I’ve been wanting to replace my cell phone service provider ever since I got the first generation iPhone a few years back as it has been consistently spotty and unreliable, especially in my home and commute route.
That is why I was very excited when slew of new Android devices made it to the market recently and began testing different carriers. After testing many providers I have decided to stay of AT&T for now, as they provided me with a free MicroCell to resolve my coverage issues at home. While it is true that their service is far from stellar in the SF Bay Area and they are not the cheapest provider, my personal experience with Virgin Mobile, Sprint, and T-Mobile was inferior. Looking back at my trial run I gotta say that you have to have a strong stomach and a good amount of time and money to shop around.
Virgin Mobile is one of the first prepaid carriers in the U.S. that carries Android devices. During my one week test I found coverage to be even more spotty and unreliable than with AT&T. Furthermore they experienced two lengthy data-outages (“We’re upgrading the network”), which is not something I had ever encountered with AT&T.
Cost for one person: $60 for 1,000 minutes. Cost for my family: $150 for 1,000-1,500 minutes each (two smart phones, one feature phone).
- Pros: Cheap (As long as you don’t make a lot of phone calls and don’t multiple lines)
- Cons: Spotty Service. Data Outages. No free weekends/evenings or mobile/mobile calls. No Roaming (meaning, you cannot make/receive phone calls outside of their coverage area). I had probably the worst customer service experience in my life with them when trying to make a return.
T-Mobile was the next carrier I tried because of their “4G” network (HSPA+), return policies, and phone selection. I got the brand-new LG G2X, which in my opinion is the only Android phone that can compete with the iPhone. The build of the phone is great and the dual-core processors ensure significantly smoother scrolling than customary on Android devices. Service was generally reliable and the “4G” network was speedy and widely available. Alas, my block is in a complete T-Mobile dead-zone. They do allow you to make/receive phone calls and send messages using your T-Mobile phone number. Update: Tech Support told us that they are sending a technician to the area to test coverage and that we may get a cell repeater. Update: No improvement to coverage. Went to return phone to Costco, which told me that there actually is a $35 activation fee, if you are not satisfied with the service. This was in contradiction to what they had told me earlier. I called T-Mobile and they told me that they are not charge an activation fee. Shady.
Cost for one person: $80 plus tax for unlimited everything. Cost for my family: $155 for unlimited everything (two smart phones, one feature phone).
- Pros: Cheap. Their “4G” seems to be widely implemented and is notably faster than 3G. Can use WiFi to extend coverage. Nicer Android Phones than most carriers. Phones can be used Internationally. Simultaneous calls and data.
- Cons: Zero coverage at my house, which suggests they have spotty coverage.
I tested Sprint last year when the HTC Evo 4G was first released last summer. I was pleased with their SF Bay Area coverage although it was not notably better than AT&T’s. Phone calls were more reliable. However, Sprint did not offer 4G in my area (but charged for it) and the Evo was clunky and had poor battery-life. A year later there still is not 4G coverage and the Evo is still their flagship phone (although the latter is about to change).
Cost: Similar to AT&T.
- Pros: Fairly extensive and reliable network (roaming supposedly provided by Verizon). I had probably the worst customer service experience in my life with them when trying to make a return.
- Cons: They bet on CDMA/WiMax which means that you cannot use their phones Internationally. Even though they were first with 4G their network is still very spotty (especially when compared with T-Mobile’s HSPA+)
I am not going to give Verizon a shot until they have more compelling LTE phones. I actually was about to drop $300 for the new iPhone, but when I asked them if they could waive the activation fee the sales rep told me that “sorry, I can’t help you with that”. I considered getting the iPhone from a reseller but since AT&T resolved my home coverage issues I’ll stick it out with them for now. I did play with the Thunderbolt 4G but it did not have impress me; it felt clunky, heavy, sluggish, had low screen resolution, and according to reviews terrible battery life even for an Android device.
