I really love my G2, even with the ridiculous changes Verizon made for their model. Thanks in part to xdabbeb's G2 rom, I might add.
However, I'd really love the ability to swap SD cards and battery, and I'm seriously considering getting the Korean model as I see myself keeping that model for several years (I could keep this VS980, but the goddamn rear keys and removed speaker annoy me too much.)
I've found one or two topics that sort of talk about the radio compatibility, but I'd like to ask for not only the feasibility of using a Korean G2 in the USA, but what I would need to do to make it possible.
Hi
Thinking of buying an LG V20 as I previously used a Note 3 for a few years but the flickering AMOLED screen was damaging my eyes so I had to give it up. Such is life.
I have some questions though (I might be buying the H990 Dual-SIM variant from NCIX as I live in Canada)
1) Like the T-Mobile version, does the H990 version support bootloader unlocking?
2) Does it have FM Radio working?
3) What are your general experiences with this variant?
That's all I can think of right now.
Thanks
I have always owned either Nexus (non-LG versions) or Samsung so I'm not really familiar with LG products. I'm going to get a V20 and the question now is which one? Is there any difference in the DAC in the H990DS version vs the North American versions? I've heard that the H990DS is the official B&O version and the North American ones are "tuned by B&O". The quad DAC is one of the reasons why I want this phone so if there is a significant difference I may consider it. If not, I'll probably go with the US996 unlocked version or the AT&T version.
The US996 will cost me slightly more but the unlockable bootloader may be worth it. I'm in Canada and the AT&T bands are close to ours and generally work well with our carriers. so the H910A will be OK. AFAIK the second SIM in the H990DS only supports 2G so that will be useless to me since 2 out of 3 of our largest carriers were originally CDMA and never supported 2G. Both of the North American versions do come with a warranty, which is a bonus. The AT&T is the cheapest of the three but I have heard that their bootloader is a pain.
An unlockable bootloader and the ability to root is the most important. I'm going to keep it until it dies. Music quality and warranty is next. I do love music and I plan to invest in a good set of new headphones once I get the V20. I want to take it with me and test several so I don't have anything in particular in mind at this time.
I appreciate any help and guidance that anyone can give me. I have spent a lot of time trying to find out about the DACs and I really can't find any information. Thank you!
Hello people, so these weeks I've been thinking what phone should I buy and at first I wanted LG V20 for the Hi Fi Dac but then I decided to go for LG G6 for being a newer phone and overall better than LG V20 aaaaand then I saw that the asian version (H870DS) has the LG V20's Hi Fi Dac and now my question is:
What should I know when I buy an asian version of a phone? Has anyone bought the H870DS? I'm from Europa, Romania. I know that there are 3 versions of this phone, for USA, Europa and Asia and each one has a gimmick like fast charge, wireless charging or the hi fi dac. I really want to know beside these big differences if there are others difference like carrier signal, call quality, pre-installed apps and stuff like this. I'm looking foraward for your info, thank you
Sprint sold to T-Mobile and T-Mobile is selling off Sprint bands between now and Q1 2022 requiring a phone change to stay on their network. I like my V20 and am not impressed with the new Android phones on offer. (*)
Are there any US providers with whom a Sprint V20 will still work? Good 4G performance (1-10Mbps) is fine for my needs and I need to have reliable SMS. I don't want 5G, HD video, gaming performance, or anything like that. I've checked the usual AT&T, Verizon, etc. but unless I'm misreading something, their networks will not accept this phone.
(*) I just sent back a Pixel 5a/5g after preferring the V20 in a side-by-side comparison.
Verizon
I checked with the IMEI and Vzn says it is not comaptible?
Which V20 do you have? vs995 is the Verizon model, and will work on Verizon. us996 is the unlocked model, and will work on Verizon (that's what I use on verizon). Other models of the v20 will be tied to their particular carrier.
Mine says LS997 in one of the panels. As mentioned in the original post, I am currently with Sprint. The phone boots with a Sprint splash screen but should be unlocked. Hoping to find a compatible provider.
That is the Spring Model, apparently only compatible with Spring. Sorry. :-(
The Sprint V20 isn't configured to get VoLTE and doesn't pass any whitelist or IMEI compatibility check for the 3 U.S. carriers, so you'll have to switch to one of the other carrier-branded models, either the H918 for T-Mobile, H910 for AT&T, or VS995 for Verizon.
If your LS997 really is SIM-unlocked, and you can change APN settings (Sprint phones are notorious for having that option grayed out, regardless of whether they are SIM-unlocked or not), then you may still be able to get it to work on T-Mobile without VoLTE until they shut down both 3G and 2G networks next year. However, even before their shut downs, T-Mobile may start actively blocking phones at any time like AT&T do, so I wouldn't go with an LS997 as the only phone.
This blows so much in the wrong ways. Still have the ls997, but had get free a71 to keep service for TMobile. Tech waste at its finest. Forced to do unwanted.
Thanks, everyone. Looks like I am out of luck and have to get another phone regardless of cellular provider.
I am interested in recommendations something 2 or more years old that I could get refurbished to work with what's coming so I can trawl eBay. I'll look for other V20s per @C D but options would be good.
What I like about the V20 and would like to carry over in no particular order.
- Replaceable battery (hence older models)
- Notifications are fast (The Pixel 5a/5g I returned had issues)
- Camera with manual settings. Not an expert photographer but the manual mode has come in handy
- Runs the few apps I care about effortlessly (BlueMail, Newpipe, Berlin Philharmonic apps)
- Slot for a memory card
- Second screen
- Rock solid Bluetooth performance
Rich_Palermo said:
Thanks, everyone. Looks like I am out of luck and have to get another phone regardless of cellular provider.
I am interested in recommendations something 2 or more years old that I could get refurbished to work with what's coming so I can trawl eBay. I'll look for other V20s per @C D but options would be good.
What I like about the V20 and would like to carry over in no particular order.
- Replaceable battery (hence older models)
- Notifications are fast (The Pixel 5a/5g I returned had issues)
- Camera with manual settings. Not an expert photographer but the manual mode has come in handy
- Runs the few apps I care about effortlessly (BlueMail, Newpipe, Berlin Philharmonic apps)
- Slot for a memory card
- Second screen
- Rock solid Bluetooth performance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Based on that, I'd say if you can go with Verizon or its MVNOs, the Verizon LG V50 would fit most of these. It has roughly the same size as the V20 and still has the fingerprint scanner on the back, too. I guess you'd have to test the notifications and Bluetooth performance, but as long as whatever seller you go with has a good return policy, that shouldn't be a problem.
The second screen doesn't really exist in any phone other than the V10 and V20, and a removable battery only exists in phones (Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro and Teracube 2e) that are more of a sidegrade/downgrade to the V20 while missing many of its features.
If you need compatibility with all U.S. carriers and don't mind the bigger size and lower screen resolution, there is a carrier model of the V60 for each of the big 3 carriers.
Another notable older all-rounder that's easy to find renewed/refurbished on eBay would be the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 if you don't mind the curved screen and being stuck on Android 10.
I own both a Sprint V50 and a Note 9 (both rooted), and while they lack the removable battery and second screen, they both have an LED notification light (though the V50 has a weird one on the back that's also the 5G logo) and absolutely blow away the V20 in both performance and battery life. Unfortunately, I can't recommend the Sprint V50 yet since I can't seem to get a signal to stay on T-Mobile, and while it does work perfectly on an AT&T MVNO, AT&T could block it at any point since it's not on their whitelist.
You may be able to find most of these for around $300 or less in mint/refurbished/open box shape, and it's up to you to decide if those are worth over getting a different V20 at likely less than half the price.
I will chase all of these down! The Pixel 5a/5g I tried was Android 12 and I thought it was hard to use compared to prior versions. Lots of UI customization features I don't need/want at the expense of core capabilities. My V20 has Android 8 and it works just fine.
I think Sprint is out of the equation and whatever I get has to be for one or more of the other carriers/their resellers.