cell - motorola droid turbo2 - xt1585 4G

2024 Note: These can be used as WiFi Cams for video production. G Pure (xt2163) and G Play (xt2093) are updated versions of this phone with slightly stronger performance, but still without 5G; only VoLTE is available. Further, providers are no longer supporting these phones.

Need a new phone and not in the income category of an investment banker or a first responder? T-Mobile traditionally uses SIM cards (GSM)

These 2015 phones run about $60 on Ebay and have 32GB of storage for apps and storage, plus a person could add an SD storage card.The SD card goes in next to the SIM. The camera creates JPG pics, and handles low light reasonably well.

• outward facing phone: 5344 x 3006 (5M per pic)
• self-facing phone: is 2592x1458 (1.1M per pic)
• video: 1920x1080, h264 high, 17,000kbs. (1M per second).
• processor: Snapdragon 805, Krait 450 chipset
• battery: a 3550 mAh lithium-poly battery (see below).

Battery FB55

tools: spudger and micro spudgers, torx t3

The phone seems to go about 2 years on a battery. Replacement battery is $10 delivered. They're not easy to access. It's about a one hour job, at a slow pace. Seventeen micro TORX screws. That's 17 chances to strip one. Keep downward pressure on the tool.

The little ribbon cable on the lower right is key. Some I've ordered arrive *without* enough length on that connector and are thus worthless.

Battery Replacement (2:12) Wit Rigs, 2016. by far the best video. All others go unnecessarily further. It's bad enough: the 17 x T3 screws cannot be avoided.

VoLTE status

We want to use the phone in LTE mode for fastest data and solid voice connection. The phone will otherwise default to GSM voice and EDGE data. This way we can talk on 3G and still text on EDGE simultaneously. But these are 3G type functions, so once providers sunset 3G in 2022, their will be no way to use voice and data at the same time, or GSM voice at all. We need LTE. How to ensure the phone is set for it?

I installed the Hidden Android Settings app. It doesn't require root b/c it doesn't have special functions. What it does is give quick access to functions which typically require menu after to menu to locate.

For LTE, I went into RadioInfo, then found the screen you see below. Although it appears relevant, just ignore the "Volte Provisioned" slider. Go instead to the drop-down arrow. There's 20+ options. I selected "LTE/CDMA/UMTS auto (PRL)". As you can see this resulted in both my Voice and Data Network types switching to LTE. For me, this is good enough