Hi everyone.
I'm in Canada but I bought a galaxy S6 Duos (SM-G920FD) from HK (or Taiwan, can't remember) in August because I really wanted to try out a Dual SIM phone. That part I really like, no more carrying that 2002 throwback phone from work...
Anyway, the phone is nice, I like it and like I said I like the Dual SIM convenience. But... my phone's been having some issues lately. Some of it might be me just going bananas over installing system heavy apps, but one thing's always been an issue: the LTE. I read up on the subject beforehand and even if I'm no expert, I pretty much saw that the LTE bands used by my provide - Rogers - were supported. Although I do get "4G" once in a while, I am never more than one, maybe two bars of signal. When it's strong enough, speeds are decent, but more often than not I fall back on HSPA at full bars.
I live in a large city with very reliable wireless. I checked everything I could with Rogers and made all system updates. I'm not rooted so I can't go that far, but I had an iPhone right before this and it was almost always full signal in LTE. Similarly, I share my data plan with my iPad and side-by-side, my iPad is 4 or 5 out of 5, while my S6 is barely on 4G.
My question being, is this normal and did I misunderstand the specs, or is there something wrong with my phone?? Because Samsung does NOT recognize international warranty (btw, that's horrible), I can't really easily fix it. The seller offered to have it repaired under warranty, but I need to ship it back so more costs but more importantly, no phone for god knows how long.
Any and all info appreciated, as always
DenisEhm said:
Hi everyone.
I'm in Canada but I bought a galaxy S6 Duos (SM-G920FD) from HK (or Taiwan, can't remember) in August because I really wanted to try out a Dual SIM phone. That part I really like, no more carrying that 2002 throwback phone from work...
Anyway, the phone is nice, I like it and like I said I like the Dual SIM convenience. But... my phone's been having some issues lately. Some of it might be me just going bananas over installing system heavy apps, but one thing's always been an issue: the LTE. I read up on the subject beforehand and even if I'm no expert, I pretty much saw that the LTE bands used by my provide - Rogers - were supported. Although I do get "4G" once in a while, I am never more than one, maybe two bars of signal. When it's strong enough, speeds are decent, but more often than not I fall back on HSPA at full bars.
I live in a large city with very reliable wireless. I checked everything I could with Rogers and made all system updates. I'm not rooted so I can't go that far, but I had an iPhone right before this and it was almost always full signal in LTE. Similarly, I share my data plan with my iPad and side-by-side, my iPad is 4 or 5 out of 5, while my S6 is barely on 4G.
My question being, is this normal and did I misunderstand the specs, or is there something wrong with my phone?? Because Samsung does NOT recognize international warranty (btw, that's horrible), I can't really easily fix it. The seller offered to have it repaired under warranty, but I need to ship it back so more costs but more importantly, no phone for god knows how long.
Any and all info appreciated, as always
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rogers lte frequencys 2100 MHz and 2600 MHz
Samsung s6 duos LTE feqs 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700), 17(700), 18(800), 19(800), 20(800), 26(850)
This could be your problem ur only getting one of the frequencys
This link http://communityforums.rogers.com/t5/forums/forumtopicpage/board-id/Android/thread-id/12933 pertty much sums it up in the comments
Ah I see. Thanks for the info!
I just re-read your reply and 2600MHz is in the list of compatible bands on the S6..? So might it be the phone after all?
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.
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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?
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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 am currently in Levant Maine visiting my wife's family. I was so excited because I thought I could finally test T-Mobiles 600mhz spectrum! Though I have not noticed any better service through out our travels and in some cases worse than my wife who has a iPhone 7. T-Mobile shows there is customer verified band 71 coverage where I am, yet I have zero service... what gives? I there something I need to do to activate it? (might sound stupid but I'm desperate!)
Captn01 said:
I am currently in Levant Maine visiting my wife's family. I was so excited because I thought I could finally test T-Mobiles 600mhz spectrum! Though I have not noticed any better service through out our travels and in some cases worse than my wife who has a iPhone 7. T-Mobile shows there is customer verified band 71 coverage where I am, yet I have zero service... what gives? I there something I need to do to activate it? (might sound stupid but I'm desperate!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A quick Google search reveals that this band is kinda shiiite
https://www.pcmag.com/news/361295/heres-where-you-need-a-band-71-phone-to-boost-t-mobile-cove
Sorry don't see how that link makes the band out to be ****... it has not been fully rolled out and visit far from it's full potential. There have been lots of users who verified drastic changes in coverage in the areas they have added the the 600mhz spectrum.
Also, my question is in regards to whether or not there is something I need to do to utilize the new band on a OnePlus 6, as I am not seeing any service in an are that has been verified by several T-Mobile customers to be fully covered by the 600mhz network. But thanks for your input?
There is nothing you need to do to utilize it, Take a look at t-mobile's service area map to be sure it's exactly in your area. I assumed it was in my are but I found it is actually only in more rural areas of my state.
How are you checking if you are using band 71? I recommend an app called LTE Discovery.
Also I think you are expecting too much from it. Band 71 will increase coverage and building penetration, But you shouldn't expect big jumps in speed unless you are in area where your service is marginal without it.
I don't really care about speed at this point . It's just that I'm sitting right on top of areas confirmed by customer to be covered by it, but I have absolutely no service at all. Also based on the T-Mobile map this area should be well blanketed by 600 mhz... I doubt their map is 100% accurate but ive got nothing at all..
Captn01 said:
I don't really care about speed at this point . It's just that I'm sitting right on top of areas confirmed by customer to be covered by it, but I have absolutely no service at all. Also based on the T-Mobile map this area should be well blanketed by 600 mhz... I doubt their map is 100% accurate but ive got nothing at all..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perhaps Network Cell Info from the Play Store will give you some idea of the signals in your area. I use it frequently on my OP6 and used it often on my N6 and N6p in the past to get an idea of signals/sites. There is a free version and an inexpensive paid version.
edit: Root is not required.
So if you have zero service, and not just unable to use band 71 then I would say check you apn settings.
https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-2090
If everything matches and still no service I would go to t-mobile location and get a new SIM.
Again this is all of you have NO service and not just trying to force band 71.
As t-mobile doesn't directly support Oneplus devices and claim Oneplus is difficult to work with, will offer very little help to you regarding getting band 71 over whatever band is prevalent in the area
I have Mint Mobile, which is a T-Mobile MVNO, and I can access band 71 in southeast Maine. Check Cellmapper to make sure that band 71 is actually live and it's not just an error on T-Mobile's coverage map. I've realized that band 71 isn't really that much better than band 2 from a coverage perspective, as I monitor my signal and once I switch from very weak band 2 to band 71, the signal just drops out seconds later. A lot of the areas that claim to be covered by band 71 on their map I get 0 signal in.
I will start off by saying I live in Seattle, the homeland for t-mobile. I was wondering if anyone else is experiencing 5g actually being slower than 4g. Not just by feel, but by statistics and facts.
This is the case for me. Now I understand 5G is not global yet, but I think New York has it. I am getting about 21mbps download and 12 upload with 5g. On 4g, I am getting 41mbps down and about 12 up.
My Wifi at home gets 475mbps download, and 25 up. Anyone else experiencing this problem? Thanks.!
RobTegland said:
I will start off by saying I live in Seattle, the homeland for t-mobile. I was wondering if anyone else is experiencing 5g actually being slower than 4g. Not just by feel, but by statistics and facts.
This is the case for me. Now I understand 5G is not global yet, but I think New York has it. I am getting about 21mbps download and 12 upload with 5g. On 4g, I am getting 41mbps down and about 12 up.
My Wifi at home gets 475mbps download, and 25 up. Anyone else experiencing this problem? Thanks.!
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I am getting very close speed to the LTE in upstate NY. Not sure if it is really 5G
Here is a screenshot with some of my results between LTE, 5G and WiFi
Here it is sorry
RobTegland said:
I will start off by saying I live in Seattle, the homeland for t-mobile. I was wondering if anyone else is experiencing 5g actually being slower than 4g. Not just by feel, but by statistics and facts.
This is the case for me. Now I understand 5G is not global yet, but I think New York has it. I am getting about 21mbps download and 12 upload with 5g. On 4g, I am getting 41mbps down and about 12 up.
My Wifi at home gets 475mbps download, and 25 up. Anyone else experiencing this problem? Thanks.!
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Click to collapse
Just got my OnePlus 8 Friday In Peoria just outside Phoenix and most of our cities are 5g tmo ready and getting the same have not had one test where 5g works faster then 4g..
I dont think it has anything to do with T mobile having its headquarters in Washington...
I think it was more John Legre blowing typical marketing smoke and some of us fell for it!
With full bars for me, I get 80+ mbps on 4G LTE and around 110 mbps with 5G. I live in Akron, Ohio. From what I've read, the (600 MHz sub-6) 5G that T-Mobile offers is more about coverage than it is speeds. mmWave is more for speed.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.androidcentral.com/best-carriers-5g?amp
TheKnux said:
With full bars for me, I get 80+ mbps on 4G LTE and around 110 mbps with 5G. I live in Akron, Ohio. From what I've read, the (600 MHz sub-6) 5G that T-Mobile offers is more about coverage than it is speeds. mmWave is more for speed.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.androidcentral.com/best-carriers-5g?amp
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Are you able to post your speeds?
I live in Boise Idaho and just got the OnePlus 8 yesterday. I ran speed tests on my OnePlus and the 5G seems to be anywhere between 30mbps-60mbps faster than my 4g LTE is ?* Don't pay attention to the first test. That was on the outskirts of my town and I only had barely any service, just wanted to test it to see with basically no service how fast it could go.
I work at a Tmobile store so I think I can help a bit but I’m not speaking for the company. So your phone is working fine Tmobile has 3 layers of 5G: Low band , Midband, And High band. Right now the current 5G that is available across the country is low band the speeds are slower but you have much better coverage, with the sprint merger they will next be rolling out the midband which will give you better speeds but not as great of coverage as the low band. Then they will roll out the high band which will be super fast but not very reliable (Verizon uses only high band and the signal can be easily blocked) right now in NYC they have working on all 3 layers at once and eventually that will expand. The benefit of being on the 5G network right now is that it separated from the LTE users so there is a lot less congestion.
I'm in Philadelphia, PA and my 5G seems way slower than any 4G ever was.
Also close, just north of Seattle. I'm on ATT MVNO Consumer Cellular now as their LTE speeds are better than T-Mobile around here.
I tried a Mint Mobile 250MB trial SIM and drove around testing. I was connecting to normal LTE bands (2, 4, 12, 66,.. Couldn't connect to tasty 71) running 5G protocol. I ran through the data quickly but speeds seemed to be on par with T-Mobile LTE. Cell speeds around here have always been pretty congested.
I can't get Consumer Cellular to connect to ATT 5G with ANY combination of settings but that could be maybe OP8 IMEI must be whitelisted with ATT (thought they just did that) or Consumer Cellular doesn't allow 5G even though an old site page says they will.
In the pic the 5G one is the only T-Mobile test I actually ran outside the Google speed test page. Red icon is using single connection (more realistic) and green is multi connection.
For now I guess ATT LTE still faster.
Also what is 5G Smart Switching (or whatever) in settings page?
Sent from my IN2015 using Tapatalk
T&C said:
Are you able to post your speeds?
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Sorry, just saw this. Been hella busy working on the house while the government recharges all the birds. ? When I get to an area where I live that has all bars, I'll post the speeds on 5G and 4G for you. My buddy just switched from Sprint to AT&T (iPhone 11 Pro Max) and he hit 186Mbps. Irrelevant but just still BS.
We are just changing the protocol using existing radio bands. Near 200 Mbps is the speed of my Comcast WAN. Outside very large single file downloads what would you need higher for? Not scrapin' just curious.
Sent from my IN2015 using Tapatalk
Having high download/upload speeds are nice especially if you stream games with your phone like I do. Regularly use Xbox Game Preview, GeForce NOW, and Stadia. Although I wish Google weren't such suckas and let you stream over LTE but hey, what can you do?
Here are my speeds taken directly after the 10.5.8 IN55CB update. 4G LTE, 5G, and WiFi.
Tmo speeds are abysmal in Dallas fort worth of anyone is wondering .
I'm talking much slower than lte, seriously around 15 to 27mbps if you're lucky. I only upgraded from the 7t for 5g and it's a joke.
Just FYI tmo says that's normal and to be expected too... ??
No I'm at anywhere from 45 to 70 mbs download and up to 40mbs up even with a vpn I. Seattle
Decent speed down at the Des Moines/Federal Way border. On 5G.
You guys are killing me! I'm an hour east of Atlanta. My LTE reads 16Mpbs and my 5g reads 31Mpbs. So it's definitely faster but waaaay behind you guys.
Great speed on 5 G. TMO added two more bands and it is blazing fast.
joshkelley said:
Decent speed down at the Des Moines/Federal Way border. On 5G.
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This is what I get on 5G with my OnePlus 8 on T-Mobile