Experience w/ a phone only supporting 2 bands?

[libra89]

I'm not sure where else to put this, but I wanted to know if anyone has any experience using a phone that only supports two bands on their network of choice.

I'm really looking into the 550 for various reasons. However, I noticed that it only supports 2 bands on T-mobile and I wonder if I should be concerned or not.

Is it a big deal/issue? Should I be concerned? What's your experience?

 

[Tumultus]

Check what bands are being used by T-Mobile in your area. If those are the same as the phone, you're good. Otherwise, you may be stuck with slow (or no) internet.

I've been using T-Mobile USA with international unlocked phones, meaning: my phones never supported 4G / LTE. Still, it was good enough for my needs on HSPA / 3G. If you do plenty of stuff on the go that requires lots of data, you're better off buying a phone directly from T-Mobile to ensure it supports the network to 100%.

 

[libra89]

Check what bands are being used by T-Mobile in your area. If those are the same as the phone, you're good. Otherwise, you may be stuck with slow (or no) internet.

I've been using T-Mobile USA with international unlocked phones, meaning: my phones never supported 4G / LTE. Still, it was good enough for my needs on HSPA / 3G. If you do plenty of stuff on the go that requires lots of data, you're better off buying a phone directly from T-Mobile to ensure it supports the network to 100%.

Thank you! This might be a silly question but how do I check the bands that are used in my area? I didn't even know that I could check it lol. I know that the metro region I'm in got part of T-Mobile's advanced (or extended) coverage recently.

 

[Tumultus]

Well, technically, you would have to find a way to get the frontline customer care agent convinced to connect you to a real technician. They usually can tell you what frequencies / bands / towers are being used in your region. Maybe this wireless network charts can help you to determine if the phone supports the needed frequencies?

Back in the days, there used to be maps out there on the internet, showing what frequencies are being used in different states and cities. I am not sure if those still exist and I didn't have enough coffee yet to research this.

 

[libra89]

Ooh okay. I'll look into doing that before I buy a phone, or at least the 550 anyway.
I looked at the T-Mobile support documents on their bands, and that is how I know it supports 2 bands. Thank you. https://support.t-mobile.com/thread/92908

That's not the support document but the support document was updated on Oct 6.

 

[Tumultus]

Probably way too scientific for you but check sources such as this and have a look at the graphic below:

 

[libra89]

So my concerns were in vain. The 550 has all of T-mobile's bands according to the user manual here : https://fccid.io/PYARM-1128

However, I will still ask about the bands used in my area, since it doesn't hurt to know.

Also found the document I was looking for: https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-4988
Updated October 13.