I need some help Note 4 or 1520.3

[twint7787]

Ok, so my family will be switching from Verizon to TMobile and I need some help making a decision. For those who have a 1520.3 how is the reception (anyone live in the NY area?), are there any hardware issues that I should be aware of (I know there are some issues with the 1520 concerning the screen), and what version of the OS are you on. Basically it is either I buy this phone or I wait a month and buy the Note 4. I have used iOS, Android, and Windows Phone so no need to try and sway me either way I just want to know how your experience with the 1520.3 has been on TMo's network.

Thank you!

 

[JamesPTao]

Ok, so my family will be switching from Verizon to TMobile and I need some help making a decision. For those who have a 1520.3 how is the reception (anyone live in the NY area?), are there any hardware issues that I should be aware of (I know there are some issues with the 1520 concerning the screen), and what version of the OS are you on. Basically it is either I buy this phone or I wait a month and buy the Note 4. I have used iOS, Android, and Windows Phone so no need to try and sway me either way I just want to know how your experience with the 1520.3 has been on TMo's network.

Thank you!

From the reviews I have seen and many many forum comments the 1520 seems to be not only the best windows phone but for many the best phone they have ever owned. The only downfall most list is size which if you want a phablet isn't a problem. The screen issue I have heard with some. I have owned over 10 Nokia phones and they all have great reception (it os one of the things Nokia has a reputation for). And the battery life is supposed to be fantastic allowing the user to truly use new features like Cortana extensively and still get over a days use. The 1520.3 adds the features at&t stripped out. From what I have seen ot seems like a great choice. I have been researching it for a while as I plan on buying a new phone in November and have decided after researching it that I am getting the 1520.3 as well. Hope this helps.

 

[RumoredNow]

My 1520.3 on T-MoUS gets reception as well as any other phone I've put on this service (Nexus 4, Lumia 521, 925 & 1520.3). HOWEVER, T-Mo is known to have frequencies that don't penetrate buildings well; so they have come up with WiFi calling to help when indoors. If you run a phone NOT T-Mo branded, you can not get WiFi Calling; many see that as a deal breaker. I've not been on T-Mo in NYC, but would imagine WiFi calling being a huge boon there...

I've not seen any screen issues on my phone yet after about 5 weeks.

The phone has official 8.1 + Lumia Cyan Firmware and if you get a BNIB model you can easily update to that. Also, as a factory unlocked device it should get updates quicker since there is no wait for carrier approval.

My experience with 1520.3 has been very good. LOVE the screen. I tend to favor IPS over AMOLED, even though AMOLED has neat tricks with not lighting black pixels it just seems too... over the top and Samsung screens revel in that over-saturation. My wife is a big Samsung fan and I see her screens all the time. The 1520.3 has all the battery life you've been hearing about. I don't bother with battery saver concerns and keep my brightness maxed w/ auto engaged. I really am not limiting background use either and get 2 days + easily.

​Do your research about T-Mo in NY and how much WiFi calling is needed. That would be my only reservation.

 

[AvatarEW]

RumoredNow provides excellent and cogent points.

I have a 1520.3 on T-Mobile and live in the middle of Long Island, NY. All carrier signals barely reach my house (two bars) because I happen to live in a dead spot for all carriers (fine for every provider approximately after half a mile travel in any direction. LOL @me)

I have a work associate who was forced to move from T-Mobile to Verizon because he had no signal where he lived north of NYC closer to his job in CT. Metropolitan NYC no issue as the coverage is great and fast even in the boroughs. Long Island coverage is also good in my area.

The Note 4 is attractive to me. However, I am precluded from purchasing due to a significant financial investment in the iOS and Windows Phone ecosystems and the four month old purchase of my white 1520.3.

The real reason to get WiFi calling from T-Mobile for me is the excellent Asus RT-AC68U wireless router (200 USD on Amazon) provided for 25 USD.

The only additional hardware issue to me is the WiFi. The 1520.3 WiFi appears weaker to me as my 1020 attains a stronger signal. I believe this lack of WiFi signal strength is attributable to the different WiFi chip in the 1520.3 which supports the wireless AC standard. Unfortunately, it appears this hardware does not function as efficiently as my 1020 with my Verizon provided Actiontec MI424WI wireless modem/router (only supports wireless b/g/n standard).

Ultimately, due to the generally excellent T-Mobile coverage in NY, I believe this is a financial and ecosystem preference decision. I advise waiting until November when holidays deals will impact any purchase.

 

[ThePKReddy]

Hmm... The service is unrelated to the devices you mentioned. They're both compatible with TMO. I'm running a Hong Kong variant. I get the same reception (minus LTE due to compatibility issues) as my friends with T-Mobile branded smartphones.

 

[trekgraham]

The question I wonder is how compatible is there Lumia 1520 on T-Mobile LTE network? Does it work on non refarmed LTE towers? Is there a T-Mobile version? If not then that means absolutely no Wi-Fi calling right?

 

[phasar]

That's a no brainer, the Note 4. The 1520 is just a large 920. Nothing about it is optimized to take advantage of it's huge screen. The Note 4 has state of the art hardware, and the software is optimized to take advantage of it's large screen. The defective screen on all 1520 devices has led many 1520 owners to switch to other phones. Plus, no one really knows where WP is heading, including Microsoft.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

The only additional hardware issue to me is the WiFi. The 1520.3 WiFi appears weaker to me as my 1020 attains a stronger signal.

Both of my 1520.3s consistently reported fewer bars for cell and wi-fi compared to the 925 it replaced that my wife is using now (both on T-Mobile). Basically about one bar on each. I guess I should put a SIM in our 635 and 521 backups to see how it compares to them. I don't know if the 1520.3 is worse than most phones or the 925 is better than most phones.

 

[jaimeastin]

That's a no brainer, the Note 4. The 1520 is just a large 920. Nothing about it is optimized to take advantage of it's huge screen. The Note 4 has state of the art hardware, and the software is optimized to take advantage of it's large screen. The defective screen on all 1520 devices has led many 1520 owners to switch to other phones. Plus, no one really knows where WP is heading, including Microsoft.

I just got a 1520, but still looking for that flagship to roll in... The 920 is just hard to match... All 1520 is a "small" and "cautious" with minor upgrades and no qi... With all that said... The M8 and the note phones are the first androids that got me wanted to go back to android for a while... Last time this happened, It was a 2nd Gen nexus tablet that I sold after a month and bought a dvp8...

The m8 I'd just well designed... But the note.. We are talking about a beast of a phone... Really new or updated features... Features from the past like a stylus now that technology is right for it... My 1520 is nice, but I could and still will use my 920 as there is nothing really but a BBB bigger screen... The note is nice, but runs android...maybe Samsung will follow note and put windows on the note hardware... Like the android users who want Nokia hardware and not Microsoft OS... I want the hardware of the note, but not android... Personal preference.

 

[RumoredNow]

The question I wonder is how compatible is there Lumia 1520 on T-Mobile LTE network? Does it work on non refarmed LTE towers? Is there a T-Mobile version? If not then that means absolutely no Wi-Fi calling right?

The 1520.3 has the required 1700 MHz band on the 3G/H+ radio for T-Mo coverage at all speeds up to and including LTE no matter where... There is no T-Mo Branded 1520... If your phone is not T-Mo Branded it will never get WiFi Calling.

Both of my 1520.3s consistently reported fewer bars for cell and wi-fi compared to the 925 it replaced that my wife is using now (both on T-Mobile). Basically about one bar on each. I guess I should put a SIM in our 635 and 521 backups to see how it compares to them. I don't know if the 1520.3 is worse than most phones or the 925 is better than most phones.

​Funny... My 1520.3 seems to do about one bar better on cellular and one bar worse on WiFi than my 925 did.

 

[RumoredNow]

...All 1520 is ...minor upgrades and no qi...

That's just the AT&T model that has no Qi. The 1520.3 being discussed here has Qi Charging built in with no special case required. I just used it yesterday. I won't use it today as the battery is still pulling strong.

 

[AvatarEW]

That's a no brainer, the Note 4. The 1520 is just a large 920. Nothing about it is optimized to take advantage of it's huge screen. The Note 4 has state of the art hardware, and the software is optimized to take advantage of it's large screen. The defective screen on all 1520 devices has led many 1520 owners to switch to other phones. Plus, no one really knows where WP is heading, including Microsoft.

I'm not sure if you're trolling or venting. I will address the venting:

The only thing similarities between the 1520 and 920 is that they were designed by Nokia, the on-board memory capacity, and both were available on AT&T exclusively in the USA. You can look up the differences for yourself on Nokia's website or Wikipedia.

You need to make the distinction clearer than "nothing about it". That statement is misleading. Windows Phone 8.1 does support full HD resolution otherwise 1520 and HTC One (M8) for Windows (that name!) would not be able to turn on.

I agree with you concerning the screen.

​Such broad generalized statements concerning a multibillion world-wide organization...nothing further needs to be said.

 

[AvatarEW]

Hmm... The service is unrelated to the devices you mentioned. They're both compatible with TMO. I'm running a Hong Kong variant. I get the same reception (minus LTE due to compatibility issues) as my friends with T-Mobile branded smartphones.

The context per the requestor was T-Mobile service with the 1520.3 in NY. I provided my experience and explained that service was not an issue.

 

[Pierre Blackwell]

Some obvious things you need to look at is the 1520 is close to a year old, so you know the Note4 will have better software/hardware from as specs perspective. I realm don't invest much in specs, especially dealing with Android. The 1520 is one of the best phones on the market. I will agree with optimization of the amazing 6" screen, but Denim and WP9 should do that. It is already the best display especially in sunlight. What you have to ask yourself is are you willing to deal with Androids OS over WP? I find both Android and iOS rather boring. Stagnant icons that don't tell me anything. I get the widgets, as I was once an Android user, but the lol and fluidity just doesn't compare and I'm not willing to compromise that. Cortana integration and with Threshold coming later this month, you can expect more.

 

[psoham777]

I say 1520. My friend has note 3, it lags & if I am not mistaken, there's only a few improvements in note 4. If 1520 is old for you & if you are willing to wait, wait for 1520 successor, but that'll take time. 1520 is still the beast

 

[RumoredNow]

I do here that Snap (running side by side Apps on a split screen) is coming to WP. Certainly the 6" HD screen on the 1520 should be a candidate for this advance...

 

[psoham777]

Nice, I didn't knew that. Hope all the wps get it soon

 

[salmanahmad]

If you are buying either of the phones based on their reception, it's hard to say based on the fact that the Note 4 hasn't even released yet.

I can't say much about reception, but I would have a lot more to say if the OP wanted a detailed initial comparison.

But in short, the 1520 doesn't seem to have a whole lot of manufacturing issues that people have complained about however there was a particular touch issue where swipes we're occasionally registered as taps.

It was extremely annoying to people but I believe a software update fixed it.

Either way you go, 1520 and Note 4 are both great devices.

 

[twint7787]

Thanks for the reply's guys. And after much debate.... I'm going with the Nokia Lumia...635 lol. Sorry for being anticlimactic but I want to wait to see where WP is headed before I decide to commit again. I really enjoy WP and the 635 will be compatible with Tmo right out of the box and have 8.1; both huge pluses for me.
Its relatively inexpensive and would rather not waist time buying a low end Android phone as I know how that would likely end up. Anyway thanks for the feedback.

 

[trekgraham]

If you are buying either of the phones based on their reception, it's hard to say based on the fact that the Note 4 hasn't even released yet.

I can't say much about reception, but I would have a lot more to say if the OP wanted a detailed initial comparison.

But in short, the 1520 doesn't seem to have a whole lot of manufacturing issues that people have complained about however there was a particular touch issue where swipes we're occasionally registered as taps.

It was extremely annoying to people but I believe a software update fixed it.

Either way you go, 1520 and Note 4 are both great devices.

I think the swipes being seen as taps is a WP issue, cause I have it on my Lumia 521