Cut 3G2

How to Cut 3G2 Files Online

1. Upload Your 3G2 File: Drag and drop your .3g2, .3gp2, or .3gpp2 clip onto the page, or click "Add Files" to browse. The cutter also accepts .3gp (the GSM-side sibling), so mixed-source legacy libraries can be processed together. Batch uploads are supported.
2. Set Cut Points (Start and Duration): Use the Time Range control to enter a Start time and Duration in HH:MM:SS.ms format (e.g., 00:00:05.000 start, 00:00:18.500 duration). 3G2 sample tables track time at the 90 kHz timescale inherited from ISO BMFF, and the cut re-encodes the kept range, so sub-second precision is honored — the cut lands exactly where you enter it rather than snapping to a keyframe.
3. Pick Output Codec, Quality, and Resolution (Optional): Keeping the input container is the default — the cut is frame-accurate, with the video re-encoded at the visually-lossless default preset. For broader modern playback, switch to H.264 + AAC and use the Quality Preset (Highest to Lowest), Target file size (%), Specific file size, or Constant Quality (CRF). Resolution can stay original, snap to a 3G2-typical preset (176x144, 320x240, 352x288, 640x480), or accept custom width/height.
4. Cut and Download: Click "Cut". The job runs on our servers — no sign-up, no watermark, no third-party upload beyond the conversion request itself.

Why Cut 3G2 Files?

3G2 (.3g2) is the 3GPP2 container, designed in 2004 for CDMA2000 multimedia messaging on Verizon, Sprint, KDDI au, and other CDMA carriers. It shares the ISO base media file format (ISO/IEC 14496-12) with MP4 and 3GP, wraps the same video codecs as 3GP (H.263, MPEG-4 Part 2, H.264), but adds CDMA-specific speech codecs — EVRC, EVRC-B, EVRC-WB, QCELP/13K, SMV, and VMR-WB — and drops HE-AAC v2 and AMR-WB+ from the 3GP audio matrix. Most cuts on 3G2 happen because the source clip is a long recording from an old CDMA handset and the user wants one usable segment archived before the format becomes harder to play.

• Salvage moments from CDMA-era phones before the files become unplayable — Older Verizon-branded LG, Samsung, and Motorola handsets recorded directly to .3g2. With Verizon's 3G CDMA network shut down on December 31, 2022 and Sprint's CDMA network retired on March 31, 2022, the source devices can no longer back up over cellular; offline cuts let you keep just the meaningful seconds from each clip.
• Trim QCELP/EVRC-only audio for one-time transcoding — QCELP samples at 8 kHz with 13.3 kbps full-rate frames, and EVRC peaks at 8.55 kbps full-rate. Both are speech-only narrowband codecs that sound rough once decoded. Cutting first means the unavoidable transcode-to-AAC step processes fewer seconds of low-quality audio.
• Prepare clips for re-encoding to a modern container — A short cut is much faster to convert than a full file. After cutting, run Convert 3G2 to MP4 or Convert 3G2 to MOV on the segment for native playback on iOS, Android, and desktop browsers.
• Convert into the GSM-side sibling — If the archive workflow standardizes on 3GP, cut first and then run Convert 3G2 to 3GP so the audio re-codes from EVRC/QCELP to AMR-NB or AAC-LC, which has wider playback support outside CDMA devices.
• Extract the audio track from voice memos — Many .3g2 files from CDMA handsets are voice notes wrapped in a video container. Cutting the relevant slice and then exporting to Convert 3G2 to AAC or Convert 3G2 to MP3 gives you a clean audio-only file at a useful bit rate.
• Reduce file size before further compression — A 10-minute .3g2 at 320x240 H.264 can run 25-60 MB; cutting to the relevant 20 seconds before Compress 3G2 keeps the compressor's bitrate/quality math simple and the output predictable.

3G2 vs 3GP — Format Comparison

Property	3G2 (.3g2)	3GP (.3gp)
Standard body	3GPP2 (CDMA2000)	3GPP (GSM / UMTS)
Base container	MPEG-4 Part 12 (ISO BMFF)	MPEG-4 Part 12 (ISO BMFF)
First released	January 2004	2001
Video codecs	H.263, MPEG-4 Part 2, H.264	H.263, MPEG-4 Part 2, H.264
Audio codecs (unique)	EVRC, EVRC-B, EVRC-WB, QCELP (13K), SMV, VMR-WB	AMR-WB+, HE-AAC v2
Audio codecs (shared)	AAC-LC, HE-AAC v1, AMR-NB, AMR-WB	AAC-LC, HE-AAC v1, AMR-NB, AMR-WB
MIME type	video/3gpp2, audio/3gpp2	video/3gpp, audio/3gpp
File extensions	.3g2, .3gp2, .3gpp2	.3gp, .3gpp
Designed for	CDMA2000 handsets (Verizon, Sprint, KDDI au)	GSM/UMTS handsets (AT&T, T-Mobile, EU/Asia GSM)
Typical resolutions	176x144, 320x240, 352x288, 640x480	176x144, 320x240, 352x288, 640x480
When to use it	Legacy CDMA archives, EVRC/QCELP audio	Legacy GSM archives, AMR audio

Cut Strategy Quick Guide

Goal	Codec choice	Settings	What you keep
Quick cut, same container	Default settings	Original resolution	Frame-accurate clip at source-matching quality
Frame-accurate cut, broader playback	H.264 + AAC	Highest quality preset, original resolution	Exact cut points; quality very close to source
Smaller file for archival	H.264 + AAC	Medium preset, 320x240 or 352x288	Watchable clip at 30-40% of original size
Voice-memo extract from 3G2	Audio-only export	Use Convert 3G2 to AAC after cutting	Clean speech track

Frequently Asked Questions

Will cutting a 3G2 file lose quality compared to the original?

Not visibly. The cut decodes the kept range and re-encodes it at the visually-lossless default preset, so the output is not bit-identical to the source but looks the same — and the re-encode is what makes the cut frame-accurate. If you deliberately pick a lower quality preset, a smaller resolution, or a different codec, quality follows the settings you choose.

Why don't my cuts land exactly where I set the start time?

With XConvert they should — the cut re-encodes the kept range, so it starts exactly at your set time. The snapping you may have seen elsewhere comes from stream-copy tools: 3G2 video stored as H.263, MPEG-4 Part 2, or H.264 is GOP-coded (groups of pictures with one keyframe followed by predicted frames), and a cut made without re-encoding can only land on a keyframe — 1-3 seconds apart on typical CDMA-handset recordings. Here the keyframe spacing doesn't matter.

What is the difference between 3G2 and 3GP, and why does it matter for cutting?

Both containers share the same MPEG-4 Part 12 base and the same video codec set (H.263, MPEG-4 Part 2, H.264), so the video cutting behavior is identical. The audio side differs: 3G2 was designed for CDMA networks and uniquely carries EVRC, EVRC-B, EVRC-WB, QCELP (13K), SMV, and VMR-WB, while 3GP was designed for GSM and uniquely carries AMR-WB+ and HE-AAC v2. Note the cut re-encodes the audio, and EVRC/QCELP have no modern encoder, so the audio comes out as a widely-supported codec (typically AAC) whichever container you pick; .3gp couldn't carry EVRC/QCELP anyway, since GSM-side containers never supported them.

Will modern phones and browsers play the cut .3g2 file?

Playback is uneven. VLC plays 3G2 natively on all desktop platforms. Android's MediaPlayer historically supported 3G2 alongside 3GP. iOS dropped native 3GP-family record support in iOS 9 (2015) and Safari does not decode the EVRC/QCELP audio codecs that are unique to 3G2 — the file may open visually but stay silent. For reliable cross-platform playback after cutting, transcode the result with Convert 3G2 to MP4; H.264 + AAC inside MP4 plays everywhere from iOS 4 onward.

My 3G2 file has EVRC or QCELP audio — can I keep that codec when cutting?

No. The cut re-encodes the audio, and EVRC, EVRC-B, EVRC-WB, QCELP/13K, SMV, and VMR-WB are decode-only in modern tooling — they're variable-rate narrowband speech codecs (QCELP at 8 kHz / 13.3 kbps full-rate, EVRC at 8.55 kbps full-rate) with no current encoder. The speech track is decoded to PCM and re-compressed as a modern codec (typically AAC), which is also what you need for playback outside CDMA-era devices. Keep the untouched source file if you need the original bitstream.

Can I cut a .3g2 larger than the typical phone clip — say 100 MB?

Yes. Cuts run on our servers, so the practical ceiling is the server-side upload limit. 3G2 files larger than ~100 MB are unusual because the format was tuned for short MMS clips on cellular bandwidth, but H.264-in-3G2 from later-generation CDMA handsets can reach that range for 10-20 minute recordings. If your file is unusually large, consider Compress 3G2 before or after cutting.

Should I cut first or compress first?

Cut first. Cutting a 20-second segment out of a 5-minute file before compressing means the compressor only has to process 20 seconds of frames, so it runs faster and the bitrate-vs-quality target is easier to hit. Cut, verify the segment plays back as expected, then run Compress 3G2 if the file still needs to be smaller.

Are .3gp2 and .3gpp2 the same as .3g2?

Yes. All three extensions identify the same 3GPP2 container; .3g2 is the most common in the wild, while .3gp2 and .3gpp2 appear on a small number of older Verizon and KDDI handsets that wrote the longer form. The MIME type is video/3gpp2 (or audio/3gpp2 for audio-only files) regardless of which extension was used at write time.

Can I cut multiple separate segments from one 3G2 file in one pass?

Not in a single pass on this page — the cutter produces one continuous output from one Start + Duration. For multi-segment work, run separate cuts to produce N clips, then concatenate them with a merge tool. Multi-cut workflows are most reliable when every output segment shares the same codec, resolution, and frame rate (which means re-encoding all of them to a common target like H.264 + AAC before merging).