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Some of the advanced power control widgets or 2G/3G switching widgets allow the following options for the radio mode:

  • 2G
  • 3G only
  • 2G+3G

What are the benefits of 2G+3G over running 3G only? Are there any drawbacks?

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3 Answers

up vote 8 down vote accepted

If you choose 3G only, you have no connectivity if you are in an area where no 3G is available. With 2G+3G, the phone will fallback to 2G if it can't get a 3G connection.

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up vote 4 down vote

2G+3G is not recommended if you're in an area with spotty 3G coverage, as a radio switching back and forth will drain the battery much quicker. This is the major reason this widget option exists, to allow users to switch between 2G and 2G+3G on the fly.

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1  
On the other hand, if you're more concerned about connectivity than battery then you want to leave it at 2G+3G in bad coverage areas to ensure that you always have a data connection whenever there's any type of connection available. – GAThrawn May 23 '11 at 14:43
up vote 2 down vote

when traveling with trains in germany "2g+3g" does not work for www for my phone. when setting to "2g only" i have a much better chance to get the www altough its very slow then but enough to read text.

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