T-Mobile REVVL V+ 5G Android 64GB Smartphone – Nebula Black (Renewed) (T-Mobile Unlocked)

Works with US Mobile “Dark Star” network (AT&T), “Warp” (Verizon), and “Light Speed” (T-Mobile)
I’ve been unable to find an inexpensive 5G wireless access point. I don’t want a smartphone, but can’t find another option at this time.I bought this phone with the hope that it would work with US Mobile’s service, which it does. I really like my pooled data plan with them, but I wanted a device on T-Mobile’s network, as I have had very good service from a T-Mobile 4G WAP at some rural locations. At my home, neither Verizon nor AT&T work very well as a backup for my Internet service, but T-Mobile has 5G coverage in my area.I had a “Dark Star” SIM that was already activated, and dropped it into this phone. Once the battery was charged, I was able to power the phone on and place phone calls and send text messages. However Internet didn’t work, even using Chrome browser on the phone itself. I’ve already become familiar with adding an APN to other devices, so I followed the instructions from US Mobile’s site to add the “Darkstar” APN, and configure it for tethering, which is the main purpose of this device.The disappointing part has nothing to do with this phone, which seems to be working perfectly well. The phone is running on AT&T’s network, not T-Mobile. While the service is still poor at my home, I tried it at a few different locations, and found a couple of places nearby where the speedtest.net results were very impressive, with download speeds over 120Mbps and upload speeds over 80Mbps. However, I also found places that were essentially “dead zones” for data, even though the phone still showed a 5G connection.I briefly tried this phone with a US Mobile “Warp” SIM, which connected to Verizon’s network. I was able to place a call, send a text message, and connect to the 4G service available here. The speed is similar to another 5G smartphone I have from another reseller. I did not have to make any APN adjustments, it just worked.SUCCESS!!! Took some time, but I am finally on T-Mobile’s network (using US Mobile’s “Light Speed” network) and now have weak 5G coverage at my home. I have to put the phone in a window to get the 5G service. If I move it to the interior, I get 4G service which is actually slightly faster than Verizon’s 4G. A VoIP call while tethered on the 5G network was a bit spotty. My speedtest.net speed is showing 24Mbps down and 3Mbps up with 648ms latency while on 5G and tethered via WiFi.I tried a couple of different USB A / USB C cables to tether to the phone via USB instead of WiFi. That is superior on my older 4G phones, but WiFi actually works best with this phone, so long as the phone is within 6′-8′ of my laptop. I got a 15′ 240W USB C cable, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DFTM1DBV?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1 which works better than the the cables with the USB A connector on one end, but still is a little slower than WiFi for download speed. It is similar performance for upload speed and latency. The download latency is much better with the USB C cable than WiFi, even though the total speed is about half the rate of WiFi (currently around 12Mbps when using WiFi, and 6Mbps using USB).Unlike the “Dark Star” and “Warp” networks, I had a good deal of trouble switching to the “Light Speed” (T-Mobile) network. I did two 1-hour long support chat sessions, but still didn’t have phone, sms, nor mms service. By adding the correct APN, I did get Internet service. I inadvertently left the phone on while charging it after the last troubleshooting session. While it was charging, it downloaded a 1.9GB update. I’m not sure what all updated, but the OS updated from Android 11 to Android 12. The phone service started working after the requested reboot. It requested a WiFi connection to complete updating, so I set that up and ran the update option from the Android settings menu. The sms & mms services started working about 20 minutes later. One of the notifications seemed to suggest the carrier initiated the update, but I don’t know if that was the OS update, or something else.This phone does seem to work well in the car while tethered via WiFi to my Android radio for Waze maps and YouTube streaming while driving. I haven’t done any long trips, but I have gone through areas I know to have poor coverage, and didn’t notice any interruptions.

SIM CARD READER NOT WORKING PROPERLY.
Everything thing on outside of the phone was in great looking shape. It was the internal part of the phone is where the problem existed. The phone’s SIM card reader was not functioning properly. I’m returning this item for a refund. Thank you in advance for your help. I would not recommend just spend a few more bucks and buy a new phone instead.Bradley Figueroa

good phone
It’s a good phone. I wrote a bad review on this phone, but it was wrong. The charger was bad, not the phone battery.

Worth it
Great value, sturdy phone, great sound.