Factory Unlocked phone on Verizon

[Simon_y7]

A US-based (US address) warehouse is advertising phones that are "FACTORY UNLOCKED and not attached to any cell phone service and can be used with any service that uses a SIM card – GSM networks".

In the past, CDMA and GSM phones were incompatible, but what does it mean today, in 2019? Many replies to this question on Amazon insist that "international phones" will not work on Verizon. I just now had a long phone conversation with a Verizon rep, and while she said that such phone should work on Verizon with no problem, she also insisted that the phone has to be purchased in the US, not abroad.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Simon_y7]

re:

A US-based (US address) warehouse is advertising phones that are "FACTORY UNLOCKED and not attached to any cell phone service and can be used with any service that uses a SIM card – GSM networks".

In the past, CDMA and GSM phones were incompatible, but what does it mean today, in 2019? Many replies to this question on Amazon insist that "international phones" will not work on Verizon. I just now had a long phone conversation with a Verizon rep, and while she said that such phone should work on Verizon with no problem, she also insisted that the phone has to be purchased in the US, not abroad.

Thanks for your help.

Just a quick addition to my question above. Here is the list for the phone radios:

2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2
3G bands HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
4G bands LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700), 13(700), 17(700), 18(800), 19(800), 20(800), 25(1900), 26(850), 28(700), 32(1500), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500), 66(1700/2100)

 

[Mike Dee]

re:

Not all carrier advanced features will work on all unlocked phones.

 

[Simon_y7]

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How critical are these carrier advanced features?

 

[Mike Dee]

re:

How critical are these carrier advanced features?

Its not a question of what's critical....it's a question of what's critical to you. As an example I'm on Verizon and you could
WIFI, calling VoLTE...Hi Def Voice and Video calling. I won't touch a device without WIFI calling support because a few times a year I'm in an area with no cell service. It's also nice when you need it at random in areas with weak or no signal.

 

[Simon_y7]

re:

Several comments beginning with your last. According to Verizon, all new phones have HD Voice.

As to my original question, another Verizon rep told me today, very authoritatively, that any new phone these days can be used on Verizon. Acc to him, CDMA or GSM radios simply no longer matter. He said that they daily activate dozen of phones migrating from various US providers and purchased anywhere, incl. pawn shops and in Canada.

As to the previous rep's insistence that the phone has to be purchased in the US, he said that the only restrictions a phone may have if it was configured to a specific foreign, e.g., South Korean, network.

Now, the problem is that an aforementioned warehouse that sells phones substantially less expensively than, say, Verizon or Amazon, doesn't respond to phone messages or written correspondence.

 

[Mike Dee]

Several comments beginning with your last. According to Verizon, all new phones have HD Voice.

As to my original question, another Verizon rep told me today, very authoritatively, that any new phone these days can be used on Verizon. Acc to him, CDMA or GSM radios simply no longer matter. He said that they daily activate dozen of phones migrating from various US providers and purchased anywhere, incl. pawn shops and in Canada.

As to the previous rep's insistence that the phone has to be purchased in the US, he said that the only restrictions a phone may have if it was configured to a specific foreign, e.g., South Korean, network.

Now, the problem is that an aforementioned warehouse that sells phones substantially less expensively than, say, Verizon or Amazon, doesn't respond to phone messages or written correspondence.

I don't care how authoritative they sound, don't always trust what the reps tell you. Every carrier treats unlocked phones differently. And some phones don't have all the available proper bands. My advice is figure out what you want to buy and ask someone in the proper subforum if the model you want will be fully compatible with your carrier of choice, Verizon or otherwise.

 

[Simon_y7]

re:

The last Verizon rep read out to me all 4G LTE frequencies they use and all of them are present on the phone in question (Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus).

 

[mustang7757]

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The last Verizon rep read out to me all 4G LTE frequencies they use and all of them are present on the phone in question (Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus).

If your asking if the Verizon will work on US unlocked s10 + , yes it will , they have all the bands of the 4 carriers. The only thing you could miss out RCS for texting and video chat as the carrier branded have those .

 

[Mike Dee]

re:

The last Verizon rep read out to me all 4G LTE frequencies they use and all of them are present on the phone in question (Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus).

I wasn't specifically referring to the S10

 

[Mike Dee]

re:

If your asking if the Verizon will work on US unlocked s10 + , yes it will , they have all the bands of the 4 carriers. The only thing you could miss out RCS for texting and video chat as the carrier branded have those .

Are you sure WIFI calling works?

 

[mustang7757]

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Are you sure WIFI calling works?

That I dont know for Verizon , tmobile yes and my Att try's but says error.

 

[Simon_y7]

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I wasn't specifically referring to the S10

Understood.

 

[Simon_y7]

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Well, now also an eBay seller stated unequivocally that an international phone would work only on a GSM network. I did call AT&T support and was told that the only way to make sure is to insert a carrier SIM and see what happens. Very tempting, but wasting $700+, damn it, would hurt too much.

 

[mustang7757]

re:

International version will only work on Att and Tmobile , how good dont know the answer .

Well, now also an eBay seller stated unequivocally that an international phone would work only on a GSM network. I did call AT&T support and was told that the only way to make sure is to insert a carrier SIM and see what happens. Very tempting, but wasting $700+, damn it, would hurt too much.

 

[Simon_y7]

re:

It looks as if, at least in the US, the consumer is locked into where he/she can purchase the phone that would work on Verizon, Sprint or US Cellular, that is at the carrier itself or at a seller that sells specifically these three carrier-branded phones.

Something isn't right with this picture.

 

[mustang7757]

re:

It looks as if, at least in the US, the consumer is locked into where he/she can purchase the phone that would work on Verizon, Sprint or US Cellular, that is at the carrier itself or at a seller that sells specifically these three carrier-branded phones.

Something isn't right with this picture.

If you looking at international version they work with GSM which tmobile and Att in the US are , as the others you mentioned work on CDMA

 

[Simon_y7]

re:

Looks like, while denied by both Verizon and AT&T the CDMA vs. GSM conflict is still alive and well. Be that as it may, so where can one buy a CDMA phone if not at the carrier? Say, if a man from overseas plans to travel to the US and wants to buy a phone before leaving that he could activate on Verizon or Sprint, he's absolutely out of luck?

That is plain crazy, methinks.

 

[Rhyalus]

re:

I think there is no clear answer to what you are asking, since each phone and carrier are different.

There are two things to consider / do if you want to buy an unlocked phone (in my experience with Verizon and several purchases).

First, buy a phone in the US or if you are for some reason compelled to do otherwise, compare the bands on the phone you want to buy with the bands on a KNOWN phone supported by Verizon. CDMA is old school, and if you travel at all, you need GSM. The other reason to buy a phone in the US is to simplify repairs and assure regular updates.

Be aware you WILL (with 100% confidence) lose some vendor supported features. On Verizon, you will lose WiFi calling and advanced visual voice mail. For the latter you can use 3rd party products.

R

 

[Mike Dee]

re:

Looks like, while denied by both Verizon and AT&T the CDMA vs. GSM conflict is still alive and well. Be that as it may, so where can one buy a CDMA phone if not at the carrier? Say, if a man from overseas plans to travel to the US and wants to buy a phone before leaving that he could activate on Verizon or Sprint, he's absolutely out of luck?

That is plain crazy, methinks.

You can buy unlocked phones in the U.S. that support both CDMA and GSM and that's probably what they meant.