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Samsung Galaxy Fold supports Verizon and Sprint's CDMA and LTE bands
AT&T and T-Mobile have both been taking pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy Fold. We would imagine that some Verizon and Sprint subscribers are a bit jealous. Some might have even opened accounts with AT&T and T-Mobile just so they could buy the first foldable from a major manufacturer. While evidence discovered last month suggests that Verizon and Sprint will eventually offer the Galaxy Fold, the truth is that the phone as configured right now will run on Verizon and Sprint.
According to a chart printed by the FCC (via Droid-Life), the SM-F900U will work on both Verizon and Sprint's LTE and CDMA bands (in addition to T-Mobile and AT&T's bands, of course). Even if T-Mobile and AT&T won't allow their carrier specific Galaxy Fold models to work on other carriers, both of these providers will eventually allow you to unlock a device as long as you're willing to jump through some hoops. For example, on AT&T, the Galaxy Fold you own must have been purchased with an installment plan that has been paid off. You also must be an AT&T subscriber for at least 60 days, and your AT&T account must not be past due or have any unpaid balances. After you submit a request to unlock your device, it will take as long as 48 hours to get a response to your request from AT&T.
T-Mobile has similar requirements. A device you are requesting to be unlocked must be completely paid off if purchased using an installment plan, and must have been connected to the T-Mobile network for at least 40 days. If the phone is associated with a service contract plan, at least 18 consecutive payments must have been made. In other words, neither carrier will make it easy to buy a Galaxy Fold and use it on Verizon or Sprint. By the time either carrier lets you unlock the Galaxy Fold, an unlocked version might be already available in the U.S.
Verizon subscribers will get some revenge later this summer when the Motorola RAZR (2019) is supposed to be released as a Verizon exclusive. A document from the Bluetooth Launch Studio recently surfaced showing that a Motorola RAZR device with the model number of XT2000-1 will be available from Verizon. Pricing is expected to be in the neighborhood of $1,500 as opposed to $1,980 for the Galaxy Fold.
