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So In the last few weeks i have tried the Essential nice phone really like it.. but the camera on it sucks.. I purchased a one plus 5t but didnt work on verizon... So there is a bunch of v30s on various sale groups by me for half price but they are for tmobile im guessing from that buy one get one sale going on.. Can it work on verizon and if so what needs to be done to make it work?
thanks in advance.
umx said:
So In the last few weeks i have tried the Essential nice phone really like it.. but the camera on it sucks.. I purchased a one plus 5t but didnt work on verizon... So there is a bunch of v30s on various sale groups by me for half price but they are for tmobile im guessing from that buy one get one sale going on.. Can it work on verizon and if so what needs to be done to make it work?
thanks in advance.
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Click to collapse
No. Just like AT&T and T-mobile use HSPA as backup bands when LTE is not available, Verizon uses CDMA. The T-mobile H932 doesn't have CDMA. While you CAN enable Verizon LTE band 13 for instance via the "hidden menu" trick on the T-mobile H932, you can't enable CDMA.
The phone that would work for you is the U.S. Cellular V30 or V30+. It has the CDMA and LTE bands you need for Verizon.
Next week, the "open market" official carrier unlocked LG V30 US998 will be released and that will also have all the Verizon bands you need. It's basically the same model as the U.S. Cellular but will also be eligible for bootloader unlock, root, etc. If you don't care about those things, then go ahead and get the U.S. Cellular model US998. It's the "unofficial" carrier unlocked model, also numbered US998. It has GSM/CDMA/HSPA/LTE.
ChazzMatt said:
No. Just like AT&T and T-mobile use HSPA as backup bands when LTE is not available, Verizon uses CDMA. The T-mobile H932 doesn't have CDMA. While you CAN enable Verizon LTE band 13 for instance via the "hidden menu" trick on the T-mobile H932, you can't enable CDMA.
The phone that would work for you is the U.S. Cellular V30 or V30+. It has the CDMA and LTE bands you need for Verizon.
Next week, the "open market" official carrier unlocked LG V30 US998 will be released and that will also have all the Verizon bands you need. It's basically the same model as the U.S. Cellular but will also be eligible for bootloader unlock, root, etc. If you don't care about those things, then go ahead and get the U.S. Cellular model US998. It's the "unofficial" carrier unlocked model, also numbered US998.
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Click to collapse
ahh dam ok, thanks for your reply.. Ill wait til amazon gets the v30+
I'm debating between buying the LG V30s, G7, and S9+. I would prefer the LG ones because they support QC 3.0, but I travel internationally all over the place and need a phone with a ton of LTE band support (but I'm currently in the US).
I need 6GB of RAM, 530+ ppi, IP68/67, USB-C QC, and great cameras, so this is all I have to select from:
https://www.gsmarena.com/results.ph...mm=selected&sIPCerts=5,6&sOSes=2&idCardslot=1
The S9+ has 26 bands.
The LG V30s (US998R) only seems to have 11.
https://www.frequencycheck.com/models/A3ljK/lg-us998-v30-td-lte-lg-joan?c_id=676585
https://www.techwalls.com/lg-v30s-thinq-model-number-differences/
The LG G7 (G710ULM) is worse at 9.
https://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-G710ULM-Unlocked-g7-thinq
I have a hard time believing that LG would create a different chip for all their different regional models of the same phone. The chip must support all the bands but a ton of them must get disabled in firmware. Is there any way to unlock them?
fuzzybabybunny said:
I'm debating between buying the LG V30s, G7, and S9+. I would prefer the LG ones because they support QC 3.0, but I travel internationally all over the place and need a phone with a ton of LTE band support (but I'm currently in the US).
I need 6GB of RAM, 530+ ppi, IP68/67, USB-C QC, and great cameras, so this is all I have to select from:
https://www.gsmarena.com/results.ph...mm=selected&sIPCerts=5,6&sOSes=2&idCardslot=1
The S9+ has 26 bands.
The LG V30s (US998R) only seems to have 11.
https://www.frequencycheck.com/models/A3ljK/lg-us998-v30-td-lte-lg-joan?c_id=676585
https://www.techwalls.com/lg-v30s-thinq-model-number-differences/
The LG G7 (G710ULM) is worse at 9.
https://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-G710ULM-Unlocked-g7-thinq
I have a hard time believing that LG would create a different chip for all their different regional models of the same phone. The chip must support all the bands but a ton of them must get disabled in firmware. Is there any way to unlock them?
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Click to collapse
which specific bands are you looking for? The samsung exynos phones typically support a lot of bands, just not the us specific ones. Because of whatever contract samsung has with qualcom, their chipset doesn't support any of the sprint or verizon lte/cdma bands.
The us specific phones typically have the radios crippled and each rom supports bands for that specific carrier. the samsung s9+ snapdragon 845 (us version) has the same issue as the lg phones + they can't be rooted or bootloader unlocked.
the lg v35 unlocked supports a lot of bands, but again, no root or bootloader unlock
the oneplus 6t supports lots of bands and can be unlocked but its not a premium phone and is missing a lot of other features like sdcard, ip rating, qi charging, etc.
Alibaba0101 said:
which specific bands are you looking for? The samsung exynos phones typically support a lot of bands, just not the us specific ones. Because of whatever contract samsung has with qualcom, their chipset doesn't support any of the sprint or verizon lte/cdma bands.
The us specific phones typically have the radios crippled and each rom supports bands for that specific carrier. the samsung s9+ snapdragon 845 (us version) has the same issue as the lg phones + they can't be rooted or bootloader unlocked.
the lg v35 unlocked supports a lot of bands, but again, no root or bootloader unlock
the oneplus 6t supports lots of bands and can be unlocked but its not a premium phone and is missing a lot of other features like sdcard, ip rating, qi charging, etc.
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Click to collapse
I'm not looking for any specific bands since I don't know where exactly I'll be traveling to. I just want as many bands as I can get just in case. On the USA side I just want TMobile support.
The US S9+ versions still seem to have a ton of band support, no? Their only issue is they can't be rooted, but is this a permanent problem or do all Samsung phones eventually get root?
If I wanted an LG G7 or V3x phone with 6GB and all that jazz I mentioned, do I have any options for one that had tons of bands and is unlockable? A European version perhaps?
fuzzybabybunny said:
I'm not looking for any specific bands since I don't know where exactly I'll be traveling to. I just want as many bands as I can get just in case. On the USA side I just want TMobile support.
The US S9+ versions still seem to have a ton of band support, no? Their only issue is they can't be rooted, but is this a permanent problem or do all Samsung phones eventually get root?
If I wanted an LG G7 or V3x phone with 6GB and all that jazz I mentioned, do I have any options for one that had tons of bands and is unlockable? A European version perhaps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is sim unlocked and bootloader unlocked which are two different things. Two phones closest to what you are describing would be the unlocked s9+ from b&h and the lg v35 unlocked. Both will support around 22 bands and will be sim unlocked. Currently neither phone can be bootloader unlocked.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1394703-REG/samsung_sm_g965uzkaxaa_samsung_galaxy_s9.html
GSM, GPRS, EDGE: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
UMTS, HSPA+: 850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100 MHz
LTE: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 66, 71 Bands
https://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-V350ULM-Unlocked-v35-thinq
GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz;
UMTS 850/900/1700/2100 MHz;
LTE Bands1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/14/17/20/25/26/28/29/30/38/39/40/41/66; International Roaming 1/3/7/20/38/39/40/41
according to tmobile the tmobile specific version of the galaxy s9+ only supports
https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-37154
4G LTE
2, 4, 5, 12, 66, 71, LTE-U/LAA 46
Roaming Bands
1, 3, 7, 8, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 38, 39, 40, 41
If you want information about any of these phones your best bet is to go to that section of the forum and ask your questions there....
While most decent 2017/2018 phones already support B12 & B66, not a lot of non-TMO phones support B71 yet. If you want to keep your new phone until 2019+, the phone should support it. That means your choice would be limited to the ones in TMO B71 list
FWIW, LG V30 H932 (TMO): WCDMA B1/B2/B4/ B5; LTE B2/B4/B5/B12/B46/B66/B71 LTE Roaming B1/B3/B7/B20/B38/B39/B40/B41
S9 SM-G960U1 (SIM unlocked US) LTE:*1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 66, 71
I travel a bit too but you'd get too many hits and misses with LTE if your destinations are still unknown.... I'd get the phone with best value proposition for daily TMOUS (IMO that's currently a used H932 in mint condition, easily found), and just deal with LTE abroad as the issue comes (get a local SIM, rent/buy a hotspot if needed, etc - you probably knew that prepaid data packs are normally much cheaper outside the US. I have a hotspot specifically for use in Asian countries I travel to).
lost_ said:
I'd get the phone with best value proposition for daily TMOUS (IMO that's currently a used H932 in mint condition, easily found), and just deal with LTE abroad as the issue comes (get a local SIM, rent/buy a hotspot if needed, etc - you probably knew that prepaid data packs are normally much cheaper outside the US. I have a hotspot specifically for use in Asian countries I travel to).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whereas for me on AT&T, the best value daily phone is the US998.
http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-US998-Unlocked-v30
US998
CDMA: 800 MHz CDMA
2G GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
3G UMTS (HSPA):850/900/1900/2100 MHz
4G LTE Bands: 1/2/3/4/5/7/12(17)/13/20/25/66
Only T-mobile subscribers would use LTE band 71, and most T-mobile phones still don't have it.
Don't forget about HSPA... Last time I was in Brazil, where their main LTE bands 3 & 7, my phone at the time had those, as does the V30. But STILL most of the time I was on HSPA due to their telephony infrastructure in rural areas. Point is, having good selection of HSPA bands is still your best "international" fallback plan for phones that don't have 99 LTE bands.
Don't obsess over having every LTE band for every country. For proof of that, look at T-mobile. TONS of people on this forum have the US998 on T-mobile. Their phones work just fine.
Thanks. I really want 6GB of RAM though, and the V30 doesn't have it. The other LG phones with 6GB of RAM either don't seem to have many bands or have a locked bootloader or both.
I ended up buying the Samsung S9+ G965F/DS. It's got root, 6GB RAM, and all the other features I'm looking for except QC 3.0. It's kind of a shame because I've been a Samsung user for the last 10 years and was adamant I wasn't going to get another.... but here I am.
fuzzybabybunny said:
Thanks. I really want 6GB of RAM though, and the V30 doesn't have it. The other LG phones with 6GB of RAM either don't seem to have many bands or have a locked bootloader or both.
I ended up buying the Samsung S9+ G965F/DS. It's got root, 6GB RAM, and all the other features I'm looking for except QC 3.0. It's kind of a shame because I've been a Samsung user for the last 10 years and was adamant I wasn't going to get another.... but here I am.
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Click to collapse
Great phone
no us warranty
does not support any cdma carriers
does not support tmobile band 71
does not support at&t band 30
Alibaba0101 said:
Great phone
no us warranty
does not support any cdma carriers
does not support tmobile band 71
does not support at&t band 30
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I'm in a bit of a tough spot.
I need 6GB because the only reason I'm upgrading from my current TMobile S5 is because 2GB just doesn't cut it for modern apps anymore and 4GB just isn't future-proof enough for me. My S5 doesn't have band 71 either but the day-to-day sluggishness of not having enough memory is FAR more of an issue than band support.
I *want* to get the unlocked SnapDragon S9+, but it's not rooted or bootloader unlocked yet and I don't know if it *ever* will. Even the S8+ still has problems with bootloader unlock and root, right? The only reason I'm still running the S5 is because the ability to unlock and install LineageOS saved it and allowed me to squeeze two more years out of it.
So can anyone say with 95%+ confidence that the unlocked USA SnapDragons will have BL unlock and root?
Ok, I'm now even less confident that the S9+ SnapDragons will get bootloader unlock and root.
Even looking back at the S7, LineageOS is only supported on the Exynos models and none of the SnapDragons:
https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/herolte
https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/hero2lte
Same for the S8s.
I'm guessing that this trend will only continue for the S9s.
Alibaba0101 said:
There is sim unlocked and bootloader unlocked which are two different things. Two phones closest to what you are describing would be the unlocked s9+ from b&h and the lg v35 unlocked. Both will support around 22 bands and will be sim unlocked. Currently neither phone can be bootloader unlocked.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1394703-REG/samsung_sm_g965uzkaxaa_samsung_galaxy_s9.html
GSM, GPRS, EDGE: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
UMTS, HSPA+: 850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100 MHz
LTE: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 66, 71 Bands
https://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-V350ULM-Unlocked-v35-thinq
GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz;
UMTS 850/900/1700/2100 MHz;
LTE Bands1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/14/17/20/25/26/28/29/30/38/39/40/41/66; International Roaming 1/3/7/20/38/39/40/41
according to tmobile the tmobile specific version of the galaxy s9+ only supports
https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-37154
4G LTE
2, 4, 5, 12, 66, 71, LTE-U/LAA 46
Roaming Bands
1, 3, 7, 8, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 38, 39, 40, 41
If you want information about any of these phones your best bet is to go to that section of the forum and ask your questions there....
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Click to collapse
The T mobile version sounds great to me because it would work great in Italy where I travel often. However I am planning to convert the H932 to us998 by flashing with LGUP for rooting. Does that mean I will loose the extra bands of H932 and have US998 bands instead?
cococchio said:
However I am planning to convert the H932 to us998 by flashing with LGUP for rooting. Does that mean I will loose the extra bands of H932 and have US998 bands instead?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) You will brick your phone. T-mobile H932 has different RSA encryption than the other North American V30 variants.
This is why H932 can't use WTF method to install TWRP and root. It cannot be Frankenstein'ed to US998 for necessary fastboot flash commands.
2) Converting (Frankenstein) any North America V30 to another (not possible with T-mobile H932) makes it THAT phone, including all bands. After bootloader unlock and root, Verizon and Sprint users will often flash their VS996 or LS998 modems back.
ChazzMatt said:
1) You will brick your phone. T-mobile H932 has different RSA encryption than the other North American V30 variants.
2) Converting (Frankenstein) any North America V30 to another (not possible with T-mobile H932) makes it THAT phone, including all bands. After bootloader unlock and root, Verizon and Sprint users will often flash their VS996 or LS998 modems back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was planning to use this https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v30/how-to/root-h932-lafploit-1-5-to-v20a-t3842550
Anyway US998 actually has LTE bands 3 and 20 even though they are not originally included in H931. If that's true (doesn't require hardware modification?!) I will buy H931 ATT.
Thanks for your help!
cococchio said:
However I am planning to convert the (T-mobile) H932 to us998 by flashing with LGUP for rooting. Does that mean I will loose the extra bands of (T-mobile) H932 and have US998 bands instead?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ChazzMatt said:
1) You will brick your phone. T-mobile H932 has different RSA encryption than the other North American V30 variants.
This is why H932 can't use WTF method to install TWRP and root. It cannot be Frankenstein'ed to US998 for necessary fastboot flash commands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cococchio said:
I was planning to use this [ROOT] H932 - lafploit 1.5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's NOT what you said. You said you were planning on converting T-mobile H932 to US998. That Root LAF method for T-mobile H932 by @runningnak3d has nothing to do with WFT method -- which for some V30 (particularly North American variants) mean at least temporarily converting to another model (like US998).
____
cococchio said:
Anyway US998 actually has LTE bands 3 and 20 even though they are not originally included in H931. If that's true (doesn't require hardware modification?!) I will buy H931 ATT.
Thanks for your help!
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Click to collapse
I think you are somehwat confused. AT&T H931 has always had LTE bands 3 & 20. Note both links below are to LG.com website and those specs have been there since DAY1.
https://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-H931-Black-lg-v30
H931 (AT&T)
GSM/EDGE (2G) Bands: 850/900/1800/1900
HSPA/UMTS Bands: 850/1700/1900/2100
4G LTE Bands: 1/2/3/4/5/7/12(17)/20/29/30/38/39/40/41/66
LTE bands 3 and 20 have also always been in the US998 specs:
http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-US998-Unlocked-v30
US998
CDMA: 800 MHz CDMA
2G GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
3G UMTS (HSPA):850/900/1900/2100 MHz
4G LTE Bands: 1/2/3/4/5/7/12(17)/13/20/25/66
Why not just buy US998 to begin with? Or buy cheaper variant like LS998 and convert to US998. I'm not understanding your logic. With US998 you get LTE bands 3 & 20, have CARRIER UNLOCKED, have fastboot flash commands so you can also bootloader unlock and root if you wish.
With H931, you are carrier locked to AT&T. Yes, you can get that unlocked -- but then you have no access to firmware updates as AT&T only gives updates via OTA to AT&T customers. This is why everybody and their brother CONVERT H931 to US998. To carrier unlock, get fastboot flash commands, AND get easy updates.
Sent via open market LG US998 V30/V30+
wow, thanks you gave me a great overview of the situation. On Amazon refurbished the ATT version was actually the cheapest.
fuzzybabybunny said:
Ok, I'm now even less confident that the S9+ SnapDragons will get bootloader unlock and root.
Even looking back at the S7, LineageOS is only supported on the Exynos models and none of the SnapDragons:
https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/herolte
https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/hero2lte
Same for the S8s.
I'm guessing that this trend will only continue for the S9s.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The G965F/DS is not snapdragon. The only samsung snapdrag phones that are unlocked are the hk and cn versions which again have crippled radios.
The best snapdragon 845 with unlocked bootloader and root would be the one plus 6 and thew newly released one plus 6t.
The lg v30s does have 6gb of ram and most likely can be unlocked using wtf method. But the bands will be more limited and its snapdragon 835.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1400755-REG/lg_lgus998r_a8usut_v30s_thinq_128gb_smartphone.html?ap=y&gclid=CjwKCAjwo_HdBRBjEiwAiPPXpNZbo9TR8rFHkeLTDCXn2QuF3QkpbgKfN07VYKJZ8SbbLtGC--4zcRoC2yIQAvD_BwE&smp=y
Did LG really produce all these V30 and + variants will different hardware (radios), or just cripple them through firmware? Would be great to be able to unlock the phone's capability with a firmware flash.
cococchio said:
wow, thanks you gave me a great overview of the situation. On Amazon refurbished the ATT version was actually the cheapest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On eBay refurbished "mint' US998 V30+ (probably converted LS998 V30+) is $295
Well I usually trust Amazon refurbished more but I ended up doing what you suggested . Cancelled Amazon and got V30.+ for $295 from ebay. Thanks!
joarce said:
different hardware (radios), or just cripple them through firmware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Firmware - software-defined radio.
I'm looking to replace my aging HTC One M8 and it looks like the LG V30+ is the right phone for me, since it's got all the features I want (and no notch!) at a price I'm happy to pay.
One thing I definitely want though is Android Pie. I know LG hasn't released it yet for these phones but that it should be out in Q1 or Q2 of this year.
I also want to root my phone. I've skimmed over the instructions and it seems that if you do the rooting process it'll erase all of your private data off your phone, so it seems like I should do this more or less after I get the phone, rather than using it and wiping my stuff later.
But I've read that once the phone is rooted, OTA updates won't apply is that correct? I don't want to use any custom ROMs or anything, just the standard LG firmware. Do I need to flash to some other firmware and then manually install updates? What's the deal? How difficult / fiddly is it?
It doesn't matter if you're rooted or not. You will still be able to update as usual using KDZ. You can even update stock LG ROMs via TWRP with flashable ZIP. Keep in mind that unlocking bootloader needs stock 20a or 20b so if you update to the versions above that, you must downgrade later. So I think it will be nice to unlock your bootloader first after you get your phone, then you can decide whether to root or not after that.
Lanthanide said:
But I've read that once the phone is rooted, OTA updates won't apply is that correct? I don't want to use any custom ROMs or anything, just the standard LG firmware. Do I need to flash to some other firmware and then manually install updates? What's the deal? How difficult / fiddly is it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on stock rooted firmware myself.
OTA updates won't apply because you'll have TWRP custom recovery. But full image updates (KDZ) are always better than partial image OTA.
If you have TWRP, you merely install the latest TWRP-flashable zip file of the KDZ. It's like flashing a ROM, but it's stock firmware "ROM". Reflash Magisk then reboot. You "dirty flash" so you keep all your data. Takes 5 minutes?
If you read the WTF instructions, upgrading to newer firmware is mentioned towards the end -- Section 9, specifically. Read those Instructions in a web browser, not XDA app, or stuff will be missing. I also suggest printing them out to reference.
Ok, that's great, thanks!
What these KDZ files? I haven't looked around these forums much yet. Are they officially provided by LG, or do people rip them off their phones and upload here, or is it a mixture?
Lanthanide said:
Ok, that's great, thanks!
What these KDZ files? I haven't looked around these forums much yet. Are they officially provided by LG, or do people rip them off their phones and upload here, or is it a mixture?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LG publicly releases the full image updates a few days after the partial image OTA update. The format extension is .KDZ. We post copies here in the forum, down on the dev section. A group of devs have graciously offered to convert the KDZ images to TWRP-FLASHABLE zip file, whenever updates are released.
For people who are rooted, just flash them in TWRP just like dirty flashing a ROM. Keeps all your data. Reflash Magisk, reboot. Done.
As an example, here are the KDZ and TWRP flashable zip files for the Verizon VS996:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v30/development/vs996-lg-v30-verizon-vs996-t3865398
The top one was released very recently. You can see there's a link straight to official LG Bridge update server as well as TWRP-flashable zip format, rendered by a Dev to "ROM".
It is possible to update to newer KDZ manually, without using TWRP. A little more complicated. But we don't need to discuss that right now since we do have TWRP flashable zip files.
Thanks very much for your help.
Lanthanide said:
Thanks very much for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where do you live, what V30 variant were you considering? If you live inthe U.S., what carrier do you use?
With V30, you can buy other variants and convert them to what you need -- especially North America. (There's one exception, which I'll explain after you answer.). But that's why a lot of people buy "mint" (like new) Sprint LS998 V30+ (128GB), even though they are not Sprint customer. It's often less expensive and has more internal memory than just the 64GB V30. They then unlock bootloader, root it, then convert to what they really want.
I converted two personally from LS998 V30+ to US998 V30+. You can even flash Verizon or AT&T firmware over them.
Or you can find already-converted "mint" US998 V30+ for very good price on eBay. Most US998 V30+ on eBay right now are probably former LS998 V30+ -- but that's OK most of the time.
Sorry, don't mean to confuse you.
I'm in New Zealand. The company I have bought from brings in the phones from Hong Kong. It's a 128GB model, although the website doesn't state which specific variant, but from what is available through other sites here I expect it to be a V30+ H930DS.
I'm aware of the root restriction with the T-mobile variant, which doesn't matter to me.
Is there a benefit to be gained by swapping the variant firmware? Is it just radio bands unlocked depending on carrier?
Lanthanide said:
I'm in New Zealand. The company I have bought from brings in the phones from Hong Kong. It's a 128GB model, although the website doesn't state which specific variant, but from what is available through other sites here I expect it to be a V30+ H930DS.
I'm aware of the root restriction with the T-mobile variant, which doesn't matter to me.
Is there a benefit to be gained by swapping the variant firmware? Is it just radio bands unlocked depending on carrier?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For H930DS, the other compatible firmware is the H930. Unlike the North American "Frankenstein", flashing H930 over H939DS does not change bands or anything. Hong Kong H930DS just got a new update with DTS stereo framework (needs root to fully enable), so you should stick to your firmware.
Whereas North America Frankenstein fully converts one variant to another, including all bands.
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---------- Post added at 02:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:06 AM ----------
ChazzMatt said:
Where do you live, what V30 variant were you considering? If you live inthe U.S., what carrier do you use?
With V30, you can buy other variants and convert them to what you need -- especially North America. (There's one exception, which I'll explain after you answer.). But that's why a lot of people buy "mint" (like new) Sprint LS998 V30+ (128GB), even though they are not Sprint customer. It's often less expensive and has more internal memory than just the 64GB V30. They then unlock bootloader, root it, then convert to what they really want.
I converted two personally from LS998 V30+ to US998 V30+. You can even flash Verizon or AT&T firmware over them.
Or you can find already-converted "mint" US998 V30+ for very good price on eBay. Most US998 V30+ on eBay right now are probably former LS998 V30+ -- but that's OK most of the time.
Sorry, don't mean to confuse you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wish i had seen this before getting my h933.
Only took it cause the frequency bands work in my country.
Would have loved the extra storage :silly:
Lanthanide said:
I'm looking to replace my aging HTC One M8 and it looks like the LG V30+ is the right phone for me, since it's got all the features I want (and no notch!) at a price I'm happy to pay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, been there, done that
Root is easy, some custom roms available if you want to play. The v30 plus is a great upgrade.
I am still on stock and with root and magisk its easy to customise how you like it.
My m8 is a bit short on battery life now but still a great phone. Annoyingly I have Pie on there already working really sweet :silly:
Oh, I only miss the ir blaster to control the tv in the gym
kerdelgreen767 said:
Wish i had seen this (Frankenstein conversion information) before getting my h933.
Only took it cause the frequency bands work in my country.
Would have loved the extra (V30+) storage :silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Curious what frequency bands from the H933 you need, and what country?
gazzacbr said:
Yep, been there, done that
...
My m8 is a bit short on battery life now but still a great phone. Annoyingly I have Pie on there already working really sweet :silly:
Oh, I only miss the ir blaster to control the tv in the gym
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, my M8 is still a decent phone although I'm just on Marshmallow. The battery is the main problem, it doesn't last super long (although recently I seem to be able to use it for longer? not sure what that's about). I've twice had it now where the battery is so low that when the phone has had less than 15% remaining it just shuts off, seemingly in the middle of some important process, corrupting some important system files and to recover it I essentially had to wipe all of my profile out of it - once this happened on holiday (in a city were I could get wifi, thankfully) and it took me several hours to get it working again, damn annoying.
Have also had it crash when trying to take photos with the flash on. Basically exactly the same problem that Apple got completely lambasted for - the battery is old and can no longer always cope with large spikes of energy draw, which can cause system instability.
ChazzMatt said:
Curious what frequency bands from the H933 you need, and what country?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Digicel LTE bands are 2/12/17
H930/LS99U/H933 support these bands but wasn't getting any good condition LS99U so went with the 933.
I live in Dominica in the Caribbean.
Also as a side note im stuck on one LTE band (17 cause it has most coverage) .
Tried the adb commands posted in another thread but kept getting the error "error (Cannot erase this partition in unlocked state). "
kerdelgreen767 said:
Digicel LTE bands are 2/12/17
H930/LS99U/H933 support these bands but wasn't getting any good condition LS99U so went with the 933.
I live in Dominica in the Caribbean.
Also as a side note im stuck on one LTE band (17 cause it has most coverage) .
Tried the adb commands posted in another thread but kept getting the error "error (Cannot erase this partition in unlocked state). "
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
US998 also has those bands...
http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-US998-Unlocked-v30
US998
CDMA: 800 MHz CDMA
2G GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
3G UMTS (HSPA):850/900/1900/2100 MHz
4G LTE Bands: 1/2/3/4/5/7/12(17)/13/20/25/66
I'm on AT&T which uses band 17. But in the U.S. now it's band 12/17. LTE band 17 is a subset of LTE band 12, so about three years ago, AT&T decided to just say their phones have LTE band 12 -- since they support ALL of LTE band 12 (which T-mobile has) as well as the carved out piece of LTE band 12 that is called LTE band 17. Even though AT&T uses LTE band 17, none of their phone specs now actually list LTE band 17 -- it lists LTE band 12 (which includes LTE band 17).
Band 12 contains the 700 MHz lower A+B+C blocks.
Band 17 contains only B+C.
The analogy I use is Miami = LTE band 17.
Florida = LTE band 12.
Miami is in Florida, so there's no need to say I have "Miami" and I have "Florida".
I got into an argument with someone about this a couple of years ago when AT&T changed their designation from Band 17 to Band 12. He was looking for a carrier unlocked phone that had LTE band 17 -- so he could use it on AT&T, and suddenly couldn't find any. I told him just what I told you (LTE band 12 = LTE band 17 on U.S. phones), and he didn't believe me. So, I sent him the link to the online AT&T store where all the AT&T-branded phones are with specs. NO AT&T phones show band 17 any more -- even though AT&T STILL uses LTE band 17! They're just calling it band 12 now... I challenged him to show me any post-2016 AT&T phones with the LTE band 17 -- which he and I both knows AT&T uses. Since 2016, AT&T no longer lists LTE band 17 on their phones specs, but older AT&T phones will STILL show LTE band 17 in the SAME location. Newer phones show LTE band "12" on AT&T in those locations.
You can read more here:
https://forums.att.com/t5/Network-C...band-12-Why-is-my-phone-using-it/td-p/5065954
ChazzMatt said:
US998 also has those bands...
http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-US998-Unlocked-v30
US998
CDMA: 800 MHz CDMA
2G GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
3G UMTS (HSPA):850/900/1900/2100 MHz
4G LTE Bands: 1/2/3/4/5/7/12(17)/13/20/25/66
I'm on AT&T which uses band 17. But in the U.S. now it's band 12/band 17. LTE band 17 is a subset of LTE band 12, so a couple of years ago, AT&T decided to just say their phones have LTE band 12 -- since they support ALL of LTE band 12 (which T-mobile has) as well as the carved out piece of LTE band 12 that is called LTE band 17. Even though AT&T uses LTE band 17, none of their phone specs list LTE band 17 -- it lists LTE band 12 (but that has LTE band 17).
Band 12 contains the 700 MHz lower A+B+C blocks. Band 17 contains only B+C.
The analogy I use is Miami = LTE band 17. Florida = LTE band 12. Miami is in Florida, so there's no need to say I have "Miami" and I have "Florida".
I got into an argument with someone about this a couple of years ago when AT&T changed their designation. He was looking for a carrier unlocked phone that had LTE band 17 -- so he could use it on AT&T. I told him just what I told you (LTE band 12 = LTE band 17 on U.S. phones), and he didn't believe me. So, I sent him the link to the online AT&T store where all the phones are with specs. I challenged him to show me any post-2016 AT&T phones with the LTE band 17 he knows AT&T uses. Since 2016, AT&T no longer lists LTE band 17 on their phones, but older AT&T phones will STILL show LTE band 17 in the SAME location.
You can read more here:
https://forums.att.com/t5/Network-C...band-12-Why-is-my-phone-using-it/td-p/5065954
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's me being ignorant of that fact that caused me to leave down the 998 and get a 933.
gsmarena was my go to source for bands on the diff models and as you explained the 998 does not show band 17.
i even asked my provider and their response wasn't so helpful.
just went with what seemed safer to me.
might sell the 933 and get a v30+ for the extra storage
ChazzMatt said:
It is possible to update to newer KDZ manually, without using TWRP. A little more complicated. But we don't need to discuss that right now since we do have TWRP flashable zip files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right, so I've had a look at the available TWRP ROMs and there's only a handful for the H930DS and none for my region (TWN).
So how do I go about flashing a stock KDZ, and will that erase any of my data?
You use LGUP to flash the KDZs. Yes, it will erase all your data, as this is effectively reinstalling the OS as if the device was new from LG.
The KDZ thread should provide instructions. ChazzMatt's thread here is specific to the 930 series: https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v30/development/h930-lg-v30-european-market-h930-t3779076 - near the bottom he details how to flash KDZ with the appropriate LGUP files as well.
I'm wondering if I can use one of the TWRP ROMs for the H930dS even if they aren't for the TWN region, or would that cause problems? Am I correct thinking the *only* difference is the cell bands enabled? Or do all H930DS support the same bands (except India)? Is there any site that lists the different bands for each region?
I'm looking to buy one of these soon. I am on tmobile/metropcs so I would need the H932 or the US998. I do plan on rooting and most likely would prefer to unlock bootloader. I know the H932 doesn't play nicely with the other variants but I'm confident I could get it rooted and everything. I also saw that the v30 has band 77, which tmobile has been rolling out, and the v30+ doesn't.
My question to you who already own these devices is, do you recommend just getting the v30 or are there any advantages to possibly spending a bit more on the v30+?
Thanks for your opinions.
sirganon said:
I'm looking to buy one of these soon. I am on tmobile/metropcs so I would need the H932 or the US998. I do plan on rooting and most likely would prefer to unlock bootloader. I know the H932 doesn't play nicely with the other variants but I'm confident I could get it rooted and everything. I also saw that the v30 has band 77, which tmobile has been rolling out, and the v30+ doesn't.
My question to you who already own these devices is, do you recommend just getting the v30 or are there any advantages to possibly spending a bit more on the v30+?
Thanks for your opinions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I know (and gathered when doing my own research before buying) the V30+ only has the additional storage over the base v30.
Everything else about the phone (as far as I'm aware) is identical. I don't see why the V30+ would be missing a band, especially one the base v30 has.
Redline said:
From what I know (and gathered when doing my own research before buying) the V30+ only has the additional storage over the base v30.
Everything else about the phone (as far as I'm aware) is identical. I don't see why the V30+ would be missing a band, especially one the base v30 has.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sites like gsmarena and frequency check don't list band 77 for the v30+ so I'm just going off of sites like that. I do realise the internal storage is the main difference when comparing the two versions but I wasn't sure if ease of rooting or some other variables may be present to help sway your (and my) decision.
sirganon said:
Sites like gsmarena and frequency check don't list band 77 for the v30+ so I'm just going off of sites like that. I do realise the internal storage is the main difference when comparing the two versions but I wasn't sure if ease of rooting or some other variables may be present to help sway your (and my) decision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd be on the safe side of assuming you won't miss anything over the base v30.
Ease of rooting is just the same.
sirganon said:
I'm looking to buy one of these soon. I am on tmobile/metropcs so I would need the H932 or the US998. I do plan on rooting and most likely would prefer to unlock bootloader. I know the H932 doesn't play nicely with the other variants but I'm confident I could get it rooted and everything. I also saw that the v30 has band 77, which tmobile has been rolling out, and the v30+ doesn't.
My question to you who already own these devices is, do you recommend just getting the v30 or are there any advantages to possibly spending a bit more on the v30+?
Thanks for your opinions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sirganon said:
Sites like gsmarena and frequency check don't list band 77 for the v30+ so I'm just going off of sites like that. I do realise the internal storage is the main difference when comparing the two versions but I wasn't sure if ease of rooting or some other variables may be present to help sway your (and my) decision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Two corrections:
* It's LTE band 71 U.S. T-mobile has, not 77.
* In many cases the V30+ is about the same price as the H932 V30, if you are talking about North America variants. That LS998 V30+ (easily converted to US998 V30+) is actually $20 less than the H932 V30. Yes, that's "manufacturer refurbished" vs "new" but my experience with prices on these is the V30+ does not really cost more on sites like eBay.
You are right that only the U.S. T-Mobile H932 has LTE band 71. No other V30/V30+/V30S variant in the world have that band, as only U.S. T-Mobile needs it (or needed it when the V30 was released). It was brand new at the time the V30 was being introduced (late 2017) and U.S. T-Mobile made a big deal how it was exclusive to the their carrier-branded H932. H932 was the first phone in the world to have the new U.S. T-Mobile LTE band 71 and still is the only V30/V30+/V30S to have that band. (Some early tweets from U.S. T-mobile made us believe the open market US998 V30/V30+ would have it also... but alas it didn't. If you dig deep enough, you may see posts hoping that was true or that it could be enabled with root.)
Having said that, most phones being used on U.S. T-Mobile network still do not have LTE band 71 (pre-2018 phones), and there are many US998 V30/V30+/V30S users in this forum who are on U.S. T-Mobile or U.S. T-Mobile MVNOs.
U.S. T-Mobile actually did sell a 128GB V30+ H932 (with LTE band 71, of course) for a LIMITED time, in addition to their 64GB V30. It was a marketing promotion a couple of months after the V30 H932 was released. Then it went away. Some of these H932 V30+ might pop up on eBay, but would only be a few. Or here for allegedly new in box H932 V30+.
Yes, the H932 seems a little harder to root than the other variants. (My opinion.) You can't use the WTF method, since the H932 doesn't have fastboot flash commands and you can't convert it (even temporarily) to a variant which has fastboot flash commands. So, you have to use the other method developed for the H932. But it can be done and has been done by many. If you do use T-Mobile, then that might be what you're most happy with.
When buying an H932 for U.S. T-mobile, make sure it's H932SV. There's also an H932PR for Claro carrier in Puerto Rico and that variant does NOT have LTE band 71 for U.S. T-mobile. I'm only mentioning it because it IS out there and you may run across it on eBay. If you want LTE band 71, you want the H932SV. (For those who do have the Claro/Puerto Rico H932PR, it can be rooted through WTF and Frankenstein converted to other North American models, while the U.S. T-mobile H932SV can not.)
__________
This next part is not just about the H932, but all V30/V30+/V30S....
Different V30/V30+ variants for various carriers/world regions have different bands. For instances, there are bands the North American V30/V30+ variants have which the H930 (V30)/H930G (V30+) or H930D (V30)/H930DS (V30+) does not. H930/H930G doesn't have LTE band 2 and the H930D/H930DS doesn't have LTE band 2 nor LTE band 4. You wouldn't want to buy an H930/H930G or H930D/H930DS to use in U.S. or Canada. Some of the Korean variants are also missing necessary bands for North America.
Even among the North American variants, there are bands the AT&T H931 or Sprint LS998 has which the US998 does not have. In most cases you can convert (Frankenstein) one variant to another to get those bands (if you really need them) -- either before or after root -- but with the T-mobile H932 you cannot do that, as it has different RSA encryption from all the other variants.
But the only hardware difference between V30/V30+ is extra internal memory -- 64GB vs 128GB. Unlike other OEMs (like Samsung), where + denotes larger physical size, with LG the + on the V30 series is only more internal memory. (The V30+ models also came with LG-branded or B&O-branded earbuds of questionable value. They don't even trigger HIM. You are better off with these or these, which have the necessary impendent to trigger HIM on quad DAC.)
However, there is a US998 V30S (released in early 2018), which has 128GB internal memory with 6GB RAM. The V30S is basically a "V30+" with more RAM. The official model number is US998R (for more RAM).
Sent via open market LG US998 V30/V30+
ChazzMatt said:
Two corrections:
* It's LTE band 71 U.S. T-mobile has, not 77.
* In many cases the V30+ is about the same price as the H932 V30, if you are talking about North America variants. That LS998 V30+ (easily converted to US998 V30+) is actually $20 less than the H932 V30. Yes, that's "manufacturer refurbished" vs "new" but my experience with prices on these is the V30+ does not really cost more on sites like eBay.
You are right that only the U.S. T-Mobile H932 has LTE band 71. No other V30/V30+/V30S variant in the world have that band, as only U.S. T-Mobile needs it (or needed it when the V30 was released). It was brand new at the time the V30 was being introduced (late 2017) and U.S. T-Mobile made a big deal how it was exclusive to the their carrier-branded H932. H932 was the first phone in the world to have the new U.S. T-Mobile LTE band 71 and still is the only V30/V30+/V30S to have that band. (Some early tweets from U.S. T-mobile made us believe the open market US998 V30/V30+ would have it also... but alas it didn't. If you dig deep enough, you may see posts hoping that was true or that it could be enabled with root.)
Having said that, most phones being used on U.S. T-Mobile network still do not have LTE band 71 (pre-2018 phones), and there are many US998 V30/V30+/V30S users in this forum who are on U.S. T-Mobile or U.S. T-Mobile MVNOs.
U.S. T-Mobile actually did sell a 128GB V30+ H932 (with LTE band 71, of course) for a LIMITED time, in addition to their 64GB V30. It was a marketing promotion a couple of months after the V30 H932 was released. Then it went away. Some of these H932 V30+ might pop up on eBay, but would only be a few. Or here for allegedly new in box H932 V30+.
Yes, the H932 seems a little harder to root than the other variants. (My opinion.) You can't use the WTF method, since the H932 doesn't have fastboot flash commands and you can't convert it (even temporarily) to a variant which has fastboot flash commands. So, you have to use the other method developed for the H932. But it can be done and has been done by many. If you do use T-Mobile, then that might be what you're most happy with.
When buying an H932 for U.S. T-mobile, make sure it's H932SV. There's also an H932PR for Claro carrier in Puerto Rico and that variant does NOT have LTE band 71 for U.S. T-mobile. I'm only mentioning it because it IS out there and you may run across it on eBay. If you want LTE band 71, you want the H932SV. (For those who do have the Claro/Puerto Rico H932PR, it can be rooted through WTF and Frankenstein converted to other North American models, while the U.S. T-mobile H932SV can not.)
__________
This next part is not just about the H932, but all V30/V30+/V30S....
Different V30/V30+ variants for various carriers/world regions have different bands. For instances, there are bands the North American V30/V30+ variants have which the H930 (V30)/H930G (V30+) or H930D (V30)/H930DS (V30+) does not. H930/H930G doesn't have LTE band 2 and the H930D/H930DS doesn't have LTE band 2 nor LTE band 4. You wouldn't want to buy an H930/H930G or H930D/H930DS to use in U.S. or Canada. Some of the Korean variants are also missing necessary bands for North America.
Even among the North American variants, there are bands the AT&T H931 or Sprint LS998 has which the US998 does not have. In most cases you can convert (Frankenstein) one variant to another to get those bands (if you really need them) -- either before or after root -- but with the T-mobile H932 you cannot do that, as it has different RSA encryption from all the other variants.
But the only hardware difference between V30/V30+ is extra internal memory -- 64GB vs 128GB. Unlike other OEMs (like Samsung), where + denotes larger physical size, with LG the + on the V30 series is only more internal memory. (The V30+ models also came with LG-branded or B&O-branded earbuds of questionable value. They don't even trigger HIM. You are better off with these or these, which have the necessary impendent to trigger HIM on quad DAC.)
However, there is a US998 V30S (released in early 2018), which has 128GB internal memory with 6GB RAM. The V30S is basically a "V30+" with more RAM. The official model number is US998R (for more RAM).
Sent via open market LG US998 V30/V30+
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for all this info! I did mean band 71. It was late when writing my previous posts so I was thinking 61 & 77 instead of 66 & 71.
I'll read through this a few times to make sure I fully understand the differences of the variants and make my decision after that. Greatly appreciated!
I have a T-Mobile V30+. The only difference from the V30 is 128GB internal storage and black color backing. The V30 has a silver colored back. I live in Southern California and I haven't been able to get band 71 reception in the rural areas outside Los Angeles and San Diego. I also didn't get Band 71 reception when I went visited the outskirts of Portland, Oregon and San Francisco/Sacramento. Band 71 is meant for very rural areas, so having it may be a moot point based on your location.
Buy a Sim unlocked att v35 off ebay. When cross flashed to the Google Fi variant, the secret menu lists band 71. Im on a us998 conversion v30 with TMobile and migrating to the v35 for SD845 with 6 gigs of ram, slightly better cameras and band 71 is well worth it. They are going for ~300usd. @runningnak3d just got one and is hot on the bootloader unlock trail.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v35/how-to/bring-to-speed-trying-to-root-t3909527
Edit: Also band 71 isn't just for rural locations. TMobile invested almost 8 billion dollars in the spectrum the other year and will be rolling it out nation wide. I'm in NorCal and the reason it's not in California yet is because the TV stations that currently occupy the bandwidth that TMobile will refarm are scheduled later than other areas to shut down. It's scheduled here for q2 2019. I think LA is still a year or two out though. Point is TMobile didn't invest that kind of cheese to only help people in the sticks out.
bacon612 said:
Buy a Sim unlocked att v35 off ebay. When cross flashed to the Google Fi variant, the secret menu lists band 71. Im on a us998 conversion v30 with TMobile and migrating to the v35 for SD845, slightly better cameras and band 71 is well worth it. They are going for ~300usd. @runningnak3d just got one and is hot on the bootloader unlock trail.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v35/how-to/bring-to-speed-trying-to-root-t3909527
Edit: Also band 71 isn't just for rural locations. TMobile invested almost 8 billion dollars in the spectrum the other year and will be rolling it out nation wide. I'm in NorCal and the reason it's not in California yet is because the TV stations that currently occupy the bandwidth that TMobile will refarm are scheduled later than other areas to shut down. It's scheduled here for q2 2019. I think LA is still a year or two out though. Point is TMobile didn't invest that kind of cheese to only help people in the sticks out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll definitely take a look at this one when I can, thanks!
bacon612 said:
Im on a us998 conversion v30 with TMobile and migrating to the v35 for SD845 with 6 gigs of ram, slightly better cameras.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking of doing the same thing, but the wide angle lens on the V35 (107°) is narrower than the V30 (120°). That's a deal breaker for me even with the SD845 and 6GB RAM. If my V30 was destroyed, then I might consider the V35. Not worth the investment if not necessary. The V40's wide lens is also 107°. LG has been reducing the wide angle lens since the V20/G5, which had 135°. The Galaxy S10's wide angle is 123°.
The camera is a bummer, yes. But with the sale of my V30+ an investment of ~$100 makes my decision a no brainier. I can't believe how dramatically these devices drop in value in less than a year. I paid $325 in May 2018 for my v30+ in 9/10 shape. $290 last week for the v35 and it's flawless.
Edit: for the OP. The extra cash for the v35 is also a smart move. The v35 shipped with Oreo 8 making it a better candidate for treble roms out of the gate. The newer SOC with the bonus ram gives you at least another year of use where the v30 will fall away.
Sent from my LG-US998 using Tapatalk
Interesting thread...
My 2 cents:
1) the 64 vs 128 doesn't mean much to me (very low on the list of priorities) - especially with an sd card slot.
2) T-Mo band 71. That's pretty big. I think T-Mo is going to really improve it's status with that band, *But*, it's going
to be some time before it's completely rolled out... and it's at least somewhat questionable how much of an effect
it would have **for you**. Lots of factors involved; are you in buildings a lot that the 600 MHz will benefit you? Are
you *outside* of the range of normal (already existing) bands? etc
I'd have to put this feature in a 'nice to have' category, but no way is it a necessity - nor a deal breaker.
3) Is the model easily Frankenstein-ed? While *in the future* a device might be unlocked... it might not also.
If a phone has the ability to be unlocked now, and it's a good / great device... I say ya gotta go with those
criteria. If I like the device / size / cameras / design / etc - then this aspect is at the top of my list.
I have a 931 converted to US998, very happy with it. The cameras are awesome. The quad dac blows yer hair
back. I'm on T-Mo with an old pay-as-you go plan and also just signed on with Mint Mobile (uses T-mo towers). There's
no issues to speak of re calls / text / data. Everything works fine.
I'm actually so happy with the V30 and the ability to mod it ... I bought another one.
A brand new one, should arrive soon.
Good luck with your decision. Maybe this info helps a little when making up your mind, maybe not!
Cheers
ChazzMatt said:
Having said that, most phones being used on U.S. T-Mobile network still do not have LTE band 71 (pre-2018 phones), and there are many US998 V30/V30+/V30S users in this forum who are on U.S. T-Mobile or U.S. T-Mobile MVNOs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AsItLies said:
Interesting thread...
My 2 cents:
1) the 64 vs 128 doesn't mean much to me (very low on the list of priorities) - especially with an sd card slot.
2) T-Mo band 71. That's pretty big. I think T-Mo is going to really improve it's status with that band, *But*, it's going
to be some time before it's completely rolled out... and it's at least somewhat questionable how much of an effect
it would have **for you**. Lots of factors involved; are you in buildings a lot that the 600 MHz will benefit you? Are
you *outside* of the range of normal (already existing) bands? etc
I'd have to put this feature in a 'nice to have' category, but no way is it a necessity - nor a deal breaker.
3) Is the model easily Frankenstein-ed? While *in the future* a device might be unlocked... it might not also.
If a phone has the ability to be unlocked now, and it's a good / great device... I say ya gotta go with those
criteria. If I like the device / size / cameras / design / etc - then this aspect is at the top of my list.
I have a 931 converted to US998, very happy with it. The cameras are awesome. The quad dac blows yer hair
back. I'm on T-Mo with an old pay-as-you go plan and also just signed on with Mint Mobile (uses T-mo towers). There's
no issues to speak of re calls / text / data. Everything works fine.
I'm actually so happy with the V30 and the ability to mod it ... I bought another one.
A brand new one, should arrive soon.
Good luck with your decision. Maybe this info helps a little when making up your mind, maybe not!
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it is a great phone.
Thanks, you confirmed what I said about T-mobile on US998.
The new DTS is fantastic.
AsItLies said:
Interesting thread...
My 2 cents:
3) Is the model easily Frankenstein-ed? While *in the future* a device might be unlocked... it might not also.
If a phone has the ability to be unlocked now, and it's a good / great device... I say ya gotta go with those
criteria. If I like the device / size / cameras / design / etc - then this aspect is at the top of my list.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it can currently be cross flashed with ease. Most are opting for the Google Fi crossflash as it removes all of the att bloat and allows things like wifi calling to be used. Or even use as a fully functioning Google Fi phone (switching networks between Sprint, TMobile and us cellular.)
Regarding the bootloader unlock for root and roms, I am 99% certain we will see that in the next month.
bacon612 said:
So it can currently be cross flashed with ease. Most are opting for the Google Fi crossflash as it removes all of the att bloat and allows things like wifi calling to be used. Or even use as a fully functioning Google Fi phone (switching networks between Sprint, TMobile and us cellular.)
Regarding the bootloader unlock for root and roms, I am 99% certain we will see that in the next month.
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Does crossflashing these other V35 firmware carrier unlock the V35 from AT&T, like crossflashing H931 with US998?
I"m mostly asking because months ago I recommended crossflashing AT&T V35 firmware with other V35 and I was told it couldn't be done. And that I was stupid for suggesting it.
The phone has to be carrier unlocked as far as things go now. In the future, it may be different. It was explained to me that the partition where the Sim lock exists, does not get touched when you flash the kdz in lgup. Some are having issues getting their att phones unlocked but there are lots of already unlocked phones on eBay. YMMV
Sent from my LG-US998 using Tapatalk
bacon612 said:
So it can currently be cross flashed with ease. Most are opting for the Google Fi crossflash as it removes all of the att bloat and allows things like wifi calling to be used. Or even use as a fully functioning Google Fi phone (switching networks between Sprint, TMobile and us cellular.)
Regarding the bootloader unlock for root and roms, I am 99% certain we will see that in the next month.
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Congratulations! Personally, I don't use Google Fi, but more power to those that do.
We all have our individual needs / wants. Mine are satisfied with the V30. Hope yours are too - with whatever device you have.
AsItLies said:
Congratulations! Personally, I don't use Google Fi, but more power to those that do.
We all have our individual needs / wants. Mine are satisfied with the V30. Hope yours are too - with whatever device you have.
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Mine are satisfied with LG V30/V30+ for now. I have 10 friends/family members who own one, thanks to me touting them. Of them, only mine is rooted as with my job I don't have time even to flash updates (TWRP-flashable zips) for friends anymore. But every V30/V30+/V30S in the world CAN be bootloader unlocked and rooted.
ChazzMatt said:
Mine are satisfied with LG V30/V30+ for now. I have 10 friends/family members who own one, thanks to me touting them. Of them, only mine is rooted as with my job I don't have time even to flash updates (TWRP-flashable zips) for friends anymore. But every V30/V30+/V30S in the world CAN be bootloader unlocked and rooted.
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Exactly Matt. And that's a pretty unusual situation in my experience; a phone with a great design, processor, VERY good cameras (wide in front AND back is NOT common), quad dac (all models), p-oled hi-res screen, etc.
AND at a very affordable price, now anyway.
There really isn't anything comparable right now, AND there MAY NOT be for some time to come. Sure, there are other phones, pixel, oneplus, etc. But they are not in the same price range, not sure which if any have quad dac, none have wide angle lens (back also), etc. And many others of course, but unable to unlock bootloader.
I feel lucky. It was fortunate to be reading Android A on the day they had an article indicating the V30, great phone, was now available at great prices on ebay. After reading your WTF thread... boom! I was an owner within a few hours. It is not a common situation imho. Get em while they last
Something else for the OP. The v30 front facing camera left something to be desired. The two phones I had before (htc 10 and 9) had significantly better front facing cameras. I think to maintain the thin bezels on the 30 the sensor was compromised. They used a much better sensor on the v35. For me, getting a decent image in varied lighting conditions when video chatting was problematic and almost embarrassing at times. I've read this in reviews a few times as well. If a good front facing camera is an issue for you, it may be something to consider
I have a free government phone that uses a Sprint SIM, I almost always have LTE coverage with it, I recently purchased the V30 and it should be here soon. The seller described it as GSM unlocked and I'm aware Sprint isn't GSM, but unfortunately forgot about these things until after I purchased.
Is there any way I'll be able to use the SIM in the V30?
And if it requires any changes, if I need to return the V30 will those changes be noticeable or reversible if so?
Any help is extremely appreciated, thanks!
ResidentKaga said:
I have a free government phone that uses a Sprint SIM, I almost always have LTE coverage with it, I recently purchased the V30 and it should be here soon. The seller described it as GSM unlocked and I'm aware Sprint isn't GSM, but unfortunately forgot about these things until after I purchased.
Is there any way I'll be able to use the SIM in the V30?
And if it requires any changes, if I need to return the V30 will those changes be noticeable or reversible if so?
Any help is extremely appreciated, thanks!
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No, you cannot use T-mobile H932 with Sprint SIM card. Sprint still uses CDMA bands and has some extra LTE bands not on the H932. You cannot convert the T-mobile H932 to any other variant.
You need to return it and get Sprint LS998 instead. Cool thing about that is all LS998 are actually V30+ (128GB internal memory), while most T-mobile H932 are only V30 (64GB) -- although there are some T-mobile H932 V30+ in existence, which was sold for limited time by T-Mobile.
ChazzMatt said:
No, you cannot use T-mobile H932 with Sprint SIM card. Sprint still uses CDMA bands and has some extra LTE bands not on the H932. You cannot convert the T-mobile H932 to any other variant.
You need to return it and get Sprint LS998 instead. Cool thing about that is most (if not all) LS998 are actually V30+ (128GB internal memory), while most T-mobile H932 are only V30 (64GB) -- although there are some T-mobile H932 V30+ in existence, which was sold for limited time.
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Thanks for the reply. The website "WillMyPhoneWork?" (can't post link) says the H932 has one of the bands Sprint uses for their 4G LTE network (Band41-2500MHz), and because of that, it "may" work, what's your input on that?
ResidentKaga said:
Thanks for the reply. The website "WillMyPhoneWork?" (can't post link) says the H932 has one of the bands Sprint uses for their 4G LTE network (Band41-2500MHz), and because of that, it "may" work, what's your input on that?
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My answer stands.
You may not have that one LTE band in your area or elsewhere, you will need CDMA for some stuff, and Sprint won't accept a T-Mobile H932 on their Network.
You're trying to make this difficult, when I already answered your question.
For other reasons I don't want to go into here, the only people who should get the T-Mobile H932 are actual T-Mobile customers. No matter how much allegedly "SIM card unlocked". One reason being that when updating to new OS firmware, that carrier unlocking is sometimes canceled, and then you have totally useless phone (if you are not a T-Mobile customer).
There's other reasons too.
ChazzMatt said:
My answer stands.
You may not have that LTE band in your area, you will need CDMA for some stuff, and Sprint won't accept a T-Mobile h932 on their Network.
You're trying to make this difficult, when I already answered your question.
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It's not that I want to make things difficult, I don't want that at all really, it's that I was clinging on to any last piece of hope since I'm in a very time and money sensitive situation currently where I need a better phone to relieve significant issues I have using my current (really bad) I use phone for work, it's holding me back big time. If there truly is nothing I can do I'll have to not only wait for the phone to come, but also need to do what's required to ship the phone back to the ebay seller and wait for my refund, all things I was really trying to avoid.
Hopefully that's more understandable why I replied the way I did, the last thing I wanted to do was burden you as I really do appreciate your advice. I have a couple more questions but it's understandable if you prefer not to assist anymore in this thread Chazz.
I wanted to know what was meant by "You'll need CDMA for some stuff", and about Sprint not accepting the phone. I already have active Sprint service with the SIM I currently use, was hoping to only need to take the SIM out of my current phone, and put it into the H932.
ResidentKaga said:
Thanks for the reply. The website "WillMyPhoneWork?" (can't post link) says the H932 has one of the bands Sprint uses for their 4G LTE network (Band41-2500MHz), and because of that, it "may" work, what's your input on that?
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The site is absolutely correct. It may work....in a very limited fashion.
Carriers don't deploy every frequency at every tower, partly for practicality reasons (e.g. out in the middle of nowhere it makes most sense to use CDMA+band 26 to eke the most range possible out of the tower and adding more radios to the tower is a waste of money) and partly licensing (they may own band 25 in one area but not another).
You might very well have a band 41 tower near your house, and it would appear to work properly (maybe even with VoLTE, if Sprint has that and the T-Mobile ROM will connect it). But if you head to work, and the tower nearest there only has band 25, then you're SOL; technically there's "Sprint" coverage, just not what your extremely limited cross-compatibility needs.
When @ChazzMatt was saying that you'll need CDMA for some stuff, it's because carrier models tend to only support their own VoLTE implementation out of the box, and need some work to get it working otherwise. It may not work at all without running the Sprint ROM; same with wifi calling if Sprint supports that.
Without those two, you'll have no voice and texting services, because those are what the CDMA connection is for. Without VoLTE, your LTE band is strictly data-only (though you COULD use IM and voice apps like Google Voice, since those use a data connection).
I think CDMA carriers are still running whitelists anyway, regardless of what the phone supports --- and Sprint is probably taking it a step further by only allowing Sprint and (possibly) Unlocked phones.
Because of the whitelist BS, you ideally need a Sprint model (as the whitelist goes by IMEI, not what software is flashed, although non-Sprint software may have issues with the initial activation so do that before flashing anything). If you're on Sprint itself rather than an MVNO, you might be able to get away with just swapping the SIM into a CDMA-capable phone, but it really depends on how the network is set up.
To summarize:
Because it only supports one band (a data-only band, even), your coverage will be extremely limited
In the same vein as above, unless you can get either VoLTE working over that single band, or wifi calling to connect, you'll have no native voice/text services due to lack of CDMA
Sprint will absolutely not freshly activate a non-Sprint (as indicated by IMEI) phone on their network, maybe not the unlocked US998 model either (however this probably won't stop you from swapping your SIM in)
Ideal course of action is to return your H932 (and eat any return cost, unfortunately...), obtain an LS998, get it activated, then flash whatever ROM you like (if desired)
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If you're curious as to why anyone would want an H932, given it being harder to unlock and root and being limited strictly to T-Mobile bands: it's the only model that supports band 71, TMO's new-in-2017 long-range band --- the US998 both lacks the band out of the box and is unable to activate it in software for whatever reason.
At a guess, this was due to an exclusivity agreement between LG and TMO in order to sell more carrier models...which is utterly moronic because b71 support was nearly useless in Q4 2017 (barely any sites deployed). But hey, what do I know, I'm just a random consumer and certainly don't know better than LG's fantastic marketing department.
(that last bit was sarcasm, if it wasn't obvious, LG's marketing is a joke/worst-in-industry)
@Septfox Thank you for the thorough and very helpful answer!