Database Users

[Q] SM-T330 vs SM-T330NU - firmware

Are the firmwares for the tablets in subject interchangeable? the NU is the North American version and I'm wondering if I could flash a European version of the T330 to support mode languages. I want to add that sammobile has the firmwares listed under different codes.
Anybody knows if it is possible to flash an LTE firmware on the WIFI version of the same tablet? Thanks

samitro said:
Are the firmwares for the tablets in subject interchangeable? the NU is the North American version and I'm wondering if I could flash a European version of the T330 to support mode languages. I want to add that sammobile has the firmwares listed under different codes.
Anybody knows if it is possible to flash an LTE firmware on the WIFI version of the same tablet? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont know, but I highly advise not install LTE on WiFi only tab, since there are hardware differences and you most likely will brick your tab
Sent from my Nokia Lumia 1520

Hi,
do you've already got any further information on this? For I have the same problem: in the US we purchased a tab for my mom, but she isn't doing too well with the english UI (though she already got used to it - it's still android, after all ).
Anyway: there's also a WiFi-Version (SM-T330NZWADBT) of this tablet. Is there anywhere a firmware available for download for this particular model? And: is the firmware interchangeable in this case, as it's wifi-to-wifi straight?
Regards,
mh166

mh166 said:
Hi,
do you've already got any further information on this? For I have the same problem: in the US we purchased a tab for my mom, but she isn't doing too well with the english UI (though she already got used to it - it's still android, after all ).
Anyway: there's also a WiFi-Version (SM-T330NZWADBT) of this tablet. Is there anywhere a firmware available for download for this particular model? And: is the firmware interchangeable in this case, as it's wifi-to-wifi straight?
Regards,
mh166
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So can I install firmware from sm-t230 on sm-t230NU cause I want Polish language. or it's hidden and hidden languages are achievable with morelocale2?

"Locale More" did the job for me, all it requires is to run one adb command and it works well without root.

samitro said:
"Locale More" did the job for me, all it requires is to run one adb command and it works well without root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's the command?

Unlock FDD LTE Band 3 (1800MHZ) on OnePlus 2

Hello,
I received my Oneplus 2 today and it does not support the LTE Band 3. It`s the north USA Version and i would like to ask if anyone figured out a method to unlock the LTE Band 3 (1800mhz) . It`s because the Hardware of the Oneplus USA Version is the same like the European version.
best ragards

That would be amazing if some one could figure that out. But as I did my research it seems that it's not possible that there's a hardware difference.

shlomi_vanono20 said:
Hello,
I received my Oneplus 2 today and it does not support the LTE Band 3. It`s the north USA Version and i would like to ask if anyone figured out a method to unlock the LTE Band 3 (1800mhz) . It`s because the Hardware of the Oneplus USA Version is the same like the European version.
best ragards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should be the same procedure as the HTC M9 since they're the same processor. And for the prep work (drivers and enabling the modem diag mode) as in this thread for the OnePlus One.

TheManDroid said:
Should be the same procedure as the HTC M9 since they're the same processor. And for the prep work (drivers and enabling the modem diag mode) as in this thread for the OnePlus One.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do the changes to the band stay after rebooting or upgrading the OS to a newer version? I wanted to unlock band 3 as well on my OP2.

I haven't tried writing the modem configuration yet to see if it sticks or not but was able connect the phone and read the configuration from it by following the instructions from the 2 posts I mentioned.

Say if you got Chinese oneplus 2 and changed software on it would it work on bands 20 I've seen this question asked before but can't find the post
Sent from my LG-H815 using XDA Free mobile app

anyone found a way to unlock band 3?

Have a look at this post

I suggest you to keep 3G instead of LTE because battery draining is so faster under LTE Mode. If you stay a place that have a poor LTE signal,that would be your battery killer.

acidreian said:
That would be amazing if some one could figure that out. But as I did my research it seems that it's not possible that there's a hardware difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, this research includes some whitepaper research?, Does it actually has different hardware?, just wondering if someone knows this by solid proof?
To know if there is hope for us (Buyers of wrong OP2 version )

I'm using A2005 usa model in India and I'm unable to use it on Airtel 4G in India. When I spoke to the OnePlus customer service they said it will need to replace the motherboard as it's a Hardware issue. I'm waiting for the motherboard to arrive from china as they don't have it yet in India. So basically it's a Hardware issue on oneplus 2 unlike it's ancestors.

rahulrai said:
I'm using A2005 usa model in India and I'm unable to use it on Airtel 4G in India. When I spoke to the OnePlus customer service they said it will need to replace the motherboard as it's a Hardware issue. I'm waiting for the motherboard to arrive from china as they don't have it yet in India. So basically it's a Hardware issue on oneplus 2 unlike it's ancestors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They will do it for free? Or what is the charge?

Ok, guys, I`ve unlock NVram to write. Now I can save any values to change enabled bands.
Intruction:
Requirements:
OnePlus 2 with TWRP and rooted.
QXDM Pro, drivers, etc, as described here http://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-one/general/guide-unlock-aditional-bands-qualcomm-t2877031
Stock ROM OnePlus2Oxygen_14_OTA_011_all_1512111634.zip.
Attached file.
Just unzip attachment and replace file in ROM OnePlus2Oxygen_14_OTA_011_all_1512111634.zip, in RADIO folder. Flash via twrp.
After boot you will see warning "NV backup corrupted" or something like this, dont worry.
Use QXDM to change band as you want, reboot and check. Voilya. But LTE will not work, because it is hardware issue, lol.
A few words about attached file. I just unzip this file from stock ROM, search AC 1Ah (6828 little endian) and DB 08 (56072, US LTE band) together and replace DB 08 with DF 10. Dont ask, what I did, I dont know, lol. But it is work.

Implex said:
Ok, guys, I`ve unlock NVram to write. Now I can save any values to change enabled bands.
Intruction:
Requirements:
OnePlus 2 with TWRP and rooted.
QXDM Pro, drivers, etc, as described here http://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-one/general/guide-unlock-aditional-bands-qualcomm-t2877031
Stock ROM OnePlus2Oxygen_14_OTA_011_all_1512111634.zip.
Attached file.
Just unzip attachment and replace file in ROM OnePlus2Oxygen_14_OTA_011_all_1512111634.zip, in RADIO folder. Flash via twrp.
After boot you will see warning "NV backup corrupted" or something like this, dont worry.
Use QXDM to change band as you want, reboot and check. Voilya. But LTE will not work, because it is hardware issue, lol.
A few words about attached file. I just unzip this file from stock ROM, search AC 1Ah (6828 little endian) and DB 08 (56072, US LTE band) together and replace DB 08 with DF 10. Dont ask, what I did, I dont know, lol. But it is work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is easier way to do that without corrupting the backup.
Simply change the value is QXDM.
Then in the phone dial *#268#
Press the NV parameters
Press the Static NV Force Backup.
This will copy the new values to the backup, and they will stick later on.
BTW, to be on the safe side, make sure to backup your dycnvbk, stanvbk and EFS.

Not working for me. Cause com.android.phone crash after dial. May be because my backup is corrupted. Later will try with stock backup. But thank you anyway.

I am using the stock image with the stock phone app.

I am using Mokee, chinese AOSP firmware. BTW, I just erased nv backup partition and keep playing with nv ram. Hope will not brick my phone ))

What version do you have? US/EU/CH?
In case you have EU, cab you PM me with qcn of your device?

Unfortunatelly I have US version.

I know a way to add bands in snapdragon 801 (i did in xiaomi mi note) never tried in OPT since it has all bands i need . but it should be the same. Search google for adding bands in mi note

Any benefit using newest EU vs RU?

Hello,
Currently I have the latest RU installed with twrp and rooted on top of it. I was wondering if there are any benefits to going back to the EU version? I saw that people are having problems with the EPD so I'm not looking forward to that.
Cheers!

Is there anything you would gain by moving to EU version? Are there more languages (I'm assuming RU has at least Russian and English)?
My unit wasn't shipped yet but after reading about EU firmware issues I'm looking at RU as more stable option...

mc_gee said:
Is there anything you would gain by moving to EU version? Are there more languages (I'm assuming RU has at least Russian and English)?
My unit wasn't shipped yet but after reading about EU firmware issues I'm looking at RU as more stable option...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BUMP
I'm currently on the latest RU firmware, but I concider moving to EU version.
On RU there are only 6 avaliable dictionaries for EPD screen: English, German, Spanish, French, Italian and Russian - are there more on EU?

I looked in the LatinIME_EPD.apk in the system.img of both the RU and EU firmware but both seem to support the same languages.
Code:
empty.dict
main.dict
main_de.dct
main_en.dict
main_es.dict
main_fr.dict
main_it.dict
main_pb_br.dict
main_ru.dict
setup_welcome_image.png
setup_welcome_video.mp4
I also found some apps that are in the EU firmware but not in the RU. Going to check what these do.
Update:
Nothing much in the extra EU apps. Most seem to be internal, the only thing of note is that the EU firmware still contains the Instagram EPD widget which seems removed from the RU firmware. Installing the APK on the RU firmware seems to work fine but I haven't tested it with a Instagram account.

I'm on EU 1.1.124b which doesn't have the Instagram EPD widget.
Does anyone have the apk?
Saying that I think they removed it because Instagram updated their security on june 1st.
Can anyone test it please?
Ta

Rarelyamson said:
I'm on EU 1.1.124b which doesn't have the Instagram EPD widget.
Does anyone have the apk?
Saying that I think they removed it because Instagram updated their security on june 1st.
Can anyone test it please?
Ta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is the APK.
https://ufile.io/9e813

I'm also on the latest EU 1.1.124b. I thought about upgrading to the newer RU, but it seems like developers are still working on that version. Also there are some smaller bugs it seems.
I think I will wait for an updated EU version. 1.1.124b EU runs fine so far. All in all a great phone for 130€! Just sad, that there is not much 3rd party support for the e-ink display.

Mine is due to arrive tomorrow, I have spent days on the tracking service, it makes you go a little crazy. I prepared all the USB drivers and ROM on my PC. There will probably a blip in users on here because of the continuing price drops, mine was 136USD only. Looking forward to flashing the ROMs, hopefully without any problems.

Parmo100 said:
Mine is due to arrive tomorrow, I have spent days on the tracking service, it makes you go a little crazy. I prepared all the USB drivers and ROM on my PC. There will probably a blip in users on here because of the continuing price drops, mine was 136USD only. Looking forward to flashing the ROMs, hopefully without any problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have fun tomorrow!!

I missed the call from the delivery company because phone volume was on 0, so now waiting until Monday.
When you have installed the USB drivers on the PC, how to check if they are working OK? I tried installing drivers for another handset to practice for the yotaphone, I installed USB drivers on my PC, I can see them with device driver "Android composite adb interface" , albeit with an error code 10 (I think). When I try to run fast boot from PC connected to the phone in fastboot mode, using "fastboot devices" command, there is nothing there.

Parmo100 said:
I missed the call from the delivery company because phone volume was on 0, so now waiting until Monday.
When you have installed the USB drivers on the PC, how to check if they are working OK? I tried installing drivers for another handset to practice for the yotaphone, I installed USB drivers on my PC, I can see them with device driver "Android composite adb interface" , albeit with an error code 10 (I think). When I try to run fast boot from PC connected to the phone in fastboot mode, using "fastboot devices" command, there is nothing there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is your phone maybe plugged in to a USB3 port? I have had soms problems in the past with phones using USB3 and adb / fastboot.

Parmo100 said:
Mine is due to arrive tomorrow, I have spent days on the tracking service, it makes you go a little crazy. I prepared all the USB drivers and ROM on my PC. There will probably a blip in users on here because of the continuing price drops, mine was 136USD only. Looking forward to flashing the ROMs, hopefully without any problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you get the Chinese version (yd206)? Keep in mind the differences in bands:
https://www.frequencycheck.com/compare-devices/qkjseR/yota-yotaphone-2-yd201/yota-yotaphone-2-yd206
LTE bands B1 and B41 are exclusive to yd206:
https://www.frequencycheck.com/carr...eq]=&q[frequency_bands_id_eq]=1&commit=Search
https://www.frequencycheck.com/carr...q]=&q[frequency_bands_id_eq]=39&commit=Search
LTE bands B7 and B20 are exclusive to yd201:
https://www.frequencycheck.com/carr...eq]=&q[frequency_bands_id_eq]=7&commit=Search
https://www.frequencycheck.com/carr...q]=&q[frequency_bands_id_eq]=18&commit=Search
For those interested, you can find the international version (yd201) for $10 more on AliExpress.

10basetom said:
Did you get the Chinese version (yd206)? Keep in mind the differences in bands:
https://www.frequencycheck.com/compare-devices/qkjseR/yota-yotaphone-2-yd201/yota-yotaphone-2-yd206
LTE bands B1 and B41 are exclusive to yd206:
https://www.frequencycheck.com/carr...eq]=&q[frequency_bands_id_eq]=1&commit=Search
https://www.frequencycheck.com/carr...q]=&q[frequency_bands_id_eq]=39&commit=Search
LTE bands B7 and B20 are exclusive to yd201:
https://www.frequencycheck.com/carr...eq]=&q[frequency_bands_id_eq]=7&commit=Search
https://www.frequencycheck.com/carr...q]=&q[frequency_bands_id_eq]=18&commit=Search
For those interested, you can find the international version (yd201) for $10 more on AliExpress.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think on the YotaPhone this is controlled by software instead of hardware. I bought the 206 but after flashing it with the RU firmware it is now a 201. There are also some people on the forum who have successfully changed the radio in a firmware with the radio from another firmware. This seems to suggest that there is one hardware version and the available LTE bands are controlled by software. However, I am not an expert on this and this is just my observation.

Yes I live in Asia, so Chinese LTE bands are better for my location in Thailand anyway. The yd206 firmware cannot be updated OTA and has poor software compared to international version where you can do an OTA. Flashing can be difficult , correct driver setup took me 2 days. I am very happy now to have flashed Russian firmware and look forward to fly on Aeroflot. (Hehe).
There are many more yotaphone apps now on the lollipop. I flashed to a Russian KitKat first and then did an OTA to get a mammoth 1Gb download . But happy now and elated to have got over the technical problems of drivers. Now to learning about yotaphone . When I charge the phone, it automatically starts the phone, wasting battery and time which I found annoying.

Could you please write steps on how to update YD206 to Russian firmware?

sonof said:
Could you please write steps on how to update YD206 to Russian firmware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please check this thread. It should contain the info you need to flash to the latest RU firmware. http://forum.xda-developers.com/yotaphone-one/help/yotaphone-2-yd-206-china-flash-firmware-t3306797

VirtuaLeech said:
I think on the YotaPhone this is controlled by software instead of hardware. I bought the 206 but after flashing it with the RU firmware it is now a 201. There are also some people on the forum who have successfully changed the radio in a firmware with the radio from another firmware. This seems to suggest that there is one hardware version and the available LTE bands are controlled by software. However, I am not an expert on this and this is just my observation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Someone who did the firmware upgrade from yd206 to yd201 confirmed that the bands don't change after the upgrade:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/yotaphone-one/help/yotaphone-2-yd-206-china-flash-firmware-t3306797
Edit: LTE bands are the same as were before the upgrade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is also anecdotal evidence of people who changed to yd201 and found out their LTE was not working properly, so to fix it they had to replace the RADIO folder with the RADIO folder from the Chinese firmware and re-flash. You can probably find that thread somewhere on here.

10basetom said:
Someone who did the firmware upgrade from yd206 to yd201 confirmed that the bands don't change after the upgrade:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/yotaphone-one/help/yotaphone-2-yd-206-china-flash-firmware-t3306797
There is also anecdotal evidence of people who changed to yd201 and found out their LTE was not working properly, so to fix it they had to replace the RADIO folder with the RADIO folder from the Chinese firmware and re-flash. You can probably find that thread somewhere on here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for clearing that up!

X720 on T-Mobile

I searched but wasn't sure of the answer. I saw some say that the baseband on the 720 and 727 are the same. Will the 720 have band 12 working if I use in U.S.on T-Mobile? If not, is there a way to get it working?

I have now gone through every page of the question and answer section and have no answer. I'm now moving to the discussion section to research, but if anyone knows, please help.

You probably didn't look "every where".
X720 does not have support band 12
But there is a file you can flash to support band 12 on the x720
You have to flash the img file inside the zip file via fastboot (Assuming its unlocked)
Using the following command
Fastboot flash modem *insert zip file name here*.img
Insert the name the name of the image within the stars you see above and type .img at the end. Please dont include the *symbol when you type it out
Edit: Excuse my explanation its 2am
Edit 2: I'll upload my copy if the modem in a few minutes
---------- Post added at 11:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:05 AM ----------
yebbey2 said:
I have now gone through every page of the question and answer section and have no answer. I'm now moving to the discussion section to research, but if anyone knows, please help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please note that it says 19's but users have reported that it will flash on mostly any rom you want it on.
Works best with stock rom
Good luck
Ps not responsible for anything.
Heres the link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/bznz2b7ygbl0gc8/modem-5.8.019s.zip?dl=0

Thank you. I looked at several threads.I didn't see anyone confirm that they were on 720 and band 12 working. I saw people with 727 flashing 720 roms and getting band 12.....but I probably missed it somewhere. Thanks, though

yebbey2 said:
Thank you. I looked at several threads.I didn't see anyone confirm that they were on 720 and band 12 working. I saw people with 727 flashing 720 roms and getting band 12.....but I probably missed it somewhere. Thanks, though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be totally honest, in theory if the software is flashed correctly, you should get B12 connectivity. Same thing applies with the Galaxy s7 series. You can flash a Sprint variant to T-Mobile for full T-Mobile support, and then flash that to Verizon for full Verizon support. But the Sprint variant doesn't support Verizon's frequencies until you flash the verizon software. If the radio hardware is the same between devices, you should be able to flash a 727 ROM for T-Mobile support. I'd say give it a shot and let us know! :good:

I tried it on an x720 and it wouldn't see the sim. I had the cm13 teamsuperluminal rom on it.
I had to flash the stock rom to get it to read my sim again. Make a backup first and have a copy of the stock rom before you flash just in case.

one_self said:
I tried it on an x720 and it wouldn't see the sim. I had the cm13 teamsuperluminal rom on it.
I had to flash the stock rom to get it to read my sim again. Make a backup first and have a copy of the stock rom before you flash just in case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you have multi-sim configuration set to dsds on Build.prop?

Ascertion said:
Did you have multi-sim configuration set to dsds on Build.prop?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it was. What should it be on instead?

one_self said:
Yes, it was. What should it be on instead?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting. Not sure what happened there. From what you're saying it looks like the x727 can be spoofed as a x720 but not the other way around. It should be dsds for multi-sim so it should have worked.

Thanks for the info. It's all for naught now. I cancelled my order bc it was going to take a month bc of Chinese New year. I went with the honor 8 bc I wanted a smaller phone. I just hope Huawei will release the source code so I can have at least a fully functional CM

A2017G Japan to A2017G European/other A2017G ROMs

Hi!
I am sorry if this has been asked here before. I'm fairly new to this kind of stuff.
So I'm a foreigner living in Japan. Due to the allure of local warranty, I decided to get the Axon 7 (A2017G JPV).
It has been months since the last Nougat update came to other A2017Gs but hasn't arrived on the A2017G JPV. So I thought, may be ZTE Japan was just taking a longer time, etc. So recently, I decided to contact customer support. And their answer was unclear at best. They were apparently still deciding if they would release a Nougat update for Axon 7.
So here's my question. Considering that my Axon 7 is also A2017G, is there a way for me to install the latest A2017G European ROM or any other A2017G Stock ROMs for that matter, without unlocking my bootloader and rooting? And get OTA updates from A2017G European? If so, can someone please kindly point me in the right direction, I'm getting a bit lost.
If that isn't possible, is there a way, to install the stock A2017G ROMs (aside from JPV) and then relock the bootloader afterwards?
Please help me. Thank you.

jjquinto said:
Hi!
I am sorry if this has been asked here before. I'm fairly new to this kind of stuff.
So I'm a foreigner living in Japan. Due to the allure of local warranty, I decided to get the Axon 7 (A2017G JPV).
It has been months since the last Nougat update came to other A2017Gs but hasn't arrived on the A2017G JPV. So I thought, may be ZTE Japan was just taking a longer time, etc. So recently, I decided to contact customer support. And their answer was unclear at best. They were apparently still deciding if they would release a Nougat update for Axon 7.
So here's my question. Considering that my Axon 7 is also A2017G, is there a way for me to install the latest A2017G European ROM or any other A2017G Stock ROMs for that matter, without unlocking my bootloader and rooting? And get OTA updates from A2017G European? If so, can someone please kindly point me in the right direction, I'm getting a bit lost.
If that isn't possible, is there a way, to install the stock A2017G ROMs (aside from JPV) and then relock the bootloader afterwards?
Please help me. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://forum.xda-developers.com/axon-7/how-to/download-center-factory-images-ota-t3606547
Absolutely no need to root.
Enjoy.

Hamburgle4 said:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/axon-7/how-to/download-center-factory-images-ota-t3606547
Absolutely no need to root.
Enjoy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
Thank you for replying so quickly.
Please bear with me as I am still a bit confused.
The link you gave mo contains Factory Images for the A2017G, right? Therefore, I should just put the factory images (zip file), into the root directory of my SD Card, and update via settings (no need to unlock bootloader or root, right?)?
My A2017G (JPV) is now on A2017G JPV1.0.0B03.
Which factory image should I use?
Thank you very much.

*Deleted for apparent "madness"

Are you mad?!!! This won't work as the signature's don't match.
At best you end up with a failed update, at worst a brick...

ultramag69 said:
Are you mad?!!! This won't work as the signature's don't match.
At best you end up with a failed update, at worst a brick...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now I'm scared. Haha
Do you have any advice on how I should proceed with this? Thank you very much.

Hamburgle4 said:
*Deleted for safety reasons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Considering @ultramag69 said, do you think I should still proceed with this?

I don't think you have to the same radio firmware with all the G version out there.... If you dare to try it probably you will end up bricking your phone.... So don try. Unless you are sure can warranty claim it if it is briked

Unfortunately this region locking thing came in, sometimes it's different hardware for different regions but mostly it's to stop the grey import trade...
Due to this it is a requirement to unlock your bootloader if you want to flash other region/carrier roms, which again is a trial in itself...
If you do wish to try it, make sure you have a flashable version of your FULL stock rom, not an OTA - the difference is an OTA is a patch, usually of a few hundred Mb or so to update parts of your ROM, the full ROM is a stand-alone installation that will completely replace the current ROM.
Generally this will get you out of hot water but be aware this is also not 100% guarantee...
It will probably also delete all your data, back up first....

ultramag69 said:
Unfortunately this region locking thing came in, sometimes it's different hardware for different regions but mostly it's to stop the grey import trade...
Due to this it is a requirement to unlock your bootloader if you want to flash other region/carrier roms, which again is a trial in itself...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I'm confused about is he's not asking to flash A2017A/U firmware (where region locking comes into play) on his device, only another country's A2017G fw so why would he need to unlock bootloader? It's still fw for the global model if I understand correctly.

Hamburgle4 said:
What I'm confused about is he's not asking to flash A2017A/U firmware (where region locking comes into play) on his device, only another country's A2017G fw so why would he need to unlock bootloader? It's still fw for the global model if I understand correctly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on your side - the modem file might be different, but since the hardware is the same, it should work. Maybe the modem file has improved signal stuff for Japan, but it's extremely improbable considering ZTE's craptastic devs...
Also, what could be the worst thing that could happen? Here are the possibilities:
- Works: enjoy
- Installation failed: Should fail before even changing files anyways
- Soft brick: get to recovery, download full update zip, install, wait for Nougat
- Hard brick: "I woke up this morning and it was off, doesn't boot anymore, I want a replacement"
And if the modem is too crappy you can always go back to Japan's firmware

I believe that the Japanese version is different from the other G versions, at least on the modem level. Japan uses some bands that are not used by any other country in the world, so unless ZTE Japan decided to release the G model knowing that it would have some connectivity issues on all Japanese carriers, the Japanese G model must have at least a different modem.
Bold = band is present in the global G model
KDDI: CDMA BC0 / BC6, LTE 1/11/18/41
NTT Docomo: UMTS 1/9/19, LTE 1/9/19/21/28
Softbank: UMTS 1/8/11, LTE 1/8/9/41

I kinda get what you're getting at after looking further into the models. Basing off the spec sheets, Amazon JP has the exact same A2017G TD-LTE with matching bands sold by ZTE. Whereas on the ZTE JP page, it instead matches the bands of something named Axon 7 TD-LTE JP (couldn't find model number, but sounds like OP's A2017G). This has over half the exact bands available on A2017G, additional UMTS bands 6 & 19 and one CA band.
I think someone in another thread previously mentioned about potential signal issues with the Axon 7 being sold in Spain after flashing DE fw. Looking at their spec sheet, it appears to have a few bands missing, may have additional bands, but it's hard to tell since only the frequencies are stated. Could just be anecdotal as you'd think with the greater range of frequencies, it shouldn't face those issues. Anyways this is a separate matter, and potentially an apples to oranges comparison.

Thank you all for your advice and insights.
I figured, damn all worries, and just used the recovery mode to flash the update.zip.
Lo and behold, it was updated with seemingly no issue. Even tried if my mobile data would work properly. And it did.
Thanks everyone!

jjquinto said:
Thank you all for your advice and insights.
I figured, damn all worries, and just used the recovery mode to flash the update.zip.
Lo and behold, it was updated with seemingly no issue. Even tried if my mobile data would work properly. And it did.
Thanks everyone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great to hear. Also vindicates my apparent "madness" lol.

Hamburgle4 said:
Great to hear. Also vindicates my apparent "madness" lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it was nonsense, they are both a2017Gs anyways
We're all a bit mad though, flashing stuff on a 400 dolar thingy...

ive got the A2017 Chinese, bought from aliexpress. Ive rooted and installed the twrp flashable B15 from @djkuz, but the nougat firmware is awful for my DoCoMo phone reception (in far regional Nagasaki). So i need a method to either flash the modem for A2017G (not sure which B# release), or wait for the next chinese firmware release and hope for the best. Any suggestions or experiences to improve my reception? Is it the modem?
Thanks for all the contributions to this thread, as it has got me in the right direction.

jjquinto said:
Thank you all for your advice and insights.
I figured, damn all worries, and just used the recovery mode to flash the update.zip.
Lo and behold, it was updated with seemingly no issue. Even tried if my mobile data would work properly. And it did.
Thanks everyone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey I know this is an old thread but I thought I would poke in and add my feedback. I also live in Japan and have the A2017G. I bought it because it was the only phone on the market at the time that [supposedly] supported Google Daydream. Later I realized that only the US version actually worked with Daydream. Later on support was added to European ROMS (when upgraded to 7.1.1). But for some reason the Japanese ROM, despite being 7.1.1 would say 'Incompatible Phone', even when installed manually. I contacted ZTE's customer service, which was terrible; all they said was "we don't know when it will be supported". This was about a year ago, so this week I just got sick of waiting, found the German firmware (A2017G-N-B10), installed it and everything works fine. The radios have no issues, and I was able to download Daydream right from the marketplace.
Thanks for everyone who contributed to this thread!