Does LG make good 3G radios? - Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I currently own the galaxy nexus and thinking about upgrading to the Nexus 4 if it will get a stronger 3g signal. I havent owned any recent LG smartphones, my last LG smartphone i had was the Optimus One, so i have no idea how it is now. Maybe someone with an LG from 2012 esp Optimus G owners can help me out it would be appreciated. I just want to make sure i get something better than samsung's crappy radios since i live in an area with weak 3g signal.

Maybe you need a new carrier and not so much a new phone. A new phone can't make a signal any better than the towers are making.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

GiantJay said:
Maybe you need a new carrier and not so much a new phone. A new phone can't make a signal any better than the towers are making.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Switching carriers isn't a feasible option for me right now and wouldn't make much of a difference in my area. I know the phones can only do so much with a weak signal but I've owned Samsung, HTC and Motorola smartphones and i can say without a doubt that not all phones are equal in terms of signal reception.
My Atrix has one of the strongest signal in any phone that i used unlike my Captivate or gsm Galaxy Nexus. I've read that Motorola uses two antennae which make their phones the best for signal reception. I was hoping Motorola was going to make the next nexus. Blackberry also makes very good radios too. I dont have much experience with LG and was wondering how their phones stack up.

My previous phone to the gnex was an LG myTouch Q. I used it on the same T-Mobile account in the same area under the same conditions. It does have better reception than the gnex. Whether that will also be true of the Nexus 4, I can't say.

Related

Nexus 4 vs. HTC One X+ (AT&T)

I currently have the Nexus 4 16GB on AT&T and the lack of LTE is starting to get to me, HSPA+ is pretty lame where I live and it's an LTE area. Thinking about replacing it with the HTC One X+.
The One X+ is starting to get custom ROMs and there's work being done on an ASOP ROM for the pure Android experience.
Anyone here who went the other way, from the HTC One X, One X+ or another AT&T LTE phone to the Nexus 4?
I went from one x to N4. Love it, wouldn't go back... But I have been getting 8-12 Mbps down on HSPA+ (they just switched on LTE last month here in Denver.... Before that I was lucky to get 4Mbps down on HSPA+).
I tried out the One X+ in store, much quicker and more storage than the One X (probably due to JB).
Still, won't go back. Love the N4! Keep in mind, I be going to AT&T prepaid in March, so no LTE doesn't matter for me... Plus, I've been getting upwards of 12Mbps with this phone.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
My main problem is not so much the speed, though I've only seen it go up to about 6Mbps (I do use the "phone" APN, so it's not the APN setting), but rather the signal which is pretty crappy here in tmy area. I'm hoping that LTE would have better coverage.
Otherwise the N4 is a sweet phone. Would it really have killed them to throw an LTE chip in there that users could turn off if not interested in LTE? Well, OK, I know there's an LTE chip in there that works only on some band in Canada. I guess I can move to Canada (or to a better HSPA+ area).
The One X+ might look great now, but also remember that when the next tegra phone HTC puts out that blows the One X+ away you will no longer get support from HTC. The N4 gives you the feeling that you could keep the phone for 2 years or more and not have to really think you are going to be left behind at all. Look at the Nexus One i am pretty sure that still has Dev support and how old is that phone. Over all i feel the N4 is one of the best choices right now to have. If you really want LTE change to T-Mobile so you can get good HSPA+ right now and get LTE in 6 months when they have that out. LTE that is with changing settings I also give up on NV when it comes to phones. Look at the Tegra 2 it hasn't gotten anything since the Tegra 3 has been out. Its not like computers where NV supports their stuff for years. When you look at the Tegra Apps most if not close to 90% of them are Tegra 3 only which is BS. Thanks NV for leaving my Xoom behind.
sirxdroid said:
My main problem is not so much the speed, though I've only seen it go up to about 6Mbps (I do use the "phone" APN, so it's not the APN setting), but rather the signal which is pretty crappy here in tmy area. I'm hoping that LTE would have better coverage.
Otherwise the N4 is a sweet phone. Would it really have killed them to throw an LTE chip in there that users could turn off if not interested in LTE? Well, OK, I know there's an LTE chip in there that works only on some band in Canada. I guess I can move to Canada (or to a better HSPA+ area).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Keep in mind, an LTE chip would have likely increased the cost of the phone. Sure people would have still bought, but they might have been trying to hit the price points they did. Plus the HSPA+ is more ubiquitous across the world than LTE.
Fwiw, I'm getting better signal with this phone than I did with my one x.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
So how does it work with something like the One X+ and the efforts that are under way for AOSP custom ROMs? Can they keep moving forward from Jelly Bean when Google releases the next Android version or do they needs some sort of support from HTC in terms of drivers and other closed source components? I'm not asking about the Sense UI, just the feasibility of having the next Android version work on the One X+. Looks like the current custom ROMs are all based on 4.1.1
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2021559
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
I would get N4 because it is looks faster than OneX+ and will get updated faster. But I have no mobile coverage in my area so I have to go with AT&T

GS4 vs HTC One: Direct radio comparison?

I've had an HTC One since August, and while I love the speakers and build quality, the LTE reception has been marginal and the CDMA call quality sucks. Long story short, I have someone offering to trade me their Galaxy S4 straight up for my One. Both are in mint condition. I was considering eventually swapping for a Nexus 5 with the tri-band radios, but this offer has me considering otherwise. Has anyone had the opportunity to do side-by-side comparisons of the S4 and One in LTE active areas? I don't want this to turn into a fan-boy rant-fest... just looking for honest opinions of the test results.
Thanks in advance!
Samsung phones in general always have better radio reception. I've had all Galaxy's from the 1-3 + Note 2 and all HTC's from the Evo, Evo 3d and Evo Lte. As far as reception they're pretty much on par on 3g. However in regards to 4g all my Samsung phones outshined the HTC phones. Back with WiMAX my S2 would always have one bar extra than the Evos or the Galaxy would get 4G while the HTC would be stuck on 3G, whether it was the GS1 vs the Evo 4G or the GS2 vs the 3D, the reception was always similar with Samsung on top. With my GS3 n Note 2 I would always have lte were my Evo Lte would only register 3G. Till this day my sister has my Evo Lte and she has yet to register 4G in places were I do with my Galaxy Note. Judging from all the reviews and customer feedback of the S4 and One nothing has pretty much changed. The One struggles with 4G just like the Evo Lte did while S4 always comes out on top in regards to reception, especially 4G lte. I honestly think its the different set up HTC uses. Their timers under the lte dialer codes are tweaked a bit differently for Lte.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
Please go to the sticky for other device discussion and comparison. Thanks!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2434020

Nexus 6 signal strength testing

Im still waiting on my nexus 6 but I would like if some people could do a signal strength comparison to other phones. I currently have a nexus 5 and would like to know those mostly. Could everyone post results?
jokersax11 said:
Im still waiting on my nexus 6 but I would like if some people could do a signal strength comparison to other phones. I currently have a nexus 5 and would like to know those mostly. Could everyone post results?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On Cricket Wireless (AT&T) I get 5-10 db higher signal on the N6 over the N5 in the exact same spot. I also get about 5 db better signal than my wife's G3. At work I cannot get an LTE signal with the N5, with the N6 I get an "ok" LTE signal.
^^ Nice!!
I can't give OP any numbers but I'm coming from a Nexus 5 also. Overall signal (data and voice) is stronger than the 5. The GPS locks on a lot quicker even when in the car, assuming you're in an area with LTE.
Im also about 5 to 10 db better woth my Nexus 6 compared to my OnePlus One.
WiFi at home has Nexus 6 at 60 Mbps and OnePlus One at 45 Mbps.
Call quality and overall reception is better and volume in ear is better on Nexus.
It's a Motorola.... it's gonna have probably the best overall performing radio around.
AT&T (ALL-Phones)
I have a 10-mile stretch where i cross into Illinois from Indiana going home from work
Nexus 5: Constantly Drops connection all the way to the house and doesn't keep data for more than a few seconds after that at the house will constantly drop connection (I think its trying to get onto the AT&T network in Indiana since its not roaming.
Note 3: Typically holds the data connection all the way till about the 9th mile marker but is completely useless all the way. At home it will stay on the OFF Network but rather useless signal.
Nexus 6: Holds data connection till the 8th mile point which completely usable data for browsing the web/facebook/sometimes youtube at 720p and at the 8th mile point promptly drops connection and connects to the Illinois OFF-Network Tower and holds a strong connection.
On a 300 mile trip from Chicago to Detroit I had LTE service at least 90%of the time.
Thinking about the N6, myself. I've heard Motorola holds patents on CDMA radios that make their reception better than others... Any truth to this?
Just like every other Moto device the reception is rock solid for me.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
nathanotis said:
Thinking about the N6, myself. I've heard Motorola holds patents on CDMA radios that make their reception better than others... Any truth to this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure, but didn't Google buy Motorola just for their mobile patents? If so, they own it now, which means any OEM partner of Google would likely be able to utilize that. All speculation, so take it with a grain of salt.
Only phone I've compared the Nexus 6 to is my iPhone 6 on Verizon and T-Mobile. They seem, for all intents and purposes, to be completely equal. The 6 is known for good signal strength and measuring the db while in a few locations, they've been nearly identical. This is good news, though, I'm not sure a lot of people on XDA care about a comparison with the iPhone
As for tablets, my Nexus 6 is about 2-3 db higher in my house than my Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet on Verizon. Nothing major.
Cheers,
-Collin-
I have noticed in several places my N6 retains a LTE signal where my N5 would dump to HSPA or EDGE.
Several buildings on my college campus have under ground classrooms and labs, I have a LTE signal in some of those rooms now, where I never have before.
Another thing, the Nexus 6 swaps from HSPA to LTE after a call within two seconds... my N5 would sit and wait for about 20 seconds usually. It seems with Mtero PCS I am not able to make any VOTLE calls yet.... not sure when or how that will happen.
littlerm said:
On Cricket Wireless (AT&T) I get 5-10 db higher signal on the N6 over the N5 in the exact same spot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found the same improvement: 5 to 10dB. The signal in my house varies quite a bit, I just walked around with both in hand.
CollinFX45 said:
Not sure, but didn't Google buy Motorola just for their mobile patents? If so, they own it now, which means any OEM partner of Google would likely be able to utilize that. All speculation, so take it with a grain of salt.
Only phone I've compared the Nexus 6 to is my iPhone 6 on Verizon and T-Mobile. They seem, for all intents and purposes, to be completely equal. The 6 is known for good signal strength and measuring the db while in a few locations, they've been nearly identical. This is good news, though, I'm not sure a lot of people on XDA care about a comparison with the iPhone
As for tablets, my Nexus 6 is about 2-3 db higher in my house than my Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet on Verizon. Nothing major.
Cheers,
-Collin-
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google now has a license to use Motorola's patents, just as Lenovo does. They don't own them, Motorola does.
Mine is about the same as my G3 and wife's S5. The death star is terrible where I live, in my home j get -109dBm in average. The best I have seen is on campus I get -70dBm both are for LTE.
My N6 has great connectivity. My "old phone" HTC M8 GPE wouldn't be able to connect in a certain parts of my office building. No issues on the N6. I'm very happy about this!
-Jason
ryude said:
Google now has a license to use Motorola's patents, just as Lenovo does. They don't own them, Motorola does.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure this is true.
https://gigaom.com/2014/01/30/google-paid-4b-for-patents-why-the-motorola-deal-worked-out-just-fine/
From what I've read, Google now owns those patents, not just licensed. I'm sure they will let leveno use them as part of the purchase deal, but I'm not sure. They got the company for a steal vs what Google paid for it.
On the subject, I can't give hard numbers but I have noticeably better service on at&t with the most recent 98R modem running the latest Chroma ROM.
My connection was bad when I first got the phone but like any phone I own it was rooted and flashed within mins of getting home I highly recommend updating the modem/ radio asap I get great signal and data connection with the 95r radio on att try em and see what works best for u but for most ppl 95r or 98r greatly improve reception
Also running chroma like the dev says who makes chroma its very stock like with a few tweaks that google should have in lp alrdy but don't I used to be a cm fanboy but rather enjoy chroma so if u get a n6 u won't be disappointed
Sent from my Nexus 6
My nexus constantly switches between 3g,H,&LTE... It's never consistent.... Some days I get LTE at the bank some days I don't.... Today I went into the secret menu to force LTE only. I've had a good signal and haven't lost data at all today. That tells me LTE is everywhere where I live. Whats up with all the switching? I've noticed much better battery life today also.

How good is the radio in the new moto x?

Just wondering how reception is, specifically as compared to the 2013 moto x. I'm thinking of making the jump, but there are a few areas that I go that have very poor signal. The 2013 always had good reception, just wondering if the new model lives up to that.
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
T-Keith said:
Just wondering how reception is, specifically as compared to the 2013 moto x. I'm thinking of making the jump, but there are a few areas that I go that have very poor signal. The 2013 always had good reception, just wondering if the new model lives up to that.
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can honesty say without a doubt I get way better signal with this phone then I ever did with any of my Samsung phones.I can drive to work 30 mins away in the boon docks and not drop a call with this phone,my note 3 dropped calls at least 5 times making the same trip.I would say it's safe.
T-Keith said:
Just wondering how reception is, specifically as compared to the 2013 moto x. I'm thinking of making the jump, but there are a few areas that I go that have very poor signal. The 2013 always had good reception, just wondering if the new model lives up to that.
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I moved from the LG G2. It got better reception than my various friends Samsung phones. This phone is better than the G2. This was a big reason I can't back to Motorola. I'm glad I did.
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
I believe that the wifi connection is a bit weak. At work there are some corners where the wifi connection breaks off with the moto X style but the nexus 6 i used before didn't have that problem
I have LTE in places I only used to get 3g on my G3. It's on par with the the 2013 X.
I'd say a tad worse than the 2013. That first moto x and my Nexus 5x have the best radios I've ever had in a device.
Definitely better than the 6p (by 1 bar on average) and my old galaxy S4, for what it's worth.
It's better than my galaxy note 4, when I'm in the lecture building I normally get no service by I somehow get service with this phone.
Ya its better than the 6p but not as good as the nexus 6 I'm hoping a new radio will fix that. It's kind of funny seems to hold on to 3g maybe because the 3g sig is stronger than 4g at points either way its no slouch.
wooddale said:
Ya its better than the 6p but not as good as the nexus 6 I'm hoping a new radio will fix that. It's kind of funny seems to hold on to 3g maybe because the 3g sig is stronger than 4g at points either way its no slouch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that information. I was wondering how reception was on 6P. That is a big reason I went back to Moto.
Hucklefard said:
I can honesty say without a doubt I get way better signal with this phone then I ever did with any of my Samsung phones.I can drive to work 30 mins away in the boon docks and not drop a call with this phone,my note 3 dropped calls at least 5 times making the same trip.I would say it's safe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This radio is awesome. Way better than my previous Samsungs.
I'm getting LTE in places my Samsung would be stuck in 3g.
Samsung =cheap components
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
Agreed. Had a Note 3 before this and it literally sucked signal wise. This thing I get signal everywhere, it's great. Cannot beat Moto radios...

Moto G4 4G LTE issue

Hello,
I bought the unlocked Moto G4 from best buy last week to use with ATT. I started the phone initially without any sim card in it. Next time i restarted i put in the sim card and it detected as att sim card and everything seems to work until when I notice that when i am in my office building I only see H and not 4G LTE. I had Nokia 640 earlier which was ATT go phone and i was getting 4G LTE on it in my office building. And I have also got LTE earlier on other phone in same building. I checked the APN settings and they looked ok since I am getting 4G LTE at most of the places. chatted/talked to ATT and they are of no help, they are saying that since its not ATT and unlocked phone, there is no guarantee that you will get lte everywhere and may be the antenna could be weak on the phone. But I am just not sure if I got a faulty piece or what. Since even the lower end lumia 640 was giving me lte in my office building. I am not sure if I should just return and get another piece or just return it for this issue.
Any help is much appreciated..
There are several good apps on Play that show you cell signal strengths and such. Do a search in Play for "cell signal info" and try one of those apps. It will at least give you a place to start and a comparison tool to compare phones.
Sent from my SM-T530NU using XDA-Developers mobile app
I own a G3 and a Moto X Pure, I am on AT&T and have noticed the past few days LTE seems very... umm, weak I guess... at least in the Minneapolis/St Paul area, and my phone was falling back to HSPA+ way more often than "normal" this week (I travel here every week). I thought I was crazy but maybe there is more too it than that. I do know that AT&T has been doing lots of upgrades recently and rolling out LTE-A, or at least some kind of LTE upgrade, in some areas. Back home my LTE speeds consistenyl went from 20Mbps to 70Mbps down and 5Mbps to 25Mbps up in the last couple of weeks.
Best thing to do would be get a signal strength app, like LTE Discovery or Network Signal Info, and compare it to another phone on the same carrier in the same area and band (LTE Discovery will tell you the LTE Band you are using). Remember that not all phones report it the same, it can be wildly different, but it might give you some insight.
My point is, it may not be your hardware... and Moto's in general are known for really good signal reception. Just do some due diligence before returning it, but if you feel it is hardware, but all means exchange it.
thanks guys..will try it out..
Maybe I am being paranoid, but sometimes I wonder if cell carriers some how optimize their LTE signal to work better with their own phones. I have noticed this on T-Mobile when I always seem to get a stronger signal with a T-Mobile branded phone than with a third party unlocked device.
heap1 said:
Maybe I am being paranoid, but sometimes I wonder if cell carriers some how optimize their LTE signal to work better with their own phones. I have noticed this on T-Mobile when I always seem to get a stronger signal with a T-Mobile branded phone than with a third party unlocked device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL... No, carriers have the ROM modified to make the icon show more bars on their subsidized phones. They can't actually throttle 3rd party phones on the same plan as a carrier branded ones, legally at least.
Sent from my Motorola XT1575 using XDA Labs
acejavelin said:
LOL... No, carriers have the ROM modified to make the icon show more bars on their subsidized phones. They can't actually throttle 3rd party phones on the same plan as a carrier branded ones, legally at least.
Sent from my Motorola XT1575 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I thought., although I still wonder why I usually get a better LTE signal with T-Mobile branded phones. This seems to be especially noticeable since I have upgraded to Marshmallow. Recently, I have or have owned a T-Mobile LG G4, an LG G3, an Axon Pro, and a Moto X Pure. As a rule I have noticed the signal strength being stronger on the T-Mobile branded phones.
heap1 said:
That's what I thought., although I still wonder why I usually get a better LTE signal with T-Mobile branded phones. This seems to be especially noticeable since I have upgraded to Marshmallow. Recently, I have or have owned a T-Mobile LG G4, an LG G3, an Axon Pro, and a Moto X Pure. As a rule I have noticed the signal strength being stronger on the T-Mobile branded phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actual signal strength or the icon? LTE Discovery usually shows the truth...
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
This is based on readings from LTE Discovery, not the number of bars the phone is displaying. I suppose you could also come to the conclusion that LG phones have a stronger radio signal than other phones.
I'm having the same problem with both of my g4's in my area and seattle international airport... if it's not working there... then where will it work?
kevin347 said:
Hello,
I bought the unlocked Moto G4 from best buy last week to use with ATT. I started the phone initially without any sim card in it. Next time i restarted i put in the sim card and it detected as att sim card and everything seems to work until when I notice that when i am in my office building I only see H and not 4G LTE. I had Nokia 640 earlier which was ATT go phone and i was getting 4G LTE on it in my office building. And I have also got LTE earlier on other phone in same building. I checked the APN settings and they looked ok since I am getting 4G LTE at most of the places. chatted/talked to ATT and they are of no help, they are saying that since its not ATT and unlocked phone, there is no guarantee that you will get lte everywhere and may be the antenna could be weak on the phone. But I am just not sure if I got a faulty piece or what. Since even the lower end lumia 640 was giving me lte in my office building. I am not sure if I should just return and get another piece or just return it for this issue.
Any help is much appreciated..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AlexanderJohn said:
I'm having the same problem with both of my g4's in my area and seattle international airport... if it's not working there... then where will it work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah well I ended up keeping the phone. Someone else in the same building also reported lower quality signal with even Iphone and moto g4, all other areas we are getting lte so guess, i took my chances.
AlexanderJohn said:
I'm having the same problem with both of my g4's in my area and seattle international airport... if it's not working there... then where will it work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using "nxtgenphone" APN? Sometimes LTE doesn't work unless you do
Sent from my Motorola XT1575 using XDA Labs
I ended up calling att and they provisioned my line for lte. Fixed both phones.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

Categories

Resources