When choosing a smartphone or a wireless carrier, it's important to know what your deal-breakers are.
Historically, AT&T hasn't offered specifics about its network performance. And sadly, it's confused the market a bit by calling its HSPA+ network 4G. But since the company has launched LTE, it's been trying to drum up interest for the faster network by talking up the faster LTE speeds.
Last month, the company's head of wireless, Ralph de la Vega, said during AT&T's third-quarter earnings conference call that its LTE service is delivering average download speeds of 12Mbps. This compares with average download speeds of between 2Mbps and 6Mbps for its HSPA+ service, he said. De la Vega also noted that network speeds for Android smartphone customers have increased by 50 percent since last year, when the company was not offering LTE service.
Now, if you've been an AT&T customer as long as I have, this download speed improvement is a much appreciated improvement.
De la Vega also said that the LTE network has helped alleviate congestion on AT&T's older 3G and HSPA+ networks, which has improved the rate of dropped calls and overall performance of the 3G network. This is also good news, since as you know, AT&T hasn't had the best track record when it comes to dropped calls.
So what does this mean for you and your decision? As you correctly noted in your question, the LG Nexus 4 does not support LTE. And the Samsung Galaxy S3 does. But as you also point out, the Nexus 4 has the latest version of Google's Android OS 4.2, aka Jelly Bean. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S3 on AT&T is still supporting the previous version of Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich.
Personally, I think that the faster speed of the LTE network, which is supported on the Galaxy S3, trumps the software benefits of having a pure Google phone.This is especially true for AT&T customers such as yourself. As I pointed out above, the LTE speeds really are a marked improvement over AT&T's existing network speeds. What's more, the Galaxy S3 on AT&T is likely to get the upgrade to Jellybean sooner rather than later. Sprint's version of the same device already has gotten the update.
At any rate, I think the faster LTE network is worth the sacrifice of not having the latest Android software. I understand that some people may not like the software called TouchWiz that Samsung adds to its Android devices. There are many who prefer a pure Google Android experience. And I can understand their point. But I don't mind TouchWiz so much.
Still, that is a consideration. If you prefer the pure Google experience, you won't be getting that with the Galaxy S3. But I really do think that for AT&T customers in particular, the lack of 4G LTE on the Nexus 4 is a deal-breaker.
That being said, if you live in an area where AT&T doesn't offer LTE, then my advice might change. But keep in mind that AT&T is adding new markets for its LTE service every quarter. The company plans to have LTE in 100 cities by the end of this year, and it will complete its rollout by the end of 2013. So even if you don't have LTE today, it's likely you will get it before your contract on your next device runs out.
When LTE doesn't matter
If you're a T-Mobile customer or you live anywhere other than the U.S., then I'd probably offer slightly different advice. T-Mobile doesn't yet have an LTE network. It doesn't expect to deploy LTE until next year. This means that when you're deciding between these two devices, LTE isn't much of a factor. Also, T-Mobile's HSPA+ network seems to perform better than AT&T's HSPA+ network. And in some instances, people say T-Mobile's HSPA+ service rivals some LTE networks.
T-Mobile has deployed a faster version of HSPA+ that offers theoretical download speeds of 42Mbps. AT&T's network tops out at a theoretical speed of 21Mbps. The Nexus 4 for T-Mobile supports the HSPA+ up to 42Mbps. So in theory, the Nexus 4 could operate at twice the rate of AT&T's version of the phone wherever T-Mobile supports HSPA+ 42Mbps.
If you're an international wireless consumer, then LTE is also less relevant, since very few carriers around the world have deployed LTE so far. In that case, the Nexus 4's pure Google Android experience looks very attractive by comparison with the Galaxy S3, which in international versions doesn't support LTE.
Also, as you pointed out in your question, the Nexus 4 lacks a memory expansion slot. By contrast, the Galaxy S3 offers a micro-SD. While this is not a huge deal-breaker for me, if you plan on storing a lot of apps, music, pictures, video, or other media on your device, it's definitely something to consider.
The Nexus 4 comes only with either 8GB or 16GB of internal storage, depending on the model you choose. And because it doesn't have the expansion slot, you can't add additional memory for storage. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S3 comes in three flavors with 16GB or 32GB of internal storage, as well as a 64GB version that is now offered in Europe. Because this device supports micro-SD, the storage can be expanded using 32GB and 64GB cards.
The bottom line for you is that I recommend the Galaxy S3 over the Nexus 4, because I really do think LTE is a differentiator that matters for all AT&T customers. I hope this advice was helpful. And good luck!
There are so many choices today when it comes to picking out a new smartphone or even choosing a service provider. Devices come in different sizes, with different software and even different network support. And wireless carriers, which all have different strengths when it comes to network coverage, offer different packages with different prices for their services. When it comes to choosing a device or a carrier, which of these things is most important to you?
In this edition of Ask Maggie, I offer advice on what I think is most important. Specifically, one reader asks if LTE support is really important when deciding between the LG Nexus 4 and the Samsung Galaxy S3. And in the second question I discuss why Sprint's unlimited-data plan shouldn't be the deciding factor for a world-traveling soldier who wants the new iPhone 5.
Is LTE that important?
Dear Maggie,
I'm a full Android geek and I wanted to get the Samsung Galaxy S3 in December when I can get a good discount with AT&T due to my plan. But now the Nexus 4 has been introduced, which is screwing with my mind. The thing that I love about the Nexus devices is that you get the newer versions of the Android software as soon as Google releases them. That's a huge advantage over the other Android phones. When I had the original Samsung Galaxy S, I had to install a custom ROM in order to get newer updates. But there are a couple of things that are making me hesitate when it comes to the Nexus 4: No LTE and no SD slot.
So my question is: Do I really need LTE with the AT&T service? Is it really worth it?
The short answer to your question is yes. If you are an AT&T customer, LTE definitely makes a difference. To me going from 3G to 4G wireless service is like going from an old dial-up connection for Internet access in your home to using a broadband connection. You will be amazed at how much faster Web pages load and how quickly your Net-enabled apps work on LTE. At this point, I don't think I could go back.
Historically, AT&T hasn't offered specifics about its network performance. And sadly, it's confused the market a bit by calling its HSPA+ network 4G. But since the company has launched LTE, it's been trying to drum up interest for the faster network by talking up the faster LTE speeds.
Last month, the company's head of wireless, Ralph de la Vega, said during AT&T's third-quarter earnings conference call that its LTE service is delivering average download speeds of 12Mbps. This compares with average download speeds of between 2Mbps and 6Mbps for its HSPA+ service, he said. De la Vega also noted that network speeds for Android smartphone customers have increased by 50 percent since last year, when the company was not offering LTE service.
Now, if you've been an AT&T customer as long as I have, this download speed improvement is a much appreciated improvement.
De la Vega also said that the LTE network has helped alleviate congestion on AT&T's older 3G and HSPA+ networks, which has improved the rate of dropped calls and overall performance of the 3G network. This is also good news, since as you know, AT&T hasn't had the best track record when it comes to dropped calls.
So what does this mean for you and your decision? As you correctly noted in your question, the LG Nexus 4 does not support LTE. And the Samsung Galaxy S3 does. But as you also point out, the Nexus 4 has the latest version of Google's Android OS 4.2, aka Jelly Bean. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S3 on AT&T is still supporting the previous version of Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich.
Personally, I think that the faster speed of the LTE network, which is supported on the Galaxy S3, trumps the software benefits of having a pure Google phone.This is especially true for AT&T customers such as yourself. As I pointed out above, the LTE speeds really are a marked improvement over AT&T's existing network speeds. What's more, the Galaxy S3 on AT&T is likely to get the upgrade to Jellybean sooner rather than later. Sprint's version of the same device already has gotten the update.
At any rate, I think the faster LTE network is worth the sacrifice of not having the latest Android software. I understand that some people may not like the software called TouchWiz that Samsung adds to its Android devices. There are many who prefer a pure Google Android experience. And I can understand their point. But I don't mind TouchWiz so much.
Still, that is a consideration. If you prefer the pure Google experience, you won't be getting that with the Galaxy S3. But I really do think that for AT&T customers in particular, the lack of 4G LTE on the Nexus 4 is a deal-breaker.
That being said, if you live in an area where AT&T doesn't offer LTE, then my advice might change. But keep in mind that AT&T is adding new markets for its LTE service every quarter. The company plans to have LTE in 100 cities by the end of this year, and it will complete its rollout by the end of 2013. So even if you don't have LTE today, it's likely you will get it before your contract on your next device runs out.
When LTE doesn't matter
If you're a T-Mobile customer or you live anywhere other than the U.S., then I'd probably offer slightly different advice. T-Mobile doesn't yet have an LTE network. It doesn't expect to deploy LTE until next year. This means that when you're deciding between these two devices, LTE isn't much of a factor. Also, T-Mobile's HSPA+ network seems to perform better than AT&T's HSPA+ network. And in some instances, people say T-Mobile's HSPA+ service rivals some LTE networks.
If you're an international wireless consumer, then LTE is also less relevant, since very few carriers around the world have deployed LTE so far. In that case, the Nexus 4's pure Google Android experience looks very attractive by comparison with the Galaxy S3, which in international versions doesn't support LTE.
Also, as you pointed out in your question, the Nexus 4 lacks a memory expansion slot. By contrast, the Galaxy S3 offers a micro-SD. While this is not a huge deal-breaker for me, if you plan on storing a lot of apps, music, pictures, video, or other media on your device, it's definitely something to consider.
The Nexus 4 comes only with either 8GB or 16GB of internal storage, depending on the model you choose. And because it doesn't have the expansion slot, you can't add additional memory for storage. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S3 comes in three flavors with 16GB or 32GB of internal storage, as well as a 64GB version that is now offered in Europe. Because this device supports micro-SD, the storage can be expanded using 32GB and 64GB cards.
The bottom line for you is that I recommend the Galaxy S3 over the Nexus 4, because I really do think LTE is a differentiator that matters for all AT&T customers. I hope this advice was helpful. And good luck!
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