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So I have the US Galaxy S II variant which is an amazing phone but it's not the GS2 I fell for in February. I managed to flip (sell) my phone for a hefty price which is more than enough to buy the International version but in your opinion -- is it worth it?
I know the Nexus Prime, Razr, etc are being announced in 24 hours but I don't care -- for now. If I get the GS2 off or Amazon will it have NFC compatibility when it gains ground in the US? Is the home button really as flimsy as people make it out to be? All of your opinions are welcome.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
What about the international version do you like so much better? They are nearly the same.
They are the same, minus home button.
Only nfc-ready place I've been to is starbucks. That's like having an lte phone but no lte connection in your city
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
Maybe because I've had the original Galaxy S and am not fond of the capacitive button layout, and I had numerous issues with the search button freaking out on the Captivate. The international version looks a lot better IMO, but lack of NFC is a drawback. The bad thing is someone already bought my At&t version.
re: i777 vs i9100
ErebusRaze said:
So I have the US Galaxy S II variant which is an amazing phone but it's not the GS2 I fell for in February. I managed to flip (sell) my phone for a hefty price which is more than enough to buy the International version but in your opinion -- is it worth it?
I know the Nexus Prime, Razr, etc are being announced in 24 hours but I don't care -- for now. If I get the GS2 off or Amazon will it have NFC compatibility when it gains ground in the US? Is the home button really as flimsy as people make it out to be? All of your opinions are welcome.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a lot more differences than just the front mechanical button which everyone talks about.
#1: the i9100 has a built-in FM stereo RDS radio
#2: the i9100 has three front buttons one of which is mechanical
#3: the i9100 is factory unlocked (it was NEVER locked to start with)
#4: the i9100 has slightly thinner & smaller housing dimensions
#5: the i9100 weighs a few grams less
Here are the size/weight specs for each:
Samsung Galaxy SGH i777: Dimensions 126 x 66 x 8.9 mm Weight 121.9 g
Samsung Galaxy S II i9100: Dimensions 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5 mm Weight 116 g
Most likely there are other slight differences which I have not yet investigated.
Check it out yourself at GSMARENA on their website.
faill quote 10 char
designgears said:
faill quote 10 char
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Click to collapse
The man himself...
I see you traded your S II and have the At&t version at the moment. A reason you settled on this one (though your phone repertoire is pretty extensive)?
ErebusRaze said:
The man himself...
I see you traded your S II and have the At&t version at the moment. A reason you settled on this one (though your phone repertoire is pretty extensive)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are only three things that are in any way advantageous in choosing the ASGS2 over the ISGS2:
1) Subsidized pricing
3) Warranty with overnight replacement from AT&T
3) The ability to buy insurance from AT&T in case its lost or stolen
You can say NFC's an advantage but everyone will probably be on their next phone by the time you'll be able to do anything meaningful with it.
What you give up: (note: a lot of these are meaningless if you root/ROM)
1) Updates directly from Samsung
2) 2 year vs. 1 year warranty
3) FM Radio
4) Features and settings removed by AT&T
5) Multi-purpose hardware home button
6) $10 unlimited fake-4G
The ISGS2 was my first non-subsidized phone. I'll never buy another carrier molested phone again. I travel overseas a lot so don't have the luxury to root/ROM because every device I've modified always had problems registering on foriegn networks.
[email protected] grams and less than 1mm even worth mentioning...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
re: grams
ngocdao said:
[email protected] grams and less than 1mm even worth mentioning...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
116g to 121.9g equals just about 6 grams difference, not 4
lol .. even at 6 grams. seriously, i cant even tell the phones in my hand or in my pocket. How light and how thin do you really need your phone to be?
i hope you dont weigh your order of french fries too fearing a few missing fries.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
BarryH_GEG said:
2) 2 year vs. 1 year warranty
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Click to collapse
None of the international versions have any warranty in US. You will have to deal with someone outside the US or the seller for any warranty work.
I'm in Bangkok all week w\ my SGSII (AT&T) and the thing that drives me absolutely INSANE is that AT&T blocks the ability to select which network you want to use. I have a local Thai SIM (DTAC), but I have to let the radio\ROM auto-select the network, which bugs the sh#$ out of me, because many countries have the ability to roam on several networks, and not being able to chose annoys me.
I was at the market today and they sell the SGSII International version for $516 USD, I think I may take the plunge. The US version doesn't nor never will have the number of accessories available as the international one does, so I think I'm good there, and I know I can sell my ATT version for $450-500, so likely I'll pick one up tomorrow. Good idea? For $516 it's a good price I think.
---------- Post added at 04:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:52 AM ----------
ngocdao said:
How light and how thin do you really need your phone to be?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're the guy on the plane next to me who pulls out the 17" Dell from 4 years ago that's 4 inches thick aren't you?
ngocdao said:
i hope you dont weigh your order of french fries too fearing a few missing fries.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although congrats for the worst analogy of the day!
re: network selection
bella92108 said:
I'm in Bangkok all week w\ my SGSII (AT&T) and the thing that drives me absolutely INSANE is that AT&T blocks the ability to select which network you want to use. I have a local Thai SIM (DTAC), but I have to let the radio\ROM auto-select the network, which bugs the sh#$ out of me, because many countries have the ability to roam on several networks, and not being able to chose annoys me.
I was at the market today and they sell the SGSII International version for $516 USD, I think I may take the plunge. The US version doesn't nor never will have the number of accessories available as the international one does, so I think I'm good there, and I know I can sell my ATT version for $450-500, so likely I'll pick one up tomorrow. Good idea? For $516 it's a good price I think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All you need to do if you want to be able to select different networks
is to unlock the AT&T phone........
As far as accessories you are right!
Misterjunky said:
All you need to do if you want to be able to select different networks
is to unlock the AT&T phone........
As far as accessories you are right!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's absolutely incorrect. You can NOT select network just by unlocking, that simply allows you to use the sim's default network. The manual network selection does NOT become usable after unlocking (I know from personal experience with the ATT SGSII AND the Infuse 4G). The only way to manual select on Infuse was to flash Rogers radio and install custom rom. Unfortunately no alternate radios are avail for i777 yet (if ever)
bella92108 said:
That's absolutely incorrect. You can NOT select network just by unlocking, that simply allows you to use the sim's default network. The manual network selection does NOT become usable after unlocking (I know from personal experience with the ATT SGSII AND the Infuse 4G). The only way to manual select on Infuse was to flash Rogers radio and install custom rom. Unfortunately no alternate radios are avail for i777 yet (if ever)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course you need to put a different sim chip into the phone if you want to
change service providors with an unlocked phone.
The advantage of a unlocked phone is just that, the ability to use different sim
chips from different service providors as long as they use the gsm networks.
Misterjunky said:
Of course you need to put a different sim chip into the phone if you want to
change service providors with an unlocked phone.
The advantage of a unlocked phone is just that, the ability to use different sim
chips from different service providors as long as they use the gsm networks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand that. Tell ya what. Unlock your phone and pop in a t-mobile SIM and try to access the network selection screen. You CAN'T. I've been through this time and time again. AT&T LOCKS the menu. So unless you replace the radio AND install a custom ROM (ie on my Infuse I had Infused 2.3.3 and Rogers Radio), you CAN NOT even get into the manual network selection screen regardless of what sim you put into the phone.
re: network settings
bella92108 said:
I understand that. Tell ya what. Unlock your phone and pop in a t-mobile SIM and try to access the network selection screen. You CAN'T. I've been through this time and time again. AT&T LOCKS the menu. So unless you replace the radio AND install a custom ROM (ie on my Infuse I had Infused 2.3.3 and Rogers Radio), you CAN NOT even get into the manual network selection screen regardless of what sim you put into the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right, getting into the manual network selection with a locked or
unlocked phone depends on which rom you are using, some roms let you
do that others don't. CyanogenMod 7 roms do have that feature and some
other custom roms have it too.
But changing the network selection settings is not a very good idea even
if we can do it.
But what's the point in getting into the network selection if lets say you have
an AT&T or T-mobile sim card? With an unlocked phone both of these two
sims will work fine without needing to change the network selection.
The unlocked phone will automatically detect the correct network settings
for any sim card which it's compatible with.
Misterjunky said:
You are right, getting into the manual network selection with a locked or
unlocked phone depends on which rom you are using, some roms let you
do that others don't. CyanogenMod 7 roms do have that feature and some
other custom roms have it too.
But changing the network selection settings is not a very good idea even
if we can do it.
But what's the point in getting into the network selection if lets say you have
an AT&T or T-mobile sim card? With an unlocked phone both of these two
sims will work fine without needing to change the network selection.
The unlocked phone will automatically detect the correct network settings
for any sim card which it's compatible with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't travel much internationally, I see.
Yeah, if you are in Los Angeles with an AT&T sim it's likely going to find it's way onto the AT&T network, obviously. Try roaming across to Japan... you'll find that AT&T has roaming agreements with NTTdocomo, and SoftBank. NTTdocomo is great if you're sitting at Narita airport, but you may want to venture outside the airport, to say, downtown Tokyo, where Softbank dominates in coverage and reliability in parts of town. You can't switch because the ATT ROM\Radio will ALWAYS favor NTT, why? Because ATT likely has a more favorable roaming rate negotiated (ATT doesn't have customer experience first priority as you likely already know). Not being allowed manual selection means you take what ATT gives.
Now take an international SIM... say you go to Thailand, where I am this week. I go home with the SIM and I want to use it in the US. ATT's ROAMING list they force on me will allow me ONLY to use it on ATT... but wait, my SIM I bought here in Thailand doesn't roam with ATT, only T-Mobile... so I'm fu$#ed... see what I mean? If I had manual network selection, 2 clicks and I'd select t-mobile. To take that right away from a customer is 100% anti-customer, and demonstrates what a regional carrier ATT really is. The people who control these things don't leave their cubicle in Dallas, so they don't get it that someone might just want to not be screwed without phone service when they travel because the furthest the programmer geek has travelled is the $5 happy ending massage shop at the edge of town, lol
bella92108 said:
You don't travel much internationally, I see.
Yeah, if you are in Los Angeles with an AT&T sim it's likely going to find it's way onto the AT&T network, obviously. Try roaming across to Japan... you'll find that AT&T has roaming agreements with NTTdocomo, and SoftBank. NTTdocomo is great if you're sitting at Narita airport, but you may want to venture outside the airport, to say, downtown Tokyo, where Softbank dominates in coverage and reliability in parts of town. You can't switch because the ATT ROM\Radio will ALWAYS favor NTT, why? Because ATT likely has a more favorable roaming rate negotiated (ATT doesn't have customer experience first priority as you likely already know). Not being allowed manual selection means you take what ATT gives.
Now take an international SIM... say you go to Thailand, where I am this week. I go home with the SIM and I want to use it in the US. ATT's ROAMING list they force on me will allow me ONLY to use it on ATT... but wait, my SIM I bought here in Thailand doesn't roam with ATT, only T-Mobile... so I'm fu$#ed... see what I mean? If I had manual network selection, 2 clicks and I'd select t-mobile. To take that right away from a customer is 100% anti-customer, and demonstrates what a regional carrier ATT really is. The people who control these things don't leave their cubicle in Dallas, so they don't get it that someone might just want to not be screwed without phone service when they travel because the furthest the programmer geek has travelled is the $5 happy ending massage shop at the edge of town, lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just have to correct you on something, the $5 Happy ending places are NOT on the edge of Dallas, they are on Harry Hines near downtown... Not that I would know anything about that.
I've got a GT-I9000M right now and I've pre-ordered up the inter version. How do I know I'm not just wasting money?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2
Unlocked GSM devices will work on any carrier that uses a SIM card.. i.e. T-Mobile, AT&T, etc. CDMA are the devices without SIM cards like Verizon and Sprint.
You just have to be aware of which carrier and what they use.
(I think I got that right ) maybe someone else can chime in..
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2
Coreym said:
T-Mobile
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Careful, it'll work but most models are missing the 1700 band for HSPA+.
OP: Make sure it's GSM, then compare the bands.
thebobp said:
Careful, it'll work but most models are missing the 1700 band for HSPA+.
OP: Make sure it's GSM, then compare the bands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
good point.. thank you
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2
It's 850Mhz as far as I know.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2
Funny, you should ask; I was wondering about the same thing just yesterday:
What I learned, as far as T-Mobile (US) is concerned: it will work - if using a Tmo or AT&T SIM card - but only at 2G speeds, for now (probably until 2013).
That's my finding, and also the opinion of some other fine forum folks here.
Just wish it was wrong...
Well, according to the specs compared between my current I9000 and the SGS3, they have the same bands across the board. So I SHOULD be okay.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2
MaesterB said:
Well, according to the specs compared between my current I9000 and the SGS3, they have the same bands across the board. So I SHOULD be okay.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be awesome...if you were right!
What are your download speeds, and where do you live, bro?
4.5-5mbps down. 3mbps up.
I'm in Saskatchewan on Sasktel. It's a 3G/4G network that most devices on it are 850 and 1900 compatible.
Sasktel has boasted LTE in the fall, but only in the main cities, Regina and Saskatoon. Doesn't really affect me because in the city, at work or at home or friends/family, I'm on wifi.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2
Thanks, man!
So there is hope that it actually may work OK... hmm.
Guess I'll wait some more, and until more folks chime in, as I would not want to gamble $800 (US ) on it... not yet.
Would sure love to buy an International/Unlocked S3 and run it on a prepaid T-Mobile SIM, but that may just not work the same way here in the US of A...
Well, expansys offers up to 15 days to return the device. So I'll know within the first day or so of receiving it if it's going to work or not. I'll have to go buy a MICRO SIM for it or not.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2
MaesterB said:
Well, expansys offers up to 15 days to return the device. So I'll know within the first day or so of receiving it if it's going to work or not. I'll have to go buy a MICRO SIM for it or not.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dang...You're right! I totally forgot about that option
I9300, here I come
Thanks, MaesterB!
International version for AT&T
I have a question, I am new to GSM as I have been with Sprint for the past 13 years but just switched to AT&T for the purpose of being able to easily swap phones and use international versions. I got the HTC One X but I have to say that it is not "doing it" for me. I am used to the GS1 and then the GS2 and my plan WAS to get the GS3. I don't want to wait until AT&T gets the phone, plus its my understanding that the US versions are dual-core vs the quad.
With that in mind, I was thinking I could easily take my HTC which is only a day old and sell it on Ebay for 2-3 times what I paid for it, and use that money to get an international GS3. Before I do that though I have a few questions about using international versions.
1) With international phones (GS3 or any other model), would I still be able to use my AT&T apps such as Uverse Live TV, myAT&T, FamilyMap?
2) I realize that as long as the version of phone I get has the 850 and 1900Mhz bands, it will be compatible with AT&T for voice and 2G. What I want to know is would I be able to use AT&T's LTE or at the minimum the fake 4G (HSPA+). I don't want to spend $800 on a phone that is stuck on 3G.
3) Obviously I would not get OTA updates from AT&T but I assume that even without rooting I could go somewhere else (perhaps XDA) to get regular firmware updates?
4) Last, for those of you that have alot of exp buying swapping international phones, would you say that if for instance, I would not be able to use the phones LTE on AT&T, and that I was stuck on 3G, if I went ahead and purchased the phone anyway with the intent of using it until the AT&T version comes out, do you think at that time I would still get most of my purchase price back from the re-sale of the international version to use that to buy the AT&T one?
Thank You very much for your help.
I may not be "The Capacity" on the subject, but I have been tinkering with my phones over the last years, I do have some "smartphone cred" and also learned a lot myself on XDA (on the same subject) this weekend...
Let's see if other folks can confirm my answers:
1. According to my information, the US version of the S3 will indeed come with a dual S4 (Krait), compared to the International Exynos quad core CPU. Reason: the S4 can handle LTE, the quad core Exynos not yet;
2. If you buy a (prepaid) SIM card/plan from a 3rd party provider, or from AT&T or T-mo directly, you will be able to use the network you decide to go with. Since only Tmo and ATT have GSM networks, you can only use these with the International S3 and SIM card (Micro-SIM, that is). However, I am pretty sure you won't have a problem using network-specific apps either... since you are using the network/carrier already;
3. As far as the network speed (LTE <> 2G <> 3G) is concerned, I have heard different opinions. T-mo specifically states that you need the 1700MHz band, which the International S3 does not cover. However, they - and I believe also ATT - offer 3G on the 1900 MHz band, which the Inter S3 does pick up.
I have had a good exchange with a nice guy from Canada earlier today (look for MaesterB, the OP of this thread...), and he confirmed that his I9000 does pick up 3G speeds/5Mbps (in Canada). Since the I9000 covers the same bands as the I9300 (S3), I am convinced that it's gonna work to get 3G speeds.
I doubt that it's going to be HSPA+ anytime soon, but you'll definitely won't get LTE - as that depend on the 1700MHz spectrum, I think.
T-Mobile, however, is upgrading their network, and we are supposed to get HSPA+ on the 1900MHz band by the end of the year/next year here in the US... (??);
4. Don't know about the OTA updates... but who cares? You've gotta root your phone anyway to get the most from it. At least, that's my stance. And if you do root, you might as well get the OTAs from the XDA community. Who cares about 'straight-from-the-carrier' updates anyway..?
5. I'm not so sure if you're right with your resale philosophy, especially on 'getting most of your money back'. I wouldn't bank on it. Usually, and once the phone is on the market for some time, the level of desirability tanks, and so does the resale value...
6. Now that I have wised up some over the weekend myself, I'm going to get an unlocked S3, together with a prepaid SIM (probably from 'Straight Talk', 'Simple Mobile', or even directly from T-mo [the latter only with 2-yr contract... yuck!]). If I find out that I cannot get decent 3G speeds (area of 5 Mbps/down) on the phone already the same day I get it, I will return it - and the SIM card - right away and get my money back
Let's see what others can add to this...
cott789 said:
I have a question, I am new to GSM as I have been with Sprint for the past 13 years but just switched to AT&T for the purpose of being able to easily swap phones and use international versions. I got the HTC One X but I have to say that it is not "doing it" for me. I am used to the GS1 and then the GS2 and my plan WAS to get the GS3. I don't want to wait until AT&T gets the phone, plus its my understanding that the US versions are dual-core vs the quad.
With that in mind, I was thinking I could easily take my HTC which is only a day old and sell it on Ebay for 2-3 times what I paid for it, and use that money to get an international GS3. Before I do that though I have a few questions about using international versions.
1) With international phones (GS3 or any other model), would I still be able to use my AT&T apps such as Uverse Live TV, myAT&T, FamilyMap?
2) I realize that as long as the version of phone I get has the 850 and 1900Mhz bands, it will be compatible with AT&T for voice and 2G. What I want to know is would I be able to use AT&T's LTE or at the minimum the fake 4G (HSPA+). I don't want to spend $800 on a phone that is stuck on 3G.
3) Obviously I would not get OTA updates from AT&T but I assume that even without rooting I could go somewhere else (perhaps XDA) to get regular firmware updates?
4) Last, for those of you that have alot of exp buying swapping international phones, would you say that if for instance, I would not be able to use the phones LTE on AT&T, and that I was stuck on 3G, if I went ahead and purchased the phone anyway with the intent of using it until the AT&T version comes out, do you think at that time I would still get most of my purchase price back from the re-sale of the international version to use that to buy the AT&T one?
Thank You very much for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no possible way you will be able to "sell your one x for 2 or 3 times what you paid for it". You will NOT get LTE on the international version. HSPA+ is 3G and it will get that on AT&T, so yes you will be stuck on 3G. You will still get OTA updates on the phone regardless of what carrier you use it on. Depending on how long you wait you probably won't get most of your purchase price for the phone. If AT&T waits until August to release it you will probably get $100 less at least. Six months later the Galaxy nexus is $350 cheaper, and the One X already only fetches about $500-550.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
Sweet.
I was just doing some snooping on my providers website.
EVERYTHING they're doing is in the 850 and 1900 bands. Even the "4G", which still isn't anything to write home about.
Now, as long as I don't suffer from my modem problems that I had after I flashed my SGS the first time (ie. lose carrier once I'm out of my home zone) I'm REALLY set.
(pre-)Ordered my S3 yesterday...
Yeah! Can't wait for the baby to arrive next week!
Also got me a prepaid SIM (AT&T) with Straight Talk, and - just in case - a SIM cutter. Looks like I'm ready to roll!
Let's see how this all shakes out... but it better be good!
I read in another thread here on XDA ("Samsung Galaxy S III... No LTE for $800?!") that the phone will "perform sexual favors and make a sandwich afterward." -- Awesome!!!
Unbelievable, how Samsung pulls these things off again and again and again... LOL
Well, I had to double-check to make sure I asked for 1-3 day shipping on mine. Still waiting for a reply back!
Even if Expansys gets it next week, I won't be seeing it until the week of June 4th OR later.
And it's being shipped to the office where I work. Double-bonus. So as soon I get it, my lunch break will be go down to the kiosk of my provider, pay $10 for the microsim, get it programmed, and voila...done and done.
So recently my phone has been acting strange. When I try to make a phone call I get no dial tone then the call ends. But sometimes it goes through. Sometimes the signal bars will drop and then I'll get the no service icon. Then again other times the signal will drop then switch to E and the call will go through.
I've tried multiple radios and builds, and now I'm back on stock hoping AT&T will get me a new phone.
Any ideas or suggestions concerning the issue or trying to convince AT&T I didn't mess with the phone?
Sent from my HTC One X+ using xda app-developers app
So after trying to get my issue fixed at an on site corporate ATT, I could not replicate my issue because they probably have a cell booster in the building haha. So they gave me a new SIM card which did jack.
A couple days later, I contacted support online which did some troubleshooting with me. Then I was asked about warranty... I told the truth: unlocked, rooted, custom Rom, stock, unrooted, relocked.
Apparently this was not an issue. As long as there was no screen damage and the water marker was good, they said I was covered, which surprised me but maybe I'm just under informed.
So they sent me a new HOX+ and I sent my old one back to them. Now my issue is completely resolved, for now... I've heard many go through the same back and forth with these devices
Sent from my HTC One X+ using xda app-developers app
Wow, they did nothing about the rooting mess! I'm impressed.
Sent from my HTC One X+ using Tapatalk 4 Beta
sixcarnage said:
Wow, they did nothing about the rooting mess! I'm impressed.
Sent from my HTC One X+ using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I guess I just sent the phone back Monday, so maybe they'll try to screw me. ha
amccue said:
Well I guess I just sent the phone back Monday, so maybe they'll try to screw me. ha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or may be finally they woke up....
In India at least we can do whatever we want to do with our devices (software wise)... and warranty is still covered . And technically it should!
amccue said:
So recently my phone has been acting strange. When I try to make a phone call I get no dial tone then the call ends. But sometimes it goes through. Sometimes the signal bars will drop and then I'll get the no service icon. Then again other times the signal will drop then switch to E and the call will go through.
I've tried multiple radios and builds, and now I'm back on stock hoping AT&T will get me a new phone.
Any ideas or suggestions concerning the issue or trying to convince AT&T I didn't mess with the phone?
Sent from my HTC One X+ using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A little late to this, but I am having the same issue in southern US. Made a thread about it, but no responses. I never found your thread because I was looking to specific I suppose. I determined that the HSPA antenna actually failed on my phone. You can have full LTE signal then when you make a call you get one bar of EDGE
This makes my FOURTH AT&T HOX+. First one had a loose speaker that buzzed. Second had a radio issue that caused random static and interference during calls. Third one has this problem. Let's hope fourth is a winner. Gah, I used to love HTC, but four of the same phones with manufacturing defects?
I currently have a Droid DNA through Verizon and would like to switch to Straight Talk. I see options for both AT&T and T-Mobile compatible SIM cards, and am curious which one I should go with. I live in the Houston area. I prefer not to have to cut the card but it's not a deal breaker.
In my area AT&T has much wider and more reliable data coverage. I was often on edge everywhere in my hometown while on T-Mobile. This may not be the case for Houston. Just test drive both networks for a month each.
Ah, excellent point. Should be cheap enough to try them both. Thanks!
I actually work in Electronics at Walmart and deal with this all the time. Straight Talk will not move 4G LTE phones to their service. They aren't compatible and do not have the agreements with carriers for LTE access. If you read the CDMA/GSM bring your own phone package that includes the SIM cards it says in bold writing LTE Phones are not compatible. The DNA would not be able to be used on Straight Talk because it is a LTE phone. Straight Talk has a list of approved devices on their website. Because you do have to provide your phones IMEI they will know it is a LTE phone and deny your request to activate the phone on their services.
Kutster, I hate to correct you but I actually did successfully connect my Droid DNA using the Walmart SIM card. Now in my area it was actually called FamilyMobile, and run by T-Mobile. I purchased a SIM card from Walmart, took it home, plugged it in, set up an account, and it worked. Granted, you don't get LTE, but it does work and is mega cheap ($40/mo unlimited). I ended up cancelling and taking it back, simply because the internet was very slow, and the coverage wasn't very good in my area (T-Mobile sucks in my area). I do want to stress though that it definitely does work! I think I'll try AT&T GoPhone next.
The important thing to remember is this phone (the DNA) has all the radios necessary to connect to just about anybody but Sprint's network. Don't always believe what the companies tell ya.
impala454 said:
Kutster, I hate to correct you but I actually did successfully connect my Droid DNA using the Walmart SIM card. Now in my area it was actually called FamilyMobile, and run by T-Mobile. I purchased a SIM card from Walmart, took it home, plugged it in, set up an account, and it worked. Granted, you don't get LTE, but it does work and is mega cheap ($40/mo unlimited). I ended up cancelling and taking it back, simply because the internet was very slow, and the coverage wasn't very good in my area (T-Mobile sucks in my area). I do want to stress though that it definitely does work! I think I'll try AT&T GoPhone next.
The important thing to remember is this phone (the DNA) has all the radios necessary to connect to just about anybody but Sprint's network. Don't always believe what the companies tell ya.
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Click to collapse
impala454 said:
I currently have a Droid DNA through Verizon and would like to switch to Straight Talk
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See that's where your terms and confusion of prepaid comes into play. Of course Family Mobile worked they don't have restrictions on LTE especially since Family Mobile is powered by T-mobile. Straight Talk which is the company I was referring to and the company you were referring to does has limitations on LTE phones, and will NOT allow any LTE phone to to brought to their service. This has to do with they license the use of multiple carriers towers.
Trust me I am not trying to be rude, but I honestly deal with this on a daily basis. You know how many Straight Talk bring your own phone kits I have had to refund because customers buy them for their nice Verizon LTE smartphones? It doesn't work. I am telling you from my experience and my countless hours on the phone with Straight Talk reps and on their website, what their policy is on LTE phones. I beg you to go to Walmart and look at the Straight Talk CDMA/GSM BYOP (Bring Your Own Phone) kits that they sell for $60. In the middle of that package on the front it says something along the lines of "LTE Phones are not Compatible." Which like it reads means you cannot bring over a LTE phone to Straight Talk.
AT&T prepaid I would venture to guess would work, but I can't remember if AT&T is as picky as Verizon is about what smartphones get put on their prepaid plans. You would have to call and find out.
So once again, please keep in mind that every prepaid carrier is different, use different towers, and different policies. Just because it worked on one does not mean a different company has policies that differ or block that same practice.
I didn't realize StraightTalk and FamilyMobile were different. I just assumed that when I went to Walmart it was whatever they were using. I see now that StraightTalk is AT&T and FamilyMobile is T-Mobile. I only had the option for FamilyMobile at my Walmart. Thanks for the clarification.
I'm not going to disagree, but I will say that the FamilyMobile website also said my specific phone was not eligible, but it did in fact work. So to anyone else reading this, YMMV. Considering Walmart takes the card back for a full refund, I don't see a problem in at least attempting it (except that employees such as yourself have to deal with it ). It makes sense to me that there's no way for the carrier to enforce specific phones when they are SIM card based. So long as your phone has the radios that carrier operates on, it should work. My guess is that the LTE phones statement on the package is in reference to the fact that you won't get LTE speeds with that network.
kutster said:
See that's where your terms and confusion of prepaid comes into play. Of course Family Mobile worked they don't have restrictions on LTE especially since Family Mobile is powered by T-mobile. Straight Talk which is the company I was referring to and the company you were referring to does has limitations on LTE phones, and will NOT allow any LTE phone to to brought to their service. This has to do with they license the use of multiple carriers towers.
Trust me I am not trying to be rude, but I honestly deal with this on a daily basis. You know how many Straight Talk bring your own phone kits I have had to refund because customers buy them for their nice Verizon LTE smartphones? It doesn't work. I am telling you from my experience and my countless hours on the phone with Straight Talk reps and on their website, what their policy is on LTE phones. I beg you to go to Walmart and look at the Straight Talk CDMA/GSM BYOP (Bring Your Own Phone) kits that they sell for $60. In the middle of that package on the front it says something along the lines of "LTE Phones are not Compatible." Which like it reads means you cannot bring over a LTE phone to Straight Talk.
AT&T prepaid I would venture to guess would work, but I can't remember if AT&T is as picky as Verizon is about what smartphones get put on their prepaid plans. You would have to call and find out.
So once again, please keep in mind that every prepaid carrier is different, use different towers, and different policies. Just because it worked on one does not mean a different company has policies that differ or block that same practice.
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Click to collapse
Being an an LTE device wouldn't matter in this case since the LTE radio will only work on the CDMA side of the phone and with Verizon's LTE. It has UMTS and Straight Talk already confirmed with me the phone would get 3G while on their network. There's not a magic way of them detecting an LTE phone ( one that works on a CDMA carrier mind you) and flipping the off switch. The 2G and 3G networks are available for AT&T and T-Mobile regardless of which prepaid carrier you use.
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk 4
xlxcrossing said:
Being an an LTE device wouldn't matter in this case since the LTE radio will only work on the CDMA side of the phone and with Verizon's LTE. It has UMTS and Straight Talk already confirmed with me the phone would get 3G while on their network. There's not a magic way of them detecting an LTE phone ( one that works on a CDMA carrier mind you) and flipping the off switch. The 2G and 3G networks are available for AT&T and T-Mobile regardless of which prepaid carrier you use.
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk 4
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Click to collapse
Im not going to argue about it. When you go to activate a BYOP on Straight Talk you have to input the IMEI, which does tell Straight Talk if the phone is LTE capable or not and if it isn't eligible it will not allow you to activate the phone. Period. I hate done it and tried it. It isn't like ATT where you put in the SIM card and it is activated. You activate the phone IMEI and SIM card # with Straight Talk. That is how it works with BYOP.
@Impala Im glad you had luck getting Family Mobile working.
Uh, I'm currently using Straight Talk on my DNA with full HSPA+ capability, as are many others.
holyinstantrice said:
Uh, I'm currently using Straight Talk on my DNA with full HSPA+ capability, as are many others.
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Exactly, ours is an LTE device so please tell us why it certainly does work on Straight Talk when you claim it doesn't.
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk 4
xlxcrossing said:
Exactly, ours is an LTE device so please tell us why it certainly does work on Straight Talk when you claim it doesn't.
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk 4
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Click to collapse
Also, Straight Talk just got support for AT&T LTE. So they're going to have to accept LTE devices?
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Yeah I just read up on that. I wonder if the DNA 700mhz band will work. I checked online and it shows AT&T as using the 700 bands as well (a,b,c) I'm assuming the new Sim they are selling enables the LTE?
Can anyone with the new Sim confirm LTE connectivity?
EDIT : looks like at&t is band 17 and Verizon is 13. The FCC is pushing for interoperability within the upper 700 but it looks as if the chipset controls which band LTE operates off of...damn. It would be sweet to get LTE on an unlimited prepaid plan.
Interesting. I wonder if GoPhone or anyone else that's AT&T related would work LTE wise?
So are you guys able to use gsm networks with the 2.06 firmware?
I'm using net10 (att) with my DNA with 2.04 firmware and I'm hesitant to update to 2.06 until I can confirm that the 2.06 update keeps gsm completely unlocked?
ac7822 said:
So are you guys able to use gsm networks with the 2.06 firmware?
I'm using net10 (att) with my DNA with 2.04 firmware and I'm hesitant to update to 2.06 until I can confirm that the 2.06 update keeps gsm completely unlocked?
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Click to collapse
I'm on 2.06 using a straight talk sim I can't get LTE speeds or even my signal to say LTE but I get H+ and max out at about 8mbps
Sent from my AOSP on Grouper using xda app-developers app
tdizzle404 said:
I'm on 2.06 using a straight talk sim I can't get LTE speeds or even my signal to say LTE but I get H+ and max out at about 8mbps
Sent from my AOSP on Grouper using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too. Straight Talk claims LTE works for unlocked AT&T smartphones.
Hey everyone, I'm totally new to Straight Talk and GSM and the DNA being used somewhere besides Verizon. (I'm a long time VZ customer but read Android Police daily and am familiar with all things Android.) Anyways, I'm pretty clear on using the phone on Straight Talk, getting MMS and all that, my only question is, how do you go about getting OTA's? Since the phone technically is a Verizon phone, updates would come from them. While on Straight Talk can I throw a Verizon sim card in the phone, download the OTA. Then after completing the update, put back in my AT&T sim card. Or does HTC offer OTA downloads online?
How do you guys go about updating your phone? (OTA's obviously apply to non-rooted devices. I may or may not root it.)
Thanks for your help!
b_hermon said:
Hey everyone, I'm totally new to Straight Talk and GSM and the DNA being used somewhere besides Verizon. (I'm a long time VZ customer but read Android Police daily and am familiar with all things Android.) Anyways, I'm pretty clear on using the phone on Straight Talk, getting MMS and all that, my only question is, how do you go about getting OTA's? Since the phone technically is a Verizon phone, updates would come from them. While on Straight Talk can I throw a Verizon sim card in the phone, download the OTA. Then after completing the update, put back in my AT&T sim card. Or does HTC offer OTA downloads online?
How do you guys go about updating your phone? (OTA's obviously apply to non-rooted devices. I may or may not root it.)
Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just s-off my phone using moonshine and then there are some bone stock roms to flash. Apart from that I'm not sure, before soff I was looking for an ruu to flash but couldn't find an updated one
Sent from my AOSP on Flo using Tapatalk 4
ac7822 said:
I just s-off my phone using moonshine and then there are some bone stock roms to flash. Apart from that I'm not sure, before soff I was looking for an ruu to flash but couldn't find an updated one
Sent from my AOSP on Flo using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks ac! That sounds like something I could do. I'm not too familiar with s-off, moonshine or HTC (the phone is my wife's. I'm a nexus guy) but I may have to look into that. Anybody else out there with any ideas?
That's right.... I want LTE bad. The entire reason I switched to T-Mobile was for LTE. Now the issue is after the sim is activated, LTE disappears.
$50 Amazon gift card if you develop a fix for this. $25 if you give a solution that works!
Let's figure this out! I can't afford an S4 or htc one now....
I don't mean to sound negative or pessimistic but, the LGOG using T-Mobile's HSPA+ service is pretty damned fast as it is... and yes I'd like it to work on my LGOG since it did work not once but twice with two different T-Mobile SIM cards for periods of time but, if you're in an area serviced by T-Mobile's current LTE rollout then you're also getting HSPA+ service too so...
"How fast is fast?" is the question I end up eventually asking people: how fast do you really need the connection to be for a smartphone? What are you folks doing with your smartphones that requires more than ~15-20Mbps?
Also...
Can anyone that is rooted/unlocked (bootloader) and has a recovery installed boot your device into fastboot mode and see if it shows a baseband listed at all? Mine - which is running the stock JB 4.1.2 presently and using the stock JB AT&T radio shows N/A which makes me think there's something going on in there or I busted something during my multiple flashing phase over the past week or so, I don't know. Here's what mine says presently:
FASTBOOT MODE
PRODUCT NAME - mako
VARIANT - mako 16GB
HW VERSION - rev_10 (16)
BOOTLOADER VERSION - MAKOZ10o
BASEBAND VERSION - N/A
CARRIER INFO - None
SERIAL NUMBER - YADDAYADDAYADDA
SIGNING - production
SECURE BOOT - enabled
LOCK STATE - unlocked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now I'm wondering about two aspects there: the MAKOZ10o reference which could be related to the older ICS bootloader since that was a V10o thing, maybe it was updated and now IDs itself as Z10o, I don't know for sure, and of course the fact that it doesn't show a baseband version at all. I don't particularly believe that's what's causing the LTE to crap out and die but, I can't say for certain.
But I'm interested in seeing if anyone else's device running the stock JB 4.1.2 (mine has been flashed with LGNPST directly, not as an OTA - the device could have been 4.0.4 > 4.1.2 by OTA from the previous owner, I have no idea), and of course I can't say for certain when the LTE just stopped working but it was within the first day of me owning the device and before I ever flashed anything or rooted it so I will say that rooting it didn't cause the LTE to stop working and that was the first step in the flashing I've done since I got it.
Still, it's odd that it works then just stops working and never comes back...
br0adband said:
I don't mean to sound negative or pessimistic but, the LGOG using T-Mobile's HSPA+ service is pretty damned fast as it is... and yes I'd like it to work on my LGOG since it did work not once but twice with two different T-Mobile SIM cards for periods of time but, if you're in an area serviced by T-Mobile's current LTE rollout then you're also getting HSPA+ service too so...
"How fast is fast?" is the question I end up eventually asking people: how fast do you really need the connection to be for a smartphone? What are you folks doing with your smartphones that requires more than ~15-20Mbps?
Also...
Can anyone that is rooted/unlocked (bootloader) and has a recovery installed boot your device into fastboot mode and see if it shows a baseband listed at all? Mine - which is running the stock JB 4.1.2 presently and using the stock JB AT&T radio shows N/A which makes me think there's something going on in there or I busted something during my multiple flashing phase over the past week or so, I don't know. Here's what mine says presently:
Now I'm wondering about two aspects there: the MAKOZ10o reference which could be related to the older ICS bootloader since that was a V10o thing, maybe it was updated and now IDs itself as Z10o, I don't know for sure, and of course the fact that it doesn't show a baseband version at all. I don't particularly believe that's what's causing the LTE to crap out and die but, I can't say for certain.
But I'm interested in seeing if anyone else's device running the stock JB 4.1.2 (mine has been flashed with LGNPST directly, not as an OTA - the device could have been 4.0.4 > 4.1.2 by OTA from the previous owner, I have no idea), and of course I can't say for certain when the LTE just stopped working but it was within the first day of me owning the device and before I ever flashed anything or rooted it so I will say that rooting it didn't cause the LTE to stop working and that was the first step in the flashing I've done since I got it.
Still, it's odd that it works then just stops working and never comes back...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the most part, it's fast.... But it's line having a Porsche with a speed limiter.... Who wants that?
Mine didn't have lte bone stock. I just rooted mine and booted into bootloader and I do have a line of letters and numbers with the baseband.
Bounty is going to be void unless someone has a solution quick! I put it up on craigslist and supposedly someone is going to buy it. Guess I'll have to fork over extra $ for a One or S4
I'm on T-Mobile LTE has never worked for me (been on it about a week). I get week 4g in town and most the time it wont even load ANYTHING! 2G is garbage...... My fastboot shows baseband version as n/a also. Unlocking the bootloader via freegee simply flashes the nexus aboot image which likely hasn't been modified. Does Tmobile LTE work on the nexus/nexus conversion? I know free also flashes a modified boot image but it simply removes the wallpaper.bin file from the phones bin directory to allow removal of any apps (its checks for videos,apk etc etc). I haven't tried flash the T-Mobile modem in the modem thread (.38 or something?) but I am assuming it also wont allow for LTE? Do these phones share modems with nexus or are they just cross compatible? Does the phone run LTE stock? I'm not familiar with at&t and do not know if they have a LTE band. Is it possible the hardware has just been removed on this model for LTE and those that get it do so without the antenna? I know there is another phone where that is the case but I cant remember which one of the top of my head.
Guys really need to quit buying e970s and thinking lte on tmo will work.
Sent from my LG Optimus G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
DeathmonkeyGTX said:
Guys really need to quit buying e970s and thinking lte on tmo will work.
Sent from my LG Optimus G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Click to collapse
As I just noted in another post, the LGOG is fully capable of LTE service on the T-Mobile frequencies - it's a damned Nexus 4 in a different package, with the same hardware radio and I/we can even run the T-Mobile radio firmware as well. That's not the issue.
The issue is that for many of us it DOES work at first but then the LTE stops working and I/we would most certainly like to figure out why it's happening.
Probably tmo trying to force you to buy a phone from them.
Sent from my LG Optimus G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Doubtful considering that's one reason they refarmed their network in the first place, so potential customers could bring their unlocked ATT devices to the T-Mobile network and have great service, LTE included. The "uncarrier" has great pride in that fact and have gone through great lengths to advertise it. The issue the OP is having appears to be LGOG specific as I hadn't heard of or seen any other devices with said issue, thus the bounty.
Sent from my LG-E970 using xda app-developers app
The reason you guys are losing LTE is T-Mobile is slowly switching to a diff band. And it is one this phone doesn't handle. As they convert towers to the new frequency phones that do not handle all the US LTE bands get left behind.
Sent from my LG Optimus G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
autosurgeon said:
The reason you guys are losing LTE is T-Mobile is slowly switching to a diff band. And it is one this phone doesn't handle. As they convert towers to the new frequency phones that do not handle all the US LTE bands get left behind.
Sent from my LG Optimus G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=47076068&postcount=67
Since this double-posting and chasing people around threads gets tiring.
autosurgeon said:
The reason you guys are losing LTE is T-Mobile is slowly switching to a diff band. And it is one this phone doesn't handle. As they convert towers to the new frequency phones that do not handle all the US LTE bands get left behind.
Sent from my LG Optimus G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hadn't seen any information to back this up, feel free to direct me to the info if you'd like. I find it hard to believe as T-Mobile just refarmed the network to support the same LTE bands as att and are still actively advertising the fact you can bring your unlocked device to their network without issue and with full support. In addition individuals are reporting LTE service that works fine initially then ceases generally after reboot or within a few days. The odds of these bands being changed just as users switch in multiple locations to multiple users are slim to none.
Sent from my LG-E970 using xda app-developers app
I was told this by technical support when helping a friend that has an e970. Whether it is accurate info I guess is now in question. Sorry if it is not.
Sent from my LG Optimus G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
No worries in the long run, we just like to make sure people do get accurate info. T-Mobile uses band 4 for LTE purposes, and that'll fall within the 850 and 1900 MHz bands they're refarming aka repurposing from primarily 2G/EDGE network usage towards more HSPA+ access which would also get more LTE support there as well.
And yeah, it's irritating as hell knowing it did work and now it doesn't, very frustrating. It's the only thing I haven't been able to get addressed with this LGOG so far and it flat out pisses me off.
Bounty is OFF! I sold the LGOG and picked up an ATT S4 for $185 off CL! Only slight damage to volume button but other than that clean, not stolen and LTE works! Until I bricked it by flashing the wrong rom but it's in the mail shipping back to me repaired !!
I had it running on Simple and I would mainly get terrible edge a I guess HSPA since it would say 4G sometimes. Didn't get LTE until I went over to AT&T.