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Need help finding compatible U.S. carriers (major or small) for new phone.

R

Ratchet Clank

Newbie
I have this Phone, the Lenovo P780 smartphone. I just brought it recently for a fair and low price off a retailer. However, the phone has not yet released in the u.s. (and with all the shelving after saying they would release it in the U.S., well, I don't think it will)

But to the point, I found 2 sites that have the band frequencies for the phone, if anyone can find any others it would help, but here they are: Lenovo P780 - Full phone specifications and then this second one:Compare HTC Evo 3D vs Lenovo P780 - GSMArc.com

My question is, with these bands, what U.S. carrier (that has setups or small outlets in virginia) is compatible? (I would like 4G but I see no 4G band there) so I am looking for a compatible U.S. carrier that will at least have me at around 3g. If someone could point out what is compatible with what i would very much appreciate it thanks.

ALSO I DO NOT CARE if the carrier is the super major big four, or the smaller u.s. carriers. (Although please make sure the carrier is available in the state of virginia is you do find one) Also if you can find other band information on this phone not in the two above links, that would also help. I appreciate anyone who comes by to assist.
 
According to the spec it's got that..
GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz
UMTS 900/2100 MHz
...which means it's good for Asia and Europe. It also means no Verizon or Sprint, as those are CDMA/EV-DO networks. This phone doesn't have 4G/LTE.

Someone with more knowledge of American cellular bands could help here I think. Maybe it will work on AT&T at least for GSM/EDGE 2G service, but that's just a guess.

Something to be aware of Lenovos(except for Motorola) are usually sold only in Asia, and are not available in America AFAIK. Which means if there's any problems you're not likely to be able to get local service, and will have to send it back to wherever it came from.
 
The other principal US carrier is T-Mobile isn't it? Anything else AFAIK is an MVNO(Mobile Virtual Network Operator), which means they're riding another carrier's network, i.e. T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon and Sprint.

Looking at T-Mobile's band-plan courtesy of Wikipedia. :D
T-Mobile US - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Lenovo has GSM/EDGE 1900MHz which means it should be OK for phone calls, SMS and probably slow 2G EDGE data. Probably the same for AT&T as well. 3G in the US is likely to be a problem for this phone I think. Lenovos are mostly sold in China, India and SE Asia. They're good solid phones in my experience, but probably not so good if you're in the Americas. The other thing is warranty service, if you took it to a Lenovo repair agent in the US, they'd probably say "I didn't know Lenovo made cellphones!". ;)

I recall a post sometime last year about someone importing a phone from China, trying to use it in the US. Apparently could only do phone calls and SMS, no data.
 
mikedt said:
The other principal US carrier is T-Mobile isn't it? Anything else AFAIK is an MVNO(Mobile Virtual Network Operator), which means they're using another carrier's network.

Looking at T-Mobile's band-plan courtesy of Wikipedia. :D
T-Mobile US - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Lenovo has GSM/EDGE 1900MHz which means it should be OK for phone calls, SMS and probably slow 2G EDGE data. Probably the same for AT&T as well. 3G in the US is likely to be a problem for this phone I think. Lenovos are mostly sold in China, India and SE Asia. They're good solid phones in my experience, but probably not so good if you're in the Americas. The other thing is warranty service, if you took it to a Lenovo repair agent in the US, they'd probably say "I didn't know Lenovo made cellphones!". ;)

I recall a post sometime last year about someone importing a phone from China, trying to use it in the US. Could only do phone calls and SMS, no data.
Click to expand...

Uh no, as you did not mention At&t before.

As for what you are saying, I hear that people have used the newer lenovo phones with at least 4g. (2g calling is bad right?) so maybe there is someone who knows about which carrier that is. I already know I am not getting Verizon because verison since around 4 years ago only accepts there own branded phones. with a few exceptions, most including blackberry.
 
Ratchet Clank said:
Uh no, as you did not mention At&t before.

As for what you are saying, I hear that people have used the newer lenovo phones with at least 4g. (2g calling is bad right?) so maybe there is someone who knows about which carrier that is. I already know I am not getting Verizon because verison since around 4 years ago only accepts there own branded phones. with a few exceptions, most including blackberry.
Click to expand...

The main reason why it won't go on Verizon is because this is a GSM phone, which is a bit more serious and technical than only accepting their own branded CDMA phones. Same for Sprint, and any MVNOs running on those CDMA networks. I added AT&T in an edit of my first post. ;)

AFAIK all regular phone calls(not VOIP) are handled on GSM 2G, it's only low bandwidth voice data. I was in the US(Boston) about 4 years ago and was using AT&T on 1900MHz for phone calls, but I didn't bother with data at the time. That was with a Nokia E72 from the UK.

Some Lenovos have 4G/LTE, but I don't know if it's the same bands used in the US that are used in China and Asia, i.e. Lenovo's home market. The Lenovo P780 doesn't even appear to be 3G compatible with the US. I've got a P700i, and it's the same bands as this one, bought it locally.
 
mikedt said:
The main reason why it won't go on Verizon is because this is a GSM phone, which is a bit more serious and technical than only accepting their own branded CDMA phones. Same for Sprint, and any MVNOs running on those CDMA networks. I added AT&T in an edit of my first post. ;)

AFAIK all regular phone calls(not VOIP) are handled on GSM 2G, it's only low bandwidth voice data. I was in the US(Boston) about 4 years ago and was using AT&T on 1900MHz for phone calls, but I didn't bother with data at the time. That was with a Nokia E72 from the UK.
Click to expand...

I would not be able to use the phone with verizon regardless of everything you just said because of the fact it's not a verizon phone.

Now my question is, is 2G "bad" as in, is it even compatible with data, and is the voice quality bad?
 
It's not bad, it's going to be telephone quality though, 300Hz-3.4kHz I believe, that's what's defined as telephone quality bandwidth. It'll be exactly the same as any other cellphone. It's not going to be like high bandwidth Skype. ;)
 
The P780 is a good phone, I've tried them out at China Mobile, but I have to ask though is there any particular feature of this phone that you require over what might be available locally. Like the HTC you mentioned, or something else like a Samsung or something.

The Lenovo is only a mid-range quad-core phone, 1GB RAM, etc. 4GB internal storage is rather low these days.
 
mikedt said:
The P780 is a good phone, I've tried them out at China Mobile, but I have to ask though is there any particular feature of this phone that you require over what might be available locally. Like the HTC you mentioned, or something else like a Samsung or something.
Click to expand...

I never mentioned HTC??

But uh, I still am a tad confused here. So will I have data and text messages with the 2G or just voice?
 
Ratchet Clank said:
I never mentioned HTC??
Click to expand...

It was in the URL you posted... :)

"and then this second one:Compare HTC Evo 3D vs Lenovo P780 - GSMArc.com"

Actually they're comparing a current mid-range Lenovo to a phone that's nearly three years old now, that was a flagship at the time. Yeh, the Evo 3D is likely discontinued now. But there's obviously current HTCs to consider as an alternative to importing this Lenovo.

Ratchet Clank said:
But uh, I still am a tad confused here. So will I have data and text messages with the 2G or just voice?
Click to expand...

What I'm saying is this cellphone will definitely be OK for regular phone calls and SMS, and maybe EDGE 2G data, provided the US carriers still support this slow outmoded wireless protocol. That I don't know. You'll be defintiely be able to use data via WiFi though.

FYI I do have a Lenovo, but on the other hand I'm in China. :D
 
mikedt said:
It was in the URL you posted... :)

"and then this second one:Compare HTC Evo 3D vs Lenovo P780 - GSMArc.com"

Actually they're comparing a current mid-range Lenovo to a phone that's nearly three years old now, that was a flagship at the time. Yeh, the Evo 3D is likely discontinued now. But there's obviously current HTCs to consider.



What I'm saying is cellphone will definitely be OK for regular phone calls and SMS, and maybe EDGE 2G data, provided the US carriers still support this slow outmoded wireless protocol. That I don't know. You'll be defintiely be able to use data via WiFi though.
Click to expand...

So i would be able to port my old number and use it on this phone?

(also doen't At&T use 1900 mhz?)
 
mikedt said:
It was in the URL you posted... :)

"and then this second one:Compare HTC Evo 3D vs Lenovo P780 - GSMArc.com"

Actually they're comparing a current mid-range Lenovo to a phone that's nearly three years old now, that was a flagship at the time. Yeh, the Evo 3D is likely discontinued now. But there's obviously current HTCs to consider as an alternative to importing this Lenovo.



What I'm saying is this cellphone will definitely be OK for regular phone calls and SMS, and maybe EDGE 2G data, provided the US carriers still support this slow outmoded wireless protocol. That I don't know. You'll be defintiely be able to use data via WiFi though.

FYI I do have a Lenovo, but on the other hand I'm in China. :D
Click to expand...

Also one more thing, are you 100% sure I can't get 3G on any service in the U.S. with this phone and only EDGE?
 
mikedt said:
If you're already on a GSM carrier, you just put your SIM in the phone. Lenovos are unlocked. If you're on Verizon, you'd have to port your number.



Yes they do. Because that's what I was using last time I was Stateside. But I didn't use data.
Click to expand...

So wait you had 3g when you came over on At&t?
 
Ratchet Clank said:
Also one more thing, are you 100% sure I can't get 3G on any service in the U.S. with this phone and only EDGE?
Click to expand...

Provided Wikipedia is correct..
T-Mobile US - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
AT&T Mobility - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

...and going on Lenovo's specs and the Lenovo I've got.. Can very much say that this phone is not going to get 3G service in the US. It only has 3G on 900 and 2100, which is NOT used by US carriers according to the Wiki. :thumb:
 
mikedt said:
Provided Wikipedia is correct..
T-Mobile US - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
AT&T Mobility - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

...and going on Lenovo's specs and the Lenovo I've got.. Can very much say that this phone is not going to get 3G service in the US. It only has 3G on 900 and 2100, which is NOT used by US carriers according to the Wiki. :thumb:
Click to expand...

Your wiki links are confusing with the way they are presented because the 850m's on the T-mobile page says t-mobile does not use it, but says it 1900 mhx.

I also did not get my other question answered where I asked if you got 3G when you were here.

Also, MetroPCs, Net10, U.S. Celluar, H20, seem to use different bands as well looking online, but I can't find what they use. maybe one of those will work who knows. All I need is "JUST" getting 3G.
 
mikedt said:
I didn't actually try. $$$$...I was roaming from a UK carrier...$$$$ But see my other post.
Click to expand...

What do you mean? Isn't 3G voice data as well? So wouldn't you know if you had 3g? I am trying to figure this out quickly since i can't go back on this phone now, and I need to know which networks are compatible.

Even if it's 3G or 2G, I need to know which carriers work with the phone in the U.S., right now it seems we have At&t. But not sure if it will be 3g or 2g.
 
Ratchet Clank said:
Your links did nothing but cause further confusion because they don't list the dual requirements (such as 850/1900) but thanks for trying.
Click to expand...

I thought it was quite clear actually. The P780 just does not have any US 3G/HSDPA bands, and its 1900, which is used in the US is GSM/EDGE only. This is a phone that specifically sold and meant for use in China, India and SE Asia, and not globe-trotting. ;)

Given all of the above, I'm curious why do you actually want this particular cellphone? It's nothing special AFAICT. Although I do have a Lenovo, I've since replaced it with a Samsung as my main cellphone.
 
mikedt said:
I thought it was quite clear actually. The P780 just does not have any US 3G/HSDPA bands, and it's 1900 which is used in the US is GSM/EDGE only. This is a phone that specifically sold and meant for use in China, India and SE Asia, and not globe-trotting. ;)

Given all of the above, I'm curious why do you actually want this particular cellphone? It's nothing special AFAICT. Although I do have a Lenovo, I've since replaced it with a Samsung as my main cellphone.
Click to expand...

Again, I cannot back off from getting this phone at this point. it's no longer about interest, so I have no choice but to work with what will work with the phone.

Judging from what you say the voice quality will be average, and I can text. only thing i still don't know is data, but i can't find anything on that.
 
But otherwise it seems like i can at least use the phone. unless anybody can find any info on if A or T uses 2G data.

Otherwqise, it's at least not has bad as i thought it would turn out=paperweight phone lol. Good thing to, i was panicking for a sec.
 
Ratchet Clank said:
Again, I cannot back off from getting this phone at this point. it's no longer about interest, so I have no choice but to work with what will work with the phone.

Judging from what you say the voice quality will be average, and I can text. only thing i still don't know is data, but i can't find anything on that.
Click to expand...

First thing, there should not be any difference in call quality whatever method of transmission is used. It will be typical cellphone or telephone bandwidth quality, i.e. low bandwith.

Can definitely say beyond any doubt it won't work for 3G data, and as for 2G EDGE data, the Wiki says "GSM/GPRS/EDGE 1900 PCS". So you should be OK. You might have to setup the APN details yourself, if it's not done automatically for this Chinese phone on US carriers.
 
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