Hi,
I'm new here, and honestly know very little of the stuff I'm asking about, but here it goes, hopefully someone will be able to explain it to me. My phone (iPhone 5S) just broke, but I had been looking to buy a new one for some time anyway, and seriously considering the LG V30 or the V35 ThinQ, mostly cause of the headphone jack and Quad DAC + wide angle camera. The problem is, I'm looking to buy a refurbished one on eBay.com (US site), since I've found some really good deals there (unlike on European eBay sites), but I'm afraid of carrier issues I may encounter, specially considering I live in Spain and most of these seem to be "unlocked" phones from the US that were once network connected or something along those lines. I really don't know anything about how these things work, what unlocked / IMEI / GSM / CDMA / whatever means, and we don't usually have carrier exclusive phones over here, so I'm kind of worried about it all. I'm also afraid of how this is going to affect updates, since I know LG is already pretty slow but I've heard US carriers add another layer of complications when it comes to that, though seeing as these are supposed to be unlocked this shouldn't be a problem? No idea really.
For example, right now I'm looking at this LG V35 ThinQ deal on eBay, great price, plus the seller allows returns, has really good reputations and feedback, even on the product itself. However, isn't the V35 supposed to be AT&T exclusive? It says it's unlocked, but I don't know what to make of it. Should I just try and find a deal on the V30 instead? Even some of those seem to be carrier connected somehow though, like I see there's different models of the V30, some are HXXXX, others VOXXXX, etc. I guess if I could choose I'd prefer the V35, but it's not even available on Europe, and that makes me even more wary.
Hopefully some of you can shed some light on this and tell me whether buying from eBay is a good idea in my case, or what I could do instead. Honestly coming from Apple all of these different models for the same phone are making things very confusing, but I really wanna make the switch, since both the LG V30 and the V35 seem to be really great phones (despite how huge they are... hope I can get used to it). And by the way, in case that helps, my network in Spain is Movistar.
Thanks, and have a good one.
ChazzMatt is a wealth of knowledge on these matters, but I will tell you what I think. I did a check here for the US998 (V30) on your carrier in Spain: https://www.frequencycheck.com/carr...SV/lg-us998-v30-td-lte-lg-joan/movistar-spain
From what it says, the US998 will work on your carrier without issue. This means you have the choice of getting many variants (eg LS998, VS996, etc) that Chazz showed on the WTF thread (see post 193 here https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76584629&postcount=193 ), hack that phone to US998 (via Frankenstein method) and it will work great. Note, as noted there, don't get an H932 as it's different... in reality, you may be able to get that to work as well these days, but I found it was easier to get LS998 or US998. That's what I did for our two phones - I got 2 US998s. (I converted mine to VS996 for other reasons - you won't need to.)
V35 by itself doesn't tell us enough - you need to know the model number. Please be careful when talking any phones, as the model number is what's most important! Some V35s are apparently V30+, others are different and won't work with any of the steps here... so again, be careful.
I'd say, stick to US998 or LS998, and you should be fine, but let the expert confirm!
Oh yeah, and congrats for leaving the Crapple world! Needless to say I'm not a fan, for many good/real reasons. Many of my friends have switched when they learned how much better things can be on Android.
JayKiddo said:
Hi,
I'm new here, and honestly know very little of the stuff I'm asking about, but here it goes, hopefully someone will be able to explain it to me. My phone (iPhone 5S) just broke, but I had been looking to buy a new one for some time anyway, and seriously considering the LG V30 or the V35 ThinQ, mostly cause of the headphone jack and Quad DAC + wide angle camera. The problem is, I'm looking to buy a refurbished one on eBay.com (US site), since I've found some really good deals there (unlike on European eBay sites), but I'm afraid of carrier issues I may encounter, specially considering I live in Spain and most of these seem to be "unlocked" phones from the US that were once network connected or something along those lines. I really don't know anything about how these things work, what unlocked / IMEI / GSM / CDMA / whatever means, and we don't usually have carrier exclusive phones over here, so I'm kind of worried about it all. I'm also afraid of how this is going to affect updates, since I know LG is already pretty slow but I've heard US carriers add another layer of complications when it comes to that, though seeing as these are supposed to be unlocked this shouldn't be a problem? No idea really.
For example, right now I'm looking at this LG V35 ThinQ deal on eBay, great price, plus the seller allows returns, has really good reputations and feedback, even on the product itself. However, isn't the V35 supposed to be AT&T exclusive? It says it's unlocked, but I don't know what to make of it. Should I just try and find a deal on the V30 instead? Even some of those seem to be carrier connected somehow though, like I see there's different models of the V30, some are HXXXX, others VOXXXX, etc. I guess if I could choose I'd prefer the V35, but it's not even available on Europe, and that makes me even more wary.
Hopefully some of you can shed some light on this and tell me whether buying from eBay is a good idea in my case, or what I could do instead. Honestly coming from Apple all of these different models for the same phone are making things very confusing, but I really wanna make the switch, since both the LG V30 and the V35 seem to be really great phones (despite how huge they are... hope I can get used to it). And by the way, in case that helps, my network in Spain is Movistar.
Thanks, and have a good one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In Spain you will need GSM/HPSA/LTE.
V30
For the V30, the US998 (which is officially carrier unlocked model) it has all those plus CMDA (which you don't need, but doesn't hurt). The US998 was designated to be the "universal" V30/V30+ for North America. I'm going to briefly discuss the others just so you sort of know the difference. Others like U.S T-mobile H932, are locked to T-mobile and have an extra LTE band 71, which only T-mobile uses and would not benefit you whatsoever. Others like Verizon VS996 are already unlocked, but often give you a nag screen when rebooting if a Verizon SIM card is not inserted; as if you didn't know. The Canada H931 is carrier unlocked. The Sprint LS998 is carrier locked to Sprint, and the only way to carrier unlock it is to "Frankenstein" convert it to US998 (or some other carrier unlocked model like Canada H931 or Verizon VS996). AT&T H931 is carrier locked, but can be carrier unlocked by Frankenstein converted to a carrier unlocked model. With Frankenstein, whatever North American V30 phone you are flashing BECOMES the other model. You will see some eBay dealers incorrectly saying the US998 is locked to U.S. Cellular (a carrier here in the U.S.); this comes from them not knowing what they are selling. Yes, SOME US998 were sold by U.S. Cellular, but the US998 was the designated "open market" carrier unlocked model for North America and no US998 is carrier locked whatsoever. LG also sold the US998 through authorized 3rd party retailers like B&H Photo. They were all carrier unlocked, designed to be used with any carrier.
The other caveat is some of these are 64GB (VS996, H931, H933) while others have 128GB available like the US998 V30+ and the LS998 V30+. US998 also comes in 64GB model, but you might as well buy the V30+ (128GB).
The reason I mention "Frankenstein" is because there was a huge glut of Sprint LS998 V30+ on the market, and we found you could buy one and easily convert it to US998 V30+. I bought two and did that. No longer locked to Sprint, has fastboot flash commands and easily rooted (you probably don't care about that), and much less money than "native" US998 V30+ at the time. Dealers quickly figured this out also. In fact, most "new" or "mint" US998 V30+ you see on eBay for very good price are probably former LS998 V30+. That's OK.
So, it's no longer necessary to buy an LS998 V30+ to convert to US998 V30+, as the dealers have probably done it for you (or at least converted to the Nougat stage).
For your purposes, US998 (especially the V30+) is probably what you want of the North America V30 world. I have not mentioned the "European" H930 (64GB) or H930G (128GB) or the dual SIM H930DS (128GB), as importing those to U.S. for eBay sellers here make them more expensive.
http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-US998-Unlocked-v30
US998 V30/v30+/V30S
CDMA: 800 MHz CDMA
2G GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
3G UMTS (HSPA):850/900/1900/2100 MHz
4G LTE Bands: 1/2/3/4/5/7/12(17)/13/20/25/66
UPDATES
You will probably have to manually update the phone through software known as LGUP. New firmware images called KDZ are posted publicly here and on other websites. Takes 5 minutes, whenever you want, and you simply choose "Upgrade" mode. LG releases updates every 2 or 3 months.
You will also hear about checking for updates via LG Bridge (another piece of LG software), but it's better to just download the KDZ you need and use LGUP than to constantly have to fire up LG Bridge and check.
If you bought a "native" US998 V30+, you possibly would receive OTA updates. However, between the three native US998 V30 & V30+ I own, I've only received ONE OTA update in 1.5 years, and that was early on. So, don't depend on that.
You probably don't care about bootloader unlock and rooting, but for those who do ALL V30/V30+/V30S variants can be bootloader unlocked and rooted. That cannot be said for V35.
________
V35
Basically 2018 updated version of the 2017 V30. Snapdragon 845 vs Snapdragon 835. Has 6GB RAM, while most of the V30 (except for the V30S) has 4GB RAM. However, I've owned several V30/V30+ and none are slow. Downside: comes in 64GB, whereas many V30 have 128GB internal memory. Yes, allegedly there is a V35+ (128GB) but I've only seen it mentioned on websites and can not actually buy one here in the U.S. or even over the internet.
The main U.S. V35 variant is sold by AT&T and is ostensibly locked to AT&T. Meaning that only AT&T network SIM cards will work. However, if the dealer says it's "unlocked", then mean they have entered the code to carrier unlock the phone, which AT&T allows when the phone is paid in full. You can usually buy with confidence these "unlocked" phones. One way or another, they have been unlocked. (Any "carrier unlocked" LS998 V30+ you see online means it's been converted to US998 to be carrier unlocked.)
While AT&T was the first to sell the LG V35, it's also now sold other places as well, like for Google Fi and some Latin American countries. So, it's no longer an AT&T exclusive and never was. AT&T was just the first. Having said that, the ones for the least price will probably be the AT&T V35 models. As long as it's advertised as "unlocked", you are OK.
UPDATES
For AT&T LG V35 (even if carrier unlocked) you can only get updates while connected to AT&T SIM card or through one AT&T-affiliated MVNO called Red Pocket. (If there are other AT&T-affiliated MVNOs that allow updates, it's not been confirmed.) This is the same situation if you buy an AT&T H931 V30. AT&T wants you to be their customer and they do not release KDZ to the general public, nor allow updates to be sent to non-AT&T customers.
However, this is only true if you keep the AT&T firmware (AWM). For V35, you can cross-flash to the OTHER V35 firmware (ULM) and be up to date. This would again use LGUP. I just bought an AT&T V35 and the previous owner (who still uses V30+ as his daily phone and is active in this forum) cross flashed it to non-AT&T firmware to debloat it and to update it. I will continue to use my own (rooted) US998 V30+ as my daily phone, but this V35 looks interesting.
For others who may be reading this, right now (end of March 2019) the only way to bootloader unlock and root the V35 is to buy one from China with that already done. However there is no TWRP yet for V35. @runningnak3d is working on all that.
Here are the frequencies you will get with the LG 35 Google Fi version. I assume if you cross flash the AT&T V35 you will receive all these bands if you don't have all these bands? I'm asking in the V35 forum to confirm this assumption... With the V30, when you cross flash North America variants to Frankenstein them, it converts them totally to the other variant.
LG V35 Google Fi bands
https://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-V350ULM-Google-Fi-v35-thinq
GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz;
UMTS (HSPA): 850/900/1700/2100 MHz;
LTE: 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/14/17/20/25/26/28/29/30/38/39/40/41/66
__________
CONCLUSION
I'm more comfortable recommending the US998 V30+ (128GB) to you right now, but an "unlocked" AT&T V35 (64GB) (especially if cross flashed to Google Fi firmware) would work well for you -- if the 64GB storage size (plus microSD card) fits your lifestyle and you don't care about bootloader unlocking/rooting (at least right now).
* With US998, you will have to update via LGUP using "Upgrade" mode once you download the KDZ. That's not hard.
* With AT&T V35, if you want updates, you will have to cross flash to different firmware first, then continue to update via LGUP using "Upgrade" mode. That's not hard either, but it depends on how comfortable you are doing stuff like that.
schwinn8 said:
ChazzMatt is a wealth of knowledge on these matters, but I will tell you what I think. I did a check here for the US998 (V30) on your carrier in Spain: https://www.frequencycheck.com/carr...SV/lg-us998-v30-td-lte-lg-joan/movistar-spain
From what it says, the US998 will work on your carrier without issue. This means you have the choice of getting many variants (eg LS998, VS996, etc) that Chazz showed on the WTF thread (see post 193 here https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76584629&postcount=193 ), hack that phone to US998 (via Frankenstein method) and it will work great. Note, as noted there, don't get an H932 as it's different... in reality, you may be able to get that to work as well these days, but I found it was easier to get LS998 or US998. That's what I did for our two phones - I got 2 US998s. (I converted mine to VS996 for other reasons - you won't need to.)
V35 by itself doesn't tell us enough - you need to know the model number. Please be careful when talking any phones, as the model number is what's most important! Some V35s are apparently V30+, others are different and won't work with any of the steps here... so again, be careful.
I'd say, stick to US998 or LS998, and you should be fine, but let the expert confirm!
Oh yeah, and congrats for leaving the Crapple world! Needless to say I'm not a fan, for many good/real reasons. Many of my friends have switched when they learned how much better things can be on Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the late reply, kinda been busy with things and didn't want to just write a short reply, and thanks a lot for the "Frequency Check" website link, didn't know that was a thing I could use. I do worry about the message below the page though, saying "A matching frequency band does not guarantee coverage. There may be additional network or device software restrictions that prevent a device from connecting on a certain frequency. Additionally, certain bands may only be available regionally within a country." Does that mean I can't really be to sure it'll work even if it's supposed to be compatible? I wouldn't really want to take the risk it if that's the case.
Also, I've checked the LG V35 with my carrier Movistar, since preferably I'd choose it over the V30, and if I'm not selecting the wrong model (the eBay listing I'm looking at says model number is LM-V350A on the title, then V350AWM in the details, guessing that's the LMV350AWMH model from the Frequency Check website? Not one model number matches exactly for some reason), it says it only supports GSM, not UMTS or LTE. I don't know if this is any relevant, but whenever I used data on my old phone, the top side of the screen where you see the network name, Wi-Fi connection, etc. (at least on iOS not sure about Android) usually said LTE (or 3G if there wasn't any 4G connection available), so I'm guessing that means the LG V35 won't work well with my carrier Movistar. Kind of a bummer to be honest. Maybe I'm just getting confused at what all of these things actually mean, but if I understand correctly, if my carrier uses LTE and the V35 doesn't support any of its LTE bands that just means I wouldn't be able to use data, right? I don't really understand why these type of restrictions need to be put in place, if the phone is capable of 4G connection it should just work in every country with whichever carrier.
ChazzMatt said:
In Spain you will need GSM/HPSA/LTE.
V30
For the V30, the US998 (which is officially carrier unlocked model) it has all those plus CMDA (which you don't need, but doesn't hurt). The US998 was designated to be the "universal" V30/V30+ for North America. I'm going to briefly discuss the others just so you sort of know the difference. Others like U.S T-mobile H932, are locked to T-mobile and have an extra LTE band 71, which only T-mobile uses and would not benefit you whatsoever. Others like Verizon VS996 are already unlocked, but often give you a nag screen when rebooting if a Verizon SIM card is not inserted; as if you didn't know. The Canada H931 is carrier unlocked. The Sprint LS998 is carrier locked to Sprint, and the only way to carrier unlock it is to "Frankenstein" convert it to US998 (or some other carrier unlocked model like Canada H931 or Verizon VS996). AT&T H931 is carrier locked, but can be carrier unlocked by Frankenstein converted to a carrier unlocked model. With Frankenstein, whatever North American V30 phone you are flashing BECOMES the other model. You will see some eBay dealers incorrectly saying the US998 is locked to U.S. Cellular (a carrier here in the U.S.); this comes from them not knowing what they are selling. Yes, SOME US998 were sold by U.S. Cellular, but the US998 was the designated "open market" carrier unlocked model for North America and no US998 is carrier locked whatsoever. LG also sold the US998 through authorized 3rd party retailers like B&H Photo. They were all carrier unlocked, designed to be used with any carrier.
The other caveat is some of these are 64GB (VS996, H931, H933) while others have 128GB available like the US998 V30+ and the LS998 V30+. US998 also comes in 64GB model, but you might as well buy the V30+ (128GB).
The reason I mention "Frankenstein" is because there was a huge glut of Sprint LS998 V30+ on the market, and we found you could buy one and easily convert it to US998 V30+. I bought two and did that. No longer locked to Sprint, has fastboot flash commands and easily rooted (you probably don't care about that), and much less money than "native" US998 V30+ at the time. Dealers quickly figured this out also. In fact, most "new" or "mint" US998 V30+ you see on eBay for very good price are probably former LS998 V30+. That's OK.
So, it's no longer necessary to buy an LS998 V30+ to convert to US998 V30+, as the dealers have probably done it for you (or at least converted to the Nougat stage).
For your purposes, US998 (especially the V30+) is probably what you want of the North America V30 world. I have not mentioned the "European" H930 (64GB) or H930G (128GB) or the dual SIM H930DS (128GB), as importing those to U.S. for eBay sellers here make them more expensive.
http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-US998-Unlocked-v30
US998 V30/v30+/V30S
CDMA: 800 MHz CDMA
2G GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
3G UMTS (HSPA):850/900/1900/2100 MHz
4G LTE Bands: 1/2/3/4/5/7/12(17)/13/20/25/66
UPDATES
You will probably have to manually update the phone through software known as LGUP. New firmware images called KDZ are posted publicly here and on other websites. Takes 5 minutes, whenever you want, and you simply choose "Upgrade" mode. LG releases updates every 2 or 3 months.
You will also hear about checking for updates via LG Bridge (another piece of LG software), but it's better to just download the KDZ you need and use LGUP than to constantly have to fire up LG Bridge and check.
If you bought a "native" US998 V30+, you possibly would receive OTA updates. However, between the three native US998 V30 & V30+ I own, I've only received ONE OTA update in 1.5 years, and that was early on. So, don't depend on that.
You probably don't care about bootloader unlock and rooting, but for those who do ALL V30/V30+/V30S variants can be bootloader unlocked and rooted. That cannot be said for V35.
________
V35
Basically 2018 updated version of the 2017 V30. Snapdragon 845 vs Snapdragon 835. Has 6GB RAM, while most of the V30 (except for the V30S) has 4GB RAM. However, I've owned several V30/V30+ and none are slow. Downside: comes in 64GB, whereas many V30 have 128GB internal memory. Yes, allegedly there is a V35+ (128GB) but I've only seen it mentioned on websites and can not actually buy one here in the U.S. or even over the internet.
The main U.S. V35 variant is sold by AT&T and is ostensibly locked to AT&T. Meaning that only AT&T network SIM cards will work. However, if the dealer says it's "unlocked", then mean they have entered the code to carrier unlock the phone, which AT&T allows when the phone is paid in full. You can usually buy with confidence these "unlocked" phones. One way or another, they have been unlocked. (Any "carrier unlocked" LS998 V30+ you see online means it's been converted to US998 to be carrier unlocked.)
While AT&T was the first to sell the LG V35, it's also now sold other places as well, like for Google Fi and some Latin American countries. So, it's no longer an AT&T exclusive and never was. AT&T was just the first. Having said that, the ones for the least price will probably be the AT&T V35 models. As long as it's advertised as "unlocked", you are OK.
UPDATES
For AT&T LG V35 (even if carrier unlocked) you can only get updates while connected to AT&T SIM card or through one AT&T-affiliated MVNO called Red Pocket. (If there are other AT&T-affiliated MVNOs that allow updates, it's not been confirmed.) This is the same situation if you buy an AT&T H931 V30. AT&T wants you to be their customer and they do not release KDZ to the general public, nor allow updates to be sent to non-AT&T customers.
However, this is only true if you keep the AT&T firmware (AWM). For V35, you can cross-flash to the OTHER V35 firmware (ULM) and be up to date. This would again use LGUP. I just bought an AT&T V35 and the previous owner (who still uses V30+ as his daily phone and is active in this forum) cross flashed it to non-AT&T firmware to debloat it and to update it. I will continue to use my own (rooted) US998 V30+ as my daily phone, but this V35 looks interesting.
For others who may be reading this, right now (end of March 2019) the only way to bootloader unlock and root the V35 is to buy one from China with that already done. However there is no TWRP yet for V35. @runningnak3d is working on all that.
Here are the frequencies you will get with the LG 35 Google Fi version. I assume if you cross flash the AT&T V35 you will receive all these bands if you don't have all these bands? I'm asking in the V35 forum to confirm this assumption... With the V30, when you cross flash North America variants to Frankenstein them, it converts them totally to the other variant.
LG V35 Google Fi bands
https://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-V350ULM-Google-Fi-v35-thinq
GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz;
UMTS (HSPA): 850/900/1700/2100 MHz;
LTE: 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/14/17/20/25/26/28/29/30/38/39/40/41/66
__________
CONCLUSION
I'm more comfortable recommending the US998 V30+ (128GB) to you right now, but an "unlocked" AT&T V35 (64GB) (especially if cross flashed to Google Fi firmware) would work well for you -- if the 64GB storage size (plus microSD card) fits your lifestyle and you don't care about bootloader unlocking/rooting (at least right now).
* With US998, you will have to update via LGUP using "Upgrade" mode once you download the KDZ. That's not hard.
* With AT&T V35, if you want updates, you will have to cross flash to different firmware first, then continue to update via LGUP using "Upgrade" mode. That's not hard either, but it depends on how comfortable you are doing stuff like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK wow, you really do know your stuff, sorry for the late reply but I've been busy and there's a lot here to take in, and I've still got more than a few questions if that's OK, not that you haven't explained a lot already but your post arose new questions. First of all, you say if a seller says the phone is unlocked (either carrier or factory unlocked, right? Same thing I'm guessing), then I can buy it confidently, does that mean I don't need to worry about different bands being compatible with the specific model I'm buying, since it's unlocked anyway? Or does that just mean that the phone can work with another carrier's SIM card, but data might not work then? As I've said, if I can choose I'd prefer the V35 over the V30 (don't care about the storage since I can use an SD card anyway, processor and RAM are my priority), but it seems like that one has more issues with compatibility, both in terms of updates and also after having checked the Frequency Check website schwinn8 recommended, though again, I assume if the phone is unlocked none of the bands compatibility issue matter. In any case, I'll send you a private message with a link to the seller page for the V35 deal I'm looking at right now, since I'm new in the forum and it won't let me post links like that on here, and hopefully you could help me figure out if that could work with Movistar's data connection and its LTE bands, if that's not too much to ask. I also need to say that I'm planning on buying the phone while in the US, since I'm taking a long trip there starting next month and was planning of taking advantage of that so I don't have to pay for the massive shipping costs to Spain. However, that means that basically I won't be able to make sure data works using the phone in Spain until I come back, and by then the 30-Day Return period will have ended, so I just need to know for sure that it'll work, that's why I'm asking about the whole unlocked thing and what it actually means.
Apart from that, I kinda need to ask about differences between a few other things you commented on. Basically, I don't understand much about what cross flashing, the Frankenstein method, or bootloader unlocking/rooting consist in. I don't know what the risk associated with each of this processes is or what each is looking to accomplish (I do understand Frankenstein allows you to unlock the V30, and change it so it becomes a US998, so to say, as you well explained, but that's about it), but I do know I wouldn't want to do anything that could brick my phone, I had a friend with a Nexus phone who had that happen to him (think he was rooting, not sure though) and I wouldn't trust myself any more than him to do anything that involves that type of risk, since I'd probably mess it up. So please keep that in mind, I understand you might find these type of things somewhat easy to do since you're way more experienced in them, but I'm quite wary about them. So, that being said, in case I end up buying a V35, I would definitely want to cross flash, since I do wish for updates, is that too difficult or risky? If it is I could just buy the V30, hopefully with the Frankenstein method done to it already, so I don't have to change anything myself.
That's pretty much everything I needed to ask, thanks a lot again for your reply, it's much appreciated, especially given my position as a newbie in the Android world.
JayKiddo said:
First of all, you say if a seller says the phone is unlocked (either carrier or factory unlocked, right? Same thing I'm guessing), then I can buy it confidently, does that mean I don't need to worry about different bands being compatible with the specific model I'm buying, since it's unlocked anyway? Or does that just mean that the phone can work with another carrier's SIM card, but data might not work then?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Carrier unlocked/SIM card unlocked/network unlocked all mean the same thing. It means you can stick in some other SIM card from some other carrier and the phone will work, IF the phone has that carrier's bands. Many carriers like Sprint or AT&T lock their phones to their networks. They couldn't care less about people who are not their customers, especially people living in other countries. They are not really making money on hardware sales but on monthly phone bills. Carrier unlock removes that restriction of using it on a specific network, but the phone still has to have the necessary bands for the different carrier.
A V30/V30+ converted to US998 WILL be carrier unlocked and I listed the bands above and should work on Spain Movistar.
A V35 the seller CLAIMS is carrier unlocked should also work on Spain Movistar. (Although I just answered a question from someone who was sold an "unlocked" AT&T V30 phone and apparently it was not carrier unlocked after all. So, they will have to Frankenstein it themselves.)
JayKiddo said:
In any case, I'll send you a private message with a link to the seller page for the V35 deal I'm looking at right now, since I'm new in the forum and it won't let me post links like that on here, and hopefully you could help me figure out if that could work with Movistar's data connection and its LTE bands, if that's not too much to ask.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This site says Movistar uses LTE bands 1, 3, 7, 20:
https://www.imei.info/carriers/spain/movistar/
IMEI.info: LTE bands
B1 (2100)
B3 (1800+)
B7 (2600)
B20 (800 DD)
So, US998 V30/V30+ and carrier unlocked V35 should all work.
JayKiddo said:
Apart from that, I kinda need to ask about differences between a few other things you commented on. Basically, I don't understand much about what cross flashing, the Frankenstein method, or bootloader unlocking/rooting consist in. I don't know what the risk associated with each of this processes is or what each is looking to accomplish (I do understand Frankenstein allows you to unlock the V30, and change it so it becomes a US998, so to say, as you well explained, but that's about it), but I do know I wouldn't want to do anything that could brick my phone.
So, that being said, in case I end up buying a V35, I would definitely want to cross flash, since I do wish for updates, is that too difficult or risky? If it is I could just buy the V30, hopefully with the Frankenstein method done to it already, so I don't have to change anything myself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If a V30/V30+ was already cross flashed to US998, you would not NEED to do anything. It will work. However, to get updates at some point in the future, you would want to learn the simple steps to use "Upgrade" mode in LGUP. It doesn't wipe data, it's like manually flashing an OTA.
The US998 KDZ are posted here in the XDA forum and you can also find them on other websites. No one is quite laying out the instructions or posting KDZ like that for the V35 yet.
For the V35, if carrier unlocked, then you would not NEED to do anything. It should work. However, to get updates at some point in the future, you would want to learn how to cross flash to the Google Fi firmware (which will wipe your data at that step), then learn the simple steps to use "Upgrade" mode in LGUP (which will not wipe your date going forward). You would have to download future Google Fi firmware and flash it.
If you buy the V35 here in the U.S. during your visit, you can check if it is carrier unlocked by using a non-AT&T carrier SIM card.
My Note 4s died so I'm finally moving on to a new device, was going to buy a Pixel XL until someone suggested a V30 instead, so going with that instead. Been on Sprint CDMA forever so finally trying to switch to GSM international.
However I'm not sure which model to get. I use Ting as my carrier, an MVNO of Sprint and Tmo, but I don't think you HAVE to use a Sprint or Tmo phone (currently using a Verizon loaner, works fine).
I read on a rooting thread that the H932 (Tmo) is more difficult to root because the encryption is different. The only other model I'm seeing is the H931 (AT&T), however it says Unlocked instead of AT&T in the listing.
I'd like the phone to be able to work in the US as well as internationally. Does the H931 work internationally or only in the US? Is the H931 fine to get or is one of the others a better choice?
For US customers the best LG V30 is arguably the US998 - it was and might still be sold by US Cellular, not sure on that - because it covers all 4 major carriers in terms of the radios and LTE bands and it's factory unlocked from the gitgo. The only band that's not covered is LTE Band 71 which is T-Mobile and only available in the H932 model specifically.
You can get other models, like the H931 (AT&T), the LS998 (the Sprint model), etc, and convert them to function as the US998 but why bother doing a conversion when you can just buy the damned US998 directly and not have to bother with such things.
There's the US998 V30 (64GB internal storage) and the V30+ (128GB storage), if you can find a V30+ for a decent price I'd highly recommend that model over the traditional V30 because of the increased storage.
Now, as for using the US998 outside the US, I can't speak for that kind of usage directly, but you can look at the radio band support and figure it out yourself based on the hardware specs (select Specs, scroll down to the Connectivity section):
https://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-US998-Silver-lg-v30
br0adband said:
For US customers the best LG V30 is arguably the US998 - it was and might still be sold by US Cellular, not sure on that - because it covers all 4 major carriers in terms of the radios and LTE bands and it's factory unlocked from the gitgo. The only band that's not covered is LTE Band 71 which is T-Mobile and only available in the H932 model specifically.
You can get other models, like the H931 (AT&T), the LS998 (the Sprint model), etc, and convert them to function as the US998 but why bother doing a conversion when you can just buy the damned US998 directly and not have to bother with such things.
There's the US998 V30 (64GB internal storage) and the V30+ (128GB storage), if you can find a V30+ for a decent price I'd highly recommend that model over the traditional V30 because of the increased storage.
Now, as for using the US998 outside the US, I can't speak for that kind of usage directly, but you can look at the radio band support and figure it out yourself based on the hardware specs (select Specs, scroll down to the Connectivity section):
https://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-US998-Silver-lg-v30
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Click to collapse
Awesome thanks for the insight. What all is involved in the conversion process? Just curious
mon0theist said:
Awesome thanks for the insight. What all is involved in the conversion process? Just curious
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using Dev Patched LGUP to flash USS98 Nougat, doing a Master Reset, then flashing US998 Oreo (or Pie when it comes for US998).
There's a Frankenstein thread with more complete Instructions, like how to install LGUP -- but that's the gist.
---------- Post added at 04:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:43 PM ----------
br0adband said:
For US customers the best LG V30 is arguably the US998 - it was and might still be sold by US Cellular, not sure on that - because it covers all 4 major carriers in terms of the radios and LTE bands and it's factory unlocked from the gitgo. The only band that's not covered is LTE Band 71 which is T-Mobile and only available in the H932 model specifically.
You can get other models, like the H931 (AT&T), the LS998 (the Sprint model), etc, and convert them to function as the US998 but why bother doing a conversion when you can just buy the damned US998 directly and not have to bother with such things.
There's the US998 V30 (64GB internal storage) and the V30+ (128GB storage), if you can find a V30+ for a decent price I'd highly recommend that model over the traditional V30 because of the increased storage.
Now, as for using the US998 outside the US, I can't speak for that kind of usage directly, but you can look at the radio band support and figure it out yourself based on the hardware specs (select Specs, scroll down to the Connectivity section):
https://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-US998-Silver-lg-v30
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Click to collapse
Your email is very good except for one thing...
While USS98 was sold by U.S. Cellular, the US998 is also the official Open Market (carrier unlocked) North America V30 sold by B&H Photo, Amazon, Best Buy.
The only reason U.S. Cellular sold it is because LG wouldn't make them a separate variant. They are too small a carrier.
So, please stop mentioning U.S. Cellular. It confuses people, as dedicated U.S. Cellular phones are normally LOCKED to U.S. Cellular.
U.S. Cellular coincidentally sold the US998. How's that? Much better. But better yet, just leave them out of the discussion, since it then requires explaining all the above.
ChazzMatt said:
Using Dev Patched LGUP to flash USS98 Nougat, doing a Master Reset, then flashing US998 Oreo (or Pie when it comes for US998).
There's a Frankenstein thread with more complete Instructions, like how to install LGUP -- but that's the gist.
---------- Post added at 04:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:43 PM ----------
Your email is very good except for one thing...
While USS98 was sold by U.S. Cellular, the US998 is also the official Open Market (carrier unlocked) North America V30 sold by B&H Photo, Amazon, Best Buy.
The only reason U.S. Cellular sold it is because LG wouldn't make them a separate variant. They are too small a carrier.
So, please stop mentioning U.S. Cellular. It confuses people, as dedicated U.S. Cellular phones are normally LOCKED to U.S. Cellular.
U.S. Cellular coincidentally sold the US998. How's that? Much better. But better yet, just leave them out of the discussion, since it then requires explaining all the above.
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Click to collapse
Good to know, thanks! Which variant would you recommend? I'd like the phone to work both in the US and internationally, let's say India for example. My carrier in the US is Ting, which uses Sprint's and Tmo's network, which might possibly require me to buy the Tmo variant according to this reddit thread, but I'd rather take my chances with the US998 variant if it means more likelihood for international compatibility.
EDIT: Also there's no Android P stock ROM for the US998? Could I still flash LineageOS 16 on Oreo firmware?
mon0theist said:
Good to know, thanks! Which variant would you recommend? I'd like the phone to work both in the US and internationally, let's say India for example. My carrier in the US is Ting, which uses Sprint's and Tmo's network, which might possibly require me to buy the Tmo variant according to this reddit thread, but I'd rather take my chances with the US998 variant if it means more likelihood for international compatibility.
EDIT: Also there's no Android P stock ROM for the US998? Could I still flash LineageOS 16 on Oreo firmware?
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There will be Pie for all variants. Last week EU H930 Pie was officially released. The rest are coming.
Here's the bands you'll get with carrier unlocked US998.
ChazzMatt said:
There will be Pie for all variants. Last week EU H930 Pie was officially released. The rest are coming.
Here's the bands you'll get with carrier unlocked US998.
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Click to collapse
Awesome thanks
I found this thread for rooting the H932, but it requires the bootloader having already been unlocked. Is there a method to unlock the bootloader that is specific to the H932, or is it the same as all the other variants?
mon0theist said:
Awesome thanks
I found this thread for rooting the H932, but it requires the bootloader having already been unlocked. Is there a method to unlock the bootloader that is specific to the H932, or is it the same as all the other variants?
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Umm, I wouldn't get the T-Mobile H932 unless you're a T-Mobile customer. It's much harder to root than the other variants.
Yes, you have to follow the instructions in that thread to install TWRP and root the T-Mobile H932.
WTF INSTRUCTIONS are for all the other variants.
See this Root Sticky thread:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v30/how-to/root-v30-t3927154
Read post #1.
ChazzMatt said:
Umm, I wouldn't get the T-Mobile H932 unless you're a T-Mobile customer. It's much harder to root than the other variants.
Yes, you have to follow the instructions in that thread to install TWRP and root the T-Mobile H932.
WTF INSTRUCTIONS are for all the other variants.
See this Root Sticky thread:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v30/how-to/root-v30-t3927154
Read post #1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ting is an MVNO of Tmobile and they advised me that getting something without the Band 12 VoLTE support could result in issues with calls/texts not going through. Other than that I would probably go for the US998 version. Or maybe I should just get the US998 and hope for the best idk.
mon0theist said:
Ting is an MVNO of Tmobile and they advised me that getting something without the Band 12 VoLTE support could result in issues with calls/texts not going through. Other than that I would probably go for the US998 version. Or maybe I should just get the US998 and hope for the best idk.
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US998 has T-Mobile Band 12 VoLTE support and has T-Mobile WiFi calling.
It's just LTE Band 71 you won't have.
ChazzMatt said:
US998 has T-Mobile Band 12 VoLTE support and has T-Mobile WiFi calling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh really? Well in that case US998 it is
Hello,
I have an LG V30 Plus (model LGH930G) which was bought in Israel.
I was wondering if there's a stock ROM for an equivalent Canadian model, I can install on it.
A while back I managed to do a similar process on an AT&T LG G6, using this tutorial: https://forum.xda-developers.com/att-g6/how-to/convert-upgrade-att-g6-to-h873-oreo-t3791848
Is there something similar for the LG V30+?
From searching the net, I found that the closest Canadian model is H933 (from looking here: https://www.techwalls.com/lg-v30-model-number-differences), however, they have different specs (the H930 has 128Gb storage instead of 64Gb in the H933 model. That's the only difference I have found on the hardware part, and I am not sure it is relevant (as it is just storage).
Also, there is a difference with the supported LTE bands, but with my LG G6, that was software based, so I hope it is the same here.
I can send any additional information required.
Any help will be highly appreciated.
Thanks!
Flashing LG V30 Plus with Canadian stock rom
joeshachaf said:
Hello,
I have an LG V30 Plus (model LGH930G) which was bought in Israel.
I was wondering if there's a stock ROM for an equivalent Canadian model, I can install on it.
A while back I managed to do a similar process on an AT&T LG G6, using this tutorial: https://forum.xda-developers.com/att-g6/how-to/convert-upgrade-att-g6-to-h873-oreo-t3791848
Is there something similar for the LG V30+?
From searching the net, I found that the closest Canadian model is H933 (from looking here: https://www.techwalls.com/lg-v30-model-number-differences), however, they have different specs (the H930 has 128Gb storage instead of 64Gb in the H933 model. That's the only difference I have found on the hardware part, and I am not sure it is relevant (as it is just storage).
Also, there is a difference with the supported LTE bands, but with my LG G6, that was software based, so I hope it is the same here.
I can send any additional information required.
Any help will be highly appreciated.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NO.
You can flash some "V30+" to Canada H933 -- but you bought the wrong V30+ to do that. What you are talking about is what we call Frankenstein, but only works among North American variants (and even then NOT T-mobile H932).
1) The H930* models cannot be cross flashed to change modems on any of the North American models. Even cross flashing the H930* models among themselves (64Gb H930, 128GB H930G V30+, 64GB H930D, 128GB H930DS V30+) does not change modems of those models. For H930* models, you are stuck with the LTE bands you have, even if you changed firmware to another H930* variant. (H930DS often flashes to EU H930 KDZ firmware for "WTF" bootloader unlock and root method, but H930DS LTE bands still remain the same.)
2) Whereas if you had bought LS998 V30+ or US998 V30+, YES, you could cross flash to most other North American firmware (AS998, Verizon VS996, Canada H933, AT&T H931, Puerto Rico H932PR) and vice versa. These are complete conversions -- even changing modems, LTE bands. Those North American variants are chameleon-like and can be cross flashed using our Frankenstein instructions and Dev Patched LGUP..
Those Frankenstein instructions are to convert most North American variants to US998, but also work to convert to Canadian H933. I converted an LS998 V30+ to US998 V30+ and then to Canadian H933 (but still V30+). But your H930G V30+ is not eligible for that.
ChazzMatt said:
Flashing LG V30 Plus with Canadian stock rom
NO.
You can flash some "V30+" to Canada H933 -- but you bought the wrong V30+ to do that.
The H930* models cannot be cross flashed to change modems on any of the North American models. Even cross flashing the H930* models among themselves (64Gb H930, 128GB H930G V30+, 64GB H930D, 128GB H930DS V30+) does not change modems of those models. For H930* models, you are stuck with the LTE bands you have, even if you changed firmware to another H930* variant. (H930DS often flashes to EU H930 KDZ firmware for "WTF" bootloader unlock and root method, but H930DS LTE bands remain the same.)
Whereas if you had bought LS998 V30+ or US998 V30+, YES, you could cross flash to most other North American firmware (AS998, Verizon VS996, Canada H933, AT&T H931) and vice versa. These are complete conversions even changing modems, LTE bands. Those North American variants are chameleon like and can be cross flashed using our Frankenstein instructions and Dev Patched LGUP..
Those Frankenstein instructions are to convert most North American variants to US998, but also work to convert to Canadian H933. I converted an LS998 V30+ to US998 V30+ and then to Canadian H933 (but still V30+). But your H930G V30+ is not eligible for that.
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Click to collapse
Thanks!
The phone was bought when I was in Israel, back then it was the right phone
Follow up question, if I may: as the US998 is discontinued, I imagine there's no point to buy it now, unless you have some pointers I didn't think of?
Thank you again!
joeshachaf said:
Thanks!
The phone was bought when I was in Israel, back then it was the right phone
Follow up question, if I may: as the US998 is discontinued, I imagine there's no point to buy it now, unless you have some pointers I didn't think of?
Thank you again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can still buy mint US998 V30+ on eBay, for $140. Price goes up and down a few dollars depending on the week. For months was $110, then recently $170. Currently $140. They are all really former LS998 V30+ converted to US998 V30+ via Frankenstein. I've bought from this guy several times.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/LG-V30-US998-128GB-Titan-Black-Unlocked-Smartphone-9-10/173665613177
Then, sell your current phone if you wish to defray the difference.
ChazzMatt said:
You can still buy mint US998 V30+ on eBay, for $140. Price goes up and down a few dollars depending on the week. For months was $110, then recently $170. Currently $140. They are all really former LS998 V30+ converted to US998 V30+ via Frankenstein. I've bought from this guy several times.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/LG-V30-US998-128GB-Titan-Black-Unlocked-Smartphone-9-10/173665613177
Then, sell your current phone if you wish to defray the difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much!
Much appreciated.