The short answer is YES (as of January 21, 2019).
Background
My Moto X Pure (XT1575) that I purchased in 2015 was slowly dying (due to battery wear and tear and loose charging port). So after much research, I settled on a mid-range Sony Xperia XA2 (click here for a full spec sheet) for thee reasons:
1. I am rather rough with my phone so I wanted something that was strong and durable;
2. I think it’s ridiculous to spend $400+ on a phone;
3. Sony’s camera (23 mega pixels) was roughly on part with Moto X’s camera (21 mega pixel)
Originally introduced in early 2018 as a GSM only phone, Sony got Xperia XA2 to work on Verizon Wireless (CDMA) in August 2018.
Problems
In my early days, Sony was THE KING when it came to electronics. So it was bit surprising when I decided on one of their smartphones how disjointed their marketing materials were.
For example, in August 2018, Sony made a simple tweet announcing that XA2 was not certified to be used on VZW.
Subsequent this announcement, the only other message was this:
The obvious problem is that the above communication does not address users who are on MVNO networks like Total Wireless (TW resells Verizon’s excess capacity).
A simple Google search on terms like “Can Sony Xperia XA2 activate on Total Wireless” results in array of confused users and possible solutions:
- Best Buy Forum – “Is Sony Xperia XA2 Compatible on Verizon Wireless?” (external link to BestBuy is here)
- Google Search – Sony Xperia XA2 Total Wireless (external link to Google)
- SonyMobile Forum – XZ2 compact on Verizon’s MVNO total wireless in the US“
- XDADevelopers – Anyone using this on Verizon yet?
- Frequency Check – Sony Xperia XA2 Dual SIM TD-LTE EMEA H4113 (Sony SM12) – Frequency Bands and Network Compatibility
- B&H Photos – Sony Xperia XA2 Specs (note that under VZW, specs say that 2G/3G/4G are active which is incorrect; it also says the phone is discontinued which is also incorrect (remember this post was made in January 2019)
Simple Solution
The most important fact about activating Sony Xperia XA2 on Verizon Wireless or VZW MVNOs like TotalWireless is to get a brand new CDMA SIM card that is in VZW SIM database.
Because I have changed my prepaid carriers many times in the past, I was not sure if my current SIM was valid with VZW or not. Seems odd since I was using this SIM with TotalWireless + Moto X for over a year, but it caused nothing but headaches when I first tried it (resulted in good data but no text or voice calls, etc.)
Changing APN to TRAFONE.VZWENTP ad VZWINTERNET and other configuration changes resulted in numerous problems
You can either buy this SIM kit at:
- Walmart.com – $0.99 (shipping charge applies unless you buy other stuff)
- This version
- Buy at Brick and Mortar store – which will set you back $8 (obviously no shipping)
Once you have the SIM kit, get online and chat with TW’s agent to activate the phone and SIM. That’s it. No other setting to mess around.
Hope this helps you out. Sony Xperia XA2 is a sweet phone for what I paid ($200 USD).
Kevin
