Re: [PLUG] OT: Unlocked Cell Phones

If you have any questions about project fi, I'd be happy to answer. I've been using it for about two months now and am happy doing so.

On Nov 9, 2015 7:05 PM, "Mike DePaulo" <mikedep333@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi, I am an experienced retail-unlocked user on AT&T.

On Mon, Nov 9, 2015 at 6:11 PM, jeff <jeffv@op.net> wrote:
> Mainly the two systems. You might want to check plans to see if there's one
> that works better for you.

Not any more :)

1. Some phones like the Motorola Moto X Pure Edition support all 4
major carriers:
The 2 CDMA carriers: Verizon & Sprint.
The 2 GSM carriers: AT&T & T-Mobile

(Yes, all these 4 carriers now have LTE networks too.)

Motorola will even sell you the phone with any of their 4 SIM cards.
(They officially support a 5th carrier, U.S. Cellular, too actually.)
http://www.motorola.com/us/products/moto-x-pure-edition

2. See google's project Fi, which works with their Nexus unlocked
phones. It apparently uses both t-mobile (GSM & LTE) and Sprint (CDMA
& LTE).
https://fi.google.com

> I like Verizon for the coverage. Ymmv.

See #1 above.
http://www.androidcentral.com/moto-x-pure-edition-second-opinion

> There are nice things to be said about the Galaxy S6 and LG G4.
> Possibly of concern are removable battery and whether you can insert an
> additional SD card.

It sounds like you are assuming that unlocked phone users are limited
to Nexus devices if they want a warranty and official sales in the US.

Not any more :)

T-Mobile and their no-more-subsidies business model is now being
adopted by AT&T also. This model is compatible with unlocked phones;
the only thing you are really missing out on is the 0% interest loan
on the phone.

So some companies like Motorola are selling unlocked phones (both
low-end and high-end) with US warranties, uSD card slots, etc.

Just make sure it has the combination of features/compatibility you want.

For example, it looks like all Motorola Moto G 3rd edition variants
have microSD card slots. However, the "XT1540" variant is the one for
T-Mobile, AT&T, and other North American carriers. Unlike $500 phones,
$200 phones need multiple models to support all the different bands.
Also, the 16GB version ($220) has 2GB of RAM, while the 8GB version
($180) has 1GB of RAM.
http://www.motorola.com/us/products/moto-g
Click Network -> Expand:
http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_moto_g_(3rd_gen)-7247.php

BTW, whenever I think of Motorola nowadays, I think of the Japanese
company "Muji" and their slogan "Lower priced for a reason." Notice
they said "lower priced", not "low priced" or "dirt-cheap."

-Mike
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