my oprator 4g+ work on band b3 & b7 but my phone just show 4g on statu bar but other phone like samsung show 4g+ on same area.my rom is 8.2.2 global stable.
is mi 5s plus suppport 4g+?
Maybe don't support
But I cannot call or receive calls only one SIM card work for call I use two operator
Irancell SIM card on slot 1 have internet and call other slot don't work internet and call then change sim card in slots HAMRAHawal can call in other slot irancell only have 4g internet and cannot call
When say problems with this phone in Miui forum manager banned me and don't help
I very very angry when saying problems and manager miui banned me why ?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The xiaomi is cheating and cheaters the people of word and don't help the rubber is better than xiaomi
Pretty sure only SIM slot 1 supports 4G, slot 2 is 3G. I didn't buy it for the dual SIM stuff so I have only tested the first SIM slot and have had no problems with 4G.
As for 4G+, that is just a branding thing. 4G+ is 4G. there is no difference. The only reason that some phones put 4G+ on their status bar is just that they modified the icons in the ROM.
see - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4G
If the phone says 4G, you are gettign 4G. The important quote on that page is:
Confusion has been caused by some mobile carriers who have launched products advertised as 4G but which according to some sources are pre-4G versions, commonly referred to as '3.9G', which do not follow the ITU-R defined principles for 4G standards, but today can be called 4G according to ITU-R. Vodafone NL for example, advertised LTE as '4G', while advertising now LTE Advanced as their '4G+' service which actually is (True) 4G. A common argument for branding 3.9G systems as new-generation is that they use different frequency bands from 3G technologies ; that they are based on a new radio-interface paradigm ; and that the standards are not backwards compatible with 3G, whilst some of the standards are forwards compatible with IMT-2000 compliant versions of the same standards.
4G+ is just true 4G. So if the Mi 5S Plus says 4G, you are getting 4G (or 4G+ as they are identical).
You can verify this with any LTE bandwidth monitor apps (such as signal spy) which will tell you that you are on LTE and which band you are on and you will know then that you are on 4G.
Hi mates. I'm living in Netherlands ...have problem with 4g..
My phone doesn't support band 20 ( 800 mhz )..
Is there an option to access 4g?...
Maybe flashing a custom ROM ?...
thanks
bmg002 thanks for your help.the app like signal spy does not work on my phone because of my phone is not rooted.do you know any app that i see network aggration without root?
offhand, I do not know of any non-root tools for getting any information about what network you are on.
My next best bet would be to get some bandwidth testing tool (speedtest for example) and then check what speeds you are getting out of 4G and compare that with what your provider claims you should be getting. My provider gives me 750 Mbit/s as a peak speed, and 250 Mbit/s average. If your speeds are close to that, then that is all that really matters. If it indicates 4G or 4G+ or 4G LTE or whatever indicator it says in the top, if your speeds are slower than what you are paying for, you will want to look at rooting and opening up some of the 4G channels which will likely give you better speeds.
If you still have your old phone, do a speed comparison in speedtest (or equivalent) and see if it is faster or slower on the new phone. If it is marginally slower (or faster) that can likely be ignored. If they are drastically different, then I'd look at rooting and unlocking other channels.
cultofluna said:
Hi mates. I'm living in Netherlands ...have problem with 4g..
My phone doesn't support band 20 ( 800 mhz )..
Is there an option to access 4g?...
Maybe flashing a custom ROM ?...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you need to access 4G and your operator only supports band 20, then your only option is to use a different phone. From everything I've read on this forum, the hardware has been modified to not support band 20 due to licensing concerns. So a custom ROM or custom Kernel will not affect being able to use band 20. There is no way around it at this time that I am aware of.
Now, if your provider uses a band other than band 20 (or uses 20 and another band), then you can open up the other bands. There are several posts about doing that.
bmg002 said:
Pretty sure only SIM slot 1 supports 4G, slot 2 is 3G. I didn't buy it for the dual SIM stuff so I have only tested the first SIM slot and have had no problems with 4G.
As for 4G+, that is just a branding thing. 4G+ is 4G. there is no difference. The only reason that some phones put 4G+ on their status bar is just that they modified the icons in the ROM.
see - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4G
If the phone says 4G, you are gettign 4G. The important quote on that page is:
Confusion has been caused by some mobile carriers who have launched products advertised as 4G but which according to some sources are pre-4G versions, commonly referred to as '3.9G', which do not follow the ITU-R defined principles for 4G standards, but today can be called 4G according to ITU-R. Vodafone NL for example, advertised LTE as '4G', while advertising now LTE Advanced as their '4G+' service which actually is (True) 4G. A common argument for branding 3.9G systems as new-generation is that they use different frequency bands from 3G technologies ; that they are based on a new radio-interface paradigm ; and that the standards are not backwards compatible with 3G, whilst some of the standards are forwards compatible with IMT-2000 compliant versions of the same standards.
4G+ is just true 4G. So if the Mi 5S Plus says 4G, you are getting 4G (or 4G+ as they are identical).
You can verify this with any LTE bandwidth monitor apps (such as signal spy) which will tell you that you are on LTE and which band you are on and you will know then that you are on 4G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything you say is just false.
it is really easy
4G : 150MB/s max
4G+ : (phone connected to two 4G frequencies) 300MB/s max
4G++ : (three 4G frequencies) 600MB/s max
Xiaomi MI 5s is supposed to support up to three 4G frequencies at the same time BUT, in a lot of case, like here, in france, band 3 (1800Mhz) and band 7 (2600Mhz) are the two compatible 4G freq, BUT Mi5S Plus can't connect to 2 freq simultaneously and we don't really know the reason, in china it's not FDD LTE but TDD lte and it works, maybe it just doesn't work on FDD...
This is what we are asking to dev, find a way to enable dual or triple 4G freq in FDD LTE to acces high speed 4G.
I'm sure it's somthing to do with modem or kernel modification :S
Best regards
At the risk of starting a flame war, could you cite your sources on that?
I believe the speeds you quoted are wrong. Telus up here in Canada operates on 4G LTE version 8 which supports up to 750 Mbps max, but to expect average speeds around 200 Mbps (http://www.telus.com/en/sk/mobility/network/). NOTE - 750 Mbps is 93 MB/s approximately. Mind you, independant studies show that average speeds are closer to 20 Mbps for telus ().
Now, correcting my previous post - I was incorrect about our phones supporting 4G+. I misinterpreted the wikipedia article.
Looking at GSM Arena for our phone, it only supports LTE and thus not 4G+ (http://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_mi_5s_plus-8350.php). If you look up the galaxy S8+ for example, it supports LTE-A which would be 4G+.
We can read about LTE-A here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE_Advanced
and you can see which speeds different carriers offer here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LTE_networks
For example, Telus, which I am on, only recently added support for category 11 - 600 Mbps.
The 4G++ that you speak of I believe is LTE-A Pro (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE_Advanced_Pro). But they are not referring to it as 4G++ but as 4.5G or 4.5G Pro.
Looking at this article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_devices_with_LTE_Advanced#Xiaomi - it appears that our phones do not support 4G LTE-A. What is a little confusing is that the 5s does support LTE-A.
I could be mistaken, but I am pretty sure it is a hardware restriction to not support LTE-A.
baptisteba said:
Everything you say is just false.
it is really easy
4G : 150MB/s max
4G+ : (phone connected to two 4G frequencies) 300MB/s max
4G++ : (three 4G frequencies) 600MB/s max
Xiaomi MI 5s is supposed to support up to three 4G frequencies at the same time BUT, in a lot of case, like here, in france, band 3 (1800Mhz) and band 7 (2600Mhz) are the two compatible 4G freq, BUT Mi5S Plus can't connect to 2 freq simultaneously and we don't really know the reason, in china it's not FDD LTE but TDD lte and it works, maybe it just doesn't work on FDD...
This is what we are asking to dev, find a way to enable dual or triple 4G freq in FDD LTE to acces high speed 4G.
I'm sure it's somthing to do with modem or kernel modification :S
Best regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bmg002 said:
At the risk of starting a flame war, could you cite your sources on that?
I believe the speeds you quoted are wrong. Telus up here in Canada operates on 4G LTE version 8 which supports up to 750 Mbps max, but to expect average speeds around 200 Mbps (http://www.telus.com/en/sk/mobility/network/). NOTE - 750 Mbps is 93 MB/s approximately. Mind you, independant studies show that average speeds are closer to 20 Mbps for telus ().
Now, correcting my previous post - I was incorrect about our phones supporting 4G+. I misinterpreted the wikipedia article.
Looking at GSM Arena for our phone, it only supports LTE and thus not 4G+ (http://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_mi_5s_plus-8350.php). If you look up the galaxy S8+ for example, it supports LTE-A which would be 4G+.
We can read about LTE-A here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE_Advanced
and you can see which speeds different carriers offer here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LTE_networks
For example, Telus, which I am on, only recently added support for category 11 - 600 Mbps.
The 4G++ that you speak of I believe is LTE-A Pro (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE_Advanced_Pro). But they are not referring to it as 4G++ but as 4.5G or 4.5G Pro.
Looking at this article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_devices_with_LTE_Advanced#Xiaomi - it appears that our phones do not support 4G LTE-A. What is a little confusing is that the 5s does support LTE-A.
I could be mistaken, but I am pretty sure it is a hardware restriction to not support LTE-A.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After some search, Mi5S Plus is only 4G+ intraband and not with interband 4G+
I sold mi5s plus and buy redmi 5 plus better
I don't say mi 5s plus used for 4g or4gplus
I say only my phone don't getting call
Or internet in sim1 by one operator change operator in sim1 to irancell operator only have internet cannot call or get call
The problem is from www.hamta.com must phone registered in this site in Iran for use
Hello dear u should unlock all lte band for using 4g+ in iran i tested this phone in uae and china have 4g+
How can I do it? I just installed Lineage 17 and only appear LTE. I am in Italy and with a brand new P40 Pro Huawei peak download is ~150 mbps but with mi5s plus this is the best can achive.
While Qualcom specs speak of 600mbps for the X12 modem inside the Snapdragon 821
MMyco1 said:
Hello dear u should unlock all lte band for using 4g+ in iran i tested this phone in uae and china have 4g+
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks to this thread https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/guide-how-to-unlock-bands-and-5g-on-700mhz.4114679/post-84040943 and Network Signal Guru app, I know that available bands for this phone are unlocked.
Why only poor performance on this phone? How to improve them?
baptisteba said:
After some search, Mi5S Plus is only 4G+ intraband and not with interband 4G+
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really don't understand why there has been so few attention in respect of this feature so central for a modern smartphone...
Related
Dear All,
I recently got this device in Hong Kong and is hapi with its performance!
But I am still wondering if this device could actually use the LTE available in HK?
I knw the msm8960 claimed to be capable of utilizing all frequency of radio,
so is it possible that there is some soft lock in the baseband?
Could i flash the baseband or replace the modem driver from other device to access other frequency?
any idea is appreciated!
Thanks!
Vasco
I think it has to modifiy the ROm and the hardware
I tried to figure out, if our Photon Q is supporting more LTE bands than 1900 MHz (#2 or/and #25).
-> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-UTRA#Frequency_bands_and_channel_bandwidths
On some sites there are reports for having another band. (Have to search again, I think it was 850 MHz, #26 or 700 MHz, #12/#17/#29.)
I have also searched for supported frequencies for MSM8960.
I found some BlackBerry devices based on that SoC and 2 different versions of supported LTE bands.
One version (UK) supported 4 in europe used bands und the other version (US) supported 4 in US/Canada used bands.
I think that the Photon Q is like the BlackBerry US version and supports 4 LTE bands in US/Canada.
If you need a few sites, I will search again and show it to you.
The strange thing is, if I set to LTE only (via 4636) I can see all 4 carrier (germany).
We have 3 bands with LTE on it, but I can only get signal to max 2 of them.
Band 3, 7 and 20 (1800, 2600, 800 MHz).
The weird thing is, that on band #20 (800 MHz) only 3 carrier are active, so it has to be band #3 or #7.
Maybe I'm missinterpreting things and thats just a sideeffect of crossing bands of LTE US and UMTS Germany.
On stock ROM there was another "secret phone code" to see what the phone-part is doing. (From qualcomm I believe.)
I think I will test it some other day, to see which band is active.
At last, I was never been able to "login" or "register" into my carriers network within LTE.
Please discuss about that possibility, I really want to find out, which frequencies are supported by our phone on LTE.
Loader009 said:
I tried to figure out, if our Photon Q is supporting more LTE bands than 1900 MHz (#2 or/and #25).
-> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-UTRA#Frequency_bands_and_channel_bandwidths
On some sites there are reports for having another band. (Have to search again, I think it was 850 MHz, #26 or 700 MHz, #12/#17/#29.)
I have also searched for supported frequencies for MSM8960.
I found some BlackBerry devices based on that SoC and 2 different versions of supported LTE bands.
One version (UK) supported 4 in europe used bands und the other version (US) supported 4 in US/Canada used bands.
I think that the Photon Q is like the BlackBerry US version and supports 4 LTE bands in US/Canada.
If you need a few sites, I will search again and show it to you.
The strange thing is, if I set to LTE only (via 4636) I can see all 4 carrier (germany).
We have 3 bands with LTE on it, but I can only get signal to max 2 of them.
Band 3, 7 and 20 (1800, 2600, 800 MHz).
The weird thing is, that on band #20 (800 MHz) only 3 carrier are active, so it has to be band #3 or #7.
Maybe I'm missinterpreting things and thats just a sideeffect of crossing bands of LTE US and UMTS Germany.
On stock ROM there was another "secret phone code" to see what the phone-part is doing. (From qualcomm I believe.)
I think I will test it some other day, to see which band is active.
At last, I was never been able to "login" or "register" into my carriers network within LTE.
Please discuss about that possibility, I really want to find out, which frequencies are supported by our phone on LTE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dear Loader009,
Thanks for your information! I'm really impressed that you could actually search the carrier in 'LTE only from Germany!
Could you please share the version of ROM you are using?
And if possible, any screenshot? I really want it can be used in HK with LTE(1800, 2100 & 2600Mhz)
Also do you have more information about the secret phone code? I think it would be interesting
Actually, I noted that xt925 and xt905 are using the same chip MSM8960 with LTE usable in HK.
Is there anyone can locate the radio/baseband of their rom and port it for XT897?
I am willing to try it with my machine.
If this work, I think we could use this photon q all over the world!
Any idea?
Regards,
Vasco
disablewong said:
Dear Loader009,
Thanks for your information! I'm really impressed that you could actually search the carrier in 'LTE only from Germany!
Could you please share the version of ROM you are using?
And if possible, any screenshot? I really want it can be used in HK with LTE(1800, 2100 & 2600Mhz)
Also do you have more information about the secret phone code? I think it would be interesting
Actually, I noted that xt925 and xt905 are using the same chip MSM8960 with LTE usable in HK.
Is there anyone can locate the radio/baseband of their rom and port it for XT897?
I am willing to try it with my machine.
If this work, I think we could use this photon q all over the world!
Any idea?
Regards,
Vasco
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course, I was just blind guessing the hardware for xt926 and xt907 are using the same hardware.
If not, there should be one chip controlling the modem channel of the device to be replaced.
But WHICH ONE???
Any expert in this area can solve this question? I am a dummy for radio stuffs
This seems like it's getting pretty interesting.
Sent from my XT897 using Tapatalk 2
Dear all,
I'm also very interested in this topic since I imported a Photon Q to Germany and was wondering if it's possible to use the local LTE 800/1800/2600 bands.
I think the first thing we have to find out is whether the hardware is capable of using other bands than the 1900 band listed on the Motorola website. As Loader009 states he could see LTE carriers which are known to use different bands I assume the hardware can do it. Otherwise the carriers wouldn't have been listed, right? Maybe someone from another country with different frequency bands can check and confirm that he can see those carriers as well?
Thus, the limitation to the 1900 band should be software-made and could be modified by a developer. I hope someone can participate at that point as I don't know much about coding...
I'm using CM10.1.
I can't remember the secret phone code, I have to do research again.
This secret phone code only works on Stock ROM. (I stupidly deleted it, when it wasn't working on CM10 anymore.)
The one secret phone code I used to force "LTE only" was *#*#4636#*#*.
Please DON'T change the baseband (don't even tap on it).
This can do problems to you. (I had to use QPST to recover the supported frequencies.)
Also, developers (afaik) can't modify the modem firmware.
We also don't even know, which LTE bands the Photon Q is capable of. (Except 1900 MHz)
I've got my 32GB SDCard back and will test it in the next few days out.
I hope I'll find that secret phone code, I'll also make a few screenshots.
Got the code!
##33284# <- ##DEBUG#
It only works on stock afair!
I'll test tomorrow, it's about 3am now >.<
disablewong said:
Dear All,
I recently got this device in Hong Kong and is hapi with its performance!
But I am still wondering if this device could actually use the LTE available in HK?
I knw the msm8960 claimed to be capable of utilizing all frequency of radio,
so is it possible that there is some soft lock in the baseband?
Could i flash the baseband or replace the modem driver from other device to access other frequency?
any idea is appreciated!
Thanks!
Vasco
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have read the "QU_SnapdragonS4_White_Paper_FNL_Rev6.pdf" and found there following entry:
-----------------------------------------------------------
• Industry’s first fully integrated 3G/4G world/multimode LTE Modem: <<<Supports all of the world’s leading 2G, 3G and 4G LTE standards>>>.
It also includes integrated support for multiple satellite position networks (GPS and GLONASS) as well as short range radios via Bluetooth,
WiFi, FM and NFC.
• Designed for speed, compatibility and power savings:
Snapdragon S4 Processor MSM8960 chipset includes the industry’s only complete platform that integrates all of the world’s leading 2G, 3G and 4G mobile broadband modem technologies on a single chip. This new integrated multimode modem is based on an advanced, programmable architecture that is performance, size and power optimized for the fastest combination of modems available for:
- LTE FDD/TDD (Cat3)
- 3G (DC-HSPA+ Cat 24)
- EV-DO Rev. B
- 1x Advanced
- TD-SCDMA
- GSM/GPRS/EDGE NFC.
Multimode/Multiband Means Worldwide Coverage.
• Support for multiple radio frequencies: Mobile broadband technologies are growing increasingly complex in their implementation. LTE is currently being implemented in over 40 diff erent radio frequency bands throughout the world. To complement its wide range of modem standards supported, Qualcomm has designed the Snapdragon S4 Processor MSM8960 CHIPSET platform to <<< address all commonly-used frequencies (from 700–2600 MHz) and bandwidths up to 20 MHz>>>, allowing its customers to address any mobile network opportunity whether the simplest single frequency implementation to the most extensive multi-frequency global mode, whether 4G, 3G or 2G.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Based on the document the chip can handle all LTE Standards, but it depends on his "advanced, programmable architecture"....as written there and how Motorola / Sprint implemented this, maybe they reduced LTE only to one Standard.
I don't have LTE in my area and so I cannot test this.
That's possibly right.
Something else:
If I remember correctly, somewhere in this forum have been said that for CDMA the internal Sprint "ID"(?) is used.
Maybe that's also the reason why I cannot connect to LTE in my area.
The phone is trying to "login" with the Sprint ID and this of course won't work.
The ##DEBUG# menu wasn't helpfull. It shows frequencies for american standards and not for GSM/WCDMA.
Also the LTE menu is also not very helpfull, it doesn't show frequencies at all.
Any News on this topic?
Maybe one of the developers can give a statement?
Yesterday I tested a LTE compatible SIM card.
My Bro has a Samsung Galaxy S4 with 4G/LTE in my area.
So I've put his SIM-Card into my Photon Q and set LTE only.
I had no luck, the Phone couldn't register into the network for this SIM.
I guess either it has the wrong frequencies or LTE is for inbuilt "SIM" (Sprint SIM?) only.
The latter. LTE is configured only for 1900 MHz which Sprint uses.
LTE is configured only for Sprint's frequencies, however, it supports the United States frequencies of PCS blocks A-G. The G Block is Sprint's current LTE channel, and they may deploy it later on Blocks A through F, depending on if they own the spectrum in a given market. The reason you see EU networks when the phone is in LTE Only Mode is most likely because the Phone still sees GSM signals, but will only connect to LTE ones from those GSM signals. Likewise, in the US, if you force LTE Only and then search for networks, AT&T and T-Mobile US will come up as the GSM carriers the Photon Q sees, rather than the LTE signals it sees.
Setting the Photon to LTE Only will not do anything for LTE in the EU. I suspect that if another carrier in the EU uses the 1900 MHz for LTE, the Photon Q will have no issues connecting to LTE in Europe. But until that time, be happy with HSPA.
Skrilax_CZ said:
LTE is configured only for 1900 MHz which Sprint uses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can this configuration theoretically be changed / other frequencies be added?
Only if you break BP security.
Skrilax_CZ said:
Only if you break BP security.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, what's that?
IIRC The only place with 850mhz LTE available is the Chicago market and currently no phones at all support it. :crying:
Not only does your phone need to support it, your PRL and cell-site does too...
I thought I can connect my 4GS onto the other UMTS network, but its max was HSDPA:9 (HSDPA:8 in JB).
Other phone such as Photon Q didn't have problem in connecting with HSPA+:15
Do I have to manually enable something? I believe this phone's potential is better than this
My carrier is using 2100MHz band, and my baseband ROM is a new one.
Is this info relevant : ?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1914122 [ Enable North American UMTS/HSPA bands (3G data on AT&T)]
palmwangja said:
My carrier is using 2100MHz band, and my baseband ROM is a new one.
Is this info relevant : ?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1914122 [ Enable North American UMTS/HSPA bands (3G data on AT&T)]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your carrier is using the 2100MHz frequency, this phone should have no problem using HSPA+ with it. When I travel to China, I use a China Unicom SIM in my MT4GS which enables my phone to use their 2100MHz HSPA+ network without any problem. Back at home in US, I use T-Mobile SIM.
Fuzi0719 said:
If your carrier is using the 2100MHz frequency, this phone should have no problem using HSPA+ with it. When I travel to China, I use a China Unicom SIM in my MT4GS which enables my phone to use their 2100MHz HSPA+ network without any problem. Back at home in US, I use T-Mobile SIM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I don't know what causes this...
So, you are seeing H+ (HSPAP:15) right? All I can see with various ROMs are only 3G and H....
Do speed tests, symbols don't always mean what they say after all
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
just tested: only around 3Mbps whereas other hspa+ phone got 9Mbps...
Is there any hidden menu to tick this on?
palmwangja said:
Thanks, I don't know what causes this...
So, you are seeing H+ (HSPAP:15) right? All I can see with various ROMs are only 3G and H....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The stock ROMs are configured by HTC/T-Mobile to display 4G when it has a HSPA+ connection. Other ROMs, however, will display 3G or H (depending on the ROM) for HSPA+. So, if you see 3G, H, or 4G, they are all HSPA+ connections. This phone operates data in the G (GPRS), E (2G or EDGE), and 4G/3G/H (HSPA+) modes. Depending on the carrier, it can perform up to 14Mbps HSPA+ but of course, you would rarely see that fast in the real world. It does not operate at the 21+ or 42+ levels of HSPA+.
I'm on a stock-based ROM (Miktouch), when I'm home on T-Mobile, I see 4G. Also, when I'm in China and connected to China Unicom, I see 4G.
I've never seen "H" on this phone, it always shown 3G or 4G (using stock ROM, just de-junked and rooted by myself)
IIRC speed test results, I had best down speed exceeding 14+Mbps on Wind in Vancouver and Toronto areas, but in US it almost always was 3G only (but then I was usually outside any large cities).
Fuzi0719 said:
The stock ROMs are configured by HTC/T-Mobile to display 4G when it has a HSPA+ connection. Other ROMs, however, will display 3G or H (depending on the ROM) for HSPA+. So, if you see 3G, H, or 4G, they are all HSPA+ connections. This phone operates data in the G (GPRS), E (2G or EDGE), and 4G/3G/H (HSPA+) modes. Depending on the carrier, it can perform up to 14Mbps HSPA+ but of course, you would rarely see that fast in the real world. It does not operate at the 21+ or 42+ levels of HSPA+.
I'm on a stock-based ROM (Miktouch), when I'm home on T-Mobile, I see 4G. Also, when I'm in China and connected to China Unicom, I see 4G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the input, if you are using non-stock rom, still would you let me know what the following says in the most normal case:
setting - phone - status - mobile network type.
In my case, it's HSDPA:9, which seems obviously non-HSPA. Other phone shows HSPA+:15 or HSPAP:15.
Am I missing something, or HSDPA:9 can be also considered as a decent HSPA+ ?
I'm kinda downshifting toward MT4GS recently as I love its small form factor, but somewhat at a loss due to this limitation, thanks.
I'd like to buy Meizu M1 Note having such frequency support:
LTE-FDD:B1/B3,TD-LTE:B38/B41,WCDMA: 900/1900/2100MHz,GSM:900/1800MHz/1900MHZ
I feel there is no LTE compatibility with US carriers, but at least may I get FULL 3G coverage of some carrier?
I counted on AT&T only, but this phone seems to lack 850 MHz support, that could mean that 3G coverage would be limited...?
Or maybe I'm wrong or missed other options??
alexandis said:
I'd like to buy Meizu M1 Note having such frequency support:
LTE-FDD:B1/B3,TD-LTE:B38/B41,WCDMA: 900/1900/2100MHz,GSM:900/1800MHz/1900MHZ
I feel there is no LTE compatibility with US carriers, but at least may I get FULL 3G coverage of some carrier?
I counted on AT&T only, but this phone seems to lack 850 MHz support, that could mean that 3G coverage would be limited...?
Or maybe I'm wrong or missed other options??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesnt have to do with the specs of the phone about your 3G coverage. It depends upon your carrier which area it covers! If your phone has gsm and UMTS network support than yes it would have 3G no matter what the specs are! :thumbup:
Sent from my XT1033 using XDA Free mobile app
Your coverage should be OK with either T-Mobile or AT&T. It does depend on the area though. AT&T typically has better area coverage, but T-Mobile has better 3G speeds where present.
Planterz said:
Your coverage should be OK with either T-Mobile or AT&T. It does depend on the area though. AT&T typically has better area coverage, but T-Mobile has better 3G speeds where present.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope. I had Alcatel before, its UMTS frequencies include only 900 and 2100 MHz, so I suffered on GPRS speed with T-Mobile... So I count on 1900 MHz now.
alexandis said:
I hope. I had Alcatel before, its UMTS frequencies include only 900 and 2100 MHz, so I suffered on GPRS speed with T-Mobile... So I count on 1900 MHz now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A true "world phone" would suit you better. The problem with using a Chinese phone is that bands are often limited. Something like a Nexus 4 or 5, or Moto G with quad-band GSM and quad/penta-band UMTS would give you more coverage and versatility around the world.
Planterz said:
A true "world phone" would suit you better. The problem with using a Chinese phone is that bands are often limited. Something like a Nexus 4 or 5, or Moto G with quad-band GSM and quad/penta-band UMTS would give you more coverage and versatility around the world.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that Sony or Samsung would serve me better in this case, because they support a bunch of frequencies for all possible cases and countries. But they are overpriced a lot. Besides, Sony now is not an audio smartphone at all.
It's just that my preference is not only frequency support, but a lot of other factors. I used to have Samsung a while ago, but since then I have switched to using other brands. And Meizu and BBK VIVO are my favorites for great sound (important for me) and decent price. Now when Meizu produced dual SIM phone as answer to my prayers, I've decided to buy it. And if 1900 is enough to get some 3G - it's fine with me
Hello fellow xda users,
I am currently trying to buy myself a 4G LTE modem, and I'm looking into buying one from China, since the devices I need here cost 200 euros and up, whereas from Chinese retailers they go as low as 67 euros.
The only problem I'm having is choosing a device which supports the correct LTE Bands of my country.
Here in Lithuania I am using services of the carrier name BITE. According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LTE_networks_in_Europe (Country: Lithuania) BITE provides users with LTE bands 3, 7 and 20. (1800, 2600, and 800 Mhz respectively). And they sell their expensive SIM Modem devices (such as Huawei E5186s-22a) which support bands LTE FDD DD800/900/1800/2100/2600MHz, TDD 2600MHz (bands 3, 7 and 20 are included).
Whereas the products offered in China have support of only 2 of the 3 bands listed.
Not sure if I'm allowed to share product links here, but here we go:
1. http://www.aliexpress.com/item/5200...-Hotspot-Portable-Power-Bank/32315152662.html
2. http://www.aliexpress.com/item/3G-M...ower-bank-3g-wifi-router-with/1881314121.html
As you can see, both these devices support Band 3 (1800Mhz) and Band 7 (2600Mhz), however the support for Band 20 (800Mhz) is not listed.
So I'm not sure where to go from this point.
I am using my Xperia Z1 (C6903) phone from the place where I want to use the 4G SIM Modem, and my phone is showing me that it is using 4G network (3/5 bars) on BITE network.
However I'm not sure, which bands are being used in that area? It's AROUND the capital city of Lithuania. The network map of the carrier BITE shows that the city is fully covered in 4G+ network, whereas the outskirts of the city are 4G only -- and my phone proves this (4G works both in and outside the city, can't test the LTE).
In the end what I fully want to know:
Will I have 4G internet access ordering one of these devices that support bands 3 and 7, but not 20?
Will I be able to connect to the Internet at all?
Is band 20 (800 Mhz) that critical for 4G to work with this device? Or should I just spare the extra hundred more euros and buy the carrier certified device?
afenix said:
Hello fellow xda users,
I am currently trying to buy myself a 4G LTE modem, and I'm looking into buying one from China, since the devices I need here cost 200 euros and up, whereas from Chinese retailers they go as low as 67 euros.
The only problem I'm having is choosing a device which supports the correct LTE Bands of my country.
Here in Lithuania I am using services of the carrier name BITE. According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LTE_networks_in_Europe (Country: Lithuania) BITE provides users with LTE bands 3, 7 and 20. (1800, 2600, and 800 Mhz respectively). And they sell their expensive SIM Modem devices (such as Huawei E5186s-22a) which support bands LTE FDD DD800/900/1800/2100/2600MHz, TDD 2600MHz (bands 3, 7 and 20 are included).
Whereas the products offered in China have support of only 2 of the 3 bands listed.
Not sure if I'm allowed to share product links here, but here we go:
1. http://www.aliexpress.com/item/5200...-Hotspot-Portable-Power-Bank/32315152662.html
2. http://www.aliexpress.com/item/3G-M...ower-bank-3g-wifi-router-with/1881314121.html
As you can see, both these devices support Band 3 (1800Mhz) and Band 7 (2600Mhz), however the support for Band 20 (800Mhz) is not listed.
So I'm not sure where to go from this point.
I am using my Xperia Z1 (C6903) phone from the place where I want to use the 4G SIM Modem, and my phone is showing me that it is using 4G network (3/5 bars) on BITE network.
However I'm not sure, which bands are being used in that area? It's AROUND the capital city of Lithuania. The network map of the carrier BITE shows that the city is fully covered in 4G+ network, whereas the outskirts of the city are 4G only -- and my phone proves this (4G works both in and outside the city, can't test the LTE).
In the end what I fully want to know:
Will I have 4G internet access ordering one of these devices that support bands 3 and 7, but not 20?
Will I be able to connect to the Internet at all?
Is band 20 (800 Mhz) that critical for 4G to work with this device? Or should I just spare the extra hundred more euros and buy the carrier certified device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi and thank you for using XDA Assist
Sorry man but we handle only mobile devices here on this forum, so i cannot give an answer for your thought.
Thread closed.
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...
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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.