Moto X (2014) and LTE bands

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wyseguy

2 posts

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#154365 25-Oct-2014 18:01

Hi,

I'm thinking of upgrading to the new Moto X, but i'm trying to figure out how much i'll be missing out on by not having the 700 MHz LTE band.

Does anyone know what parts of New Zealand are covered by this band, versus the 1800 MHz band?

thanks
-- w

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#1162096 25-Oct-2014 18:44

FYI watch the "LTE700", ours is different to the USA.

sbiddle

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#1162123 25-Oct-2014 19:32

wyseguy: Hi,

I'm thinking of upgrading to the new Moto X, but i'm trying to figure out how much i'll be missing out on by not having the 700 MHz LTE band.

Does anyone know what parts of New Zealand are covered by this band, versus the 1800 MHz band?

thanks
-- w

At present LTE band 28 only covers a small number of sites. By early to mid next year it'll probably be 300+ on Vodafone.

Moto X doesn't do this band anyway, so it's not really something that should worry you.

yeosteve

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1164737 29-Oct-2014 23:08

Hi,

I just failed to order one through the Motorola site and failed - common story I hear - so I'm looking at Ebay. Can anyone tell me which one I should go for to use on Vodafone in NZ please

Moto X - Pure Edition (GSM Unlocked with T-Mobile SIM - XT1095):
GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1700 (AWS), 1900, 2100 MHz)
4G LTE (02, 04, 17)

AT&T (XT1097):
GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1700 (AWS), 1900, 2100 MHz)
4G LTE (02, 03, 04, 05, 07, 17)

Verizon (XT1096):
GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz)
CDMA (850, 1900 MHz)
4G LTE (02, 03, 04, 07, 13)

I'm lusting after a bamboo back, wanted black but Ebay only has white but that's OK

Thanks

NikT

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#1165832 31-Oct-2014 12:58

yeosteve: Hi,

I just failed to order one through the Motorola site and failed - common story I hear - so I'm looking at Ebay. Can anyone tell me which one I should go for to use on Vodafone in NZ please
Moto X - Pure Edition (GSM Unlocked with T-Mobile SIM - XT1095):
GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1700 (AWS), 1900, 2100 MHz)
4G LTE (02, 04, 17) AT&T (XT1097):
GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1700 (AWS), 1900, 2100 MHz)
4G LTE (02, 03, 04, 05, 07, 17) Verizon (XT1096):
GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz)
CDMA (850, 1900 MHz)
4G LTE (02, 03, 04, 07, 13)

I'm lusting after a bamboo back, wanted black but Ebay only has white but that's OK

Thanks

The AT&T or Verizon versions will be fine, assuming they're also unlocked. Avoid the T-Mobile XT1095 version as it lacks support for all NZ LTE, not just band 28. You want LTE bands 3 and 7, and the T-Mobile version has neither.

All three models will work on 3G in NZ, however.

Product Manager @ PB Tech

Smartphones @ PB Tech | Headphones @ PB Tech

old3eyes

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#1165844 31-Oct-2014 13:08

It would be unlikely that the Verizon version would support NZ 3G as Verizon is a CDMA carrier..

Regards,

Old3eyes

NikT

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#1165853 31-Oct-2014 13:20

old3eyes: It would be unlikely that the Verizon version would support NZ 3G as Verizon is a CDMA carrier..

That was the case in years past, but is not anymore. Verizon moved to LTE as their 4G solution (Qualcomm killed the CDMA equivalent of LTE), so all of their 4G devices now take SIM cards in order to support this. Due to the regulation and licensing requirements around parts of the US 700MHz spectrum, all devices sold that support that specific band need to be unlocked (Although they do tend to have locked bootloaders, that's another story).

So unless you're buying a super low-end '3G'(i.e. CDMA)-only Verizon device, modern devices from that network will by and large support international UMTS/3G on standard bands. Which is pretty neat. Also helps with roaming for US customers.

Product Manager @ PB Tech

Smartphones @ PB Tech | Headphones @ PB Tech

yeosteve

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1165896 31-Oct-2014 13:50

Thanks heaps. I'll my Christmas present right away

Equinox IT

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bullenzed

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#1166838 2-Nov-2014 11:59

Moto X Pure Edition (XT1095) may soon get more LTE bands:

http://www.androidcentral.com/moto-x-pure-edition-xt1095-may-soon-get-more-lte-bands

yeosteve

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1166990 2-Nov-2014 17:52

Thanks, bullenzed, I might wait a week to see what they do. The AT&T version has some bloatware that I could turn off, but why bother if I can get the Pure version.
It's a shame the Droid Turbo is a Verizon only device ....

bullenzed

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1167041 2-Nov-2014 18:46

yeosteve: It's a shame the Droid Turbo is a Verizon only device ....

You're in luck then!

DROID Turbo will tout its battery life as the “Moto Maxx” outside of the U.S.
http://phandroid.com/2014/10/31/droid-turbo-will-tout-its-battery-life-as-the-moto-maxx-outside-of-the-u-s/

old3eyes

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#1167052 2-Nov-2014 19:10

NikT:
old3eyes: It would be unlikely that the Verizon version would support NZ 3G as Verizon is a CDMA carrier..

That was the case in years past, but is not anymore. Verizon moved to LTE as their 4G solution (Qualcomm killed the CDMA equivalent of LTE), so all of their 4G devices now take SIM cards in order to support this. Due to the regulation and licensing requirements around parts of the US 700MHz spectrum, all devices sold that support that specific band need to be unlocked (Although they do tend to have locked bootloaders, that's another story).

So unless you're buying a super low-end '3G'(i.e. CDMA)-only Verizon device, modern devices from that network will by and large support international UMTS/3G on standard bands. Which is pretty neat. Also helps with roaming for US customers.

So what happens in NZ when you exit a LTE are with a Verizon phone.. "Emergency Only" on your phone??

Regards,

Old3eyes

wyseguy

2 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1167131 2-Nov-2014 20:41

That's quite interesting about the pure addition getting more LTE bands. It's bands 3 (1800Mhz) and 28 (700Mhz) that are active in New Zealand, so adding band 3 to the Pure edition will mean it will work here ok, but will still be missing band 28.
The European "Pure" edition already supports band 3 though (http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_moto_x_(2014)-6649.php), so it's really the lack of band 28 that will affect us here.

And that's what my original question was about, how much will missing the 700MHz band 28 affect everyday usage. I'm guessing that since 4G is still pretty much a novelty here that it won't be a huge issue. I should be ordering my Moto X this week, so i'll let everyone know how i get on.

-- wg

NikT

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#1167357 3-Nov-2014 10:19

old3eyes:
NikT:
old3eyes: It would be unlikely that the Verizon version would support NZ 3G as Verizon is a CDMA carrier..

That was the case in years past, but is not anymore. Verizon moved to LTE as their 4G solution (Qualcomm killed the CDMA equivalent of LTE), so all of their 4G devices now take SIM cards in order to support this. Due to the regulation and licensing requirements around parts of the US 700MHz spectrum, all devices sold that support that specific band need to be unlocked (Although they do tend to have locked bootloaders, that's another story).

So unless you're buying a super low-end '3G'(i.e. CDMA)-only Verizon device, modern devices from that network will by and large support international UMTS/3G on standard bands. Which is pretty neat. Also helps with roaming for US customers.

So what happens in NZ when you exit a LTE are with a Verizon phone.. "Emergency Only" on your phone??

Modern Verizon Wireless 4G devices support WCDMA/UMTS/3G and GSM/2G in addition to CDMA 2000 and LTE, so will work just fine in NZ if the right bands are there, which they usually are. It's done this way both for roaming purposes and because the basebands tend to just support everything these days. :)

This means that the Droid Turbo is a legitimate option for use in NZ as well, although it does not support band 28, and obtaining new VZW devices outright at launch has historically been challenging and expensive unless one has personal contacts in the US. The ballistic nylon looks gorgeous. Hopefully the international Moto Maxx does support band 28.

Product Manager @ PB Tech

Smartphones @ PB Tech | Headphones @ PB Tech

bbunnys

321 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1180786 21-Nov-2014 14:24

Also looking at getting one of theses. Was thinking Nexus 6 but price is going to kill it for me.

I assume this model should work fine on 4g in NZ as seems cheaper than the states.

http://www.clove.co.uk/motorola-moto-x

bullenzed

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1180815 21-Nov-2014 15:01

My Moto X (Pure, XT1095) arrived yesterday and appears to be working perfectly on all the required bands. I've seen 4G pop up while driving around town, didn't have a chance to test speeds though. Lollipop on the XT1095 was meant to add more bands, but I sideloaded 5.0 immediately on unboxing so I can't confirm if this is the case.

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