[ZTE Axon 7 Questions & Answers] flyer_andy:
Works great on VZW still. Love the phone.

I'd say that the Axon works just as well on Verizon as it did prior to the update, but with potentially better signal strength though I didn't really have a big issue with that prior to the update so I'm not sure (the T-Mobile SIM does seem to do a lot better post-update...but Verizon has always worked well).

I really doubt you'll have any substantive trouble with VZW on this device, especially if you're willing and able to mess a bit with some of the more advanced settings just in case a problem does arise. Here are the oddities, and I'm trying to list *all* of them!

1. No VoLTE or (I presume) HD calling

2. Voicemail appears to have to be accessed by dialing *86 as opposed to long-pressing the '1' key

3. Roaming icon is present intermittently

4. Data roaming *must* be enabled to ensure consistent and reliable data service

5. Verizon's website won't recognize the device at all in the Account Overview pages (mine still shows the last "approved" device I had with my VZW SIM - an iPhone 6S)

6. MMS *may* require a hack to get the proper APN, though I've had no trouble with this (I'm prepaid though); the hack requires a GSM SIM, so beware of this

7. 1X reception *seems* a tad weak in terms of dBm but functionally it almost seems better than my other Verizon phones (weird!)

8. Carrier label will be either '123456,' '002127' (EvDO only), or (I think?) '31000' when not using LTE (i.e., 1X or 3G). When on LTE the phone should show "Verizon Wireless" as normal

9. A SIM/modem reset may be necessary once in a great while it seems...so it's good to understand how to navigate to the "Phone Information" screen to toggle radio settings...also, I've found just SIM-cycling with a GSM SIM will often fix any connectivity problems as well...and sometimes just rebooting the phone with no SIM at all can help too (or a combo of all the above!)

If you can tolerate the above issues then the phone is great. I really enjoy it. I've found the Verizon side of things to be pretty reliable on the Axon 7, even with my endless tinkering with radio modes and other stuff, which has seemed to get me into (recoverable) trouble a few times.

Most importantly - the endless chatter on various forums that Verizon "blocks" the Axon 7 and other non-approved devices is total bunk. In every case where I've run into an issue it can be resolved on my side - Verizon is doing nothing whatsoever to inhibit the use of the Axon 7 on its network as far as I can tell (notwithstanding activation hurdles, admittedly)...many of the people making such claims seem to be speaking from a standpoint of total ignorance and it's kind of getting annoying, to be honest...it seems like the minute someone has an issue with the Axon 7, some ignoramus gets on the relevant forums/comments and claims that Verizon is "blocking" the device. Total BS IMO.

Good luck! As far as activation is concerned...I'd say it might be best to just go to Wal-Mart and buy a cheap prepaid phone or something (looks like the HTC Desire 526 has a nano-SIM and is only $37.49 on their website)...or maybe a cheap nano-SIM'd Verizon phone off of Swappa or eBay? That's probably what I'd do...But I know neither of those solutions are particularly helpful...VZW definitely makes it a bit of a pain.