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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Related
[I'm cross-posting this in the TMO HTC One forum as well]
My situation:
1. I've been with Sprint since the OG Evo, but after getting the One, I was really frustrated with the slow LTE speeds especially after years of Network Vision promises and paying an extra $10 a month (per phone) for "high speed data" that was anything but. I was also irked at all the crap I had to go through to get the SIM unlocked.
2. The area I live in has refarmed HSPA+ to the 1900Mhz band.
3. The area I live in has AWS LTE.
4. I currently have a Sprint, T-Mobile, and Developer Edition One.
My original plan was to use the DE to test the TMO network to see if it was faster than Sprint and available in all the places I frequent. If so, then I'd sell my (now SIM unlocked) Sprint model and keep the DE, otherwise, I'd return the DE for a refund.
But over the last week and a half I've noticed that, while LTE speeds were frequently pretty high (15-20Mbps) there were still plenty of times when I was only seeing an H or an E. I couldn't even tell if the H was HSPA or HSPA+. So then I began to wonder if I was missing out because of the lack of the 1700Mhz band, thus I bought the TMO version to see if I was missing anything.
Turns out, I wasn't. The H I've been seeing is indeed HSPA+ but nowhere near the advertised 42Mbps. Granted, I wasn't naive enough to think I would pull 42Mbps even with the TMO version, but I expected to get at least in the 20-30Mbps range, instead I've been seeing 5-9Mbps. (Thanks to the Sensorly app, I can now tell which H I'm seeing).
After running around with TMO version, I'm seeing the exact same speeds in the same places. So, I'm not missing anything by not having 1700Mhz. In the meantime, TMO is still refarming more areas so the 1700Mhz is becoming less and less important.
So what about Sprint? At their lowest, the TMO speeds are equal to or a little above the Sprint speeds I've been seeing (my wife inherited the Sprint version during this trial run), and at their highest, Sprint can't touch them (in this area--I've gotten up to 20Mbps in PA).
So T-Mobile it is. When the wife's contract is up at the end of the month, the Sprint model is going up on Swappa. Meanwhile, the TMO version is going back to the store tomorrow.
What about AT&T you ask? Way faster, but way more expensive. Truth is, I spend most of my time on wifi anyway, so I'm not willing to pay AT&T prices for cable internet speeds for the times in between.
Hope this helps anyone else facing the same dilemma.
Really interesting
Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 2
With your unlocked Sprint One, what happens if you put your T-Mobile SIM in it? Do you get service? If so, is it HSPA or just EDGE?
Oh, the fun of having choices!
There is not a single provider in my area that carries the HTC One and has LTE. I wish I even had a choice to be able to test. Verizon has LTE in my area, but no HTC one. I wonder how many other people are in my same situation?
Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 2
cfendrick said:
Oh, the fun of having choices!
There is not a single provider in my area that carries the HTC One and has LTE. I wish I even had a choice to be able to test. Verizon has LTE in my area, but no HTC one. I wonder how many other people are in my same situation?
Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-Mobile sucks in my area... My sprint speeds are in my sig.
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
I am looking to buy a AT&T Moto X from a friend. Will I be able to switch this over to T-Mobile without any problems and be able to access all of the bands on T-Mobile.
I have read other threads, but seem to get different answers. Any help is much appreciated.
Thanks.
seagood3 said:
I am looking to buy a AT&T Moto X from a friend. Will I be able to switch this over to T-Mobile without any problems and be able to access all of the bands on T-Mobile.
I have read other threads, but seem to get different answers. Any help is much appreciated.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i dunno about the bands. you for sure would be able to use the hspa+ part. dunno about the lte. you would have to get an unlock code for the phone in order to unlock the sim and have it work on t-mobile. its like five bucks. just google moto x sim unlock. ill look for info on the lte bands.
here is a link on the subject. http://forums.androidcentral.com/moto-x/318624-how-does-t-moto-x-work-t-mobile.html
seagood3 said:
I am looking to buy a AT&T Moto X from a friend. Will I be able to switch this over to T-Mobile without any problems and be able to access all of the bands on T-Mobile.
I have read other threads, but seem to get different answers. Any help is much appreciated.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The AT&T Moto X does NOT support all the bands of T-mobile. You will get Tmobile's LTE wherever they have refarmed their 1900MHz spectrum, since thats what AT&T uses. But in places where they haven't (which is a lot), you will be downgraded to 2G or Edge speeds. Save yourself the frustration and buy the T-Mobile or GSM DE Moto X, which has all the necessary bands for T-Mobile 2G/3G/4G as well as AT&T 2G/4G.
Here are the places where T-mobile currently has 4G: http://t-mobile-coverage.t-mobile.com/4gcitylist.aspx
samarth1 said:
The AT&T Moto X does NOT support all the bands of T-mobile. You will get Tmobile's LTE wherever they have refarmed their 1900MHz spectrum, since thats what AT&T uses. But in places where they haven't (which is a lot), you will be downgraded to 2G or Edge speeds. Save yourself the frustration and buy the T-Mobile or GSM DE Moto X, which has all the necessary bands for T-Mobile 2G/3G/4G as well as AT&T 2G/4G.
Here are the places where T-mobile currently has 4G: http://t-mobile-coverage.t-mobile.com/4gcitylist.aspx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah this person's right, I tried going this route and bought a MotoMaker Moto X off contract to use on T-Mobile; way more trouble than it was worth. Ended up returning it for the plain black T-Mobile one and couldn't be happier (I ended up not liking my custom design after the first day anyway)
I'll just echo the other posts here. I tried bringing my MotoMaker X over to T-Mob and it was gigantic headache since I live in an unfarmed area (and an area with craptastic HSPA speeds, but that's another story for another day!). If you're looking to use a Moto X on T-Mob, just save yourself the trouble and either get the GSM Dev Edition, or the T-Mobile edition. Not as "pretty" but pretty don't mean diddly if it don't work!
This seems like a dumb question, but I'm trying to figure out if an unlocked Moto X off of the Motomaker site will fully work on AT&T. I know Motorola sells the "T-Mobile" version as the unlocked one on their site, which is why I put both in the subject. I can't tell by the specs I'm finding if the unlocked version will work or not, and I'm not real familiar with the exact bands needed on Tmobile and AT&T (we just switched from being long time Verizon users). Any help would be appreciated as I'm supposed to pick it up today from another guy!
jntdroid said:
...I'm trying to figure out if an unlocked Moto X off of the Motomaker site will fully work on AT&T...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
dew.man said:
Yes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks - so if you're paying full retail, there's really zero reason to get the AT&T version vs. the unlocked version off of the motomaker site, it would seem anyway...
jntdroid said:
Thanks - so if you're paying full retail, there's really zero reason to get the AT&T version vs. the unlocked version off of the motomaker site, it would seem anyway...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Technically, the AT&T version does support one additional LTE band that the TMobile and DevEdition do not. HOWEVER, I've read that that specific band is not used in the US, and my experience has been consistent in that my tmo variant always has LTE coverage whenever my AT&T iPhone does.
I'm leaving Verizon with a T-Mobile motomaker moto x which I'll try on TMs no contract plan. If it doesn't work out, I can always give ATT a try. Seems like a no-brainer to use the TM version.
dew.man said:
Technically, the AT&T version does support one additional LTE band that the TMobile and DevEdition do not. HOWEVER, I've read that that specific band is not used in the US, and my experience has been consistent in that my tmo variant always has LTE coverage whenever my AT&T iPhone does.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting - trying to dig up some info on 850. But even still, it covers all the other major ones, and worst case scenario you're falling back onto their HSPA+ which is pretty good in and of itself. I live in the DFW area, and I'm here 99% of the time. So I'm sure it won't be an issue.
jntdroid said:
Interesting - trying to dig up some info on 850. But even still, it covers all the other major ones, and worst case scenario you're falling back onto their HSPA+ which is pretty good in and of itself. I live in the DFW area, and I'm here 99% of the time. So I'm sure it won't be an issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The band that the TMO moto x doesn't have is band 5 LTE I think. AT&T only uses 4 and 7 in the US. You're going to be fine getting the tmobile one no matter what GSM carrier you choose.
dew.man said:
Technically, the AT&T version does support one additional LTE band that the TMobile and DevEdition do not. HOWEVER, I've read that that specific band is not used in the US, and my experience has been consistent in that my tmo variant always has LTE coverage whenever my AT&T iPhone does.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually its two LTE bands (5&7) the T-Mo and GSM Dev X lack compared to the ATT US model. But you are right, they are said to be used outside the USA only, so if you don't plan on traveling, you wont miss them.
See the discussion in this thread -> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2546466
And the since the T-Mo is sim unlocked, and can be bootloader unlocked, Right, if you are paying full retail, there is no reason to buy the ATT (which is sim locked and can't unlock bootloader).
KidJoe said:
Actually its two LTE bands (5&7) the T-Mo and GSM Dev X lack compared to the ATT US model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you please provide a reference to where the AT&T model supports band 7?
Everything I've read shows 5 but not 7...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2511121
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/Motorola-Moto-X_id7885
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Xt1058_Info
The hardware in the AT&T model supports LTE band 7, all XT1058s do. However last time I checked the FCC docs it wasn't approved to use it in the US. In 4.2.2 it wasn't enabled in the AT&T build, in 4.4 I believe that it is though. It is used all across Canada and in some other countries, not sure if the US will ever use it though.
dew.man said:
Can you please provide a reference to where the AT&T model supports band 7?
Everything I've read shows 5 but not 7...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2511121
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/Motorola-Moto-X_id7885
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Xt1058_Info
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://plus.google.com/114874428605785658638/posts/fkFtiVpXyHi John Renaldi of Motorola Mobility Inc. You have to scroll down as I can't seem to link to his post/followup on Nov 27.
While the TMO version does in fact have all the AT&T LTE bands (your AT&T SIM will work), the hardware itself does not contain all the same bands as the AT&T version. Our TMO version supports: LTE Band 02; LTE Band 04; LTE Band 17 and the AT&T version supports LTE Band 02; LTE Band 04; LTE Band 05; LTE Band 07; LTE Band 17
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
KidJoe said:
https://plus.google.com/114874428605785658638/posts/fkFtiVpXyHi John Renaldi of Motorola Mobility Inc. You have to scroll down as I can't seem to link to his post/followup on Nov 27.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool. Interesting how that's the only place it's mentioned (contrary to all the published specs). Wonder if it was just a slip up or if everybody else got it wrong!?
Oh well, like we both said, won't matter in the US
Ironically enough, I ended up disabling my LTE as HSPDA is fast enough and I get much better battery life with it off...
I know the Verizon version has a locked bootloader but Verizon phones do come unlocked. Does anyone know if the 2014 Moto X will work on T-Mobile? I know it has the correct bands but the LTE/HSPA switchoff has issues maybe? I tried searching but couldn't find anything beyond a video saying they could get up to 3G and that was it.
Asking because someone is selling a Verizon Moto X to me for 250 and it seems like a great deal.
I wish I could give you a definitive answer. I had my VZ note 3 running on T mobile with full LTE band 4. I am not sure whether you can add the new VPN without root. Here is the thread for adding the T mobile VPN. Hopefully someone can expand on this
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2582747
From what I can tell, the CDMA version doesn't have the 1700 band for 4G (HSPA+). Without that, you'll only have 4G (HSPA+) in areas where the 1900 spectrum was refarmed, which is usually major cities. Looks like it definitely has 4G (LTE) on band 4 though.
Short answer: Yes it should work. Also, for 250, you might as well try it and then sell it if it doesn't work out for you.