SM-N910T on T-Mobile USA in 2023?

[ILikeOldStuff]

I am contemplating purchase of one of these phones, and tried entering some of their IMEI numbers in the imei checker at https://www.t-mobile.com/resources/bring-your-own-phone , and was shocked to find they are ALL described as "Incompatible".

This is a bit confusing after the articles saying the AT&T and Verizon versions would not work after Jan 2021 but that the T-Mobile version would continue working. I tried looking for a later article saying that support for the T-Mobile version this model was being cancelled but could not find any such announcement.

Is that IMEI checker correct? Or is it because the samples I checked may not have gotten the last modem update installed from T-Mobile?

Is anyone still using this phone (specifically the T variant) on T-Mobile in USA? I'm assuming that last update will be important, but does this still work once it is installed?

If yes to the above, do phone calls work as VoLTE, or is it doing the fallback to 2G?

I've also seen threads about enabling more LTE bands, has anyone done that on this phone? In particular is it possible to add support for B71 (600MHz), or is this radio hardware just too old to allow that?

Thanks much, I would really like to know whether I can use this phone or if I would need to find a different model.

 

[dave678]

https://swappa.com/blog/3g-network-shutdown/ Your phone is fine.

 

[ForestCat]

SM-N910T with 2ETI1 OTA modem update works fine. 4g/LTE Data, WiFi Calling works. Does not drop out of 4G/LTE for voice. SM-N910V w/ MODestROM v11 (6.01 TW-based N910VVRU2CQI2 ) w/ a vzw 2CTI baseband update, has working 4gLTE data, but no WiFi Calling, or VoLTE (falls back to 2g, but I still have 2g coverage here, so it's usable, if not optimum. Here's the thing: on the VZW phone, if I set the the salescode to TMB, suddenly VoLTE works, but the Setup pages/menus/statusbar are screwed up, so it's not really useable. Here's where it gets REAL interesteing. On a VZW phone w/ VZW 2CTI1 baseband, & VZW BL, flashed with a custom TMB ROM (trltetmo_N910TUVU2EQI2_Stock_Deodexed, debloated, but still TW), EVERYTHING works. But it's not stable, it periodically loses 4g/lte. What it tells me is that the VZW h/w is NOT THE PROBLEM. I've been at this all day, everyday since VZW turned off CDMA on 01/01/23 and killed my service here. Be warned: If you go down this path, you're gonna be mostly on your own. A LOT of dead links, 'retired' devs, etc. Everyone except you, me, and three other people here have long since moved on from this awesome phone. I'll help you if I can. I bought an SM-N910T , but the damn usb port is dead. Already changed the charging board, not the problem. It's the mobo. If I could identify the usb chip (if it's not the 805 itself, I'd change it. So I have a phone with no adb that I can't unlock/root. I'd much rather get my VZW phone fully working on TMB, since I'm heavily invested in the MODestROM. Haven't given up yet. But search my posts, you'll hear the deafening silence, lol.

 

[ILikeOldStuff]

Seeing this forum has so little activity, on 1/21 I ended up getting a used Moto E6 (XT-2005-3 is a tmobile aka carrier unlocked MetroPCS version). While overall this is not as nice a device and has fewer features than Note 4, it does cover what for me are the essentials - removable battery, SD card slot, support for 5.8GHz wifi. Best of all, it supports B71 which will be helpful for, well, making phone calls!

I still ponder someday getting one of these as a hobby device, but that would be second place to the E6 for use as a phone, and won't be for a couple more months yet (too many expensive household issues are taking their toll on my "toy" budget right now).

SM-N910T with 2ETI1 OTA modem update works fine. 4g/LTE Data, WiFi Calling works. Does not drop out of 4G/LTE for voice.

Thank you, this was the part I needed to find out. With that in place, the only thing missing would be the B71 coverage but the E6 is already in place for that.

Re your Verizon adventures, I have no experience with any of that. What I read about T-Mobile dropping support for the verizon version in the last network update is all I know, and I don't have the skills to dispute what they say there. The best I could do is offer some links to threads on this forum but on double checking them it seems you've already been there and got no answers.

The only thing I see that might help you with that is if you could update just the t-mobile modem without disturbing the verizon bootloader. I see you tried that but it didn't stick when using Odin. I don't know if it would be any different using SmartSwitch that seemed to work for MarineWonder as he posted at https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...pgrade-on-jan-29th-2021.4224237/post-87464609 ?
Then again he may have been putting it on a t-mobile phone rather than mixing with the verizon bootloader so who knows?

My guess since it has been so problematic for you on the verizon phone is that you may need to only use a tmobile phone since that may be the only way to get the last t-mobile modem update. Bummer that the one you bought has a dead usb port. How are you charging it? Is there any chance you could return it to the seller since it came pre-broken? Then put the refund money toward another, hopefully working, tmobile phone? And would that MODestROM work on a non-verizon phone?

The only other thought I had is there are apps to connect to ADB over wifi. Sadly most of these need root. The ones that don't, seem to need at least once using a usb connection to do the "adb tcpip 5555" command to set it all up. . . . how annoying that it is all so circular!

There is also https://telnetd.en.aptoide.com/app?store_name=apps&app_id=59202144 , maybe a telnet connection could do the "adb tcpip 5555" command instead of using the USB connection? Sadly the documentation (at https://waxrain.com/docs/010.html ) appears to be written in Chinese, and I never had much luck with google translate.

 

[webhook]

The N910T still supports VoLte.. It is still compatible with cellular networks.