I'm curious to know what model people received direct from Moto in the US. My Z Play was given as a gift and bought from Best Buy, but it's XT1635-02, which I keep reading is an International model.
For those in the US that bought direct from Motorola, what's your model number?
mostcallmerob said:
I'm curious to know what model people received direct from Moto in the US. My Z Play was given as a gift and bought from Best Buy, but it's XT1635-02, which I keep reading is an International model.
For those in the US that bought direct from Motorola, what's your model number?
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The same XT 1635-02...
I ordered my Moto Z Play Droid direct from Motorola, and got model number XT1635-01
XT1635-01 is the Verizon US variant, XT1635-02 is the US AND international varaints, XT1635-03 is the chinese variant. XT1635-02 can be either dual or single sim, and only differs in the software channels(retus, reteu, retla, etc). I think XT1635-03 is dual sim only, but im not sure. If you want to confirm your device is for the US market, go to settings > About phone and check the software channel which should read retus.
Seems silly that they would use the same model number for different regions with different band support. Confusing
catpunt said:
Seems silly that they would use the same model number for different regions with different band support. Confusing
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All XT1635-02 variants support the same GSM bands. XT1635-03 supports the chinese WCDMA bands and probably some GSM bands. XT1635-01 supports US CDMA bands and some GSM bands. Arguably motorola probably just disabled the CDMA and WCDMA bands on the XT1635-02 so that people would actually buy the phone from verizon as opposed to buying it from the manufacturer. Which verizon made a deal with them to try and grab more customers by saying "Look at this innovative new phone! Only here at Verizon!" as is clearly obvious by the phone being exclucive for a few months before international release.
jon7701 said:
All XT1635-02 variants support the same GSM bands. XT1635-03 supports the chinese WCDMA bands and probably some GSM bands. XT1635-01 supports US CDMA bands and some GSM bands. Arguably motorola probably just disabled the CDMA and WCDMA bands on the XT1635-02 so that people would actually buy the phone from verizon as opposed to buying it from the manufacturer. Which verizon made a deal with them to try and grab more customers by saying "Look at this innovative new phone! Only here at Verizon!" as is clearly obvious by the phone being exclucive for a few months before international release.
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Perhaps, but that doesn't support why the Europe and USA versions of the unlocked XT1635-02 have different band support. Seems like this wouldn't have anything to do with Verizon exclusivity, and if the hardware support is there, why not make all bands available for true world support?
catpunt said:
Perhaps, but that doesn't support why the Europe and USA versions of the unlocked XT1635-02 have different band support. Seems like this wouldn't have anything to do with Verizon exclusivity, and if the hardware support is there, why not make all bands available for true world support?
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Checking motorola's site on the band support, XT1632-02 retus supports UMTS band 1700, reteu does not, however reteu support LTE bands 25 and 41, while retus does not. One of the reasons companies love proprietary software is because they can get away with doing things they dont want you to know about. Motorola can disable select bands on different variants and knows you have no way of enabling them (or even knowing if you can) since you do not have access to their source code. I cannot say for 100% sure that every variant supports the same bands hardware wise, but it would cost motorola more money to manufacture the phone with 3 or 4 different radios than it would be to just include 1 radio and then disable what they dont want you to access. The support I have that they do use this practice is because all XT1635-02 still have the pins for a second sim even on the single sim models. This would reduce manufacturing costs by skipping an unneeded step of seperating the phones between dual and single sim. On the Moto X Play some people were even able to activate the second sim on single sim only models. If you were around during the Nexus 4 era, Google intentionally disabled 4G LTE on that phone for seemingly no reason. Devs were able to figure that out and were able to unlock the 4G LTE capabilities. About Verizon exclucivity, if motorola disables the CDMA bands on their international model, you have to buy your phone from verizon if you want to use it on verizon. Lenovo (Motorola) has had big success with verizon exclucives from their droid series and they want to keep it that way. So in order to make costumers keep buying Droid phones they make it so that you have buy from verizon if you want CDMA support or you're SOL. This also allows verizon to lock down what CDMA carriers the phone can be used on (Which currently is only verizon AFAIK). Why they dont just enable all bands on all models is a good question, but once again it could have to do with the Verizon exclucivity because remember the verizon model was the first to be released. You had to buy the phone from verizon or motorola in order to get it which helps the Droid series sell. Releasing the phone 3 months later with global support could hurt the Droid series and potentially piss of customers.
jon7701 said:
Checking motorola's site on the band support, XT1632-02 retus supports UMTS band 1700, reteu does not, however reteu support LTE bands 25 and 41, while retus does not. One of the reasons companies love proprietary software is because they can get away with doing things they dont want you to know about. Motorola can disable select bands on different variants and knows you have no way of enabling them (or even knowing if you can) since you do not have access to their source code. I cannot say for 100% sure that every variant supports the same bands hardware wise, but it would cost motorola more money to manufacture the phone with 3 or 4 different radios than it would be to just include 1 radio and then disable what they dont want you to access. The support I have that they do use this practice is because all XT1635-02 still have the pins for a second sim even on the single sim models. This would reduce manufacturing costs by skipping an unneeded step of seperating the phones between dual and single sim. On the Moto X Play some people were even able to activate the second sim on single sim only models. If you were around during the Nexus 4 era, Google intentionally disabled 4G LTE on that phone for seemingly no reason. Devs were able to figure that out and were able to unlock the 4G LTE capabilities. About Verizon exclucivity, if motorola disables the CDMA bands on their international model, you have to buy your phone from verizon if you want to use it on verizon. Lenovo (Motorola) has had big success with verizon exclucives from their droid series and they want to keep it that way. So in order to make costumers keep buying Droid phones they make it so that you have buy from verizon if you want CDMA support or you're SOL. This also allows verizon to lock down what CDMA carriers the phone can be used on (Which currently is only verizon AFAIK).
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Thanks for the detailed info.
One weird thing is this: according to http://willmyphonework.net/ the unlocked USA version of the Moto Z Play has partial T-Mobile 3G and 4G support, while the unlocked Europe version has partial T-Mobile 3G support and full 4G support. However the unlocked Mexico version apparently has full 2G/3G/4G support. ??? Sounds like the USA version is actually the worst in terms of band support for T-Mobile.
catpunt said:
Thanks for the detailed info.
One weird thing is this: according to http://willmyphonework.net/ the unlocked USA version of the Moto Z Play has partial T-Mobile 3G and 4G support, while the unlocked Europe version has partial T-Mobile 3G support and full 4G support. However the unlocked Mexico version apparently has full 2G/3G/4G support. ??? Sounds like the USA version is actually the worst in terms of band support for T-Mobile.
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Funny enough on their motorola's own website, they say the US version only has partial support for AT&T and full support for T-Mobile. https://www.motorola.com/us/carrier-compatibility I guess we'll never know whats going through the minds of the people at Lenovo. I also added a bit to my previous post about the global bit of your question.
Something to remember is that for most handset manufacturers, the carrier is their customer, not you. When handset manufacturers have a new phone to sell, they hand-make some prototypes and hawk them around the carriers (networks). If the network likes it, they will usually say "I'll only take it if it has this, this and this, and has that, that and that removed". Manufacturer then does some horse trading, hence "that would be uneconomic to remove from hardware, but we can disable it in the firmware".
Eventually they reach agreement and the network says "deal, I'll take 500,00" (for example) and agrees the payment. It's those advance payments (or borrowing against them) that fund the cost of production, and hopefully leave some profit left over for the manufacturer. This is why what the networks want always takes precedence - international unlocked sales are always a complete unknown, and usually a very small part of total sales. For most handset manufacturers, it's those exclusive deals with networks that keep the lights on. Only the iPhone ever bucked that trend, by being seen as a single product with such high demand that it gave the manufacturer more power than the networks. Android phones are divided between lots of different models and multiple manufacturers, which means that the manufacturer's bargaining power for a single model is very limited.
jon7701 said:
Funny enough on their motorola's own website, they say the US version only has partial support for AT&T and full support for T-Mobile. https://www.motorola.com/us/carrier-compatibility I guess we'll never know whats going through the minds of the people at Lenovo. I also added a bit to my previous post about the global bit of your question.
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Are you saying the info on the moto site isn't 100% correct? I wanted to get one of these for AT&T but it shows it is only somewhat compatible compared to Tmobile i
also see no checkmark by republic wireless, but I know for a fact RW is selling them on their website, and there is even a RW promo taking place in a few days with the z play
x000x said:
Are you saying the info on the moto site isn't 100% correct? I wanted to get one of these for AT&T but it shows it is only somewhat compatible compared to Tmobile i
also see no checkmark by republic wireless, but I know for a fact RW is selling them on their website, and there is even a RW promo taking place in a few days with the z play
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I have AT&T and am having no issues with signal. I get EDGE, HSPA, HSPA+, and LTE. I actually get better signal on AT&T than I did on verizon on my Moto X Pure (AT&T also costs me almost 3x less as well ). AT&T uses LTE bands 2, 4, 5, 17, and recently (from what ive heard) 12. XT1635-02 retus supports all of those bands (it lists supported bands on the box).
Related
Hi Group.
I'm in a geographical predicament and thought your suggestions would be useful in purchasing my new phone... I am going to buy the Pixel XL, but don't know if I should buy it in the USA when I go or buy it in London where I live. I am Canadian and go back and forth quite often, but my homebase and Home is in London. Knowing that there are always two versions, North America and International, I was wondering which one I should buy... When in Canada I use Bell, and when in London (where I am 90% of the time) I am with 3 (Three.co.uk).
Which should I get/where should I buy it, seeing that I heard that sometimes the different versions burn battery life differently.
Thanks!
I'd say the main thing to consider (which I'm concerned about as well) is the Carrier Aggregation for LTE, I placed a preorder for the XL, but I won't be using it in the states. My carrier supports LTE Band 1 and 3, however if you look at the CA combinations in the technical specs, the US model won't support B1+B3 aggregation, only the international model will. You might be in a different boat though, so check your carrier's LTE Band support and see if the US model supports those for CA. US model is cheaper after all.
yeah it all comes down to the bands, as a rule the international always has more available bands, but there are still a handful that are exclusive to the US or International version, so all you can do is research what the networks you use work on and then go from there picking the version that has all the bands you need.
I've really enjoyed my S7 and want to upgrade to the S9. Later in the year I'll be overseas for almost a year, so I want something that will work with all Verizon bands of LTE, but also not have a firmware lock that would cause it to not work on other bands of LTE overseas. (planning to just use prepaid dataplan sim cards overseas)
I think my two options are to either get a US 'unlocked' version or wait for the 'international' version. My understanding is the primary differences between the unlocked and international version is the 2G/3G coverage for CDMA and possibly slightly different hardware. I'd rather have a phone with CDMA backwards capability, but my prime concern lacking full access to all LTE bands available wherever I am.
I'm not really interested in going any route that would require me to root the phone if there is a way to do it without.
Well the only way to get VZW compatibility is the VZW phone or a US unlocked model. So you're looking at the US Unlocked model at this point.
A listing of all the different model numbers available (per country and carrier) is available here: https://www.techwalls.com/samsung-galaxy-s9-sm-g960-g965-model-number-differences/
You will probably want to get the phone that works with your primary location the most. I am not sure which countries use which frequencies for LTE in Europe; you will need to research that to see what you may be missing out on.
With my T-Mobile S7, I haven't had any issues when traveling in Europe or Asia. It connects to LTE usually.
So I just did a deep dive of that list:
It looks like the Verizon and Unlocked versions are almost identical (the unlocked US version has B46(5200) 4G TDD LTE, but I'm not sure anyone who uses it)
Looking at 4G FDD LTE it looks like a Verizon or US unlocked phone will have almost complete coverage around the world, notable gaps are B30(2300) in China/Canada/US AT&T, B32(1500) in UK and B71(600) (US Tmobile). I thought that was a bit confusing as you'd expect a US Unlocked phone to service all LTE bands available in the US yet it lacks AT&T and Tmobile bands.
So based on all that information looks like I should just get an unlocked US phone to be totally safe, and I'd likely also be fine getting a Verizon version also.
StykerB said:
Well the only way to get VZW compatibility is the VZW phone or a US unlocked model. So you're looking at the US Unlocked model at this point.
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Relcan said:
So I just did a deep dive of that list:
It looks like the Verizon and Unlocked versions are almost identical (the unlocked US version has B46(5200) 4G TDD LTE, but I'm not sure anyone who uses it)
Looking at 4G FDD LTE it looks like a Verizon or US unlocked phone will have almost complete coverage around the world, notable gaps are B30(2300) in China/Canada/US AT&T, B32(1500) in UK and B71(600) (US Tmobile). I thought that was a bit confusing as you'd expect a US Unlocked phone to service all LTE bands available in the US yet it lacks AT&T and Tmobile bands.
So based on all that information looks like I should just get an unlocked US phone to be totally safe, and I'd likely also be fine getting a Verizon version also.
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So I'm new to Android but i use Verizon prepaid. Will I lose anything by going with the unlocked version or should i stick with a Verizon S9?
I don't use video calling. All i do is text and talk but I've heard that people on Verizon prepaid have issues with unlocked Android phones.
Thanks
Would Wifi Calling work with the US unlocked on verizon? I thought that required a Verizon FW to be flashed. I imagine all the other features such as voLTE / HD calling, etc to work on the US unlocked.
testinguser said:
Would Wifi Calling work with the US unlocked on verizon? I thought that required a Verizon FW to be flashed. I imagine all the other features such as voLTE / HD calling, etc to work on the US unlocked.
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Curious about that also
testinguser said:
Would Wifi Calling work with the US unlocked on verizon? I thought that required a Verizon FW to be flashed. I imagine all the other features such as voLTE / HD calling, etc to work on the US unlocked.
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Throwinrocks said:
Curious about that also
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I did a cursory review of the wifi-calling FAQ on their website. They don't mention anything about compatibility with Unlocked versions of phones (that I saw). I'd call tech support to ask, but I'd expect there to be a 50% chance of getting the wrong answer from the tech based on my interactions with their support.
There might be some good experience based anecdotes in the Galaxy S8 forum, if it works on an unlocked S8 its a safe bet it will work on an unlocked S9
I think I'll ask in the Verizon subreddit, it seems like they normally have really good information as well.
I'm mostly curious about the LTE TDD Band 46 (5200) - its the only band an unlocked US phone has that a Verizon phone doesn't. 5200 is in the U-NII frequency range, no cellphone service providers use it, but I wonder if it may be used for local LTE networks in the near future. The other advantage is avoiding all the verizon bloat wear, but that may be what allows the Wifi Calling to work!
All this has me thinking I might have to add the extra $80 and just buy the Verizon version. I don't get phones on contract and I've always just paid full price. (Page 2 404 error?)
Apparently the Nov/Dec Samsung s8 firmware update added an option for BYOD carrier provisioning for unlocked s8. Given the similarity, I'd imagine the same to be true for s9. Can someone who has an unlocked s8 confirm?
Well after a little more research I see that if you use Verizon prepaid you lose visual voicemail and WiFi calling even if you use a Verizon phone so there's no need in me paying extra for a Verizon S9. Unlocked it is.
Throwinrocks said:
Well after a little more research I see that if you use Verizon prepaid you lose visual voicemail and WiFi calling even if you use a Verizon phone so there's no need in me paying extra for a Verizon S9. Unlocked it is.
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You might wanna check this as Verizon is starting to implement network locks on some devices as to deter thefts more
Dont know when or what devices but it was a statement Verizon made
So, you're saying the prepaid SIM might not work in an unlocked S9?
I don't think Verizon is keeping Verizon prepaid SIMS from working in unlocked phones they are just locking their phones like Sprint and AT&T still do.
I had no problems with my unlocked Pixel 2 XL that I purchased from Google and my Verizon prepaid, just no visual voicemail.
Hi,
If I take a AT&T S9, Unlock the bootloader (if possible), root it, and flash a custom rom on it will I then be able to use it on Verizon?
Thank you in Advance.
Kc0r8y said:
Hi,
If I take a AT&T S9, Unlock the bootloader (if possible), root it, and flash a custom rom on it will I then be able to use it on Verizon?
Thank you in Advance.
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Click to collapse
ATz&T is GSM Verizon is CDMA incompatible
Perhaps @sw1173 is a dinosaur or a forum troll?
Verizon 4G LTE is not CDMA. It's 4G LTE and fully compatible with 4G LTE used by other carriers around the globe. Verizon 2g and 3g is CDMA, and only still exists to support older cellular data and IoT devices and some dinosaurs using ancients relics for devices. Verizon announced they were planning on completely shutting down their CDMA network the end of 2019, but just recently decided to postpone the shutdown for up to another year. Verizon has been permitting activation of an ever expanding list of unlocked phones for some time now, including devices like the OnePlus 6T that has no CDMA support, just 4G LTE. If you already have a 4G LTE device activated, you can swap the SIM into another 4G LTE device and as long as it has radio band support for Verizon's spectrum (use frequencycheck.com) as well as software support for Verizon's VoLTE settings, you're good to go. They don't seem to have a VoLTE whitelist like AT&T.
Sadly, the bootloader on the US Snapdragon S9 can not be unlocked at this point (no hacks) like the foreign SM-G960F(D)/965F(D) (Exynos with unlocked bootloader) or the SM-G9600/9650 (Snapdragon with unlocked bootloader) in order to install custom ROMs. I suggest everyone avoid US Samsung phones, period, because of this, and be sure to share your discontent with Samsung. Personally, if I were you, I would get the SM-G9600 or SM-G9650 (China / Latin America Version), root it (easy), and flash the files here to get Verizon support:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s9/how-to/guide-sm-g9600-sm-g9650-verizon-t3890695
If you buy or have a carrier unlocked US S9, including from AT&T, you can use it with any US carrier, including Verizon. You'll probably want to flash the Verizon firmware on it to get Verizon features including WiFi calling though:
https://www.reddit.com/r/GalaxyS9/comments/85ci7c/convert_atttmosprint_to_unlocked_s9_guide/
Presently you can't unlock the boot loader on the n960u therefore you can't flash Verizon's firmware. Call Verizon and you will be told they are CDMA and are not changing but are adding capability for 5G after 1/1/2020, which will allow the use of various GSM devices to use their CDMA network.. I just spoke with Verizon sales and their technical support.
sw1173 said:
ATz&T is GSM Verizon is CDMA incompatible
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incorrect, this has been incorrect since the S8 when Sammy decided to not make different models for the US market. All S9's built for the US market are physically identical
mobileanimal said:
Perhaps @sw1173 is a dinosaur or a forum troll?
Verizon 4G LTE is not CDMA. It's 4G LTE and fully compatible with 4G LTE used by other carriers around the globe. Verizon 2g and 3g is CDMA, and only still exists to support older cellular data and IoT devices and some dinosaurs using ancients relics for devices. Verizon announced they were planning on completely shutting down their CDMA network the end of 2019, but just recently decided to postpone the shutdown for up to another year. Verizon has been permitting activation of an ever expanding list of unlocked phones for some time now, including devices like the OnePlus 6T that has no CDMA support, just 4G LTE. If you already have a 4G LTE device activated, you can swap the SIM into another 4G LTE device and as long as it has radio band support for Verizon's spectrum (use frequencycheck.com) as well as software support for Verizon's VoLTE settings, you're good to go. They don't seem to have a VoLTE whitelist like AT&T.
Sadly, the bootloader on the US Snapdragon S9 can not be unlocked at this point (no hacks) like the foreign SM-G960F(D)/965F(D) (Exynos with unlocked bootloader) or the SM-G9600/9650 (Snapdragon with unlocked bootloader) in order to install custom ROMs. I suggest everyone avoid US Samsung phones, period, because of this, and be sure to share your discontent with Samsung. Personally, if I were you, I would get the SM-G9600 or SM-G9650 (China / Latin America Version), root it (easy), and flash the files here to get Verizon support:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s9/how-to/guide-sm-g9600-sm-g9650-verizon-t3890695
If you buy or have a carrier unlocked US S9, including from AT&T, you can use it with any US carrier, including Verizon. You'll probably want to flash the Verizon firmware on it to get Verizon features including WiFi calling though:
https://www.reddit.com/r/GalaxyS9/comments/85ci7c/convert_atttmosprint_to_unlocked_s9_guide/
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in addition to this correct information, id like to add that phones can be debranded by flashing the U1 firmware, but will require a modded Odin in order to get around the write protections put in place meant to stop us from doing that
sw1173 said:
Presently you can't unlock the boot loader on the n960u therefore you can't flash Verizon's firmware. Call Verizon and you will be told they are CDMA and are not changing but are adding capability for 5G after 1/1/2020, which will allow the use of various GSM devices to use their CDMA network.. I just spoke with Verizon sales and their technical support.
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incorrect. Well, youre right in saying that it cant currently be unlocked or rooted, but you CAN flash verizons firmware. Verizon hasnt been a cdma carrier strictly speaking for a decade. LTE has always been GSM, and ever since vzw jumped on board, theyve been a hybrid at best. On top of that, with VoLTE becoming more and more popular, their cdma transceivers have been getting less and less usage every day. 5G isnt going to be the splash a lot of folks think it will either. New handsets to support a new communication method that just isnt needed in most places. And finally, most handsets produced in the last few years are hybrids, especially those sold in several countries. The biggest exception to that rule is the chinese phones that dont even have cdma radios in them.
I know that the XT1952-4 is the unlocked version for CDMA and GSM and technically has all the bands for all the carriers.
I am seeing XT1952-1 & XT1952-2 listed as global/international models but can not find any definitive documentation detailing the differences between the 2.
I am going to be getting one of these for my wife. We use Cricket (AT&T) currently. If we were to switch, it would likely be another AT&T MVNO, but we wouldn't rule out T-Mobile (or their MVNOs). CDMA (Verizon/Sprint) likely wouldn't be considered, so I don't need to get the XT-1952-4 version. I can save about $30 going for the XT1952-1 or XT1952-2. The question is...which one? What are the differences? Single/dual sim? Bands?
Any clarity?
Thanks!
mn1968 said:
I know that the XT1952-4 is the unlocked version for CDMA and GSM and technically has all the bands for all the carriers.
I am seeing XT1952-1 & XT1952-2 listed as global/international models but can not find any definitive documentation detailing the differences between the 2.
I am going to be getting one of these for my wife. We use Cricket (AT&T) currently. If we were to switch, it would likely be another AT&T MVNO, but we wouldn't rule out T-Mobile (or their MVNOs). CDMA (Verizon/Sprint) likely wouldn't be considered, so I don't need to get the XT-1952-4 version. I can save about $30 going for the XT1952-1 or XT1952-2. The question is...which one? What are the differences? Single/dual sim? Bands?
Any clarity?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will definitely want to go with the US model (XT1952-4), and not any of the international models. The US model has the necessary compatibility for US carriers, while the international models will not have those bands (for example, the US model supports T-Mobile's new 600MHz signal, which is not present on the international models). Additionally, international models will not have many carrier-specific features, such as VoLTE support and RCS, that you will only get with the US model.
Thanks for the advice!
I've come across am XT1952-4 for a good price, however, it is advertised for Sprint only. How could this be if it is truly an XT1952-4? False ad or misinformed seller???
Thoughts?
mn1968 said:
I've come across am XT1952-4 for a good price, however, it is advertised for Sprint only. How could this be if it is truly an XT1952-4? False ad or misinformed seller???
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are in the US purchase from a reputable retailer such as B&H that posts accurate info on phone models and capabilities while providing a solid return policy. Amazon, eBay, Walmart, etc are crap shoots...never really know what you're getting.
mn1968 said:
I've come across am XT1952-4 for a good price, however, it is advertised for Sprint only. How could this be if it is truly an XT1952-4? False ad or misinformed seller???
Thoughts?
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Click to collapse
It's probably a model purchased from Sprint/a Sprint-related MVNO, and is locked to the Sprint network.
xtermmin said:
It's probably a model purchased from Sprint/a Sprint-related MVNO, and is locked to the Sprint network.
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Click to collapse
That is correct. I own a Boost Mobile (Sprint subsidiary) xt1952-4 which is locked to the Sprint network out of the box. The Sprint variant xt1952-4 is supported for bootloader unlocking via Motorola's official unlocking portal.
Viva La Android said:
That is correct. I own a Boost Mobile (Sprint subsidiary) xt1952-4 which is locked to the Sprint network out of the box. The Sprint variant xt1952-4 is supported for bootloader unlocking via Motorola's official unlocking portal.
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Bootloader unlock is cool. But is it possible to sim unlock for other networks, or are there hoops to jump through?
mn1968 said:
Bootloader unlock is cool. But is it possible to sim unlock for other networks, or are there hoops to jump through?
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Click to collapse
That's a great question. Traditionally, Sprint doesn't make it simple for its branded devices to gain network/SIM unlocking or full GSM support and operability. They resort to encryption embedded partitions to network lock their devices. For example, the Sprint compatible Moto E (2nd Gen) from 2015 has yet to be exploited for GSM support. But, the Moto E4 (xt1766) was recently exploited for GSM functionality (but only if the device was never upgraded beyond a certain firmware build). On the xt1952-4, I've yet to hear of anybody network unlocking it, but again I have not researched it much.
For anyone that's interested, as of today (12/6/19), eBay and direct from Motorola have the XT1952-4 fully unlocked (all network compatible model) on sale for $129. Don't know how long the sale will last.
The model you want is the XT-1952-4 PAE80008US. The QA section on BH Photo confirms that PAE80008US is the unlocked Retail US model
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1455105-REG/moto_pae80008us_g7_play_32gb_smartphone.html/qa
So, I have been watching the 9 Pro as my next phone (upgrading from HTC U12+), but am really disappointed in a couple of things: (1) it appears there is no plan to certify the US version for AT&T 5G, and (2) no Astral Black for the US.
Since the 5G aspect is unlikely to change anytime soon, and AT&T 5G isn't really all that great anyway from what I hear, is there any downside to buying an EU Astral Black model and using it in the US? I'm still researching all the bands, but it appears the EU model is only missing two LTE bands in use by AT&T (Bands 29 and 30). To be fair, the US version is also missing Band 29 for the 700MHz spectrum, but does contain support for Band 30 at 2300MHz.
I'm going to log which bands are being used where I live and work but, if I will be limited to 4G/LTE anyway, I'm not seeing a downside to buying the EU version. Am I overlooking something? Any thoughts, suggestions, or input is greatly appreciated.
EU has additional options that neither the TMO or US int models have. At&t is behind on 5g deployments anyway so you shouldn't miss out on much, Verizon and TMO would've been better for that. As far as general reqs go, I don't see why not.
mawoods75 said:
So, I have been watching the 9 Pro as my next phone (upgrading from HTC U12+), but am really disappointed in a couple of things: (1) it appears there is no plan to certify the US version for AT&T 5G, and (2) no Astral Black for the US.
Since the 5G aspect is unlikely to change anytime soon, and AT&T 5G isn't really all that great anyway from what I hear, is there any downside to buying an EU Astral Black model and using it in the US? I'm still researching all the bands, but it appears the EU model is only missing two LTE bands in use by AT&T (Bands 29 and 30). To be fair, the US version is also missing Band 29 for the 700MHz spectrum, but does contain support for Band 30 at 2300MHz.
I'm going to log which bands are being used where I live and work but, if I will be limited to 4G/LTE anyway, I'm not seeing a downside to buying the EU version. Am I overlooking something? Any thoughts, suggestions, or input is greatly appreciated.
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As far as I know, no models work with att 5g.
toolhas4degrees said:
As far as I know, no models work with att 5g.
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I believe that is true - I just want to make sure I'm not inadvertently limiting myself with 4G/LTE coverage by buying the EU version. I don't really care around home/work, as there is usually wifi available. My bigger concern would be coverage in my home area that might get dropped now due to the EU version missing a band that is available on the US version. Or, perhaps when traveling if the EU version is missing bands that other networks (roaming) may use.
mawoods75 said:
I believe that is true - I just want to make sure I'm not inadvertently limiting myself with 4G/LTE coverage by buying the EU version. I don't really care around home/work, as there is usually wifi available. My bigger concern would be coverage in my home area that might get dropped now due to the EU version missing a band that is available on the US version. Or, perhaps when traveling if the EU version is missing bands that other networks (roaming) may use.
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I have dual sims, straight talk att sim and t mobile sim. Att sim works fine no drop but no 5g, simple mobile -TMobile 5g,4g, I have the Chinese varient with eu firmware
toolhas4degrees said:
As far as I know, no models work with att 5g.
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You are correct. I call ATT about once a week asking if they're going to certify/whitelist OnePlus devices. I figure the more complaints they get, the more they'll be inclined to investigate it.
To add to this, most people I speak to have never even heard of OnePlus, which makes the conversation troublesome. Be completely prepared for ATT employees to feed you bad information, say your device isn't compatible (does not have the required hardware), is inferior to Samsung/Motorola/iPhone, and try to sell you a new phone or sent you a new SIM card.
I've posted before about calling ATT. I feel everyone who has their service should call on a regular basis. Squeaky wheel gets the grease.
phr0zen said:
You are correct. I call ATT about once a week asking if they're going to certify/whitelist OnePlus devices. I figure the more complaints they get, the more they'll be inclined to investigate it.
To add to this, most people I speak to have never even heard of OnePlus, which makes the conversation troublesome. Be completely prepared for ATT employees to feed you bad information, say your device isn't compatible (does not have the required hardware), is inferior to Samsung/Motorola/iPhone, and try to sell you a new phone or sent you a new SIM card.
I've posted before about calling ATT. I feel everyone who has their service should call on a regular basis. Squeaky wheel gets the grease.
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Click to collapse
And the strange part is they have the 9 and 9 Pro listed on their list of devices that will still work on their network (VoLTE) after they shutdown their 3G service next year. Gives me hope they will certify at some point.
I run this phone on AT&T, and while I don't get 5G speeds, I get very fast LTE+ speeds of around 200mbps.
Thanks all for the input. After some more thought, I believe I have decided on the pine green US version. It's going to be in a case anyway, and I've had very few cases that aren't black. So, if it will be black anyway due to the case, I might as well get the US version. Plus, I think the black case and green camera bump will look sharp.
Reviving an old thread, rather starting anew:
I want to get the 9 pro for T-mobile use in US. I need dual sims and want custom roms...
I saw that "toolhas4degrees" said they had a Chinese model with EU firmware. I don't know if he changed the firmware himself or what... A bit out of my capabilities.
Simply put: What would I need to do (if anything) to get the EU (LE2123) OnePlus 9 Pro to work with T-mobile?
Thanks!