If you download and install Any Cut, you can access a hidden menu on the phone that lets you force 1X mode and disables 4G/LTE mode. The only problem with this method is that it is not like the simple on/off switch that Indulge users like me are used to. This method requires the phone to reboot each time you change the setting. Better than nothing for now I suppose:
1. Run Any Cut and select New shortcut and then select Activity
2. Scroll down the list until you find 'Network settings' (you will see 2 of them). Select the first one, not the second one, and then hit OK to create the shortcut link on your home screen.
3. Close Any Cut, go to your home screen, open the newly created Network settings shortcut, and you will see a menu with 3 options: CDMA, LTE, and Hybrid Operation.
-To disable 4G mode, select CDMA. Phone will automatically reboot. 4G mode will be disabled now until you go back into the network settings menu and re-enable it. Even if you receive or make a phone call, 4G mode will not turn back on.
-To turn 4G mode back on, select Hybrid Operation...and then select Automatic (NOT MANUAL). Phone will reboot and you will be back in 4G mode.
NEVER SELECT THE LTE OPTION...otherwise when the phone reboots it will not be able to find service. Only select CDMA to turn off 4G, or Hybrid to turn it back on. LTE Only mode does not seem to work properly on this phone.
*I have not tested this for very long to see how battery usage was affected by disabling 4G mode and forcing 1X, but for whatever it's worth, I did perform a 10 minute charging comparison where I had my Esteem connected to a charger in 1X mode for 10 minutes with the display turned off, and then charged it again for the same amount of time with 4G mode turned on and the display off, and it really didn't charge any faster on forced 1X vs 4G. The battery charged up about 1% more in CDMA after 10 minutes, which seems negligible. But you guys can play around with it yourselves to see if the battery lasts any longer.
Oh and by the way, with Any Cut I found another menu that lets you tamper with a couple more LTE settings, but I didn't want to screw around with any of that stuff. That menu allows you to see details of your LTE and CDMA signals in decibels, and it also has an LTE Network management menu that contains an ON/OFF Connect option...but toggling that setting on/off seems to turn off data completely, not just LTE, so it's useless/the same as just turning on Airplane mode.
1. Run Any Cut and select New shortcut and then select Activity
2. Scroll down the list until you find 'Network settings' (you will see 2 of them). Select the first one, not the second one, and then hit OK to create the shortcut link on your home screen.
3. Close Any Cut, go to your home screen, open the newly created Network settings shortcut, and you will see a menu with 3 options: CDMA, LTE, and Hybrid Operation.
-To disable 4G mode, select CDMA. Phone will automatically reboot. 4G mode will be disabled now until you go back into the network settings menu and re-enable it. Even if you receive or make a phone call, 4G mode will not turn back on.
-To turn 4G mode back on, select Hybrid Operation...and then select Automatic (NOT MANUAL). Phone will reboot and you will be back in 4G mode.
NEVER SELECT THE LTE OPTION...otherwise when the phone reboots it will not be able to find service. Only select CDMA to turn off 4G, or Hybrid to turn it back on. LTE Only mode does not seem to work properly on this phone.
*I have not tested this for very long to see how battery usage was affected by disabling 4G mode and forcing 1X, but for whatever it's worth, I did perform a 10 minute charging comparison where I had my Esteem connected to a charger in 1X mode for 10 minutes with the display turned off, and then charged it again for the same amount of time with 4G mode turned on and the display off, and it really didn't charge any faster on forced 1X vs 4G. The battery charged up about 1% more in CDMA after 10 minutes, which seems negligible. But you guys can play around with it yourselves to see if the battery lasts any longer.
Oh and by the way, with Any Cut I found another menu that lets you tamper with a couple more LTE settings, but I didn't want to screw around with any of that stuff. That menu allows you to see details of your LTE and CDMA signals in decibels, and it also has an LTE Network management menu that contains an ON/OFF Connect option...but toggling that setting on/off seems to turn off data completely, not just LTE, so it's useless/the same as just turning on Airplane mode.