4g or not 4g

[hyb80]

Time for anew phone and a new contract. Dont want to spend massively but will commit to a 2 year deal.

 

Currently have 3g as have wifi at home and work. Use phone for messaging, twitter and browsing web and youtube etc

 

What are peoples thoughts on this?

Edited June 21, 2016 by hyb80

[cherd84]

I'd say it depends on how you use your phone when you're out and about. I like to use Spotify when I'm out in the real world so much prefer 4G. They've come down in price a lot.

 

I'd weigh up getting SIM free phone and a cheaper SIM only deal if you can go with a bigger initial outlay. GiffGaff do an unlimited calls. text and data plan for £20/month. I think you'd do very well to get a contract like that with a handset for under £40/month.

[synaesthesia]

Most phones support it these days as do most networks, other than those utterly useless behind the times ones like Virgin (noone needs 4g except those on the network we piggyback from and our business users!)

And indeed as above, the likes of GiffGaff wipe the floor with most contract deals! Hence why I have my oneplus 3 coming and already have a Giffgaff account set up

[abillybob]

3G on Three is faster than my home broadband connection, In real world use I don't see much difference when I'm using 4G compared to 3G... Speedtest says different but it's not something that bothers me.

[elsiegee40]

I have a contract that includes 4G (phone and contract bought separately) and I spend most of the time with it switched off.

 

To be honest, most of the time I can't get it. And when the signal is weak the 3G seems to perform better than the 4G which is why it gets turned off... and then I forget to turn it back on.

[localzuk]

I get through around 15GB of data on my mobile each month now. 4G is a must for it!!

[hyb80]

I get through around 15GB of data on my mobile each month now. 4G is a must for it!!

 

what uses up the majority of that? I use just under 1.5gb a month but i dont use spotify or anything similar

[Norphy]

The trouble with GiffGaff is that they're an MVNO and therefore are rather low down in the pecking order when it comes to traffic prioritisation on O2's network. I was less than impressed with them when I used them.

 

As for 3G vs 4G, well, it depends. With my iPhone 5, 4G saps the battery a lot more quickly and makes the phone go quite hot. Turning off 4G helps with that considerably. That said, the 5 was the first Apple phone with support for 4G so it's quite possible that newer phones will be better in that regard. There are also times when a good HSDPA+ signal is faster than a bad LTE signal, even in the same physical location.

 

3G isn't going anywhere for the time being, I don't think 4G is anything more than a "nice to have" option at present. Give it a year though and I may change my mind

[localzuk]

what uses up the majority of that? I use just under 1.5gb a month but i dont use spotify or anything similar

 

General use. Twitter, Facebook, web, email, news, bus ticket, Instagram, banking, fast food ordering. A bit of YouTube, a bit of Twitch, though both of them are mostly done through wifi.

[Oaktech]

I can easily storm through 5GB.

 

I'm on EE now because I got fed up with Vodafone, a) never getting my bill right first time. b) giving me phone signal everywhere but pitiful data whenever there was a hint of countryside.

 

Most of my data goes on Facebook and Twitter although I buy a £6.99 1GB add on every month that work pay for because that's how much I use on RDP on my phone.

[sparkeh]

Depends on hwo you use it but 3G is fine for me. Lucky really as I'm with Virgin and they don't offer 4G for consumers :S

[Sagima]

If it's on option go for it- I don't think it's worth much effort to get it though. It's just the convenience of faster internet access

[Sheepy]

Id say its a must. But again I sit in the high usage bracket.

 

I would avoid GiffGaff and the likes as someone has already pointed out the traffic speed is fair to crap and O2 struggle nowadays anyway.

[mowgli82]

If you've not had 4G you wont miss it. If you've had 4G then go back to 3G............................you would be frustrated

[sonofsanta]

I'm not in the high usage bracket at all--I only have 500mb data--but 4G is all but indistinguishable from WiFi in speed and seems to have much better coverage than 3G for me out here in the sticks. I wouldn't go without out, especially as you're committing for two years.

[fredbayker]

BT have got a SIM-only deal at the moment (I think it's still running) with an £80 Amazon voucher and discounted if you're already a BT customer.

 

https://www.productsandservices.bt.com/mobile/sim-order-summary

[hardtailstar]

A quick Google and 3G is apparently being phased out by 2020. - rough date taken from about 4 websites.

 

In my opinion go for 4G, I went 4G and see the difference in my 3G friends, their internet etc is much slower.

 

But it all depends on what you will be using it for.

[MatthewL]

Does what you have at the minute meet your needs?

 

What is the 3G coverage like, personally I wouldn't touch anyone other than EE for 4G at the minute as they have the best coverage.

 

1 bar of 4G can be as good as full 3G, also 4G speeds to vary from area to area.

 

Is there much cost difference in packages, as far as I am aware most are all now 4G as standard.

[Fazza]

3G would be a nice start!

[CHR1S]

 

What is the 3G coverage like, personally I wouldn't touch anyone other than EE for 4G at the minute as they have the best coverage.

 

1 bar of 4G can be as good as full 3G, also 4G speeds to vary from area to area.

 

My school in the almost centre or Birmingham begs to differ.. currently emergency calls only, they really need to sort their masts out!!

[elsiegee40]

1 bar of 4G can be as good as full 3G, also 4G speeds to vary from area to area.

 

 

Can... maybe...but that's not my experience.

 

As I said earlier, I find myself turning off 4G on my iPhone 6 too frequently - usually in London. The 4G seems a bit better at home, but if I have turned it off on one of my frequent trips to London then I forget to turn it back on.

 

I'm on 3 by the way

Edited June 22, 2016 by elsiegee40

[LeMarchand]

A quick Google and 3G is apparently being phased out by 2020. - rough date taken from about 4 websites.

 

So at least I have some idea when Virgin will supply 4G!

 

On Virgin SIM only and get unlimited texts/minutes/data. Since getting a phone that wasn't released in 2009 even 3G has been much better. If you're already with Virgin they offer some good deals if you can do without 4G.

[sparkeh]

So at least I have some idea when Virgin will supply 4G!

 

On Virgin SIM only and get unlimited texts/minutes/data. Since getting a phone that wasn't released in 2009 even 3G has been much better. If you're already with Virgin they offer some good deals if you can do without 4G.

VM have been pretty cagey about a date for supporting 4g for consumers, they do provide it to business customers already. Anecdotally, they have told enquirers its "next month", then "next month", "next month" etc etc...

[CHR1S]

So at least I have some idea when Virgin will supply 4G!

 

On Virgin SIM only and get unlimited texts/minutes/data. Since getting a phone that wasn't released in 2009 even 3G has been much better. If you're already with Virgin they offer some good deals if you can do without 4G.

 

Apart from the shocking coverage, poor speeds and awful customer service. They were cheap for us as an existing customer... I left under the 14 day cooling off period.

[CAM]

I was pleasantly surprised to find my phone supports 4G, I wasn't even aware that Three supported it (I had a 3G phone previously). Sadly most of my browsing is done over H or H+ but when I wander into a 4G area it's like heaven.