Does anyone think the V30 is worth buying today as a daily phone? Network would be Tmo.
In addition to the excellent input you already received I'll add that phone service should be your biggest concern if you want to (also) use the V30 as a phone: All carriers are in the process of shutting down their 3G networks, after which only phones with VoLTE (Voice-over-LTE) will work. Most of the US carriers are making that switch early next year (after postponing it twice). See
this article and many others. Already, 3G network coverage has been reduced, which will only continue.
But V30
does have VoLTE, right?
Well, yes. But the phone has to know the IMS carrier configuration for the specific carrier being used. IMS is the service that supports VoLTE and VoWiFi (WiFi Calling). If you're on TMO, your phone
must have a specific TMO profile built-in. Same for other carriers. Each V30 model only has IMS profiles for its intended carriers. Even the so-called Open Market models (US998 for North America, H930 for Europe, H930DS for India etc) only support VoLTE for established carriers in those regions. So you won't be able to bring a US model V30 overseas (or vice versa) and use VoLTE.
And then the carrier has to accept the phone's IMEI to provide VoLTE on it. For years, AT&T and Verizon have been using VoLTE/VoWiFi as premium features for their postpaid subscribers using their branded phones, not available to MVNOs (Mint, Red Pocket, etc) or users who bring their own phones.
Specifically on T-Mobile (which you use) you want a H932 (TMO V30) to make sure it works with their VoLTE and WiFi Calling. That will also give you TMO's 600MHz Band 71. Genuine US998 (North American Open Market V30) has been reported to work on TMO as well. I own two US998 but they were originally Sprint LS998 (converted by the seller before I bought them) and TMO says their IMEIs are no good. They currently work on Red Pocket GSMA (AT&T) but with restrictions on VoLTE and VoWiFi. I'll test them on Red Pocket GSMT (TMO) later next month. MVNOs are generally more flexible than the carriers themselves.
BTW this IMS requirement also locks out most custom ROMs, since developers who make them don't have access to LG's IMS code. And even if they did, it is complex as heck. I studied it a bit, and I suspect many devs just don't understand it yet.
Carriers must be loving this: Ever since they were legally require to unlock phones for other carriers, they've lacked a good torture instrument to apply on their customers. They have been using VoLTE to push phone sales the last 1-2 years, and that pressure will only increase. It is possible that they will be more flexible once they
have turned off 3G -- they don't want to lose subscribers, after all. But until then we have to dance to their tune in selecting phones.
TL;DR: Get a V30 model matching your network carrier to make sure it works after 3G gets turned off next year.
