 I have a $50 best buy discount that I haven't used. And Sprint's offering to buy my old epic 4g for $54 so that would cut the price in half if I got it directly from them.

Seems like you'll have every planned and ready to pull the trigger.

Surprised that Epic 4G Touch and the Galaxy Nexus are selling at the same price.

[marioc21]

Seems like you'll have every planned and ready to pull the trigger.

Surprised that Epic 4G Touch and the Galaxy Nexus are selling at the same price.

 

Maybe. Although Abyss19707 has me intrigued. Does your phone connecting to eHRPD give any signal as to whether NV is being deployed? I so I would just wait. My OG epic with CM9 is getting me by.

 

And if not and I decide to buy an Epic touch I still have to it get cleared by the wife. As always she has veto power.

[xcharles718]

Maybe. Although Abyss19707 has me intrigued. Does your phone connecting to eHRPD give any signal as to whether NV is being deployed? I so I would just wait. My OG epic with CM9 is getting me by.

Well, eHRPD is needed for seemless 3G/LTE hand-offs. Its popping up in a lot of markets as prep work for NV, but that doesn't mean that that city has been moved up.

[Abyss19707]

 

 

That comes as news to me. I'm pretty sure Robert's market update articles for Washington, D.C. have never included Richmond. I'll have to go back and check.

 

Update:

 

http://s4gru.com/ind...chedule-update/

 

See according to the post, the D.C. market only goes to about Stafford maybe Fredericksburg. Richmond does not seem to be included. And then there's separate articles for Norfolk. I think we're just out in cold for a while. Maybe there's some backend stuff that's already been set up, but I don't expect any tower here for a while. If it did turn out that we would get LTE this year then I would not buy a new phone until then.

I looked at the map and it looks like Richmond area will have sits with LTE up and running when the market launches. The map shows sites that Alexandria will have sites up in running which is right by Richmond

[marioc21]

I looked at the map and it looks like Richmond area will have sits with LTE up and running when the market launches. The map shows sites that Alexandria will have sites up in running which is right by Richmond

 

Are you talking about Richmond Hwy? That's route 1. I'm talking about Richmond, VA. That's about 110 miles south of Alexandria. That might be our point of confusion.

[Abyss19707]

 

 

Are you talking about Richmond Hwy? That's route 1. I'm talking about Richmond, VA. That's about 110 miles south of Alexandria. That might be our point of confusion.

I go to Richmond 4-5 times a year for business. I know that Alexandria is in the same general area of Richmond. Richmond is about 30 miles from DC not 110.

[marioc21]

I go to Richmond 4-5 times a year for business. I know that Alexandria is in the same general area of Richmond. Richmond is about 30 miles from DC not 110.

 

I realize I'm doing this just to prove a point, but I can't help myself. I'm really not trying to difficult. I just can't let this go. I live in Richmond. I grew up in the Springfield area. My parent's still live near Springfield. I'm driving up there this weekend. It's not 30 miles.

 

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Richmond,+VA&daddr=Alexandria,+VA&hl=en&sll=37.540766,-77.436104&sspn=0.225404,0.382805&geocode=FXXTPAIdcGti-yntyZlXCRGxiTHFPELibT7Yvw%3BFWMdUAIdd1to-ynxq6STPk22iTEsAcHbhib11w&oq=alexandria&mra=ls&t=m&z=9

 

If a mod is available, feel free to lock this thread as it has served it's purpose. Plus I appear to be doing a good job of derailing it.

[pyroscott]

Topic closed at the request of member.

[S4GRU]

Richmond, VA is in the Sprint Richmond market. Not the DC Market. Richmond market will not start deployment until 2013...if there is any confusion.

 

Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner