Hello Moto Q Forums

[ericab]

I hope I can find some information here, any help would be great. I've spent a lot of time researching information online and talking with att but am still not sure if this phone will work. I need to find out if the moto q global is a good phone for someone in the military who does not know where they will be working and may have to work a few months overseas (possibly England and Japan). He wants a moto q global (he really wants this phone, he doesn't care if he has to pay $499) but I am not sure that it will work since he isn't sure where he will working. I have several questions.

A) The moto q global is only sold through att but the phone needs to work nationwide, I looked at the att coverage map and but there's no way to know for sure if he'll be using the phone somewhere with att coverage. I asked att what happens if he is somewhere without coverage and they said the phone only works with att. att told me that they do not sell unlocked phones, does this mean that you can buy an unlocked moto q global? I've heard that phones can be unlocked (or purchased unlocked) but I'm not sure how that works. Does att let you unlock the moto q phone if you are in an area without coverage and you get a plan with another carrier or can you only use the moto q global with att?

B) If you can buy an unlocked phone (he won't want to go through ebay) how does that work, can he use the card from the phone he has now (att) and put it into the moto q global and make calls and send text messages? He's not concerned right now with using the data options just with being able to make calls and send text messages.

C) If the moto q global can only be used with att then what about the moto q 9e unlocked? I saw the motorola store sells that, would he be able to use that nationwide and overseas? Is that comparable to the moto q global? I tried sending the motorola store an email but their web page gave me an error message. How does that work, he can buy a plan with a carrier and the phone will work? Can he use his current att card in the moto q 9e?

D) Can you use the moto q global overseas (or the moto q 9e) if you are going to need to use it for months? I asked att if you could use the moto q global overseas (possibly England and Japan) and they said yes but they meant in terms of att international roaming for someone using a phone while visiting. If he's overseas for months he won't be doing that, he'd get a plan there right? Can he do that with the moto q global (or moto q 9e)?

E) If he buys the phone without a plan (either the moto q global from att store or the moto q 9e from motorola) can he use his current att card (as mentioned earlier he's not concerned right now with using the data options just with being able to make calls and send text messages)? He's currently on a family plan for a few more months and does not want to sign up for a plan in his own name until he knows where he will be. I've tried explaining that it would be cost less to wait and buy the phone with a new plan through att (if he can use att as I asked above) but he wants the phone now. He wants to make sure if he buys just the phone now that it will work with the att card he has. I asked att and they said it depends on the phone. Is there any way to tell for sure?

Thanks for any help. I know he wants the moto q global but any suggestions would be appreciated about what would be best for a person who possibly needs a phone to work anywhere (and also wants it to work right now with his current att card).

[Syndil]

The Moto Q Global is the informal name for the Moto Q9h, which is the GSM variant of the Q9.

A) As far as GSM coverage goes, you will not find a better carrier than AT&T. If he is in an area without AT&T coverage, then it is likely that he is in an area that has no cellphone coverage at all.

B) You can buy a carrier-unlocked Q9h. If you plan to go this route, I recommend buying it from www.importgsm.com and purchasing the extended warranty/insurance option. AT&T does not offer insurance on smartphones, so if you were to lose or break the Q9h, that's $500 down the drain. The insurance from importgsm covers the phone for three years, as long as you don't lose it. If it breaks, send it in and get a new one. But do NOT lose it.

You could also have the AT&T Q9h unlocked, which would allow it to work with other carriers, but again, not having insurance on such an expensive phone--especially when you're going to be travelling with it--is a very bad idea. Better to just buy the unlocked version from importgsm.

With the unlocked Q9h, he can put in his SIM from AT&T (or any other carrier) and use the phone. You may need to program the phone for data usage, but importgsm offers that for an additional small fee if you are uncomfortable doing it yourself.

C) I believe the Q9e is simply an unlocked Q9h.

D) If he is going to be staying overseas for an extended amount of time, he would want to purchase a temporary plan at the location he is staying. International roaming is stupidly expensive and I am sure he would want to avoid that at all costs. Most countries that attract a lot of tourists offer pre-paid SIM cards to use in unlocked, global phones.

E) Yes, he can use his current AT&T SIM in the phone. If he buys it from AT&T, it will only work with AT&T SIM cards until he has the phone unlocked, but you will not need to do anything to it for it to work with AT&T's data. But again, no insurance is a very bad thing, when you need it. importgsm.com.

If you have a family plan, the cheapest way of getting this phone right now would probably be by adding an additional line to your family plan. That may mean that you end up with an extra line that no one uses, but it is cheaper than cancelling a line and paying a termination fee or buying the phone without a contract. But (beating a dead horse now) no insurance is a big negative and I would rather spend the extra to buy it from importgsm.com and get it covered.

If his current SIM card is an older AT&T SIM card it may need to be upgraded to work with the new phone. Ask them if he would need a new SIM if he were to buy the Q9h from AT&T. They should be able to answer that question. If his current SIM will work in AT&T's Q9h, it will work in any Q9h (assuming it's unlocked).