Do Xiaomi/Redmi smartphones Work in the USA?
Yes, Xiaomi/Redmi devices work in the USA on AT&T and T-Mobile because both of them work on the GSM network. Verizon, Sprint and US cellular are CDMA based so they are not Xiaomi smartphones compatible.
But still, due to lack of bands like 4, 12 and 17 in Xiaomi devices, they do not support 4G LTE of AT&T and T-mobile in every region. You can see bands of AT&T and T-Mobile in the table below.
Carrier | LTE Bands |
AT&T | 2, 4, 5, 12, 14, 17, 29, 30, 66 |
T-Mobile | 2, 4, 5, 12, 66, 71 |
Now let see which LTE bands Xiaomi smartphones support
Smartphone | Supported LTE bands |
Mi 9T Pro | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40 |
Poco X2 | 1, 3, 5, 8, 40, 41 |
Redmi Note 8 Pro | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 40, 41 |
As you can see in the table, Xiaomi Smartphones does not support all the bands of AT&T and T-Mobile. Only Mi 9T Pro support the band 4(1700) which is the main band of T-Mobile.
AT&T uses band 17(700) as its main band which is not supported in any of the smartphone given above. So if you are planning to buy a Xiaomi smartphone, make sure to check the coverage in your area because AT&T use bands like 2,4 and 5 in few regions.
So far, T-Mobile’s LTE is best supported for Mi 9T because T-Mobile use band 4(1700mhz) as its main band and Mi 9T Pro supports band 4. However, Redmi Note 8 Pro does not support it.
How to check the LTE band in your area and buy supported smartphone
You can use the app Signal spy to check which LTE band your smartphone is connected to. Check this post at Androidpolice to know how to use the app.
After knowing the LTE band in your area, head over to the GSMarena of the smartphone you want to purchase, and under “Network” section, you will find the supported bands.