Related
TLDR:
Bought a new phone in NZ but I live in US, it lacks all 3g and LTE bands for T-Mobile
Tried flashing stock firmware to overwrite with US variant radio; didn't work, still Asia Pacific (APAC) radio
Is is possible to "change the variant" from XT1805 to XT1806 to get US radio? Or otherwise install US radio version?
If not, does anyone have experience unlocking additional bands with QPST/QXDM on this model?
Finally, can anyone confirm if any custom ROMs contain a radio/modem worth trying?
The details:
While traveling my Nexus 5x bootlooped, so I bought a Moto G5S Plus (XT1805, dual-SIM, 3/32 edition, software repo is retapac) in New Zealand, naively thinking that it would work in the US since it's also sold in the US. Got back from my trip and the phone cannot connect to anything better than 2g (EDGE) (but oddly on layover in San Francisco LTE worked). I'm a T-Mobile customer and found that this phone lacks the key T-Mobile bands UMTS1700/2100 (band 4) for 3g and LTE1900 (Band 2) LTE1700/2100 (Band 4) LTE700 (Band 12) LTE1700/2100 (Band 66) for LTE. Now I'm pretty sure the hardware support is there, I just need to switch the radio to the US variant (XT1806). Of course I can't return the phone now, and Motorola reps were worthless (level one rep insisted no US phones work overseas at all!)
What I've tried:
I unlocked the bootloader and reflashed the latest (SANDERS_NPS26.116-61_cid50_subsidy-DEFAULT_regulatory-DEFAULT_CFC.xml.zip) stock firmware from the firmware center. Upon rebooting, even though the firmware notes indicated a US version, it must somehow see that the phone is XT1805 and flashing the modem and baseband still resulted in APAC radio bands and no LTE signal. I tried also flashing the SANDERS_NPSS26.116-45-5_cid50_subsidy-DEFAULT_regulatory-DEFAULT_CFC version, which worked except the gpt.bin file didn't install since it's an older version of what was already on the phone (validation failed due to not allowing a downgrade). After reboot and setup, I'm still on retapac with no LTE service. None of the firmware versions indicate a specific region, and this long thread leads me to believe the firmware is for all variants, so somehow it recognizes the variant on install.
Other Options
I know it's possible to also root with TWRP and Magisk and then install a custom kernel/ROM and use some special tools (QPST and QXDM) to modify the NVram to unlock additional radio frequency bands via this thread. I'm willing to try this, but I know it's risky and not fully documented for Moto phones (guide is for Sony). In the end, I don't really care about keeping the APAC bands - I'd be happy to just switch the radio bands to the US version.
I've read over 100 web pages and forum threads in the last few days researching this and looking for solutions. I'd much rather find a way to install the US version of the radio/modem and baseband, but if that's impossible, I'd be happy for anyone to share experience with unlocking bands on this phone. Finally, if these are not good options, can anybody confirm a custom ROM for this phone that includes a radio/modem so it doesn't use the existing stock radio/modem?
Thanks and sorry for the long post, just wanted to provide as much information as possible. Thanks!
Ryan
rpavery said:
TLDR:
Bought a new phone in NZ but I live in US, it lacks all 3g and LTE bands for T-Mobile
Tried flashing stock firmware to overwrite with US variant radio; didn't work, still Asia Pacific (APAC) radio
Is is possible to "change the variant" from XT1805 to XT1806 to get US radio? Or otherwise install US radio version?
If not, does anyone have experience unlocking additional bands with QPST/QXDM on this model?
Finally, can anyone confirm if any custom ROMs contain a radio/modem worth trying?
The details:
While traveling my Nexus 5x bootlooped, so I bought a Moto G5S Plus (XT1805, dual-SIM, 3/32 edition, software repo is retapac) in New Zealand, naively thinking that it would work in the US since it's also sold in the US. Got back from my trip and the phone cannot connect to anything better than 2g (EDGE) (but oddly on layover in San Francisco LTE worked). I'm a T-Mobile customer and found that this phone lacks the key T-Mobile bands UMTS1700/2100 (band 4) for 3g and LTE1900 (Band 2) LTE1700/2100 (Band 4) LTE700 (Band 12) LTE1700/2100 (Band 66) for LTE. Now I'm pretty sure the hardware support is there, I just need to switch the radio to the US variant (XT1806). Of course I can't return the phone now, and Motorola reps were worthless (level one rep insisted no US phones work overseas at all!)
What I've tried:
I unlocked the bootloader and reflashed the latest (SANDERS_NPS26.116-61_cid50_subsidy-DEFAULT_regulatory-DEFAULT_CFC.xml.zip) stock firmware from the firmware center. Upon rebooting, even though the firmware notes indicated a US version, it must somehow see that the phone is XT1805 and flashing the modem and baseband still resulted in APAC radio bands and no LTE signal. I tried also flashing the SANDERS_NPSS26.116-45-5_cid50_subsidy-DEFAULT_regulatory-DEFAULT_CFC version, which worked except the gpt.bin file didn't install since it's an older version of what was already on the phone (validation failed due to not allowing a downgrade). After reboot and setup, I'm still on retapac with no LTE service. None of the firmware versions indicate a specific region, and this long thread leads me to believe the firmware is for all variants, so somehow it recognizes the variant on install.
Other Options
I know it's possible to also root with TWRP and Magisk and then install a custom kernel/ROM and use some special tools (QPST and QXDM) to modify the NVram to unlock additional radio frequency bands via this thread. I'm willing to try this, but I know it's risky and not fully documented for Moto phones (guide is for Sony). In the end, I don't really care about keeping the APAC bands - I'd be happy to just switch the radio bands to the US version.
I've read over 100 web pages and forum threads in the last few days researching this and looking for solutions. I'd much rather find a way to install the US version of the radio/modem and baseband, but if that's impossible, I'd be happy for anyone to share experience with unlocking bands on this phone. Finally, if these are not good options, can anybody confirm a custom ROM for this phone that includes a radio/modem so it doesn't use the existing stock radio/modem?
Thanks and sorry for the long post, just wanted to provide as much information as possible. Thanks!
Ryan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did ya try this
Dial *#*#4636#*#* to get to field service menu
Hit menu - upper right - then select band, I think, you'll see it - first option
Select usa - I think that was it - you'll see what I mean
But, I can't remember of hand what bands are supported by this device. Google will remember though, ask him!
Here's a link to specs for all versions of the g5s plus... https://m.gsmarena.com/motorola_moto_g5s_plus-8699.php#xt1805
*You could always switch to the greatest US carrier ever: Sprint!
I think Sprint uses bands 25, 26, & 41 for lte(per this link: https://www.phonearena.com/news/Che...on-T-Mobile-and-Sprint-use-in-the-USA_id77933) & the xt1805 supports bands 26 & 41.
Yes, I am joking - but I thought I'd throw that out there as a possible last resort
Great question about the qpst tool to switch bands. I was wondering that myself as well. Last time I checked based on our chipset(msm8953) I didn't find too much...but I didn't look too hard TBH. I would search other device forums that share our chipset for that info...maybe you'll get lucky.
Phazmos said:
Did ya try this
Dial *#*#4636#*#* to get to field service menu
Hit menu - upper right - then select band, I think, you'll see it - first option
Select usa - I think that was it - you'll see what I mean
But, I can't remember of hand what bands are supported by this device. Google will remember though, ask him!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, this was one of the things I tried. That code takes me to the 'testing' menu., where the first option is 'Phone information'. Entering that menu shows my IMEI, phone number, signal strength and a bunch of other options. My preferred network type is LTE/UMTS auto (PRL). In the menu in the upper right (the three dots), the first option is Select Radio Band. However, choosing this only shows one option, 'United States'. Selecting this does not change anything.
Thanks for recommending this though - I forgot to mention it as one of the things I tried.
Ryan
startswithPendswithOOH said:
Here's a link to specs for all versions of the g5s plus... [link scrubbed due to me not having 10 points ]
*You could always switch to the greatest US carrier ever: Sprint!
I think Sprint uses bands 25, 26, & 41 for lte(per this link: [link scrubbed due to me not having 10 points ]) & the xt1805 supports bands 26 & 41.
Yes, I am joking - but I thought I'd throw that out there as a possible last resort
Great question about the qpst tool to switch bands. I was wondering that myself as well. Last time I checked based on our chipset(msm8953) I didn't find too much...but I didn't look too hard TBH. I would search other device forums that share our chipset for that info...maybe you'll get lucky.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha thanks, but my wife and I share a plan If I end up trying the QPST/QXDM route, I'll post with the results.
rpavery said:
Yes, this was one of the things I tried. That code takes me to the 'testing' menu., where the first option is 'Phone information'. Entering that menu shows my IMEI, phone number, signal strength and a bunch of other options. My preferred network type is LTE/UMTS auto (PRL). In the menu in the upper right (the three dots), the first option is Select Radio Band. However, choosing this only shows one option, 'United States'. Selecting this does not change anything.
Thanks for recommending this though - I forgot to mention it as one of the things I tried.
Ryan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oops, what I didn't notice is you have the 1805. Mine, bought in the us, is 1806, and I have 5 options (if I remember correctly). Oh well.
rpavery said:
Yes, this was one of the things I tried. That code takes me to the 'testing' menu., where the first option is 'Phone information'. Entering that menu shows my IMEI, phone number, signal strength and a bunch of other options. My preferred network type is LTE/UMTS auto (PRL). In the menu in the upper right (the three dots), the first option is Select Radio Band. However, choosing this only shows one option, 'United States'. Selecting this does not change anything.
Thanks for recommending this though - I forgot to mention it as one of the things I tried.
Ryan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's strange as I've a lot of options there on Indian variant.
follow-up on modifying LTE bands
Just following up on this. After trying several ROMs (Pixel Experience, CosmicOS) I was unable to enter diagnostic mode to modify the bands, so I re-flashed stock. With stock I was able to get into diagnostic mode and tried modifying bands.
Using Windows 10, I had difficulty getting the Service Programming tool of QPST to work, and the NV viewer is deprecated in newer versions of QPST. I couldn't get a licensed version of QXDM, so I tried EFS Professional and CDMA workshop. The NVRAM value for item 1877 made no sense as the decimal was much larger than any other places I've seen and seemed to only represent three bands in binary. I decided to only try modifying NV item 6828 and 6829, since those control LTE anyway. The stock value matched the advertised bands for the phone - bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 38, 40, and 41 (decimal is 1786875085013, byte-swapped hex is D5 00 0E 0A A0 01). I added bands 2, 4, 12, and 66 (T-Mobile bands in the US) which resulted in a byte-swapped hex value of DF 08 0E 0A A0 01 00 00 02 (decimal 36893489934294190303).
The good news: despite not using a custom kernel, the values stuck on reboot.
The bad news: even with the new values sticking, I did not get LTE service. So either the xt1805 is actually missing the hardware for those bands, or something else needs to also be modified which is currently undocumented.
At this point I'm going to give up. If anybody has a use for an asia-pacific version Moto G5s plus with an unlocked bootloader, please contact me as mine is now a glorified paperweight!
rpavery said:
TLDR:
Bought a new phone in NZ but I live in US, it lacks all 3g and LTE bands for T-Mobile
Tried flashing stock firmware to overwrite with US variant radio; didn't work, still Asia Pacific (APAC) radio
Is is possible to "change the variant" from XT1805 to XT1806 to get US radio? Or otherwise install US radio version?
If not, does anyone have experience unlocking additional bands with QPST/QXDM on this model?
Finally, can anyone confirm if any custom ROMs contain a radio/modem worth trying?
The details:
While traveling my Nexus 5x bootlooped, so I bought a Moto G5S Plus (XT1805, dual-SIM, 3/32 edition, software repo is retapac) in New Zealand, naively thinking that it would work in the US since it's also sold in the US. Got back from my trip and the phone cannot connect to anything better than 2g (EDGE) (but oddly on layover in San Francisco LTE worked). I'm a T-Mobile customer and found that this phone lacks the key T-Mobile bands UMTS1700/2100 (band 4) for 3g and LTE1900 (Band 2) LTE1700/2100 (Band 4) LTE700 (Band 12) LTE1700/2100 (Band 66) for LTE. Now I'm pretty sure the hardware support is there, I just need to switch the radio to the US variant (XT1806). Of course I can't return the phone now, and Motorola reps were worthless (level one rep insisted no US phones work overseas at all!)
What I've tried:
I unlocked the bootloader and reflashed the latest (SANDERS_NPS26.116-61_cid50_subsidy-DEFAULT_regulatory-DEFAULT_CFC.xml.zip) stock firmware from the firmware center. Upon rebooting, even though the firmware notes indicated a US version, it must somehow see that the phone is XT1805 and flashing the modem and baseband still resulted in APAC radio bands and no LTE signal. I tried also flashing the SANDERS_NPSS26.116-45-5_cid50_subsidy-DEFAULT_regulatory-DEFAULT_CFC version, which worked except the gpt.bin file didn't install since it's an older version of what was already on the phone (validation failed due to not allowing a downgrade). After reboot and setup, I'm still on retapac with no LTE service. None of the firmware versions indicate a specific region, and this long thread leads me to believe the firmware is for all variants, so somehow it recognizes the variant on install.
Other Options
I know it's possible to also root with TWRP and Magisk and then install a custom kernel/ROM and use some special tools (QPST and QXDM) to modify the NVram to unlock additional radio frequency bands via this thread. I'm willing to try this, but I know it's risky and not fully documented for Moto phones (guide is for Sony). In the end, I don't really care about keeping the APAC bands - I'd be happy to just switch the radio bands to the US version.
I've read over 100 web pages and forum threads in the last few days researching this and looking for solutions. I'd much rather find a way to install the US version of the radio/modem and baseband, but if that's impossible, I'd be happy for anyone to share experience with unlocking bands on this phone. Finally, if these are not good options, can anybody confirm a custom ROM for this phone that includes a radio/modem so it doesn't use the existing stock radio/modem?
Thanks and sorry for the long post, just wanted to provide as much information as possible. Thanks!
Ryan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
even if u r able to flash modem of us u will loose ur imei. backUp ur efs partition first
Hi! I have the similar task with my xt1804, which lacks one of European lte band b7 (available in xt1805). Is there any possibility to unlock it for my phone? Please, share your experience.
same problem
Phazmos said:
Did ya try this
Dial *#*#4636#*#* to get to field service menu
Hit menu - upper right - then select band, I think, you'll see it - first option
Select usa - I think that was it - you'll see what I mean
But, I can't remember of hand what bands are supported by this device. Google will remember though, ask him!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same problem with tx1805.. after flash baseband from a tx1806 i think that is a hardware limitation
---------- Post added at 11:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:13 PM ----------
rpavery said:
TLDR:
Bought a new phone in NZ but I live in US, it lacks all 3g and LTE bands for T-Mobile
Tried flashing stock firmware to overwrite with US variant radio; didn't work, still Asia Pacific (APAC) radio
Is is possible to "change the variant" from XT1805 to XT1806 to get US radio? Or otherwise install US radio version?
If not, does anyone have experience unlocking additional bands with QPST/QXDM on this model?
Finally, can anyone confirm if any custom ROMs contain a radio/modem worth trying?
The details:
While traveling my Nexus 5x bootlooped, so I bought a Moto G5S Plus (XT1805, dual-SIM, 3/32 edition, software repo is retapac) in New Zealand, naively thinking that it would work in the US since it's also sold in the US. Got back from my trip and the phone cannot connect to anything better than 2g (EDGE) (but oddly on layover in San Francisco LTE worked). I'm a T-Mobile customer and found that this phone lacks the key T-Mobile bands UMTS1700/2100 (band 4) for 3g and LTE1900 (Band 2) LTE1700/2100 (Band 4) LTE700 (Band 12) LTE1700/2100 (Band 66) for LTE. Now I'm pretty sure the hardware support is there, I just need to switch the radio to the US variant (XT1806). Of course I can't return the phone now, and Motorola reps were worthless (level one rep insisted no US phones work overseas at all!)
What I've tried:
I unlocked the bootloader and reflashed the latest (SANDERS_NPS26.116-61_cid50_subsidy-DEFAULT_regulatory-DEFAULT_CFC.xml.zip) stock firmware from the firmware center. Upon rebooting, even though the firmware notes indicated a US version, it must somehow see that the phone is XT1805 and flashing the modem and baseband still resulted in APAC radio bands and no LTE signal. I tried also flashing the SANDERS_NPSS26.116-45-5_cid50_subsidy-DEFAULT_regulatory-DEFAULT_CFC version, which worked except the gpt.bin file didn't install since it's an older version of what was already on the phone (validation failed due to not allowing a downgrade). After reboot and setup, I'm still on retapac with no LTE service. None of the firmware versions indicate a specific region, and this long thread leads me to believe the firmware is for all variants, so somehow it recognizes the variant on install.
Other Options
I know it's possible to also root with TWRP and Magisk and then install a custom kernel/ROM and use some special tools (QPST and QXDM) to modify the NVram to unlock additional radio frequency bands via this thread. I'm willing to try this, but I know it's risky and not fully documented for Moto phones (guide is for Sony). In the end, I don't really care about keeping the APAC bands - I'd be happy to just switch the radio bands to the US version.
I've read over 100 web pages and forum threads in the last few days researching this and looking for solutions. I'd much rather find a way to install the US version of the radio/modem and baseband, but if that's impossible, I'd be happy for anyone to share experience with unlocking bands on this phone. Finally, if these are not good options, can anybody confirm a custom ROM for this phone that includes a radio/modem so it doesn't use the existing stock radio/modem?
Thanks and sorry for the long post, just wanted to provide as much information as possible. Thanks!
Ryan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same problem
We finally made the switch to Verizon back on Monday due to inconsistencies with US Cellular's local coverage in our area. Inconveniently, I had just upgraded to the USCC variant of the Note 9 in early September, so when the Verizon agent initially tried to change the phone over, I was informed that it was the outstanding balance that prevented him from doing so (which made sense at the time). Under the impression that this was all that would be required, I just zoomed over to the US Cellular store next door to pay off that $800 or so remaining on the line, thinking I was in the clear. Of course, it would only be after this that the agent finally realized that compatibility wasn't quite as clear-cut as they had initially thought...
So I apologize in advance for what I feel may be a stupid question, but I haven't been able to find a solid answer on this:
I (now) know that the US carrier-specific models of the Note 9 tend to only come preloaded with the CDMA/LTE frequency bands they use in their respective networks, and that while there is some overlap and crossover, just swapping out one carrier's SIM for that of another still limits you to the original spectrums that came on the phone. However — will the process of flashing the firmware to the correct corresponding carrier for the new SIM also change the frequency bands so everything matches up, or is this something that's entirely hardware related that can't be bypassed?
And to avoid anyone breaking things if this does turn out to be a feasible option, I would assume this would still only work for those in my situation, i.e. trying to flash from an already comparable CDMA capable version of the phone to another CDMA capable version with otherwise equivalent hardware specs and processor (so no GSM-only to CDMA, no Snapdragon to Exynos, etc.).
As has been discussed many times here...ALL the US Note 9s are identical. Same exact hardware. They all support the same bands. The only difference is firmware. And actually with Pie, they will all run the same firmware, just like the Note 8.
You have two options:
1. Carrier branded firmware which will keep WiFi calling and VOLTE working.
2. Unbranded U1 firmware, which is a clean bloat free firmware, but no Wifi calling or VoLTE (unless you're on T-Mobile)
To change firmware, download thr most recent firmware of your choice using the SamFirm tool. Then flash it with patched ODIN 3.13.1. This will wipe your device, so make a backup.
Observations:
For any particular build generation:
1. Between the U and U1, none of the firmware files are the same, not AP, BL, CP or CSC.
2. Between the U firmwares, only the USERDATA changes. The others have the same name and SHA-512.
3. Between the U1 firmwares, ALL of the files have the same and SHA-512. This indicates SamMobile's different zip files for XAA, VZW, TMB, TMK, etc. are an "exercise". U1s are sold by non-carrier outlets who have no idea where the phone will be used.
4. Flash file size differences between the U and U1 are as follows:
AP - The Unlocked U1 flash is more than a gig larger than for the carrier U flash.
BL - They are very close to same size with the carrier version being 41K larger.
CP - They are very close to the same size with the carrier version being 327K larger.
CSC - The carrier U flash is about 20 megs larger than the Unlocked U1.
USERDATA - T-Mobile is 1.35 GB, Verizon: 1.76 GB. The US UNLOCKED U1 doesn't have a USERDATA flash file.
My Theory:
There are many theories swirling about that center on carriers restricting services when you don't buy your phone from them. My theory is much simpler. With all of the U carrier firmware, you will see a gig plus USERDATA flash file. The U1's firmware doesn't have a USERDATA flash file, but the U1's AP flash file is a gig plus larger than U's AP flash file. I also work in the UNIX world. Applications that are installed at the same time you install the operating system will be installed in the operating system area. If you install those same apps later, they will be installed in the user software area. My theory about the Note 9's firmware is that the U1 Firmware is Android+Samsung-specific software+Samsung specific hardware drivers+standards-based wireless network drivers+Samsung basic apps. Samsung gives wireless providers the same with standards-based wireless network drivers+Samsung basic apps in separate install. This could explain how the gig plus moved from the U1's APP to the U's USERDATA. It would also enable a consistent user interface for the same service across all wireless providers who may be providing the service using entirely different methods. This would explain why running the carrier-specific the U firmware vendors all support capabilities such as Wi-Fi calling and Video Calling, while when the same phones are running US Unlocked firmware, only some do. That would mean those with the services available have deployed them in a standards-compliant way. For instanced, for T-Mobile, Voice over LTE(VoLTE) and Voice over Wi-Fi(VoWiFi) work but USCC roaming doesn't. On Verizon, Voice over LTE(VoLTE) and Carrier Aggregation works, but NOT Voice over Wi-Fi(VoWiFi). With AT&T, neither work. So that likely means the Verizon does not support VoWiFi on their network while AT&T doesn't support VoLTE nor VoWiFi, and have proprietary implementations on their network that are only available if your flash their carrier-specific firmware. This would also explain why when a phone is running the US Unlocked U1 software with a Verizon SIM installed you will not have Wi-Fi calling available, and when you simply swap to the T-Mobile SIM, it will magically show up. This seems to me to simply be the U1 firmware responding to what it finds. It hasn't been that long since our phones would only work on one network. It hasn't been that long since the critical mass existed to migrate to the new LTE standard. The T-Mobile build-out only increased rapidly, and Sprint may not even be finished rolling out VoLTE yet, thus much less likely to have non-compliant systems in place. You could extend this reasoning to other wireless technologies as well. It also makes sense why the mechanism to prevent firmware upgrades to not be present in the U carrier-specific firmware, while it is present in the the standards-compliant U1 firmware. The U1 path adds support for new standards as it goes. The U path must replace proprietary methods for advantage or regulatory reasons. If this theory is correct, you would be better off with U1 firmware when traveling abroad. The name US Unlocked may have little to do with US, and a lot more to do with being standards-based, which is more likely what you would encounter in other countries where widespread deployment occurred later. The SM-N960U* already supports more bands than any phone I've found, and with US Unlocked U1 firmware, it may be the best world phone as well.
Why I believe this:
In an environment of democracy and capitalism, companies are free to make decisions that benefit themselves the most, and those who are stockholders appoint CEOs who know how to make that happen. They would get fired for not using other people's equipment and networks for free if they could. If they could make more money by getting rid of non-VoLTE devices to free up bands, they will, and the FCC is forcing it to happen. The fact that VoLTE is not controllable by the user interface, does not indicate it is not being used. Why would you give a user the option control VoLTE, Carrier Aggregation, etc.? Voice Over Wi-Fi VoWiFi employs SIP/VOIP technology, which predates smart phones. Towers and equipment are often not owned by the wireless providers because they are co-location sites that must be approved by local authorities. Standards-based equipment means it would be cheaper, you need less of it, you have more options with regard to inter-carrier agreements of which some are mandated by the FCC. Moreover, investments in non-standard methods and equipment devalues the company, and even determines how much they can leverage money. Holding out on people who do not buy their phones from them doesn't make sense because they are not denying these services to BYOD pre-pay users, or anyone who flashes their phones to their firmware. The FCC already forces them to unlock their phones before they are paid for, so it doesn't make sense to put themselves at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to acquiring users from other carriers. If carrier salesmen posts are true, they don't make much on phones anyway, and phones are more a vehicle to sell their services and accessories. They know that you know they don't have you over a barrel anymore and implementing interoperability is their new reality, and the reality of any maturing technology.
Surprises and Mysteries:
After I paid my premium membership for a month and went to SamMobile to download US Unlocked U1 firmware, I was surprised to find files for all different wireless network providers. Puzzled, I downloaded them all. SamMobile shows TMK as USA, so believing that I was getting US Unlocked, I downloaded it and flashed it. Booting up I got the Samsung Logo, which also made sense. I learned later that SamMobile has things mislabeled. TMK is MetroPCS, and XAA is the US Unlocked I should have flashed. However, then I noticed after the U1 files were unzipped that the flash files all had the same name. Then I tested their SHA-512 numbers and they were exactly the same, which means they are the same files. So, if they are the same files, why do they list the different wireless providers and put them in separate zip files with the carrier's extension on them? There isn't even an expectation of a difference because when they sell a U1 phone, they don't know which network it will be used on. What I do know is the Phone INFO app shows:
Firmware's CSC Code: XAA (I never flashed the XAA zip file. I flashed the TMK zip file, but since I found the flash files were the same for every U1 firmware zip file, seeing the US Unlocked code of XAA was not shocking.)
Active CSC Code: VZW (SIM installed)
Future
Great discussion .... Thanks
I've been down several roads with this including an S9 Exynos and then an S10
I then tried a One Plus 7 Pro and even switched to TMO because I couldn't get WiFi Calling with AT&T.
Currently am experimenting with a Note 9 that I believe was original sim locked to At&T but now unlocked and now with the most recent U1 firmware
Calling features work fine with TMO including WiFi Calling, but I'm looking to try AT&T as well (my reception is much better in my rural areas with att vs TMO).
Do you know if the calling features will work with the U1 firmware and ATT? ( If I get IMEI compatibility issues squared away with att)
Or do I have to flash U firmware?
I'm awaiting a Note 10 that is unlocked. Wondering if I can get ATT calling features to work on it?
jcrompton said:
Do you know if the calling features will work with the U1 firmware and ATT? ( If I get IMEI compatibility issues squared away with att) Or do I have to flash U firmware? I'm awaiting a Note 10 that is unlocked. Wondering if I can get ATT calling features to work on it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not use AT&T. From what I've read, is no advanced features work with U1 on AT&T. With Verizon, VoLTE and Carrier Aggregation works fine, but ViLTE and VoWiFi does not.
I live in a T-Mobile fringe area that uses B71 exclusively (at least at my house). My experience with U vs U1 is that even though the signal is relatively weak, -118 dBm, the T-mobile branded U firmware holds the LTE signal fine. On the unlocked U1 firmware the signal is a tad weaker, plus it will drop the signal entirely and give me a no network error and/or it will roam on AT&T hspa. So clearly the Tmo software has optimizations for B71 at least over the unlocked U1.
I also have used a Pixel 3XL, an iPhone XR and a Moto G7 power in the same area. They do occasionally roam but I don't experience the loss of signal that I get with the Note 9 and the unlocked firmware.
BladeRunner said:
I live in a T-Mobile fringe area that uses B71 exclusively (at least at my house). My experience with U vs U1 is that even though the signal is relatively weak, -118 dBm, the T-mobile branded U firmware holds the LTE signal fine. On the unlocked U1 firmware the signal is a tad weaker, plus it will drop the signal entirely and give me a no network error and/or it will roam on AT&T hspa. So clearly the Tmo software has optimizations for B71 at least over the unlocked U1. I also have used a Pixel 3XL, an iPhone XR and a Moto G7 power in the same area. They do occasionally roam but I don't experience the loss of signal that I get with the Note 9 and the unlocked firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is very valuable information for a guy on the fence like me.
Thanks TONS!!!
BladeRunner said:
I live in a T-Mobile fringe area that uses B71 exclusively (at least at my house). My experience with U vs U1 is that even though the signal is relatively weak, -118 dBm, the T-mobile branded U firmware holds the LTE signal fine. On the unlocked U1 firmware the signal is a tad weaker, plus it will drop the signal entirely and give me a no network error and/or it will roam on AT&T hspa. So clearly the Tmo software has optimizations for B71 at least over the unlocked U1.
I also have used a Pixel 3XL, an iPhone XR and a Moto G7 power in the same area. They do occasionally roam but I don't experience the loss of signal that I get with the Note 9 and the unlocked firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
on U1 firmware, when you go to the phones dialer and dial:
*#2263#
do you get a hidden service mode menu like attached picture? if so then just force band 71 so that it dosen't switch. you can also disable other bands and leave only the ones you know work best so that device dosent try to switch to other weaker ones that you know will drop. also by setting to forcefully stay on LTE by selecting menu 4 in band selection and specifying the bands it should stop from reverting to hspa. but also might cause no signal. but again by selecting only the bands you know work i believe it should help. i have done many tests and what i do is to force bands one by one and check strength in a place where i know signal is poor. this way you weed out the bad bands. write it down somewhere and then go reactiavte all of them. then go to the disable band menu and remove everything except the ones listed previously and be left with only the stronger ones and stop fone from attempting to connect to random weaker ones.
I bought an unlocked S21 Ultra last fall that was originally sold by T-Mobile, and I initially used it with H2o (AT&T) and it always worked fine, though it never got 5g service, though I'm not sure that 5g has been implemented yet by AT&T in the Phoenix market, at least not the C-band
On Jan 21, it automatically updated the software so that it now shows SM-G998U_OYN_ATT_12_0018 ATT/XAA,TMB/TMB as the Service provider software version, so it seemingly has both AT&T and T-Mobile software at this time. At that time, it also switched from showing the T-Mobile logo on bootup to showing the AT&T logo, and I think it added, NR B66 as an additional radio band (in addition to NR B41, B71 and the UW bands of B260 and B261). Earlier this week I switched to Visible and while it works fine on 4g LTE, I'm not getting any 5g connectivity. In researching bands, the only one that I have that Verizon uses is the NR B66, while I probably really need NR B2, B5 and in particular B77 to get the new C-band.
The question is, will the phone at some point automatically update to VZW software, and at that point enable additional bands that I need to get 5g? Or is there a way of forcing this? Or what is the best option to enable 5g on this phone? I really don't want to switch to the U1 software as that seems to require a factory reset, and I'm not keen on going through reconfiguring everything again and getting all my icons back where I want them.
Or will this phone not support these bands unless the U1 software is first installed?
Thanks!
Anyone?
Have you tried switching to a Verizon compatible firmware?
With ODIN, you can switch firmwares without losing data.
I suggest trying that, US carrier optimization is known to be the worst
No, I have not tried that. Sorry to ask a dumb question, but what firmware should I use, and where do I find it? I ask because the "official" firmware seems to be from Jan 2021, and it seems to be the U1 option, not carrier specific firmware. I've done some searching, but I haven't been able to find the Verizon version so far. Thanks.
I'm on an European 21U, for the USA version, you need to check this guide
G998U and G998U1 Firmware Links and Flashing Discussion Here
For those who aren't already aware, G998U is the model number of all of the US carrier versions of the S21 Ultra. The G998U1 is the model number of the same device, but sold by Samsung SIM unlocked and with no carrier bloatware. Firmware is 100%...
forum.xda-developers.com
RedWave31 said:
I'm on an European 21U, for the USA version, you need to check this guide
G998U and G998U1 Firmware Links and Flashing Discussion Here
For those who aren't already aware, G998U is the model number of all of the US carrier versions of the S21 Ultra. The G998U1 is the model number of the same device, but sold by Samsung SIM unlocked and with no carrier bloatware. Firmware is 100%...
forum.xda-developers.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you need to go from U1 to U (VZW) to see if that solves it.
Can't help on anything else, since on Exynos (European) devices, flashing is much easier than on Snapdragon devices.
I read the link above in detail, and it says that the only difference in the 5 files is the "USERDATA", otherwise the other 4 files are identical between vendors. So USERDATA seems to be a critical file in regards to switching from T-Mobile to Verizon. My concern is that further down in the first article it says that flashing the USERDATA file will wipe the existing data.
- HOME CSC file keeps data intact; using the other CSC will wipe data. Flashing USERDATA will also wipe data.
If this is true, and the only way to manually get the VZW info that I'm looking for without flashing to U1, there doesn't seem to be any advantage to flashing this using Odin, as it'll also wipe my user data. In other words, if I go that route, I'd be better off just flashing to U1, and try that. Theoretically, this should give me everything that I need without first flashing to VZW, and if it'll work with Verizon/Visible without the VZW bloatware, then that would definitely be preferred.
My entire reason for trying all this is to try to get the additional NR radio bands, specifically N2, N5 and N77, which I don't have with the T-Mobile software.
As for backing up the phone and then restoring it, does Odin provide this capability? Or is Samsung Kies a much better option? The Kies software seems to be made for this, so if this is the case and it'll exactly restore the phone like it was before, then it wouldn't actually be a big deal to backup, flash and then restore the phone.
it's a problem with the T-Mobile S21 series, you need to flash U1 software.
Not really what I wanted to hear, but sounds like you have experience with this. I take it that the factory T-.Mobile software (or is it firmware?) essentially locks out the NR bands that they don't have, even if other software is installed on top of it. Thx
Last night I broke down and flashed it with the U1 XAA firmware, using the CSC (not Home) file. It went well, finishing the flash in <4 minutes. Then spent the next 4+ hours reconfiguring things that aren't automatically restored by using SmartSwitch to restore. I'm not sure how that works, but it seems that it doesn't actually back up the apps, rather it just backs up the name and placeholder, so when it's restored it has to redownload every single stinking app again. Plus, I had to go through and relog into every app where this is an issue, plus because it's now called SM-G998U1, I had to delete all the old G998U devices in various places, particularly Google. What a pain... Kind of wish I'd tried the Home CSC, particularly after what I see below.
What's interesting is that I know have the N2, N5, N66, plus the N77 and N78 C-bands, (as well as N260) but I lost the T-Mobile specific bands of N41 & N71, in addition, I also lost N261. I don't care about these as I'm not in an area where the Ka millimeter wave bands matter. However, I do find it interesting that the U1 firmware removed the TMB specific 5g bands. I would have thought that the Factory U1 firmware would automatically support all US carrier bands, but I guess not.
I'm using Visible (Verizon MVNO), and while it worked "decently" before, it's now orders of magnitude better than it was previously as a U device. I debated installing the VZW firmware, but decided not to, and I most definitely don't want to go through setting everything up again. However, I know have a MUCH better signal at my house, a consistent 5 bars, and a signal right around a 89-90 dB, while previously it hovered around 105-109 dB, which is pretty marginal, particularly when the antenna is only about 1/3 mile away. It also now tells me that I'm on LTE+ (rather than LTE 4g like before), so apparently this particularly tower isn't 5g yet, and I haven't left the house yet to see what I get at other locations from other towers.
However, what's really astounding is the speeds that I know get. Previously, download speeds would always start off slow at around 10 - 15 Mbs, and eventually get up to around 60 - 70 on the average, with upload speeds typically maxing out around 15 Mbs. However, now, I'm getting consistent download speeds of right at 240 Mbs (Visible limits max speed to around 250 Mbs on 5g), and upload speeds of ~70 Mbs. It's an incredible difference, so my suspicion is that I may be getting some 5g speeds, even though both Network Cell Info and LTE Discovery apps tell me that I'm generally only connected to the B2 and B5 LTE bands. Or maybe it's possible to get that kinds of speeds out of LTE with the new technology (forget what it's called) that shares bands at the same time, hence the LTE+ moniker.
Also, even though I installed the CSC file, the Service Provider Software is still ATT/TMB. To be specific, it's SAOMC_SM-G998U1_OYM_ATT_12_0026 ATT/ATT,ATT/TMB, and there isn't VZW anywhere. Maybe this will eventually update I don't know. However, it did remove the ATT startup splash screen that I had previously, so that's changed.
It also automatically downloaded and installed One UI 4.1 afterwards, so that seems to be working properly. Any thoughts on any of the above?
Thanks for the help that was provided previously.
kmdigital said:
Last night I broke down and flashed it with the U1 XAA firmware, using the CSC (not Home) file. It went well, finishing the flash in <4 minutes. Then spent the next 4+ hours reconfiguring things that aren't automatically restored by using SmartSwitch to restore. I'm not sure how that works, but it seems that it doesn't actually back up the apps, rather it just backs up the name and placeholder, so when it's restored it has to redownload every single stinking app again. Plus, I had to go through and relog into every app where this is an issue, plus because it's now called SM-G998U1, I had to delete all the old G998U devices in various places, particularly Google. What a pain... Kind of wish I'd tried the Home CSC, particularly after what I see below.
What's interesting is that I know have the N2, N5, N66, plus the N77 and N78 C-bands, (as well as N260) but I lost the T-Mobile specific bands of N41 & N71, in addition, I also lost N261. I don't care about these as I'm not in an area where the Ka millimeter wave bands matter. However, I do find it interesting that the U1 firmware removed the TMB specific 5g bands. I would have thought that the Factory U1 firmware would automatically support all US carrier bands, but I guess not.
I'm using Visible (Verizon MVNO), and while it worked "decently" before, it's now orders of magnitude better than it was previously as a U device. I debated installing the VZW firmware, but decided not to, and I most definitely don't want to go through setting everything up again. However, I know have a MUCH better signal at my house, a consistent 5 bars, and a signal right around a 89-90 dB, while previously it hovered around 105-109 dB, which is pretty marginal, particularly when the antenna is only about 1/3 mile away. It also now tells me that I'm on LTE+ (rather than LTE 4g like before), so apparently this particularly tower isn't 5g yet, and I haven't left the house yet to see what I get at other locations from other towers.
However, what's really astounding is the speeds that I know get. Previously, download speeds would always start off slow at around 10 - 15 Mbs, and eventually get up to around 60 - 70 on the average, with upload speeds typically maxing out around 15 Mbs. However, now, I'm getting consistent download speeds of right at 240 Mbs (Visible limits max speed to around 250 Mbs on 5g), and upload speeds of ~70 Mbs. It's an incredible difference, so my suspicion is that I may be getting some 5g speeds, even though both Network Cell Info and LTE Discovery apps tell me that I'm generally only connected to the B2 and B5 LTE bands. Or maybe it's possible to get that kinds of speeds out of LTE with the new technology (forget what it's called) that shares bands at the same time, hence the LTE+ moniker.
Also, even though I installed the CSC file, the Service Provider Software is still ATT/TMB. To be specific, it's SAOMC_SM-G998U1_OYM_ATT_12_0026 ATT/ATT,ATT/TMB, and there isn't VZW anywhere. Maybe this will eventually update I don't know. However, it did remove the ATT startup splash screen that I had previously, so that's changed.
It also automatically downloaded and installed One UI 4.1 afterwards, so that seems to be working properly. Any thoughts on any of the above?
Thanks for the help that was provided previously.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As a UK user of Snapdragon that's very interesting that you get n78 c band. I am on
the G998w version and here is my dialler code *#2263# result. As you can see it has no n78 which is important in the UK. Could I see your result just to check all the bands?
Ptuk said:
As a UK user of Snapdragon that's very interesting that you get n78 c band. I am on
the G998w version and here is my dialler code *#2263# result. As you can see it has no n78 which is important in the UK. Could I see your result just to check all the bands?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here you go. As you can see I have both N77 and N78 bands. What I find interesting is that it says Sim 1 is ATT, which isn't what I'm using.
Ptuk said:
As a UK user of Snapdragon that's very interesting that you get n78 c band. I am on
the G998w version and here is my dialler code *#2263# result. As you can see it has no n78 which is important in the UK. Could I see your result just to check all the bands?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here you go. What's interesting is that it says Sim 1 is ATT, which isn't what I'm using.
Thank you. Yes weird the att thing. I think I will give it a crack to move to u1. Seems that the differentiation between exynos and snapdragon has fallen and that channels are no longer an impediment to using snapdragon in Europe. I also got ota update of my w phone in UK which I wasn't sure would happen.
Ptuk said:
Thank you. Yes weird the att thing. I think I will give it a crack to move to u1. Seems that the differentiation between exynos and snapdragon has fallen and that channels are no longer an impediment to using snapdragon in Europe. I also got ota update of my w phone in UK which I wasn't sure would happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I see that you don't have any C-bands, plus you have the TMB N41 and N71 bands, which is very similar to what I had prior to the U1 flash, but lost for some reason with U1, possibly because it seems to think that it's ATT for some reason. I'd be very interested in knowing what bands you have after a U1 flash.
I'll tell you as soon as I've got the nerve to do another flash!
@Ptuk and @kmdigital , will follow your conversation as I'm needing the N78 5g band. I flashed G998W last night but no luck. Weird is that I was from U then U1 but did not have get to see the N78 band appear.
@kmdigital , can you point me out on which firmware you have installed so I can try and how you actually flashed it. Thanks. Badly needing n78.
mapl.ph said:
@Ptuk and @kmdigital , will follow your conversation as I'm needing the N78 5g band. I flashed G998W last night but no luck. Weird is that I was from U then U1 but did not have get to see the N78 band appear.
@kmdigital , can you point me out on which firmware you have installed so I can try and how you actually flashed it. Thanks. Badly needing n78.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to clarify....you flashed from G998w to u then u1? If so can you tell me which u1 you used...I'm wondering whether kmdigitals success is Verizon related or not
Ptuk said:
Sorry to clarify....you flashed from G998w to u then u1? If so can you tell me which u1 you used...I'm wondering whether kmdigitals success is Verizon related or not
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was originally on G998U then flashed to G998U1 and nothing was changed. Hoping using an universal U1 firmware I would get the N78 band but no luck.
Then, last night I flashed to G998W and lost 260 and 261. Same result no n78 band. I would like to know how @kmdigital was able to get the N78 which I badly need. On download mode my s21 ultra shows ATT at the upper part.
From G998U1UES5BVC1 to G998WVLS5BVAB. I cant recall which G998U I had prior to U1
mapl.ph said:
@Ptuk and @kmdigital , will follow your conversation as I'm needing the N78 5g band. I flashed G998W last night but no luck. Weird is that I was from U then U1 but did not have get to see the N78 band appear.
@kmdigital , can you point me out on which firmware you have installed so I can try and how you actually flashed it. Thanks. Badly needing n78.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I downloaded it from SamFw.com, file name Samfw.com_SM-G998U1_XAA_G998U1UES5BVC1_fac
kmdigital said:
Last night I broke down and flashed it with the U1 XAA firmware, using the CSC (not Home) file. It went well, finishing the flash in <4 minutes. Then spent the next 4+ hours reconfiguring things that aren't automatically restored by using SmartSwitch to restore. I'm not sure how that works, but it seems that it doesn't actually back up the apps, rather it just backs up the name and placeholder, so when it's restored it has to redownload every single stinking app again. Plus, I had to go through and relog into every app where this is an issue, plus because it's now called SM-G998U1, I had to delete all the old G998U devices in various places, particularly Google. What a pain... Kind of wish I'd tried the Home CSC, particularly after what I see below.
What's interesting is that I know have the N2, N5, N66, plus the N77 and N78 C-bands, (as well as N260) but I lost the T-Mobile specific bands of N41 & N71, in addition, I also lost N261. I don't care about these as I'm not in an area where the Ka millimeter wave bands matter. However, I do find it interesting that the U1 firmware removed the TMB specific 5g bands. I would have thought that the Factory U1 firmware would automatically support all US carrier bands, but I guess not.
I'm using Visible (Verizon MVNO), and while it worked "decently" before, it's now orders of magnitude better than it was previously as a U device. I debated installing the VZW firmware, but decided not to, and I most definitely don't want to go through setting everything up again. However, I know have a MUCH better signal at my house, a consistent 5 bars, and a signal right around a 89-90 dB, while previously it hovered around 105-109 dB, which is pretty marginal, particularly when the antenna is only about 1/3 mile away. It also now tells me that I'm on LTE+ (rather than LTE 4g like before), so apparently this particularly tower isn't 5g yet, and I haven't left the house yet to see what I get at other locations from other towers.
However, what's really astounding is the speeds that I know get. Previously, download speeds would always start off slow at around 10 - 15 Mbs, and eventually get up to around 60 - 70 on the average, with upload speeds typically maxing out around 15 Mbs. However, now, I'm getting consistent download speeds of right at 240 Mbs (Visible limits max speed to around 250 Mbs on 5g), and upload speeds of ~70 Mbs. It's an incredible difference, so my suspicion is that I may be getting some 5g speeds, even though both Network Cell Info and LTE Discovery apps tell me that I'm generally only connected to the B2 and B5 LTE bands. Or maybe it's possible to get that kinds of speeds out of LTE with the new technology (forget what it's called) that shares bands at the same time, hence the LTE+ moniker.
Also, even though I installed the CSC file, the Service Provider Software is still ATT/TMB. To be specific, it's SAOMC_SM-G998U1_OYM_ATT_12_0026 ATT/ATT,ATT/TMB, and there isn't VZW anywhere. Maybe this will eventually update I don't know. However, it did remove the ATT startup splash screen that I had previously, so that's changed.
It also automatically downloaded and installed One UI 4.1 afterwards, so that seems to be working properly. Any thoughts on any of the above?
Thanks for the help that was provided previously.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When on U1 firmware, the device will restart upon a SIM card being inserted and load the bands needed for that provider. However, I have seen with certain MVNO's it doesn't act the same as a major Carrier when on U1, meaning that it will not register properly (why it still shows ATT for csc and not VZW). It seems that the csc is ATT because it doesn't register your SIM as VZW. Try to find a VZW SIM (doesn't need service) and allow the restart, then put back in your Visible SIM. My guess is the phone will not ask for a restart and will have the Verizon bands loaded from the restart when you inserted the VZW SIM.
I've heard conflicting things regarding band support on this device.
These are the bands supported by the PFEM10 model, with the bold ones used by T-Mobile in specific for their 4G LTE connectivity:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - China
The only band missing is band 71, but otherwise the device has 5/6 4G bands needed for connectivity. The reason I'm asking is because I have a friend who imported the device from Hong Kong to the USA and he says when he plugs in his T-Mobile SIM to the device, he can't get 4G connectivity or any connectivity whatsoever. WiFi works fine, but no mobile data. We already called to try to activate the phone and was told by T-Mobile support "this device is not compatible with our network", even though the phone is factory unlocked and GSM-based.
Am I missing something here, or is there more to the picture than just band support?
dipleg said:
I've heard conflicting things regarding band support on this device.
These are the bands supported by the PFEM10 model, with the bold ones used by T-Mobile in specific for their 4G LTE connectivity:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - China
The only band missing is band 71, but otherwise the device has 5/6 4G bands needed for connectivity. The reason I'm asking is because I have a friend who imported the device from Hong Kong to the USA and he says when he plugs in his T-Mobile SIM to the device, he can't get 4G connectivity or any connectivity whatsoever. WiFi works fine, but no mobile data. We already called to try to activate the phone and was told by T-Mobile support "this device is not compatible with our network", even though the phone is factory unlocked and GSM-based.
Am I missing something here, or is there more to the picture than just band support?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try entering the IME numbers in T-mobiles web site(bring your own device page). When I was researching this(I'm on T-Mobile) some were incompatible. I have the global version and have 4g connectivity but no 5G. HD voice also works even though the indicator does not show on the status bar(it shows in the dialer screen.
BTW..forget about AT&T. They wont support the phone AT ALL! I left them because my Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra worked fine on 5g until the 3g shutdown. They basically told me tough nuts so I left for T-Mobile.
g1xx3r said:
Try entering the IME numbers in T-mobiles web site(bring your own device page). When I was researching this(I'm on T-Mobile) some were incompatible. I have the global version and have 4g connectivity but no 5G. HD voice also works even though the indicator does not show on the status bar(it shows in the dialer screen.
BTW..forget about AT&T. They wont support the phone AT ALL! I left them because my Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra worked fine on 5g until the 3g shutdown. They basically told me tough nuts so I left for T-Mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply man, I feel like we're the only ones here lol. I found an app on the Play store that allows you to take the first few numbers of a dummy IMEI and it fills in the rest of the numbers. I copy and pasted some variants of my Chinese IMEI version, and none of them works with t-mobile. I found a dummy IMEI number for the international version of this phone and made a few variants, plug them all into T-Mobile and they all say compatible, so looks good. So I'm pretty convinced that the international version will have 4G connectivity from your reports and a few other sources. I'm actually on MetroPCS but I know they use T-Mobile's infrastructure so I would assume it would be the same thing.
Another interesting thing is on Mint Mobile's IMEI compatibility checker, it gives some good detail... I typed in the Chinese IMEI and it said the phone did not support VoLTE, but I type in the IMEI number for international version and it says that it DOES support VoLTE. So my conclusion at this point is that the Chinese PFEM10 Oppo Find X5 Pro DOES support VoLTE but not specifically T-Mobile/MetroPCS's USA-based carrier implementation of VoLTE so it won't work despite the device having the compatible bands? Does that sound logical?
So do you have the options for things like volte and Wi-Fi calling under your sim settings on the global version?
dipleg said:
Thanks for the reply man, I feel like we're the only ones here lol. I found an app on the Play store that allows you to take the first few numbers of a dummy IMEI and it fills in the rest of the numbers. I copy and pasted some variants of my Chinese IMEI version, and none of them works with t-mobile. I found a dummy IMEI number for the international version of this phone and made a few variants, plug them all into T-Mobile and they all say compatible, so looks good. So I'm pretty convinced that the international version will have 4G connectivity from your reports and a few other sources. I'm actually on MetroPCS but I know they use T-Mobile's infrastructure so I would assume it would be the same thing.
Another interesting thing is on Mint Mobile's IMEI compatibility checker, it gives some good detail... I typed in the Chinese IMEI and it said the phone did not support VoLTE, but I type in the IMEI number for international version and it says that it DOES support VoLTE. So my conclusion at this point is that the Chinese PFEM10 Oppo Find X5 Pro DOES support VoLTE but not specifically T-Mobile/MetroPCS's USA-based carrier implementation of VoLTE so it won't work despite the device having the compatible bands? Does that sound logical?
So do you have the options for things like volte and Wi-Fi calling under your sim settings on the global version?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah,I thought more people would chime in on this lol don't see the normal options for either but when I'm on a call, HD lights up and my calls are crystal clear.
I have now owned the PFEM10 in USA on T-Mobile for about a week and my unit connected to my service almost instantly after I moved my SIM over from my IN2025(Oneplus 8 Pro). Everything works fine but no 5G indicator on status bar. I have confirmed using the app "Network Cell Info Lite" that it does connect to the n41 band however and still can get over 100 Mbps download speeds. HD calling works too.
Also, something odd but hasn't really caused an issue. On my old phone, when going into Mobile Network settings, you would find a "Preferred network type" option allowing you to limit the phone connection to 5G/4G/3G etc. but on this phone you do not get that, or many settings for cell data at all, at least in my experience on the T-Mobile network.
I just received a new PFEM10 and after inseted my italian SIM the roaming is with AT&T 5G and hd voice (see attached)
They messaged me that I can use sms and data but no phone call.
I don't know if is because the phone is not registered with them or something else. Also msg. work on T-Mobile.