Is there an Unlocked variant of the Lumia 830 that works with any GSM carrier [USA]?

[Legoboyii]

Like the rm-938 of the Lumia 1520.
I'm considering upgrading to this from my 521, and wait for the 930 or 1520 successor. But I can't unless I can pick it up unlocked so I can pop in any sim and get 4G LTE (I've got t-mobile)

 

[theefman]

B&H Photo has them, think it's the RM 985, and also expansys I think.

 

[RumoredNow]

Not good for T-Mo on the 3G. If you leave an area with LTE it will drop to EDGE.

Unlocked 735 fits in perfect for all T-MoUS data speeds... Nokia Lumia 735 RM-1039 8GB Smartphone A00021693 B&H Photo Video

And see this thread by Steven Penner who is running a 735 on T-Mo right now: http://forums.windowscentral.com/t-mobile/322750-lumia-735-rm-1039-works-great-t-mobile.html

 

[Legoboyii]

Not good for T-Mo on the 3G. If you leave an area with LTE it will drop to EDGE.

Unlocked 735 fits in perfect for all T-MoUS data speeds... Nokia Lumia 735 RM-1039 8GB Smartphone A00021693 B&H Photo Video

And see this thread by Steven Penner who is running a 735 on T-Mo right now: http://forums.windowscentral.com/t-mobile/322750-lumia-735-rm-1039-works-great-t-mobile.html

Why doesnt it run well on TMo?
I get 4G nearly everywhere I go on my 521 in my area so I can't see the issue.

 

[RumoredNow]

Why doesnt it run well on TMo?
I get 4G nearly everywhere I go on my 521 in my area so I can't see the issue.

Your 521 was built for T-Mo and won't have the problem I'll outline below (and neither will 730 BTW).
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T-Mo used to have their 3G/H+ across the entire country running on the 1700 MHz frequency And 2G/EDGE on 1900 MHz.. You need 1700 on the 3G radio to tap the faster H+ speed. Lumia 830 does not have 1700 on the 3G radio.

In "refarmed" areas, T-Mo has moved LTE onto that 1700 MHz frequency. 830 has that on LTE.

In the "refarmed" area (with LTE) T-Mo now uses 1900 MHz for H+/3G. 830 has that.

In a "refarmed" area 830 gets all data speeds... And would use LTE by default as the fastest connection. Cool. The 1900 on 3G doesn't even come into play, actually. It doesn't get a chance.

On 830 there is no 1700 MHz on the 3G/H+ radio. IF You Leave a "refarmed" area there is no LTE to get. 3G/H+ is on the 1700 MHz frequency your 3G radio does not have. No 3G/H+ for you. You drop down to EDGE on your 2G radio at 1900 MHz. NOT Cool.

Whenever you leave an LTE area, happens a lot on T-Mo at this point... You only get EDGE speed which is pretty slow by today's standards; 296 kbps.
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Lumia 730 has all the right frequencies to get the fastest T-Mo available in whatever spot you are standing at the moment; EDGE > H+ > LTE.

Lumia 830 will only have 2 speeds: slowest (EDGE) and fastest (LTE). If you never leave an LTE area, get an 830. If you do leave LTE areas, you won't want to put up with EDGE only... Get a 730.

 

[theefman]

I'd recommend reading this thread and asking questions there, they seem to confirm the RM-985 works perfectly on T-Mobile.

http://forums.windowscentral.com/nokia-lumia-830/310637-lumia-830-t-mobile.html

 

[RumoredNow]

I read the thread and don't know for sure...

The documentation I found shows the RM-985 lacking 1700 on 3G which you definitely want if you leave a refarmed area.. I'll check some more.

 

[Legoboyii]

Would an unlocked AT&T version work better? I don't want the 735 because of the lack of a camera button and weaker rear camera

 

[RumoredNow]

After twice reading the thread theefman linked: http://forums.windowscentral.com/nokia-lumia-830/310637-5.htm there may be something going on that is not in the documentation I looked at. It is not unknown for radio versions to just get copy/pasted between variants.

Post in that linked thread to get a variant recommendation from actual 830 on T-Mo users...