H930 vs US998 on TMobile - LG V30 Questions & Answers

Is there any difference between these two on TMobile? Or one is better than another?
I have several H932s and now need something more standard to play AOSP roms

H930 vs US998 on TMobile​
escknx said:
Is there any difference between these two on TMobile? Or one is better than another?
I have several H932s and now need something more standard to play AOSP roms
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Click to collapse
I think you meant T-Mobile H932 vs US998 on T-Mobile. An H930 won't work on T-mobile. Since you said you have several T-mobile H932, you probably mis-typed your title, when you said "H930".
T-mobile H932 has the newer LTE band 71 which T-Mobile uses. US998 for the longest time got T-mobile Wi-Fi calling (at least on US998 firmware), but some people are reporting that with the newer SIM cards (combining Sprint and T-mobile assets) that it not working any more. Some people on T-mobile MVNOs says theirs are still working.
The dev who ROOTED the T-Mobile H932 and is a long time T-Mobile customer sold his H932, bought some other phone, then came back to the V30. When he did, he bought a US998 -- even though he's a T-Mobile customer. That was a couple years ago, so I don't know what he's using now.

I have a Sprint LS 998 converted to a US998. I've activated it with T-Mobile on Nov., 2020. It works fine on T-Mobile network until few days ago.
Now, my phone has issue with accessing data (4G/LTE) receptions at my house. The data reception comes in and stays for a short period then cuts off. I have to turn the data OFF then back ON, so I can get the data reception back, but not for long.
I have tried troubleshootings the issue with T-Mobile customer support, but the issue has not solved yet. I'd even factory reset my phone, but no help.
My phone is working fine at different locations.
The T-Mobile technician agreed that the issue is at their side, not my phone. He made a report. Hopefully, the issue will be solved this week.

ChazzMatt said:
H930 vs US998 on TMobile​
I think you meant T-Mobile H932 vs US998 on T-Mobile. An H930 won't work on T-mobile. Since you said you have several T-mobile H932, you probably mis-typed your title, when you said "H930".
T-mobile H932 has the newer LTE band 71 which T-Mobile uses. US998 for the longest time got T-mobile Wi-Fi calling (at least on US998 firmware), but some people are reporting that with the newer SIM cards (combining Sprint and T-mobile assets) that it not working any more. Some people on T-mobile MVNOs says theirs are still working.
The dev who ROOTED the T-Mobile H932 and is a long time T-Mobile customer sold his H932, bought some other phone, then came back to the V30. When he did, he bought a US998 -- even though he's a T-Mobile customer. That was a couple years ago, so I don't know what he's using now.
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No I meant H930, I didn't know it wouldnt work on TMO at all. Thanks good to know.
Yes I need to buy another V30 and it needs to work on TMO. I dont want another H932 because I want to go AOSP route, I dont see any viable options being released any time soon(except maybe new Pixel if they decide to add sd card), so looks like US998 might be my only option to have a decent phone with micro sd and with no bixby button.

Related

will the Tmob ver work on Verizon

So In the last few weeks i have tried the Essential nice phone really like it.. but the camera on it sucks.. I purchased a one plus 5t but didnt work on verizon... So there is a bunch of v30s on various sale groups by me for half price but they are for tmobile im guessing from that buy one get one sale going on.. Can it work on verizon and if so what needs to be done to make it work?
thanks in advance.
umx said:
So In the last few weeks i have tried the Essential nice phone really like it.. but the camera on it sucks.. I purchased a one plus 5t but didnt work on verizon... So there is a bunch of v30s on various sale groups by me for half price but they are for tmobile im guessing from that buy one get one sale going on.. Can it work on verizon and if so what needs to be done to make it work?
thanks in advance.
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Click to collapse
No. Just like AT&T and T-mobile use HSPA as backup bands when LTE is not available, Verizon uses CDMA. The T-mobile H932 doesn't have CDMA. While you CAN enable Verizon LTE band 13 for instance via the "hidden menu" trick on the T-mobile H932, you can't enable CDMA.
The phone that would work for you is the U.S. Cellular V30 or V30+. It has the CDMA and LTE bands you need for Verizon.
Next week, the "open market" official carrier unlocked LG V30 US998 will be released and that will also have all the Verizon bands you need. It's basically the same model as the U.S. Cellular but will also be eligible for bootloader unlock, root, etc. If you don't care about those things, then go ahead and get the U.S. Cellular model US998. It's the "unofficial" carrier unlocked model, also numbered US998. It has GSM/CDMA/HSPA/LTE.
ChazzMatt said:
No. Just like AT&T and T-mobile use HSPA as backup bands when LTE is not available, Verizon uses CDMA. The T-mobile H932 doesn't have CDMA. While you CAN enable Verizon LTE band 13 for instance via the "hidden menu" trick on the T-mobile H932, you can't enable CDMA.
The phone that would work for you is the U.S. Cellular V30 or V30+. It has the CDMA and LTE bands you need for Verizon.
Next week, the "open market" official carrier unlocked LG V30 US998 will be released and that will also have all the Verizon bands you need. It's basically the same model as the U.S. Cellular but will also be eligible for bootloader unlock, root, etc. If you don't care about those things, then go ahead and get the U.S. Cellular model US998. It's the "unofficial" carrier unlocked model, also numbered US998.
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Click to collapse
ahh dam ok, thanks for your reply.. Ill wait til amazon gets the v30+

Dropping AT&T connection

Hey guys
Love my V30 but does anyone else see it drop the AT&T connection? Just the other day I was at the golf course and it was totally off the network. AT&T logo was gone, no LTE, etc. I drove a few miles and no change and I knew I was in an area where it should work. I rebooted the phone and it hopped right back on the network with 3 full bars of LTE. That's 2 or 3 times I've seen it lose the connection and struggle to get it back. Anyone else seeing that?
I'm upgraded to Oreo, btw.
What model and are you rooted?
I have the a H931 ATT V30 converted to US998 and the only time I have any signal trouble and sim card oddness is on Boombox rom.
Link420able said:
What model and are you rooted?
I have the a H931 ATT V30 converted to US998 and the only time I have any signal trouble and sim card oddness is on Boombox rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the H931. I didn't know you could root this phone or convert it to the US998. I'd be interested in trying that to see if the different modem files help. Can you link to some instructions?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v30/how-to/wtf-lg-v30-t3790500
This is the thread. The frankenstein flash method works for all V30 models aside from the H932, which is T-Mobile.
If you Convert it to the US998 then it effectively sim unlocks the phone as well
Link420able said:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v30/how-to/wtf-lg-v30-t3790500
This is the thread. The frankenstein flash method works for all V30 models aside from the H932, which is T-Mobile.
If you Convert it to the US998 then it effectively sim unlocks the phone as well
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Click to collapse
Sounds good. I'll check it out. What differences are there between H931 and US998? I'm assuming things like VoLTE and Wifi calling will not work. What about tethering?
Are you on AT&T? If so, did you notice signal improving or signal retention improving when it's a US998?
VoLTE and Wifi calling dont work on booxbox. I havent used stock US998 much, but these forums are full of success stories of getting that to work again after converting.
I am on ATT. My signal is really the same after converting. I havent noticed any changes in quality, etc.
Link420able said:
What model and are you rooted?
I have the a H931 ATT V30 converted to US998 and the only time I have any signal trouble and sim card oddness is on Boombox rom.
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Click to collapse
What benefits (other than just being rooted) do you have when you do this? Are you getting more frequent updates? I'm still on May security patches for example.
rykr said:
What benefits (other than just being rooted) do you have when you do this? Are you getting more frequent updates? I'm still on May security patches for example.
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Click to collapse
US998 has June security update.
LG has to give updates at least every 90 days for V30 and variants.

Using unlocked H931 on Mint mobile

Hi,
I've been offered a cheap unlocked refurbed V30 H931 variant and I was wondering if it will work with Mint Mobile (T-mobile) out of the box or if I should flash it with H932? My SIM is already activated and working on my phone, i'll just be swapping it out of my old broken phone and into the V30. Also, I travel to europe a lot (mainly the UK) should I flash a different firmware before I go each time to ensure I have the best radio and can connect to 4G service? My old phone is a UK phone and I don't get US 4G with it irritatingly.
Thanks!
Forsh said:
Hi,
I've been offered a cheap unlocked refurbed V30 H931 variant and I was wondering if it will work with Mint Mobile (T-mobile) out of the box or if I should flash it with H932? My SIM is already activated and working on my phone, i'll just be swapping it out of my old broken phone and into the V30. Also, I travel to europe a lot (mainly the UK) should I flash a different firmware before I go each time to ensure I have the best radio and can connect to 4G service? My old phone is a UK phone and I don't get US 4G with it irritatingly.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do NOT flash H932 firmware over anything but H932.
Sent via open market LG US998 V30/V30+
ChazzMatt said:
Do NOT flash H932 firmware over anything but H932.
Sent via open market LG US998 V30/V30+
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Click to collapse
Is it likely to work with T-mobile/Mint out of the box? Is there anything you would recommend I do to improve signal/performance with T-mobile/mint on the AT&T variant phone?
Forsh said:
Is it likely to work with T-mobile/Mint out of the box? Is there anything you would recommend I do to improve signal/performance with T-mobile/mint on the AT&T variant phone?
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Click to collapse
AT&T H931 is locked to AT&T. You'll need to Frankenstein it to carrier unlocked US998. Many are running US998 on T-Mobile.
I'm getting an unlocked 931 tomorrow, and will be trying it on mint mobile. If it's unlocked (as the seller says), I think it will work on t-mo network. It certainly has all the LTE bands needed (except 71 unfortunately).
I'll post back if it works or not.
I can say that the unlocked 931 I got works on mint mobile. The LTE signal isn't very strong but the download speed is good and everything else works fine. Really like the v30, what a nice phone.

US Carrier Issues in Spain? Should I buy LG V30/V35?

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.

Best version to buy in 2021 for T-Mobile USA?

I'm reading the various threads from 2018 and 2019. They mention that the H932 is more difficult to root. Is that still true? They also mention that the US998 is missing the LTE600 (B71) band, but it will still work with T-Mobile USA on the other bands.
I also learned that many US998 models are actually LS998 that have been converted. Is that a problem in my cases, now that Sprint and T-Mobile merged?
After a couple years has passed, which LG V30 is the best one to buy for T-Mobile USA? I want to run LineageOS 18 (and hopefully future versions) along with TWRP and Magisk.
I'm hoping to buy one with 128GB storage.
With LG exiting the phone business, will I experience any problems unlocking the bootloader now?
MtnX2 said:
I'm reading the various threads from 2018 and 2019. They mention that the H932 is more difficult to root. Is that still true? They also mention that the US998 is missing the LTE600 (B71) band, but it will still work with T-Mobile USA on the other bands.
I also learned that many US998 models are actually LS998 that have been converted. Is that a problem in my cases, now that Sprint and T-Mobile merged?
After a couple years has passed, which LG V30 is the best one to buy for T-Mobile USA? I want to run LineageOS 18 (and hopefully future versions) along with TWRP and Magisk.
I'm hoping to buy one with 128GB storage.
With LG exiting the phone business, will I experience any problems unlocking the bootloader now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
V30/V30+ T-Mobile H932 is still the hardest to root, yes. Not to be confused with the V30 H932PR which was sold in Puerto Rico and is different. The T-Mobile V30 (64GB) and V30+ (128GB) has different encryption system and no native fastboot commands. (Well, almost none. None that are helpful.) For the other North American variants (AT&T H931, Canada H933, Verizon VS996), without fastboot commands, you can easily convert them (Frankenstein) to US998 to get that. With the T-Mobile H932 you cannot cross flash other firmware to get that ability without bricking the phone.
There's an alternate method for rooting the T-Mobile H932. See here.
Also, the 128GB V30+ variant of the T-Mobile H932 was a limited offering, sold for a short amount of time during holidays in late 2017. Most of the T-Mobile H932 are the 64GB V30.
Since T-Mobile has merged with Sprint, the new T-Mobile SIM cards seem to not allow US998 firmware to have T-Mobile Wi-Fi calling anymore. If you can find an older SIM card, that will still work, to my knowledge.
ChazzMatt said:
V30/V30+ T-Mobile H932 is still the hardest to root, yes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the update. It sounds like the US998 is the best version to purchase. I guess I should try to get an original US998 (not a converted LS998). Am I right?
I might try to buy two of these because none of the current phones being made today top the LG V30 for me. (Like somebody said on Reddit recently, smartphone technology seems to be going backwards in some ways.)
Is anyone using LineageOS 18 as the daily driver on the LG V30?
ChazzMatt said:
Since T-Mobile has merged with Sprint, the new SIM cards seem to not allow US998 firmware to have T-Mobile Wi-Fi calling anymore. If you can find an older SIM card, that will still work, to my knowledge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, that sounds like bad news for me... Maybe I need to go with the T-Mobile H932 version.

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