Now that AT&T isn’t the only network offering the iPhone, a lot of my friends are coming up to me and showing me their shiny new phone on Verizon’s network. Some even point out an unlocked phone. They talk to me about how their phone is better than mine, but, is it really better? It’s the same phone, just another carrier. Then again, without the network it’s just a heavier and thicker iPod touch. Pretty much all wireless functions and goes through the carrier via 3G/EDGE. But, its AT&T the best option, or not? Let’s take a closer look.

The iPhone 4 came out first for AT&T  in the summer of 2010 and was unlockable through a jailbreak and downloading ultrasnow to the phone. All you had to do was instert your carefully cut up SIM card (since the SIM card for an iPhone 4 is a Micro-SIM you had to reduce the size) and you were set to go. Then, on January 11th, Verizon announced that the phone had been modified to run on its network. Something that many of us had been waiting on. Let’s be honest, the iPhone and its network from day one have had flaws and Verizon being the biggest network in America had a lot of customers waiting on this phone. Many refused the temptation to leave, just for the sake of a handset, because of Verizon’s superior coverage compared to AT&T’s. Now that the iPhone is on a much more diverse selection of networks, there are more choices. But which route is the best? It’s all about the network right?

AT&T

Pros:

• You can choose from a $50 iPhone 3GS or the newer, more expensive iPhone 4
• Can tap into 3G Speeds, maxing out at 7.2 MBPS (They might be calling this 4G soon)
• You can be on a phone call and surf the web both at the same time, as long as you’re under 3G coverage. True multitasking right here!
• Customer service has more experience dealing with issues since they’ve had these phones since day one.
• SIM card! You don’t have to call in to customer service if you lose your phone or just want to switch and use something else, just take your SIM card and you’re ready.
• You get the latest iOS updates a bit faster, this has held true for the past few months.

and like always…

CONS:

• Coverage isn’t too strong…this has always been something AT&T has been criticized for since day one. There have been stories of no service in big metropolitan areas or dropped calls when full 3G coverage is available.
• Limited amnounts of data…once AT&T realized the iPhone was a bit of a hassle on its network, specifically the 3G side, the unlimited data plans were removed and replaced with tiered data plans that maxed out at 2GB plus additional charges after that limit was exceeded. This is a bad idea to include on a data-centric device. Unless you were a customer back when AT&T was giving out all-you-can-eat-data and kept your old data plan (like I did) then you’ll have a leash when it comes to downloads and surfing the web.
• It’ll cost you a pretty penny to get out of your contract, about $325.00 compared to the $175.00 that you’d pay before if you were unsatisfied from day one of your contract.
• Personal hotspot maxes out at 3 connections.

 

Verizon

Pros:

• You get a more stable 3G connection since there is a bigger 3G coverage. Faster data in more places.
• Unlimited 3G! All you can eat internet but if you fall within Verizon’s top 5% data users, they’ll still let you use data on your phone, they’ll just slow you down to non-3G. 2GB was that limit that the top 5% of users was reaching last July, it may be more now that data traffic has probably increased since the addition of the iPhone has come but there’s no exact number.
• Personal hotspot has a 5 device connection max…only two more than the other model but you never know, some of us may want to share our 3G with a laptop, an iPad, an iPod and maybe some other tablets or laptops. I know I would ;)

Cons:

• Data speeds max out at about 1.3 MBPS from experiences I’ve had with some of my friend’s phones.
• No simultaneous voice and data. If you’re on the phone with your hot date for the night and want to plan out a night at the movies, you’ll have to hang up and call her back once you’ve looked at the movie times because you won’t be able to do it while you’re on the call! Some of the cases released when the iPhone 4 first launched in the summer may not fit.
• Slower updates…this soon may change but it’s been like this for a while now.
• No SIM card…if you break the phone or just feel like switching, you’ll have to give about 1o minutes of your time to a Verizon representative while they re-program your phone.

.

Other GSM Networks – T-Mobile (Unlocked)

Pros:

• No contract! You could put a prepaid SIM card and run it on the phone. All your own!
• No terminating your existing contract to switch! All you do is pop in your SIM card and you’re ready to go. You don’t have to switch and pay to end your contract.

Cons:

• No help…if the carrier you’re using your iPhone on is anything besides AT&T or Verizon then you won’t get any help from customer service since they don’t support this device and apple won’t help you either, even if the phone is under warranty because you’ve technically tampered with it so there’s no coverage.
• No 3G. Most GSM networks in the U.S. run on different bands, even if it is unlocked, you won’t be able to run higher speed 3G on the phone. You may be able to run EDGE or “2G” which is what happens with T-Mobile but that’s it.
• No personal hotspot…it has to be set up by the carrier.
• Updates come even slower! You have to rely on ultrasnow to update their baseband compatibility before you update the phone to get the newest features.

My Experience:

I love the fact that my phone can go on the internet, download thousands of apps and do many many more things. Not many of us can say the same. I’ve been with AT&T for 3 years now and just recently things started to get good with them. I moved over from Verizon because of their lack of coverage in my area (ironic for a lot I’ve heard) and got the 3G iPhone as my first AT&T phone. I’ve always been pleased with the phone and that keeps true as it has been evolving.

The only thing I’ve hated from day one is the lack of 3G coverage at home. I had to roll around at 2G speeds, to give you an idea of how fast that is, imagine dial-up but on your iPhone and 3G is the high speed Comcast internet or the newer fancier faster internet providers. EDGE (2G) can be a drag if you’re the type of person that like to discover new apps on a regular basis or surf the web like a maniac. It sucks to have to travel at a fraction of what 3G is. When I’m at home or before I go home from town (where I do get 3G coverage) I go to my settings on my phone and turn off 3G. My rationale being, there’s no point wasting my battery juice if I can’t get 3G coverage at my house.

One day, about 5 minutes away from home (where I usually don’t get 3G coverage) while I’m on my way to town, I turn on 3G and realize that I now do have 3G coverage there. This got me wondering, what if AT&T has finally updated its coverage at my house? I didn’t hold my breath and would confirm this when I got back home. I get home 4 hours later, turn on 3G and there it was, next to the AT&T logo on the left top corner of the status bar was the 3G logo I never thought I’d see at home. I got on my speedtest.net app and tested the speeds of my newly acquired 3G network, it maxed out at exactly 4.0 MBPS.

Ever since I’ve been able to get more done faster. I can FaceTime over 3G (since I am Jailbroken) and I can also Skype, something that was impossible before with EDGE. Heavy emails go out faster and download faster as well. I can call people and hold a conversation as well as check my Facebook or browse the web with no hassles or interruptions. It’s great. I hauled out one of my old Verizon phones and checked the coverage on it…one bar outside and “Searching…” inside the house. This got me thinking, AT&T really isn’t all that bad.

I’m not saying AT&T is the better network with this article. I’m just giving out the pros and cons of each carrier and carrier options that come with the phone. It’s the same phone, just different network technologies. The choice is all yours and will be made upon what your needs are or maybe what your experiences have been before. Comments/opinions will be greatly appreciated and any other suggestions or pros/cons will be too. Thanks for reading!