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All the info I've seen so far indicates that the AT&T HD7S is *ONLY* 850/1900. No world-standard 900 or 2100, and therefore no 3G outside the US (and perhaps a couple of other locales). This includes a trip to the AT&T store to see it in person today and ask the people in there about int'l roaming.
The T-Mo HD7 on the other hand definitely has at least 2100 (in addition to AWS).
I find this pretty disappointing. Is this normal for AT&T? WTF are they thinking?
I'll also say that I found the screen only very marginally better than the original HD7 -- if at all. The thing I was looking at was the tendency towards artifacting during scrolling, with the dark theme. On the T-Mo HD7 this was visible enough that I permanently switched to the light theme to get rid of it.
I found the SLCD screen to have a similar artifact.
If AT&T's HD7S really doesn't support any int'l 3G, then I'd say it's going to be a pretty poor choice for some folks. The addition of an SLCD screen is not even close to enough to recommend it over the original T-Mo HD7.
tai4de2 said:
All the info I've seen so far indicates that the AT&T HD7S is *ONLY* 850/1900. No world-standard 900 or 2100, and therefore no 3G outside the US (and perhaps a couple of other locales). This includes a trip to the AT&T store to see it in person today and ask the people in there about int'l roaming.
The T-Mo HD7 on the other hand definitely has at least 2100 (in addition to AWS).
I find this pretty disappointing. Is this normal for AT&T? WTF are they thinking?
I'll also say that I found the screen only very marginally better than the original HD7 -- if at all. The thing I was looking at was the tendency towards artifacting during scrolling, with the dark theme. On the T-Mo HD7 this was visible enough that I permanently switched to the light theme to get rid of it.
I found the SLCD screen to have a similar artifact.
If AT&T's HD7S really doesn't support any int'l 3G, then I'd say it's going to be a pretty poor choice for some folks. The addition of an SLCD screen is not even close to enough to recommend it over the original T-Mo HD7.
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tbh im really not surpised. i dont like at&t really, and when they merge with tmobile im moving to verizon.
HD7S is quad band. I do not know where you got your info from.
If you go to ATT website to look all HD7S details you will find it does support 900/2100.
tai4de2 said:
All the info I've seen so far indicates that the AT&T HD7S is *ONLY* 850/1900. No world-standard 900 or 2100, and therefore no 3G outside the US (and perhaps a couple of other locales). This includes a trip to the AT&T store to see it in person today and ask the people in there about int'l roaming.
The T-Mo HD7 on the other hand definitely has at least 2100 (in addition to AWS).
I find this pretty disappointing. Is this normal for AT&T? WTF are they thinking?
I'll also say that I found the screen only very marginally better than the original HD7 -- if at all. The thing I was looking at was the tendency towards artifacting during scrolling, with the dark theme. On the T-Mo HD7 this was visible enough that I permanently switched to the light theme to get rid of it.
I found the SLCD screen to have a similar artifact.
If AT&T's HD7S really doesn't support any int'l 3G, then I'd say it's going to be a pretty poor choice for some folks. The addition of an SLCD screen is not even close to enough to recommend it over the original T-Mo HD7.
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and as for your screen only being marginally better... i have no clue what you were looking at but it wasnt a tmo vs att hd7.... the att one is tremendously better.... the magenta actually looks magenta on att's while the tmo one looks lavender... its no focus screen but it is much much better than the tmo one...
timnan said:
HD7S is quad band. I do not know where you got your info from.
If you go to ATT website to look all HD7S details you will find it does support 900/2100.
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From AT&T's web site:
GSM/GPRS: GSM/GPRS/EDGE Quad-Band 850/900/1800/1900MHz
3G - UMTS/HSDPA: HSPA/UMTS Dual-band 850/1900 MHz
The "quad band" you mention is for GSM/Edge -- *NOT* for 3G.
UMTS is 850/1900 *ONLY*.
Where did you see 900/2100 support mentioned?
AT&T seriously rides the fail train.
kawgirlval69 said:
and as for your screen only being marginally better... i have no clue what you were looking at but it wasnt a tmo vs att hd7.... the att one is tremendously better.... the magenta actually looks magenta on att's while the tmo one looks lavender... its no focus screen but it is much much better than the tmo one...
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It certainly was a T-Mo HD7 next to an AT&T HD7S .
I don't disagree that colors might be more accurate on the SLCD but it's all relative and for day to day use one gets used to the particular color characteristics of a phone and "close enough" is good enough.
The thing I was looking at was the artifacts and clarity during scrolling. The HD7S is no better than the HD7 in that regard. Maybe I'm just used to the AMOLED screen on my phone and have gotten spoiled .
tai4de2 said:
It certainly was a T-Mo HD7 next to an AT&T HD7S .
I don't disagree that colors might be more accurate on the SLCD but it's all relative and for day to day use one gets used to the particular color characteristics of a phone and "close enough" is good enough.
The thing I was looking at was the artifacts and clarity during scrolling. The HD7S is no better than the HD7 in that regard. Maybe I'm just used to the AMOLED screen on my phone and have gotten spoiled .
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must have been in bad light........... anyhow for all who really care heres the specs from htc's site.... atleast i dont have to buy a australian hd7 like i did the hd2 just so i could have a decent phone on at&t...
Never really noticed the artifact thing till I read this thread honestly. As for AMOLED, unless it is a Super AMOLED, I rather have artifact than the lower effective resolution of the PenTile (RGBG) setup AMOLED's use.
As far as the 3G, that's a hardware issue, there's no arm chipsets that support all 3G bands. Plus, the frequencies AT&T/T-mobile/etc uses is not their choice. They get what they can in the USA. T-Mobile had a huge problem with upgrading it's 3G network as a lot of areas failed to update their emergency frequencies for fire/EMT/etc in a timely matter which used the 1700 MHz band before it was sold to T-Mobile USA.
drkfngthdragnlrd said:
As far as the 3G, that's a hardware issue, there's no arm chipsets that support all 3G bands. Plus, the frequencies AT&T/T-mobile/etc uses is not their choice. They get what they can in the USA.
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You are missing the point.
Most AT&T phones (including all their other WP7 phones) support 850/1900 (USA frequencies) *AND* 2100 (int'l standard, for 3G roaming) for UMTS.
Similarly, most TMOUS phones support AWS (USA frequencies) *AND* 2100 (int'l standard, for 3G roaming) for UMTS. This includes the TMOUS HD7.
AT&T has dumbed down the HD7S so you cannot get int'l 3G roaming with it. In other words you get less than you get with their other WP7 devices and their other smartphones, and less than you get with TMOUS HD7.
drkfngthdragnlrd said:
there's no arm chipsets that support all 3G bands
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For the record, this is incorrect. Go look up "pentaband" -- for example the Nokia N8 supports 850/900/1700/1900/2100 UMTS. Those are all the 3G frequencies in common use around the world.
tai4de2 said:
You are missing the point.
Most AT&T phones (including all their other WP7 phones) support 850/1900 (USA frequencies) *AND* 2100 (int'l standard, for 3G roaming) for UMTS.
Similarly, most TMOUS phones support AWS (USA frequencies) *AND* 2100 (int'l standard, for 3G roaming) for UMTS. This includes the TMOUS HD7.
AT&T has dumbed down the HD7S so you cannot get int'l 3G roaming with it. In other words you get less than you get with their other WP7 devices and their other smartphones, and less than you get with TMOUS HD7.
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Still not AT&T's fault as HTC made the device. Also, it may be a restriction of the QSD8250 chipset & AT&T's frequencies. Don't forget that WP7 atm only supports the chipset. I may be wrong, but not that any of this matters because it just don't support. Complaining isn't going to change a thing.
tai4de2 said:
For the record, this is incorrect. Go look up "pentaband" -- for example the Nokia N8 supports 850/900/1700/1900/2100 UMTS. Those are all the 3G frequencies in common use around the world.
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Whoops, though I put "as far as I know" in there. Ether way, it's a broadcom 680 MHz CPU, doesn't meet WP7 Specs. I am kind of disappoint that by now pentaband 3G isn't widespread as quadband GSM.
drkfngthdragnlrd said:
Still not AT&T's fault as HTC made the device. Also, it may be a restriction of the QSD8250 chipset & AT&T's frequencies. Don't forget that WP7 atm only supports the chipset.
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Firstly, HTC makes the device with customizations AT&T asks for. If AT&T had asked for 2100 support, HTC would have delivered it.
Secondly, there is no such chipset limitation. As evidence: every other AT&T WP7 handset uses the exact same chipset and *does* support 850/1900 and 2100.
Most Americans probably wouldn't even notice this issue. I guess I am complaining because I am a T-Mo customer and this kind of restrictive AT&T FAIL is what I have to look forward to once AT&T has gobbled up T-Mobile. I really hate those guys.
tai4de2 said:
Firstly, HTC makes the device with customizations AT&T asks for. If AT&T had asked for 2100 support, HTC would have delivered it.
Secondly, there is no such chipset limitation. As evidence: every other AT&T WP7 handset uses the exact same chipset and *does* support 850/1900 and 2100.
Most Americans probably wouldn't even notice this issue. I guess I am complaining because I am a T-Mo customer and this kind of restrictive AT&T FAIL is what I have to look forward to once AT&T has gobbled up T-Mobile. I really hate those guys.
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I still don't believe it to be deliberate decision.
Don't get me wrong, I hate AT&T too. Their service sucks. I'm on T-Mobile & don't like this merger either. I've seen it happen numerous times I have 4 bar signal when my AT&T friends don't have any signal or 1-2 bars at most. I just wish there was another national GSM provider to move too. I just don't like CDMA at all. I love just being able to pop a SIM card into any unlocked device & go.
Has anyone tried paying full price for an HTC One at a Sprint Store and then sticking a Verizon LTE SIM in it? The specs seem to indicate that it supports LTE band 13 that Verizon uses and the 850/1900 cdma bands that is uses?
Deleted
You will not get LTE on verizon with a sprint phone.
You could do an esn swap to get 3g and voice if you wanted.
gnex4ever said:
Has anyone tried paying full price for an HTC One at a Sprint Store and then sticking a Verizon LTE SIM in it? The specs seem to indicate that it supports LTE band 13 that Verizon uses and the 850/1900 cdma bands that is uses?
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If you buy a device at full price its no different than a device bought on contract. At least that's how it is in our preferred store and the same applies to corporate as far as I know. It's no like an apple store where you can request an unlocked device. You'd still have to request to have it unlocked by Sprint international. Also considering the 1900 band is the only band that crosses over between sprint and verizon I really don't see the value. Maybe it's just me in my area but roaming is even more useless than the 0.9mb/s I get on sprint.
Darkendvoid88 said:
If you buy a device at full price its no different than a device bought on contract. At least that's how it is in our preferred store and the same applies to corporate as far as I know. It's no like an apple store where you can request an unlocked device. You'd still have to request to have it unlocked by Sprint international. Also considering the 1900 band is the only band that crosses over between sprint and verizon I really don't see the value. Maybe it's just me in my area but roaming is even more useless than the 0.9mb/s I get on sprint.
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The HTC ONE, like nearly all modern smartphones is capable of operating on multiple frequencies, network types and communications technologies. However, my assumption is that the Sprint version is carrier locked to prevent use on other networks by default. Not sure that their unlocking process would open the phone to other networks.
gnex4ever said:
Has anyone tried paying full price for an HTC One at a Sprint Store and then sticking a Verizon LTE SIM in it? The specs seem to indicate that it supports LTE band 13 that Verizon uses and the 850/1900 cdma bands that is uses?
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You wouldn't be able to straight up put in a Verizon LTE SIM and expect it to work that would be too easy.
I would guess it's possible, but you would need a donor LTE phone. Based on looking in the HTC EVO 4g LTE forums people have put that phone on another carrier and used a donor 3g phone to get 3g working. Same could most likely be possible for the HTC One. I guess if you have enough money to buy this phone outright as well as have a donor LTE phone you can probably pay someone to do this. Only limitation would be that the 16 digit password for some programs to write specific information is most likely not available yet.
Currently I have the Note 2 with AT&T. I will be upgrading to the Note 3 when it comes out. However, I am not sure which version of the Note 3 to get. Should I get the International version or the AT&T version. I think the international version has the Samsung CPU and the AT&T version has the Snapdragon 800. Would the international version work with AT&T LTE cellular? Would the international version work with T-Mobile LTE cellular (just in case I want to switch)?
Which one would give better battery and faster speed/graphics?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure the international version will only run on AT&T 3G. I am in the camp that prefers the Snapdragon 800 to the revised Exynos 5, too. I'd opt for the AT&T version (Although personally I'm giving T-Mobile a shot this time around)
The N3 will be my first "carrier" phone on AT&T in two years. I'm not thrilled and depending on what it's like using it I may sell it on eBay and get a HSPA Octa. Here's my thinking:
Pros
I've been fine with HSPA+ on my previous phones and use to pay $10 a month for unlimited data through the "non-smartphone" loophole that applied to phone's AT&T didn't recognize. That party's over. So now I'm paying for LTE and not able to use it. So with AT&T's N3 I'll finally get what I'm paying for and even get LTE-A when they start to roll it out; supposedly this year.
The international N3's are insanely expensive. Negri and NewEgg have the Octa's at $779 and up. On Next it's $35 a month, I have no contract commitment beyond the phone's payoff, and I can sell it on eBay if I want something new.
Service and repair. Whether through Asurion or SquareTrade getting a carrier phone repaired/replaced is easy compared to jumping through hoops to get an international version (non-warranted and non-supported by Samsung in the U.S.) repaired.
Cons
God knows what AT&T's done with the s/w. We know there will be tons of their specific bloatware. That doesn't concern me because it can be disabled and with 32GB of NAND the space it takes up isn't a big deal. My big concern is their modifying, neutering, or completely removing some of Samsung's stock apps and features. I can't root my phones because I connect to secure networks so I'm pretty much stuck with what comes out of the box. I'm scared at what's coming out of AT&T's box.
I loved being able to use any multi-CSC ROM on Samfirmware or Samsung-Updates to keep my unrooted phone always current. I've probably had a dozen updates on my N7100. Now I'll be dependent on AT&T. That alone could end up pushing me to an international Octa N3. Also, to support the new features of Knox, Samsung's seriously altered and locked down the bootloader. So who knows what impact that'll have even on international N3's when it comes to updates via Odin. I used to root my phone when I wanted to do someting to it (EG: Google Wallet) and then unroot afterward and run Triangle Away. That ship sailed mid-year and with the Knox enhancements isn't coming back.
AT&T's modified radio may be crappy and I travel a lot internationally. Also I'm guessing on Next the device can't be unlocked until it's paid off. The only reason this is acceptable in my case is I'm getting a 3G (Octa) Note 10.1 2014 which has a dialer and I can use it in situations I need to pop in another carrier's SIM and/or the AT&T radio isn't working well.
Dev support is going to be limited on the AT&T N3's compared to the international versions. It'll probably still be strong but not as simple, timely, and robust. It doesn't apply to my un-rooted situation but something for people to consider.
The moment I find a S-800 international device that's quad-band GSM/UMTS and supports AT&T's LTE bands I'll buy it and sell my AT&T version. So far the EU and Latin American versions of the N3 don't support AT&T's LTE bands. The UK N3's LTE bands haven't been announced yet but I don't have high hopes. There's a chance a Canadian carrier will leave their version of the N3 unmolested and with the same model number as the international version and that it would support AT&T's LTE bands. That would allow it to be flashed like a non-carrier Samsung phone via Odin (with the possible exception mentioned above) and still get LTE on AT&T. Same thing for Claro in Puerto Rico. I'm not sure about the flash part but even an unmolested Canadian or Pueto Rican N3 with AT&T's LTE bands might end up being better than whatever AT&T does to their version.
All just my opinion of course.
I'm leaning towards either international or T.mobile or Canadian version. The att s4 can't be bootloader unlocked and new update patched the root. I'd hate to not have options on such a power device that I could potentially last for a couple years.
I had the note 1,note2,and now using the galaxy mega until the note 3 hits the shelf.I'm up in the air as well in deciding whether to keep my at&t note 3 or sell it and go international.I'd rather keep the at&t note 3,but who knows if were going to be up ****s creek with no root,are how long or ever going to get root method.I guess I can deal with no roms,but no root forget it
I thought that the international N3 (9005) with the SnapDragon 800 would be compatible with AT&T's LTE bands, no? Wasn't this mentioned during the presentation last week about the N3 supporting global LTE bands? Couldn't one just buy/import an international 9005 which was released in a country whose LTE bands match that of AT&T? Would this work?
I guess we'll know soon, but my own need would be for a variant which supports my home UK 4G network (EE most likely) plus USA AT&T LTE for when I'm in the states. Preferably bought in the UK for my UK carrier because of the discounts.
I thought the release event said they were going to support all bands in one device, but I've no idea if that's actually going to be true of the version you get at your local phone shop.
Andre
hockeyfan said:
I thought that the international N3 (9005) with the SnapDragon 800 would be compatible with AT&T's LTE bands, no? Wasn't this mentioned during the presentation last week about the N3 supporting global LTE bands? Couldn't one just buy/import an international 9005 which was released in a country whose LTE bands match that of AT&T? Would this work?
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I heard the same thing too.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
I've beeing researching for hours, and accordung to multiple sites, like this one the international N9005 version will support LTE 2100/1800/850/1600/800MHz (Bands 1,3,5,7,20). This does not include AT&T, whose LTE network operates on bands 4 (1700Mhz) and 17 (700Mhz). I hope these frequencies vary by region, like many sites mention, but I have my doubts we'll get lucky to see international N9005 with LTE bands 4 or 17.
Here is a list of countries, which has partial LTE band overlapping with AT&T. None of these support both, bands 4 and 17, which is what AT&T uses:
Argentina - 4
Colombia - 4
Ecuador - 4
Paraguay - 4
Peru - 4
Uruguay - 4
Canada - 4
Puerto Rico - 17
Since Note 3 has LTE radio, capable of supporting up to 6 bands, the only hope is that one of these carriers will pick up a version, where the other missing band is tossed in without any real purpose behind it, just to keep things interesting. For example, AT&T branded GN3 needs only these 2 LTE bands, and yet the device is LTE penta band.
Also, keep in mind we dont even know what band will AT&T use next year, when LTE-A goes live. I believe AT&T owns spectrum in 1900Mhz and 2100Mhz areas, and in the process of acquiring more.
EDIT: I'd like to clarify my statement about GN3 radio supporting 6 LTE bands. What I meant is some carriers will offer a version, which has up to 6 LTE bands enabled simultaneously. The actual hardware capability of Qualcomm's RF360 Front End solution is universal 2G/3G/4G support - the radio is capable of operating on *all* LTE frequencies.
Why should a TMO customer buy the TMO Moto X over an unlocked ATT Moto X?
I have 2 Moto X's now on VZW and my fiance and I absolutely love the device. For a battery of reasons however I'd like to switch to TMO soon. I am going to do a TOL, sell the devices, etc. No big. The question of whether I should buy an ATT vs TMO version is for a few reasons. One, I can find a much larger selection of used ATT models on eBay and other sites, so I have more to choose from. Two, is that as far as the bands each are capable of, the only TMO band the ATT model doesn't seem to support is AWS for HSPA. The area I live in is re-farmed already, and within the coming months every market will be re-farmed, so I really don't care about that disadvantage unless I am missing something. Furthermore, the ATT model supports more bands overall, and because I do travel internationally from time to time, it would seem more advantageous to have the ATT version.
Thoughts? I appreciate everyone's time.
Verizon: unlock it and u can use it, probably wont get LTE tho, only band 13 supported.
AT&T: works but it has some bloatware, slightly delayed upgrades, and really only about 100-150 cheaper used
T-mobile: the best, no branding or bloatware, customizeable & new
finalarcadia said:
Verizon: unlock it and u can use it, probably wont get LTE tho, only band 13 supported.
AT&T: works but it has some bloatware, slightly delayed upgrades, and really only about 100-150 cheaper used
T-mobile: the best, no branding or bloatware, customizeable & new
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The bloatware aspect is a fair point, as while it doesn't bother me too much, the WiFi alerts would.
As far as the cost, $100-150/each means $200-300 total, which is a pretty big difference. Customization means little to me as while it's very cool, I will end up with a case on it anyways.
This in mind it still comes down to the bands. If everyone is being re-farmed, then is there any disadvantage to an ATT unit? It has far more bands which is a plus for travel. I'm largely made up, just want to make sure I am not missing a key factor.
AT&T can't be bootloader unlocked.
He doesn't seem to care about that. His biggest concern is radio compatability.
Go with the AT&T X. Save the money and get better use internationally.
Sent from my XT1058 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
XT1058 (AT&T version) does not have AWS UMTS, so you will be seeing EDGE on T-Mobile in places where they don't have LTE yet (for example San Diego, even though it has LTE, has some areas where they haven't switched it on yet, but their HSPA+ works great as long as you have an AWS UMTS compatible device). Eventually this will be a non issue, but it can make your T-Mobile experience worse than it can be. Just keep this in mind when you're suffering with slow data speeds.
You can find an XT1053 (T-Mobile compatible model) on eBay from Nextel Mexico that does have the AWS band for T-Mo. It doesn't have a lot of bloatware, and it has a locked bootloader (even though Motorola says all Latin America Moto Xs can be bootloader unlocked, this XT1053 is not allowed yet. They say they are working on it). Update timing is unknown at this time, but it is about $400. Everything else is exactly the same. I have one and it works great on T-Mobile.
I am a TMobile customer who has used both the XT1058 (att) and XT1053 (TMobile). I live in Kansas City, MO, which is a TMO LTE area. For the most part, both phones work well. However, I have noticed a difference when traveling outside the KC metro area. The XT1058 would mostly be on edge and the XT1053 would be on 3g. The XT1053 ensures I can get HSPA+ in the areas I have been that do not have LTE yet.
I noticed on the specifications list that the international LTE version has some of the same LTE bands as the Verizon LTE version. Would the international LTE version of the S2 be at all usable on Verizon's network?
Which variant? I don't remember seeing any international variants with LTE B13 support. In any case, there is no CDMA in the international variants and I strongly doubt you could use them on Verizon.
Is B13 the one Verizon uses in the U.S.? I was just looking at the one on amazon listed as "international LTE". I didn't realize there were multiple versions of that. I also got the impression from reading around here that Verizon's LTE was more or less the same as everyone else's because CDMA just isn't capable of the modern band width requirements. That was a long time ago though and I may have misunderstood.
0reo said:
Is B13 the one Verizon uses in the U.S.? I was just looking at the one on amazon listed as "international LTE". I didn't realize there were multiple versions of that. I also got the impression from reading around here that Verizon's LTE was more or less the same as everyone else's because CDMA just isn't capable of the modern band width requirements. That was a long time ago though and I may have misunderstood.
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Yes, B13 is Verizon's main LTE band in the US.
You say main as if there are others. Does Verizon use other bands too? At all?
In certain areas Verizon also supplements coverage with bands 2 and/or 4. Eventually they are also expected to deploy on band 5.
Thank-you for repeatedly taking the time to answer my questions. I appreciate it.
I live around the Baltimore area so I imagine they might have need to supplement with the additional bands around here. The international Tab S2 being sold on Amazon does support bands 2, 4, and 5. No 13 though. So assuming Verizon has deployed band(s) 2, 4, or 5 in the area the question remains: Would the international Tab S2 receive LTE service? Someone must have tried it by now.
Have any other "international" samsung devices been able to receive Verizon service in the US?
0reo said:
Thank-you for repeatedly taking the time to answer my questions. I appreciate it.
I live around the Baltimore area so I imagine they might have need to supplement with the additional bands around here. The international Tab S2 being sold on Amazon does support bands 2, 4, and 5. No 13 though. So assuming Verizon has deployed band(s) 2, 4, or 5 in the area the question remains: Would the international Tab S2 receive LTE service? Someone must have tried it by now.
Have any other "international" samsung devices been able to receive Verizon service in the US?
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What you are trying to do is just a bad idea unfortunately. Even if you could activate it (which I doubt you could in the first place), the supplemental bands are high frequency bands and you may well run into situations where you won't have any coverage at all because you couldn't pick up band 13 (which is a low frequency band that penetrates into buildings much better than bands 2 or 4).
Why not just buy the Verizon model?
That is very helpful and insightful info. Thank-you.
For my purposes the tablet will be used mostly for entertainment purposes. I have a galaxy S4 (mdk bootloader) phone for serious communication needs. I was just thinking that there may be a performance advantage if I could swap the sim card from my S4 into the tablet and get internet (where available on bands 2, 4, 5) directly from LTE rather then from the wifi hotspot on the S4. I figured it may not work all the time but if it did some of the time it would justify buying the device with capability, all else being equal.
I would absolutely buy the verizon model if it wasn't boot-loader locked. It sounds like noone has been able to hack a ssmsung/verizon device for the last few generations so I'm not holding my breath.
(The info you've been giving will also be handy when it comes time to replace my & wife's S4 phones which will probably be in the next year.)
Oh, ok, I see, your issue is with the bootloader. Yeah, that's a problem.
I am also using an S4 on a CDMA carrier (Sprint). Planning on getting a Nexus 5X soon. It's nice in that unlike Samsung and their plethora of variants of the same device for each country, there is just one Nexus model for all carriers in the US, and it's also unlocked right out of the box.