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3 years, 5 months ago

Which Sprint phones have the best reception of weak signals and are at least as sensitive as a Samsung A460?

My old Sprint Samsung A460 has an extendable antenna and is sensitive enough to make calls in most of the remote areas I travel to, even areas not showing service on the official Sprint coverage maps. I would like to upgrade to a smart phone, but ability to talk at the fringes of the reception area is most important to me. I suspect that smartphones may have inferior transmit/receive sensitivity due to their internal antennas and higher level of EMI noise. Can anybody help me rank the available Sprint smart phones by this performance metric, with comparison to the A460? I suspect the relevant metric would be available from manufacturers of each phone, units in dB, uV or similar. Thanks!
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tjblackb | 3 years, 5 months ago
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bbronstein5 | 3 years, 5 months ago
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As an ex-sprint/nextel user (subscribed for 6 years) I wouldn't look to them to provide great, or even good signal in anywhere but the most populated areas and even then you'll want to be outside to prevent a dropped call. Years of poor customer service, lack-luster phones and sneaky billing practices have pushed me to verizon as of last month and I couldn't be happier.

Go with ATT or Verizon and save yourself some headaches.

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chivlarydad | 3 years, 5 months ago
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Here is a tip. Most US based cell phones are not built to get a good reception because the companies know that the cell towers are plentiful around populated areas in the US. If you are looking for a sim card capable phone check the UK or the overseas version on ebay. I personally prefer HTC upper end phones myself. (Choosing UK products still gives you full english menus) Also, they sell antena stickers that boost the level of reception on most phones resulting in better coverage. Yes they work and they are cheap. Here is a link to one on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/5-Pack-Cell-Phone-antenna-boosters-metro-pcs-PDA-antena_W0QQitemZ130275970756QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPDA_Accessories?hash=item130275970756&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

If you still insist on getting a phone in the US, at least get yourself a discount for it. I am a cell phone distributor for all major brands and all cell phones. Check my web site for a good deal and enter my Rep ID if you find something you like.

https://shop.acnwireless.com/mobile/?referringdomain=acn
Rep ID: 01730986
Just put in your zip code and change the phone and plan to fit your needs...
source(s):
www.myacn.com
Rep ID: 01730986

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jayhawkbrandon | 3 years, 5 months ago
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In my experience, the Sanyos have great reception. I used to sell Sprint phones, and I can say, that it is all model specific though. There are a ton of great options! Here are some great references:

http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/northeastern-us-wireless-forum/41376-what-sprint-phones-have-best-signal.html

http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-75371.html

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kayliesmom | 3 years, 5 months ago
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The instinct.

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johnsonaaron | 3 years, 5 months ago
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I consider myself a pretty adept google (ahem... Mahalo) searcher, and I have been trying to locate stats on the radio for cell phones for nearly 30 minutes now with no luck. I've tried searches and manufacturers websites. I'm interested in how this turns out.

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jp95zm6's Avatar
jp95zm6 | 3 years, 3 months ago Report

Update: I finally got a Blackberry Curve, and the reception is slightly better than my Samsung A460. I just wanted to close out the question in case this info helps anybody later.

jp95zm6's Avatar
jp95zm6 | 3 years, 5 months ago Report

Johnsonaar,

Well, don't feel bad. I had several hours into it when I happened to read about this site.

Everybody,

It seems that cellular companies do not publish detailed technical specs like makers of other radio communications equipment.

I guess I'll need to keep an eye out for other Sprint users the next time I find myself in a remote area for my own comparison test. Problem is, these places are very sparsely populated, and I'm only in that situation a dozen or so times a year, so not very likely. It's tough to spend a few hundred bucks and sign a contract when I can't get info on my #1 criteria.

In my searching I did learn which carriers show the best coverage near the particular areas where I most often lose signal. Suspiciously, however, you can tell from the maps that both carriers (Sprint and ATT) seem to use the same towers for their roaming in those areas, even though Sprint's map extends slightly further. One of those areas is Whitefish Point, in Michigan's UP, if anybody is interested.

Thanks a lot everybody for trying. I'm sorry we didn't get this one. I did not select a best answer, because the specific info I needed eluded all of us. Any info specific to the A460 vs any Sprint Smartphone would have gotten the answer picked.

Personally, I would not 'hire' any service provider who couldn't do better that I can, or save me time, that holds true here. But, next time I'm stumped, I be back. Thanks again.

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kenford | 3 years, 5 months ago
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jp95zm6's Avatar
jp95zm6 | 3 years, 5 months ago Report

Thanks guys, but I'm really looking for specific info showing that a particular smartphone's reception sensitivity will not be any worse than my A460 and it's extendable antenna. I'm talking specifications here, or at least a direct comparison test between an A460 and something currently available from Sprint. None of the answers so far have answered that. General comparisons between phones do not help me determine if any of them can perform as well as my old A460.

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skullz5 | 3 years, 5 months ago
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I am a current Sprint subscriber and I have a Nextel i850

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