Hi guys. I am a huge fan of Android, especially when It's LG. I am currently using the LG G2 with CM12 and all.
I'm really interested in the G Flex 2 and have been waiting for more than a month now for AT&T to sell it. I use AT&T with straight talk, and have been for 3 years now. So I'm down to a major decision
1: Buy international unlocked G Flex 2, and continue to use it with straight talk
2: continue waiting for AT&T to sell the phone, and buy it off contract for Straight Talk.
What should I do? Do international phones support LTE in USA? From what I hear there is no LTE in other countries, so does that mean it will lack the radio?
Please help with with the Pros and Cons of getting the International version.
One pro is that, International models may include FM radio band, like the International G2.
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I plan on rooting and flashing the G Flex 2. Do you think the AT&T model will have better support from the Cyanogen and dev communities?
I have the H955 (European) model and live in the UK.
I'm not sure where this talk of no LTE outside the US is coming from, almost all phones and networks in the UK offer LTE these days and the flex 2 is no exception.
Since the US and European versions both have LTE I'd say it's a pretty safe bet that all versions do.
As for development, in my experience international models tend to get a bit more attention.
International models are available to a much wider community than the US variants, allowing people from all backgrounds to help out.
This also, sometimes, leads to mods and tweaks that you never thought you'd need.
I would recommend the international model, as long as it's compatible with your carrier of choice.
I wish I could be more help with your decision but this is the extent of my knowledge on these issues.
Thanks for the Insight, I went ahead and purchased the H959 (HK) Model.
@Traceguy does any model G flex 2 work here in the USA on AT&T LTE? I thought some models are missing certain bands / frequencey?
CCJ22 said:
@Traceguy does any model G flex 2 work here in the USA on AT&T LTE? I thought some models are missing certain bands / frequencey?
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The model I used (H959) did work on LTE in the USA. I cannot say for certain about other international versions. It was a great phone throughout my usage.
I recently switched over the a Nexus 6P. Great phone. I had to cut my sim card down though. We now have nano card sizes. The Nexus 6P seems to be doing a good job. I have no interest in replacing it with a Pixel. I'll probably keep my N6P for another year.
Related
So the OnePLUS One is available on Oppo mart but has anyone purchased it through this method? I am very curious as to how legit it is and whether the experience was good. Thanks for any advice.
See http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2770622 it is a pre-existing thread with a lot of pages in regards to what you're asking about.
Be wary though, I'm pretty sure that the Chinese OPO (which is what Oppomart is selling) is not compatible with LTE on carriers that use LTE bands 4 and 17.
You will need to buy the International version (Says Cyanogen on the back of the phone) in order to have those bands.
I have a opo from oppo mart. In the us I get hspa+ on tnobile but no lte. Its not that bad I like it. Feeds my needs with no problem.
The CDMA version of this phone(XT1548) is elusive. You cannot order it from motorola.com as it is not even an option. Their customer service directed me to Verizon which is annoying since they do not carry it. Looking at the specs on Droid Life, I tried each carrier site listed for this version. US Cellular is the only company to offer it but they WILL NOT ship it unless your billing address is in one of their tiny coverage cities and in my case it is not even available in my state. Who has this phone and where can you buy it? I want it! Please help if you know, thanks.
Sprint and Sprint MVNOs still do not have any stock or information on their websites yet. Sprint employees don't have any information.
The sooner the better.
To add to this sad news, I noticed that only the 8GB/1GB factory firmware has been posted here which leads me to believe there might not be a 16GB/2GB model available when it does go on sale. I guess we're just going to have to settle for what we can get.
EDIT: On the bright side there are many happy customers with the 8GB/1GB model.
As of today for the Sprint network...
Virgin Mobile (USA) has the XT1548 listed on their site for $149. Will require a year of service before being released. Unlimited data plan is available.
Neither Boost Mobile or Ting have the XT1548 available.
I think I did see the Virgin mobile one but it is only 1gb and I think you have to buy coverage with it, but thanks for the heads up. I am trying out an xt1540 GSM 2gb alongside my moto x which is Verizon unlimited. The moto g is definitely faster smoother, better battery and much better camera but still too big but maybe I'll get used to it. I'm praying the CDMA version will come out in the 2gb flavor on their site and I'll sell this one for it.
Best Buy Here.
thanks so much, just wish they had a 2gb/16gb CDMA model available, but it looks like they did that on purpose. If there was a teardown available for this 3rd gen moto g then I would be tempted to attempt to swap the motherboard and ram from the 2gb gsm model to the 1gb CDMA one. I doubt it would be that easy, but I can always hope...
Why?
Why do you think they did it on purpose?
nexus7lte said:
thanks so much, just wish they had a 2gb/16gb CDMA model available, but it looks like they did that on purpose. If there was a teardown available for this 3rd gen moto g then I would be tempted to attempt to swap the motherboard and ram from the 2gb gsm model to the 1gb CDMA one. I doubt it would be that easy, but I can always hope...
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RAM on phones is soldered down and very small, so you probably won't be moving it from one motherboard to the other. The motherboard also contains the baseband, so putting a GSM motherboard in your CDMA phone would just give you a GSM phone with mismatched antennas.
I'm curious if the CDMA version only has 1GB/8GB to save space on the motherboard for CDMA radio components. I thought this was basically all handled in the Snapdragon SoC, but maybe CDMA requires more components on the motherboard and that's why these other specs suffered? More likely, though, it's just that the CDMA carriers wanted a cheaper price point for the device/higher profit margin at launch.
Hey guys,
So long story short, I had my trusty G3 die on me a couple months ago. I then got a hold of a practically new only ever used once G Flex for a couple hundred, and I have to say that in all honesty, it's one of the best phones I've ever used.
But now I've gotten to the point where I need more than a 720p screen, internal storage with no SD Card slot and a better camera. As well as a general improvement in specs. The G Flex 2 perfectly fits what I want in a phone, everything about it is exactly what I want...Theres just one problem.
I had the Europe/International/D855 variant of the G3, but the EU variant of the Flex 2 doesn't come with 3gb ram. Only the US one does. So I'm wondering, would an unlocked US variant work in Australia where I live? Or is there a variant that would be better suited? As long as it's a 3GB/32GB one, I don't mind.
Cheers. Hopefully going to be joining you all soon.
Tl;DR: Will a US Variant work in Australia unlocked? Is there a variant that will work better?
Sent from my LG-D958 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Rather than try and guess what carrier you have or bands that they use vs what the phone supports, I'm gonna direct you here.
http://www.willmyphonework.net/
Should help you get an idea if it'll work for ya.
Sent from my LG-H950 using Tapatalk
I have lg gflex2 AT&T version live in south oz no problem flashed 5.1.1 pr with out a darma have root and xposed.
Hello
I'm looking at replacing my S4 with an S7. My carrier in the US is AT&T and that won't be changing. I've been looking at different unlocked versions and can't find a solid representation of what the real world differences are. I know they have different processors. Some say a band is missing, but does that matter. I don't use android or samsung pay, but i know there is a difference here too. I found one comment about some kind of samsung 'coverage' plan, but what is that?
Best Buy has US unlocked phones for about $700. B&H Photo has an International phone for about $640. Its a lot of money either way. Is one phone really better or different than that other?
I am planning a trip through Canada and maybe to Europe. I assume either would take a SIM from those areas and I could avoid getting raped by international fees.
Here is a summary of question I can think of:
Does the US unlocked phone from BestBuy have a warranty or insurance or anything like that?
Can the US phone be rooted. I only do this to remove apps I don't use.
Is the hardware one vs the other really better or just different?
Does a dual SIM do anything useful?
Does a band being missing make a real world difference?
Is there a good comparison somewhere to that can decide on a phone to purchase?
It comes with a limited warranty as stated on their site:
"This device is not warrantied through the manufacturer. This device has a limited 1 year warranty provided by CCR Warranty. To obtain technical or warranty assistance, please contact CCR Warranty at 866-579-8436."
What I don't know is how useful/limited that warranty is. I'd like the HTC 10 but the unlocked S7 is my runner up, and the warranty issue is one of the major factors in my hesitation.
I do believe it can be rooted.
As far as I know, through research, the only major difference between the two is battery life.
Hello, I'll just go straight to the answers.
1. I'm going to assume that if you go through a carrier (att, t-mobile etc etc.) they will offer an insurance plan. You will have to go to third party insurance for the international version
2. As far I know, the US version does not have a root option yet. Because of the locked bootloader.
3. Hardware will depend on which version you choose. Both are very good.
4. Dual sim is as the name implies, you'll be able to use 2 separate sim cards with their respective #s. that's the only benefit really.
5. Missing radio bands is something you may have to do some research on depending your location.
6. I'm sure YouTube or some online site will have some reviews/comparison of both.
I just looked at the best buy website again and something is different. The S7 listed for $690 is definitely the international version and not the US version. When I looked last month I was positive that the phone was listed as a US phone ... huh
A little late
a little late to the thread but just wanted to share what I learned while researching the matter.
There is an US unlocked version of the S7 (g930u) and available through a few places (Best Buy, B&H, Ebay). It goes for $679.99 retail and I have not been able to find one that goes for less. Probably because it just came out end of June. The biggest benefit of it is that it has a bunch of bands and CDMA-compatible. Thus, you can get full connection with AT&T and TMobile. Downside is no wifi calling or VOLTE (as those seem to be locked by the carriers to their own phones).
The international versions (930f/930fd) are both available on Ebay/Swappa for about $500. Upside are that they have the Exnyos chip and no bloatware. You can also root and flash them with new ROM. Another thing is that you get updates earlier. I got Marshmallow on my s6 a month or so before AT&T released its update. Downsides are no Samsung Pay or WiFi Calling/VOLTE and the biggie...missing bands. I had a g920i and it was missing support for bands 29 and 30 on AT&T...this led to poor LTE and indoor reception at times. I would have to turn on/off the mobile data switch sometimes to get good connection.
Finally, we have carrier based versions, which loads you down with bloatware and has the Snapdragon chip. But, it does support all features of your carrier. Slower updates also an issue and lack of support of all bands internationally are additional drawbacks. Cost is also about $500.
Personally, I am going with an unlocked 930a. Bloatware sucks but I can delete or disable almost all of them. Snapdragon seems pretty powerful to me. Samsung Pay, Wifi Calling, and Band support are just too important for me. Note, make sure you ask the seller on Ebay/Swappa about whether the phone is unlocked.
Hope that helps.
I did a lot of research into this before buying my S7 but was kind of screwed since I'm on Verizon (CDMA)...
Since you're on AT&T you have more options.
There are two different processors in the two different models, Snapdragon 820 in the US CDMA capable and an Eyxnos in the International GSM ONLY phone.
After doing my research, I personally recommend the Eyxnos, which I couldn't get :/
If for nothing else, better battery life, by far. Do some research into the comparison between the two.
However! When buying from Best Buy be careful!
Last I checked, on their website, the black/onyx S7 was an unlocked US Snapdragon 820 phone.... while strangely enough the other two, gold and silver? were both unlocked US (actually international) Eyxnos phones.
Also, last I checked Samsung themselves only sell the CDMA snapdragon processor model to the US.
Unless Best Buy made a mistake listing the Eyxnos processor, it is the only way to get that model without buying an "internationally sourced" phone on ebay.
Just a few notes:
1) The G930u is fully compatible with all the US Carriers
2) VoLTE works on both T-Mobile and Verizon
3) Wi-Fi Calling works on T-Mobile and potentially Verizon (but I am not positive about Verizon).
The big downside to the G930u is that for whatever reason it is not receiving updates from Samsung when its branded siblings are.
Hey guys I just bought a OnePlus 8 off Amazon to replace my Pixel 2 XL. However today I noticed it's the EU model IN2013, NA is IN2015, I already knew not to buy IN2010 the Chinese version however I didn't know the US unlocked was a different model because nowhere I looked online mentioned it. I looked at the LTE bands before purchasing it and saw it supports all of Verizons bands (especially the critical band 13) so in theory it should still work right? My fear is when I give them the IMEI to enable CDMA Less on my line they will notice its an EU model that's "not approved on their network" and thus that will prevent it from working even though it supports all their bands.
Now to answer some questions:
Why did I buy this from Amazon instead of OnePlus?
Because it was $100 cheaper and the only way to get the Onyx Black color
Why didn't I buy the Verizon version?
Because it's $100 more expensive than the unlocked and it has a locked bootloader like all of Verizons phones
3mutts said:
Hey guys I just bought a OnePlus 8 off Amazon to replace my Pixel 2 XL. However today I noticed it's the EU model IN2013, NA is IN2015, I already knew not to buy IN2010 the Chinese version
...
Because it's $100 more expensive than the unlocked and it has a locked bootloader like all of Verizons phones
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Hi,
I don't think they won't approve your device. I'm living in France so I don't know much about the Verizon Politics about that. But if they have common sense, they won't refuse just because it's not one of their devices, they may lose a lot of customers if they did so. There's a Verizon model to support their 5G, but for LTE it's all good.
In France, no carrier would dare doing that, because everybody buys their phones on internet, already unlocked and stuff...
There's a huge competition between carrier so they won't dare to be so restrictive on who can use their network or not. It'd be like "if you want to give me money, you have to pay me at least 600$+60$/month, who do you think I am, I'm not accepting just 60$ every single month", that makes no sense, only Karens thinks like that.
So LTE is cool, but I can't say that for the Verizon 5G
Hope this helped
I already knew 5g wasnt going to work but I don't care because Verizon uses mmwave 5g and that's not coming to my area any time soon. I just want to make 100% sure LTE works, right now I'm 90% sure but that IMEI thing has me worried, Verizon only allows approved devices on their network (absolute BS imo, if it supports all your bands it should just work). I don't know if they support only the American OnePlus 8 (IN2015) if so that would suck because hardware wise the IN2015 and IN2013 are virtually identical from what I could find with only a few bands missing from the IN2013 but they don't matter for Verizon