Develop Bugs

Question for people who bought Z Play directly from Motorola in the US

I'm curious to know what model people received direct from Moto in the US. My Z Play was given as a gift and bought from Best Buy, but it's XT1635-02, which I keep reading is an International model.
For those in the US that bought direct from Motorola, what's your model number?

mostcallmerob said:
I'm curious to know what model people received direct from Moto in the US. My Z Play was given as a gift and bought from Best Buy, but it's XT1635-02, which I keep reading is an International model.
For those in the US that bought direct from Motorola, what's your model number?
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The same XT 1635-02...

I ordered my Moto Z Play Droid direct from Motorola, and got model number XT1635-01

XT1635-01 is the Verizon US variant, XT1635-02 is the US AND international varaints, XT1635-03 is the chinese variant. XT1635-02 can be either dual or single sim, and only differs in the software channels(retus, reteu, retla, etc). I think XT1635-03 is dual sim only, but im not sure. If you want to confirm your device is for the US market, go to settings > About phone and check the software channel which should read retus.

Seems silly that they would use the same model number for different regions with different band support. Confusing

catpunt said:
Seems silly that they would use the same model number for different regions with different band support. Confusing
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All XT1635-02 variants support the same GSM bands. XT1635-03 supports the chinese WCDMA bands and probably some GSM bands. XT1635-01 supports US CDMA bands and some GSM bands. Arguably motorola probably just disabled the CDMA and WCDMA bands on the XT1635-02 so that people would actually buy the phone from verizon as opposed to buying it from the manufacturer. Which verizon made a deal with them to try and grab more customers by saying "Look at this innovative new phone! Only here at Verizon!" as is clearly obvious by the phone being exclucive for a few months before international release.

jon7701 said:
All XT1635-02 variants support the same GSM bands. XT1635-03 supports the chinese WCDMA bands and probably some GSM bands. XT1635-01 supports US CDMA bands and some GSM bands. Arguably motorola probably just disabled the CDMA and WCDMA bands on the XT1635-02 so that people would actually buy the phone from verizon as opposed to buying it from the manufacturer. Which verizon made a deal with them to try and grab more customers by saying "Look at this innovative new phone! Only here at Verizon!" as is clearly obvious by the phone being exclucive for a few months before international release.
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Perhaps, but that doesn't support why the Europe and USA versions of the unlocked XT1635-02 have different band support. Seems like this wouldn't have anything to do with Verizon exclusivity, and if the hardware support is there, why not make all bands available for true world support?

catpunt said:
Perhaps, but that doesn't support why the Europe and USA versions of the unlocked XT1635-02 have different band support. Seems like this wouldn't have anything to do with Verizon exclusivity, and if the hardware support is there, why not make all bands available for true world support?
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Checking motorola's site on the band support, XT1632-02 retus supports UMTS band 1700, reteu does not, however reteu support LTE bands 25 and 41, while retus does not. One of the reasons companies love proprietary software is because they can get away with doing things they dont want you to know about. Motorola can disable select bands on different variants and knows you have no way of enabling them (or even knowing if you can) since you do not have access to their source code. I cannot say for 100% sure that every variant supports the same bands hardware wise, but it would cost motorola more money to manufacture the phone with 3 or 4 different radios than it would be to just include 1 radio and then disable what they dont want you to access. The support I have that they do use this practice is because all XT1635-02 still have the pins for a second sim even on the single sim models. This would reduce manufacturing costs by skipping an unneeded step of seperating the phones between dual and single sim. On the Moto X Play some people were even able to activate the second sim on single sim only models. If you were around during the Nexus 4 era, Google intentionally disabled 4G LTE on that phone for seemingly no reason. Devs were able to figure that out and were able to unlock the 4G LTE capabilities. About Verizon exclucivity, if motorola disables the CDMA bands on their international model, you have to buy your phone from verizon if you want to use it on verizon. Lenovo (Motorola) has had big success with verizon exclucives from their droid series and they want to keep it that way. So in order to make costumers keep buying Droid phones they make it so that you have buy from verizon if you want CDMA support or you're SOL. This also allows verizon to lock down what CDMA carriers the phone can be used on (Which currently is only verizon AFAIK). Why they dont just enable all bands on all models is a good question, but once again it could have to do with the Verizon exclucivity because remember the verizon model was the first to be released. You had to buy the phone from verizon or motorola in order to get it which helps the Droid series sell. Releasing the phone 3 months later with global support could hurt the Droid series and potentially piss of customers.

jon7701 said:
Checking motorola's site on the band support, XT1632-02 retus supports UMTS band 1700, reteu does not, however reteu support LTE bands 25 and 41, while retus does not. One of the reasons companies love proprietary software is because they can get away with doing things they dont want you to know about. Motorola can disable select bands on different variants and knows you have no way of enabling them (or even knowing if you can) since you do not have access to their source code. I cannot say for 100% sure that every variant supports the same bands hardware wise, but it would cost motorola more money to manufacture the phone with 3 or 4 different radios than it would be to just include 1 radio and then disable what they dont want you to access. The support I have that they do use this practice is because all XT1635-02 still have the pins for a second sim even on the single sim models. This would reduce manufacturing costs by skipping an unneeded step of seperating the phones between dual and single sim. On the Moto X Play some people were even able to activate the second sim on single sim only models. If you were around during the Nexus 4 era, Google intentionally disabled 4G LTE on that phone for seemingly no reason. Devs were able to figure that out and were able to unlock the 4G LTE capabilities. About Verizon exclucivity, if motorola disables the CDMA bands on their international model, you have to buy your phone from verizon if you want to use it on verizon. Lenovo (Motorola) has had big success with verizon exclucives from their droid series and they want to keep it that way. So in order to make costumers keep buying Droid phones they make it so that you have buy from verizon if you want CDMA support or you're SOL. This also allows verizon to lock down what CDMA carriers the phone can be used on (Which currently is only verizon AFAIK).
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Thanks for the detailed info.
One weird thing is this: according to http://willmyphonework.net/ the unlocked USA version of the Moto Z Play has partial T-Mobile 3G and 4G support, while the unlocked Europe version has partial T-Mobile 3G support and full 4G support. However the unlocked Mexico version apparently has full 2G/3G/4G support. ??? Sounds like the USA version is actually the worst in terms of band support for T-Mobile.

catpunt said:
Thanks for the detailed info.
One weird thing is this: according to http://willmyphonework.net/ the unlocked USA version of the Moto Z Play has partial T-Mobile 3G and 4G support, while the unlocked Europe version has partial T-Mobile 3G support and full 4G support. However the unlocked Mexico version apparently has full 2G/3G/4G support. ??? Sounds like the USA version is actually the worst in terms of band support for T-Mobile.
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Funny enough on their motorola's own website, they say the US version only has partial support for AT&T and full support for T-Mobile. https://www.motorola.com/us/carrier-compatibility I guess we'll never know whats going through the minds of the people at Lenovo. I also added a bit to my previous post about the global bit of your question.

Something to remember is that for most handset manufacturers, the carrier is their customer, not you. When handset manufacturers have a new phone to sell, they hand-make some prototypes and hawk them around the carriers (networks). If the network likes it, they will usually say "I'll only take it if it has this, this and this, and has that, that and that removed". Manufacturer then does some horse trading, hence "that would be uneconomic to remove from hardware, but we can disable it in the firmware".
Eventually they reach agreement and the network says "deal, I'll take 500,00" (for example) and agrees the payment. It's those advance payments (or borrowing against them) that fund the cost of production, and hopefully leave some profit left over for the manufacturer. This is why what the networks want always takes precedence - international unlocked sales are always a complete unknown, and usually a very small part of total sales. For most handset manufacturers, it's those exclusive deals with networks that keep the lights on. Only the iPhone ever bucked that trend, by being seen as a single product with such high demand that it gave the manufacturer more power than the networks. Android phones are divided between lots of different models and multiple manufacturers, which means that the manufacturer's bargaining power for a single model is very limited.

jon7701 said:
Funny enough on their motorola's own website, they say the US version only has partial support for AT&T and full support for T-Mobile. https://www.motorola.com/us/carrier-compatibility I guess we'll never know whats going through the minds of the people at Lenovo. I also added a bit to my previous post about the global bit of your question.
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Are you saying the info on the moto site isn't 100% correct? I wanted to get one of these for AT&T but it shows it is only somewhat compatible compared to Tmobile i
also see no checkmark by republic wireless, but I know for a fact RW is selling them on their website, and there is even a RW promo taking place in a few days with the z play

x000x said:
Are you saying the info on the moto site isn't 100% correct? I wanted to get one of these for AT&T but it shows it is only somewhat compatible compared to Tmobile i
also see no checkmark by republic wireless, but I know for a fact RW is selling them on their website, and there is even a RW promo taking place in a few days with the z play
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I have AT&T and am having no issues with signal. I get EDGE, HSPA, HSPA+, and LTE. I actually get better signal on AT&T than I did on verizon on my Moto X Pure (AT&T also costs me almost 3x less as well ). AT&T uses LTE bands 2, 4, 5, 17, and recently (from what ive heard) 12. XT1635-02 retus supports all of those bands (it lists supported bands on the box).

V30-verizon

they took away the B&O Ear Buds and replaced it another duplicate not needed cable!! worthless... bad enough I have to deal with a locked VZ device..... grrrr

johnp357 said:
they took away the B&O Ear Buds and replaced it another duplicate not needed cable!! worthless... bad enough I have to deal with a locked VZ device..... grrrr
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As far as I know, b&o earbuds are for korea and a few other selected markets. US won't get them. Maybe other v30+ model though
Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk

I checked the bands, and I think it should work. But can someone try putting a AT&T or T-mobile sim in the verizon model? I know verizon phones are unlocked. I think it should work with lte. Just want to make sure. Thanks
Edit : LTE Bands 2/3/4/5/7/13/20/46 (upcoming)/66
4G LTE Roaming Bands 1/3/7/20/38/39/40/41
So I guess no band 17 or 12. Oh well.

johnp357 said:
they took away the B&O Ear Buds and replaced it another duplicate not needed cable!! worthless... bad enough I have to deal with a locked VZ device..... grrrr
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That's what your $200 rebate is for

bricky23 said:
I checked the bands, and I think it should work. But can someone try putting a AT&T or T-mobile sim in the verizon model? I know verizon phones are unlocked. I think it should work with lte. Just want to make sure. Thanks
Edit : LTE Bands2/3/4/5/7/13/20/46 (upcoming)/66
4G LTE Roaming Bands1/3/7/20/38/39/40/41
So I guess no band 17 or 12. Oh well.
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I don't understand... Why would you want to buy Verizon LG V30 for AT&T or T-Mobile? Go buy the AT&T/T-Mobile LG V30 -- or the carrier unlocked version US998.
Similarly, you probably won't find Verizon main LTE BAND 13 on the AT&T and T-Mobile LG V30, nor CDMA bands. You shouldn't expect to.
No U.S. carrier makes phones for OTHER carriers. The only reason T-Mobile has "AT&T" bands is because of roaming rights to help their T-Mobile customers, not to help T-Mobile customers go use AT&T.
Carrier unlocked version US998 will give you all the U.S./Canada carriers, as well as bootloader unlock.

LG lacking frequency bands compared to other manufacturers

I haven't seen this mentioned before but has anyone noticed LG devices are severely lacking bands compared to other manufactures? LG seems to tailor the bands based on the carrier and country. This seems fine if you don't leave your home country much. However, if looking for a device that works equally well in multiple countries, LG should be avoided. At least that's the conclusion I came to based on specs and my international needs.
For example:
T-Mobile LG V30 (14 LTE Bands)
LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 12(700), 20(800), 28(700), 29(700), 40(2300), 41(2500), 66(1700/2100), 71
T-Mobile S8+ (19 LTE Bands)
LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700), 13(700), 18(800), 19(800), 20(800), 25(1900), 26(850), 66(1700/2100), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500)
Sony Xperia XZ Premium (20 LTE Bands)
LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700), 13(700), 17(700), 19(800), 20(800), 26(850), 28(700), 29(700), 32(1500), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500)
Currently the V30 would be the best option for T-Mobile only because it has band 71 but if traveling somewhere outside of USA, it seems like it would be the worst option. I'm probably going to pick up the Sony for this reason. and later on upgrade to something else with band 71 when T-Mobile has deployed it in more areas.
What do you think about the limited bands available on LG Devices? Do you think this will limit coverage or only LTE coverage? Why would LG do this, do they save money by not needing to do additional FCC tests?

T-Mobile has free text and data in over 140 countries. I would assume that any phone they release, especially flagships, will work in ALL these countries. Now, if you wanted an unlocked version to use with another carrier sim, then I could see why you might have an issue.
Based on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LTE_networks it looks like the T-Mobile LG bands will cover just about every country. I only checked until Puerto Rico, but only 1 country before that didn't support any LG bands and that was Anguilla, a country I have never even heard of. Other than that, every other country had at least one carrier which supported the LG bands.

Japultra said:
T-Mobile has free text and data in over 140 countries. I would assume that any phone they release, especially flagships, will work in ALL these countries. Now, if you wanted an unlocked version to use with another carrier sim, then I could see why you might have an issue.
Based on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LTE_networks it looks like the T-Mobile LG bands will cover just about every country. I only checked until Puerto Rico, but only 1 country before that didn't support any LG bands and that was Anguilla, a country I have never even heard of. Other than that, every other country had at least one carrier which supported the LG bands.
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Yes, they work around the world but they don't have as many bands as other manufactuer's and they don't have all the bands available in other countries so it seems like coverage would be less. This isn't a T-Mobile issue, it's an LG issue. Take a look at any LG phone compared to any other phone on the same carrier and the LG model is always lacking bands. Sony seems to be quite the opposite where they have fewer versions of the phones with almost all bands.
I would definitely be putting in a local sim card in the destination country so this would be an issue, even if I wasn't, roaming coverage on your home carrier seems like it won't be as good as if you had a different manufacture's phone with more bands in the area your visiting.

kurtbird said:
Yes, they work around the world but they don't have as many bands as other manufactuer's and they don't have all the bands available in other countries so it seems like coverage would be less. This isn't a T-Mobile issue, it's an LG issue. Take a look at any LG phone compared to any other phone on the same carrier and the LG model is always lacking bands. Sony seems to be quite the opposite where they have fewer versions of the phones with almost all bands.
I would definitely be putting in a local sim card in the destination country so this would be an issue, even if I wasn't, roaming coverage on your home carrier seems like it won't be as good as if you had a different manufacture's phone with more bands in the area your visiting.
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Your best bet might be to wait until your next device to get a band 71 compatible device. Depending on where you live, you might not even see any band 71 coverage until your next phone anyway.

A good concern to bring up for those of us that travel and rely on T-Mobile's great international coverage. I'm looking to get the unlocked V30 myself and it seems to have an even lower number of bands compared to the T-Mobile version, at least from what I can see on B&H's pre-order site. My main overseas travel is to Pakistan and England and looking at the bands used in both countries, the LG V30 covers them. That being said, when I have traveled with my current Nexus 5 that has less bands, I haven't had too many issues. I expect overseas data to be slow unless I get a local SIM but I agree it would be nice to have more options.
From B&H:
LTE: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 20, 25, 66

kurtbird said:
Yes, they work around the world but they don't have as many bands as other manufactuer's and they don't have all the bands available in other countries so it seems like coverage would be less. This isn't a T-Mobile issue, it's an LG issue. Take a look at any LG phone compared to any other phone on the same carrier and the LG model is always lacking bands. Sony seems to be quite the opposite where they have fewer versions of the phones with almost all bands.
I would definitely be putting in a local sim card in the destination country so this would be an issue, even if I wasn't, roaming coverage on your home carrier seems like it won't be as good as if you had a different manufacture's phone with more bands in the area your visiting.
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This isn't just an LG issue. I've had the same issue with phones from any other provider. It's all part of traveling. I've always had to look at what bands are available where I'm going from which carriers and which bands my phone covered and then choose a local carrier accordingly. If you're lucky, you might even get a choice of two carriers that post coverage maps so you get to make a completely informed decision. So not really an LG thing.

In the band selection menu on the T-mobile version and on the box it shows 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,13,17,20,25,28,29,30,38,39,40,41,46,66,71

CHH2 said:
This isn't just an LG issue. I've had the same issue with phones from any other provider. It's all part of traveling. I've always had to look at what bands are available where I'm going from which carriers and which bands my phone covered and then choose a local carrier accordingly. If you're lucky, you might even get a choice of two carriers that post coverage maps so you get to make a completely informed decision. So not really an LG thing.
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Correct but if LG phones do in fact have 5 or so less bands, you're going to have more issues than if you had a different manufacturer with more bands. Depends on where you go and what those carriers support of course.

portcqb said:
In the band selection menu on the T-mobile version and on the box it shows 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,13,17,20,25,28,29,30,38,39,40,41,46,66,71
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Strange. If accurate then every site online listing the specs is wrong.

portcqb said:
In the band selection menu on the T-mobile version and on the box it shows 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,13,17,20,25,28,29,30,38,39,40,41,46,66,71
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Looks like nobody knows what bands the phone has.
LG website says:
B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B12, B20, B38, B39, B40, B41, B46, B66, B71 (Some are listed as roaming bands. Not sure if they would work with a local sim or not or what that means)
GSM Arena says:
B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B12, B20, B28, B29, B40, B41, B66, B71
T-Mobile website says:
LTE: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 20, 28, 29, 40, 41, 66, 71 (Same as GSM Arena)
Box and phone says:
1,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,13,17,20,25,28,29,30,38,39,40,41,46,66,71

kurtbird said:
Correct but if LG phones do in fact have 5 or so less bands, you're going to have more issues than if you had a different manufacturer with more bands. Depends on where you go and what those carriers support of course.
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Have you even looked to see if the bands missing from the version you want are even used where you would want to go? Have you looked to see what those bands are even used for/who they are used by? They may not even be relevant bands.

CHH2 said:
Have you even looked to see if the bands missing from the version you want are even used where you would want to go? Have you looked to see what those bands are even used for/who they are used by? They may not even be relevant bands.
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Yes I did. For example according tmobile, lg, and gsm arena, it's missing LTE Band 8 which is needed for Truemove H in Thailand I believe so without it, the phone will still work but I probably won't have as good coverage. Other devices have that band listed.

kurtbird said:
Yes I did. For example according tmobile, lg, and gsm arena, it's missing LTE Band 8 which is needed for Truemove H in Thailand I believe so without it, the phone will still work but I probably won't have as good coverage. Other devices have that band listed.
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And do you use that carrier when you go to Thailand?

CHH2 said:
And do you use that carrier when you go to Thailand?
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Yes, otherwise I wouldn't of mentioned. This is a general observation that would affect many other people going to many other places as well assuming the band info online is correct. It's not a necessity to have all the bands to use your phone on other carriers but the service won't be as good.

feelfreetoblameme said:
A good concern to bring up for those of us that travel and rely on T-Mobile's great international coverage. I'm looking to get the unlocked V30 myself and it seems to have an even lower number of bands compared to the T-Mobile version, at least from what I can see on B&H's pre-order site. My main overseas travel is to Pakistan and England and looking at the bands used in both countries, the LG V30 covers them. That being said, when I have traveled with my current Nexus 5 that has less bands, I haven't had too many issues. I expect overseas data to be slow unless I get a local SIM but I agree it would be nice to have more options.
From B&H:
LTE: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 20, 25, 66
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Can you check what bands the unlocked LG V30 shows supported by entering 5457#*300# in the dialer? I'm starting to think the specs online are all useless.

kurtbird said:
Can you check what bands the unlocked LG V30 shows supported by entering 5457#*300# in the dialer? I'm starting to think the specs online are all useless.
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I wish I had one to check! Only available to preorder on B&H at the moment, with an expected delivery of December 5th. Sigh.

portcqb said:
In the band selection menu on the T-mobile version and on the box it shows 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,13,17,20,25,28,29,30,38,39,40,41,46,66,71
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Right, but all those extra bands are enabled through the "hidden menu" options. Don't you think the "open market" US998 will also let you add more LTE bands?

the box is usually correct, its all the companies developers that disables the bands not needed for their networks. Which makes it difficult to get the specs right for all the different variants. Thats why they should just list all the bands off the box, then say in bold your carrier may be blocking some bands.

DaMagicTicket said:
the box is usually correct, its all the companies developers that disables the bands not needed for their networks. Which makes it difficult to get the specs right for all the different variants. Thats why they should just list all the bands off the box, then say in bold your carrier may be blocking some bands.
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So in this case it's possible that T-Mobile \ LG are only listing some of the bands on their websites since the box and phone show otherwise? It's pretty sad when LG's and T-Mobile's sites don't even match. On LG's site they list some of the bands as "Roaming Bands" which could mean those bands only work in roaming mode? It's too bad they can't put out accurate complete information.

DaMagicTicket said:
the box is usually correct, its all the companies developers that disables the bands not needed for their networks. Which makes it difficult to get the specs right for all the different variants. Thats why they should just list all the bands off the box, then say in bold your carrier may be blocking some bands.
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kurtbird said:
So in this case it's possible that T-Mobile \ LG are only listing some of the bands on their websites since the box and phone show otherwise? It's pretty sad when LG's and T-Mobile's sites don't even match. On LG's site they list some of the bands as "Roaming Bands" which could mean those bands only work in roaming mode? It's too bad they can't put out accurate complete information.
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For instance, it's well known the South Korean carriers' LG phones REALLY support most of the U.S. carrier LTE bands, even though the specs websites and South Korean carrier websites say differently. Many people from U.S. order LG phones off eBay from South Korea because those models often have better specs (like the LG G6 had quad DAC and more internal storage than U.S. LG G6) or receive OS updates first.
But it's hard finding specific information about exactly which bands. I just know from word of mouth. Someone yesterday asked me exactly which U.S. LTE bands were supported on the South Korean LG G6 PLus (the LG G6 on steroids released MONTHS later in mid-2017, and which FINALLY had all the specs in one phone), and I can't find an definitive source to answer that question. (There's three carriers and some may have more bands than the others.) I'm giving them the answer from an XDA user for regular G6.

Unlocked V30 now on sale @ Best Buy $799.99

Jude a heads up as I didn't see anyone chatting about it yet.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lg-v30...unlocked-cloud-silver/6138907.p?skuId=6138907
Anyone know if B&H will price match this?. I ordered last night to take advantage of the $400 off offer.

Well, you can try...
But with B&H Photo, I paid no tax (because I live outside New York/New Jersey) and I got free shipping. Here in Georgia with at least 6% state sales tax, that "$800" Best Buy LG V30 is REALLY going to be about $848. (Some localities tack on even more tax, in addition to state tax.)
The B&H Photo price is still better than Best Buy, unless you live in New York/New Jersey and have to pay their local tax anyways.
Interesting now the other authorized retailers are releasing the phone! Amazon should be next.
Also waiting for the LG V30+ unlocked. Still have to buy that second LG device, and it's going to be V30+.

ChazzMatt said:
Well, you can try...
But with B&H Photo, I paid no tax (because I live outside New York/New Jersey) and I got free shipping. Here in Georgia with at least 6% state sales tax, that "$800" Best Buy LG V30 is REALLY going to be about $848. (Some localities tack on even more tax, in addition to state tax.)
The B&H Photo price is still better than Best Buy, unless you live in New York/New Jersey and have to pay their local tax anyways.
Interesting now the other authorized retailers are releasing the phone! Amazon should be next.
Also waiting for the LG V30+ unlocked. Still have to buy that second LG device, and it's going to be V30+.
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No disagreement here, I'll be keeping the B&H order, but if they'll price match.... *twirls mustache*
Also, don't forget reward zone points and some may have reward certificates burning a hole in their pocket to reduce the cost further.
Do we have confirmation of an unlocked V30+ ?? I'd like one, but then the only difference is the extra 64GB of storage yes? I guess I'm okay with using SD cards depending on the price.

teknomedic said:
No disagreement here, I'll be keeping the B&H order, but if they'll price match.... *twirls mustache*
Also, don't forget reward zone points and some may have reward certificates burning a hole in their pocket to reduce the cost further.
Do we have confirmation of an unlocked V30+ ?? I'd like one, but then the only difference is the extra 64GB of storage yes? I guess I'm okay with using SD cards depending on the price.
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On the LG website, for the unlocked US998 there was a "coming soon" along with retailers like Best Buy, Amazon. There were both V30 and V30+ listed, and they were greyed out. Now, I bet if we found that page again, the V30 would no longer be greyed out for Best Buy.
B&H Photo was listed under "preorder" category, and both V30 and V30+ were listed, but the V30+ was greyed out, while the V30 was active.
So, strong implication the V30+ is coming.

ChazzMatt said:
On the LG website, for the unlocked US998 there was a "coming soon" along with retailers like Best Buy, Amazon. There were both V30 and V30+ listed, and they were greyed out. Now, I bet if we found that page again, the V30 would no longer be greyed out for Best Buy.
B&H Photo was listed under "preorder" category, and both V30 and V30+ were listed, but the V30+ was greyed out, while the V30 was active.
So, strong implication the V30+ is coming.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sound reasoning, I wasn't aware of that. Hmmm... if not for the $400 off deal I'd have waited. Guess I'll have to talk the wife into the V30 so I can have the V30+ ha

teknomedic said:
Do we have confirmation of an unlocked V30+ ?? I'd like one, but then the only difference is the extra 64GB of storage yes? I guess I'm okay with using SD cards depending on the price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here ya go, straight from LG:
LG V30+™ | Unlocked
US998U Unlocked
http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-US998U-Unlocked-v30-plus
Sellers for this product coming soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whereas the same category link for the LG V30 is here:
https://www.lg.com/us/products/wtb?modelId=MD05904576
And still only shows B&H Photo as the only authorized retailer at this moment, even though I know the Best Buy link you posted is live.

Just as I suspected, I do not see anywhere on any official documentation where the unlocked lgv30 Plus will be compatible with T-Mobile's new band 71 600 megahertz Spectrum.... the below comes straight from the LG website...
Connectivity
4G LTE Network* Yes
Technology CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, UMTS, LTE
Network CDMA, GSM, LTE (Multi-Band/Multi-Mode)
1.9 GHz CDMA PCS 800 MHz CDMA
GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
UMTS 850/900/1900/2100 MHz
AWS; LTE Bands 1/2/3/4/5/7/12/13/20/25/66
Data Transmission EVDO, EVDO Rev A, 1xRTT, LTE, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, GSM, HSPA+, HSPA
Wi-Fi® Hotspot** Share a 4G LTE data connection with up to 8 wireless devices***
Bluetooth® Wireless Technology Version 5.0
Supported Bluetooth Profiles A2DP, AVRCP, DI, GATT, GAVDP, HDP, HFP, HID, HSP, MAP, OPP, PAN, PBAP, SPP, HOGP
Wi-Fi Direct® Connect directly to devices via Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi Standards 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
USB**** and Bluetooth Tethering** Share your phone’s Internet connection with your computer
Android Beam share contacts, web pages, and more
Media Sync Allow nearby devices to access content via DLNA®
SmartShare Beam Wirelessly receive multimedia content
Screen Sharing (Miracast® ) Wirelessly mirror device screen on a compatible display
HD Voice***** Capable Yes
MIDI Device Connect to musical instruments via USB****
MirrorLink®**** Connect to a MirrorLink-capable car to share your screen and apps
S-GPS, A-GPS, and Qualcomm® Service for Enhanced Location Accuracy Yes
UPC 652810819879
* 4G LTE network not available everywhere.
** Carrier service required. Product features subject to change. Features based on carrier program availability. Additional charges may apply.
*** Depends on network availability. Additional carrier charges may apply.
**** USB cable required (included).
***** HD Voice required on both caller and receiver devices

igotroot said:
Just as I suspected, I do not see anywhere on any official documentation where the unlocked lgv30 Plus will be compatible with T-Mobile's new band 71 600 megahertz Spectrum.... the below comes straight from the LG website...
Connectivity
4G LTE Network*Yes
TechnologyCDMA, WCDMA, GSM, UMTS, LTE
NetworkCDMA, GSM, LTE (Multi-Band/Multi-Mode)
1.9 GHz CDMA PCS800 MHz CDMA
GSM850/900/1800/1900 MHz
UMTS850/900/1900/2100 MHz
AWS; LTE Bands1/2/3/4/5/7/12/13/20/25/66
Data TransmissionEVDO, EVDO Rev A, 1xRTT, LTE, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, GSM, HSPA+, HSPA
Wi-Fi® Hotspot**Share a 4G LTE data connection with up to 8 wireless devices***
Bluetooth® Wireless TechnologyVersion 5.0
Supported Bluetooth ProfilesA2DP, AVRCP, DI, GATT, GAVDP, HDP, HFP, HID, HSP, MAP, OPP, PAN, PBAP, SPP, HOGP
Wi-Fi Direct®Connect directly to devices via Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi Standards802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
USB**** and Bluetooth Tethering**Share your phone’s Internet connection with your computer
Android Beamshare contacts, web pages, and more
Media SyncAllow nearby devices to access content via DLNA®
SmartShare BeamWirelessly receive multimedia content
Screen Sharing (Miracast® )Wirelessly mirror device screen on a compatible display
HD Voice***** CapableYes
MIDI DeviceConnect to musical instruments via USB****
MirrorLink®****Connect to a MirrorLink-capable car to share your screen and apps
S-GPS, A-GPS, and Qualcomm® Service for Enhanced Location AccuracyYes
UPC652810819879
*4G LTE network not available everywhere.
**Carrier service required. Product features subject to change. Features based on carrier program availability. Additional charges may apply.
***Depends on network availability. Additional carrier charges may apply.
****USB cable required (included).
*****HD Voice required on both caller and receiver devices
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already been answered many, many times in many, many threads.
There's a T-MOBILE network hidden menu in the US998 that requires root for access.
With root, you may possibly enable it from there, or with root you can (possibly) flash the T-Mobile radio.
Here, go read this. I just answered identical question last night and provided screenshot.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=74717874

Understood. You would think LG would make that band available for foreigners who travel to the United States and Roam on TMO. Go figure.

For use on AT&T, i don't see bands 29 and 30 on the phone, which have been somewhat recently put into service in certain areas. Also, with the unlocked, non-carrier phones, I'm not sure you'll get wifi calling, VoLTE, and IIRC HD voice (or maybe it was HD recording...sorry). Just something to keep in mind.

@Buckwheat6, your sent me a PM question about the Best Buy unlocked LG V30, but you don't accept PMs? So, I have to answer here...
___
It's compatible with Verizon, but you'll need to stick on an already activated SIM card. Verizon won't activate a non-Verizon branded phone.
Sprint and their brands won't take non-Sprint, non-Virgin phones at all, to my knowledge. You can't "Bring Your Own Phone" to Sprint.
With Verizon, you can, but you need to have an already activated SIM card to stick on, from another Verizon phone.
It's just safer for Best Buy to say it's not compatible, then to try to explain all that.

ChazzMatt said:
@Buckwheat6, your sent me a PM question about the Best Buy unlocked LG V30, but you don't accept PMs? So, I have to answer here...
___
It's compatible with Verizon, but you'll need to stick on an already activated SIM card. Verizon won't activate a non-Verizon branded phone.
Sprint and their brands won't take non-Sprint, non-Virgin phones at all, to my knowledge. You can't "Bring Your Own Phone" to Sprint.
With Verizon, you can, but you need to have an already activated SIM card to stick on, from another Verizon phone.
It's just safer for Best Buy to say it's not compatible, then to try to explain all that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(sorry about the PM thing -- I'll check that out shortly.)...
When I went from The Note 4 (Verizon-branded) to the Motorola Moto X Pure (unlocked, purchased at -- you guessed it -- Best Buy), I needed a Nano SIM card. I just walked into my local Verizon store, asked for a new SIM card, and they popped it in for me and activated it no charge (I was shocked it was THAT easy, despite the fact that others on the Motorola forums had quoted similar success .) That was only last year (June 2016) so hopefully their policy hasn't changed.
Thanks again for the help!

Buckwheat6 said:
(sorry about the PM thing -- I'll check that out shortly.)...
When I went from The Note 4 (Verizon-branded) to the Motorola Moto X Pure (unlocked, purchased at -- you guessed it -- Best Buy), I needed a Nano SIM card. I just walked into my local Verizon store, asked for a new SIM card, and they popped it in for me and activated it no charge (I was shocked it was THAT easy, despite the fact that others on the Motorola forums had quoted similar success .) That was only last year (June 2016) so hopefully their policy hasn't changed.
Thanks again for the help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, good luck then. I've just heard from others about Verizon control freak behavior on non-Verizon branded phones like the ZTE AXON 7, which was also just last year, in 2016. You had to stick in an already activated SIM card.
So, if that policy has changed, then I don't know why Best Buy says it's incompatible with Verizon. That's totally wrong information. That's probably just their stock boilerplate wording for any "unlocked" phones they sell -- many of which don't have CDMA.

andygold said:
For use on AT&T, i don't see bands 29 and 30 on the phone, which have been somewhat recently put into service in certain areas. Also, with the unlocked, non-carrier phones, I'm not sure you'll get wifi calling, VoLTE, and IIRC HD voice (or maybe it was HD recording...sorry). Just something to keep in mind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will be interesting if these bands can be enabled or if the AT&T modem could be easily flashed. Pretty disappointing a flagship might not have full LTE support for a major carrier.

N4cr2k said:
I will be interesting if these bands can be enabled or if the AT&T modem could be easily flashed. Pretty disappointing a flagship might not have full LTE support for a major carrier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Almost any bands can be enabled in the hidden menu.
---------- Post added at 03:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:56 PM ----------
andygold said:
For use on AT&T, i don't see bands 29 and 30 on the phone, which have been somewhat recently put into service in certain areas. Also, with the unlocked, non-carrier phones, I'm not sure you'll get wifi calling, VoLTE, and IIRC HD voice (or maybe it was HD recording...sorry). Just something to keep in mind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See above. Doesn't even need root. People already did it on the Canadian version and others -- adding bands via the hidden menu.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=74506190&postcount=5
The only thing we can't yet enable without root is LTE BAND 71.
People got VoLTE on open market (carrier unlocked) version of LG G6. I see no difference with the LG V30.

ChazzMatt said:
People got VoLTE on open market (carrier unlocked) version of LG G6. I see no difference with the LG V30.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does this also include WiFi Calling on AT&T?
Also, when I look at the linked thread above in regards to unlocking bands, the image shown for the bands does not include bands 29 and 30. The list seems to stop with band 25 being the highest on the list. Now maybe it's possible that more bands are listed in that photo, but they are at the bottom of the list, off-screen...but I don't know.

andygold said:
Does this also include WiFi Calling on AT&T?
Also, when I look at the linked thread above in regards to unlocking bands, the image shown for the bands does not include bands 29 and 30. The list seems to stop with band 25 being the highest on the list. Now maybe it's possible that more bands are listed in that photo, but they are at the bottom of the list, off-screen...but I don't know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a another screenshot from another user showing more bands. That was just the first page, to show the idea. Just because the first screenshot stopped with 25 doesn't mean that's all there is.
Can't find the screenshot right now but found this.
portcqb said:
In the band selection menu on the T-mobile version and on the box it shows 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,13,17,20,25,28,29,30,38,39,40,41,46,66,71
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
uzupan said:
I just stop by the T Mobile store, all the bands mentioned were in the hidden menu but they were not all listed on the box
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is for the U.S. T-mobile, yes -- but all those bands are NOT listed on the U.S. T-mobile spec website, but can be enabled in the Hidden Menu. We know "71" is not listed visibly in the hidden menu for the unlocked US998 -- but ALL the others probably are. Point is, ignore the listed bands. You can enable what you want.
EDIT: FOUND IT.
Thanks to @Septembersrain
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=74475386&postcount=4
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as an fyi... B&H price matched BB for me. very nice of them.

teknomedic said:
as an fyi... B&H price matched BB for me. very nice of them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is awesome. How did you get the match? Before or after you purchased? Did you call or email?
I just ordered from B&H tonight!

johninsf said:
This is awesome. How did you get the match? Before or after you purchased? Did you call or email?
I just ordered from B&H tonight!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I first bought from B&H, then noticed BB was $20 cheaper so I emailed B&H customer service and asked nicely about a price match of $20. After a couple days I received no direct reply from B&H CS, but I did receive an automatic email saying they were processing a $20 refund. Thank you B&H.
It should be noted I did this when BB had stock though and I've noticed they're now sold out at BB... So this could change future decisions for others.

Difference between models XT1952-1,-2,-4

I know that the XT1952-4 is the unlocked version for CDMA and GSM and technically has all the bands for all the carriers.
I am seeing XT1952-1 & XT1952-2 listed as global/international models but can not find any definitive documentation detailing the differences between the 2.
I am going to be getting one of these for my wife. We use Cricket (AT&T) currently. If we were to switch, it would likely be another AT&T MVNO, but we wouldn't rule out T-Mobile (or their MVNOs). CDMA (Verizon/Sprint) likely wouldn't be considered, so I don't need to get the XT-1952-4 version. I can save about $30 going for the XT1952-1 or XT1952-2. The question is...which one? What are the differences? Single/dual sim? Bands?
Any clarity?
Thanks!

mn1968 said:
I know that the XT1952-4 is the unlocked version for CDMA and GSM and technically has all the bands for all the carriers.
I am seeing XT1952-1 & XT1952-2 listed as global/international models but can not find any definitive documentation detailing the differences between the 2.
I am going to be getting one of these for my wife. We use Cricket (AT&T) currently. If we were to switch, it would likely be another AT&T MVNO, but we wouldn't rule out T-Mobile (or their MVNOs). CDMA (Verizon/Sprint) likely wouldn't be considered, so I don't need to get the XT-1952-4 version. I can save about $30 going for the XT1952-1 or XT1952-2. The question is...which one? What are the differences? Single/dual sim? Bands?
Any clarity?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will definitely want to go with the US model (XT1952-4), and not any of the international models. The US model has the necessary compatibility for US carriers, while the international models will not have those bands (for example, the US model supports T-Mobile's new 600MHz signal, which is not present on the international models). Additionally, international models will not have many carrier-specific features, such as VoLTE support and RCS, that you will only get with the US model.

Thanks for the advice!

I've come across am XT1952-4 for a good price, however, it is advertised for Sprint only. How could this be if it is truly an XT1952-4? False ad or misinformed seller???
Thoughts?

mn1968 said:
I've come across am XT1952-4 for a good price, however, it is advertised for Sprint only. How could this be if it is truly an XT1952-4? False ad or misinformed seller???
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are in the US purchase from a reputable retailer such as B&H that posts accurate info on phone models and capabilities while providing a solid return policy. Amazon, eBay, Walmart, etc are crap shoots...never really know what you're getting.

mn1968 said:
I've come across am XT1952-4 for a good price, however, it is advertised for Sprint only. How could this be if it is truly an XT1952-4? False ad or misinformed seller???
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's probably a model purchased from Sprint/a Sprint-related MVNO, and is locked to the Sprint network.

xtermmin said:
It's probably a model purchased from Sprint/a Sprint-related MVNO, and is locked to the Sprint network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is correct. I own a Boost Mobile (Sprint subsidiary) xt1952-4 which is locked to the Sprint network out of the box. The Sprint variant xt1952-4 is supported for bootloader unlocking via Motorola's official unlocking portal.

Viva La Android said:
That is correct. I own a Boost Mobile (Sprint subsidiary) xt1952-4 which is locked to the Sprint network out of the box. The Sprint variant xt1952-4 is supported for bootloader unlocking via Motorola's official unlocking portal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bootloader unlock is cool. But is it possible to sim unlock for other networks, or are there hoops to jump through?

mn1968 said:
Bootloader unlock is cool. But is it possible to sim unlock for other networks, or are there hoops to jump through?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a great question. Traditionally, Sprint doesn't make it simple for its branded devices to gain network/SIM unlocking or full GSM support and operability. They resort to encryption embedded partitions to network lock their devices. For example, the Sprint compatible Moto E (2nd Gen) from 2015 has yet to be exploited for GSM support. But, the Moto E4 (xt1766) was recently exploited for GSM functionality (but only if the device was never upgraded beyond a certain firmware build). On the xt1952-4, I've yet to hear of anybody network unlocking it, but again I have not researched it much.

For anyone that's interested, as of today (12/6/19), eBay and direct from Motorola have the XT1952-4 fully unlocked (all network compatible model) on sale for $129. Don't know how long the sale will last.

The model you want is the XT-1952-4 PAE80008US. The QA section on BH Photo confirms that PAE80008US is the unlocked Retail US model
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1455105-REG/moto_pae80008us_g7_play_32gb_smartphone.html/qa