Can I get some help choosing a new phone?

[backlashsid]

Help me chose a new phone ! please

So after two years on the HTC 8x (T-Mobile edition) however my carrier is Simple Mobile (T-Mobile MVNO), I plan on buying a new device.

The only two options I am considering is the HTC One M8 and the Lumia 930 icon. Mainly because they are the only two true flagships. (1520 too big for me..out of question)

While i really like the 930 because of its design I want to know if it will work on T-Mobile networks if I buy it Verizon unlocked or if global unlocked.

If not I would go with HTC M8 which i dont honestly want to as its unclear at this point if it will get the Lumia Denim kind of features like "hey cortana..." which apparently had only the Snapdragon 800 as its min requirement, however no news if the M8 will get it or not.

Going with Lumia of course will be a better choice here as it has the Lumia updatesnow that its under Microsoft and we arent sure if non Lumia phones will be getting them.

So keeping everything in consideration..what do you think is a valid choice ?

 

[pankaj981]

Re: Help me chose a new phone ! please

I believe you like to keep your phones for longer hence I would suggest this only for you, hold on to the 8X for some more time, probably till April 2015. Hopefully Microsoft would have announced some flagship Lumia models by then, some of them built specifically on the W10 release

 

[backlashsid]

Re: Help me chose a new phone ! please

I believe you like to keep your phones for longer hence I would suggest this only for you, hold on to the 8X for some more time, probably till April 2015. Hopefully Microsoft would have announced some flagship Lumia models by then, some of them built specifically on the W10 release

Thanks for replying. I was the one to ask this question. The problem with waiting till 2105 is that I don't think any flagship would be announced and that too on Tmobile as Windows 10 is still far from launch. I considered waiting as well but crossed it out. And yes I keep phones for long.

 

[RumoredNow]

Re: Help me chose a new phone ! please

Your chances of getting acceptable data speed on a T-Mo mvno with either Icon or International 930 are not good...

HTC One (M8) in the T-Mo branding wins your scenario. Hey Cortana is not going to make you feel better about EDGE speed most of the time.

Check out international 830 or 735 at B&H for a better T-Mo fit. Look at some threads in the T-Mo carrier forum as well.

 

[mathsisbest]

Re: Help me chose a new phone ! please

Choose the Lumia 930. Much better camera with the latest software etc. The HTC one m8 for Windows is a very good device though. I do think it is a very beautiful phone, so is a good runner up

 

[backlashsid]

Re: Help me chose a new phone ! please

Your chances of getting acceptable data speed on a T-Mo mvno with either Icon or International 930 are not good...

HTC One (M8) in the T-Mo branding wins your scenario. Hey Cortana is not going to make you feel better about EDGE speed most of the time.

Check out international 830 or 735 at B&H for a better T-Mo fit. Look at some threads in the T-Mo carrier forum as well.

I read posts by people here stating that LTE works and for some it doesn't. LTE is not a big deal for me as I can live with HSPA speeds. Still its a hit or miss if it will work or not and I don't want to gamble on it right now. Problem with M8 is the update story. And I am not considering 830 or any other like I said as want to go with a flagship specs wise. I don't upgrade phones often so chances are what I buy I will use it for a year and half or more at least..

 

[backlashsid]

Re: Help me chose a new phone ! please

Choose the Lumia 930. Much better camera with the latest software etc. The HTC one m8 for Windows is a very good device though. I do think it is a very beautiful phone, so is a good runner up

What about network compatibility?

 

[JamesPTao]

Re: Help me chose a new phone ! please

Google the lte frequencies for tmobile and the lte frequencies for the 930. The 930 frequencies for lte don't work for at&t in America but I believe they do for tmobile.

 

[backlashsid]

Re: Help me chose a new phone ! please

I have done enough googling my friend. I usually never ask such questions in open forums, the only reason I did this time was to see if someone is in the same dilemma and found the right solution

 

[RumoredNow]

Re: Help me chose a new phone ! please

I read posts by people here stating that LTE works and for some it doesn't. LTE is not a big deal for me as I can live with HSPA speeds. Still its a hit or miss if it will work or not and I don't want to gamble on it right now. Problem with M8 is the update story. And I am not considering 830 or any other like I said as want to go with a flagship specs wise. I don't upgrade phones often so chances are what I buy I will use it for a year and half or more at least..

What about network compatibility?

Google the lte frequencies for tmobile and the lte frequencies for the 930. The 930 frequencies for lte don't work for at&t in America but I believe they do for tmobile.

International 930 uses LTE Bands 1, 3, 7, 8, 20
AT&T US uses LTE Bands 2, 4, 17 - no match
T-MoUS uses LTE Bands 2, 4, 12 - no match

International 930 has the following on the 3G/H+ radio 850/900/1900/2100
A perfect match for AT&T or T-MoUS, but only in a T-MoUS area refarmed for LTE. If it is not T-Mo LTE then the H+ is on the legacy frequency of 1700 and International 930 falls to EDGE. This is the majority of T-Mo coverage outside major cities.

Check the specs here: Nokia Lumia 930 RM-1045 International 32GB Smartphone A00020091

Icon uses LTE Bands 2, 4, 13 - a match on the majority of AT&T or T-Mo LTE @ Band 4 being the widest deployment
However it suffers the same lack of 1700 on the H+ radio. So you could get an unlocked Icon and perhaps have LTE, perhaps not depending on regional deployment and suffer the same no H+ restriction when traveling outside T-Mo LTE deployed areas all together just as International 930 does.

Check the specs here: Nokia Lumia Icon - Full phone specifications

Furthermore, even though Band 13 is 700 MHz just like Bands 12 & 17 there is no overlap in 13 - no interoperability with Band 12 or 17 radios. A Band 12 radio will work on Band 17, but a Band 17 falls short on a Band 12 carrier. Band 13 is higher in the range than either of the other two and they will not cross over.

Check LTE Bands here:
E-UTRA - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
List of LTE networks - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia