Not every smartphone will work flawlessly in every country, especially regarding the mobile internet. Different frequency bands and LTE channels mean that some smartphones might not function at all in specific countries. Here's how to check smartphone compatibility for more than 8500 devices and 830 carrier networks around the world.
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When do I need to check the smartphone compatibility
You might have heard the news that Amazon.com had slashed the price for the Nexus 6, just a few weeks before Google's unveiled the next Nexus generation.
However, the Nexus 6 comes in two versions, one for the US and one for the rest of the world. The Nexus 6 on sale is the XT1103, the US version, not the international ΧΤ1100.
"What is the difference?", you might ask. Well, the US version supports different UMTS bands for 3G, LTE Bands for 4G and CA DL bands. CA stands for Carrier Aggregation and uses multiple bands for downlink traffic to increase the mobile internet speed.
So, if we have the XT1103 on a foreign network that doesn't support the particular LTE bands for 4G, our phone would only work in 3G.
The same goes for any smartphone in the market. Very few smartphones support every single band for every single carrier in the world.
If we travel abroad or want to buy a smartphone from a foreign country, it's best to check the smartphone compatibility, to avoid any surprises.
How to check smartphone compatibility for any country
The website http://www.willmyphonework.net/ aims to be the definitive source to check for smartphone compatibility.
Their interface is simple and intuitive. First, we select the brand.
Then, the model. We will find both smartphone and tablet models.
If a particular model has multiple versions, like the Nexus 6, "Will My Phone Work" will have a "sub model" option.
With the correct model selected, we choose the country and the network in which we are interested.
We click on "Search", and in about a second we get the answer regarding the smartphone compatibility in the chosen network.
If a particular network has one or more incompatibilities, it doesn't mean that no network in the given country will work. The Wind network in Greece doesn't support 4G LTE for the US version of the Nexus 6...
...but Vodafone Greece supports it just fine.
Of course, the website assumes that the device is unlocked.
"Will My Phone Work" will also work pretty well on a mobile device.
Did you have trouble finding your smartphone compatibility?
If anything on this guide didn't work as described, and you were unable to find your smartphone compatibility, leave us a comment.
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