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LG V20 Unlocked (US996) vs TMobile LG V20?

Hey Guys,
So I am seriously interested in this phone but cant decide what the difference is between these 2 variants?
It seems that TMobile LG V20 has no support for CDMA and support for AWS-3 spectrum (Band 66)
The unlocked version seems to support CDMA but I dont know if it has support for Band 66.
Source TMobile LG v20 : http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phones/lg-v20.html
LG v20 Unlocked: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1285961-REG/lg_lgus996_ausasv_lg_v20_4gb_ram.html
Can someone please shed some light on this? Will the unlocked version include all the bells and whistles of TMobile variant?
Thanks.

adit07 said:
Hey Guys,
So I am seriously interested in this phone but cant decide what the difference is between these 2 variants?
It seems that TMobile LG V20 has no support for CDMA and support for AWS-3 spectrum (Band 66)
The unlocked version seems to support CDMA but I dont know if it has support for Band 66.
Source TMobile LG v20 : http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phones/lg-v20.html
LG v20 Unlocked: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1285961-REG/lg_lgus996_ausasv_lg_v20_4gb_ram.html
Can someone please shed some light on this? Will the unlocked version include all the bells and whistles of TMobile variant?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Has there been confirmation that the t-mobile variant is locked?

You'll have to look around but I thought it was confirmed the unlocked version B&H is selling is not Band 66 compliant.

CHH2 said:
You'll have to look around but I thought it was confirmed the unlocked version B&H is selling is not Band 66 compliant.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Do you have any link that confirms that?

US996 is USCC (US Cellular) version which does not have B4 HSPA.

I can confirm that, unfortunately, the T-Mobile LG V20 will not come with an unlockable bootloader. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this something I got straight from the top-level guys @ TMO.
Possible good news, see two post below.

What... "top level guys"? What's your connection? Hmmmm
Sent from my awesome T-Mobile LG V10!

@planetbeen That would be Mr. Lucero and Miss Viola, director's in their respective divisions.
Anyways... I might have some good news.
I was called this morning and included in a conversation between TMO and LG. LG is now saying the bootloader will not be "locked down". I tried asking about fastboot and they were being a bit shady and gave me a vague answer.
Take this how you will.

Well we now have a couple people who have received their v20.. Hopefully we'll know very soon!
Sent from my awesome T-Mobile LG V10!

Specs for the US996:
http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-US996-Unlocked-v20-titan
CDMA 1.9 GHz CDMA PCS/800 MHz CDMA; GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz; LTE Bands 2/3/4/5/7/12/13/17/20/25
EVDO, EVDO Rev A, 1xRTT, LTE, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, GSM, HSPA+, HSPA

What is the bloatware situation on the T-Mobile vs unlocked? And can all of the bloat be deleted? (Especially any anti-virus software!)

Despite my phone will be arriving on monday, Let me ask you a question that might make you get your choice. do both of then offer great promotions? and which one has the frequencies more suitable to your needs?
I pre ordered the tmobile variant because im currently on tmobile. But that's not the only reason, i grabbed all the offers too and the phone ended up being $520 (+ 49.99 down payment + 53.90 of taxes) thanks to the $200 dollars when you trade-in a 4g phone (any phone that is 4g (preferably 4g lte), and also i get the free H3 earphones (i have to redeem it on LG website). And also, i get the opportunity of the free tablet (sure, at a cost of having to add an extra line but that is only 10 dollars more for 24 month and also is optional). In additon, Tmobile variant has unlocked bootloader, no other variant has reported that as far as i know.

How do you know it has an unlocked bootloader? I got mine yesterday. Is there any way we can check I recovery or something to see if it's locked?

Paradoxumical said:
I can confirm that, unfortunately, the T-Mobile LG V20 will not come with an unlockable bootloader. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this something I got straight from the top-level guys @ TMO.
Possible good news, see two post below.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I take it you are the master of all that is holy?

thatisandwas said:
How do you know it has an unlocked bootloader? I got mine yesterday. Is there any way we can check I recovery or something to see if it's locked?
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Click to collapse
because there was someone who already did it. it doesnt come unlocked, but it is unlockable , at least for the Tmobile version.
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/lgv20/comments/58568e/v20unlockable_bootloadervery_simplesame_as_g4g5/
also there are some posts around in XDA LG V20 section, the first 3 sub-sections. Right now @bountyman334 has tried several methods to root it however he hasnt hit the spot yet. But im sure there are also quite a few people who haven't spoken but are trying to root it. You will have to ask them how did the manage to do it, but at least we know that if we have the Tmobile variant, we have unlockable bootloader. :good::good:

Oh man that is awesome to hear! I was just saying the only thing that could make this phone the best in years would be if I could install custom roms like the old days!

thatisandwas said:
Oh man that is awesome to hear! I was just saying the only thing that could make this phone the best in years would be if I could install custom roms like the old days!
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Click to collapse
But remember, unlocked bootloader doesnt mean you will get root and roms. (I will soon be an owner of the V20 tmobile variant so is not like i m not expecting for a rooting method and roms soon after) . On the other hand, we are closer than any other variants

ice5192 said:
I take it you are the master of all that is holy?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Holy, light, pure, good and just.

No guarantee.....but......
joseguillen1994 said:
But remember, unlocked bootloader doesnt mean you will get root and roms. (I will soon be an owner of the V20 tmobile variant so is not like i m not expecting for a rooting method and roms soon after) . On the other hand, we are closer than any other variants
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am hoping that with an unlocked Bootloader more devs will jump on-board; especially with Samsung no longer being dev friendly for US models. I am very pleased with the V20. I wasn't sure I would find something I was happy with to replace my TMobile Note 4. But so far this is an excellent choice.

FAUguy said:
Specs for the US996:
CDMA 1.9 GHz CDMA PCS/800 MHz CDMA; GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz; LTE Bands 2/3/4/5/7/12/13/17/20/25
EVDO, EVDO Rev A, 1xRTT, LTE, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, GSM, HSPA+, HSPA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the same as the unlocked LG G5. It won't work on Sprint. Why would any company make an unlocked cell phone that works on three of the four US carriers? Phones that work on Sprint can be used on RingPlus who offer free phone/data plans.
LG's unlocked phones are an abortion done with pliers.

US996 - Are some of them for sale actually locked to a carrier?

I am a Verizon customer that wants a current-gen bootloader-unlocked phone. Enter the US996. It retails for $800, but there are some eBay auctions that are selling them for much less (used in excellent/mint condition). However, the auctions say that they can ONLY be used on US Cellular service. I asked one seller what the deal was, and this is the response I got:
Thank you for your question. We are not selling the phone as compatible with other carriers or carrier-unlocked. We can't guarantee that the phone will work with an another carrier. We are only saying the phone will work with the carrier US Cellular. We can only guarantee that it works with US Cellular.
Click to expand...
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It sounds like they're just playing it safe, since they are a US Cellular authorized reseller, and they don't want to take on the responsibility (or policy ramifications) of selling a device that's advertised to work on other carriers. You know... maybe they're not allowed to sell phones that are advertised to work on anything other than USC.
I asked this question in another thread, and at least 1 user thought they had heard that there are US996s out there that are locked to a carrier. This doesn't make sense to me, because the model numbers should reflect conclusively what the capabilities are, and LG would have no reason to muddy those waters. I can, however, conceive that US Cellular could buy a bulk of US996 phones, and flash a sim lock on them somehow. Perhaps because LG didn't have a SKU for USC set aside. Or perhaps there's a process that, once a USC SIM is used on the phone, it's locked to USC until some subsequent unlock procedure is carried out. (Similar to unlocking a carrier-locked phone for use on another carrier) I don't know, this is all speculation.
So... what is the consensus? Who here is using a US996 on Verizon? Any chance you got it advertised as a US Cellular-only device and it ended up working? Was it an easy process? (ask me about my failed attempt to activate a USC Note 4 - beyond the scope of this thread, but it gives me some contextual knowledge on this topic) I know there are other threads about using the US996 on Verizon, but I'm asking specifically about the possibility that USC has somehow locked them to their service, and in spite of the model number matching the "unlocked version" I wouldn't be able to use it on Verizon.
Thanks for your time at attention.

DrPhant0m said:
I am a Verizon customer that wants a current-gen bootloader-unlocked phone. Enter the US996. It retails for $800, but there are some eBay auctions that are selling them for much less (used in excellent/mint condition). However, the auctions say that they can ONLY be used on US Cellular service. I asked one seller what the deal was, and this is the response I got:
It sounds like they're just playing it safe, since they are a US Cellular authorized reseller, and they don't want to take on the responsibility (or policy ramifications) of selling a device that's advertised to work on other carriers. You know... maybe they're not allowed to sell phones that are advertised to work on anything other than USC.
I asked this question in another thread, and at least 1 user thought they had heard that there are US996s out there that are locked to a carrier. This doesn't make sense to me, because the model numbers should reflect conclusively what the capabilities are, and LG would have no reason to muddy those waters. I can, however, conceive that US Cellular could buy a bulk of US996 phones, and flash a sim lock on them somehow. Perhaps because LG didn't have a SKU for USC set aside. Or perhaps there's a process that, once a USC SIM is used on the phone, it's locked to USC until some subsequent unlock procedure is carried out. (Similar to unlocking a carrier-locked phone for use on another carrier) I don't know, this is all speculation.
So... what is the consensus? Who here is using a US996 on Verizon? Any chance you got it advertised as a US Cellular-only device and it ended up working? Was it an easy process? (ask me about my failed attempt to activate a USC Note 4 - beyond the scope of this thread, but it gives me some contextual knowledge on this topic) I know there are other threads about using the US996 on Verizon, but I'm asking specifically about the possibility that USC has somehow locked them to their service, and in spite of the model number matching the "unlocked version" I wouldn't be able to use it on Verizon.
Thanks for your time at attention.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although it doesn't seem to make much sense, there are in fact 2 us996 versions. One is the unlocked US version and the other is locked to us cellular. From what I've read they are not interchangeable.
The 996 unlocked is the one that also has the official lg unlockable bootloader.
No idea why they gave 2 different phones the same number but from everything I've read since the phones came out... They did exactly that.

planetbeen said:
Although it doesn't seem to make much sense, there are in fact 2 us996 versions. One is the unlocked US version and the other is locked to us cellular. From what I've read they are not interchangeable.
The 996 unlocked is the one that also has the official lg unlockable bootloader.
No idea why they gave 2 different phones the same number but from everything I've read since the phones came out... They did exactly that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ha… the only way I can fathom that this happened is that verizon got their own CDMA model number that is denied bootloader unlock, and US Cellular sim-locks the other CDMA-capable model themselves. Maybe there's a monetary cost that USC didnt want to assume associated with having an exclusive model number provided from LG.
In any case… I won't spend much more time pontificating on it if there's no way to use the USC version on Verizon.
Thanks for the response.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

DrPhant0m said:
Ha… the only way I can fathom that this happened is that verizon got their own CDMA model number that is denied bootloader unlock, and US Cellular sim-locks the other CDMA-capable model themselves. Maybe there's a monetary cost that USC didnt want to assume associated with having an exclusive model number provided from LG.
In any case… I won't spend much more time pontificating on it if there's no way to use the USC version on Verizon.
Thanks for the response.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't say definitively that you can't use it on another network... Only that there's definitely 2 different versions with the same number.
Hopefully someone with more knowledge than me can give some input on that subject...

planetbeen said:
I can't say definitively that you can't use it on another network... Only that there's definitely 2 different versions with the same number.
Hopefully someone with more knowledge than me can give some input on that subject...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check this info:
https://www.uscellular.com/site/legal/mobile-wireless-device-unlocking.html
So V20 US Cellular it's already unlocked?

Unlocked US996 - LTE issues with T-Mobile SIM

Hello all!
On T-Mobile Simple Choice plan in the US. LG V20 US996 64GB model. Android 7.0.
(I have multiple screenshots to share but XDA says I need to have 10 posts before sharing links. I have another thread up on /r/LGV20 with a link to some images)
Recently purchased the US996 model off Amazon to replace my defective Nexus 6P. I read on LG's site that it should support bands 2, 4 and 12 which T-Mobile uses. So far, I love the camera, performance and battery life. Aside from that, I am having some network issues.
1. Device always stays connected to Band 4 AWS1. Not connected to bands 2 and 12.
2. LTE coverage overall is sporadic. usually stays on 4G HSPA+ (doesn't show LTE in top-right next to cell reception meter, though it does show LTE in Network Cell Info app).
3. Wi-Fi calling/VoLTE is not working.
Has anyone else reported these issues? Do I need to flash the T-Mobile H918 firmware?
---------------------------
unrelated question
4. I'm still on 7.0, has 7.1.2 been released for the V20?
Thanks all

7.1.2 hasnt been released on stock for any device. however android 7.1.2 is running on emotion os

loguhn said:
7.1.2 hasnt been released on stock for any device. however android 7.1.2 is running on emotion os
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Nexus 6P was running 7.1.2. are you referring to on-nexus devices?

jkraniak said:
My Nexus 6P was running 7.1.2. are you referring to on-nexus devices?
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Click to collapse
sorry, i shouldve specified for just the v20, im running 7.1.2 on my v20 through emotion os

I had similar issues with the unlocked US version of the LG G5 (RS988). Even though it is listed as having band 12, I was unable to get it to connect to band 12 on T-Mobile. When I was in 'Extended LTE' (band 12-only) areas, I would be roaming while a T-Mobile Galaxy S7 would have a full T-Mobile LTE signal. In the network settings, the phone wouldn't even see the T-Mobile LTE RAT.
I think it likely that T-Mobile or LG were preventing a band 12 connection due to a lack of VOLTE certification. T-Mobile has required manufacturers to disable band 12 on other unlocked phones that did not have VOLTE certification in the past. I wouldn't be surprised if they do the same with this model.

New question. Can I flash my phone with the H918 (T-Mobile's version) firmware?

jkraniak said:
New question. Can I flash my phone with the H918 (T-Mobile's version) firmware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ever get an answer for that??? I just had a US996 land in my lap.

gmolds said:
Ever get an answer for that??? I just had a US996 land in my lap.
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Click to collapse
Nope, you'll end up with a brick. The H918 has a different firmware key than any of the other models, so flashing h918 firmware onto anything else results in a brick, and an h918 flashing any other model firmware results in a brick.

You could try flashing the US Cellular US996 firmware though, and see if it makes a difference. The USC firmware is very much cross-flashable on the unlocked US996 (as far as I know, a lot of people crossflash for the security updates as the unlocked model is behind by quite a bit).
https://forum.xda-developers.com/v20/development/rom-us99610k-stock-rom-twrp-flashable-t3691784

Well at this point I think I'll just sell this US996 and buy an H918.
Looking at Swappa prices I could probably practically get two H918's for this thing. It's practically Mint and has a 10kWH ZeroLemon battery and case. Only thing I'm not sure about is the message that pops up when you start it warning that the bootloader is unlocked... is that bad or a desired feature?
---------- Post added at 03:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:21 PM ----------
gmolds said:
Well at this point I think I'll just sell this US996 and buy an H918.
Looking at Swappa prices I could probably practically get two H918's for this thing. It's practically Mint and has a 10kWH ZeroLemon battery and case. Only thing I'm not sure about is the message that pops up when you start it warning that the bootloader is unlocked... is that bad or a desired feature?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Scratch that question... -- I'm guessing most would want it unlocked to put root/roms on it.

LG V20 US996 Variants

So I got burned on ebay on two separate US996 phones. The sellers never stated a provider and just said factory unlocked (some on ebay actually say US Cellular) so I naively assumed they were the same as the unlocked version B&H photo has been selling.
However after buying them I found a thread on how to tell the difference and the factory unlocked should say USA under the battery. However, the phone I got says UCL (which I think is US cellular) and my wife's phone says BPL (no idea what provider that is).
So, I am wondering if I should just keep these at this point. I paid $268 for my wife's phone about a month or two back and $250 for mine a week ago, so not a terrible deal, but I could have gotten an AT&T unlocked version for not much more new.
So anyway, these phones don't come with any carrier bloatware which is nice and why I'm considering just keeping them. I don't really care about rooting, however I am concerned about 2 things: future updates and cellular bands.
Does anyone know what the differences are hardware wise between these 3 variants or is the only thing that's different the software?
If it's just software shouldn't there be a way to flash these with the real factory unlocked firmware?

Here's a page with the latest ROMs for each variant of the US996:
https://lg-firmwares.com/lg-us996-firmwares/
The BPT one is the BrightPoint version.
The odd thing is that the US Cellular version of the US996 has a much newer version of firmware than the USA Factory Unlocked US996.

Interesting. It looks like the US Cellular firmware works on the unlocked version so I guess there is no difference. I wonder if that means I can flash my wife's phone with the US cellular firmware as well. Never heard of brightpoint.

shawnmos said:
Interesting. It looks like the US Cellular firmware works on the unlocked version so I guess there is no difference. I wonder if that means I can flash my wife's phone with the US cellular firmware as well. Never heard of brightpoint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not sure how true it is, but if you flash the US Cellular firmware on the unlocked version and try to unlock through LG then it would no longer be recognized as the unlocked version. that said you can unlock first and then flash... which is what I did so I can't confirm the former to be true

Questions about the different versions of the LG V35

I have the model V350ULM purchased from bhphotovideo. According to them this is the unlocked version that works on all 3 US networks including Verizon. Is this the same as the Amazon version except for the fact that the Amazon version has more bloatware?
The AT&T version V350AWM I believe is GSM only and would not work on Verizon, correct?
Is it fair to say that the ULM version is "better" than the AWM version since the ULM can work on Verizon? Or is there a way to root and load a custom rom on the ULM version so that the AT&T version also works on Verizon?
Reason for asking is that I am getting ready to sell the ULM model on ebay and want to be honest and accurate in the listing and description.

I think all of my V35 were AT&T version and I flashed the ULM software on all of them. Recently I tried both Verizon and Sprint sims in one of them. Verizon worked fine but that may be because Verizon has mostly moved away from CDMA. When I tried a working Sprint sim card in it, it did restart and adapted to it showing MEID number, other CDMA settings, and it also automatically put in APN settings as well. I can't be sure if this is the function of ULM software that it did that or it actually has CDMA bands but my hunch is that similar to Samsung (they started with Note 8 and may be even earlier) starting with LG V30, LG is also making just one hardware unit and using software (KDZ) to set it for different regions and carriers.
To help answer your actual question, I can confirm that it will work on Verizon and it should work on Sprint but in Sprint's case you will actually have to request that it's ESN be added to some list through Sprint customer service which it seems is a headache. If you or anyone wanted detailed information about this and how to convert an AWM unit to a ULM one, check out this thread, particularly post #6 and also thank the author of the guide while there:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v35/help/att-v35-unlocked-wont-verizon-t3958765