Tri Band Phone

[jtsharps]

OK so it's been confirmed that 4G is finally available in my area so I'm ready to change over to Sprint.  I've been reading though about this tri band type network and I'm not totally wrapping my head around it but from what I can gather it's a dual band right now but they will be going to the tri in the future.  Right now I have the Galaxy Note 2 with my current carrier and I absolutely love it.  I would no doubt go with the Note 3 with the move to Sprint but I've read it's only a dual band.  Should I let this affect my decision on a new phone or will it not really make a difference in the next 2 years?  I've heard the LG G2 is the only tri band.  It looks like a great phone but I really would miss my S Pen!!  Is there any hope of Samsung coming out with an updated tri band version?

 

Any and all info is greatly appreciated!!

 

JT

 

[COZisBack]

OK so it's been confirmed that 4G is finally available in my area so I'm ready to change over to Sprint.  I've been reading though about this tri band type network and I'm not totally wrapping my head around it but from what I can gather it's a dual band right now but they will be going to the tri in the future.  Right now I have the Galaxy Note 2 with my current carrier and I absolutely love it.  I would no doubt go with the Note 3 with the move to Sprint but I've read it's only a dual band.  Should I let this affect my decision on a new phone or will it not really make a difference in the next 2 years?  I've heard the LG G2 is the only tri band.  It looks like a great phone but I really would miss my S Pen!!  Is there any hope of Samsung coming out with an updated tri band version?

 

Any and all info is greatly appreciated!!

 

JT

 

Good morning and to S4GRU.com. The Galaxy Note 3 on Sprint is single band so it will only work on Sprint's 1900 LTE network. The LG G2 on Sprint supports Sprint's 1900/800/2600 LTE network, making it Tri-Band. The Apple iPhone 5s supports Sprint's 1900/800 LTE network making it Dual Band.

 

Sprint's network should support all three bands before 2 years, so yes, it could affect your experience on Sprint if your Note 3 doesn't support all three bands.

 

In terms of Sprint re-releasing a Tri-Band Note 3 is unknown, there is speculation, but it's just that, speculation.

 

Hopefully that helps with your decisions.

[jtsharps]

Good morning and to S4GRU.com. The Galaxy Note 3 on Sprint is single band so it will only work on Sprint's 1900 LTE network. The LG G2 on Sprint supports Sprint's 1900/800/2600 LTE network, making it Tri-Band. The Apple iPhone 5s supports Sprint's 1900/800 LTE network making it Dual Band.

 

Sprint's network should support all three bands before 2 years, so yes, it could affect your experience on Sprint if your Note 3 doesn't support all three bands.

 

In terms of Sprint re-releasing a Tri-Band Note 3 is unknown, there is speculation, but it's just that, speculation.

 

Hopefully that helps with your decisions.

That clears it up quite a bit. Thank you very much! My excitement about Sprint getting 4G in my area just went down a notch regarding this bad news about the Note 3. WTF was Samsung thinking?? An pimp arsed phone that will only utilize 1/3 of the new network?? This makes my phone choice waaaaaay harder. The G2 looks nice but...idk it doesn't do a whole lot to get me excited. Back to playing the waiting game to see what they come up with. Christmas time usually brings out some new stuff.

[The Dave]

If you can give up the S pen, there are some options. The S4 is being updated to triband, the Galaxy Mega is triband and so is the HTC One Max. They should all be out shortly.

[jtsharps]

If you can give up the S pen, there are some options. The S4 is being updated to triband, the Galaxy Mega is triband and so is the HTC One Max. They should all be out shortly.

I just can't wrap my head around this Galaxy Mega.  Let's take hardware from 2-3 years ago, then give it a massive NON HD screen, and make it tri band.  Can anyone explain this to me?!?!  Just dumb, imo.  I guess just as dumb as saying let's make a kick ass phone that's better than everything else out there but only make it single band.  I guess I'll wait and see what the HTC One Max has to offer because the S4 does nothing for me (especially since I've ready they are speeding up the S5 release due to poor S4 sales) and the G2 seems nice...but just doesn't excite me much.  I wish they'd release some Windows phones that'd be compatible for some different options...?

Edited October 30, 2013 by jtsharps

[The Dave]

I just can't wrap my head around this Galaxy Mega. Let's take hardware from 2-3 years ago, then give it a massive NON HD screen, and make it tri band. Can anyone explain this to me?!?! Just dumb, imo. I guess just as dumb as saying let's make a kick ass phone that's better than everything else out there but only make it single band. I guess I'll wait and see what the HTC One Max has to offer because the S4 does nothing for me (especially since I've ready they are speeding up the S5 release due to poor S4 sales) and the G2 seems nice...but just doesn't excite me much. I wish they'd release some Windows phones that'd be

compatible for some different options...?

What are you looking for in a phone? I pre-ordered the G2 after I used the AT&T model. I am extremely excited about it because the screen is fantastic, it is responsive, has an excellent camera and it is extremely comfortable to use despite the large screen. Throw in triband and it was a no brainer for the $99 price.

[lil_jimmy_norton]

I just can't wrap my head around this Galaxy Mega.  Let's take hardware from 2-3 years ago, then give it a massive NON HD screen, and make it tri band.  Can anyone explain this to me?!?!  Just dumb, imo.  I guess just as dumb as saying let's make a kick ass phone that's better than everything else out there but only make it single band.  I guess I'll wait and see what the HTC One Max has to offer because the S4 does nothing for me (especially since I've ready they are speeding up the S5 release due to poor S4 sales) and the G2 seems nice...but just doesn't excite me much.  I wish they'd release some Windows phones that'd be compatible for some different options...?

 

Specs mean nothing to the average phone buyer.  They don't care what processor it has, how much RAM, or s super high resolution.

 

The target consumer for the Mega is one that only really cares about screen size.

 

Not to mention it will retail for less than the Note 2, I think it will be pretty successful.

[jtsharps]

What are you looking for in a phone? I pre-ordered the G2 after I used the AT&T model. I am extremely excited about it because the screen is fantastic

I don't know if I can answer that with too much detail I guess.  I just like to look at a phone's specs and features and go WOW!  The 1st Samsung Galaxy S did that, the Note 2 did that, and the Note 3 has done that for me - especially since I have the Note 2 and still love the crap out of it.  I just know that if I have to have this device for 2 years, it's something I can use for that long and be plenty happy with.  The G2 does look like a very nice phone, I just don't feel like I'd be getting a real "upgrade" from the Note 2.  I'll have to actually make a trip to a store one of these days and get my hands on these devices to get a good feel of them.

[jtsharps]

Specs mean nothing to the average phone buyer.  They don't care what processor it has, how much RAM, or s super high resolution.

 

The target consumer for the Mega is one that only really cares about screen size.

 

Not to mention it will retail for less than the Note 2, I think it will be pretty successful.

True, true.  I'm an IT guy for a healthcare organization and back when we were replacing CRT's with flatscreens most end users would rather have the new monitor than the new fast computer.  I'm picking up what you're throwing down.  It will still boggle my mind that they made that one tri band and the Note 3 single though!

[The Dave]

The G2 has the absolutely highest level of specs of any flagship phone on the market. It has the Snapdragon 800, 2 gigs ram, a 5.2" 1080p IPS display, 13 mp optical is camera, 32 gigs storage and a 3000 mAh battery. Nothing else is close besides the Note 3, but that is a phablet which is a different category and it doesn't have triband. If you ask me, I say "wow" to those specs.

I don't know if I can answer that with too much detail I guess. I just like to look at a phone's specs and features and go WOW! The 1st Samsung Galaxy S did that, the Note 2 did that, and the Note 3 has done that for me - especially since I have the Note 2 and still love the crap out of it. I just know that if I have to have this device for 2 years, it's something I can use for that long and be plenty happy with. The G2 does look like a very nice phone, I just don't feel like I'd be getting a real "upgrade" from the Note 2. I'll have to actually make a trip to a store one of these days and get my hands on these devices to get a good feel of them.

[jtsharps]

The G2 has the absolutely highest level of specs of any flagship phone on the market. It has the Snapdragon 800, 2 gigs ram, a 5.2" 1080p IPS display, 13 mp optical is camera, 32 gigs storage and a 3000 mAh battery. Nothing else is close besides the Note 3, but that is a phablet which is a different category and it doesn't have triband. If you ask me, I say "wow" to those specs.

I hear you man, it does look quite nice.  Do you know if it has a swappable battery?  That's something pretty important to me on those heavy usage days.  I always get extra batteries and chargers via Ebay when I get a phone.

[lil_jimmy_norton]

I hear you man, it does look quite nice.  Do you know if it has a swappable battery?  That's something pretty important to me on those heavy usage days.  I always get extra batteries and chargers via Ebay when I get a phone.

 

It does not have a swappable battery.

[S4GRU]

Let's take hardware from 2-3 years ago...

Talk about an exaggeration. More like one year ago. 3 years ago is when the OG EVO and Epic were out. This thing is way more advanced than phones 2 and 3 years ago. And last year, it would have been a flagship device.

 

The Mega is not a flagship device. It's a really big mid range device. It doesn't try to pretend to be anything else. We will just have to see if there is a market for a Mega sized mid range device. It's a respectable offering for a midrange device and would meet the needs of 95% of people spec wise.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

[jtsharps]

Talk about an exaggeration. More like one year ago. 3 years ago is when the OG EVO and Epic were out. This thing is way more advanced than phones 2 and 3 years ago. And last year, it would have been a flagship device.

The original Galaxy Note came out in 2011 (Feb I think?) and this thing is on par with it, spec-wise.  Not an exaggeration.  Not trying to argue or be a jerk here.  This triband vs. single just has me a little frustrated.  I waited and waited for Sprint 4G to hit me and now that it has I hear this Note 3 business.

[S4GRU]

The original Galaxy Note came out in 2011 (Feb I think?) and this thing is on par with it, spec-wise. Not an exaggeration. Not trying to argue or be a jerk here. This triband vs. single just has me a little frustrated. I waited and waited for Sprint 4G to hit me and now that it has I hear this Note 3 business.

 

The Original Galaxy Note went on sale in the U.S. in February 2012, not 2011. AT&T only. We were even discussing it on S4GRU. One of our moderators jumped over to AT&T to get it.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

 

EDIT: The Processor is faster and more RAM in the Mega, screen is better in Note, most other specs are similar.

 

[dbsynergy]

Looks like there are going to be 4 Triband phones out, 3 of them on November 8th: http://faster.sprint.com/2013/10/30/sprint-spark-is-live/?INTMKT=MA:MS:103013:SparkHub:Home_Content

 

Galaxy S4 Mini

Galaxy Mega

LG G2

HTC One Max

[jtsharps]

Looks like there are going to be 4 Triband phones out, 3 of them on November 8th: http://faster.sprint.com/2013/10/30/sprint-spark-is-live/?INTMKT=MA:MS:103013:SparkHub:Home_Content

 

Galaxy S4 Mini

Galaxy Mega

LG G2

HTC One Max

"In addition to the two smartphones coming Nov. 8, select smartphones also will be upgraded to Sprint Spark via an over-the-air update in the coming months."  Could this mean that the Note 3 might be updated to be able to use it?  Or is it a pure hardware thing? 

[Epic4G25]

Hardware, It never went through FCC certification for any LTE band other than 1900 PCS.

 

 

"In addition to the two smartphones coming Nov. 8, select smartphones also will be upgraded to Sprint Spark via an over-the-air update in the coming months."  Could this mean that the Note 3 might be updated to be able to use it?  Or is it a pure hardware thing? 

[jtsharps]

Hardware, It never went through FCC certification for any LTE band other than 1900 PCS.

That's what I figured.  I wonder what they mean by that?

[Epic4G25]

That's what I figured.  I wonder what they mean by that?

About the Sprint Note III being single band LTE, in relation to the FCC? Is that your question? If so, it simply means that is the only LTE band the Sprint model supports. Both hardware and software wise. That won't change unless an updated Tri-Band version is released later on like may happen with the S4. 

[jtsharps]

About the Sprint Note III being single band LTE, in relation to the FCC? Is that your question? If so, it simply means that is the only LTE band the Sprint model supports. Both hardware and software wise. That won't change unless an updated Tri-Band version is released later on like may happen with the S4. 

No, I mean I wonder what they mean by "In addition to the two smartphones coming Nov. 8, select smartphones also will be upgraded to Sprint Spark via an over-the-air update in the coming months."

[Shiki8]

That's what I figured. I wonder what they mean by that?

I'd assume they mean phones other than the S4 mini & Mega, such as G2, One Max, S4 (L720T), maybe the Nexus 5 (???), etc.

[jtsharps]

I'd assume they mean phones other than the S4 mini & Mega, such as G2, One Max, S4 (L720T), maybe the Nexus 5 (???), etc.

But if it's all hardware based and the phones have single, dual, or tri band, how would a over the air update help anything?

Edited October 30, 2013 by jtsharps

[Shiki8]

But if it's all hardware based and the phones have single, dual, or tri band, how would a over the air update help anything?

 

Because a software update can enable (I guess disable too) the hardware. The press release even mentions that the hardware will not work for the G2 until 2014.

[david279]

The bands are turned off now and then turned on via ota. G2 has 1900 enabled right now but other bands can be turn on by going into some secret dialer settings. The ota will do that for you.

 

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