Database Users

Why AT&T is not listing the XPERIA...YET

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Why Xperia hasn't announced carriers in North America?
Blame Apple
This report explains why? Carriers subsidies for high end phones are eating the profits. Expect lin the future lower service rates but higher phone prices
http://www.reuters.com/article/tech...6IG20081020?feedType=nl&feedName=ustechnology
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So it's the iPhones fault that the US is getting **** on when it comes to High Tech phones. Just another reason to hate those proprietary bastards.

And I guess the Blackberry Bold still isn't out for AT&T because they want to sell more iPhones, right?

AT&T can still release the X1 since its hardware keyboard puts it in a different class of high-end handset from the iPhone. A bigger reason for delaying the X1 is because of the impending launch of the Fuze (Touch Pro), which is almost identical to the X1.
No doubt the AT&T is still enjoying its honeymoon with Apple, so it's true the iPhone has driven away a good bit of competition. But I don't think it's quite as gloomy as the Reuters article depicts. It might be a little slow, but everyone is coming back to attack the newlyweds on all fronts:
- Software: Android cutting down virtually all OS development costs/overhead
- Hardware: Moto/LG/HTC/etc making cheaper handsets with more features than the iPhone
- Network: Sprint launching WiMAX to outperform AT&T 3G and possibly at competitive rates
Sadly, it could be a while before it has any noticable effect, at which point the X1 might become old/outdated.
X2/G2/HD2, anyone?

Black I Got To Agree With You On This One
Black93300ZX said:
And I guess the Blackberry Bold still isn't out for AT&T because they want to sell more iPhones, right?
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Brother Black, you're off the hook, off the chain dude!{LOL} Black do you recall a PM from me concerning this same subject matter. I believe T-Mobile, HTC and Google got a better chance of coming up with that HTC Touch HD Android G2, than for AT&T to carry the Xperia X1a. The article link in post #1 has nothing to do with AT&T carrying the Xperia X1, but it does have something to do with dollars, cents, profits, loss, gains, stock quotes, and future market analysis of the mobile phone industry is all the article is discussing. AT&T will be selling the RIM BlackBerry Bold 9000 next week, Black you are 1000% correct dude.....!{LOL}

This Reuter article indirectly bring the subject of branded/unbrande phones. All that situation with AT&T and others carriers would never happen if they stop that stupid greed and let anyone own their phone and plug it with whoever offers the best service.
Can you imagine a locked car?
buy gasoline, carwash, air fresheners and drive ONLY where Ford or BMW let you?

Is America Screwed when it comes to Samsung?

First of all I am not what I would call a fan boy even though every major appliance in my house is a Samsung, even the dishwasher. I have an S3 phone and the Note 10.1 is my constant companion. Lately I have been wondering as we wait for JB update (both phone and tablet) if the Apple ruling in the USA is hampering the speed that we are getting Samsung updates or software. Hell, you can barely get any accessories for the Note 10.1 in the US much less an update. There are even issues with some software available on the the Samsung app store that due to licensing issues Samsung can't sell in the US but the rest of the world has full access.
I love my tablet and would not trade it for any other. Works great as it is and if JB never came I would be fine. However, I think that it is possible we will see a much different user experience here in the states over the next few years when it comes to Samsung Tablets and Phones than the rest of the world. Until Apple gets off the crack pipe and stops litigating every electronic item that comes out we may have an issue.
Thoughts?

rap6388 said:
...if the Apple ruling in the USA is hampering the speed that we are getting Samsung updates or software.
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It's just Samsung's priorities or lack thereof. HTC's just as bad. And both typically launch updates internationally first so our friends overseas aren't getting something we're not since other than the one German carrier ROM no Note has JB. The JB roll-out on the SGS3's not going particularly well and the One X JB update went back to the drawing board after problems were encountered when it was rolled out to the first region to receive it (Taiwan). So it’s the update process that sucks and the U.S. is just along for the ride.
Hell, you can barely get any accessories for the Note 10.1 in the US
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Or Europe. The car dock for the GN was released nine months after it was shown. Same thing for the wireless charging station for the SGS3. The U.S. actually got the book cover for the Note before Europe. The accessory line is just mismanaged; I don't think the U.S. fares better or worse than the rest of the world. And again, HTC's the same. Kind of makes you wonder why they offer accessories at all if they don't want to sell them.
I think that it is possible we will see a much different user experience here in the states over the next few years when it comes to Samsung Tablets and Phones than the rest of the world.
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You need to separate tablets and phones. Phones are always going to be a cluster here in the U.S because Samsung doesn't sell unlocked phones directly and the carriers here are notorious for their lack of urgency for getting updates out. The U.S. Wi-Fi Note is a Samsung direct device and so far hasn't been treated better or worse than its international relatives when it comes to updates. Samsung customizes the s/w by region for each device they sell. The U.S. is just another region and a big one at that. Certain Android features are blocked in the U.S. by both Samsung and HTC but so far that hasn’t appeared to affect the update schedule one way or the other.

Don't you guys never heard abaut ebay (de or gb). And considering on updates, sammobile page is available on whole earth.

No, its the same everywhere else. I'm in the uk and have received 0 updates.

im in egypt and no update
i wish the give the update to world wide very soon

I don't think I was clear. This is not about the JB update but just Samungs' position in the market right now with Apple hanging over their head based on the over the top billion dollar ruling.
For example, there is an app in Samsung market called DirectOffice Print. It is a great print app but the US owner can't buy the app on the app store because of contract issues Samsung has in the US. It is items like this and features that the US seem to miss that I am speaking of.

rap6388 said:
I don't think I was clear. This is not about the JB update but just Samungs' position in the market right now with Apple hanging over their head based on the over the top billion dollar ruling.
For example, there is an app in Samsung market called DirectOffice Print. It is a great print app but the US owner can't buy the app on the app store because of contract issues Samsung has in the US. It is items like this and features that the US seem to miss that I am speaking of.
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The Samsung App store not being able to manage payments in the U.S. is an infrastructure issue that has nothing to do with Apple. They've said U.S. payments will be in enable in Q1 2013. And the "billion dollar ruling" is a drop in the bucket; they made $7.4B in profit in Q3 of this year alone. By raising Apple's chip prices 20% they probably covered it if they indeed ever have to pay it. The Note V will be out by the time appeals are exhausted. If Samsung's not doing something or not doing it right it's because their Samsung. They get a lot right but they get a lot wrong too.

rap6388 said:
I don't think I was clear. This is not about the JB update but just Samungs' position in the market right now with Apple hanging over their head based on the over the top billion dollar ruling.
For example, there is an app in Samsung market called DirectOffice Print. It is a great print app but the US owner can't buy the app on the app store because of contract issues Samsung has in the US. It is items like this and features that the US seem to miss that I am speaking of.
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Well, as much as I hate to say it, this is how Sammy does business.
It's worse if you're in Canada.
Samsung Canada has a reciprocal agreement with Samsung USA not to sell to each other's market. But Samsung Canada doesn't feel there's much demand in Canada for computer products - just phones... (although it is getting better - we now have netbooks... Yes, that was sarcasm...) so we either get Samsung products late or not at all. And even though we're right on the border - we can cross border shop - we can't buy the products in the US online and have it shipped.
Ironically, Samsung opened their first North American full time store in Metrotown Mall in Burnaby British Columbia Canada (a suburb of Vancouver).but they can't show most of their products because they're not available in Canada and you can't buy them from the US.
And even though Canada uses the same cell and WiFi frequencies as the US, we get 'special' verisons of their products that block us from getting updates at the same time as the US. (That's why there's a GN 8010 AND a GN 8013 that are essentially identical). I had the same problem with my Galaxy Nexus phone - the Canadian version is a yakjuux which is supported (barely) by Samsung rather than the yakju version that's supported by Google directly,.
Like you - most of my hardware is Samsung - simply because they build exactly what I want. No one else does. But it means I have to drive to the US and buy these over the counter and drive them back, or have a friend in the US ship it to me.
I may like Samsung's products - but the company sucks...
Side note: Also, they're lousy at getting accessories in big box stores like Best Buy and Future Shop up here... I was trying to get a Note 10.1 Book case and the Samsung Store was out. They recommended going to BB or FS and I had to point out that neither of them actually carry any Samsung accessories - hell, it's hard enough finding the Note 10.1 in some of them...

I should have learned my lesson when I had my Tab 10.1, took them a year to update it to ICS. By the time they did that, I had been using unofficial ROM for about 4 months (give or take). Not acceptable. This is definitely my last Samsung tablet, even though I love it dearly. Samsung don't deserve one single dime for their awful commitment to customer's satisfaction.

Gotta get Nexus
if you want the latest ROMS

mrdaco said:
Don't you guys never heard abaut ebay (de or gb). And considering on updates, sammobile page is available on whole earth.
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That's not a solution. If I wanted to buy from unreliable and potentially shady resellers - I'd buy at Best Buy.
At least they have a return policy...
The point is that if you're going to make products, you should support them well. Or at all. Samsung is the leader in sales for smartphones and are rapidly growing in market share for tablets... yet they still can't get Best Buy to carry cases for their phones or tablets. All you get is the usual wall after wall of iDevice crap.
Best Buy isn't a charity - they carry what they think will sell - or what the manufacturer will pay them to carry (yes, surprise - manufacturers pay for special displays and 'endcaps' as well as for preferred positioning - higher on a shelf for example). Samsung has to spend a bit more to get the visibility Apple gets. They have to realise that customer support is more than just having a lousy website that's more about selling more product than about supporting the customers they already have...
But 'return customer' and 'customer loyalty' seems very low on Asian hardware maker's minds, it would seem.

TheWerewolf said:
But 'return customer' and 'customer loyalty' seems very low on Asian hardware maker's minds, it would seem.
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The h/w business is almost entirely Asian with the exception of Apple, Nokia, and Motorola. We've discussed update priorities, accessory availability, and general attention to existing customer's needs. Only Motorola sells Android devices so it's them vs. the Asians if you want to draw a comparison. I've owned devices from Motorola and most of the Asian manufacturers. Here's my conclusion: they all suck in the three categories we're discussing. Let's add a fourth category; product quality. Here's my quick assessment:
Samsung - Means well but gets caught up in their enormity. Their priority is clearly future sales but they generally tend to treat the existing customer base well. There are exceptions and the OG G-Tab update to ICS is a good one. By offering dozens of different s/w types on a single device they make their own life more difficult. Rolling out updates across regions is a cluster because of it. They have terrific warranty service and will pay roundtrip shipping for repairs and replace a device with a new one if parts aren't available. They suck at the number of accessories offered and making them available in a timely manner. Their products are generally well put together using premium components.
HTC - Has really been trying to get updates out more quickly and with better quality. The One X has been updated to three new Android versions and has gotten three new versions of Sense since March. In spite of that it still takes too long to get updates out and they've had some pretty bad s/w that's been deployed without being thoroughly tested. Their warranty service is hit or miss depending on region. The U.S. isn't too bad and they do seem to try to get things right. They have a really nice variety of accessories; good luck trying to find them in stock anywhere. Their products are made from premium components but they've had a lot of QC issues with their latest devices. Good examples are extremely well made. They don't provide warranty support for devices that have had their bootloaders unlocked.
LG - Their support in the U.S. is atrocious and the rest of the world is a mixed bag. An alarming number of their products over the past two years have had design and h/w issues. Examples are overheating, spontaneous rebooting, boot loops, and sporadic wireless performance. Both the new Optimus G and N4 have thermal throttling issues so it doesn't seem like much has changed. The HTC Droid DNA has the same chip set and isn't experiencing similar issues. They are absolutely atrocious at updates. They offer few accessories and what's offered is impossible to find. Their devices are built well but it doesn't matter if they have fatal design flaws. The customer has to pay to ship a device to LG for repair.
Asus - They put more effort in to serving their existing customers than any other Android manufacturer. They are quick to update their devices, have representatives commenting on XDA, and try to address issues they're made aware of. Their warranty service is atrocious with frequent claims of "customer induced damage" for known issues. It can take weeks to get a device repaired and it's difficult to get an accurate status. Customers pay shipping to get the device to Asus. Their products are made from inferior and in some cases outdated components. They also have an abnormally high number of QC issues. The latter two elements along with crappy repair service sort of negate their customer service efforts. They offer a few basic accessories that seem to be generally more available compared to other manufacturers. When they introduce a new device its a cluster trying to find it and, because they're offered in multiple colors, finding the matching keyboard. They don't provide warranty support for devices that have had their bootloaders unlocked.
Sony - There are tied with LG for being worst at keeping their devices updated. I'm not familiar with their mobile device service but I've used them for PC service and they've been very responsive. Their products are generally well made but always seem to be a cycle behind everyone else design, feature and s/w wise. They tend to do well with offering accessories and making them readily available but they are very expensive.
Motorola - Their support of existing customers is tragic compared to the Asians. Even after Google acquired them they announced that late-2011 high-end devices that they promised upgrades to ICS for wouldn't be receiving them. They offered affected customers $100 off a future Motorola phone instead. They are also worse than the Asians at updates they do roll out. Their warranty and repair service is generally good. Their products are well made but MotoBlur is considered the worst of the overlays. It has been toned down on newer phones but is still far less complete than Sense or TW. They offer quite a few accessories but they are quite expensive. They are fairly easy to find. But in comparing Motorola to the Asians their complete lack of regard for existing customers makes them the worst of a bad lot. They don't provide warranty support for devices that have had their bootloaders unlocked.​
So, at the end of the day, there aren't really any stand-out winners. Toshiba, Acer, and Lenovo are bit players based on the low volume of devices they sell so I haven't included them. From general observation they aren't typically known to be any better or worse than the companies I've described. So balancing all four criteria Samsung and HTC, IMHO, are the best of a bad lot (at least in the Android world). Since Samsung seems to be taking over the Android world any way we might not have to worry about comparisons for very much longer.
Thoughts? Personal experiences?

BarryH_GEG said:
The h/w business is almost entirely Asian with the exception of Apple, Nokia, and Motorola. We've discussed update priorities, accessory availability, and general attention to existing customer's needs. Only Motorola sells Android devices so it's them vs. the Asians if you want to draw a comparison. I've owned devices from Motorola and most of the Asian manufacturers. Here's my conclusion: they all suck in the three categories we're discussing. Let's add a fourth category; product quality. Here's my quick assessment:
...
So, at the end of the day, there aren't really any stand-out winners. Toshiba, Acer, and Lenovo are bit players based on the low volume of devices they sell so I haven't included them. From general observation they aren't typically known to be any better or worse than the companies I've described. So balancing all four criteria Samsung and HTC, IMHO, are the best of a bad lot (at least in the Android world). Since Samsung seems to be taking over the Android world any way we might not have to worry about comparisons for very much longer.
Thoughts? Personal experiences?
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Sounds like Samsung should hire Asus to support their products and Asus should get Samsung build their products.

Vincent9756 said:
Sounds like Samsung should hire Asus to support their products and Asus should get Samsung build their products.
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Here's the difference between Asus and Samsung/HTC when it comes to updates. Asus is the hands-down winner for getting updates out the door the fastest. But in doing so, it takes at least three subsequent updates to make the initial update complete. Samsung and HTC are painfully slow but (usually) the updates they get out are pretty solid. By that time, because Asus had to update the update multiple times, they arrive at the same place at the same time. Kind of a "tortoise vs. the hare" thing.

BarryH_GEG said:
The h/w business is almost entirely Asian with the exception of Apple, Nokia, and Motorola. We've discussed update priorities, accessory availability, and general attention to existing customer's needs. Only Motorola sells Android devices so it's them vs. the Asians if you want to draw a comparison. I've owned devices from Motorola and most of the Asian manufacturers. Here's my conclusion: they all suck in the three categories we're discussing. Let's add a fourth category; product quality. Here's my quick assessment:
...
So, at the end of the day, there aren't really any stand-out winners. Toshiba, Acer, and Lenovo are bit players based on the low volume of devices they sell so I haven't included them. From general observation they aren't typically known to be any better or worse than the companies I've described. So balancing all four criteria Samsung and HTC, IMHO, are the best of a bad lot (at least in the Android world). Since Samsung seems to be taking over the Android world any way we might not have to worry about comparisons for very much longer.
Thoughts? Personal experiences?
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I agree. I wasn't actually making a 'Western vs Asian' comparison - although rereading what I wrote, it does come across that way. Unfortunately, Apple is kind of the bar for support, quality and attention to detail, even with their recent decline in all three areas.
But my experiences with HP, for example - with their Slate 500 was odd - they had delivery problems, but they really went the extra mile to make up for it. In fact, in my own case, they ended up giving me almost a 30% discount for being late. I didn't even ask for it. They did screw up by choosing n-Trig for the digitiser - but at the time, it seemed a logical choice.
I only have one major experience with Dell - I bought an Axion Windows Mobile PDA that failed. They sent me a box in which to return it at no cost... and a new unit along with the box - also at no cost.
Of course, I have a Transformer Prime - and it's such a mixed bag of hurt and happy. As you note - the device feels right - and they got a lot right about it. It has the best USB driver support of any tablet out there. It provides enough USB power to run a hard drive. The dock is brilliant. And then they mess up something as basic as the GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth. And I think most of us could have dealt with that - if Asus hadn't utterly botched their response to the problem by essentially admitting the problem, then failing to fix it, then claiming the GPS wasn't meant for serious use (commerical GPS? What?) then trying to erase history by removing the feature from the box, then sending everyone a free GPS dongle that was just horribly thought out... and didn't fix the WiFi or BT issues. To add insult to injury - they announce a replacement pair of Transformers with the problem fixed... just two weeks after finally shipping the Prime - which was late. But the Infinity was supposed to be $100 more (which kind of took some of the pain away) - only to finally ship at the exact same price as the Prime.
Oh.. and then just after getting the dongle, the Prime's back camera died and that took a month to get repaired...
That's a lot of bad PR and bad customer support in one ball of hurt.
I bought an HTC Surround - the design made it impossible to remove the back without holding the screen which is on a slider. I sent it back after just two months of ownership because after upgrading to WP7.5 the screen started to act oddly.They claimed that the strain on the screen damaged it and refused to repair or replace it under warranty - demanding $250.
Which brings us back to Apple for a moment - I bought an iPhone 3G and two weeks afters the warranty expired, the 3G radio fried. When I took it back, they refused service - but offered refurb replacement.. also for $250. I asked if I could pay extra and upgrade to the 3Gs, but they refused claiming that their agreement with the cellco prohibited that. You'll pardon me when I get annoyed at people who go on about how great Apple's customer support is and how 'they'll replace or repair broken devices, even if they're a little over warranty...' Riiiight.
So, yes, as much as I hate to say it - at the moment, Samsung is the least evil current choice....
But it's definitely not what I would call a great choice...

TheWerewolf said:
Apple is kind of the bar for support, quality and attention to detail, even with their recent decline in all three areas.
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I totally agree. Part of it is because Apple's a marketing culture. They have always believed that pulling customers in with an excellent experience (h/w, s/w, content, support) and not relegating the control of the experience to others would lead them to loyalty, advocacy, scale, and profit. Looking at their market cap you can't argue with their approach. But their stock's dropped 20% since September while Samsung's been selling record numbers of devices and reeling in record profits. Samsung is no Apple and I don't think they'd ever be able to adapt that culture. But Apple's begun to bore people by sticking to their formula while everyone else is offering bolder more individualized experiences. The aging of Apple's demographic and adoption of Android by younger market segments doesn't bode well for Apple's future. At some point they are going to have to do something interesting and it isn't making the iPhone's display taller. Remember their famous "1984" commercial and the "think different" campaign? They've become what they used to parody.

I'm from Australia and thought much the same particularly with accessory availability. Then I moved to kenya of all places. Here Samsung is the undisputed champion. Nobody has an Iphone. Everyone has Samsung. Accessories are everywhere. All the major Supermarkets have a phone shop inside them and nearly all carry accessories en masse.
It makes an enormous difference to the functionality and usefulness of the product when you can do things like plug a flash drive into it or plug it into your TV. There are also many dedicated Samsung shops around the place. Although for some reason they seem to get the products later than the other retailers.
Samsung can definitely get it right in certain regions. I'm not sure why it struggles in others
Sent from my GT-N8000 using xda app-developers app

Simple, its what the public wants... Or thinks it wants...
Samsung have started to push out adverts here in Oz, especially S3 and SGNote 10.1, now when you rarely ever used to see their phones advertised. Apple was everywhere...
The shops are simply responding to what the customers want... Everyone was buying apple products, so naturally you stock Apple accessories with a few other brand accessories too. But if the lions share of customers want Apple products, why would you stock with only a few Apple accessories and have a whole heap of stuff you can't sell because the perceived market isn't there? That would be, from a sellers point of view, madness...
Until public opinion and buying habits shift noticeably then we are stuck with shops full of Crapple merchandise. When Android becomes a major seller, this is where standardisation is good, then we'll see the stock move to that area instead as profit drops for Apple stock... Unfortunately there's still a perception among retailers that Apple is an easy sell... That and the fact that there are a million different types of android tablet and phones out in the world, and there's only so many things they are prepared to stock while generally all Apple stuff fit or was useable by all apple customers... Until Iphone 5 that is...

The issue as I have always understood it has many sides. First Apple builds their OS for their devices, no one else gets it no other hardware can run it so they only have to optimize and remove features based on the generation of the device (3GS, 4, 4S, etc) and what will and won't work.
Now for Android OEM's they have a couple of challenges. First Google makes the OS and unless you are chosen for a Nexus launch you won't get the new OS in its finished state until after that (don't recall when JB 4.1.1 came out) so they have to wait.
Then the OEM's have to decide which devices can and cannot run the software based on the crippled (carrier specified hardware in the USA) so devices that are less than a year old get screwed over (HTC 2012 and 2011). Then they have to make sure their drivers work since not ever one of their phones (and tablets) uses the same processor or family of processors so we have Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, Samsung, Intel, etc. Then the priority is always given to the latest hardware going out the door since you want your newest hardware to (hopefully) be running the most current OS you had in the pipeline, or in our case JB 4.1.1. Then they start to update for devices they can support.
Now what I see as a huge issue and is the heart of fragmentation is Google's failure to set standards and timelines from both the OEM's and Carriers (USA are the offenders here) to deliver the OS updates. Google should be collaborating with the OEM's to enforce software rollouts. They could also put forth some type of awareness campaign to insure users are in the know and can have an expectation from their carrier and OEM that they will get that update. Oh wait that was the Android Alliance crap announced last year that did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
For me I would be fine with my GN 10.1 and soon GN 2 running some iteration of JellyBean hopefully 4.2 so it has the enhanced security features etc.

BarryH_GEG said:
I totally agree. Part of it is because Apple's a marketing culture. They have always believed that pulling customers in with an excellent experience (h/w, s/w, content, support) and not relegating the control of the experience to others would lead them to loyalty, advocacy, scale, and profit. Looking at their market cap you can't argue with their approach. But their stock's dropped 20% since September while Samsung's been selling record numbers of devices and reeling in record profits. Samsung is no Apple and I don't think they'd ever be able to adapt that culture. But Apple's begun to bore people by sticking to their formula while everyone else is offering bolder more individualized experiences. The aging of Apple's demographic and adoption of Android by younger market segments doesn't bode well for Apple's future. At some point they are going to have to do something interesting and it isn't making the iPhone's display taller. Remember their famous "1984" commercial and the "think different" campaign? They've become what they used to parody.
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Just gotta say: iCustomers are snobby, horribly wretched, self-absorbed "high designer" wanna-be's. Apple's hw is far from impeccable, the sw is strangling. They're good at glamour (making something appear far better than it actually is). Samsung is unfortunately trying to cut into that crowd, and I think they'd do better to provide a strong counter position: a tablet that lasts for years instead of 6 months. A phone that makes it to the next upgrade cycle (like the gNex).
Early 20th century design principles (built to last decades-- ie heirloom quality) should be a global standard....yes I know I'm pipe dreaming here....
Apple IMO has made it difficult for Samsung to really get behind its own products in the US, but it's jot just apple, mobile device carriers have lobbied our government, fcc, and individual manufacturers to NOT release things like the p6800 or the n8000 because carriers want you to buy a phone AND a tablet with a data plan, not just a tabletnwith telephony hardware... so f***ing sick of our markets being manipulated by the big players, people don't even know that there ARE tablets available with telephony hw... blah...
Sent from my GT-N8013 using XDA Premium HD app

Xperia Z2 to be Verizon Exclusive in the US!?

According to a report out of Japan, the Sony Xperia Z2 is heading to Verizon. The report states that the Sony D6508 (which is allegedly Verizon's version of the flagship model) had received Wi-Fi certification on March 3rd. The phone will support LTE/CDMA2000/WCDMA/GSM connectivity.
The Sony Xperia Z2 will launch in the second quarter. Surprisingly, it will be a Verizon exclusive.
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Source. Dear god let this be true.

bobbarker2 said:
Source. Dear god let this be true.
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This is great news! Proud of Verizon for making this happen

Why in the world would you want this to be true?
Verizon sucks for travelers. I have to buy phones abroad to use, because even though i have my Verizon LTE phone, unlocked, S-OFF, rooted and custom, it won't work anywhere bu the US.
I effing hate Verizon, and want the Z2 specifically to be a world phone so I never have to use Verizon again. These verndor specific models are stupid.
Typed from Peru, where my Verizon phone is worthless

BoulderGeek said:
Why in the world would you want this to be true?
Verizon sucks for travelers. I have to buy phones abroad to use, because even though i have my Verizon LTE phone, unlocked, S-OFF, rooted and custom, it won't work anywhere bu the US.
I effing hate Verizon, and want the Z2 specifically to be a world phone so I never have to use Verizon again. These verndor specific models are stupid.
Typed from Peru, where my Verizon phone is worthless
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Don't know what phone you have, but my S4 is internationally unlocked. Just pop in a SIM card and it works anywhere. Your problem is only partially to blame on Verizon.

BoulderGeek said:
Why in the world would you want this to be true?
Verizon sucks for travelers. I have to buy phones abroad to use, because even though i have my Verizon LTE phone, unlocked, S-OFF, rooted and custom, it won't work anywhere bu the US.
I effing hate Verizon, and want the Z2 specifically to be a world phone so I never have to use Verizon again. These verndor specific models are stupid.
Typed from Peru, where my Verizon phone is worthless
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Ah I imagine you travel overseas a lot. In that case, I can see why people won't want this. I personally don't travel much overseas unless it's for vacation, which I wouldn't want to be using my phone much for anyway.
I've been on Verizon since forever, and it's rare I get to see them get a phone like this. Verizon is usually the last to get the big name devices (which they've been fortunately changing as of late)

AB_ said:
Ah I imagine you travel overseas a lot. In that case, I can see why people won't want this. I personally don't travel much overseas unless it's for vacation, which I wouldn't want to be using my phone much for anyway.
I've been on Verizon since forever, and it's rare I get to see them get a phone like this. Verizon is usually the last to get the big name devices (which they've been fortunately changing as of late)
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I'm still burned from the "flagship" HTC Thunderbolt which caused me to switch to Verizon in the first place.
I'm an IT contractor, so I do travel outside the US. I've been abroad for 13 months, between working in Antarctica and motorcycling around South America.
I am about to return to the States, and want a modern phone with open developer access and a healthy ROM community. Thunderbolt was great for a while, but died hard due to neglect from HTC and VZW.
I want to jump ship to TMobile and have a phone that will work in Europe, the Americas and Asia. Buying cheap feature phones abroad is for the birds. Though, my cheap ass dual SIM phone for South America has a TV tuner, which is awesome. But, I have been trucking around the Thunderbolt to use only on WiFi.
The US scene of crippled phones by vendor and the culture of lock-in is a serious pet peeve of mine. Sorry if i came in too harshly.
I hope the Z2 has huge success, and good pricing after intro, but I will only get the International version direct from Sony.

bobbarker2 said:
Source. Dear god let this be true.
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Why do you want this to be true? This would be the worse thing Sony can do. They really need to follow HTC when releasing new phones

samven582 said:
Why do you want this to be true? This would be the worse thing Sony can do. They really need to follow HTC when releasing new phones
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Distributing smartphones world-wide is not nearly so simple as simply "following HTC". It's a ton of work and it's a huge investment on the companies part. Sony hasn't bothered with the US market for years now. Recently they release phones in US 4-5 months after the rest of the world and on just T-Mobile, the smallest carrier. For them to do a US release within a reasonable time of the rest of the world and put the on the largest network would be a big change for them. It could be a step into Sony trying to re-enter the US market more aggressively. Which means more competition in the US highend smartphone market and competition = good.
Plus, I'm on Verizon and I like the Z2 much better than the One or S5.

It is imperitave that Sony get the US launch right. No matter how much they talk or boast about how good the phone is, no matter how good the phone might actually be, if they don't get it into the US carriers on time then it's never going to be a force to be reckoned with. The US market is the 2nd largest smartphone market, Sony have been idiots to treat it as 2nd fiddle so far. It's time for them to step up and take the market share away from HTC and Samsung, both of whose offerings this year haven't lived up to expectations. The Z2 would absolutely destroy the HTC One and GS5 if released and marketed properly.
If they screw this up again, then Sony Mobile will stay irrelevant in the large scheme of things.

kantk20111 said:
It is imperitave that Sony get the US launch right. No matter how much they talk or boast about how good the phone is, no matter how good the phone might actually be, if they don't get it into the US carriers on time then it's never going to be a force to be reckoned with. The US market is the 2nd largest smartphone market, Sony have been idiots to treat it as 2nd fiddle so far. It's time for them to step up and take the market share away from HTC and Samsung, both of whose offerings this year haven't lived up to expectations. The Z2 would absolutely destroy the HTC One and GS5 if released and marketed properly.
If they screw this up again, then Sony Mobile will stay irrelevant in the large scheme of things.
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Well said. The Z2 is very impressive, they made substantial improvements from the Z1. Meanwhile, the S5 and M8 feel like the same exact phones with an upgraded SoC. I think Sony fixing the screen and camera issues on the Z1 and bumping up the specs is an indicator of Sony's desire to enter the US market seriously.

bobbarker2 said:
Distributing smartphones world-wide is not nearly so simple as simply "following HTC". It's a ton of work and it's a huge investment on the companies part. Sony hasn't bothered with the US market for years now. Recently they release phones in US 4-5 months after the rest of the world and on just T-Mobile, the smallest carrier. For them to do a US release within a reasonable time of the rest of the world and put the on the largest network would be a big change for them. It could be a step into Sony trying to re-enter the US market more aggressively. Which means more competition in the US highend smartphone market and competition = good.
Plus, I'm on Verizon and I like the Z2 much better than the One or S5.
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I'm sorry but I to disagree with you. The Xperia Z2 should not be exclusive to one carrier. Look how it turned out for them when they only released phones on AT&T then T-mobile-sales where horrible. If Samsung and HTC can release there flagship phones on all 4 carriers, I believe Sony can to. The reason Sony is having such a hard time penetrating the US market is because of the carriers but I believe thats going to change pretty soon.

I don't think anyone is disagreeing that going exclusively to Verizon would be a bad for Sony. But the ones on Verizon, like myself, are excited we're actually getting the phone when we never thought we'd have the option. I imagine anyone would be just as happy if their preferred carrier got the Z2.

AB_ said:
I don't think anyone is disagreeing that going exclusively to Verizon would be a bad for Sony. But the ones on Verizon, like myself, are excited we're actually getting the phone when we never thought we'd have the option. I imagine anyone would be just as happy if their preferred carrier got the Z2.
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Exactly.
Us vzw customers get shafted left and right. We are limited to phones approved by vzw. After their Galaxy Nexus fiasco, Google didn't trust them with the nexus 4 and 5. We pretty much are stuck with Samsungs and locked up HTCs.
A Sony phone on VZW would be a refreshing alternative to the current Verizon offerings.
I understand that exclusivity would screw over other carriers, and I am in no way saying that other carriers shouldn't have it. All I want is for vzw to offer it.
ps. Can't other people just get the unlocked international version and pop in a sim? Won't that work on Tmob ATT?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

samven582 said:
I'm sorry but I to disagree with you. The Xperia Z2 should not be exclusive to one carrier. Look how it turned out for them when they only released phones on AT&T then T-mobile-sales where horrible. If Samsung and HTC can release there flagship phones on all 4 carriers, I believe Sony can to. The reason Sony is having such a hard time penetrating the US market is because of the carriers but I believe thats going to change pretty soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People are underestimating how difficult it is to release a phone worldwide and how big the risks are. Of course a 4 carrier release is better than 1 carrier. But the point I'm making is that an OEM can't go from doing a US market release 4-5 months after worldwide on the smallest carrier (T-Mobile) to a release on all 4 carriers at the same time as the global market without some steps in between. Releasing the phone on Verizon, the largest carrier, at a similar time as the rest of the world could be a step in that direction. That's why it's good to see Sony doing this because it shows that they could be starting the process of becoming a major player in the US smartphone market. But it will take time and it will depend on many factors. Huge international corporations don't do things lightly.
And you're putting the horse before the cart. Sony isn't having a hard time penetrating the US market because of the carriers it's on. It's actually not having a hard time at all because Sony isn't trying for the US market. It's a low priority for them, which is why they don't bother pushing phones over to the US until months after teh rest of the world. It's not simply laziness, they've chosen to put their resources into other markets, mainly Japan and Europe.

Perhaps the trigger that many are responding to is the perceived excitement for exclusivity to a carrier which is already widely disliked for its imposition of limitations on its customer base. As enlightened technophiles, presumably we promote the widespread dissemination of great technology, especially open technology.
The International version should already support VZW's LTE bands. Legacy CDMA support would require a VZW-specific version, however, if I am not mistaken.
Launch the damn phone unlocked and as capable as possible, and then provide for the stupid American carriers that demand proprietary solutions.
I'm on VZW now, and will jump in a hearbeat when the right phone is available unlocked and precisely without any of the Verizon **** that they insist on including to pollute every product they sell. When asshats like Verizon and Comcast get product exclusivity, we all lose.

This does suck for other users, but I still have unlimited data plan with VZW & happy to get rid of razr maxx hd.
Thought I was going to have to switch to t-mo for the Z2, i'm so glad I don't! :good:

ajent said:
This does suck for other users, but I still have unlimited data plan with VZW & happy to get rid of razr maxx hd.
Thought I was going to have to switch to t-mo for the Z2, i'm so glad I don't! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was in the same situation, coming from the same phone. I bit the bullet and got the one M8 to tide me over.

I walked into the neighborhood verizon and I was about to get the S5 but was already strongly considering the Z2. I spoke with the reps there and they said it's official that it's definitely coming to the US and the last time a Sony rep showed up to their store he told them it was coming to verizon as a exclusive ( there is rep for every manufacturer in these stores ) they were given information on the phone but the date is still elusive.
Verizon sales rep says they are expecting to have them in store within 3 weeks. The amount of information that Verizon has it as a exclusive is over weighing and I'm putting off getting the S5 for getting the Z2

David 617 said:
Exactly.
Us vzw customers get shafted left and right. We are limited to phones approved by vzw. After their Galaxy Nexus fiasco, Google didn't trust them with the nexus 4 and 5. We pretty much are stuck with Samsungs and locked up HTCs.
A Sony phone on VZW would be a refreshing alternative to the current Verizon offerings.
I understand that exclusivity would screw over other carriers, and I am in no way saying that other carriers shouldn't have it. All I want is for vzw to offer it.
ps. Can't other people just get the unlocked international version and pop in a sim? Won't that work on Tmob ATT?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If Verizon gives such crappy phones. Why stay with them? They will only begin to listen when people leave.

EvoRollen said:
I walked into the neighborhood verizon and I was about to get the S5 but was already strongly considering the Z2. I spoke with the reps there and they said it's official that it's definitely coming to the US and the last time a Sony rep showed up to their store he told them it was coming to verizon as a exclusive ( there is rep for every manufacturer in these stores ) they were given information on the phone but the date is still elusive.
Verizon sales rep says they are expecting to have them in store within 3 weeks. The amount of information that Verizon has it as a exclusive is over weighing and I'm putting off getting the S5 for getting the Z2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a crazy amount of specific info you got from your neighborhood vzw reps. Usually they are clueless or unwilling to share any info that's not official.

T-Mobile cans the Xperia Z3

http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/6/8351785/sony-xperia-z3-t-mobile-discontinued
Uh oh, Sony is now going to have a much harder time in the US unless it decides to do the Z4 on all carriers when it releases. I have the Verizon variant and I'm loving it but I'm shocked T-Mobile quickly decides to discontinue the Z3. I hope Verizon doesn't do the same although they're selling the Z3v for 99 cents on contract.
What do you guys think? Is there still hope the Z4 will invade the US market?

Does this mean no lollipop for D6616?

To be honest, no I don't think the Z4 will sell well in the US either even though it will probably be a great device. Even when I bought the Z3 I did not think it would really sell. It's not that it's a bad device, it's just that more people associate Android phones with HTC/Samsung/LG. Sony has not done much advertising and so not many people even know it exists. Everything I just said pertains more to the US than other countries, where Sony has a bigger footprint.
Just look at the HTC Butterfly how many people bought it? Even though it was higher end device than the M7 and also had a better camera. I loved it but it wasn't really advertised as much as the M7.

honestly, i'm not surprised. you can gauge how well a product is doing based on how many other companies want to piggyback on its success. When talking about phones, this usually means accessories, and if you compare it to the other smartphones on the market of the same price range, the adoption of the Z3 in the States was abysmal. You can't even go out a buy a nice case for it, even at T-Mo stores..

I agree with wprpalmeida and abhinav.tella. The whole branding for Sony smartphone is lacking in the US to the fullest. You will hear a lot about the new Samsung Galaxy, iPhone, HTC, etc. in the commercials. Everyone is familiar with these brands. I had Samsung Galaxy S5 or iPhone 6 users compliment on my Z3, but had no idea it was a Sony phone. Let me just say that if Samsung or Apple had done the branding and advertisement for Sony, Sony would be in way better shape.

Not only in US... Situation EU countries is similar.
I'm trying to find case for Z3 and there's nothing in Tmobile or other stores...
When I remember Z, Z1.... even Z2, stores were full of gadgets, cases and screen protectors.
You could buy many things on EBay and on stores but Z3 is very poor with accessories for this device...
Sony is losing this battle.... Unfortunately.
I really like Xperia devices but changes on Z3 and Z4 just aren't good enough.
New SoC, cool...but where's other things?
They are just moving speakers and hardware buttons around device...
I had Z1, Z2 and Z3 and I always had to look closely to make sure I took device I want...
Now I have only Z1 and Z3, I bought Note4 and it's exciting new thing for me...
It's not better then Z3, it's same as Z3 but it's something new for me...
But lets not spit only on Sony, all manufacturers are doing the same thing...
I guess we reached the point where we don't need more cpu power or memory..
We need better OS and battery...
Better battery we probably won't see but we could get faster updates and better firmware / software...
If Apple has hardware from Note4 or Z3 powered by iOS they would show what we actually have under the hood...
It's ridiculous to have more power in phones then in notebooks and see that notebooks are faster then phones.
And still they are on Windows?! [emoji14]
I'm thinking... We are probably close to see Android we'll have to pay and devices that are same for years...
Something just have to change..
"Batteries are getting worse" (ridiculously strong and fast SoC are killing them), screens are going into XXXXHD resolutions...
We need better OS, at least better optimised OS...not more power in cpu and gpu... God...I need smartphone, not GameBoy..
Manufacturers have to realised that or Sony won't be the only one who got shoe in the ass...
If that was reason (slow updates and same devices for a years) for Tmobile to cans Sony and their Z1 copies then I salute to Tmobile..
Z3 powered by Tapatalk

no good for me now buy sony z3
Sent from my SGH-T999 using XDA Free mobile app

Oh for MOD EDIT Rule 2 @gregbradley sake! Now with this news how in the hell are we gonna get the D6616 lollipop update now? At first I thought the Sony Xperia Z3 was a great phone and now with all this delays, discontinuations, no support for root, I'm never gonna buy a Sony phone again. The only reason why I bought this phone was because it had 3GB RAM and SD card and 20MP camera.
If I were to switch to another brand, every other one is crap too. HTC already failed to make a great camera on its M9. Samsung Edge and S6 have no support for SD card and is a copy of iPhone 6. Motorola doesn't make phones with the latest specs and an SD card. Sony is a complete joke, so who's left? The only one to make me happy is LG but that 5.5 inch is just overkill but its the only phone that has everything I want. There's no phone thats perfect for my needs.

Very sad, but can't really blame T-Mobile. 1st couple of batches on TMO were defective (spontaneous back glass cracks, fitment issues, etc.), then Sony themselves offer zero advertisement to move units. Word of mouth only goes so far. Every person I have shown this phone to (and its capabilities) is very impressed, but they always say "Xperia what?" They have already annouced support for 5.0 on TMO, so I'd be really suprised if they back out now.

hanime said:
Let me just say that if Samsung or Apple had done the branding and advertisement for Sony, Sony would be in way better shape.
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Samsung and Apple spend obscene amounts of money in their marketing campaigns. Even when the Z series could be a better product by objective standards, Sony just doesn't have the muscle power (the money) to let people know. Also Not sure how is elsewhere, but getting in bed with the carriers is crucial to sell your phone in the USA, only Apple is able to escape this fate.

abhinav.tella said:
To be honest, no I don't think the Z4 will sell well in the US either even though it will probably be a great device. Even when I bought the Z3 I did not think it would really sell. It's not that it's a bad device, it's just that more people associate Android phones with HTC/Samsung/LG. Sony has not done much advertising and so not many people even know it exists. Everything I just said pertains more to the US than other countries, where Sony has a bigger footprint.
Just look at the HTC Butterfly how many people bought it? Even though it was higher end device than the M7 and also had a better camera. I loved it but it wasn't really advertised as much as the M7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Americans are brainwashed by advertising, and so we know only what we have been programmed to believe.

danishdish said:
Americans are brainwashed by advertising, and so we know only what we have been programmed to believe.
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Click to collapse
Brainwashed or not, if you want to sell a product in large quantities you have to cut through the noise. As mentioned, there is no incentive for sales staff to sell a product with little consumer knowledge when they have a more widely known alternative available. I believe that informed consumers will always be relative minority.

Yes, you are correct, which leads me to my other criticism of American retail. Many large retail chains employ people at low wages and provide very little training on their products. You couple an uneducated store clerk and uneducated consumer and you get a marriage of ignorance and misunderstanding of the product that the customer is purchasing. T-mobile, in my view, is selling the data plan, over the phone. That's their produc: the data plan. They couldn't care as much about the hardware. The feign ignorance so that you believe you need a new phone. Sheisters!
A said:
Brainwashed or not, if you want to sell a product in large quantities you have to cut through the noise. As mentioned, there is no incentive for sales staff to sell a product with little consumer knowledge when they have a more widely known alternative available. I believe that informed consumers will always be relative minority.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Well to be fair, at least the store near me where I went for 3 exchanges (Z3) told me there were many others coming in for replacements as well due to defects cosmetic (gaps) or camera, apparently they received a bad batch/es... so low sales and high return rates generally call for a phase out or TMO will also be at the receiving end.

abhinav.tella said:
Well to be fair, at least the store near me where I went for 3 exchanges (Z3) told me there were many others coming in for replacements as well due to defects cosmetic (gaps) or camera, apparently they received a bad batch/es... so low sales and high return rates generally call for a phase out or TMO will also be at the receiving end.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The store I went to touted the Z3. I wound up getting it by calling t-mobile and throwing the "I've been with you guys for thirteen years" flag, and they took $100 off. My Z3 hasn't given me any troubles... Yet. We'll see.

Did you buy it at launch? Some of the stores apparently got bad batches at launch, they stripped 10+ boxes in my 3 visits to TMO store, my current one is good though. Then again apparently even the iPhone 6 had many warranty returns at TMO lol, they told me that it would take time to process refund from my first Z3 exchange, because they were backlogged with returned iPhone 6s lol.

No root (and locked bootloader) killed the phone.
The latest update makes Galaxy-compatible headset works 100% with volume +-.
Frankly, I want to stay away from Samsh_t as far as possible, and though I am happy with LG G3, lacking band 12 may make me move on. No root makes me hesitant to get this phone because I need root to fix write to SD problem.

abhinav.tella said:
Did you buy it at launch? Some of the stores apparently got bad batches at launch, they stripped 10+ boxes in my 3 visits to TMO store, my current one is good though. Then again apparently even the iPhone 6 had many warranty returns at TMO lol, they told me that it would take time to process refund from my first Z3 exchange, because they were backlogged with returned iPhone 6s lol.
Click to expand...
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What was bad about them? I'm curious.

Nathan-NL said:
What was bad about them? I'm curious.
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Well the first two had big gaps between screen and frame with glue missing / bits of glue visible (i think) and massive light bleed from there, one had a pink camera (mild), the 4th one is perfect (current one).

The electronic buying habit of the american public blows me away. Don't people research anything anymore? It's like we've become incapable of doing anything outside of the norm. Apple is making a killing selling a technologically inferior product because it's the cool thing to own now. It makes me feel like my fellow countrymen are just plain stupid most of the time. Plus you would think Apple invented big screens and NFC payments. Ugh....
And, most think Samsung is the only non Apple alternative.
---------- Post added at 08:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:21 PM ----------
danishdish said:
Americans are brainwashed by advertising, and so we know only what we have been programmed to believe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
danishdish said:
Yes, you are correct, which leads me to my other criticism of American retail. Many large retail chains employ people at low wages and provide very little training on their products. You couple an uneducated store clerk and uneducated consumer and you get a marriage of ignorance and misunderstanding of the product that the customer is purchasing. T-mobile, in my view, is selling the data plan, over the phone. That's their produc: the data plan. They couldn't care as much about the hardware. The feign ignorance so that you believe you need a new phone. Sheisters!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's borderline anti trust going on at the mobile phone companies. I'd like to see them completely removed from the phone buying experience. They have way too much influence. Seems we did this once in the old days when you had to buy your land line phone from ATT. You should be able to buy an American phone that covers all bands and then choose your carrier.

Do you think this will be a large hit in the US because of T Mobile?

As most of you guys probably already know there are rumors around this phone's possibility of getting carrier support with T Mobile in the United States.
Because carrier support is kind of important in the US as most Americans buy their phones from their carrier, do you think that this is a major step for OnePlus and it will case it to be a more recognizable name in the US cell phone market... and not just some enthusiast brand?

Well, I'm just one person, but if it hits T-Mo, I'm buying it. That simple.

Same here, I'll be looking for it at my T-Mobile store!

galaxys said:
Same here, I'll be looking for it at my T-Mobile store!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same

No headphone jack, no notification LED, no sale. I use both all the time. It amazes me the cheap excuses these companies make to eliminate features. The truth is that they are just trying to make more money per sale. They must think we are all as stupid as they are!

I don't have TMobile but I'm buying unlocked.

Either way. But buying from one plus direct is better

Assuming the Pixel 3 doesn't make it to T-Mobile - this will be my next phone.

IPhone Xs/Xs Max preorders aren't very strong as per reports.
A huge chunk of users might like a far cheap Android alternative in the 6T.

Plain and simple. Having it released on T-Mobile only means those who can't afford to buy it out right from OnePlus could now put it on EIP..... So I kind of doubt there will be enough of those people to generate it as "a hit"
Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

I'm a tmo user and willl be purchasing it upon release!

You do have to remember this will be putting the phone in front of a bunch of people who never heard of OnePlus. This will open up the door for more customers that would not even know to go to OnePlus.com to buy the phone. ?* I dont know, I think it could help make the OnePlus6T much much more successful
shook187 said:
Plain and simple. Having it released on T-Mobile only means those who can't afford to buy it out right from OnePlus could now put it on EIP..... So I kind of doubt there will be enough of those people to generate it as "a hit"
Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

This is xda and no one is asking the important question; will the bootloader be unlocked? No amount of available from the carrier can overcome the lack of bootloader unlock. Another thing no one is skiing is available freqs, you're giving something up for that low freq (at least one, possibly two LTE bands) it isn't available in many areas and won't be for some time.

krabman said:
This is xda and no one is asking the important question; will the bootloader be unlocked? No amount of available from the carrier can overcome the lack of bootloader unlock. Another thing no one is skiing is available freqs, you're giving something up for that low freq (at least one, possibly two LTE bands) it isn't available in many areas and won't be for some time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't believe OnePlus will tie down the bootloader. I think it will be easily unlocked through fastboot per usial. I believe OP knows it's fan base is comprised of hardcore Android users who like to tinker and flash custom firmware and mods. Frequencies I can't chime in on as I'm not knowledgeable enough about them

The situation just the opposite, Tmo decides and oneplus will gladly provide the locked bootloader phones if they ask.

This will be a major jump for OnePlus. I for one have been looking for something unique and when I found OnePlus; I became very interested in their product. For what the Iphone X cost; you could get similar features with the OnePlus for just half the cost. OnePlus 6T will definitely turn heads in the United States. Striking a deal with T-Mobile will also open up the doors for other smart phone manufactures. If sales are good; which they will be; one could only assume that one of Oppo's other companies would want to strike a deal with a U.S. carrier.

The 6T is definitely on my radar to replace my beloved Nexus 6.
But unlocked bootloader is a must. I've walked away from upgrades to other phones due locked bootloaders.
And I am really interested to hear what the difference is between a TMo-"optimized" OnePlus6, and one bought directly from OnePlus. Exactly what optimizations are there?
So I won't be an early adopter. I'll be a fast follower once others report back.
[NG]Owner

NGOwner, that's a good question. TMo-"optimized" I assume would mean that it will have a much better chemistry with our LTE bands.
As for the success of the phone; it will also depend on the area that your in. In some areas the phone will have high sales as compared to others, that won't. It all depends how good T-Mobile's floor staff are. In some areas people don't do as much research on these smart devices as others. New York City and and various places in California will probably have the highest turnouts for sales for the OnePlus 6T. I can tell you that in my area; I will probably be able to turn some heads when I show this phone to people in public. It sounds funny; but it's true.
One question I do have is about pre orders? Since this phone is going to be released on T-Mobile; will their stores allow customers to put down pre-orders?

Saw this T-Mobile version info in Android Authority a while ago...
"According to the CNET article, OnePlus isn’t just going to sell the global variant of the OnePlus 6T in T-Mobile stores. Instead, there will be another T-Mobile-specific model that will be optimized for the carrier’s network.
And yes, that will include support for 600mHz bands, otherwise known as band 71."

Tmo was never going to sell an international oneplus in their stores. The questions are how much if any branding will it have, which Tmo apps come pre-installed, is the bootloader unlocked, which LTE freqs did we lose to get the 600 mhz goods. For most people the last question isn't all that important but I travel a great deal and it's a big one for me.