Who needs 4G, anyway?

[Hey]

Hello... I'm a late bloomer to the smartphone game. A little background, I've entered the modern world of T&T (texting and Twitter) and need to upgrade my 2006 RAZR (lol).

Yes, that's right... my contract ran out three years ago and I never upgraded my phone. The RAZR still works! Hey, I carried my laptop most everywhere, so why did I need a smartphone? These days though people are starting to relentlessly text me and I've become an active Twitterer... I think it's to put a giant hunk of glass prestige in my pocket.

So I'm with Verizon, and it's the only 3G network that gets any decent signal in my hood (Newton, Massachusetts near Boston College Law School). As I look to upgrade my (2G) phone, I'm wondering if I'd ever really need or want 4G/LTE instead of 3G. 4G seems a bit overhyped for its use on a phone. Tablets, sure... but on a phone? Other competing features seem more attractive.

Specifically, I am comparing the June-release Droid 3 (3G) to the existing Droid Charge (4G) and the upcoming "Targa" Bionic (4G). The sliding keypad of the Droid 3 seems really nice for texting-tweeting, and it's not like I'm going to be watching Netflix or playing HALO and World of Warcraft on my tiny phone screen. I'll do those on my 32" LED off my home WiFi, thank you very much!

And sure the LTE speed would be marginally nicer if everything else were equal, but they are not equal. I can't seem to find a physical keypad on 4G. But might the lack of 4G make the Droid 3 a cheaper phone than the "Targa" and the Charge? I hope so. The Verizon 4G choices seem overpriced for the hardware specs.

So my question: am I really going to regret not getting a 4G phone if I keep this one for at least two years and (knowing me) possibly longer? Or would I more regret not having a physical keypad all that time? :motdroidhoriz:

PS - I know this should be asked in the Droid 3 forum, but does anyone know if the 3 will have a 1.0 or 1.2 GHz dual core processor? It would seem a strange "upgrade" to go from solo 1.2 to dual 1.0 Ghz. For many tasks, that would actually decrease performance. :icon_eek:

 

[VideoGameMatt]

Welcome to droid forums! On the 4g it isn't for everyone, i happen to live in a 4g market so having 4g in my next phone is a huge selling point for me. For some people 3g will be more than enough and they may never see the point because their needs just don't need 4g. And for a while the 3g phones will be cheaper than 4g because 4g is still a new technology and still expensive. And a dual core 1 GHz processor will always beat a single core 1.2 GHz processor. Each core is like having another processor so if you have a dual core processor it will be like having two 1 Ghz processors in your phone as compared to having a single 1.2 GHz processor. I hope that clears up your questions. Oh and it may be a while before you see a 4G phone with a keyboard in the slider form because of how big the 4G LTE tech is, you might find a candybar style one like the Droid Pro sometime down the line with 4G but who knows when that could be.

 

[zohan]

I think jumping from a RAZR 2g phone to any 3g android phone will make a huge difference in itself, simply because of the OS itself. I am personally not a fan of 4g yet because it's a new technology and there are still problems with it. So much so, that I disable the 4g on my Thunderbolt in favor of reliable 3g connection, even though I live in a 4g service area.

My recommendation at this point and until 4g technology and service issues have been ironed out is to invest in a good 3g phone with a keyboard - imo you will miss the keyboard much more than the 4g speed, which is mainly noticeable in streaming videos. For email and text there's really no difference and minimal difference in web browsing, because so far 4g has greater latency than 3g. (one of the outstanding 4g issues).

This recommendation is also a result of talking to a VZ rep to discuss my 4g issues and the above was his guidance. In fact, he recommended to me to get a 3g phone and leave the 4g for the time being, given that I use my phone mostly for text/email/web browsing and seldom for lengthy video streaming.

I'm sure by the time you'll be ready to move up from you 3g smartphone - 4g will be ready for you ;-) (...and all of us).

Hope this helps.

 

[Hey]

you will miss the keyboard much more than the 4g speed, which is mainly noticeable in streaming videos. For email and text there's really no difference and minimal difference in web browsing

Hope this helps.

Extremely helpful, thanks!

 

[vzdroid13]

Well , coming from a RAZR, I think 3G speeds will be fine. But since the D3 isn't out yet, we really don't know how the keyboardwill be; you may find that they virtual keyboard on a bigger screen is better than than a smaller physical keyboard. Moto's physical keyboards have never been all that. And if you decide you like the 4.3 inch virtual, you may as well go for a 4G phone.

Sent from my SCH-I510 using DroidForums

 

[takeshi]

So my question: am I really going to regret not getting a 4G phone if I keep this one for at least two years and (knowing me) possibly longer? Or would I more regret not having a physical keypad all that time? [/I]:motdroidhoriz:

No telling. We don't know you. You know which is more important to you. I'd guess the keyboard.

I'm wondering if I'd ever really need or want 4G/LTE instead of 3G. 4G seems a bit overhyped for its use on a phone. Tablets, sure... but on a phone?

It's a subjective matter -- not a matter of "tablets versus phone". Again, you need to make the call. It's not something with a one-size-fits-all answer. Getting 4G does add another item that may help future-proof (granted, it might not really matter at the rate devices get released but that's another subjective matter) your purchase just a little more. Further, there's no telling if your needs/wants will change over time. Figure out what's important for you and shop based on that.

It would seem a strange "upgrade" to go from solo 1.2 to dual 1.0 Ghz.

What's strange about it? Clock speed is just clock speed. Don't rely just on that one number by itself. 200Mhz isn't a significant difference IMO.

Same for cameras. Don't assume that just looking at the number of MP tells you enough about image quality.

 

[xan]

I wont touch so called "4g" till its all one one radio chip with 3g, providing more efficient power usage and seamless hand offs.

(4G standard is also supposed to be capable of 100mb/s, so anything currently labeled 4G should really be called 3.1 G :icon_ banana