In all honesty, what would I be losing in terms of data speeds if I were to import the U11+ for use

[anon(5506951)]

So yeah, I just can't get past my wanting the U11+. As the owner of a Nexus 6P, I'm obviously able to get LTE speeds on T-Mobile, but how much would I be sacrificing in terms of speed and performance with the phone on HSPA+?

 

[B. Diddy]

The specs indicate that the U11+ should be able to use LTE on T-Mobile. T-Mobile uses LTE bands 2, 4, and 12 (and possibly 66 and 71 in your area). The U11+ supports 4 and 12: https://www.gsmarena.com/htc_u11+-8908.php

HSPA+ speeds will depend on your area. Where I live, HSPA+ can give me upwards of 12-13 Mbps download speeds, which is pretty good. But in other areas, it might drop down to 1-2 Mbps.

 

[anon(5506951)]

The specs indicate that the U11+ should be able to use LTE on T-Mobile. T-Mobile uses LTE bands 2, 4, and 12 (and possibly 66 and 71 in your area). The U11+ supports 4 and 12: https://www.gsmarena.com/htc_u11+-8908.php

HSPA+ speeds will depend on your area. Where I live, HSPA+ can give me upwards of 12-13 Mbps download speeds, which is pretty good. But in other areas, it might drop down to 1-2 Mbps.

Thanks for the reply. I live in Queens, NY, so I was wondering if it was worth importing the phone. I've heard so called "experts" say it's not worth it because it won't support US bands. I won't get a warranty with it, but pending reviews, it's too good to pass on.

 

[B. Diddy]

I've heard so called "experts" say it's not worth it because it won't support US bands.

In this review, what they say is that the phone won't be sold by carriers, meaning that you'd have to buy it directly from HTC outright, without being able to pay in monthly installments: https://www.engadget.com/2017/11/02/htc-u11-plus/. But there's no mention that the phone won't support US carrier bands.

 

[chanchan05]

GSMArena lists the bands the phone is compatible with. Assuming there are no weird regional variants, all models should have the same list. You can cross check with your carrier.

https://m.gsmarena.com/htc_u11+-8908.php

 

[anon(5506951)]

GSMArena lists the bands the phone is compatible with. Assuming there are no weird regional variants, all models should have the same list. You can cross check with your carrier.

https://m.gsmarena.com/htc_u11+-8908.php

Thanks for this. Yeah, I see it supports bands 4 and 12. According to an app I downloaded, I'm on T-Mobile band 4, so I guess I'm good to go with LTE once I get the phone unlocked.

 

[black_beard]

I'm in NYC and my download speeds are around 1-3 mbs, which isn't great. When I go to Boston, my download speeds are over 20 mbs, so the difference is noticeable from the missing band.

Despite that, the phone is wonderful..I don't notice the slower download speeds in NYC unless I test for it. On the subway I get great signal, a huge plus.

 

[Javier P]

Mod note. Thread moved to the HTC U11+ forum.

 

[DustBow]

Won't it depend on if the carriers "allow" it to work on their bands? Remember how Verizon crippled the U11 by only letting it operate on 1 band or something like that? Even tho it's capable of full compatibility with Verizon.... I ended up not buying the phone b/c of that

 

[Ben_70]

I use the u11 on Verizon. I don't know how many bands it's using (nor do I care) but in my experience 4G works just fine.

 

[Bl00dRunzC0ld]

Won't it depend on if the carriers "allow" it to work on their bands?

That's only like Verizon and Sprint. You can use pretty much any GSM phone on T-Mobile and AT&T, it just depends on if the bands that you need are on the phone. You also typically won't get specific features like VoLTE or wifi calling when using phones that aren't "approved". That would end up being OP's problem, the U11+ will work, she just won't get VoLTE or wifi calling.

 

[anon(5506951)]

There's a guy on YouTube with a channel called High Tech Traveler. He had a friend of his from Taiwan send him the U11+ for use in Virginia. He has a few videos on the phone up. In the comments on one of his videos, he said he has no issues getting LTE on both T-Mobile and AT&T.

 

[sshoredoc]

Ben_70 Same here. My U11 works fine on verizon