Starting Over

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bgduece22

Senior Member
Jul 30, 2012
66
0
I currently have a rooted HTC Evo 4G LTE with Sprint, the contract is over and Sprint no longer wants to offer unlimited data. So it is time for me to find a new provider, a new phone.

Which provider has the best 4G LTE signal, which would be the best phone.
My requirements are that the phone be able to be rooted, and that I have control of the bootloader.
As far as I know HTC is the only bootloader that you can have control.

I think I want to go with T-Mobile, since they have a sensible unlimited plan...which would be the best phone for this project.
 

numel007

Senior Member
Apr 22, 2011
1,199
425
I currently have a rooted HTC Evo 4G LTE with Sprint, the contract is over and Sprint no longer wants to offer unlimited data. So it is time for me to find a new provider, a new phone.

Which provider has the best 4G LTE signal, which would be the best phone.
My requirements are that the phone be able to be rooted, and that I have control of the bootloader.
As far as I know HTC is the only bootloader that you can have control.

I think I want to go with T-Mobile, since they have a sensible unlimited plan...which would be the best phone for this project.

I switched over to T-Mobile and a n5. Fabulous coverage and insane speeds. Although of course T-Mobile coverage isn't as great as Verizon and AT&T. Check sensorly for your area. But I do highly recommend T-Mobile. Also, Nexus boot loader isn't controllable. But the amount of development for the device is through the roof. If you're a flashaholic like me, then the n5 is the phone for you.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 

joshuaw84

Senior Member
Sep 30, 2010
407
217
I currently have a rooted HTC Evo 4G LTE with Sprint, the contract is over and Sprint no longer wants to offer unlimited data. So it is time for me to find a new provider, a new phone.

Which provider has the best 4G LTE signal, which would be the best phone.
My requirements are that the phone be able to be rooted, and that I have control of the bootloader.
As far as I know HTC is the only bootloader that you can have control.

I think I want to go with T-Mobile, since they have a sensible unlimited plan...which would be the best phone for this project.

Why is sprint making you change your plan? Did you go to the store? Because upgrading doesn't always entail a new plan, if you went to the store they may be trying to sell you more than the phone. Just my 2 cents.

Sent from my EVO using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
 

MFOsaka

Senior Member
Feb 3, 2012
464
195
Buffalo, NY
Maybe they were promoting their new Easy Pay plans.

That's exactly what they're doing. However, contact Sprint before you purchase a new phone and inform them that you would like to be grandfathered into your old plan. From what I was told, this can be done, but only BEFORE you purchase a new phone.

Given, you'll still deal with the Easy Pay, but same plan. You could also possibly just get your phone from Best Buy Mobile and still get a phone under the normal discounted rates for a two year plan.
 

AarSyl

Senior Member
I've heard that the Easy Pay is the new plan for everyone, and Sprint with no longer issue contracts, but month-to-month service. Payments for your phone will be divided over a course of 2yrs, I think, but it is not the same as an actual plan. You will have to pay the remaining balance for you phone as opposed to a termination fee.

I'm not sure how I feel about that...they told me that I can upgrade through Easy Pay, but I need to speak to them in person to find out the actual details and the benefits.
 
G

GuestK0087

Guest
I've heard that the Easy Pay is the new plan for everyone, and Sprint with no longer issue contracts, but month-to-month service. Payments for your phone will be divided over a course of 2yrs, I think, but it is not the same as an actual plan. You will have to pay the remaining balance for you phone as opposed to a termination fee.

I'm not sure how I feel about that...they told me that I can upgrade through Easy Pay, but I need to speak to them in person to find out the actual details and the benefits.

From what I've just experienced, you don't have to do easy pay. I changed my plan to the new "my way" plan and I can get my upgraded device anyway I want. I could use easy pay or purchase it outright at the discounted rate. I also have the option to use a third party vendor, like wirefly or on Amazon, which is what I'm doing. With easy pay, as it was explained to me by sprint rep, you pay a small amount up front. Then they bill you monthly, over 24 months and you end up paying full (non discounted) price for the device you choose. But I didn't have to change my plan, I chose to.

EVOlved human
 

Magnum_Enforcer

Retired Forum Moderator
Jul 14, 2012
5,981
4,089
Birmingham, AL
From what I've just experienced, you don't have to do easy pay. I changed my plan to the new "my way" plan and I can get my upgraded device anyway I want. I could use easy pay or purchase it outright at the discounted rate. I also have the option to use a third party vendor, like wirefly or on Amazon, which is what I'm doing. With easy pay, as it was explained to me by sprint rep, you pay a small amount up front. Then they bill you monthly, over 24 months and you end up paying full (non discounted) price for the device you choose. But I didn't have to change my plan, I chose to.

EVOlved human

Easy Pay sounds similar to the now-defunct "One-Up" plan. I believe you had to pay the taxes on the full, non-discounted price up front when upgrading, and then paying for the phone over the next two years, as I recall. Any remaining balance at the end of the two year period had to be paid in full.

Sent from my EVO LTE
 

yorisou

Senior Member
Feb 27, 2014
71
34
37
The Woodlands, Texas
plus.google.com
I'm kind of hesitant to switch to another carrier mainly because of what is going on with a merger between them and T-mobile. T-mobile recently bought all of Verizon's 700MHz bandwidth, meaning better LTE coverage for Sprint as soon as the merger goes through, if it goes through at all.
 

scottspa74

Senior Member
Apr 3, 2009
9,151
3,128
everett
Google Pixel 6
I'm curious about what all the last 2 posters are privy to. I'm about to upgrade my device, and when I look on sprint site, it would be only 100$ for n5 or HTC One. But I went to sprint store and it was 50$ + 16/no and get 12/mo upgrade, but will also F up all other lines on my family plan. I don't wanna pay monthly for device, I wanna pay up front and forget about it, but I do want 12moupgrades.

All that said,on a 25mi trip, I just compared my LTE speed tests with my girls tmo speed tests, and hers were consistently higher than mine. And her device is a 4yr old pyramid that doesn't even have radios to accept tmo LTE. But hers kicked my ass. I wanna hear from anyone who has ideas on how to test them, or any secret info about why they think sprint may be about to be awesome. Again, while my LTE service speed tested about 3mbps on avg, her old tmo (no LTE) consistently got way better than my LTE in same places.

Word love tohearsome thoughts,cuz I'm ready to jump ship.

Sent from my EVO 4G LTE using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
 

AarSyl

Senior Member
I'm curious about what all the last 2 posters are privy to. I'm about to upgrade my device, and when I look on sprint site, it would be only 100$ for n5 or HTC One. But I went to sprint store and it was 50$ + 16/no and get 12/mo upgrade, but will also F up all other lines on my family plan. I don't wanna pay monthly for device, I wanna pay up front and forget about it, but I do want 12moupgrades.

All that said,on a 25mi trip, I just compared my LTE speed tests with my girls tmo speed tests, and hers were consistently higher than mine. And her device is a 4yr old pyramid that doesn't even have radios to accept tmo LTE. But hers kicked my ass. I wanna hear from anyone who has ideas on how to test them, or any secret info about why they think sprint may be about to be awesome. Again, while my LTE service speed tested about 3mbps on avg, her old tmo (no LTE) consistently got way better than my LTE in same places.

Word love tohearsome thoughts,cuz I'm ready to jump ship.

Sent from my EVO 4G LTE using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
My thoughts on this: if the merge was ever to come to pass, then you would technically be starting over as a new customer with Sprint. While I don't think that the merge will be successful, just keep that in the back of your mind.

More importantly, how is voice service with Tmo compared to Sprint? Which had more dead/low signal zones? And which device gives you better service at home? Yes, data is vital, but these are still phones, primarily. You have no idea how much you need good voice service until it starts to mess up, then you'll wish that you didn't make the jump.

Try using different apps, like SignalCheck Lite from the play store to compare the signal difference in various locations. Use both phones to leave voicemails on a third phone (land line or cell phone, doesn't matter), and replay both to see which is clearer. This last test will be a little skewed, of course, since you are using two different devices, and your LTE has newer tech inside it.

Lastly, if you want to make the jump, just take the time to test the Tmo network (or any other network) before you decide. This is not the type of mistake that you will want to regret. On another note, if the money being saved is worth the potential aggravation, then go for it. I'm not bashing Tmo in any way whatsoever, for I have been considering making the jump as well, but I'm quite comfortable with my Sprint service, and the repair center that I go to tends not to ask too much questions. Just don't bring them a rooted phone, and all is well.
 

scottspa74

Senior Member
Apr 3, 2009
9,151
3,128
everett
Google Pixel 6
Appreciate the lengthy feedback. My nearest sprint repair center loves seeing the cool sh1t on the ROMs I bring in, lol. Lucky me. That said, tmo looks like it'd be a little cheaper, not much. But their data speeds, even on 3g are 20x faster than the LTE I get from sprint. So many pros, so many Con's. Actually, they'll pay my etf, and there aren't many Con's. Prob be switching soo. And yearly upgrades, which I like. That said, I like that sprint leans on OEMZs t9 get the hardware they know customers want.

Sent from my EVO 4G LTE using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
 

rodohmes

Senior Member
Apr 29, 2011
717
220
St. Louis
Appreciate the lengthy feedback. My nearest sprint repair center loves seeing the cool sh1t on the ROMs I bring in, lol. Lucky me. That said, tmo looks like it'd be a little cheaper, not much. But their data speeds, even on 3g are 20x faster than the LTE I get from sprint. So many pros, so many Con's. Actually, they'll pay my etf, and there aren't many Con's. Prob be switching soo. And yearly upgrades, which I like. That said, I like that sprint leans on OEMZs t9 get the hardware they know customers want.

Sent from my EVO 4G LTE using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
You've sparked my interest. How does T-Mobile do data? Is it truly unlimited? Or do they cap your speed after a certain usage?