I know almost nothing about smartphones and was about to buy a Moto G as my first. Can anyone explain in detail what will be the differences between the US and the Global versions? I know nothing about these different frequency bands. I live in the US but travel in Europe often and I would like a phone that can perform well in both. I hear that the G will not do LTE. I don't know if this will make it very slow in day-to-day use as I have no experience of using data on a cellphone. HSPA+21 (or whatever it's called) sounds fast enough to me, but does the fact that there are two versions mean that I will not even get 3G speeds in both places? I have been told that 2G is really pretty bad. Motorola's website quotes this for the two GSM versions:
Global GSM model: Compatible with all GSM-based cellular networks. Optimized to work with 3G (UMTS/HSPA+) networks when roaming outside the US. Supported frequencies: GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), UMTS/HSPA+ up to 21 Mbps (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz)
US GSM model: Compatible with all GSM-based cellular networks. Optimized to work with 3G (UMTS/HSPA+) networks when operating inside the US. 3G coverage may be limited when roaming outside the US. Supported frequencies: US GSM Model: GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), UMTS/HSPA+ up to 21 Mbps (850, 1700 (AWS), 1900 MHz)
Is it significant that they only warn of limited 3G coverage on the US version? Does that mean I can just buy the global version and be fine everywhere? I'm baffled.Thanks for any help. Please keep it simple; I'm a newb.
Global GSM model: Compatible with all GSM-based cellular networks. Optimized to work with 3G (UMTS/HSPA+) networks when roaming outside the US. Supported frequencies: GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), UMTS/HSPA+ up to 21 Mbps (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz)
US GSM model: Compatible with all GSM-based cellular networks. Optimized to work with 3G (UMTS/HSPA+) networks when operating inside the US. 3G coverage may be limited when roaming outside the US. Supported frequencies: US GSM Model: GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), UMTS/HSPA+ up to 21 Mbps (850, 1700 (AWS), 1900 MHz)
Is it significant that they only warn of limited 3G coverage on the US version? Does that mean I can just buy the global version and be fine everywhere? I'm baffled.Thanks for any help. Please keep it simple; I'm a newb.