How to tell if a phone will work on T-Mobile

[chong67]

It will if you're in an area T-Mobile refarmed for HSPA+ in the 1900 band, which is most places now. But yes, it would be limited to Edge speed elsewhere.

I see it here on 49 cities: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2416666,00.asp

So I can go ahead and get this unlock phone from HTC for use with Tmobile?

 

[Crashdamage]

So I can go ahead and get this unlock phone from HTC for use with Tmobile?

Like I said, if you are in an area refarmed for 1900 it will work.

 

[KOLIO]

Although the following link states that the GPE HTC ONE M8 will work on T-Mobile,it does come w/a bit of a disclaimer,stating to check w/your service provider for details:

https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=htc_m8&hl=en

Note that the 1700 band is missing,just as last years GPE model.
I doubt if I'd get this either way,but,would like to be certain of compatibility,for future reference.

FWIW,I do have LTE coverage in my area.

THX.

 

[FillInThe_____]

Network Unlocked GSM/UMTS/HSPA+/LTE
GSM/GPRS/EDGE quad-band 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
HSPA/UMTS quad-band 850/AWS/1900/2100 MHz
3G (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
HSDPA 21, HSUPA 5.76
4G LTE (700 MHz, AWS)
NanoSIM

Based on this, it looks compatible. Quad-band GSM, HSPA/UMTS AWS/1900, and AWS 4G LTE. I saw where it says "Compatible with GSM networks.

 

[Gman9831]

You won't even need AWS HSPA after a while. All the places now getting HSPA for the 1st time is running it on 1900PCS and almost all of the current HSPA areas are overlaid with it.

 

[KOLIO]

Network Unlocked GSM/UMTS/HSPA+/LTE
GSM/GPRS/EDGE quad-band 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
HSPA/UMTS quad-band 850/AWS/1900/2100 MHz
3G (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
HSDPA 21, HSUPA 5.76
4G LTE (700 MHz, AWS)
NanoSIM

Based on this, it looks compatible. Quad-band GSM, HSPA/UMTS AWS/1900, and AWS 4G LTE. I saw where it says "Compatible with GSM networks.

 

[chong67]

Nexus 5 will 100% work with LTE in any T-Mobile area?

 

[Gman9831]

Nexus 5 will 100% work with LTE in any T-Mobile area?

Yes if there's LTE and it's available for customers and not in a testing stage the N5 should connect

 

[sreum]

T-mobile's latest mantra is BYODD: Buy Your Own Damned Device err, Bring Your Own Device. That's great, but which devices can you bring? I was wondering this recently, and had a very difficult time figuring out which phones were and weren't compatible with T-Mobile's network. I couldn't find a nice, clean, comprehensive guide, so I was left to cobble together information from all over the web. My goal here is to consolidate this information in a novice-friendly format for others to use as a resource to be able to tell which phones are and aren't compatible with T-Mobile's network.

GSM

First of all, you must have a GSM phone. There are several ways to tell if a phone is GSM. If the phone is from T-Mobile or AT&T, then it is GSM. If the phone is referred to as a Global or World phone, then it is GSM. GSM phones are also sometimes called quad-band phones. If you aren't sure, then you can check the phone's specifications. If the phone is GSM, the specifications will list something like "GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz". If it is not, then it will list something like "CDMA: 800, 1900 MHz". Some phones may have both CDMA and GSM in their specifications. These phones are GSM compatible.

Having a GSM phone just means that you will be able to make and receive calls on T-Mobile's network. I'm guessing you'll also want to use some data.

3G

Let me take a step back. For a phone to work on a network, there are two things that need to happen. First, the phone must support the technology the carrier uses. Then, the phone must support that technology on the frequency the carrier uses. That may sound complicated, but we've already seen it at work. Let's take another look at the specification "GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz". Here, GSM is the technology, and 850, 900, 1800, and 1900MHz are the frequencies the phone supports. T-Mobile uses 1900MHz for their GSM network, so now we can see that since our phone supports the GSM technology on the frequency 1900MHz, our phone is compatible with T-Mobile's network.

The technology for 3G is called UMTS. T-Mobile uses two frequencies for their UMTS network: 1900MHz and 1700/2100MHz. So if you check your phone's specifications and see that it has either 1900MHz or 1700/2100MHz listed as one of the UMTS frequencies, then it will support T-Mobile's 3G network.

4G - HSPA+

T-Mobile did a bit of marketing on this one. What T-Mobile calls 4G can more accurately be called HSPA+. This is not really a new technology, rather, it's an upgrade of the 3G technology UMTS. Therefore, if your phone supports the UMTS frequencies 1900MHz or 1700/2100MHz, then we just need to check to see if the phone supports HSPA (slower) or HSPA+ (faster). If it does, then it will be compatible with T-Mobile's 4G network.

4G - LTE

This is the 4G technology you're probably more familiar with. Just remember that just because a phone is branded as LTE doesn't mean it will work with T-Mobile. T-Mobile's LTE network runs on the 1700/2100MHz frequencies, and if your phone doesn't support that, then you can't use it on T-Mobile's LTE network.

Coverage

There is another factor that will determine whether or not your phone will work on T-Mobile, and that's coverage. In order to be able to use T-Mobile's HSPA+ network, you need to be in an HSPA+ area. The same is true of GSM and LTE. T-Mobile has a coverage map available here (for more info on the map, see this post). Currently, LTE coverage is limited to select markets (at least Baltimore, MD; Kansas City, KS; Houston, TX; Las Vegas, NV; Phoenix, AZ; San Jose, CA and Washington D.C.). More will be added as T-Mobile continues to build and grow their LTE network.

Summary

To summarize, here are the specs you should be looking for when you're trying to determine if a phone will work on T-Mobile's network:

GSM: 1900MHz
UMTS: 1900MHz or 1700/2100MHz
HSPA and HSPA+: Designates phone is capable of faster speeds on UMTS frequencies
LTE: 1700/2100MHz (also designated as LTE Band 4 or Band IV)

The only specification a phone must have is GSM 1900MHz. If a phone has, for example, GMS 1900MHz and UMTS 1900MHz, then it will still work, but the data will be slower than a phone that is HSPA+ capable, and it will not be able to use the LTE network.

Where to find the specs

There are several ways to find the specifications for any particular phone. For carrier-branded phones, (e.g. Sprint, Verizon, AT&T) you can check the carrier's website. It will have the technical specifications for the phones they carry, though sometimes it can be difficult to find the specifications relevant for T-Mobile. You can also go to the manufacturer's website (e.g. Samsung, HTC, LG). They will list the full specifications, but sometimes it can be hard to find information on older models. You can also check retail websites like Walmart, Amazon, or Newegg (sorry, gotta plug Newegg. I'm a fan.), but my preferred option is to visit dedicated websites like PhoneArena.com and GSMArena.com. These websites have all of the technical specifications for a wide range of devices. The only caveat here is that sometimes manufacturer's can have several devices with the same name. For example, there are several different versions of the Samsung Galaxy S3, so you'll want to be sure that you are checking the same version of the phone that you are looking to purchase.

Other Considerations

The spec sheet can tell you if your phone has the hardware to work on T-Mobile's network, but if you are considering using another carrier's device, (e.g. Sprint, Verizon, AT&T) then you may need to take additional steps to configure your phone for T-Mobile's network.

Unlocking

Cell phone carriers can 'lock' their phones to their network. For example, a 'locked' AT&T phone will only work on AT&T's network, even if the phone meets all of the other requirements above. In order to use a 'locked' phone on T-Mobile's network, the phone will need to be 'unlocked' first. You will need to contact the original carrier in order to have your phone unlocked, and under current US law, it is the carriers discretion as to whether or not to grant the request.

Configuring your phone for T-Mobile

Once your phone is unlocked, it may need to be reconfigured to work on T-Mobile's network. Fortunately, this is not something you have to do on your own. If you take your phone into a T-Mobile store, or call T-Mobile's support line, they will be able to help you get your phone configured for T-Mobile's network. If you want to do it yourself, you can also post a question to your phone's forum on this site and someone might be able to help you with the configuration.

Still have questions?

If you still have questions, don't feel bad. It can be difficult to tell whether or not your phone is T-Mobile-ready. If you are uncertain, you can ask at a T-Mobile store, or call T-Mobile's support line. They might be able to help you determine if your phone will work on T-Mobile's network. My suspicion is that though they may tell you a compatible phone isn't, they are unlikely to tell you a non-compatible phone is. If you have any questions or concerns, you can also post a question to either the phone's forum or this T-Mobile forum and someone will be able to help you determine if your phone is compatible.

Frequency Bands

Unfortunately, there are a lot of different ways to say the same thing. You've heard me talk about the 1900MHz and 1700/2100MHz frequency bands, but these frequencies can be described in different ways. 1900MHz is also known as the PCS band. The combination of 1700 and 2100MHz frequencies is also known as the AWS band. For LTE applications, the AWS band is also known as LTE Band IV. It's important to note that there is a difference between a phone that supports the 1700 and 2100MHz frequencies independently (e.g. UMTS: 1700MHz, 2100MHz) vs collectively (e.g. UMTS: 1700/2100MHz) The latter is the designation for the AWS band, and is what is required for T-Mobile compatibility.

Please let me know if you have any feedback. Thanks!

As silly as it sounds, go to BlackBerrys unlocked phones for purchase. They have a good break down with all the carriers.

 

[BRAINZ2013]

Yes I would give a call to get help if stuck cause u may have one thing and they may have 3for your one . but a sims card does most of the device programming of APN . it may take a few minutes to get the best full but be patient

 

[codesplice]

Added a link up top to http://www.willmyphonework.net/, which is a super-handy little resource.

 

[Mjsearby]

I can't get my Tmobile mobile hotspot to work on the Htc one m8 dual sim. As soon as I activate it(hotspot), the data connection disengages/disables.

 

[Crashdamage]

Dial 611 and see if tech support can help you out.

 

[codezer0]

This topic is helpful, but it is in dire need of some updating.

For one, if you care about LTE, and are shopping for a phone, like me, then it's important to keep in mind which bands that T-Mobile uses, as well as the other providers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LTE_networks#Americas
Wikipedia shows T-Mobile uses FDD-LTE bands 2, 4, and 12, specifically.

Now, compare that with T-Mobile's deployment of Band 12, specifically (700MHz A block) here: http://www.spectrumgateway.com/t-mobile-700a-spectrum

That said, what's really annoying, is trying to find compatible phones that also support Band 12 LTE; chances are, if they support Band 12 properly, they'll also support 2 and 4 as well.

 

[ccreed50]

Hi--
When shopping for an unlocked phone sellers do not include anything about a UMTS spec.
Typically it's just this:
SIM 1 (Standard SIM Slot): 3G (Unlocked WCDMA 850/2100MHz) / 2G(Unlocked GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz)
SIM 2 (Micro SIM Slot): 2G (Unlocked GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz)
What to make of this?

 

[KOLIO]

Hi--
When shopping for an unlocked phone sellers do not include anything about a UMTS spec.
Typically it's just this:
SIM 1 (Standard SIM Slot): 3G (Unlocked WCDMA 850/2100MHz) / 2G(Unlocked GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz)
SIM 2 (Micro SIM Slot): 2G (Unlocked GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz)
What to make of this?

Use this site to check compatibility for virtually any phone:
www.willmyphonework.net

 

[xt1103]

I discovered this thread as I was searching for whether AWS Band-4 UMTS was turned off yet as I was going to dust off my old Nokia N900, which only has 21MB HSPA+ there, otherwise just a 4 band GSM radio. I guess I'll find out for sure when I dig it out of storage, but I'm guessing it won't find a UMTS network when it boots up.

Anyway, to update the thread properly besides astro-turfing for the above web site, here are T-Mobile USA's bands (Wind Mobile in Canada should be very similar):

GSM: 99% on PCS / 1900 MHz; there is a market in New Mexico and possibly another in Virginia where they have 850 MHz. Otherwise, 850 MHz (formerly called 800 MHz and still so by me) is for roaming. GSM is going away as it is 2G tech, but is still heavily used by M2M and the new base station radios that T-Mobile has been buying seem to be able to re-allocate spectrum on the fly, so it may not be going away on this network as soon as we thought.

UMTS including HSPA: Bands 2 (1900 MHz PCS) and 4 (1700/2100 MHz AWS). As the whole point of this thread, UMTS on AWS is going away so the band can be 100% LTE. The refarm was originally done because the icrap, er , iphone only worked on PCS and AT&T; this is no longer true. Now it's all about pushing the old tech out to maximize available data (bits per hertz) and that means giving LTE(-A) as much spectrum as possible, ideally contiguous.

LTE: Currently on Bands 2/PCS (in some places), 4/AWS (everywhere), and now Band 12 aka 700 MHz lower A-block AKA UHF TV Channel 52. Note that, unlike all the other carriers, TMO-USA is only doing VoLTE (VoIP over LTE) on Band-12 with no legacy circuit-switching, so all phones must be tested and certified that will claim Band-12 compatibility on the carrier (the radios work fine, it's the proprietary VoLTE implementation that has turned out to be a headache because it must be implemented on each phone's bandband MPU individually!). In addition, there is some new AWS-3 spectrum (Band-4 is AWS-1) and the upcoming (as of this writing) 600 MHz (UHF TV channels in the 40's) auction--neither band has any phones (or base station radios, for that matter) that support them yet. However, 600 MHz is probably 2-3 years out while AWS-3 probably won't appear until fall at the earliest and in case is not a big deal for T-Mobile USA users as they didn't mid on much of it (Legere and friends have made no secret that they're gonna blow their billions of dollars on low band spectrum).

Finally, American (and, by extension, Canadian) band plans continue to differ from the rest of the world, which is why its so hard to make one device that rules, er, works everywhere. The tech continues to progress rapidly (no doubt with leak-down from military SIGINT hardware--did you know that Qualcomm's HQ in San Diego is literally surrounded by SIGINT contractors?) so it's likely the single phone will appear one day, though it depends on the market as well.

TL;DR: UMTS/HSPA almost(?) gone from AWS Band-4 in 2016, all moved to PCS Band-2. GSM going away soon, but too many Machine-to-Machine (M2M) customers may keep it around longer; and non-roaming LTE needs Bands 2 and 4 and, if--and ONLY if--the phone supports T-Mobile USA special VoLTE implementation, you can access Band 12 where available as well.

 

[zuben el genub]

GPRS/EDGE/2G? which is which?

In some rural areas it looks like TMO might be keeping 2G. Also where 12 will conflict with TV 51. It's also the way TMO names things. HSPA and HSPA+. What is and are they doing with 3G?

My Find7 does pick up LTE band 4. I had to install LTE Discovery to see exactly what was what. HSPA appears on the bar, but instead of + it has a tail under the A.

It will show LTE. ATT uses 17? 700. I was in a mall where all the cell stores are located in a small area and the LTE notice did appear. It could have found ATT for all I know.

I've been reading the TMO section of Howard Forums and there's quite a few idiots on there, but most of the reporting on where Band 12 is and how it is working should be somewhat accurate.

I've ridden in a car on a 15/20 mile stretch of road and got anything from Edge to HSPA+. That was another reason for LTE discovery. It also does GSM and will give you the direction of the tower. I live above one but on the highest part, so I do get a good signal. If I go down the hill half a block, not so good.

With all this nonsense, I'm getting the Moto X pure, but keeping the Oppo. If Oppo ever does put out US LTE bands, I'll go right back. I like that phone.

I've got to get the kid another phone. She loves the old Nokia Symbian C6, but that will probably only do EDGE now. She lives in the UK, and might use the American phone on wifi (SIM removed)

She likes to get on the phone and call or text the minute she hits US air space where calling is allowed. She can check on hotels and cars instantly. I've got a LG Nexus 4 in good condition. I never liked it. So it's either that or get her some kind of Moto. What's the consensus?

 

[Crashdamage]

Because of my son's Nexis 5 had an adventure in his toilet, he now has my Nexus 6and I've brought my Nexus 4 out of semi-retirement. I don't understand why you never liked it. What a terrific little (seems tiny after using a Nexus 6) phone it is! If it only had LTE I could use it quite happily for a couple of more years. Actually, HSPA+ is very acceptable and I don't use mobile data much anymore anyway, so the little Nexus 4 might be in my hands for a while.

Point is, the Nexus 4 might be all she needs if HSPA+ is satisfactory. Mine is rooted and running Marshmallow 6.0 (which it runs very well) but if you don't want to root it there's nothing wrong with 5.1.1.

If LTE is important a Moto, Nexus 5X or a used Nexus 5 would all make good choices.

 

[KOLIO]

Because of my son's Nexis 5 had an adventure in his toilet, he now has my Nexus 6and I've brought my Nexus 4 out of semi-retirement. I don't understand why you never liked it. What a terrific little (seems tiny after using a Nexus 6) phone it is! If it only had LTE I could use it quite happily for a couple of more years. Actually, HSPA+ is very acceptable and I don't use mobile data much anymore anyway, so the little Nexus 4 might be in my hands for a while.

Point is, the Nexus 4 might be all she needs if HSPA+ is satisfactory. Mine is rooted and running Marshmallow 6.0 (which it runs very well) but if you don't want to root it there's nothing wrong with 5.1.1.

If LTE is important a Moto, Nexus 5X or a used Nexus 5 would all make good choices.

I thought you could enable the LTE bands on the Nexus 4. (Probably needs root, gotta look that one up myself, been awhile since I've seen or heard anything on the subject).

 

[Crashdamage]

Yeah, you can, but as little as I use mobile data anymore I haven't bothered. The ROM I have loaded doesn't include LTE but runs so stable and all-around well I kinda hate to change it. If you do enable LTE, I think it's Band 4 only which is fine, T-Mobile has Band 4 service probably almost anywhere they have LTE.

 

[KOLIO]

Yeah, you can, but as little as I use mobile data anymore I haven't bothered. The ROM I have loaded doesn't include LTE but runs so stable and all-around well I kinda hate to change it. If you do enable LTE, I think it's Band 4 only which is fine, T-Mobile has Band 4 service probably almost anywhere they have LTE.

Band 4 does work quite well.Not sure of how it compares to Band 12 as far as range from tower,but,most places in my town are great on Band4,up to 50mbps down,roughly the same up.
Just so happens my home is in cell tower purgatory,I use a Cel Fi to ensure call connectivity................

 

[zuben el genub]

Because of my son's Nexis 5 had an adventure in his toilet, he now has my Nexus 6and I've brought my Nexus 4 out of semi-retirement. I don't understand why you never liked it. What a terrific little (seems tiny after using a Nexus 6) phone it is! If it only had LTE I could use it quite happily for a couple of more years. Actually, HSPA+ is very acceptable and I don't use mobile data much anymore anyway, so the little Nexus 4 might be in my hands for a while.

Point is, the Nexus 4 might be all she needs if HSPA+ is satisfactory. Mine is rooted and running Marshmallow 6.0 (which it runs very well) but if you don't want to root it there's nothing wrong with 5.1.1.

If LTE is important a Moto, Nexus 5X or a used Nexus 5 would all make good choices.

The Moto is for me to figure out what TMO is doing. They seem to have bought some 600 frequency t00. There's areas that can't get 12 as it isn't compatible with TV's 51 band. That's where 2G will probably stay. I haven't seen band 2 anywhere yet although I think the Oppo has it. Every time you turn around, TMO is trying something new

So you can update the Nexus 4 to 5.?? whatever yet? It still has 4.4 or whatever it came with. It isn't rooted, so can you get Google's update rather than CM? It's just sitting in its box. I'd fix it and get her a pretty case.

LG makes other stuff and I'm not too impressed. They had that smart TV that snooped until LG told people how to turn it off. Lenovo has been caught shipping something like Babelfish in its laptops. I think I had an LG flip early on before smart phones. Had to use BitPim to get ringtones and contacts on it. I wouldn't have minded trying the Huawei Nexus, but the size and software weren't too impressive. I usually attach a holster to a front pocket, and that's where the phone has been for years so the Huawei would have been too big. The Pure isn't much bigger than the Oppo.

I enjoyed reading the Oppo forums. The phone was multinational, and you got posts from all over. Very interesting to read.
I used to read the forums for the Indian Nokia. The C6 wasn't a US phone, and the Indian forum had more help. Also a different outlook.

 

[Crashdamage]

The Nexus 4 should upgrade as far as 5.1.1 OTA, no rooting. If you root it you can go to Marshmallow 6.0 and add LTE Band 4 for T-Mobile and AT&T.

Edit: I don't know about LG's other products but it's hard to find fault with the Nexus 4. Works good, looks good with a solid, quality feel. I don't know if I trust Huawei. I've never used anything they make.

 

[zuben el genub]

If I were going to use the 4, I might try CM. However, kid is in the UK. I'm also not sure about her getting any help from a phone service with a SIM or any other call hard/software should she have a problem on landing in NYC. Stock Android should be OK. Seems like most of the techs at the local TMO root, but some stores are funny about it. I never got any flack about the C6 or the Oppo. That might not go for TMO stores across the country.

I'm afraid I'd wind up trying to help her long distance over Viber, and with no other phone using CM, I'd have a problem.

I just didn't like the feel or the looks of the phone for some reason. It just gave me an uncomfortable feeling. I customized it, but still didn't care for it. I'd had a Nexus S, that got rooted, but the actual phone didn't bother me. So it wasn't the Nexus line, it was the maker. The Oppo is a rectangular slab with no physical buttons for apps same as the 4. It also works lefthanded. Why that doesn't bother me, I don't know. It could be that I shop for my wants which seem to be different than most, and price and popularity don't enter into the equation. I read everything I can find on a phone before purchasing.

I'll charge up the phone and see if it will update. Does it tell you step by step what it's doing? I've only upgraded CM phones.