New unlocked E4: root before or after activation & system updates?

[acspdx]

I'm thinking of picking up an unlocked Moto E4 from Amazon (I'm pretty sure it's the XT1768 Qualcomm variant) to use with a Verizon MVNO. Should I root it right away, or wait until after I get it activated and it does whatever system updates it wants to do to itself?

Thanks for any info.

 

[DB126]

I'm thinking of picking up an unlocked Moto E4 from Amazon (I'm pretty sure it's the XT1768 Qualcomm variant) to use with a Verizon MVNO. Should I root it right away, or wait until after I get it activated and it does whatever system updates it wants to do to itself?

Thanks for any info.

Latter. Be aware Amazon branded varients have a history of being difficult to root and/or bootloader unlock regardless of carrier. I'd lean towards a fully unlocked/unbranded X1768 direct from Lenovo or an independent retailer.

 

[acspdx]

Latter. Be aware Amazon branded varients have a history of being difficult to root and/or bootloader unlock regardless of carrier. I'd lean towards a fully unlocked/unbranded X1768 direct from Lenovo or an independent retailer.

I don't think it's Amazon "branded," just sold by them. The phone in question is item B06ZZVZKTR on Amazon.

(But it looks like B077Y79RBY is an Amazon branded version; I'll avoid that one.)

 

[DB126]

I don't think it's Amazon "branded," just sold by them. The phone in question is item B06ZZVZKTR on Amazon.

(But it looks like B077Y79RBY is an Amazon branded version; I'll avoid that one.)

Agreed - that's the pup you want. Might consider one of the Amazon Warehouse offerings which are generally unused returns or suffer from a minor cosmetic flaw. Lenovo has discontinued this model; probably won't be available for long.

 

[WXSky]

I got an unlocked Moto E4 XT1768 from an independent retailer and rooted it using magisk and carrefully following these instructions. https://youtu.be/Pjd74W9IqHU However, I'm not happy with it as for some reason I cannot move apps to the SD card without formatting it as an internal and was not aware it would hang on startup with an N/A message. There are other irritating issues.

 

[DB126]

I got an unlocked Moto E4 XT1768 from an independent retailer and rooted it using magisk and carrefully following these instructions.

However, I'm not happy with it as for some reason I cannot move apps to the SD card without formatting it as an internal and was not aware it would hang on startup with an N/A message. There are other irritating issues.

See discussion here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-e4/help/moto-e4-xt1768-running-nougat-7-1-1-t3899036