What newer T-mobile phone should I get?

January 15, 2012 3:20 PM

I am on Tmobile and need a new 4G cell phone. What are the great new 4g T-Mobile phones that have come out recently or are coming out in the next week?

My old phone has a physical keyboard, so it would be great to get another, but that is not a requirement. Can't get an iPhone. I was looking at the Samsung Galaxy SII but I see the battery life sucks. Here are the general things I'm looking for:

4G
Android preferable
Newer than October 2011
Capable of creating a wifi hotspot (preferably)
Decent battery life

I will mostly be using it as a phone (making and receiving calls and texts), with some once-a-week surfing and the once-a-month using it as a wifi hotspot.

You can also throw in a separate 4g T-mobile phone suggestion if there is some other phone that is just mind blowing. Any links to reviews (on sites like tmonews) would be great, as well as any price information. Thanks!

posted by icy to Technology (6 answers total)

We've got the MyTouch HTC on T-Moblie. It's been a pretty good phone, a little large especially with a protective case, but will definitely do all the stuff you're asking.
posted by goggie at 3:56 PM on January 15, 2012

When you say 4G, do you mean LTE? Is LTE really important to you, or do you just want "4G"? LTE will drain your battery very quickly. Unfortunatley you can't have a top of the line Android phone with LTE and get decent battery life, it's the same thing as wanting a Lamborghini Gallardo and 60 mpg.

I would wait for T-Mobile to announce the Galaxy Nexus, or go for th the Galaxy S II. I've had them both - The Galaxy Nexus is my favorite hands down, but the GSII is a very solid phone.
posted by helloworlditsme at 3:59 PM on January 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

He means that supports HSPA+, which t-mobile advertises as 4G. If you really were desparate for a Galaxy Nexus, you could always buy an unlocked one. It's penta-banded, so it will work with t-mobile's slightly different frequencies. Pricey though at upwards of $700.

And hey look, they have a mytouch with a keyboard, although Engadget's review says the battery life isn't great. It was released in August though.
posted by zabuni at 4:04 PM on January 15, 2012

Actually, I have a MyTouch 4G Slide on T-Mobile, and I find the battery life to be fine for my purposes - I use it pretty actively throughout the day, mostly on 4G and not wifi (I leave wifi disabled unless I want to use it so it's not constantly scanning), and my battery is still more than 25% full by the time I plug it in and go to bed. Physical keyboard was important to me, and this one is pretty good, but I would have preferred 5 rows instead of 4, and slightly better tactile feel. Overall I'm quite happy with it though, and would recommend it. The physical keyboard Android selection is fairly limited, so unless you want to wait for an upcoming device (I don't know of any offhand), I think this is your best bet.
posted by autojack at 5:38 PM on January 15, 2012

When you say 4G, do you mean LTE?

T-Mobile USA does not currently run an LTE network and is unlikely to do so for the next few years. However, their HSPA+ network (which they call 4G) is very fast, where available.
posted by Juffo-Wup at 6:06 PM on January 15, 2012

I have TMobile and a Samsung Galaxy S. Not sure what your criteria are for decent battery life, but if I only use mine as a phone I can go 2-3 days without charging. I regularly use it as a phone, for texts, web-browsing, taking pics, videos and viewing those, and as my alarm clock to wake up every day. The battery almost always lasts the full day, I plug it in for an hour or two before I go to bed.
posted by vignettist at 11:06 PM on January 15, 2012