Unlocked 4a 5G & Verizon (sub-6 access)

[oks10]

I apologize if this has already been hashed out. I tried searching but wasn't able to find anything. My brother and I are looking to make the jump from our 2XL's to a 4a 5G but not wanting to pay the extra $100 for the Verizon version bc we don't even have the ultra wide 5G service in our area. I'm just trying to see if the unlocked 4a 5G's are currently able to access their sub-6 5G yet. I've tried searching online but have only seen hypothetical "it should work" and "will be enabled soon" but not anything saying it's actually active yet. I know the unlocked won't access the ultra wide 5G but like I said, we don't even get that here so not really a concern for me.

 

[bkdodger2]

You will get the sub 6 with unlocked...

 

[bkdodger2]

XDA forums

 

[oks10]

XDA forums

You will get the sub 6 with unlocked...

Perfect. Thanks for the help!

 

[SmoovC]

Can confirm. Swapped the Verizon SIM from my unlocked P3XL into the unlocked 4a 5G, drove out of my neighborhood, and the 5G symbol popped up. As mentioned, speeds aren't much better than 4G LTE.

 

[oks10]

Re: Unlocked 4a 5G & Verizon (sub-6 access)

Can confirm. Swapped the Verizon SIM from my unlocked P3XL into the unlocked 4a 5G, drove out of my neighborhood, and the 5G symbol popped up. As mentioned, speeds aren't much better than 4G LTE.

Kinda off topic but any idea if the coverage is at least better? 4G speeds are no bother to me. The big issue I currently have is that both at home and work I've had 0-1 bar of service the last several months. It's a big issue at home when I lose power and can't rely on my WiFi. I guess I can try and if the coverage isn't any better then I can jump to another carrier since the phone would be unlocked.

 

[swebb]

As mentioned, speeds aren't much better than 4G LTE.

I've heard that a lot, but my experience is different. Speeds on 4G topped at around 100 Mbps. 5G speeds with a strong signal come in @250 Mbps. That's not insignificant to me. Seems like latency is much better too.

Now I had to have a new SIM and go through tech support to make this happen. My old SIM from an unlocked P3XL only got intermittent 5G when I moved it over. The new SIM wasn't any better until I contacted support, reset network settings, then left the phone off for a few minutes and restarted it. I have no idea which part of the process fixed it, but it's worth a try to reset network settings and see if that helps.

I've also heard that part of the provisioning process has to do with the combination of the SIM and the IMEI of the phone. Maybe that is why moving a SIM between phones doesn't always yield optimal results.