I thought I did my homework. But when I called t-mobile to find out if the quad band Infuse would work on their network, I didn't ask what kind of data speeds I would get. My bad.
So now I have this almost perfect device that gets 2g speeds. Not even 3g. And they're charging me $9.99 a month (for tethering) for this privilege because it's not a t-mobile phone.
So if any of you know a workaround, please let me know.
Otherwise, I'll have a one week old Infuse to sell.
Bob
BobK58 said:
I thought I did my homework. But when I called t-mobile to find out if the quad band Infuse would work on their network, I didn't ask what kind of data speeds I would get. My bad.
So now I have this almost perfect device that gets 2g speeds. Not even 3g. And they're charging me $9.99 a month (for tethering) for this privilege because it's not a t-mobile phone.
So if any of you know a workaround, please let me know.
Otherwise, I'll have a one week old Infuse to sell.
Bob
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sell it. The Infuse does not support the UMTS1700 band that T-Mobile uses. Neither does any other AT&T phone that I know of.
For the most part, with a few rare exceptions, unless the phone was sold by T-Mobile USA, it won't get 3G speeds.
You can sometimes go the other way - 2-3 T-Mobile phones support the AT&T 3G bands, but it's rare.
I don't think any AT&T phones support the AWS (UTMS1700) band for T-Mobile, but I know that a few T-Mobile phones (Galaxy S phones) have the 1900 band, so they work on AT&T's 3G network.
Your better off selling the Infuse and getting something like it for T-Mobile, or just wait for the SGS2, and get that, because your Infuse will be stuck on 2G.
Longcat14 said:
I don't think any AT&T phones support the AWS (UTMS1700) band for T-Mobile, but I know that a few T-Mobile phones (Galaxy S phones) have the 1900 band, so they work on AT&T's 3G network.
Your better off selling the Infuse and getting something like it for T-Mobile, or just wait for the SGS2, and get that, because your Infuse will be stuck on 2G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But what about when ATT takes over tmobile? Will it change then?
emeralds5668 said:
But what about when ATT takes over tmobile? Will it change then?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not for existing devices, it's a hardware limitation
The tech guy I spoke with at t-mobile said it probably will -- but that's quite a while to wait. By then a GSM version of Kyocera's Echo might be out. Now I know what questions to ask.
B
As usual, a major phone maker from Asia is screwing over USA, by disabling US carrier compatible LTE bands in their flagship phone series. If anyone from US, or other parts of the world, left in the cold by Asus purchased this phone and would like to try this LTE unlock and report the results - that would be very much appreciated.
If anyone knows of an online store, which took the liberty of unlocking US compatible LTE bands (T-Mobile: 2,4,12, AT&T: 2,4,5,17) in Zenfone 3 Ultra - please post the link to the store.
Will Asus make a separate US version and sell it here, or will this phone be international only? I'm in the US on AT&T and would certainly like LTE capability, but I've been buying overseas phones for a while now and HSPA+ is certainly fast enough for my needs.
If Asus isn't planning on a US version i'll just get the international one...
omniphil said:
Will Asus make a separate US version and sell it here, or will this phone be international only? I'm in the US on AT&T and would certainly like LTE capability, but I've been buying overseas phones for a while now and HSPA+ is certainly fast enough for my needs.
If Asus isn't planning on a US version i'll just get the international one...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just get a Mi Max, it's cheaper. My friend picked me up a 4gb/128gb version when he was in China for $313. I don't see a reason to spend top dollar on the Zenfone 3 if it won't support LTE here. I'd love to see Asus support LTE here but it's a shame they always disable the US LTE bands.
ajsmsg78 said:
Just get a Mi Max, it's cheaper. My friend picked me up a 4gb/128gb version when he was in China for $313. I don't see a reason to spend top dollar on the Zenfone 3 if it won't support LTE here. I'd love to see Asus support LTE here but it's a shame they always disable the US LTE bands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want the larger screen of the Zenfone. Thats really the only reason im not picking up a Mi Max...
ajsmsg78 said:
Just get a Mi Max, it's cheaper. My friend picked me up a 4gb/128gb version when he was in China for $313. I don't see a reason to spend top dollar on the Zenfone 3 if it won't support LTE here. I'd love to see Asus support LTE here but it's a shame they always disable the US LTE bands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I heard that the Mi Max only supports some of the T-Mobile bands so you won't get full LTE (only HSPA). Do you know what network your friend uses his on and if he gets full LTE?
Techngro said:
I heard that the Mi Max only supports some of the T-Mobile bands so you won't get full LTE (only HSPA). Do you know what network your friend uses his on and if he gets full LTE?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
None of these phones support any LTE bands in the US. You'll only get HSPA+ or 3G. My thought is why pay 400+ for a phone with no LTE capabilities here. My friend picked up the Mi Max for me, I own it.
Techngro said:
I heard that the Mi Max only supports some of the T-Mobile bands so you won't get full LTE (only HSPA). Do you know what network your friend uses his on and if he gets full LTE?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can consider huawei mate 8 for USA LTE support (ATT & T-Mo), it is however a 6 incher 'only' .. my only gripe is the kirin 950 SoC, while on par with other top-tier silicon in terms of performance, it is none the less huawei in house and they are not known for releasing source code, meaning no 3rd party roms and probably no upgrade beyond nougat ..
http://www.anandtech.com/show/9878/the-huawei-mate-8-review
omniphil said:
Will Asus make a separate US version and sell it here, or will this phone be international only? I'm in the US on AT&T and would certainly like LTE capability, but I've been buying overseas phones for a while now and HSPA+ is certainly fast enough for my needs.
If Asus isn't planning on a US version i'll just get the international one...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I purchased my Asus Zenfone 3 ultra (ZU680KL) from EBay (593.00 factory unlocked), thru Never -Msrp, out of Houston Texas, but I believe it's still the global version.
I purchased a Bring Your Own Phone Plan thru Cricket, which is owned by AT&T. So they use their towers. I have not notice any problems with getting 4g/Lte.
Getting very good call reception and internet download speeds thru Cricket. I have a HTC 10 that I gave to my wife. The download speeds are similiar on 4g with the HTC 10 and the Asus. Both phones have many of the same 4g/lte bands. Just a little faster with the HTC 10, which might be due to the HTC having a faster processor. Depending where I am at in my area, I can see the H+ changing to 4g up in the status bar of the Asus phone when driving. Consistent 4g speeds where I live here in WV. I am also not to far from an AT&T tower.
XDA has always helped me with valuable information over the years of many of my phone ownerships, so I hope this information helps.
Slbtrb79 said:
I purchased my Asus Zenfone 3 ultra (ZU680KL) from EBay (593.00 factory unlocked), thru Never -Msrp, out of Houston Texas, but I believe it's still the global version.
I purchased a Bring Your Own Phone Plan thru Cricket, which is owned by AT&T. So they use their towers. I have not notice any problems with getting 4g/Lte.
Getting very good call reception and internet download speeds thru Cricket. I have a HTC 10 that I gave to my wife. The download speeds are similiar on 4g with the HTC 10 and the Asus. Both phones have many of the same 4g/lte bands. Just a little faster with the HTC 10, which might be due to the HTC having a faster processor. Depending where I am at in my area, I can see the H+ changing to 4g up in the status bar of the Asus phone when driving. Consistent 4g speeds where I live here in WV. I am also not to far from an AT&T tower.
XDA has always helped me with valuable information over the years of many of my phone ownerships, so I hope this information helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just so people aren't confused... 4G and LTE are 2 different things.
4G = HSPA+ and is around 5-10Mbps.
LTE can be 20-30Mbps and also has much less latency.
Most people are looking for LTE in the USA and these international phones only support 4G (Which is slower than LTE but works good enough for me)
omniphil said:
Just so people aren't confused... 4G and LTE are 2 different things.
4G = HSPA+ and is around 5-10Mbps.
LTE can be 20-30Mbps and also has much less latency.
Most people are looking for LTE in the USA and these international phones only support 4G (Which is slower than LTE but works good enough for me)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your comments. I accept mostly what you wrote for most companies definition of 4G and LTE. I was going by my carriers definition or interpretation of what they call 4G LTE and just 4G. The confusion is more from the caps on the data speeds various companies have. Because to me there is little difference between saying LTE and 4G LTE.
Cricket is the carrier owned by AT&T. They call their data speeds 4G and 4G LTE. AT&T caps Cricket download speeds at what they say is 4G LTE at 8Mbps and 4Mbps download speed cap for just 4G (Referenced from Crickets's website and from www.gottabemobile.com 6/21/2015 article on this topic).
However, my earlier remarks about my Asus phone was incorrect, due to Asus limitations on their 4G/LTE phones sold to individuals in the US, even though the carrier here might support some of the same 4G/LTE bands. It's an Asus thing and probably some others too. I'm probably only getting just 4G or less. My speed tests are only showing 3Mbps and a little better on download speeds on Cricket Wireless with the Asus Zenfone 3 ultra. But I was only getting on speed tests 4Mbps and a little better download speeds with my previous HTC 10 on Cricket Wireless. I have never even gotten close to Cricket's 8Mbps on my HTC 10.
At this point I'm ok with HSPA+ (It's what i've used for years now in the US with International phones)
I'm waiting for root to surface for this phone and then i'm jumping right in
omniphil said:
Just so people aren't confused... 4G and LTE are 2 different things.
4G = HSPA+ and is around 5-10Mbps.
LTE can be 20-30Mbps and also has much less latency.
Most people are looking for LTE in the USA and these international phones only support 4G (Which is slower than LTE but works good enough for me)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please do not confuse people with false information. HSPA+ is officially considered 3.5G connection type. Long Term Evolution (LTE) is defined as a 4th generation (4G) wireless connection standard. Those are official nominations, you can find through IEEE site, Wikipedia and many other reliable sources. LTE theoretical max speed are nowhere near 20-30Mbps figure you provided - they are *much* higher. There is also LTE-A (advanced), which is also 4G but doubles the LTE speeds, and the actual LTE speeds depend on the hardware and LTE category of the modem.
Apo11on said:
Please do not confuse people with false information. HSPA+ is officially considered 3.5G connection type. Long Term Evolution (LTE) is defined as a 4th generation (4G) wireless connection standard. Those are official nominations, you can find through IEEE site, Wikipedia and many other reliable sources. LTE theoretical max speed are nowhere near 20-30Mbps figure you provided - they are *much* higher. There is also LTE-A (advanced), which is also 4G but doubles the LTE speeds, and the actual LTE speeds depend on the hardware and LTE category of the modem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apple calls HSPA+ 4G, Yes i know its not technically correct, but that's what most people associate it with.
LTE can go much faster then 30Mbps for sure, I used to get 60. But nowadays with all the people using it 20-30 is a reasonable average for what most people actually see. (The point is its much faster than HSPA+)
I only bring this up because folks ask if they can get 4G on these international phones (As not everyone is a phone nerd like us) What they are really asking is if they can get LTE on these phones and most of the time that answer is no.
Basically I want people to understand that we are talking about HSPA+ vs 4G LTE and how that relates to international phones.
Is that good?
omniphil said:
Apple calls HSPA+ 4G, Yes i know its not technically correct, but that's what most people associate it with.
LTE can go much faster then 30Mbps for sure, I used to get 60. But nowadays with all the people using it 20-30 is a reasonable average for what most people actually see. (The point is its much faster than HSPA+)
I only bring this up because folks ask if they can get 4G on these international phones (As not everyone is a phone nerd like us) What they are really asking is if they can get LTE on these phones and most of the time that answer is no.
Basically I want people to understand that we are talking about HSPA+ vs 4G LTE and how that relates to international phones.
Is that good?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apple or any other hardware manufacturers, as well as phone carriers can deploy any marketing schemes they like and call the lousy HSPA+ "4G" all they want, but it won't make it true. Neither of them gets to decide, and "most people" don't get to decide either. For the record, I disagree that most people think HSPA+ is 4G - most know better, in my opinion. The international governing body for wireless standards gets to name wireless technologies, protocols and classify by generation.
If you want people to understand that HSPA+ is different from LTE then saying "LTE can be 20-30Mbps" is not the way to go, because that would achieve the exact opposite. Theoretical max HSPA+ speeds achievable by this technology are 168 Mbps down and 22Mbps up, so defining LTE as 20-30Mbps connection makes your LTE no better than mediocre HSPA+ link. Some FDD-LTE and TDD-LTE links, based on the utilized spectrum, currently go up to 450Mbps down and 150Mbps up. Theoretical limits are much higher and LTE-A is twice faster.
While your intentions seem to be good, that still doesn't excuse providing inaccurate information, while also saying you dont want people to be confused. Confused is exactly what people would be, if they believe the info in your post. If you want to answer a question "will I get LTE in US with this phone?" - a simple "No" would be much better answer than inaccurate information you provided to "eliminate confusion". Or you could say something along those lines:
"ZenFone 3 Ultra is a GSM phone, so only AT&T or T-Mobile in US could be compatible, because Verizon and Sprint use CDMA technology. AT&T's LTE network operates on bands 2,4,5,17 (recently forced to support band 12 as part of FCC roaming support requirement) and T-Mobile's LTE network operates on bands 2,4,12 (recently forced to support band 17 as part of FCC roaming support requirement). Asus ZenFone 3 international version on the other hand, support LTE bands 1,3,5,7,8,18,19,20,26,28,38,40,41 - do you see any overlapping bands besides B5? B5 is utilized by AT&T in limited number of US regions and even there you will get extremely spotty LTE coverage, because LTE bands operate in conjunction with each other and there are constant layovers and fallbacks between frequencies, based on towers proximity".
Slbtrb79 said:
I purchased my Asus Zenfone 3 ultra (ZU680KL) from EBay (593.00 factory unlocked), thru Never -Msrp, out of Houston Texas, but I believe it's still the global version.
I purchased a Bring Your Own Phone Plan thru Cricket, which is owned by AT&T. So they use their towers. I have not notice any problems with getting 4g/Lte.
Getting very good call reception and internet download speeds thru Cricket. I have a HTC 10 that I gave to my wife. The download speeds are similiar on 4g with the HTC 10 and the Asus. Both phones have many of the same 4g/lte bands. Just a little faster with the HTC 10, which might be due to the HTC having a faster processor. Depending where I am at in my area, I can see the H+ changing to 4g up in the status bar of the Asus phone when driving. Consistent 4g speeds where I live here in WV. I am also not to far from an AT&T tower.
XDA has always helped me with valuable information over the years of many of my phone ownerships, so I hope this information helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi!
I bought a Huawei Mediapad X2 7" display phablet last November. I used it for a month on Cricket and couldn't get good MMS service... I wouldn't get group texts or pictures... How is your Ultra doing in that regard (on Cricket)? No good MMS is a deal breaker for me... Also, the X2 came with Google and Google Play Store already installed. I am not a techie but asked a LOT of questions on xda and was walked through a successful setup (I learned a lot from other people's questions, too)... I don't root my phones... So I need good out of the box service. I have been looking for a 128GB Ultra just to compare prices to a 64GB Ultra. Have you seen any? I am waiting for the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro to be re-released but I really would love this Ultra, instead (if it works on Cricket the way I need it to)... Thanks for your time!
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
VillaRegina said:
Hi!
I bought a Huawei Mediapad X2 7" display phablet last November. I used it for a month on Cricket and couldn't get good MMS service... I wouldn't get group texts or pictures... How is your Ultra doing in that regard (on Cricket)? No good MMS is a deal breaker for me... Also, the X2 came with Google and Google Play Store already installed. I am not a techie but asked a LOT of questions on xda and was walked through a successful setup (I learned a lot from other people's questions, too)... I don't root my phones... So I need good out of the box service. I have been looking for a 128GB Ultra just to compare prices to a 64GB Ultra. Have you seen any? I am waiting for the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro to be re-released but I really would love this Ultra, instead (if it works on Cricket the way I need it to)... Thanks for your time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had no problems with Cricket on my Zenfone Ultra. MMS, SMS, work just fine. No problem with sending group texts and pictures. However, you will not get LTE on the Ultra, in the US. For me, the 64gb on the internal side with a 64 GB SD card, gives me plenty of space. Google and Google play came pre-installed on my Ultra. So far, I have received great service from Cricket on my Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra and my HTC 10. I love the music app, the audio wizard, and the stereo speakers. Takes great pictures. It's like having a 7 inch tablet with 4gb of ram and it's a phone. Due to the size, the music features, the picture features, the huge battery, I use this phone more than my HTC 10. The only down side that I have with this phone, is you can't get LTE here in the US and you can't unlock the bootloader yet. But personally, I was initially looking for a 7 inch tablet with 4gb of ram, stereo speakers, that also took good pictures and has a big battery. I ended up with the Ultra.
If screen size is important to you might look at the Xiaomi Mi-Max, it has 6.4 screen and nice specs. Also Huawei Mate 9 with a 5.9 inch screen with nice specs also.
Hope this helped some...
Slbtrb79 said:
I have had no problems with Cricket on my Zenfone Ultra. MMS, SMS, work just fine. No problem with sending group texts and pictures. However, you will not get LTE on the Ultra, in the US. For me, the 64gb on the internal side with a 64 GB SD card, gives me plenty of space. Google and Google play came pre-installed on my Ultra. So far, I have received great service from Cricket on my Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra and my HTC 10. I love the music app, the audio wizard, and the stereo speakers. Takes great pictures. It's like having a 7 inch tablet with 4gb of ram and it's a phone. Due to the size, the music features, the picture features, the huge battery, I use this phone more than my HTC 10. The only down side that I have with this phone, is you can't get LTE here in the US and you can't unlock the bootloader yet. But personally, I was initially looking for a 7 inch tablet with 4gb of ram, stereo speakers, that also took good pictures and has a big battery. I ended up with the Ultra.
If screen size is important to you might look at the Xiaomi Mi-Max, it has 6.4 screen and nice specs. Also Huawei Mate 9 with a 5.9 inch screen with nice specs also.
Hope this helped some...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much for your time on the detailed answer!!!
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
Apo11on said:
Apple or any other hardware manufacturers, as well as phone carriers can deploy any marketing schemes they like and call the lousy HSPA+ "4G" all they want, but it won't make it true. Neither of them gets to decide, and "most people" don't get to decide either. For the record, I disagree that most people think HSPA+ is 4G - most know better, in my opinion. The international governing body for wireless standards gets to name wireless technologies, protocols and classify by generation.
If you want people to understand that HSPA+ is different from LTE then saying "LTE can be 20-30Mbps" is not the way to go, because that would achieve the exact opposite. Theoretical max HSPA+ speeds achievable by this technology are 168 Mbps down and 22Mbps up, so defining LTE as 20-30Mbps connection makes your LTE no better than mediocre HSPA+ link. Some FDD-LTE and TDD-LTE links, based on the utilized spectrum, currently go up to 450Mbps down and 150Mbps up. Theoretical limits are much higher and LTE-A is twice faster.
While your intentions seem to be good, that still doesn't excuse providing inaccurate information, while also saying you dont want people to be confused. Confused is exactly what people would be, if they believe the info in your post. If you want to answer a question "will I get LTE in US with this phone?" - a simple "No" would be much better answer than inaccurate information you provided to "eliminate confusion". Or you could say something along those lines:
"ZenFone 3 Ultra is a GSM phone, so only AT&T or T-Mobile in US could be compatible, because Verizon and Sprint use CDMA technology. AT&T's LTE network operates on bands 2,4,5,17 (recently forced to support band 12 as part of FCC roaming support requirement) and T-Mobile's LTE network operates on bands 2,4,12 (recently forced to support band 17 as part of FCC roaming support requirement). Asus ZenFone 3 international version on the other hand, support LTE bands 1,3,5,7,8,18,19,20,26,28,38,40,41 - do you see any overlapping bands besides B5? B5 is utilized by AT&T in limited number of US regions and even there you will get extremely spotty LTE coverage, because LTE bands operate in conjunction with each other and there are constant layovers and fallbacks between frequencies, based on towers proximity".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm only a junior member with limited experience with these technologies, But I am just a little confused with these previous comments in regards to these discussions on HSPA+, LTE, and even Wimax for that matter. Believe me, when I say that I still have much to learn on this subject. Just because HSPA+ is different from 4G, I was always under the impression from everything I've read, that they are all still labeled as 4G technologies, as defined by the ITU. With all the above, having wide variations in consumer speeds. Also, whether a certain phone manufacturer supports a particular LTE band is just part of the whole part of the 4G technology. (Information taken from, in part, from Android Authority and Tech Radar)
Slbtrb79 said:
I'm only a junior member with limited experience with these technologies, But I am just a little confused with these previous comments in regards to these discussions on HSPA+, LTE, and even Wimax for that matter. Believe me, when I say that I still have much to learn on this subject. Just because HSPA+ is different from 4G, I was always under the impression from everything I've read, that they are all still labeled as 4G technologies, as defined by the ITU. With all the above, having wide variations in consumer speeds. Also, whether a certain phone manufacturer supports a particular LTE band is just part of the whole part of the 4G technology. (Information taken from, in part, from Android Authority and Tech Radar)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Phrase "HSPA+ is different from 4G" has no meaning. Those are not comparible things "HSPA+" is an abbreviation for wireless protocol name, and "4G" is a generic reference to 4th generation of wireless technologies, which include several protocols. it's like comparing TV weight to picture brightness.
Judging from the phrase "whether a certain phone manufacturer supports a particular LTE band is just part of the whole part of the 4G technology" I'm not sure you understand how things work. Since approximately 4 years ago, ALL major SoCs (system on chip) support Worldwide Global LTE, all 41 bands. Here is an example of Qualcomm's Snapdragon SoCs, scroll down to "Global Mode": https://www.qualcomm.com/products/snapdragon/modems/4g-lte . So, all major SoC manufacturers have been "supporting" ALL LTE bands for approximately 4 years now. Mobile device manufacturers, who partner with SoC makers like Qualcomm, or produce their own (i.e. Samsung: Exynos) control what LTE bands are actually enabled using modem's firmware, which is purely a software issue and can be changed at any time with NVRAM hack or firmware update. They decide what bands to enable based on the country the device is targeted for. Operating frequencies in each country are tightly regulated, because otherwise there are security issues, surveillance issues, interference issues (that's why they ask you to shut your phone down on a plane) and LTE frequency bands spectrum is divided to over 100 chunks, and each country/region are only allowed to operate on a specific, limited number of frequency bands. Therefore, any phone manufacturer, who wants to release wireless device with certain LTE bands enabled in a specific country, first must abide by the frequency bands international rules and then before they are allowed to sell and operate their device, their device must be approved by each country's wireless regulations governing body, which will thoroughly test the device, to make sure it meets all the required technical, safety and security standards. For example, that governing body in US is called FCC and in China it's TENAA. To sum up, what LTE bands each phone maker enables for which country, has nothing to do with being "part of the 4G technology".
Slbtrb79 said:
If screen size is important to you might look at the Xiaomi Mi-Max, it has 6.4 screen and nice specs. Also Huawei Mate 9 with a 5.9 inch screen with nice specs also.
Hope this helped some...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xiaomi Mi Max is a bit of an old news. This Xiaomi phone is the future. Same 6.4" screen size as Mi Max, but device size is comparable to 5.7" phone, not to mention numerous other innovations, such as ceramic body and audio transmissions via ultrasonic vibrations, instead of conventional speaker.
I didn't realize until after I received it that the KB2000 was the Chinese variant. The one I bought said it was was GSM unlocked. I switched over to T-Mobile but have abysmal service where I'm at. The most I've seen from my house all the way to work (which is admittedly, in the boonies) is 1 bar, and most of the time it's just an "x." I had Sprint before which was pretty bad, but at least actually worked. I figured T-Mobile would be the best bet, as they're merging, but that was a failure.
Anyway, the listing says the phone is GSM unlocked and not for Sprint or Verizon, so is there no hope for getting this phone on one of the CDMA networks? I love the phone, but if I can't use it as a phone, I can't do much...
Ugh,
Doesn't look so great my friend.
OnePlus 8T 5G Standard Edition Dual SIM TD-LTE CN 128GB KB2000 (BBK Kebab) Compatibility in United States
Wireless frequency band information for networks, devices, and countries - Stay connected anywhere in the world
www.frequencycheck.com
Dang, that's not great. Thanks a ton for the help! I've somehow never seen that site, I've been using willmyphonework.net, which is.. meh.
It won't work on Verizon well (if at all) since it's missing band 13. So Verizon is out.
Theoretically it could work okay on T-Mobile since it supports bands 2/4/12 but "boonies" coverage for T-Mobile is trash in my experience. It's also lacking band 71 which travels furthest from the tower (realistically this probably won't make a difference if you already have super poor signal). Some phones on T-Mobile will get native Sprint signal now too- I noticed this behavior on my Pixel 3a XL but not on my OnePlus 8T KB2005. Certainly the KB2000 will only connnect to native T-Mobile. This is reserved for iPhones, Samsungs, Pixels I think.
AT&T might be worth a shot. It supports bands 2/4/5/17 and KB2000 is on AT&T approved device list https://www.att.com/idpassets/images/support/wireless/Devices-Working-on-ATT-Network.pdf 17 is the low band coverage (700MHz) just like Verizon B13 and T-Mobile B12. AT&T has better rural deployments too in my experience. It won't get 5G and you're missing bands 14,30,66 but 2/4/5/17 is enough to have a decent network experience.
First of all, wow, thanks a bunch for the help!
Yeah, I was trying to get *away from* the big guys like Samsung and Google. I've had LG phones for a while and liked them (don't care for updates, so it doesn't bother me), but now that's a no go..
Saved up for the nice OnePlus, and I know people have said they're kind of "selling out," but they're still super root friendly and very open, so I was excited. I also knew I wanted to switch to GSM (been on Boost/Sprint forever, now), and I figured going to T-Mobile from Sprint would be my best bet, as I figured I'd have T-Mobile's coverage PLUS Sprint's, because of the buyout.
Then I read Sprint users can all fallback on T-Mobile, but not the other way around? Except for your listed "premium" models. And I also didn't figure the "boonies" service would be quite this bad; it's awful.
Other people around me say ATT is awful as well, pretty much only Sprint and Verizon are serviceable. Looking at the frequencies, it has no Sprint CDMA bands and with Verizon it only has one: BC0 (no BC1). I've read that 13 is Verizon's "main" LTE band, but how do we know this information? Is BC0 (800) better than BC1 (1900)? I know that *overall* with Verizon the service wouldn't be fantastic, but as long as there's connection in the boonies, that all I need, really.