strongly considering a purchase - help - Essential Phone Questions & Answers

So I have an s8 right now and while its a good phone I'm just not feeling it. I'm intrigued by the PH-1 but to be honest some of the reviews have me scared. I have Verizon and have read about the signal issues.
I guess my question is, have the latest updates fixed some of these issues and at this point how does it compare to the s8??

S8 pros
1.) Display is better(except for the curved edges)
2.) Better camera
3.) Water resistant
4.) Headphone jack
5.) Expandable storage
6.) WiFi and VOLTE on Verizon
7.) More cases and other accessories
Essential pros
1.) Display to body ratio is great, overall size is very nice
2.) Stock Android
3.) Very nice build quality
4.) Possibility of root and ROMs in the near future
5.) Should get updates quicker
6.) Something different
Edit...You could always get it from Amazon, and if you don't like it, you can return it within 30 days.
Also, I'm on AT&T and the signal strength is about the same as any other phone I've had recently.
As far as overall performance of the Essential phone, I would say it's just as good and smooth as the s8. It's not a smooth as the Pixel though. Unless you really need the best camera, you should be happy with the Essential.

I switched from the S8 on ATT. Overall I really like the Essential. It's been pretty trouble free for me. I like the S8, but hate touchwiz and the bloat so the Essential is very refreshing from that standpoint. I'm also seeing better battery life with the Essential and I no longer have inadvertent screen taps due to the curved screen on the S8.

lyall29 said:
S8 pros
1.) Display is better(except for the curved edges)
2.) Better camera
3.) Water resistant
4.) Headphone jack
5.) Expandable storage
6.) WiFi and VOLTE on Verizon
7.) More cases and other accessories
Essential pros
1.) Display to body ratio is great, overall size is very nice
2.) Stock Android
3.) Very nice build quality
4.) Possibility of root and ROMs in the near future
5.) Should get updates quicker
6.) Something different
Edit...You could always get it from Amazon, and if you don't like it, you can return it within 30 days.
Also, I'm on AT&T and the signal strength is about the same as any other phone I've had recently.
As far as overall performance of the Essential phone, I would say it's just as good and smooth as the s8. It's not a smooth as the Pixel though. Unless you really need the best camera, you should be happy with the Essential.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The possibility of root definitely is a plus!! I came from a pixel and that's was a nice option. From what I understand it should be pretty soon.

I think Amazon stopped taking returns on cell phones. Or changed the 30 day thing. Not sure.
Sent from my PH-1 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

I'd get the Pixel 2 XL if I could do it over again. Essential is just too shady as a company and not consistent. I feel like I've been taken for $700.

mpetruzz said:
So I have an s8 right now and while its a good phone I'm just not feeling it. I'm intrigued by the PH-1 but to be honest some of the reviews have me scared. I have Verizon and have read about the signal issues.
I guess my question is, have the latest updates fixed some of these issues and at this point how does it compare to the s8??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the essential on Verizon and it's working great. VoLTE works no problem and signal has been a non issue for me. My wife had the s8+ but she loved my phone so much I had to get her one too lol. We weren't huge fans of the Samsung ui so having stock Android was a huge plus. The camera is just ok. Nothing special, certainly not as good as Samsung but neither of us use the camera like that to care. The feel and build is amazing too. And at $499 it's hard to beat for similar internal specs and 128gb.

To add to the cons listed by lyall29, the phone is heavy. Some might see this as a testament to the build quality but it just makes it harder to handle one handed. That said, I've gone from the pixel, to LG G6, back to pixel, to s8, then to note 8... I'd still choose the ph-1. That's mostly due to the curved screen of the galaxies, if this phone gets a really nice glass screen protector it will be nearly perfect for me....I really just want an LG g2/nexus 5 with updated specs.

QD2DC said:
I have the essential on Verizon and it's working great. VoLTE works no problem and signal has been a non issue for me. My wife had the s8+ but she loved my phone so much I had to get her one too lol. We weren't huge fans of the Samsung ui so having stock Android was a huge plus. The camera is just ok. Nothing special, certainly not as good as Samsung but neither of us use the camera like that to care. The feel and build is amazing too. And at $499 it's hard to beat for similar internal specs and 128gb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure that VoLTE is actually working? I've only seen reports that it doesn't work on Verizon. I'm on AT&T and I have the setting switched on, but AT&T won't allow unlocked phones to use VoLTE. If your's is working, could you share how you got it to work? Thanks
Edit...AT&T actually has a webpage specifically for supporting the Essential phone. I'm going to call them and see if they can get HD Voice working for me. https://www.att.com/plans/essential-phone.html

I have VoLTE working on AT&T at the moment, but I had to configure my S8 IMEI and then move the sim over. Will be interesting to see what they tell you and certainly easier to just have it configured on the essential IMEI.

This is kind of a dumb question but how's the weight of the phone. Many reviews have said that its pretty heavy and almost make it hard to use with one hand.

mpetruzz said:
This is kind of a dumb question but how's the weight of the phone. Many reviews have said that its pretty heavy and almost make it hard to use with one hand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not that heavy. It definitely has a more substantial feel than other phones, which to me, says quality. It certainly can be used one handed.

Yeah I think I'll pull the trigger on one. Amazon has a 30 day return window so I'm covered if I don't like it.
I'm hoping I do cause this s8 has so many ****ing quirks!!

I actually just ordered the white one on amazon as I had some credit I forgot about so my total was 450!!
Orders the clear tpu case from viva madrid as well for just a bit of protection.

bugsy said:
I have VoLTE working on AT&T at the moment, but I had to configure my S8 IMEI and then move the sim over. Will be interesting to see what they tell you and certainly easier to just have it configured on the essential IMEI.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine is definitely not working even though the setting is turned on. I can tell when I call my wife, the sound is not as clear as it was with my Note 8. I had VoLTE active on my Note 8, removed the Sim from the Note and stuck it in the Essential phone, and VoLTE doesn't work (the setting is on). I did call At&t and the "Advanced Tech Rep." told me that the Enhanced 4g services will not work on any phone that is not sold by At&t. If you want to be sure that you are getting VoLTE, try installing and activating At&t Call Protect. This app requires Enhanced 4g services.

lyall29 said:
Are you sure that VoLTE is actually working? I've only seen reports that it doesn't work on Verizon. I'm on AT&T and I have the setting switched on, but AT&T won't allow unlocked phones to use VoLTE. If your's is working, could you share how you got it to work? Thanks
Edit...AT&T actually has a webpage specifically for supporting the Essential phone. I'm going to call them and see if they can get HD Voice working for me. https://www.att.com/plans/essential-phone.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I'm sure. I'm able to talk and surf at the same time and also get that HD symbol and clarity when talking to my brother who also has HD voice enabled on his phone. I already had it active and working on my s8+, so I just swapped Sims and I was good to go.

lyall29 said:
Are you sure that VoLTE is actually working? I've only seen reports that it doesn't work on Verizon. I'm on AT&T and I have the setting switched on, but AT&T won't allow unlocked phones to use VoLTE. If your's is working, could you share how you got it to work? Thanks
Edit...AT&T actually has a webpage specifically for supporting the Essential phone. I'm going to call them and see if they can get HD Voice working for me. https://www.att.com/plans/essential-phone.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Verizon volte works perfectly on my phone. Has since day 1.

bill3508 said:
Verizon volte works perfectly on my phone. Has since day 1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess At&t is the only carrier that won't let anyone Enhanced 4g services. It's not a deal breaker for me, but it would be nice. I can't even get WiFi calling on an unlocked phone. It's been this way forever, so I'm used to it.
Edit...I'm doing more research and some say their phones are getting VoLTE on at&t by using their Sim from a phone sold by at&t. I don't know why mine never worked seeing how I had my sim in a Note 8 with VoLTE, before the Essential. I'll keep trying. If anyone knows any tricks to get this to work on At&t, please let me know. Thanks

QD2DC said:
Yes I'm sure. I'm able to talk and surf at the same time and also get that HD symbol and clarity when talking to my brother who also has HD voice enabled on his phone. I already had it active and working on my s8+, so I just swapped Sims and I was good to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just got my Essential today and am really digging it..however i cant surf the web and talk at the same time. I had no problems earlier today on my Pixel and def have it on my account. Any info on settings i need is appreciated.

lyall29 said:
Are you sure that VoLTE is actually working? I've only seen reports that it doesn't work on Verizon. I'm on AT&T and I have the setting switched on, but AT&T won't allow unlocked phones to use VoLTE. If your's is working, could you share how you got it to work? Thanks
Edit...AT&T actually has a webpage specifically for supporting the Essential phone. I'm going to call them and see if they can get HD Voice working for me. https://www.att.com/plans/essential-phone.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works perfect, I'm usng it now. Secret is the Sim setup prior I think. I came from VERIZON HTC 10

Related

Getting ready

So I bit the bullet and leaped onboard after it seems the AT&T Threat Data letters have ceased. I am going from my iphone 4 to the Note (Cant wait!). It will be here tomorrow.
Should I look for anything except my microsim to sim adaptor plug and play?
Has the imei problem been rearing its head or should I go without a hitch?
Have read here that you no longer need to do anything with APN's. True?
Just want to be prepared for everything that could happen tomorrow, to make it a seemless transition to this beauty.
Thanks in Advance and Happy Holidays to Everyone!
Put your SIM in, enter APN settings (google AT&T APN settings) and go from there.
If you get a text, email AT&T by googling the executive office's email. Professionally state your case that your Note is a smartphone and not a tablet and they should fix you up.
If I were you, I would go to my local AT&T store and have them issue you a standard
sims card (no charge for this, although your IPhone will not be active). Their have been reports of these adaptors getting stuck in the Note's sim slot and damaging the
Phone. I didn't want to take the chance.
Charles
cbnash said:
If I were you, I would go to my local AT&T store and have them issue you a standard
sims card (no charge for this, although your IPhone will not be active). Their have been reports of these adaptors getting stuck in the Note's sim slot and damaging the
Phone. I didn't want to take the chance.
Charles
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would agree a new sim would prbably be safeer, however I would hate to get caught up in a snafu of a blockage problem having to deal with someone else who may not be informed that it is a phone, hence causing a bigger headache.
Has anyone had problems with the microsim to sim adaptor? I could not find any issues.
GatesHD said:
I would agree a new sim would prbably be safeer, however I would hate to get caught up in a snafu of a blockage problem having to deal with someone else who may not be informed that it is a phone, hence causing a bigger headache.
Has anyone had problems with the microsim to sim adaptor? I could not find any issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Congratulation on your new Note! Welcome to the family!
As for the IMEI issue, I would just lift the IMEI (enter *#06# in dialer) from another Samsung display device at the AT&T store (like an SGS2 or Infuse 4G, something that ISN'T LTE!) and call in to customer care stating that you are upgrading your device to -insert type of device you got IMEI from store- and give them that IMEI. Switch your iPhone unlimited plan to "Smartphone Unlimited" plan (they cost the same). At this point you should be able to put your new SIM card into your Note and off you go! Not only will this prevent you from running into any IMEI related issues, but your data speeds should noticeably increase on HSPA+
You still need to add APN to your device for its data to work though. Like Eric said earlier, it's very easy just to Google those. There are basically two APN's that will work:
"Phone" and "wap.cingular"
The Phone APN is the newer one and may run faster than wap.cingular, but I'm pretty sure AT&T has started throttling that once you reach a certain data threshold, so honestly it's just better to stick with wap.cingular
Also, you might want to disable Fast Dormancy for the best network results. This is a feature enabled by default on the Note which AT&T does not support, and it only serves to drain your battery and make your data connection erratic. You can disable it by going to *#*#9900#*#* from your dialer.
Let's see, what other quick tips can I think of to make the experience that much better... Oh, yes! Replace your homescreen launcher with something other than TouchWiz (because it sucks). I recommend ADW ex (because it is highly customizable and lightweight), or if you really want to be fancy, and are willing to dish out a couple bucks, use SPB Shell 3D. I like this one personally. Even though it isn't as customizable as other launchers, it uses native 3D acceleration to make the whole experience buttery smooth.
Also, get Google music, and on your PC, point the downloader to your iTunes directory. Let it do its thing, and low and behold, you have all your iTunes on your Note (and in the cloud!) just like that! Easy peasy!
Finally, don't be shy! Ask us questions! Community support and development is Android's greatest asset!
Jade, thanks for all that info!! The IMEI is device specific though, if going into a store and "lifting" would'nt it already be in their system as their demo? Also the switch from iphone dataplan to Smartphone data plan, will that increase the data by that much? Never heard of the "fast dormancy issue" but will definitely look into that.
GatesHD said:
So I bit the bullet and leaped onboard after it seems the AT&T Threat Data letters have ceased. I am going from my iphone 4 to the Note (Cant wait!). It will be here tomorrow.
Should I look for anything except my microsim to sim adaptor plug and play?
Has the imei problem been rearing its head or should I go without a hitch?
Have read here that you no longer need to do anything with APN's. True?
Just want to be prepared for everything that could happen tomorrow, to make it a seemless transition to this beauty.
Thanks in Advance and Happy Holidays to Everyone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my 1 and a half ownership of the note, i never received the tablet threat text. Strange....
Maybe it's because I went from an AT&T s2 to my note.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
xAnimal5 said:
In my 1 and a half ownership of the note, i never received the tablet threat text. Strange....
Maybe it's because I went from an AT&T s2 to my note.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe some IMEI's were transposed (accidentally) as tablets.
So, if you get a text about using a tablet, contact AT&T and explain its a smartphone.

3rd day with "Verizon" LG G4

Currently working at a Verizon retail store.
Received the Verizon version of LG G4 demo unit
and it is 3rd day using it on my personal line.
Any questions that I might be able to answer?
1. I tried the Lollipop rooting method for G3 and it didnt work.
(althought the software status says modified.)
2. Foxfi works fine with unl. data in Verizon.
Sent from my VS986
Ok so.. I preordered mine (full retail to keep unlimited data) at Best Buy and they show no leather option. So is verizon not doing leather do you know?
Does it come with that advanced calling - so you can use calls & data - out of the box or is it waiting on an update like they did for some of their recent phones where that comes later (but they never tell you how much later).
yoonee said:
Currently working at a Verizon retail store.
Received the Verizon version of LG G4 demo unit
and it is 3rd day using it on my personal line.
Any questions that I might be able to answer?
1. I tried the Lollipop rooting method for G3 and it didnt work.
(althought the software status says modified.)
2. Foxfi works fine with unl. data in Verizon.
Sent from my VS986
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How has the battery life been? Are you a heavy or moderate user? Is there alot of bloatware on the Verizon setup as usual?
Is there an unlock switch like the international one?
Is the battery 2900 or 3000?
I see their G4 page says "3000" but ive seen mentions of a 2900 across the web.
Wifi calling?
Does simultaneous data + voice work in 3G? (note, I said 3G, not 4G)
LED notification blink speed?
Is it still useless by being at 10 seconds between each light up?
If I have to wait more than 3 seconds I'm probably just going to double tap the screen to see if I have any notifications. They might as well not have included it on the G3 with such a long delay in-between.
LaTropa64 said:
Is it still useless by being at 10 seconds between each light up?
If I have to wait more than 3 seconds I'm probably just going to double tap the screen to see if I have any notifications. They might as well not have included it on the G3 with such a long delay in-between.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you familiar with the app Light Flow? You have way more control over LED than native allows.
The whole debacle with the x not supporting advanced calling despite being promised makes me really gun shy on buying a Verizon phone with future promises.
Shame about root too. Hopefully there will be an option. Xposed would be hard to part with.
Sent from my XT1080 using XDA Free mobile app
Lock-N-Load said:
Ok so.. I preordered mine (full retail to keep unlimited data) at Best Buy and they show no leather option. So is verizon not doing leather do you know?
Does it come with that advanced calling - so you can use calls & data - out of the box or is it waiting on an update like they did for some of their recent phones where that comes later (but they never tell you how much later).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get replacement back covers on Amazon. I will bet someone will have a leather one available soon after the phone is released.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_10?url=search-alias%3Dmobile&field-keywords=lg+g4+back+cover&sprefix=lg+g4+back+cover%2Caps%2C181&rh=n%3A2335752011%2Ck%3Alg+g4+back+cover
jamezr said:
You can get replacement back covers on Amazon. I will bet someone will have a leather one available soon after the phone is released.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_10?url=search-alias%3Dmobile&field-keywords=lg+g4+back+cover&sprefix=lg+g4+back+cover%2Caps%2C181&rh=n%3A2335752011%2Ck%3Alg+g4+back+cover
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ebay has them also, I've looked. But read this http://www.androidcentral.com/upgrading-leather-taking-your-lg-g4-next-level and it shows and talks about carrier branding even from Asia on the leather covers.
The phone is not even world wide available, once it really hits in june, leather covers will be easily had and much cheaper. They are way too pricey now from Asia.
ps - Amazon does not show a single leather back cover that I see. You might have searched, but did you actually look?
---------- Post added at 11:06 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:52 AM ----------
I think "yoonee" trolled us.
Sorry for the late reply... I was out of town during the weekend.
1. Leather option, I do not know for now,
as there is NO information at all for this device yet.
Even for the retail stores...
2. Advanced Calling works just fine out of the box.
(I had advanced calling as Verizon feature with GS6.)
3. Battery is 3000mAh on my device. I've had great battery life.
I would consider my self as a moderate user. Got 4-6 hours of screen on time.
4. Unlock switch... I don't know what that means. Can you explain little more?
(Although I believe most 4G phones coming out on Verizon are UNLOCKED for international use.)
5. No wifi calling.
6. LED notification stays on until I actually check the notification.
How's the display in direct sunlight? Can you read texts or emails easily in direct sunlight?
I was just trying to answer whatever I could.
I'm not trolling lol
trikotret said:
How's the display in direct sunlight? Can you read texts or emails easily in direct sunlight?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Screen seems darker than GS6.
But it is still bright enough to see it under direct sunlight.
yoonee said:
I was just trying to answer whatever I could.
I'm not trolling lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bah. Verizon tagging
Was hoping they would finally drop branding on flagship phones.
And in dev options do you have the bootloader unlock toggle?
Like I've said before, having the toggle doesn't mean you can unlock your bootloader, we can't until an exploit is found or LG change there mind.
Just did my pre order today, can't wait!!
Does it have any Verizon branding on the front? Please say no

Axon 7 roaming support and other questions. (also Axon 7 Max)

I'm looking for a new phone and the Axon 7 was looking like the clear choice but I'm starting to have serious doubts. The phone works perfectly with AT&T and T-Mobile networks, it takes a process to get it to work with Verizon and doesn't work at all with Sprint. This raises the obvious question, what about roaming? I'm not sure who has agreements with who for roaming coverage, but you can see that this would leave only two networks for roaming and that is assuming there is an agreement. How will the phone act when there is a stronger signal from a tower that it can't actually work with, despite being using the same frequency? I just don't know. Who has agreements with who? Have any of you guys tested roaming? T-Mobile in my area is only worthy of consideration with roaming, hence my concern. I want a versatile phone so I can switch providers at will.
If you can answer ANY of the following, please do so.
1. How do I make sure I get the "A2017U" model? I see lots of Axon 7s for sale and the model is never specified.
2. How big of a deal are the slow updates? What will you do when they inevitably top updating at all?
3. IF I get this phone I will likely keep the stock ROM to keep double tap to wake, shake for light etc. plus it doesn't seem like it's worth it according to Axon 7 owners. Is rooting, bootloader and recovery to stock reliable at this point?
4. Do you think the 128GB/6GB RAM models are worth it? It seems that some have sold for as low as $400 used but they tend to be over $500.
5. Are there "A2017U" models with this enhanced storage and RAM? How do I tell?
6. What native ways are there to unlock the screen? Of course there is pass, pin and fingerprint, any others?
7. What is your batter life like?
My last couple of questions are perhaps a bit off topic, do any of you happen to know details about the Axon 7 Max? I'm wondering what the speaker setup is. Honestly, I don't like the fact that is has a "3d" display which is really gimmicky and supposedly is old tech. Does anyone here have experience with this tech? I wish they were going with a nice screen like the one in the regular Axon 7. I will probably stick to the regular Axon 7, the 5.5" screen is still bigger than my LG G2's screen and it's cheaper.
7th1rt3en said:
I'm looking for a new phone and the Axon 7 was looking like the clear choice but I'm starting to have serious doubts. The phone works perfectly with AT&T and T-Mobile networks, it takes a process to get it to work with Verizon and doesn't work at all with Sprint. This raises the obvious question, what about roaming? I'm not sure who has agreements with who for roaming coverage, but you can see that this would leave only two networks for roaming and that is assuming there is an agreement. How will the phone act when there is a stronger signal from a tower that it can't actually work with, despite being using the same frequency? I just don't know. Who has agreements with who? Have any of you guys tested roaming? T-Mobile in my area is only worthy of consideration with roaming, hence my concern. I want a versatile phone so I can switch providers at will.
1. How do I make sure I get the "A2017U" model? I see lots of Axon 7s for sale and the model is never specified.
2. How big of a deal are the slow updates? What will you do when they inevitably top updating at all?
3. IF I get this phone I will likely keep the stock ROM to keep double tap to wake, shake for light etc. plus it doesn't seem like it's worth it according to Axon 7 owners. Is rooting, bootloader and recovery to stock reliable at this point?
4. Do you think the 128GB/6GB RAM models are worth it? It seems that some have sold for as low as $400 used but they tend to be over $500.
5. Are there "A2017U" models with this enhanced storage and RAM? How do I tell?
6. What native ways are there to unlock the screen? Of course there is pass, pin and fingerprint, any others?
7. What is your batter life like?
My last couple of questions is perhaps a bit off topic, do any of you happen to know details about the Axon 7 Max? I'm wondering what the speaker setup is. Honestly, I don't like the fact that is has a "3d" display which is really gimmicky and supposedly is old tech. Does anyone here have experience with this tech? I wish they were going with a nice screen like the one in the regular Axon 7. I will probably stick to the regular Axon 7, the 5.5" screen is still bigger than my LG G2's screen and it's cheaper.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You get the A2017U by buying it in the USA. Not through Aliexpress for example. Getting another model is not the end of the world anyways... the modem is very much alike, it only differs from others on specific places like Japan and I think Spain.
Slow updates? We got Nougat before the Oneplus 3T. The real problem is that ZTE's updates add one feature and break 3 other things that are totally unrelated, then they release an update with fixes and break other things... But at this moment everything is working just fine. And even the S8 had similar problems, e.g. not working SD card, so there is no safe bet on the software department regarding OEMs
All the unlock and root stuff is dangerous on this device. If you fucc up too much you can still get an RMA and pretend like you woke up and the device didn't... otherwise you can pay a fee to get it reflashed. Also some ROMs have the shake to turn the flashlight on and dt2w thing, for example Resurrection Remix. But the stock ROM is really good especially if you slap a launcher on top of it, and there is no real reason to root besides apps and maybe some specific Xposed modules you would want to have
6 GB ram and 128 GB storage, plus force touch... your judgement. I literally NEVER use more than 3 GB of RAM even while gaming intensive stuff. Repeat, NEVER. There are some people who might be mining bitcoin with their phones or whatever, and fill up the RAM, so if you're one of them then go ahead and buy an A2017. Also so much storage for what? Use an SD card, and if you need dual SIM support, do that guide where you stick the SIM's guts to the SD card. And force touch might be interesting, but I'm not sure whether it is utilized on Android's apps... may be useless
No enhanced A2017Us AFAIK. I'm almost 100% sure that there aren't enhanced A2017U's, only A2017s.
Pass, PIN, pattern, fingerprint. Wouldn't know why you'd want any more. The fingerprint sensor placement is really comfortable despite the huge skepticism.
Battery life... Most people are reporting ~5 hrs SOT. I can get that on stock Android N. And if you feel adventurous and install a custom LOS based ROM, a full black theme, a kernel, and AKT profiles, you can easily double or sometimes triple that, depending on your usage.
Right now I'm using stock A2017G Android 6.0.1 with AKT profiles. I usually put it on Extreme battery saving and the phone still behaves like a flagship should (with the occasional ΒΌ second freeze every half a minute). some people (especially A2017 people) reported hideous drain, mostly on standby. But those are just isolated cases...
And the last couple of questions, no idea. Is the 3d screen they want to use like the one in the 3DS (2 pixel arrays with different angle of view)? I'm pretty courious...
Choose an username... said:
Getting another model is not the end of the world anyways... the modem is very much alike, it only differs from others on specific places like Japan and I think Spain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The U model is very much different from the rest. It has 3 CDMA bands (global has 0), and LTE bands that are only used in North America (absent from global model).
Choose an username... said:
No enhanced A2017Us AFAIK. I'm almost 100% sure that there aren't enhanced A2017U's, only A2017s.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ZTE USA did offer the enhanced model, dubbed the "Limited Edition", for a short period of time. It's no longer on their website, but you can google "zteusa.com Axon 7 Limited Edition" for more info.
xtermmin said:
The U model is very much different from the rest. It has 3 CDMA bands (global has 0), and LTE bands that are only used in North America (absent from global model).
ZTE USA did offer the enhanced model, dubbed the "Limited Edition", for a short period of time. It's no longer on their website, but you can google "zteusa.com Axon 7 Limited Edition" for more info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Regarding the Limited Edition phones, are you sure they weren't just A2017s?
7th1rt3en said:
This raises the obvious question, what about roaming? I'm not sure who has agreements with who for roaming coverage, but you can see that this would leave only two networks for roaming and that is assuming there is an agreement. How will the phone act when there is a stronger signal from a tower that it can't actually work with, despite being using the same frequency? I just don't know. Who has agreements with who? Have any of you guys tested roaming? T-Mobile in my area is only worthy of consideration with roaming, hence my concern. I want a versatile phone so I can switch providers at will.
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The A2017U has all the major bands used by all US carriers. The roaming will be determined by the provider that you use the phone on. All phones try to stick to the native network as long as possible, and will only roam when there is no native signal, and even then the roaming is based off your carrier's agreements. Some carriers have regional roaming agreements (for example, in some areas, T-Mobile customers can roam onto AT&T), while some carriers have no roaming agreements at all (ex: if you're on T-Mobile, you can't connect to Verizon towers at all except for E911).
---------- Post added at 01:59 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:57 AM ----------
Choose an username... said:
Regarding the Limited Edition phones, are you sure they weren't just A2017s?
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Click to collapse
Yes because zteusa.com wouldn't sell the Chinese model in the US. The Chinese model doesn't have the majority of bands used in the US.
Choose an username... said:
You get the A2017U by buying it in the USA. Not through Aliexpress for example.
All the unlock and root stuff is dangerous on this device.
6 GB ram and 128 GB storage, plus force touch... your judgement.
Pass, PIN, pattern, fingerprint. Wouldn't know why you'd want any more. The fingerprint sensor placement is really comfortable despite the huge skepticism.
Battery life... Most people are reporting ~5 hrs SOT. I can get that on stock Android N. And if you feel adventurous and install a custom LOS based ROM, a full black theme, a kernel, and AKT profiles, you can easily double or sometimes triple that, depending on your usage.
And the last couple of questions, no idea. Is the 3d screen they want to use like the one in the 3DS (2 pixel arrays with different angle of view)? I'm pretty courious...
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Click to collapse
So buying used or on ebay could be a problem then, alright.
I just want root for apps, that was the main thing.
The fact that they are scarce makes the "enhanced" model overpriced anyway, it might be worth it if that wasn't the case.
I wear gloves at work that WILL generally work with touchscreens well enough to answer a call but perhaps not enough to reliably put in a code to read a text. Obviously they wont work with fingerprint scanner. That's okay thought, there are ways around that. It would just be ideal to have face or iris unlock. I like the Samsung S8 feature where it can tell if it's on your body or not but I knew not to expect that.
If the odds are as bad when flashing then I will just have to live with the battery life as it is.
Yeah, not sure about the 3D screen on the 7 Max. Actually, the guy in the video I watched stated that it was done better than previous "3D" screens. It should only work in landscape mode if it relies of viewing angles.
7th1rt3en said:
So buying used or on ebay could be a problem then, alright.
I just want root for apps, that was the main thing.
The fact that they are scarce makes the "enhanced" model overpriced anyway, it might be worth it if that wasn't the case.
I wear gloves at work that WILL generally work with touchscreens well enough to answer a call but perhaps not enough to reliably put in a code to read a text. Obviously they wont work with fingerprint scanner. That's okay thought, there are ways around that. It would just be ideal to have face or iris unlock. I like the Samsung S8 feature where it can tell if it's on your body or not but I knew not to expect that.
If the odds are as bad when flashing then I will just have to live with the battery life as it is.
Yeah, not sure about the 3D screen on the 7 Max. Actually, the guy in the video I watched stated that it was done better than previous "3D" screens. It should only work in landscape mode if it relies of viewing angles.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh shoot sorry I forgot about like 4 other unlocking methods... You can use Voice recognition either from ZTE's own implementation or Google's. Also you have Google's On body detection to keep it unlocked when you have it with you, and Trusted places and Trusted Devices
Also there is a high sensitivity mode for gloves, never tried it myself though.
Also I said that the battery is even better on some select custom ROMs, but I never said it was bad... 5 hours of screen on time is a crapton! Imagine 10.
xtermmin said:
The A2017U has all the major bands used by all US carriers. The roaming will be determined by the provider that you use the phone on. All phones try to stick to the native network as long as possible, and will only roam when there is no native signal, and even then the roaming is based off your carrier's agreements. Some carriers have regional roaming agreements (for example, in some areas, T-Mobile customers can roam onto AT&T), while some carriers have no roaming agreements at all (ex: if you're on T-Mobile, you can't connect to Verizon towers at all except for E911).
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Click to collapse
So, in the case of Sprint lot allowing Axon 7s on their network, this would change if it is using their network as part of a roaming agreement? In the case of Verizon not even working without a special procedure after a recent update, this problem goes away if one is just roaming on their network? What you are describing is just a normal roaming situation with a phone that works on all networks involved but I thought that the Axon 7 has unique problems with 2 networks. I even see it advertised on Amazon as not working with Verizon or Sprint AT ALL! This despite the fact that it has the necessary reception to do so. I just want to know for sure if it will roam on those networks given these problems.
xtermmin said:
Yes because zteusa.com wouldn't sell the Chinese model in the US. The Chinese model doesn't have the majority of bands used in the US.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is that they are all on the secondary market at this point and there is no way to know for sure what one is getting.
Choose an username... said:
Oh shoot sorry I forgot about like 4 other unlocking methods... You can use Voice recognition either from ZTE's own implementation or Google's. Also you have Google's On body detection to keep it unlocked when you have it with you, and Trusted places and Trusted Devices
Also there is a high sensitivity mode for gloves, never tried it myself though.
Also I said that the battery is even better on some select custom ROMs, but I never said it was bad... 5 hours of screen on time is a crapton! Imagine 10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, that's perfect! I didn't realize the on body was a google thing. No, the battery life is fine, it just sucks knowing it's capable of more but too risky to attempt. Do you happen to knows the details of the warranty? Does it matter who I buy from or if I buy used?
7th1rt3en said:
Oh, that's perfect! I didn't realize the on body was a google thing. No, the battery life is fine, it just sucks knowing it's capable of more but too risky to attempt. Do you happen to knows the details of the warranty? Does it matter who I buy from or if I buy used?
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I don't know about the warranty from USA, I have an A2017G. With this model they give you one year of warranty and an additional year of VIP warranty which includes a free screen replacement for the first 6 months and water damage stuff...
I'm sending a couple of pics of the warranty. Just be advised: the warranty explicitly doesn't cover acts of God!
7th1rt3en said:
So, in the case of Sprint lot allowing Axon 7s on their network, this would change if it is using their network as part of a roaming agreement? In the case of Verizon not even working without a special procedure after a recent update, this problem goes away if one is just roaming on their network? What you are describing is just a normal roaming situation with a phone that works on all networks involved but I thought that the Axon 7 has unique problems with 2 networks. I even see it advertised on Amazon as not working with Verizon or Sprint AT ALL! This despite the fact that it has the necessary reception to do so. I just want to know for sure if it will roam on those networks given these problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Roaming is separate from Sprint's device activation policy. You'll hardly ever roam onto Sprint though, as they have the worst coverage of the big 4.
Special procedure is not needed to get it working on Verizon. You just need to have an already-activated SIM card.
The problem is not unique to the Axon 7. It's the same as any other phone. For example, the Nexus 5 was not compatible with Verizon, yet Sprint users were able to load a custom PRL that allowed them to only connect to Verizon's towers (roaming, of course. Sprint has a roaming agreement with Verizon).
It's not advertised as being compatible with Verizon because it's not officially approved by Verizon and you need an already-activated SIM card in order to use it.
Yes, you should be able to roam onto them but that requires your carrier to have a roaming agreement with those other carriers.
What carrier are you on?
I completely misunderstood the Verizon issue, that isn't a big deal at all. I also didn't know that the sprint issue was just a matter of activation. ZTE is coming out with a Sprint phone so perhaps Sprint might reconsider. I'm currently using T-Mobile pre-paid, so no roaming and my phone does not receive band 12 so my reception sucks. I'm not sure what carrier I will end up on. I'm looking at all but sprint, including MVNOs.
7th1rt3en said:
So buying used or on ebay could be a problem then, alright.
I just want root for apps, that was the main thing.
The fact that they are scarce makes the "enhanced" model overpriced anyway, it might be worth it if that wasn't the case.
I wear gloves at work that WILL generally work with touchscreens well enough to answer a call but perhaps not enough to reliably put in a code to read a text. Obviously they wont work with fingerprint scanner. That's okay thought, there are ways around that. It would just be ideal to have face or iris unlock. I like the Samsung S8 feature where it can tell if it's on your body or not but I knew not to expect that.
If the odds are as bad when flashing then I will just have to live with the battery life as it is.
Yeah, not sure about the 3D screen on the 7 Max. Actually, the guy in the video I watched stated that it was done better than previous "3D" screens. It should only work in landscape mode if it relies of viewing angles.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can definitely buy used ones without problems. Just make sure your buying the U.S version. Most, if not all, the 7s on Swappa are U.S. Swappa is much better for buying phones than eBay, and you can negotiate price. I bought mint condition for $280 last week (which I wish I waited, because now they're being sold at 260.
I asked my seller if he would provide original receipt for warranty, and I was able to register the device in my name (he hadn't registered it). Apparently all you need is receipt for proof of purchase date, so as long as you make that a term for the sale, transferring or using the warranty is no problem at all. Once again, this is also what makes Swappa great.
If you want a full 2 years, Newegg has open box deal for $315. I wouldn't think twice about that, and was considering it, but the phone I got was almost brand new and in mint condition for $35 less. Newegg open box items are always mint condition in my experience, and they were devices owned for less than 2 weeks.
5 hours of SOT to me is great. I'd say it's above average,, especially compared to my iPhone 7.
JoRocker said:
You can definitely buy used ones without problems. Just make sure your buying the U.S version. Most, if not all, the 7s on Swappa are U.S. Swappa is much better for buying phones than eBay, and you can negotiate price. I bought mint condition for $280 last week (which I wish I waited, because now they're being sold at 260.
I asked my seller if he would provide original receipt for warranty, and I was able to register the device in my name (he hadn't registered it). Apparently all you need is receipt for proof of purchase date, so as long as you make that a term for the sale, transferring or using the warranty is no problem at all. Once again, this is also what makes Swappa great.
If you want a full 2 years, Newegg has open box deal for $315. I wouldn't think twice about that, and was considering it, but the phone I got was almost brand new and in mint condition for $35 less. Newegg open box items are always mint condition in my experience, and they were devices owned for less than 2 weeks.
5 hours of SOT to me is great. I'd say it's above average,, especially compared to my iPhone 7.
Click to expand...
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I've purchased 3 items through Swappa and never on ebay, if I buy used that is likely the route I will take. It seems that most of my concerns were unfounded and there were feature that I was not aware of, so that's great. I will take your advice on the warranty and receipt. Are you saying that you can transfer the warranty even if it HAD been previously registered?
7th1rt3en said:
I've purchased 3 items through Swappa and never on ebay, if I buy used that is likely the route I will take. It seems that most of my concerns were unfounded and there were feature that I was not aware of, so that's great. I will take your advice on the warranty and receipt. Are you saying that you can transfer the warranty even if it HAD been previously registered?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All they want is phone IMEI and receipt. Registering isn't even important it just skips the steps of proving purchase every time you want to use the warranty. I was able to register in my name, because previous owner never used the warranty, but even if they had used it, you can still use the warranty with the original receipt, and update the address that they have in their system for the phone. Just don't tell them you aren't the original owner, because technically it's not supposed to be transferable.
I do have one last question, just how bad is signal strength?
7th1rt3en said:
I do have one last question, just how bad is signal strength?
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Not bad at all for me. I get four bars at home when my iPhone 7 gets 2. I don't know why people say it's bad. Maybe I just got lucky.
7th1rt3en said:
I do have one last question, just how bad is signal strength?
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Click to collapse
Well, your mileage may vary... I have OK signal, but a lot of people complain about it. Go to the signal reception thread over at Real life review
Choose an username... said:
Well, your mileage may vary... I have OK signal, but a lot of people complain about it. Go to the signal reception thread over at Real life review
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing is that a lot of people do not state their location, their model or their build so it's hard to know exactly what the implications are. There is at least one guy in Europe who stated that he tested both the A2017G and A2017U and that the A2017U did considerably better. His idea is that if one has the A2017U and has a bad signal in the states that they should do an RMA. That phone had the B27 update which supposedly boosts performance according to multiple comments I've read. I guess what I could do is figure out when B27 came out and only pay attention to the comments of USA based users after that date, I'll do that and report back.
-----------------------------------------------B27 update-----------------------------------------------
-10dBm worse than my Nexus 6p
First time owning the phone that I noticed I got full bars
TMobile in NYC and no cellular reception issues so far
Dallas on T-mobile and reception/data speeds are not as consistent or fast as they were on my Galaxy S5
So b27 update made signal WAY better for me!
Tmobile here in south florida, i can tell you signal on this phone suxs
Signal strength improved drastically with the b27 update for US version
-----------------------------------------------B29 update-----------------------------------------------
I just recently got the phone, and I haven't noticed any reception issues
So far I've had comparable coverage & speeds as my LG G4.
The A7 just flat out had lower throughput. Mobile data wasn't the only area of weakness. Wifi too. (B29)
it has better signal in my house than a iPhone6 and my OPO (both using T-Mobile)
The US version I pulled out of the box has a production date of Nov 14. Around two months after the first update addressing the antenna. I have no issues.
When I went to update the software, the newest build was already installed. cell signal bar on my stats is all orange and broken. HTC 10, the signal bar is all green
B27 = 3 negative, 3 positive and 1 ambiguous
B29 = 2 negative, 4 positive
Anyway, thanks for the help guys.

I wanted to keep it...

Once I got the phone setup and on the Sprint network I tried a test SMS to someone. They replied and the message came in. Then it repeated itself over and over indefinitely. I had someone else send me a SMS message but that message never came through. I received the last message that was sent once again.
Countless hours on the phone with Sprint escalated through tech support. Took it back to the store. They tried to "flash" it but could not. Swapped out for another Essential Ph-1 and it did the same thing.
I told them to keep it. It has caused enough stress in my life for years at this point.
Curious, there have been a few random issues (not just on Sprint) that have turned out to be APN related. Do you know if they checked the APN settings and verified they were correct for their network? I changed a couple settings on TMobile to match what their recommendation is on their website and I know a couple AT&T people have had to change a thing or two as well.
ack154 said:
Curious, there have been a few random issues (not just on Sprint) that have turned out to be APN related. Do you know if they checked the APN settings and verified they were correct for their network? I changed a couple settings on TMobile to match what their recommendation is on their website and I know a couple AT&T people have had to change a thing or two as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest I do not know if they checked that and I did not know to check it.
So you only had the phone for a few hours? Your call but I think you may have jumped the gun.
spotmark said:
So you only had the phone for a few hours? Your call but I think you may have jumped the gun.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did not know what else to do. Guess I should have asked you guys first.
chasdw said:
I did not know what else to do. Guess I should have asked you guys first.
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Click to collapse
No use crying over spilled milk. Enjoy whatever you went with.
This is entirely speculation, but it could be on either Sprint's side or the Messenger app itself. What you describe mirrors my experience with my unlocked Galaxy S8 and using the Messenger app. I switched that line over to the Essential phone it started working fine with text messages. If you try again in the future, try disabling the advanced SMS features (called RDS I think?).
CollinFX45 said:
This is entirely speculation, but it could be on either Sprint's side or the Messenger app itself. What you describe mirrors my experience with my unlocked Galaxy S8 and using the Messenger app. I switched that line over to the Essential phone it started working fine with text messages. If you try again in the future, try disabling the advanced SMS features (called RDS I think?).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, appreciate the advice.
I work for sprint and this is an uncommon issue that has plagued the network for years. If your phone is not rooted, a simple profile update can fix this. One common issue we have seen with the essential phones bought through sprint is it not activating fully the first time. After the phone says it's activated still go through the settings, tap about, tap "OMADM updates" and click profile update. It was reprovision the phone correctly and reboot again. Sometimes it gets stuck on the last step. As long as the reception goes blank and then comes back with a LTE logo then you are done and can reboot the phone.
I know you already went with another phone but you could just as easily have the same issues on another phone. This comment is more for those who are looking for answers to your issue.
hellot1M said:
I work for sprint and this is an uncommon issue that has plagued the network for years. If your phone is not rooted, a simple profile update can fix this. One common issue we have seen with the essential phones bought through sprint is it not activating fully the first time. After the phone says it's activated still go through the settings, tap about, tap "OMADM updates" and click profile update. It was reprovision the phone correctly and reboot again. Sometimes it gets stuck on the last step. As long as the reception goes blank and then comes back with a LTE logo then you are done and can reboot the phone.
I know you already went with another phone but you could just as easily have the same issues on another phone. This comment is more for those who are looking for answers to your issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very much appreciate the reply. I have not gone with a different phone because I am not really interested in any others at this time.
I did try what you suggested on both of the essential phones. It did not work on either.
I will probably go back by the Sprint store tomorrow to see if they figured anything out.
I cannot be without a phone and I do not currently have time to troubleshoot one that is not working.
I will keep chugging along with my old phone for the time being.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
To be clear, Sprint Technical Support is so close to useless you might as well ask your dog how to fix your phone. You'd get the same quality of information and save yourself some time to boot. This is not necessarily Sprint's fault. It's very likely that Essential isn't giving them enough information. For example, I was trying to get files transfered from my PC to my Essential Phone earlier today. All I got was an big empty nothing telling me "This Folder is Empty." Figured it was something very simple but I couldn't figure out what. Sprint's second level support told me to call HP (computer OEM). Came onto this forum and somebody mentioned "just change the setting in notifications from charging to file transfer." Yep! It really was that easy! And Sprint should have easy fixes like that extremely well documented.
It makes me more that a little nervous to realize that Sprint is completely clueless about this phone and that Essential is next to impossible to get in touch with. Makes me wish I could have held out for the other Sprint exclusive coming soon: The LG V30+. Same 128GB internal, better screen, waterproof certification, drop proof certification, OLED screen instead of the PH-1's disappointing LCD panel, bigger screen, has an SD card slot, better camera, and above all else, well supported. Unfortunately, my old phone was broken and I needed to replace it immediately and as cheaply as possible. $15 per month made the PH-1 the best option available for me. Even the LG G6 with it's inferior specs, processor, etc. would have cost me more -- $20 per month.
We'll see how I'm feeling about my PH-1 in a week. Right now there's a lot of good and a lot of bad, so it's hard to say. At least by shear dumb luck I got the PH-1 at a budget phone price.
I had the same issue and took it to a Sprint store today. After a lot of trial and error, turning off Google voice did the trick for me. Even though they already switched me to a new phone.
I wanted to keep it but Pixel 2 coming out in October and camera subpar.
Sent from my Pixel XL using XDA-Developers Legacy app
I am on sprint and I have had zero issues, in fact I have a better signal with this phone because it utilizes the LTE + network. This is very interesting to me.

Which G6 is Amazon Prime offering? Missing any features?

I'm sure by now anyone with an Amazon Prime account has seen the advertisements for the $399.99 LG G6 and G6+ which is a great deal, and it's enough of one that I'm getting ready to retire my iPhone SE and make the switch over...especially since I can lengthen the warranty to two years total. What I cannot find out is which version Amazon is selling when it's released November 9th, 2017 and if T-Mobile and/or AT&T users will still have the normal functions like WiFi calling (which I rely upon) and VoLTE on each respective carrier. I'd rather not buy a Prime device only to discover that it doesn't have the same features as a carrier-specific device has and this has me worried. Buying a brand new unlocked G6 would give me the two years of full warranty on the device and hopefully all of the T-Mobile features offered on the carrier-specific model even if the bootloader isn't unlocked. Heck, I'd attempt a FlashFire to get new firmware onto the phone if it were made possible just to regain WiFi Calling/VoLTE but wanted input from others before I decide to go this route. I'm also not opposed to grabbing something like the LG V20 from BHPhotoVideo as well since this is the route I want to go. If you guys have any knowledge that I haven't been able to figure out in the last week of research I'd appreciate it very much. Cheers.
They go in depth with this story,not sure if it helps at all.
That's one of the articles I managed to find, and it did help out in figuring out which phone I wanted to invest in but I didn't get much more info on the device itself. Because it's an Amazon device we already know that it's not going to be able to have an unlocked bootloader which really stinks but that's the cost of buying a subsidized phone through Amazon. I considered just buying the LG V20 through BHPhotoVideo for cheaper so there are no integrated Amazon advertisements and it has a better internal camera (as far as specs go) but having 12MP+12MP vs 16MP is a little too close of a call to make any kind of speculation, although having 64GB of storage with the V20 would be nicer than the included 32GB in the LG G6. At least we have a micro-SD slot to have more storage in both models, which means that if we can get the phone rooted then App2SD won't be a problem.
I just know I'm ready to retire and sell this crappy iPhone SE and move away from the insane Apple prices to get a better device with a less restrictive environment. My only hope is that the LG G6 has the same characteristics as my iPhone SE, such as WiFi calling and VoLTE. I know it has all of the right LTE bands so that won't be an issue, and later on I'll probably just give Amazon more money to ditch the advertisements. I just wish that I could find a $450 LG G6 brand new that I could unlock the bootloader on, and that's my conundrum. It seems that if you want the subsized Prime version it's only $399 but if you want an subside-free G6 you still have to shell out $200 more.
P.S. Thanks for the quick response.
im already planning on getting this but i wont be able till at least black friday at the earliest. it fills all my needs now that the U11+ wont be available in the US. the model number for the 6+ is LGUS997U so im hoping that rooting will be possible along with custom ROMs. l hope someone else takes the plunge first.
droidbot1337 said:
im already planning on getting this but i wont be able till at least black friday at the earliest. it fills all my needs now that the U11+ wont be available in the US. the model number for the 6+ is LGUS997U so im hoping that rooting will be possible along with custom ROMs. l hope someone else takes the plunge first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm taking the plunge and it'll be here the day of release. Knowing Amazon's history with locking bootloaders it's already pretty apparent that unlocking it will not be a possibility but will still check irregardless in hopes that I'm wrong. At least I hope it can be rooted some how and figure out how to ditch all of the bogus Amazon advertisements without paying them another $50 to remove them from my device, and will report all of that information that I can find out on my own as well. The LG V20 directly from T-Mobile was my original go-to replacement but for the same amount of money I'd rather have the slightly faster LG G6 even if it is hampered by Amazon's crap. Considering I'm moving up from an iPhone SE this thing is going to be a massive upgrade.
EDIT: I've independently confirmed it will indeed have T-Mobile WiFi calling and VoLTE built into the firmware because Amazon did the same thing with the Moto G5s firmware that they molested. They might have injected it with Amazon bloatware but they did also include WiFi calling and VoLTE from each of the providers so there's a very strong chance anyone who uses this device on their home network will still have those features included with the LG line of phones.
bmurphr1 said:
I'm taking the plunge and it'll be here the day of release...........
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Click to collapse
YES!!!! im so envious of you!! i hope that they can be unlocked as the price is just far too tempting. im going to try and contact LG USA and see what i can get from them. good luck and please keep us informed, cheers!!
I'm looking at the LG G6 also. I've been a Nexus user and am still using the N5X. Now that Google has went overboard with their pricing and are no longer making any devices that are good values, I'm looking elsewhere. I've always been an LG fan. I'm looking at the LG G6 as the price on it is excellent. There are a good number of carrier unlocked devices available for just over $400 and I think we will see some good sales between Black Friday and New Year's.
I was also considering the Amazon version but I'm not sure how difficult it will be to get rid of them afterwards.
gorilla p said:
....I was also considering the Amazon version but I'm not sure how difficult it will be to get rid of them afterwards.
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Click to collapse
?? all it has is a few bloat apps but all you would need to do is flash another ROM. thats considering it can be rooted. im still debating on the 6+ or waiting for the HTC U12 which should be better than the U11+ or at least i hope.
Phone has arrived, is model US966, and even though is the international model still has VoLTE and WiFi Calling baked into the ROM. I've verified that it does indeed work as it should for T-Mobile as I have the Hanset + WiFi logo in my top left notification tray. So far it seems Amazon really did make this device into the most universal of all of the LG G6 devices that exist (aside from being unable to unlock the bootloader.
Amazon really put this firmware through the ringer..it does have mountains of bloatware that we can work around, but it works with T-Mobile WiFi Calling, VoLTE, and HD Voice (all confirmed by moving a dead zone in my house where I received full WiFI but could not obtain any indoor signal of any kind. I had several conversations that all sounded like I was standing right next to the person, and I had no cellular service at the time the call was made. Just as I suspected, they molested the G6 just like they did the Moto G5s into forcing it to support T-Mobile's feature sets and most likely the same for the other three providers as well.
bmurphr1 said:
Phone has arrived, is model US966, and even though is the international model still has VoLTE and WiFi Calling baked into the ROM. I've verified that it does indeed work as it should for T-Mobile as I have the Hanset + WiFi logo in my top left notification tray. So far it seems Amazon really did make this device into the most universal of all of the LG G6 devices that exist (aside from being unable to unlock the bootloader.
Amazon really put this firmware through the ringer..it does have mountains of bloatware that we can work around, but it works with T-Mobile WiFi Calling, VoLTE, and HD Voice (all confirmed by moving a dead zone in my house where I received full WiFI but could not obtain any indoor signal of any kind. I had several conversations that all sounded like I was standing right next to the person, and I had no cellular service at the time the call was made. Just as I suspected, they molested the G6 just like they did the Moto G5s into forcing it to support T-Mobile's feature sets and most likely the same for the other three providers as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know if it's possible to pay to remove the lockscreen ads? Also, are the ads just on the lockscreen or do they show up in other places?
I know you can pay to remove Kindle ads at https://www.amazon.com/mn/dcw/myx.html
Joe USer said:
Do you know if it's possible to pay to remove the lockscreen ads? Also, are the ads just on the lockscreen or do they show up in other places?
I know you can pay to remove Kindle ads at https://www.amazon.com/mn/dcw/myx.html
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Ads are on lockscreen and on the desktop, but the desktop widget no problem. When you unlock the device using your fingerprint though you never see the advertisements so it's not bothering me that much. I have yet to figure out if we can purchase the removal of advertisements though as I've only had these few short hours with the device, but every T-Mo function that you'd find on a carrier-branded device works on the Amazon Prime variant. If I can pay an extra $50 or so to get rid of the advertisements I probably will do just that.
In the mean time I tried to sign up for the second year of the LG G6 free warranty program, and since the phone is a US996 model device you can't complete the registration page. I e-mailed the help desk to see if we'll be able to register for the free second year of service as an Amazon agent said that there should be no reason that it shouldn't work. I will respond back once I get word from the LG team regarding the additional free year of warranty coverage.
EDIT: You can legitimately remove ads from the phone through Amazon but they want an extra $100 to just remove them. I'll wait on someone else to figure out how to hack the ads away from the firmware. I dig the LG interface though as it's similar to the iPhone layout and makes it easier for me to understand rather than having an app drawer like my Fire tablet does. The phone is definitely worth $399...not $499 though once you buy the removal of advertisements.
congrats @bmurphr1!! im happy it works well since like you i too am a tmo user. also, the model number is listed as 997U but you said its US996, is that right? anyway, i hope the bootloader can soon be unlocked because that would make this phone an amazing device.
droidbot1337 said:
congrats @bmurphr1!! im happy it works well since like you i too am a tmo user. also, the model number is listed as 997U but you said its US996, is that right? anyway, i hope the bootloader can soon be unlocked because that would make this phone an amazing device.
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I did, but it's actually US997 according to what I'm looking at right now on the Hardware info screen. My initial statement was a typo because I was in a rush to get this phone up and running since I'm moving over from the iOS world. Model number is confirmed US997 and the bootloader from what I've been able to ascertain so far is that LG is not unlocking the bootloader for the phone because they were strong-armed by Amazon to lock it down so that it couldn't be altered in any way - thus making people pay the $100 just to have advertisements removed from the device.
bmurphr1 said:
I did, but it's actually US997 according to what I'm looking at right now on the Hardware info screen. My initial statement was a typo because I was in a rush to get this phone up and running since I'm moving over from the iOS world. Model number is confirmed US997 and the bootloader from what I've been able to ascertain so far is that LG is not unlocking the bootloader for the phone because they were strong-armed by Amazon to lock it down so that it couldn't be altered in any way - thus making people pay the $100 just to have advertisements removed from the device.
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ugh!!... so its useless for those of us that want custom ROMs then? that sucks! i really hope someone finds a way to unlock it. i might just wait to see what the HTC u12 looks like. thanks for the info.
Just figured out how Amazon neutered this phone from being tampered with by individuals like us...they went and jacked around with the bootloader so that it freezes as soon as you boot into it. I'm very experienced when it comes to using fastboot on Android devices and I can tell you this bootloader has been tampered with. What happens is when you run "adb reboot bootloader" it reboots into the neutered bootloader and just freezes so that no commands can be sent or received from the device. If we could get the device-id then we could put it through the LG database, but Amazon found a way to mess with it just enough so that it crashes every single time you try to boot into it using the Android debugging bridge. That's how they crippled this phone so that no one would be able to flash new firmwares to the device or jack with it and remove their new found glory in LG devices. I'd love to be able to flash a non-Amazon bootloader only over to this phone to see if I could unlock it and catch on to something new but I'm too afraid to jeopardize my only working cell phone at the moment so I'd be worried about doing that. If the bootloader would unfreeze though and give us the code for a full bootloader unlock we could say byebye to the entire firmware OS and switch over to something like Lineage or better...assuming somebody has a kitchen that would work on an Amazon-molested US997 LG G6.
droidbot1337 said:
ugh!!... so its useless for those of us that want custom ROMs then? that sucks! i really hope someone finds a way to unlock it. i might just wait to see what the HTC u12 looks like. thanks for the info.
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I saw this on the latest Amazon Fire tablet and that's why I returned it. Now you see why I was hesitant.
I'm having a hard time deciding now, but I'm going there will be some solid $399 deals between Black Friday and Christmas. Otherwise, I might just get a OnePlus 3T.
gorilla p said:
I saw this on the latest Amazon Fire tablet and that's why I returned it. Now you see why I was hesitant.
I'm having a hard time deciding now, but I'm going there will be some solid $399 deals between Black Friday and Christmas. Otherwise, I might just get a OnePlus 3T.
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Amazon got smart and neutered all of their Prime-branded devices so that they can't be bootloader unlocked any longer. The only hope we have of actually achieving custom firmware on this device is by using something like FlashFire to perform a hot-flash on the device to move it to a non-Amazon firmware, which is what I did on my Fire 2015 (Ford) tablet that I still use occasionally at the gym to watch Netflix and YouTube when I steal their WiFi. If you wanted to buy the phone just to unlock the bootloader unfortunately you're SOL, but there's still a chance something could be in the works for this device.
Honestly, I'd rather see either a complete removal of the advertisements from the stock US997 Amazon Prime G6 or someone who was able to successfully flash a ZIP file using FlashFire to the G6 without completely killing it along with WiFi Calling/VoLTE/HD Voice. The first one isn't out of the realm of possibility, but the second one is just a pipe dream since I essentially require WiFi calling and VoLTE. We're gonna need to find a way to root this firmware and I haven't found a way to do so as of yet, though it is running Nougat 7.0 with the September security update.
gorilla p said:
I saw this on the latest Amazon Fire tablet and that's why I returned it. Now you see why I was hesitant.
I'm having a hard time deciding now, but I'm going there will be some solid $399 deals between Black Friday and Christmas. Otherwise, I might just get a OnePlus 3T.
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why the 3T and not the 5T? my brother has the 5 and loves it. i refuse to buy a device without expandable storage so that leaves me with few options....... well, few good options. im just gonna wait till leaks of the HTC U12 start to circulate. if that sucks ill just buy the regular G6.
droidbot1337 said:
why the 3T and not the 5T? my brother has the 5 and loves it. i refuse to buy a device without expandable storage so that leaves me with few options....... well, few good options. im just gonna wait till leaks of the HTC U12 start to circulate. if that sucks ill just buy the regular G6.
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Just the cost. OnePlus is upping the price with every release and I don't think the OP5 is that much better than the OP3T. Especially since I don't use my phone for anything crazy. My N5X still performs more than good enough for me. I have the GPU underclock and touchboost disabled to improve battery and still no lag at all. I really wish there was another affordable Nexus device. They should've come out with an Android One premium line featuring The 820 or 822 chipset.
I also received my Amazon us997 G6 yesterday. As mentioned earlier, the lock screen ads aren't very intrusive unless there are no other notifications at the time. If there are personal notifications like email, text message, missed phone call, etc. then the Amazon ad takes up about 15% of the lock screen. If no notifications are present, the entire lock screen is an ad. However, also as mentioned before, the double press of the finger print button makes the ads visible for the amount of time it takes to double press.
I run nova launcher and have not been bothered with any ads either.
Coming from big red on their lg g4 and having that special old plan, I did a SIM card chop with some cutlery scissors and made it a nano. Without getting too involved, an app like Foxfi is not needed on this phone. I will be keeping this phone primarily because of this. The price point, limited intrusive ads, 2 year warranty and not needing a special app previously mentioned have made this my newest phone.
Now i just hope lg has rid themselves of the nightmare Bootloop plague that has hit every lg phone that my family has owned.

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