In Minneapolis, have upgrade coming soon, not sure what to do?

[nels0300]

Any news on LTE Minneapolis? I've seen the current update schedule and don't see Minneapolis listed. I've had my EVO since launch day, so I am eligible for an upgrade April 1st and not sure what to do. As I see it, I have three options:

 

1. Wait till June to see what's coming up. Probably the smart thing to do, but I'm impatient. I will not get the Galaxy Nexus in April. Wife has the Nexus 4G and the reception and GPS stink compared to my EVO in the exact same locations. I thought Samsung would've fixed it, but from what I've read about the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, it's still the same junk Samsung radio with bugs.

 

2. Get a Motorola Photon. Why? It's cheap, it's not huge, the battery is removable, it's not a Samsung, and I have WIMAX coverage now. It seems all of the new phones coming out have non removable batteries and they're huge. I really want a removable battery. The EVO screen is about as big as I'd want a screen. But as far as cell phones go, it's "old". Now it's end of life too according to this site (not sure exactly what that means) I also wouldn't be downgrading speed. If I could buy a Sprint LTE phone now, I would be downgrading speed.

 

3. Go to Verizon. I don't want to do this, but if I don't hear anything about Minneapolis soon, it might be tempting. I read somewhere if cash flow becomes an issue, network vision might need to be scaled back. I don't want to be the guy who buys a Sprint LTE phone and gets stuck without an LTE network like so many WIMAX phone users. I'm also tired of friends showing me their speed test results from their Verizon phones.

Edited March 25, 2012 by nels0300

[nova46]

That's a tough question. I live in a market that has been announced to get network vision/LTE in the second round of upgrades and I'm still debating on whether or not to stay with Sprint when my contract expires in October. I would just tell you to have patience at this point.

 

The Photon is a great phone but it's old. Best advice when it comes to smartphones these days, buy the top of the line flagship phone as soon as or soon after it comes out. If not, you're going to be left behind with outdated hardware or something else better will be right around the corner and you will have buyers remorse. Non-removable batteries suck, but it's not the end of the world and they always give you a way to do a hard reset.

 

Many markets do not have Wimax because it's mostly clearwire's network and towers (correct me if I'm wrong). Sprint's network vision and LTE will eventually spread out over their entire network because that's the next evolution of what they want, it's just a matter of time before everyone gets it.

 

If I were you I'd wait a bit to see what other announcements are made and as far as phones go, my next one will be the Galaxy S III but the HTC One X is pretty nice which will be coming to Sprint. Screens are getting larger but the bezels are shrinking. My Evo 3D only has a 4.3" screen but if you took away the capacitive buttons in favor for on screen ones you can easily fit a 4.8" display in the same form factor no problem.

Edited March 25, 2012 by nova46

[nels0300]

For me, the removable battery isn't so much about resetting, but the ability to replace the battery after a year. My EVO battery was shot after a year. Other than the battery though, the EVO has been awesome. I left T-Mobile for the EVO. It's kind of hard to believe that for so many EVO owners who will be eligible for an upgrade, there really isn't anywhere for them to go. I'm eligible April 1st and I'd like a new phone on that day, what is available? Nothing really. On Verizon, when you're due for an upgrade, there are always many phones to chose from. The timing of launch day EVO (one of Sprint's most popular phones ever) owner upgrades and the LTE rollout schedule/LTE phone availability is really unfortunate.

 

I'd get the Galaxy Nexus and put up with 3G speeds since it has a removable battery, but after reading the Verizon forums about that phone, there's just no way. It's really disappointing because I was looking forward to it.

[nova46]

Yea, the Nexus should be a great phone but I've heard lots of people having problems with it. There is the Evo 3D, which I got through an insurance upgrade from my Evo 4G, but it will be outdated soon. It's definitely a beast don't get me wrong, especially rooted with custom roms and kernels, but it's last years tech.

 

Like I said, have patience and wait for the HTC One X (Evo LTE?) or the Galaxy S III, or switch to Verizon. Those are your two options unless you want to get stuck with last years tech and a dying 4G (wimax) network. With Sprint, it's all about the future. If network vision fails, they will fail.

[ericdabbs]

Why not option 4?

 

4. Wait until the HTC Evo One Jet phone comes out in June. Just because you have an upgrade eligible in April doesn't mean you have to use it ASAP. There will be more LTE devices released later on this year that may capture your interest. Ive learned to be patient in waiting for the right device to use my precious upgrade so I wouldn't regret it. I waited a long time to for the Motorola Photon and let me tell you that it was worth the wait. Remember you only get this once every 2 years so there is no need to rush.

 

But if you insist on option 2, I have a few comments on that. I have the Motorola Photon and let me tell that it is a great phone. I love the kickstand, great cell radios with no drop calls, 4G Wimax, etc. However, I would not suggest anyone to get the Photon at this point let alone ANY Wimax device. The Photon is being put on the End of Life (EOL) list in April and despite Sprint reps trying to encourage 4G Wimax devices, I know deep down at Sprint HQ that they are trying to promote aggressively on LTE devices in June. I don't even see any commercials for any Wimax devices anymore.

[nels0300]

Option 4 is my option 1, wait till June. I guess I really don't even need to wait till June. We'll see what HTC and Sprint have in store on April 4th. I'm not too optimistic about Sprint's version of the HTC one X having a removable battery though, I can't see HTC changing the hardware for one carrier.

 

Then there's Motorola's follow up to the Photon that may be coming this summer, but Motorola has been moving away from removable batteries as well (Razr and Razr maxx both have fixed batteries). Really don't want a permanent battery on a phone that I need to keep for 2 years.

 

This waiting wouldn't be so bad if I knew that Minneapolis was on schedule to get LTE sometime within the next year.

[ericdabbs]

Option 4 is my option 1, wait till June. I guess I really don't even need to wait till June. We'll see what HTC and Sprint have in store on April 4th. I'm not too optimistic about Sprint's version of the HTC one X having a removable battery though, I can't see HTC changing the hardware for one carrier.

 

Then there's Motorola's follow up to the Photon that may be coming this summer, but Motorola has been moving away from removable batteries as well (Razr and Razr maxx both have fixed batteries). Really don't want a permanent battery on a phone that I need to keep for 2 years.

 

This waiting wouldn't be so bad if I knew that Minneapolis was on schedule to get LTE sometime within the next year.

 

DOH!! You're right, I guess I didn't read it carefully. For some reason, I assumed you meant to say to get the Galaxy Nexus but didn't want that phone.

 

I don't think that Motorola is moving away from removable batteries. I think the reason for the non-removable battery in the RAZR and RAZR MAXX is to keep the thinness of the phone maybe and that is specific to that model. Personally I would rather have a removable battery for those times where the phone freezes and I can pull out the battery to reset it. Also if the trade off for removable and non-removable batteries is thinness, then I would rather have a thicker phone with a removable battery.

 

I am really looking forward to the Motorola Photon follow up phone. I hope that Motorola doesn't use the Tegra 3 for the next Photon since it looks like the S4 is a stronger chip.

[ENT]

Minneapolis LTE is coming. There are about 800 sites in the Minneapolis/Western Wisconsin area slated for LTE. If you look at the agendas for area zoning meetings, you should start to see some sites go in for zoning as soon as early next month. Construction should start sometime later this year or early 2013 at the latest.

[nels0300]

Minneapolis LTE is coming. There are about 800 sites in the Minneapolis/Western Wisconsin area slated for LTE. If you look at the agendas for area zoning meetings, you should start to see some sites go in for zoning as soon as early next month. Construction should start sometime later this year or early 2013 at the latest.

.

 

Wow, 800 sites seems like it would take a while. Do you know of any round 1 cities that have around 800 sites to give us an idea of how long a network like that would take to be up and running?

[ENT]

Keep in mind, Chicago was Samsung's first market so they had to fight the learning curve, but it had just over 1100 sites. If Samsung actually acts on the lessons they learned in the Chicago deployment, Minneapolis should go much smoother.

[nels0300]

Keep in mind, Chicago was Samsung's first market so they had to fight the learning curve, but it had just over 1100 sites. If Samsung actually acts on the lessons they learned in the Chicago deployment, Minneapolis should go much smoother.

 

I read about the Chicago rollout and it's anticipated that it will be completed by October.....are they only able to work on Minneapolis when they're done with Chicago? Within regions, do they have a priority list of cities, for example, in the midwest, Chicago first, then Detroit or Minneapolis, etc?

 

I would imagine the rollout in Chicago would be similar to Minneapolis being that they're both flat and have a similar layout.

[S4GRU]

 

I read about the Chicago rollout and it's anticipated that it will be completed by October.....are they only able to work on Minneapolis when they're done with Chicago? Within regions' date=' do they have a priority list of cities, for example, in the midwest, Chicago first, then Detroit or Minneapolis, etc?

 

I would imagine the rollout in Chicago would be similar to Minneapolis being that they're both flat and have a similar layout.[/quote']

 

Samsung has revised their schedule in Chicago. They will only be complete with Phase 1 now in October. It is going to be longer until market completion. There will be an article coming out into the next week or so explaining.

 

Robert

Posted from my E4GT with ICS using Forum Runner

[nels0300]

Thanks everyone for the replies.

 

If the Minneapolis rollout start date is dependent upon the Chicago rollout completion, it looks like it could be over a year before the Minneapolis LTE network is mature.

 

So, I could get a new Sprint LTE phone that only works on 3G for a year, keep my almost 2 year EVO for another year, get a new WIMAX phone, or go somewhere else. Sheesh.

 

I hate the idea of capped or throttled data. I want the underdog to succeed, but Sprint sure isn't making the decisions easy for me, and I'm sure many others.

[pyroscott]

Do you not have WiMax where you live? If I were faced with the same situation, and had WiMax coverage, I would pick up a used Evo 3D, Epic 4G Touch or Photon on craigslist or ebay and save the upgrade for a LTE phone when LTE coverage rolls out. Clearwire has said that they will support WiMax through 2015, so that will still provide tolerable speeds.

 

If you upgrade to a new Sprint LTE phone, you will be stuck on 3G speeds which would probably drive you nuts and make you want to pay your ETF to go to another carrier.

 

If you switch to Verizon, you may get higher speeds, but the only thing I can think of that someone would need LTE speed vs WiMax would be for downloading large files and then you run into data tiers and high overage costs.

[nels0300]

Yeah, I have WIMAX where I live. I take the light rail to work and I have a solid WIMAX signal the whole way and stream music and surf the net on my commute.

 

I don't have WIMAX in my office building in downtown Minneapolis, not sure if it's because the signal is weak, or if it's because I'm on the 31st floor. 3G in the office is super slow, but it's fast enough to still stream music.

 

Buying a Photon on craigs list isn't something I considered, but it doesn't sound like a bad idea. Thanks!

[twospirits]

my take on your situation:

 

1-Wait till June. You already have a EVO and get wimax going to and from work.

 

2-The Photon is a very good phone, it has a better radio than the EVO. I've gotten 4 bars with the Photon as oppose to 2 or 1 bar with the EVO in the same location at work. But if you are into rooting and Roms the EVO (or more to the point any HTC phone) is way better than a Motorola one.

Removable batteries, I feel your pain. With the EVO it was having a charger at both home and work having it plugged in, as well as in the car. But if walking out where there is no outlet available, I would have to have extra batteries on hand.

With the Photon, the same thing but not as much. I've read that the newest Samsungs and HTCs have better management and thus lasts longer than the previous models.

The EVO is EOL and word has it that the Photon will be also very soon (as mentioned by Eric above). Teh Photon has great accessories such as the lapdock and I love it, but its still in its infancy.

 

3-While the saying is "the grass is greener n the other side", most fail to forget that it takes alot of maintenance (and money) to keep it green. Bottom line you may be spending way more going to the other side.

 

As Robert and others has mentioned, your area will be getting LTE and by the time its up and running, both HTC and Samsung will be pushing out their newest phones. Personally I would wait it out. Sprint knows that alot of the EVO folks are up for an upgrade in the June/July timeframe and are going to push out quite a few phones by then, that will take advantage of LTE. They know very well that if they don't all those that jumped ship from other carriers for the EVO line will have no problem jumping back. They simply can't take that chance.

 

As for the Nexus, yes its a great phone and all, but its a benchmarked phone, and being as such, there will always be other phones that are more powerful, and at times have more stuff that make it yesterdays phone. (Only thing going for it is the pure Android OS (and thats debatable with Verizon) and ongoing on time system updates (also up to debate).

 

TS

[nels0300]

Thanks TS. What I gather from everything I've read, LTE is coming to Minneapolis, but not anytime soon.

 

I've had the EVO for almost two years and have the itch because I'm a spoiled gadget nerd. I'd love to buy a Sprint LTE device in April when I'm eligible, I just don't want to wait a year to be able to use LTE. I was really hoping someone would say LTE would be here sooner rather than later, but if Chicago is going to be delayed into 2013, that likely means Minneapolis is even farther out.

[NateC]

Thanks TS. What I gather from everything I've read, LTE is coming to Minneapolis, but not anytime soon.

 

I've had the EVO for almost two years and have the itch because I'm a spoiled gadget nerd. I'd love to buy a Sprint LTE device in April when I'm eligible, I just don't want to wait a year to be able to use LTE. I was really hoping someone would say LTE would be here sooner rather than later, but if Chicago is going to be delayed into 2013, that likely means Minneapolis is even farther out.

I'm pretty much in the same boat as you. It's slightly worse for me, since I'm in Madison, WI where we don't really have WiMAX. The Twin Cities WiMAX coverage is spotty, but it's way better than Madison's. In Madison we have one or two towers I think on Clearwire's map, and I can get a weak signal if I'm really close to it outside.

 

I also got the Evo 4G on launch day and have an upgrade coming up. Like the Twin Cities, there has been no announcement (officially or unofficial) about the Network Vision / LTE rollout schedule for the Milwaukee/Madison market. I also think the Evo screen is about as big as I'd ever want, so I'm still not sold on these newer huge devices.

 

The Galaxy Nexus and One X don't really excite me. The size of the One X and the non-removable battery are backward steps from the Evo 4G in my opinion. The Galaxy Nexus has a huge bevel and has a lot of hardware problems reported. LTE support in itself doesn't matter a lot since most likely we won't have good LTE support for at least half of our new 2 year contract period.

 

A used Photon isn't a bad idea, but it looks like they are still being sold for at least $200-$250 on average. It's hard to swallow paying more than what we originally paid for the Evo 4G for a device that's already outdated and just slightly better than the Evo 4G. I wish Sprint gave discounts for when you're no longer in your "subsidized" contract period like T-Mobile does. Since we pay the same monthly rate in and out of contract, you're basically throwing money away if you don't upgrade when eligible. It's an unfortunate system (this was actually the topic of a recent article here -- http://s4gru.com/index.php?/blog/1/entry-139-the-subsidy-quandrydo-you-prefer-cheaper-phones-or-cheaper-plans/). I've always opposed the subsidized model we're forced into.

 

U.S. Cellular in Madison just got LTE, so there's another option for me. They partnered with King Street wireless to get LTE in the 700 MHz band. But their phone selection is always a year behind everyone else.

[nels0300]

I'm pretty much in the same boat as you. It's slightly worse for me, since I'm in Madison, WI where we don't really have WiMAX. The Twin Cities WiMAX coverage is spotty, but it's way better than Madison's.

 

WIMAX coverage is spotty everywhere. I travel to New York and Chicago for work, and it's spotty in those locations as well.

[oversight]

No one says you have to upgrade the *moment* you become eligible. I'm also in that April 1 upgrade group and have no problem sitting back for a few months for the right handset. We know the Galaxy Nexus are LG Viper are just around the corner, that the next HTC flagship is coming in June, and the Galaxy S 3 is coming after that.

[nels0300]

No one says you have to upgrade the *moment* you become eligible. I'm also in that April 1 upgrade group and have no problem sitting back for a few months for the right handset. We know the Galaxy Nexus are LG Viper are just around the corner, that the next HTC flagship is coming in June, and the Galaxy S 3 is coming after that.

 

I'm already 10 months past when I expected to upgrade! When I signed up with Sprint, one of the things that sold me was yearly upgrades. Then they took that away. Wasn't happy about that, and I'm really not happy about waiting longer than two years for a different phone.

[NateC]

For what it's worth, Minneapolis was unofficially announced today. NV deployment is scheduled to begin Fall 2012:

 

http://s4gru.com/index.php?/blog/1/entry-143-the-sprint-markets-of-memphis-minnesota-are-slated-to-begin-network-visionlte-in-the-2nd-half-of-2012/

[NateC]

No one says you have to upgrade the *moment* you become eligible. I'm also in that April 1 upgrade group and have no problem sitting back for a few months for the right handset. We know the Galaxy Nexus are LG Viper are just around the corner, that the next HTC flagship is coming in June, and the Galaxy S 3 is coming after that.

 

Every month after the 2 year period, you're basically throwing away an extra ~$14 ^[*] per month to Sprint if you don't upgrade. So, no, you don't have to upgrade, but it's in your best interest financially to do so.

 

^{[*] Assuming that Sprint prices plans to ensure break-even for the subsidized phones that cost Sprint the most. e.g., a $550 phone sold for $200 means $350 is made up over the course of 24 months at $14.58/month.}

[nels0300]

Its something I guess! Late fall could mean December. Hope Chicago running behind doesn't impact the Minneapolis start date. It's gonna be hard to wait that long. The EVO is tired.

[S4GRU]

These Minnesota dates in the article take into account the latest projections in the Chicago market. It appears to me that the MN start date is more related to backhaul readiness than anything when I look at these schedules. Most of the equipment is already there. And I think Samsung is prepared to send their subcontractors up there when the backhaul is ready.

 

Robert - Posted from my E4GT with ICS using Forum Runner