So... I dropped my Nexus 6P and shattered it's screen. I figured I would buy something cheap to get by until I can afford to drop the $100+ on a new digitizer. I found a Moto E 2nd Generation on CL for $25. Didn't seem bad, so I picked it up.
Brought it home and popped in my sim. I use T-Mobile's $30 Walmart plan. It registered, but only on EDGE. Looked online and found out that I have an XT1524, which is I guess an EU model? The person I bought the device from said that they used it with Walmart's family plan.
So, basically, my question is, are the bands hardware or software? Can I flash a different modem (more than willing to root/unlock the bootloader/flash a custom ROM (if that's even possible with this device))? Or am I stuck with EDGE/try to trade for a US compatible device?
Alternatively, are there any US LTE networks that this device supports? Since I'm prepaid, I can jump ship until I get my 6P fixed.
XT1524 has quadband EDGE, but only dualband HSPA (B1 & B8), and only LTE Bands 1, 3, 7, 20. No US carriers use those HSPA and LTE bands, so you're stuck on EDGE.
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The HTC One X+ ? Will it work if Unlocked? I know unlocking is illegal but, I'm willing to pay full price. Please Help?
If you're paying full price than u should go buy a HTC one when its released
Slithered from my HTC One X+
T-mobile maybe
The One X+ will work up to a point on T-mobile. For 3G data T-mobile uses 1700 and 2100 bands. The One x does not have the 1700 band but uses 1900 and 2100. T-mobile is refarming 1900 frequencies to work with their 3G, however, it has only been done in some areas, in which case you would only have Edge if it is not completed in your area. It is difficult to find out where it has been refarmed. You can check out some sites which show some confirmed areas of 1900 refarming, however, it is by no means complete. Look up on Google.
Just get a Nexus 4 on T-Mobile. They pair really well. There's nothing the HOX+ offers to justify paying full price for it. I've had the N4 and if it had LTE I would not be using the HOX+. LTE doesn't matter on T-Mobile and their HSPA+ network is plenty fast, the N4 is a fine device on T-Mobile. Prices have dropped on them, I've seen the 8GB on my local Craigslist for $280 which is a far cry from the obscene HOX+ retail price.
Hi, im looking for a phone which would work with both verizon and T-mobile. Why both? well im in an odd situation, where im halfway through my contract with verizon, but want to switch to T-mobile. But my phone right now barely even works at the moment, so i need a new one, which I can bring over with me when i switch to T-mobile
I need a phone which works on both carriers or else I will end up buying to phones at full price, and I wouldnt want to do that!. Any help wpuld be extremely appreciated, there has to be some kind of smartphone out there thats capable of this
robotnikman said:
Hi, im looking for a phone which would work with both verizon and T-mobile. Why both? well im in an odd situation, where im halfway through my contract with verizon, but want to switch to T-mobile. But my phone right now barely even works at the moment, so i need a new one, which I can bring over with me when i switch to T-mobile
I need a phone which works on both carriers or else I will end up buying to phones at full price, and I wouldnt want to do that!. Any help wpuld be extremely appreciated, there has to be some kind of smartphone out there thats capable of this
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A lot of phones these days are tri/quad-band. This means they operate on 3 or 4 frequencies ranges.
I'm not from the US so I'm not 100% sure but I believe Verizon is a CDMA based network while T-Mobile uses GSM (or WCDMA).
This would mean that most phones cannot be taken from one to the other. However many newer phones are released in carrier specific versions but don't have any hardware differences. Its often very hard to test/confirm this without having the specific device in your hand.
Google suggests that the iPhone 5, 5C & 5S from Verizon is unlocked and works on T-Mobiles 3G & 4G networks. So this could be an option.
As far as android handsets go, most of the phones I can find dont have a good overlap of frequencies for both networks.
Using the LG G2 as an example, the T-Mobile versions of most handsets use 850/1700/1900/2100 for 3G and LTE Bands 2, 4, 17. Verizon uses 850/900/1900/2100 for 3G and LTE Bands 4, 13. There is a little overlap there, 3G @ 850, 900 & 2100, but the LTE coverage is limited to Band 4 which could result in some negative experiences coverage wise on T-Mobile.
I have this US friend who could buy this phone for me in the US, then export. I want to root it, install custom ROMs and all. It cost $100+ unlocked, but many report how happy they are with their $20 purchase from Cricket wireless. Some are not happy, though. The Cricket site says the phone cost $20 with activation. It would be easier if my friend wouldn't have to activate it (though I'm not sure what does that exactly means to Cricket), just pay the $20 and export the phone. Or even a little more than $20 to some other vendor, but certainly less than $20. I just want a nice, cheap toy, which can also make phone calls on overseas networks, install ROMs, etc. If you have another, better recommendation than the Moto E, I'm open to other suggestions as well. Though it seems the Moto E is the default choice for many. Or, maybe Amazon's $50-60 Blu phone is a better choice?
magicphone said:
I have this US friend who could buy this phone for me in the US, then export. I want to root it, install custom ROMs and all. It cost $100+ unlocked, but many report how happy they are with their $20 purchase from Cricket wireless. Some are not happy, though. The Cricket site says the phone cost $20 with activation. It would be easier if my friend wouldn't have to activate it (though I'm not sure what does that exactly means to Cricket), just pay the $20 and export the phone. Or even a little more than $20 to some other vendor, but certainly less than $20. I just want a nice, cheap toy, which can also make phone calls on overseas networks, install ROMs, etc. If you have another, better recommendation than the Moto E, I'm open to other suggestions as well. Though it seems the Moto E is the default choice for many. Or, maybe Amazon's $50-60 Blu phone is a better choice?
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The Cricket model cannot be bootloader unlocked for root / custom ROMs. It's also SIM locked to Cricket, you'll have to buy an unlock code online.
Additionally, the US models only have the 3G and LTE bands used in the US. If you're outside of North America, you'll most likely be stuck on 2G.
The Blu R1 HD does have LTE Band 7 and HSPA Band 1, so it's better suited for abroad, but not better than getting a phone that was designed for use in your country.
Thanks, helpful reply! but I can still use the $20 Cricket Moto E as a toy, to install apps, like an iPod Touch, right? For 10th the price.
xtermmin said:
The Blu R1 HD does have LTE Band 7 and HSPA Band 1, so it's better suited for abroad, but not better than getting a phone that was designed for use in your country.
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Besides, I thought we live in a world where most modern phones work in most regions in the world, if not all. And what about people who ever step out (I'm not sure step out is the correct expression) of their home countries to travel?
magicphone said:
Thanks, helpful reply! but I can still use the $20 Cricket Moto E as a toy, to install apps, like an iPod Touch, right? For 10th the price.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, you can use it as a WiFi-only device to play around with fine (be sure to remove any pre-installed SIM card during setup). As long as none of your apps require root, you're good.
magicphone said:
Besides, I thought we live in a world where most modern phones work in most regions in the world, if not all. And what about people who ever step out (I'm not sure step out is the correct expression) of their home countries to travel?
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In the US, the Moto E is sold as a budget, prepaid device. Prepaid operators here don't have any sort of international roaming options (outside of Mexico/Canada roaming on a few providers, but US/CA/MX pretty much use the same bands), so having international capabilities wasn't a high priority for them.
Modern mid-range and high-tier devices do tend to have at least the 2G, 3G, and sometimes LTE bands for world use, but it really depends on the manufacturer and even the region. For example, while most US mid-to-high-tier devices have the bands needed for use internationally, the same cannot be said for international models. Phones sold internationally (Europe, Asia, etc) almost always lack the low-band LTE bands used by US carriers, and totally lack CDMA compatibility (used by 3 of the 5 big cellular networks in the US).
Intl. 2G, EDGE would suffice for me, that usually is 850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz.
magicphone said:
Intl. 2G, EDGE would suffice for me, that usually is 850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz.
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All Moto E LTE models have quadband EDGE, so you'll be able to use the Cricket model on EDGE, but you'll need to get it SIM unlocked via a 3rd party unlocking service.
xtermmin said:
All Moto E LTE models have quadband EDGE, so you'll be able to use the Cricket model on EDGE, but you'll need to get it SIM unlocked via a 3rd party unlocking service.
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Wouldn't he be better off with a sprint/boost xt1526? It was my impression that they were good to go on international GSM, Just no joy on domestic. Then at least he'd have bootloader unlock /root.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
dandrumheller said:
Wouldn't he be better off with a sprint/boost xt1526? It was my impression that they were good to go on international GSM, Just no joy on domestic. Then at least he'd have bootloader unlock /root.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
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Yeah, that would work too, but I don't know if stores are selling the Boost model for $20.
xtermmin said:
Yeah, that would work too, but I don't know if stores are selling the Boost model for $20.
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Click to collapse
They sell them for $30 on boost. You don't even need to activate it for that price.
Sent from my Moto E using XDA Labs
So I just read and saw on line that the US Cellular version of the LG G6 is on $550 buy it out right. Would this version work with Verizon Wireless. It looks to have the same LTE bands. What would be the chance of buying and putting a Verizon sim in it and it works out the gate. Anyone have any ideas?
https://www.uscellular.com/devices/phones/lg-g6-platinum.html?productId=prod9410143
Sent from my SM-T817V using XDA-Developers Legacy app
GSMarena doesn't currently list 3G bands for the US Cellular G6 (US997). However, I've seen the Verizon and US Cellular versions of phones differ on 3G bands before (see the Galaxy S7 USA, for example), so 3G might have problems if you just popped a Verizon SIM card into a US Cellular G6.
I'm wondering if there could be a similar method to the one that was discovered for the HTC 10 where you flash radio images from the Verizon variant onto another phone:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-htc-10/how-to/vzw-how-to-unlocked-model-vzw-t3376743
Is the us cellular version factory unlocked? It is the same model number as the unlocked version, us997. I'm looking to use on AT&T.
It looks like you have to pick up some kind of plan from them to get the $550 price. It's probably better to go the b&h route (or hope vzw does a mother's day week sale).
Update: Ended up buying a new us cellular us997 for cheap. Popped my straight talk/at&t sim in and it works flawlessly. I always use this site to check bands
https://www.frequencycheck.com/compatibility/0Dlph6Y/lg-us997-g6-lte-a/united-states
I have used that site several times and its always been accurate. From what im seeing, the us cellular model supports all of the bands needed for verizon. It doesnt support CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rel. 0 but does support CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rev A. So if 3G is a major concern, I'd check and see which one is used in your area. I personally wouldn't care about the 3G considering the price difference of the USC model and the fact that all LTE and voice bands are supported. Hope this helps
puff601 said:
Is the us cellular version factory unlocked? It is the same model number as the unlocked version, us997. I'm looking to use on AT&T.
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Sent from my LGUS997 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
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.