[Q] Huawei Mediapad X1 - buying advice - Huawei MediaPad, T-Mobile SpringBoard

Hi
After using the Galaxy Note 2 and then the Note 3 for more than 2 years I've reached the conclusion that I need a phablet with a screen as big as my pocket and hand can fit, since my phablet is my portable office. I use it mainly for work and the bigger the screen, the better. I'm also tired of the terrible sunlight legibility of the Note series. As such, I'm seriously considering the Mediapad X1.
I've been reading the threads on XDA and searching the web for all the info I can get, but a few issues are still a bit unclear to me. If any of these questions has been asked before, my apologies. I did search the forum but something might have slipped or maybe I didn't understand it. So, what I'd like to ask is:
1) I live in Europe and have a 4G data plan. My carrier's LTE network has the following characteristics:
Frequency (MHz) / Band / Duplex Mode
800 / 20 / FDD
1800 / 3 / FDD
2600 / 7 / FDD
What is the manufacturer's code for the 16GB black 4G FDD & TDD version of the Mediapad X1? The specs that most online sites and ebay sellers post are general at best and I want to be sure I'm getting the right model.
2) Is there an official KitKat ROM available for download (not OTA)? If so, does it support English? Is it rootable (deal breaker for me)?
3) There seems to be an issue with the screens DPI in the latest ROM (whatever it is) but I didn't quite understand what the problem is?
4) Can I make the home row disappear in the international version of the phone and have an uncluttered full screen or is this only possible in the Chinese version?
5) I've noticed that the device seems to be out of stock on most online dealers. Is this just a momentary situation or has the phone been discontinued?
Thanks.

Alexei Volkoff said:
Hi
After using the Galaxy Note 2 and then the Note 3 for more than 2 years I've reached the conclusion that I need a phablet with a screen as big as my pocket and hand can fit, since my phablet is my portable office. I use it mainly for work and the bigger the screen, the better. I'm also tired of the terrible sunlight legibility of the Note series. As such, I'm seriously considering the Mediapad X1.
I've been reading the threads on XDA and searching the web for all the info I can get, but a few issues are still a bit unclear to me. If any of these questions has been asked before, my apologies. I did search the forum but something might have slipped or maybe I didn't understand it. So, what I'd like to ask is:
1) I live in Europe and have a 4G data plan. My carrier's LTE network has the following characteristics:
Frequency (MHz) Band Duplex Mode
800 20 FDD
1800 3 FDD
2600 7 FDD
What is the manufacturer's code for the 16GB black 4G FDD & TDD version of the Mediapad X1? The specs that most online sites and ebay sellers post are general at best and I want to be sure I'm getting the right model.
2) Is there an official KitKat ROM available for download (not OTA)? If so, does it support English? Is it rootable (deal breaker for me)?
3) There seems to be an issue with the screens DPI in the latest ROM (whatever it is) but I didn't quite understand what the problem is?
4) Can I make the home row disappear in the international version of the phone and have an uncluttered full screen or is this only possible in the Chinese version?
5) I've noticed that the device seems to be out of stock on most online dealers. Is this just a momentary situation or has the phone been discontinued?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) You need the International version, which is the 7D-501L.
2) I don't think there is a KitKat version for that one yet, but you shouldn't have a problem rooting the 4.2.2 software.
3) The KitKat ROMs for the other X1 models have the screen density set to 400 dpi instead of 320 on the 4.2.2, which I'm told spoils the layout in places and also breaks compatibility with some apps such as Google Plus.
4) I think you have to root the phone to get the navigation bar to disappear on the International version software.
5) No idea, but I doubt very much if it's been discontinued when it's only just out.

Thanks a lot for the explanation! I've read some more about this phone here on XDA and it seems that there are way too many problems and very little solutions. Support from Huawei is poor or non-existent - at least for those of us who don't understand Chinese - and there are very few users here, so support is limited too.
I really wanted to move to a bigger screen but it seems that it is best to wait for now. No Kitkat for the 501L, many people reporting issues after rooting, which in itself doesn't seem exactly problem free, and so on. What a shame. I really wanted this device.

Related

Development difference International vs North American variants?

I just want to know how different the development will be for the international version compared to either the Canadian/US version (which presumably will be the same with S4 & 2GB RAM). People are posting that Samsung will give the international version updates earlier but is it that much sooner than other variants (or do the NA variants not get updates at all)?
I'm not sure which to order since I'm from the US (I have no use for LTE but price and ease of warranty are factors).
This is my problem too, which to get?. I'd love to have more development options, but at the same time I want faster speeds.
At a glance it appears that the internation one is going to be HSPA+ 21Mbit/s connections. But the LTE North American models will have LTE support and if LTE isn't avalible in your area then it defaults down to DC-HSPA 42Mbit/s not to mention the 2GBs of ram.
This is a hard choice :/
Both will have great development. Look at the intl note and the north america note for example
Sent from my HTC One S using xda premium
I also don't know which version to choose... Less pricy 2gb dual core with LTE or international with more support quadcore better GPU but less ram and no LTE...
I wanna know which one is better for multitasking, also if the battery life is better on the dual core or not and if 2gb vs 1gb really matters...
Id choose the usa version but i just hate that awful carrier logo on the front of the phone, it ruins all the beauty!
Totòòò said:
Id choose the usa version but i just hate that awful carrier logo on the front of the phone, it ruins all the beauty!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thankfully my carrier doesn't brand there model number on the phone itself. I think they do this because they sell there phones in an unbranded/unlock versions to other non-major tel companys in Canada (don't know if this holds true for the SGS3 when it comes out though)
I've made my decision I want more ram and faster connection speeds through LTE and DC-HSPA. So now I'm just waiting for the thing to release lol. Also waiting to hear back from them if i can get it cheaper as an upgrade, otherwise their full price will be $599
Sent from my GT-I9100M using XDA
Don't mean to drag this back up, but I was going to create a new post until I found this one.
I am in the same predicament. I'm wondering if I should get the Intl or US model.
I'm on T-Mobile, and they will be refarming their PCS band for HSPA+. I wonder if it's a safe bet to get the Intl model and rely only on a single 1900 MHz band for data, or go with the carrier's model and enjoy the potential of 2 HSPA+ bands (1700/1900)...
Plus, there's the development support issue as well. I've enjoyed my Intl SGS2 when I was on AT&T because of all the developer support - love the mods and the ROMs. Then I moved to a GNex when I went to TMobile.
My ideal ROM situation: CM9 ROM, stock Android Experience ROM, and modified Samsung ROM (themed to look/feel like ICS so I can keep the camera app while enjoying the stability and the highly optimized framework). I love using Titanium Backup and ROM Manager to basically change ROMs without loosing much data whenever I'm in a different mood.
I'd like to eventually have 1 SGS3, 1 iPhone (the next model, esp when TMobile's PCS band gets refarmed), and I'll keep my GNex for shiz and giggles.
Just not sure which to get - both seem to have their pros and cons.

Does anyone own the Mediapad X1 4G? Would love some feedback on the device as well as

I've been going on YouTube to get some reviews but its mostly a quick hands on. Does anyone own the device and have any feedback on it? Any issues? I was thinking about getting the 4G version but I can't find anything on it!
I've noticed the phone has been updated to a new version of android recently... Can you get root with the update?
There's a 4G version of this as well, does that connect to the 4G bands of AT&T or does it just get HSPA+?
I've been trying to look for the Chinese forums for this device to get reviews or user feedback in general but I can't find anything!
Any help or opinions would be greatly appreciated!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk
adrienned said:
I've been going on YouTube to get some reviews but its mostly a quick hands on. Does anyone own the device and have any feedback on it? Any issues? I was thinking about getting the 4G version but I can't find anything on it!
I've noticed the phone has been updated to a new version of android recently... Can you get root with the update?
There's a 4G version of this as well, does that connect to the 4G bands of AT&T or does it just get HSPA+?
I've been trying to look for the Chinese forums for this device to get reviews or user feedback in general but I can't find anything!
Any help or opinions would be greatly appreciated!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought the 4G version. 7D-503L. its LTE TDD and it does not work here in Nigeria, because the LTE sim i got is FDD. But HSPA+ is so stable and good
Kennyadex said:
I bought the 4G version. 7D-503L. its LTE TDD and it does not work here in Nigeria, because the LTE sim i got is FDD. But HSPA+ is so stable and good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info. Do you like the phone? Any problems with it?
Does anyone have any experience with it in the US? It seems like I'm going to be the only one who owns it in the states! [emoji18]
Kennyadex said:
I bought the 4G version. 7D-503L. its LTE TDD and it does not work here in Nigeria, because the LTE sim i got is FDD. But HSPA+ is so stable and good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 503L works in Malaysia where the LTE bands are 1800MHz and 2600MHz FDD. Nigeria probably uses a band unsupported by the device.
adrienned said:
Thanks for the info. Do you like the phone? Any problems with it?
Does anyone have any experience with it in the US? It seems like I'm going to be the only one who owns it in the states! [emoji18]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There was one other guy I saw in the X1 related threads in this forum here, who said that the H+ bands on AT&T work fine.
This is truly a fantastic device and has all the right boxes ticked. You can even use it as a powerbank in an emergency.
joytest said:
The 503L works in Malaysia where the LTE bands are 1800MHz and 2600MHz FDD. Nigeria probably uses a band unsupported by the device.
There was one other guy I saw in the X1 related threads in this forum here, who said that the H+ bands on AT&T work fine.
This is truly a fantastic device and has all the right boxes ticked. You can even use it as a powerbank in an emergency.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info. I'm glad to hear you like the device, because all I read were wifi and connectivity issues. I'm going to go see what bands AT&T use. Thanks again!
adrienned said:
Thanks for the info. Do you like the phone? Any problems with it?
Does anyone have any experience with it in the US? It seems like I'm going to be the only one who owns it in the states! [emoji18]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fantastic device. The best tablet i have ever had. Durable and compact. Software very smooth.
I'm in the US and am on AT&T. The LTE bands don't work in the US so you would probably want to get the 3G version (Unless you travel overseas and might want 4G)
If a huge screen and massive battery are your thing then get this phone. If not, your better served with the Sony Xperia Z Ultra.
Other than Screen Size and Battery, the Mediapad X1 falls short in alot of areas.
Pros
Screen (Why else would you get this phone?)
Battery (I get 3 days on a charge)
Don't need a tablet
Cons
Poor performance (Compared to the current snapdragon equipped phones)
Quirky Wifi Performance/Occasion dropouts (In the US)
Old OS (KitKat is out, but fairly buggy right now)
No custom recovery or roms (This would probably fix alot of the performance issues)
High memory usage (Even after rooting and removing all the Huawei stuff)
Just a little laggy in general (Annoying pause after unlocking the screen)
Build quality is a little lacking (buttons feel cheap and are easy to accidentally press or hold)
omniphil said:
I'm in the US and am on AT&T. The LTE bands don't work in the US so you would probably want to get the 3G version (Unless you travel overseas and might want 4G)
If a huge screen and massive battery are your thing then get this phone. If not, your better served with the Sony Xperia Z Ultra.
Other than Screen Size and Battery, the Mediapad X1 falls short in alot of areas.
Pros
Screen (Why else would you get this phone?)
Battery (I get 3 days on a charge)
Don't need a tablet
Cons
Poor performance (Compared to the current snapdragon equipped phones)
Quirky Wifi Performance/Occasion dropouts (In the US)
Old OS (KitKat is out, but fairly buggy right now)
No custom recovery or roms (This would probably fix alot of the performance issues)
High memory usage (Even after rooting and removing all the Huawei stuff)
Just a little laggy in general (Annoying pause after unlocking the screen)
Build quality is a little lacking (buttons feel cheap and are easy to accidentally press or hold)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suppose "Poor performance" is relative based on the Antutu score, since I'm happy with the device overall.
I did some exploring with ROM dumping tools, and I think I managed to successfully extract the /system partition. Still exploring though, hope to pick up some ROM modding skills.
omniphil said:
I'm in the US and am on AT&T. The LTE bands don't work in the US so you would probably want to get the 3G version (Unless you travel overseas and might want 4G)
If a huge screen and massive battery are your thing then get this phone. If not, your better served with the Sony Xperia Z Ultra.
Other than Screen Size and Battery, the Mediapad X1 falls short in alot of areas.
Pros
Screen (Why else would you get this phone?)
Battery (I get 3 days on a charge)
Don't need a tablet
Cons
Poor performance (Compared to the current snapdragon equipped phones)
Quirky Wifi Performance/Occasion dropouts (In the US)
Old OS (KitKat is out, but fairly buggy right now)
No custom recovery or roms (This would probably fix alot of the performance issues)
High memory usage (Even after rooting and removing all the Huawei stuff)
Just a little laggy in general (Annoying pause after unlocking the screen)
Build quality is a little lacking (buttons feel cheap and are easy to accidentally press or hold)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you get at least HSPA on the device? I know its underpowered because the Ultra has a 2.2ghz vs this one has a 1.6. I was really waiting for the Ultra 2 that would have a flash but I need something now. I didn't think I would need flash that much but I use it all the time as a light.
Did you upgrade to the latest version? Did that improve the performance? How well does it connect to the network?
I don't know about the wifi, I have a Samsung Note now and I get wifi authentication errors all the time!
adrienned said:
Do you get at least HSPA on the device? I know its underpowered because the Ultra has a 2.2ghz vs this one has a 1.6. I was really waiting for the Ultra 2 that would have a flash but I need something now. I didn't think I would need flash that much but I use it all the time as a light.
Did you upgrade to the latest version? Did that improve the performance? How well does it connect to the network?
I don't know about the wifi, I have a Samsung Note now and I get wifi authentication errors all the time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes HSPA+ works just fine at around 5mbs. That's certainly fast enough for cellular data.
I did upgrade to the leaked Kitkat build, it had some nice speed improvements however the DPI was set to 400 which was yuck, and the wifi performance was total crap. I had to go back to 4.2 unfortunately. It wasn't good enough for a daily driver, hopefully those issues get fixed for a proper update...
The wifi issues on 4.2 are not that troublesome, with the leaked 4.4 rom they were very bad.
omniphil said:
Yes HSPA+ works just fine at around 5mbs. That's certainly fast enough for cellular data.
I did upgrade to the leaked Kitkat build, it had some nice speed improvements however the DPI was set to 400 which was yuck, and the wifi performance was total crap. I had to go back to 4.2 unfortunately. It wasn't good enough for a daily driver, hopefully those issues get fixed for a proper update...
The wifi issues on 4.2 are not that troublesome, with the leaked 4.4 rom they were very bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for this. As much as I want the nice screen, I need a device that works with wifi and not on that old of an android. I will follow the forums to see if there's any improvement. Thank you for the info
adrienned said:
Thank you for this. As much as I want the nice screen, I need a device that works with wifi and not on that old of an android. I will follow the forums to see if there's any improvement. Thank you for the info
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xperia Z Ultra then
Hello friends,
Have purchased Glory Honor X1 LTE double 4G 32GB ROM, and would appreciate any owner to confirm if this unit support FDD B3 (1800MHz).
Huawei official site says NO - (Network Frequency TDD-LTE: B38/39/40/41; TD-SCDMA: A + F band; WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100MHz (roaming); GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz)
But other sellers says YES
- (2G: GSM:850/900/1800/1900MHz 3G: WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100MHz TD-SCDMA A + F 4G: TDD-LTE:B38/39/40/41, FDD-LTE: B1/3/7
I'm confused...
Anyone can help please?
ecep said:
Hello friends,
Have purchased Glory Honor X1 LTE double 4G 32GB ROM, and would appreciate any owner to confirm if this unit support FDD B3 (1800MHz).
Huawei official site says NO - (Network Frequency TDD-LTE: B38/39/40/41; TD-SCDMA: A + F band; WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100MHz (roaming); GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz)
But other sellers says YES
- (2G: GSM:850/900/1800/1900MHz 3G: WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100MHz TD-SCDMA A + F 4G: TDD-LTE:B38/39/40/41, FDD-LTE: B1/3/7
I'm confused...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ecep said:
Hello friends,
Have purchased Glory Honor X1 LTE double 4G 32GB ROM, and would appreciate any owner to confirm if this unit support FDD B3 (1800MHz).
Huawei official site says NO - (Network Frequency TDD-LTE: B38/39/40/41; TD-SCDMA: A + F band; WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100MHz (roaming); GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz)
But other sellers says YES
- (2G: GSM:850/900/1800/1900MHz 3G: WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100MHz TD-SCDMA A + F 4G: TDD-LTE:B38/39/40/41, FDD-LTE: B1/3/7
I'm confused...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to some other posts I read, Huawei may not be able to legally state FDD support as they are not licensed for that spectrum in China. However there are reports that the modem supports all frequencies.
Can I know what is the model number of the 32gb version?
Sent from my MediaPad X1 7.0 using Tapatalk HD
joytest said:
According to some other posts I read, Huawei may not be able to legally state FDD support as they are not licensed for that spectrum in China. However there are reports that the modem supports all frequencies.
Can I know what is the model number of the 32gb version?
Sent from my MediaPad X1 7.0 using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the product I have purchased: vmall.com/product/1124.html#1873
just add www
Brand Glory HONOR
Model 7D-503L
Dissemination name Glory X1
Time to market June 2014
Operating system Android 4.2.2
User Interface Emotion UI 2.0
CPU Model Hisilicon Kirin 910
CPU Auditors Quad-Core
CPU frequency 1.6GHz
GPU Mali450-MP4
Network
Network standard Mobile 4G (TD-LTE, the need to use mobile 4G card) - China Unicom 4G (TD-LTE, 4G need to use China Unicom card) - Mobile 3G (TD-SCDMA) - China Unicom 3G (WCDMA, roaming) - China Unicom 2G / mobile 2G ( GSM)
Network Frequency TDD-LTE: B38/39/40/41; TD-SCDMA: A + F band; WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100MHz (roaming); GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
Data services GPRS / EDGE / WCDMA HSPA + (DL: 42Mbps, UL: 5.76Mbps) / TD-SCDMA/TD-HSPA (DL: 2.8Mbps, UL: 2.2Mbps) / TDD LTE (DL: 112Mpbs, UL: 10Mbps)
ecep said:
This is the product I have purchased: vmall.com/product/1124.html#1873
just add www
Brand Glory HONOR
Model 7D-503L
Dissemination name Glory X1
Time to market June 2014
Operating system Android 4.2.2
User Interface Emotion UI 2.0
CPU Model Hisilicon Kirin 910
CPU Auditors Quad-Core
CPU frequency 1.6GHz
GPU Mali450-MP4
Network
Network standard Mobile 4G (TD-LTE, the need to use mobile 4G card) - China Unicom 4G (TD-LTE, 4G need to use China Unicom card) - Mobile 3G (TD-SCDMA) - China Unicom 3G (WCDMA, roaming) - China Unicom 2G / mobile 2G ( GSM)
Network Frequency TDD-LTE: B38/39/40/41; TD-SCDMA: A + F band; WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100MHz (roaming); GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
Data services GPRS / EDGE / WCDMA HSPA + (DL: 42Mbps, UL: 5.76Mbps) / TD-SCDMA/TD-HSPA (DL: 2.8Mbps, UL: 2.2Mbps) / TDD LTE (DL: 112Mpbs, UL: 10Mbps)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 703L supports FDD 1800 and 2600MHz, and probably some other FDD bands as well, as it has been reported working in France, Germany, Malaysia and Singapore, which use FDD bands,
Many thanks your confirmation dear friend.
I'm guessing there is no Mediapad x1 that works on T-mobile AWS
emann56 said:
I'm guessing there is no Mediapad x1 that works on T-mobile AWS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works with T-Mobile in the US, yes. LTE, no

Padfone S TW serial Band 17 Activation with 5.0

I bought the padfone S a little premature it seems. I read up on it for a while but I missed the part where 1700 band is not enabled on it. I have seen a few members on here note that they have it enabled on their phones. I'm on AT&T right now but I'm not against switching carriers if it will get me faster speeds.
I upgraded to 5.0 using the firmware update from Asus and it went very smoothly. I'm just really hoping there is a way to enable 1700 band. If not I may have to search for an S plus and sell the phone. I don't mind rooting the phone if I need to.
Any help on how to achieve this would be appreciated.

Purchased Honor 10 COL-L29 8.1.0.130(C636) No LTE on ATT

Hey guys any help with this would be amazing. I grabbed this for really cheap the other day and thought it would be able to use ATT LTE since others have had success but no matter what it will only connect to H+ even when LTE finder finds the band I wanted. Really frusted as I thought I got the right model. There is only ONE international one right? Any help would be really appreciated. Thanks you guys. Hopefully I didn't mess up and get a wrong version or something though I can return it if I did.
I'm having the same issue, but on T-mobile! I don't know how to fix this.
danman0 said:
I'm having the same issue, but on T-mobile! I don't know how to fix this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I can't understand or just not knowing is the amazon version I have does 1,3,5,8 and up but the listings on Ebay have them 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,12 etc...basically all bands which I can't seem to figure out. Is there a difference? I have the UK model which is the Worldwide model not the chinese one but are there OTHER regional differences that unlock more bands? Is there a way to manually force this if so? I figured return to amazon and then get the ebay version but that is stupid if they are incorrect and they really dont' cover 2,4,5,12 for ATT that is needed.
sting12345 said:
What I can't understand or just not knowing is the amazon version I have does 1,3,5,8 and up but the listings on Ebay have them 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,12 etc...basically all bands which I can't seem to figure out. Is there a difference? I have the UK model which is the Worldwide model not the chinese one but are there OTHER regional differences that unlock more bands? Is there a way to manually force this if so? I figured return to amazon and then get the ebay version but that is stupid if they are incorrect and they really dont' cover 2,4,5,12 for ATT that is needed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I searched around today and found this. Scroll down to the connectivity part and you see that the phone supports 1 of 5 ATT LTE bands, and 0 of 5 T-Mobile LTE bands. However, I'm not sure if this information is accurate since my phone detects a neighboring band 4 LTE cell tower (which my old phone instantly connected to), but does not connect to it. Also, why is the rest of the forum quiet about this issue? Is it really just me and you that are experiencing it (or that live in the US)? I also am very confused why Huawei removed the USSD code menu option wherein you could force it to LTE. I've heard that changing something in the build.prop can force it, but you need to be rooted for that, and I've gotten bored of rooting phones lol (and the risks involved).
Luckily, for me, this isn't that big of a problem as data still works (albeit slowly), and in the beginning of September I'll be in France for at least a year. So, I made sure that this phone's bands matched up with what the carriers are on in France, so hopefully I should be fine. Otherwise, it's a sleek, awesome phone.
Honor 10 isnt made for US and US bands, even if its the global version. The bands in US are different from those in EU or Asia.
As the guy above confirmed this, the it has just one LTE compatbile band at ATT.
the one on ebay global version from Singapore is not what u think. there's a misprint on its ad. these are the actual bandwidths it supports ;
col~L29
Primary SIM card:
4G LTE TDD: B38/B40/B41
4G LTE FDD: B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B19/B20
3G WCDMA: B1/B2/B5/B8/B6/B19
2G GSM: B2/B3/B5/B8
Secondary SIM card:
4G LTE TDD: B38/B40/B41
4G LTE FDD: B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B19/B20
3G WCDMA: B1/B2/B5/B8/B6/B19
2G GSM: B2/B3/B5/B8
I want to tweak the build. prop, too, but root is required but, unfortunately, Huawei pulled that recent maneuver everyone frustrated about.
saroeum said:
the one on ebay global version from Singapore is not what u think. there's a misprint on its ad. these are the actual bandwidths it supports ;
col~L29
Primary SIM card:
4G LTE TDD: B38/B40/B41
4G LTE FDD: B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B19/B20
3G WCDMA: B1/B2/B5/B8/B6/B19
2G GSM: B2/B3/B5/B8
Secondary SIM card:
4G LTE TDD: B38/B40/B41
4G LTE FDD: B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B19/B20
3G WCDMA: B1/B2/B5/B8/B6/B19
2G GSM: B2/B3/B5/B8
I want to tweak the build. prop, too, but root is required but, unfortunately, Huawei pulled that recent maneuver everyone frustrated about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeap its a bit dead end without unlocking the bootloader. I dont know if by building and compiling original firmware from released sources and make the changes there, if it would allow you to install it.
Yes I too can pick up band 4 on LTE finder on my phone but I cannot use it, if I could then I would have fine coverage. If I go 5 miles away the other half of the city has full ATT LTE 5 coverage so I was bummed LOL when I went up there and saw full bars LTE+ LOL. Yeah the ebay guys are just putting false info then. I have my bootloader code to unlock as I have done to my V10 but not sure how that would enable the other band 4 I need. I don't have quite that much experience.
I don't know if there is something comparable to this available to be done (since Honor 10 has a Kirin and not a qualcomm), but I'm just going to leave this here for now.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5/general/how-to-add-rf-lte-frequency-bands-to-t2886059
I don't know if Honor went the route of having a few more lte bands and just disabling them in software since my phone does detect band 4 lte, but can't connect to it, but what do I know.
I have the same issue on t-mobile network.
From all the research i did it looks like the US bands are software locked. P20 supports all LTE bands (including US) and it runs on the same chipset, Kirin 970. Also as few people said, they are able to see band 4 in LTE discovery (and other apps), I can see it as well, but can't connect.
As for the software to unlock lte bands, there is nothing like that for Kirin right now.
The only option for now is to find the right modem files, edit them and flash to the device. At least that's the only thing that comes to my mind.
I'm digging through source files, which were released by Huawei, whenever i have a chance, but i'm not even sure what I'm looking for.
really sucks because of all the phones I have (a lot LOL) this is by far my favorite one to use, the way the backing was slightly curved and everyting is just perfect except for that pesky LTE issue. I know they are software locked like you said but have no way of getting it unlocked. I hve picked up LTE 4 here as well but cannot use it at all. I can get full 4g LTE when I drive 5 five miles up the road LOL but only 3g+ here at my home which is the issue. Argggg.....i have about a week left before i have to return it or keep it so I'm on the fence. My honor v10 with 970 has all bands, and my P20 lite has all LTE bands too I just don't get it.
sting12345 said:
really sucks because of all the phones I have (a lot LOL) this is by far my favorite one to use, the way the backing was slightly curved and everyting is just perfect except for that pesky LTE issue. I know they are software locked like you said but have no way of getting it unlocked. I hve picked up LTE 4 here as well but cannot use it at all. I can get full 4g LTE when I drive 5 five miles up the road LOL but only 3g+ here at my home which is the issue. Argggg.....i have about a week left before i have to return it or keep it so I'm on the fence. My honor v10 with 970 has all bands, and my P20 lite has all LTE bands too I just don't get it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is my favorite too. I guess Huawei really just wants to push the more pricier p20's in the U.S, even though they aren't really in the U.S. market to begin with anymore. With very similar specs to the P20 pro, the honor 10 would easily take away sales from the P20. Can't stop gearbest though, lol. Anyways, the extent of my modification to an android device was decompiling a rom (I think?), editing in specific MCC/MNC values for an AT&T MVNO in a certain file, recompiling it and flashing it to get 4gLTE back, since my phone thought it was roaming. I'm assuming the software-locked band information is a lot harder to find (or fix). I'm keeping my fingers crossed that HajmeR or others manage to find what we're looking for-maybe I'll even give it a go.
The question is whether LTE bands are only locked in software on your device or whether there really is a reason in hardware (missing antennas and such) that prevents you from using your preferred bands. People seem to disagree on this topic. Some claim that hardware reasons will prevent you from changing the set of allowed bands; however,
with respect to the Honor 6X, it seems that altering the oeminfo partition (https://forum.xda-developers.com/honor-6x/help/debrand-to-enable-lte-bands-indian-t3663359) can make a difference with respect to allowed LTE bands.
I have a Chinese Honor 10 (COL-AL10) which I rebranded to COL-L29 C432 by adjusting (not completely replacing) oeminfo, more precisely by carefully editing model number etc. Everything works well, but I noticed that the device does not connect to LTE band 20 towers that are in my neighborhood - even though I can connect to them when I put my sim card into a different phone. The Chinese COL-AL10 does not have band 20, so this lock or unavailability of band 20 seems to have survived the rebranding. A real COL-L29 C432 would be able to connect to band 20.
So, to investigate this further, one would have to study the oeminfo partition of a real COL-L29 C432 and investigate where information on the available LTE bands is stored - if this piece of information is hidden in the oeminfo partition. I can share the oeminfo of the COL-AL10 but have to make sure that my IMEI number cannot be extracted from it.
yeah i got my refund already from amazon and looking for a replacement, I don't like phones that are 72 mm or wider they are hard to hold, so my view 10 is tough at 75 mm..........the lg g7 is only 71 mm wide and 6.1 screen which is incredible but VERY pricey and it's LG, we know how they are on updates of ANY kind. I have the P20 lite too, which get's every single band in the USA on GSM, I don't get why the honor 10 was hampered so much because I'm not gonna buy the more expensive P20 i've used one and they are not nearly as nice feeling as the honor 10, the body is totally different not curved at all on back and feels like crap.
So the search is on, lenovo has an 845 with samsung super AMOLED on amazon for 450 with 6 gig RAM and 64 ROM and all the other bells and whistles edcept it's not glass on back which is actually like. I really really wanted the nokia 6.1 plus which is perfect in every way except once again 1,3,5, bands only LOL. So not go again. The Xiaomi A2 lite is interesting, metal back, 4000 ma battery which is insanely big, but then only 2.4 wifi and microusb LOL? 625 processor but only 200 bucks so really a good value and get's every band like the p20 lite.
mrspeccy said:
The question is whether LTE bands are only locked in software on your device or whether there really is a reason in hardware (missing antennas and such) that prevents you from using your preferred bands. People seem to disagree on this topic. Some claim that hardware reasons will prevent you from changing the set of allowed bands; however,
with respect to the Honor 6X, it seems that altering the oeminfo partition (https://forum.xda-developers.com/honor-6x/help/debrand-to-enable-lte-bands-indian-t3663359) can make a difference with respect to allowed LTE bands.
I have a Chinese Honor 10 (COL-AL10) which I rebranded to COL-L29 C432 by adjusting (not completely replacing) oeminfo, more precisely by carefully editing model number etc. Everything works well, but I noticed that the device does not connect to LTE band 20 towers that are in my neighborhood - even though I can connect to them when I put my sim card into a different phone. The Chinese COL-AL10 does not have band 20, so this lock or unavailability of band 20 seems to have survived the rebranding. A real COL-L29 C432 would be able to connect to band 20.
So, to investigate this further, one would have to study the oeminfo partition of a real COL-L29 C432 and investigate where information on the available LTE bands is stored - if this piece of information is hidden in the oeminfo partition. I can share the oeminfo of the COL-AL10 but have to make sure that my IMEI number cannot be extracted from it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just happened to trade my Samsung Galaxy S7 to Honor 10 andit happens to be that what you're looking for. Can you help me out to help you how to get that information.
I uploaded screenshot where to check its correct build.
Hope this camera beats Galaxy S7 as thats the only reason to change phone at the first place.
banch said:
I just happened to trade my Samsung Galaxy S7 to Honor 10 andit happens to be that what you're looking for. Can you help me out to help you how to get that information.
I uploaded screenshot where to check its correct build.
Hope this camera beats Galaxy S7 as thats the only reason to change phone at the first place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have an unlocked bootloader? Otherwise, you cannot read out the oeminfo partition.
I'm sorry I don't have it right now. Maybe I'll root this later on then or can I lock the bootloader again?
banch said:
I'm sorry I don't have it right now. Maybe I'll root this later on then or can I lock the bootloader again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wouldn't you need to pay a third party to unlock it at this point? Or do you keep an unlock code obtained earlier from the days when huawei handled bootloader unlocking? Just wondering. I've kind of learned to suck it up at this point since I'm no longer in the US, so the band issues only affect me when traveling back. However, if there is anyone out there with an unlocked bootloader that can share the oeminfo/know how to understand it, it would be nice to finally figure out if this really is a hardware issue or a software lock.

How does one decide if the phone will work on the network?

Hello folks,
This is fairly basic question but I have difficulties figuring out nitty gritty details of it (esp 4G LTE). The details below.
I am out to buy an unlocked phone. I am sick of paying >$400 for a phone. I tend to use them for at least 4 years, still I am refusing to pay even $400 as they are so fragile and repairing (even the screen) is not worth it. So trying to go as cheap as I can with the phone that will last at least 3 years, if not 4.
I am currently looking at Xiaomi MiA2 https://www.gearbest.com/cell-phones/pp_009486371449.html?wid=1349303 It supports bands B1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 7 / 8 / 20, TDD-LTE: B38 / 40
I understand the basics of the network, esp GSM and CDMA. Now that 2G is almost out, for 3G to work, you need either of 850, 900, 1700, 1900 and 2100 MHz frequencies. I will be sticking to GSM only as I use at&t MVNO but will soon be switching to at&t.
For 4G LTE, one needs to make sure that the bands the network provider uses are supported by the phone. This digital trends article (https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/smartphone-bands-explained/2/) gives really good explanation but I got stuck on this (https://www.whistleout.com/CellPhones/Guides/cell-phone-networks-and-frequencies-explained) WhistleOut article that claims, one must have band 12 to be able to work on at&t. This phone does not have band 12.
But when I check this phone on https://willmyphonework.net/. It says, it will work with band 4. (I didn't use this phone exactly but other phones with similar configuration).
At the end my questions are,
- If this phone will work on at&t network. For voice and texting, it should not be an issue but for data, will it access 4G data, will it work as 3G data?
- Is this device easily rootable and enough community available to have continued ROM development for at least 2 years? Not easy to answer this question at the moment as this phone was released recently. Still, if any devs have any inclination, would love to know.
- Does anyone know any other phone equivalent to this around $200 price point, other than Moto G5 or 6? (Not interested in buying pre-owned phone and keeping an eye on 'which device to buy' thread). My inclination towards this phone is for camera. It seems better than the equivalents. Otherwise, I am really OK with other devices as phones.
Thanks in advance.
Hey there,
This is Chris Holmes, I wrote the WhistleOut article you reference. In my article I mentioned that you definitely want band 17, not band 12, to get good service on AT&T. Based on the bands the phone you're interested in has, it wouldn't really get great 4G LTE coverage for any of the US carriers. It has one of T-Mobile's main bands, so that would probably the best bet if you're dead set on this device, which appears to be overseas-sourced. We'd suggest, alternately, looking into picking up the Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime for around $200, which will have full compatibility with AT&T.

Categories

Resources