yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Google Pixel 2 XL Questions & Answers] AMANtalreja12:
Alright, I am buying pixel 2 xl from market, I am really skeptical of buying a Refurbished. I request you to tell me a method to identify a refurbished pixel phone

Samsung phones has Phone info app which checks whether its refurbished or not, but pixel doesnt have app like that

- The market donot sell phones in boxes as it subside to import duties in my country so that tactic is no go.

- The ones I saw had little to no wear which could be sign of refurb but it could also be used.

Is there any app or RTN menu option for pixel devices to actually check refurb status
[Google Pixel 2 XL Questions & Answers] Droid_Nut:
You might want to check the warranty, it should be 2 years for a new phone.
[Google Pixel 2 XL Questions & Answers] 3mutts:
Dont buy refurbs, most refurbs are Verizon models that have been turned into Verizons insurance broker and then sold on the market as "unlocked" Pixel 2s. They have no difference in model number, serial number, or specs however the Verizon units have locked bootloaders and should be avoided at all costs
[Google Pixel 2 XL Questions & Answers] AMANtalreja12:
Does that interfere with daily usage like camera,performance or something? Considering they are really cheap, a no to bootloader unlocking is fine( i can get pixel 2 xl 9.5/10 in 300 bucks approx). They claim it to be non refurb... Thats the reason I wanted to identify if its refurb or not. I know i m mixing two opinions.

Lets divide it into two

Q1: Is refurb pixel 2 xl not worth buying in 300 bucks?

Q2: How to identify a refurb
[Google Pixel 2 XL Questions & Answers] Clienterror:
An unlocked bootloader is the reason why this phone is worth it.
[Google Pixel 2 XL Questions & Answers] sutty86:
Can buy mine for £180 great condition
[Google Pixel 2 XL Questions & Answers] AMANtalreja12:
Guys i dont know whether that phone is refurb, is there something I can do to check that? Can I use fastboot to check that?

Can I use imei number to check a refurb?

The phone isnt new, nor it has OEM box.. its just a phone. There must a method.

And is there any menu to check every component of phone whether its working or not, whether the components are original. Well you get my point, just suggest me any way to inspect a device, i am fine with bootloader being locked( Stock OTA :p)
[Google Pixel 2 XL Questions & Answers] Strephon Alkhalikoi:
The bootloader lock will not hinder daily performance, and because of it you can both get the phone reasonably cheap and be able to do most things a rooted user can do. However I feel $300 is too much for a Verizon P2XL. You may want to check Swappa instead as you can probably get an unlocked model for around the same price with known provenance.

You were already told to avoid refurbs simply because they most likely are Verizon, but that doesn't really answer your question. There's no way known to check whether the device has been refurbished or not. The information parsed from an IMEI won't tell you if the device has been refurbished.
[Google Pixel 2 XL Questions & Answers] AMANtalreja12:
Pretty much clarifies all the points. Really thanks for that. I have a few questions. Would be glad if you answer

Q1: Are all refurb verizon( I searched over internet, all refurbs were bootloader *locked* which should correspond to verizon)

Q2: Does pixel 2 xl have Hardware defects like the hairline crack on microphone soldering in pixel 1, which could make it un usable?

And the country I live doesnt have swappa but i can order it through one of my cousin in US. Some units have less blue shift and screen issues than others, if I buy from market, I can inspect that myself, while on swappa, I could be unlucky to get one with high blue shift.

The question is, whether its better to buy MINT condition from Swappa or from market ( your personal opinion) and can I check all the components using hidden menu like on sammy phones.( Battery health, Screen check).
[Google Pixel 2 XL Questions & Answers] AMANtalreja12:
Edit: Swappa also contain verizon Pixel 2 xl as unlocked pixel 2 xl as they can work as GSM unlocked device but *not* bootloader unlocked devices. They have that bootloader locked

The one I am getting has GSM unlocked, which is pretty much what i want, and I dont care about bootloader lock.
[Google Pixel 2 XL Questions & Answers] Strephon Alkhalikoi:
https://swappa.com/buy/google-pixel-2-xl

In the link above you will see both unlocked and Verizon devices. Swappa therefore defines unlocked as "able to unlock the bootloader". It also confirms that $300 is way too much for a Verizon device.

I can't stop you from wasting your money, but be assured that based on price alone the item you're looking at is a bad deal. You can clearly do better.

Regarding your other questions, there is a possibility a refurb may not be Verizon, but do you want to take the chance? I'm not aware of manufacturing defects like on OG Pixels.
[Tilt, TyTN II, MDA Vario III Windows Mobile ROM De] badguy999:
Did your sdconfig failed cause install-troubly applications? :eek: Yeah, i know, its frustrating. :rolleyes:

More about great feature UC: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=366337 by Sleuth255

Here is a list of programs which doesnt work with UC auto installation. Please add some more, for which you know that dont work.:cool:

-gps today

-vtap

-dinarsoft memmaid

-satCE

-spb insight, pocket plus and maybe weather
[Tilt, TyTN II, MDA Vario III Windows Mobile ROM De] drawde:
IIRC PocketPlus worked fine for me. Although it has been a while.
[Tilt, TyTN II, MDA Vario III Windows Mobile ROM De] XtreMe_G:
i dont use any of those apps, so i cant tell, but did you try using the "hide" command instead of the lock command for those cabs?
[Tilt, TyTN II, MDA Vario III Windows Mobile ROM De] badguy999:
No,i didnt. Dont know how to do that.

Problem with those applications is, that after install they pop up a settings window, not ordinary OK button in right top corner of screen. And that stops the auto install.
[Tilt, TyTN II, MDA Vario III Windows Mobile ROM De] Dr. Strangelove:
Mods, can this thread be merged with this one?

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=393965

For users who are using for a looking for a (very probable) solution (HIDE command), go here:

http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=1900610&postcount=19

For some more background info on the solution:

http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=2221331&postcount=2
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] BCE111:
Along with a lot of you I was hoping Xiaomi would release the global version of the Redmi K20 Pro/Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro on Wednesday, June 12th, along with the release of the global version of the Xiaomi Mi 9T in Europe. As we know it didn't happen. I live in the United States so need the global version of these phones as they have more frequency bands opened up. Earlier today I was reading comments on the GSMArena website mentioning delays as to when that may happen. I can't verify any of this, but beside the editorial comments, it sounds like it's coming from someone who knows (or maybe a competitor). Here are the comments from TechNews:

12 Jun 2019

Guys I have a bad news for you.

Apparently, someone in Xiaomi revealed that Redmi K20 pro or the Mi 9T pro won't be launch globally, not in Jun nor July. Why? Because they ran out of stock. Qualcomm cannot meet with the heavy demand of phone manufacturers that wants their SD855 chips, and this affect Xiaomi that relies on high number of sales to cover for profit. This all happened because Xiaomi sold over 200 000 units of K20 pro on the 1st day of their launch and now, they only have few left.. manufacturing more to meet the global demand would require 2 months at least and thats why the probability of this k20 pro to launch globally in July is slim.. if there is any, there would only be the lowest version, 6gb ram and 64/128gb rom.

I know it sucks. So for those who cannot wait, just buy something else. K20 pro is not worth the wait.

------------------------------------

Further info for this, Xiaomi Malaysia just revealed that the earliest they can launch the Mi 9T Pro is late August. Xiaomi India also confirms that they will only bring in the Redmi K20 during July launch, and sadly no K20 pro for India. Expected launch of k20 pro is also late August for india. The only choice for those who can't wait for 2 months, is to buy the bloatware-full China version K20 pro with only a few number of units left available.. Then again, I suggest you guys look at other phones. By the time k20 pro or the Mi 9T pro launch globally, there will be a number of other flagship killer that surpass it's specs. Just like what happened to poco f1. I'm not trying to ruin xiaomi, but this is just the truth.. this is how they play with the market.. they hold the global launch, and only few weeks after the launch, they will bring in another better specd smartphone, again, only exclusive for China, and continue doing the same thing, over and over...
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] manus31:
Yes sounds about right,I was interested in the mi 9 when it was first announced,then that disappeared for a few months,now the k20 pro is disappearing as well,

Dont they know demand is highest when a new device is first announced,ah well on to the next one, Poco f2 perhaps
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] strangeprotocol:
I live in Canada and I have ordered one from AliExpress Chinese version 8/256 GB . Let's see how well it works
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] BCE111:
You don't have to guess. Scroll down the page and set the Network Compatibility to Canada to see your carrier and you'll know. Same for other countries. https://www.kimovil.com/en/where-to-buy-xiaomi-redmi-k20-pro-8gb-256gb-cn I have AT&T in the US which just has 1 band available. The global Xiaomi Mi 9T has 3 bands.

BTW I'd get that same phone too if the global version was the same price. But it may cost close to $100 USD more than the Chinese version you bought. Even the Xiaomi Mi 9T global version of the Redmi K20 for the 6GB/128GB will be $416 USD. While the Chinese version sells for $354 USD.
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] AndyYan:
Kinda skeptical about this, because obviously Mi prepared ample stock here in China, for all variants and all colors. Unlike past Xiaomi flagships, ever since its release, most of the variants are outright available for purchase everyday on every platform (save for 8+256 on certain sites), even now. To me it looks like we're way past the shortage of SD855 and Xiaomi is ready to deliver 24/7.
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] BCE111:
Yeah but when you say "most of the variants are available for purchase every day" that doesn't include a global version, which hasn't been released, and is the one I need for extra frequency bands. I don't know about the chip shortage. Sounds possible as they've already sold a ton of these phones. But I'll just wait and see how things play out. Hopefully the global version, if and when it's released, will be affordable. If it's in the $500 + USD range I certainly won't refer to it as a "flagship killer".
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] strangeprotocol:
I had the pocophone F1 which had similar bands and the necessary missing LTE bands . But it worked flawlessly on Rogers /Telus with full LTE coverage and no loss in speeds. I travelled to remote areas with no loss in connectivity.

If pocophone F1 was fine , I don't see no reason why k20 pro will perform any worse.
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] BCE111:
Thanks for sharing that. That's interesting. I just looked up your info for both phones and actually the connectivity is the same with the B7 (2600) band the one available in Canada for your carrier. Please keep us updated on how that goes. I had bought a Redmi Note 7 Pro from a Chinese seller on eBay but ended up returning it by forwarding it to someone else he sold it too as I was afraid it wouldn't work because of the band restrictions. And returning things to China from the US is a major expensive hassle. I wish this would become available on Amazon. They have a 30 day full refund policy as long as the sale is fulfilled by them. That way if it didn't work I could just return it. But they never did carry the Redmi Note 7 Pro as it wasn't the global version, so they may not carry this one either. We'll see what happens. Has anyone here ever returned anything to AliExpress or any of the companies selling this now? How did the return go? Thanks.
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] strangeprotocol:
I am planning to do a review as soon I get the phone . Hopefully it works as expected especially after spending close to CAD $700

Unfortunately AliExpress doesn't return phones unless they are DOA. Even than there is not guarantee the sellers will take phone back.
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] manus31:
After doing a bit of research I see that my network in Ireland is only giving me 3g hspa+ speeds because it is s smaller network that only uses one of the country s bigger networks Three Ireland,I see the k20 pro support the bands I need,

I'm still a bit hesitant,I should have no problem rite,without band 20,Having never imported a phone before,

What else should I be looking for ?
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] BCE111:
I couldn't tell you for sure. But I did look this up too and Three Ireland gets band B3 (1800) 4G with this phone. But that's the only band. But with the global version of the Redmi K20/Xiaomi Mi 9T announced on Wednesday, Three Ireland gets B3 (1800) and B20 (800) and it's less expensive. https://www.kimovil.com/en/where-to-buy-xiaomi-mi-9t-6gb-128gb If you don't know you can look up the differences in these two phones which are discussed in many places like GSM Arena, many videos on YouTube, etc. I've considered that phone too. So we'll see how things unfold. There's no guarantee they'll release a global version of this phone. Haven't heard any announcements one way or the other.
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] manus31:
Yea,seems the global is not happening or at least not any time soon,The 9T is appealing also,but am certainly used to my flagship performance at this stage and there would be a bit of a downgrade there,my current 6T has 6/128,Am only interested in the xiaomi for the cameras mostly,bigger battery,better fingerprint. Would certainly like the extra ram)storage 8/256 if possible,

Anyway,think I might hold off for a few months to see what happens,maybe the Poco f2 will be similar to the k20 pro.Will wait and see
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] Robbo.5000:
Just looking at the 3 major mobile networks of Ireland, they all use a good mix of LTE bands 1, 3, 8 and 20. Only band 20 is missing from the K20 Pro, so I'd be very surprised if you had issues with connectivity. Bands 8 and 20 are relatively low frequency bands, these are more 'robust' and can travel longer distances and penetrate walls better, but they have lower bandwidth, so have slower speeds. They are generally used, when a network has a mix of low and high frequency bands, in more rural areas or to give extra coverage in heavily built areas where some substantial buildings could stop line of sight to many areas. If band 20 was the only low frequency band available to you, then you might have trouble out in the sticks, but having band 8 should keep you covered in all areas.
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] manus31:
Thanks for the reply,but seems where I am rural Ireland base 20 is important somewhat but I'm not sure I'm not it would affect me too much,I would be happy now buying the phone based on it not having base 20,

I've since been looking at other videos and my new concern is being stuck with a Chinese rom filled with bloat. Im quite happy with my 6T now in terms of software and I know I can rely on OTAs and future Android versions,I'm not one for tinkering my phone's much these days and need the phone to be useable at all times. Think being stuck on the Chinese rom might drive me crazy,I know you can remove the bloat fairly easily but am worried about OTAs and support which I think is important for any phone
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] Robbo.5000:
Xiaomi.eu should have a global ROM out soon, if it's not already. They remove all bloat and adds and make MIUI more bearable. A few months down the line and you'll see more alternative ROMS. I'm sure LineageOS will have an official build along the way, they have nightly builds with OTA.
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] IamIftekharAlam:
What about k20 pro in germany?

In that website, I can see that K20 pro supports 4 out of 6 bands in Germany. (B20 and B32 are missing in the device). Will this be a problem in germany?
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] ChrisM243:
Depends on carrier and city. I need B20 for the O² net.

Is there any way to unlock the full LTE frequencies on the K20 Pro on the China version (especially B20)?
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] manus31:
No too sure about this.They've already canceled global beta

Why would they release a global rom for a phone they're not releasing globally possible but certainly not definite
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] Robbo.5000:
Xiaomi.eu are an unofficial group of MIUI fans who create global versions of MIUI. They take the stock Chinese MIUI ROMS, remove bloat and unnecessary Chinese apps, add multiple languages and a whole host of other customizations and release it to the world. It is all done by a dedicated development team off volunteers. It's not actually done by Xiaomi, although I believe Xiaomi do collaborate with them occasionally.
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] manus31:
Oh Ok ,cheers ,didn't know that ,good to know
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] Robbo.5000:
Not currently. See this thread https://xdaforums.com/k20-pro/help/to-reveal-missing-basebands-t3939226
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] qwertysPL:
If K20 pro could be delayed that much what could you recommend instead? What do you think is best flagship killer avaliable on the market right now?
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] Robbo.5000:
If you don't mind the notch, then the standard OnePlus 7 and the standard Mi 9 are both very good phones at a good price.

If you want an all screen experience, the Asus ZenFone 6 looks very good, but it's very hard to get hold of currently and is a bit more money too, sort of halfway between flagship and flagship killer.
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] Amarbold:
Redmi K20 Pro - Official Global ROM in AliExpress

Good day everybody,

Are the phones in AliExpress, which are Global ROM Redmi K20 Pro, basically what was about to come as Mi 9T Pro as a Global version?

Some frequency bands might be added to Mi 9T Pro. But what else would be different in Mi 9T Pro than Redmi K20 Pro?

Is it worth waiting for Mi 9T Pro or just buying Redmi K20 Pro will do the trick ?
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] AndyYan:
I'd say fake. There's no official global ROM on en.miui.com (naturally, since it isn't released internationally yet).
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] Mattewsb:
There are 2 interesting and quick questions:

1, if i put the k20 global rom on the Pro version, will it have the same bands unlocked ? additionally, will any issue rise ?

2, another thing is that when the LineageOs be released for it, all possible bands will be unlocked, like has been done for pocophone.
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] AndyYan:
1) Dumb idea to try flashing a ROM from a different device. Also, K20 is not just K20 Pro sans SD855.

2) Huh? Poco isn't a Chinese-limited device in the first place. Plus I've only seen people saying that it's hardware locked (i.e. impossible), not the other way round.
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] Mattewsb:
Do you mean they are lying? About pocophone?

htt ps://wiki .lineageos. org/devices/beryllium
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] Robbo.5000:
LineageOS, and CyanogenMod before it, have never opened up more radio bands for any device. It is just not possible with any ROM. The wiki page looks like it lists all LTE bands, so someone has probably forgot to edit the list to only show the actual LTE bands.

From my understanding, the configuration for which bands are actually enabled is stored in the baseband partition. However it's not simply a case of overwriting that partition as there seems to be some sort of protection to prevent modification. When others have tried to flash a baseband from a global phone onto regional phone no additional bands are unlocked.

There are Qualcomm tools for editing the basebands, but the most recent versions for the latest SoCs have not been leaked and unavailable to third party developers.
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] Mattewsb:
I thought the same at first, but started looking in other lineageOs ROMs and the available bands are different, i mean it could be a typo error but i doubt it.
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] AndyYan:
So looks like the delay is indeed happening. I don't really care though, I'm happy as long as the global launch is confirmed.

https://www.xda-developers.com/redmi-k20-pro-xiaomi-mi-9t-pro-india-china/

Wiki is written by users/maintainers, and incorrect band info is all over the web, which the author might have copied from (yeah, why care to double-check if it works on his own device?).

Search around and you'll see plenty people complaining about non-unlockable bands - if a custom ROM could unlock it, this would not be such a fuss in the first place, right?
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] Mattewsb:
How can i test it?
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] plskillme:
The K20 pro is available in Mi store(China), IDK if anyone has ordered directly from them. I've been trying to order from that but I can't find a way to get the address correctly because the page is in Simplified Chinese and I don't know anyone who speaks/writes Chinese. I've already lost interest in getting one as there's a significant amount of mark up from resellers in Aliexpress(from a decent 10 to 20 bucks, to more than a hundred) and of those scheming farts from NL/PL/some other parts of Europe who claim that they're local stores who have them in stock and charge tax but in truth the phones will ship from China. I hope they get liver or brain or kidney cancer for that sh*t.
[Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Guides, News, & D] Robbo.5000:
I would think that the Chinese Mi store will only ship within China.

10-15 USD above the Chinese price is normal for sellers on AliExpress, once a phone has been available for a few weeks. Remember that they will lose some of that mark-up when they exchange from USD to CNY.

It's worth remembering that with that small mark-up it will still, probably, be a fair amount cheaper than the Mi 9T Pro, when released, when looking at it's pricing in the local markets it's released in. I've just ordered the 8/128 GB K20 Pro from AliExpress and it cost approx €360. This is cheaper than the official price of the Mi 9T 6/128GB in Europe (€370). So who knows how much the Pro version will be when it finally lands.

Maybe best to stop complaining about the stores adding 10-20 USD and be thankful they're still a lot cheaper than the official prices in markets outside of China.