3G plans: set radio to 3G or LTE?

[MotoZ9]

I have a new 3G plan with PM and I am unsure if I should leave my mobile network to 3G preferred, or LTE preferred. Both work with my phone, but I don't want any surprise charges for using LTE over 3G.

[smp99 · Accepted solution]

Leave it on LTE 

The one thing about Public Mobile, there will never be any 'surprise charges'. No surpise long distance, no surprise roaming, no surprise data overages. It will just not connect if you don't have the proper service already in place. 

The 3G plans on PM actually use the LTE network but they cap the speeds at 3mb/s both up/down. 

Now some areas do have a stronger 3G signal and you may see better performance by turning off the LTE radio. In these circumstances, turning off the LTE radio also improves battery life.

[smp99 · Accepted solution]

Leave it on LTE 

The one thing about Public Mobile, there will never be any 'surprise charges'. No surpise long distance, no surprise roaming, no surprise data overages. It will just not connect if you don't have the proper service already in place. 

The 3G plans on PM actually use the LTE network but they cap the speeds at 3mb/s both up/down. 

Now some areas do have a stronger 3G signal and you may see better performance by turning off the LTE radio. In these circumstances, turning off the LTE radio also improves battery life.

[will13am]

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@smp99 wrote:

Leave it on LTE 

The one thing about Public Mobile, there will never be any 'surprise charges'. No surpise long distance, no surprise roaming, no surprise data overages. It will just not connect if you don't have the proper service already in place. 

The 3G plans on PM actually use the LTE network but they cap the speeds at 3mb/s both up/down. 

Now some areas do have a stronger 3G signal and you may see better performance by turning off the LTE radio. In these circumstances, turning off the LTE radio also improves battery life.

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Depending on age of phone, I would say there is absolutely no difference between selecting LTE preferred over 3G only for battery life.  Chip makers have come a long way since the nexus 4 days where a dirty software hack made the phone LTE capable.  Fuel efficiency is a lot better.  In fact, the worse enemy of fuel efficiency is wakelocks.  Another reason for not selecting 3G only is that the phone will not switch back to LTE and so chances are 3G will be used for a lot longer than intended/necessary.  Finally, 700 and 850 MHz bands are available for LTE and so the concerns of signal strength indoors is a thing of the past.  I am indoors right now and my phone has a band 5 LTE-A connection.  A final, final thought, there is always a tiny exception to the rule.  Manually force 3G only if for whatever reason a LTE connection cannot be maintained.

[sheytoon]

To add to what @will13am already said, I'm aware of some new sites that only have LTE, though these are not common.

[Dank4]

Isnt it better to leave it on auto?

[computergeek541]

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@Dank4 wrote:

Isnt it better to leave it on auto?

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The LTE prefered setting is the equivalent of Auto.  I most modern phones, the network selection setting is only setting the maximum possible type of data speed.  Setting it to 3g will block out LTE use, and selecting 2g will block out 3g and LTE usage.  Setting the phone to LTE as the prefered network type is the correct setting.

In some hidden, advanced phone configutation menus, there is an option for "LTE-only" .  Users do not want to select that type of option because that will disable the ability for phone calls.

[daredogg]

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Depending on age of phone, I would say there is absolutely no difference between selecting LTE preferred over 3G only for battery life.  Chip makers have come a long way since the nexus 4 days where a dirty software hack made the phone LTE capable.  Fuel efficiency is a lot better... 

Fuel efficiency?! LOL @will13am  

[will13am]

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@daredogg wrote:

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Depending on age of phone, I would say there is absolutely no difference between selecting LTE preferred over 3G only for battery life.  Chip makers have come a long way since the nexus 4 days where a dirty software hack made the phone LTE capable.  Fuel efficiency is a lot better... 

Fuel efficiency?! LOL @will13am  

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You bet!  The genesis for range anxiety is from cell phones designed with less than a good day's worth of screen on time.  We will transfer that over to cars that can't go 1000 km between fill ups.

[Colinh90]

Set my phone to 3G because I did a few speed tests while my phone was set to LTE and while my phone was set to 3G and the 3G setting always came out faster with upload and download speeds The first two pics are with LTE enabled, & the last 2 are with 3g enabled 

 

 

 

 

[Jb456]

@Colinh90  post is from 2018.