Database Users

Switching from Black to White EVO...

Well, I finally got Sprint to do an express replacement (send me a new/refurb phone over the mail and I return them mine) after hours of explaining to them that dirt under the glass is not accidental damage and should be covered by my TEP. I tried going to the local store here and they swapped my screen with one that was all scratched and horribly nicked on the edges. I just stared back at the store rep and didn't say a word... which prompted him to say "well, there's no dirt under the glass now." Anyways, they put my old display back (4 hours of my life wasted).
Now, there is a 2 week backorder for these replacements due to a shortage on these phones (Still?! Does HTC/Sprint not like money?!). Apparently, this is advantageous to me as I'll most likely be getting a new unit, rather than a refurbished one (according to the phone rep).
Now, I had asked the rep if he could get me a white EVO instead, and he said he'd make a note of it. However, the SKU for the replacement is ending in K1, which I believe is black (since the white one ends in WT). Can anyone confirm this?
Also, anything I can say to convince them to get me a white one? I tried telling them that my current EVO is white, but they can obviously check. Anything else?!
Thanks in advance...

When I called assurion for replacement I was asked what color I wanted.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Do you have TEP? Why did you call Assurion and not Sprint? I just for my "your replacement is being processed e-mail". Do you think I can still call them?

Well, just got off the phone with Asurion and they said that my replacement was done through Sprint internally since there was no deductible to be paid. Asurion only handles those claims requiring a deductible.
I guess I might be stuck with a black one.
At least, the rep again today confirmed that due to low availability, the phone was going to be brand new.
I guess I can always get an OEM back cover on eBay for $60. :/

I actually tried this and sprint said that they cant do that because the white evo is only acquirable through best buy.

kenfly said:
I actually tried this and sprint said that they cant do that because the white evo is only acquirable through best buy.
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Not true. Initially when the white EVO was released it was exclusive to Best Buy. Today you can purchase either color at Sprint stores as well as Best buy, etc.
From my experience, each different color phone has it's own individual SKU and therefore sprint replaces your device with the exact same model and SKU. Technically it is still the same phone but it takes a manager\supervisor to over-ride the system in order to swap to a different color phone. Sprint's system automatically orders the exact same SKU therefore regular sprint employees must get an approval from a m anager or supervisor in order to change the SKU.
It can be done but you will have to persuade them to do it. Since your phone has a warranty issue i wouldn't waste an insurance claim in order to get a different color phone but that's your choice. The only other suggestion I can make is to search craigslist for people wanting to trade their EVO's for the opposite color. There are many people out there who will do even swaps for the opposite color EVO. But only do swaps inside a corporate Sprint store so that you can verify the phone you are trading for has a good esn and can be activated on Sprint. You will also need an "extra" spare unactivated Sprint phone to make the esn swapping much easier... trust me on this.

tx_dbs_tx said:
Not true. Initially when the white EVO was released it was exclusive to Best Buy. Today you can purchase either color at Sprint stores as well as Best buy, etc.
From my experience, each different color phone has it's own individual SKU and therefore sprint replaces your device with the exact same model and SKU. Technically it is still the same phone but it takes a manager\supervisor to over-ride the system in order to swap to a different color phone. Sprint's system automatically orders the exact same SKU therefore regular sprint employees must get an approval from a m anager or supervisor in order to change the SKU.
It can be done but you will have to persuade them to do it. Since your phone has a warranty issue i wouldn't waste an insurance claim in order to get a different color phone but that's your choice. The only other suggestion I can make is to search craigslist for people wanting to trade their EVO's for the opposite color. There are many people out there who will do even swaps for the opposite color EVO. But only do swaps inside a corporate Sprint store so that you can verify the phone you are trading for has a good esn and can be activated on Sprint. You will also need an "extra" spare unactivated Sprint phone to make the esn swapping much easier... trust me on this.
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I remember seeing the white EVO in Sprint stores as well.
I decided to just stick with the black after all. The white does look better, but I feel it'll just get dirty quicker and it'll also make me and my girlfriend annoyed at having to make sure which is which.
I can always change the backing with an OEM kit from eBay for $59.99.
Thanks again for your help!

Good luck with the new phone....
Good luck with the new phone. I went through 3 refurbs phones before I started contacting the executive offices demanding a new one. The real let down was I got the brand new in box phone today and what do you know? Light leakage around the gasket and a pin size dot next to the home button where light comes through

The white one feels a bit cheaper. The battery cover is very thin plastic (aka it bends with little pressure) and gets super slippery. Just buy a white case (which I had to do for my already white Evo).

Loose camera?

Just noticed that if i put my finger on my camera and move it, the whole camera moves and even makes a clicking noise. Is this normal and if not is there anyway to tighten it up? It's more noticeable with back cover off.
Sent from my Galaxy S4

I would take it into a corporate or authorized repair center and have them take a look at it. Maybe something became unseated.

There's no corporate stores near me. This sucks so much.
Sent from my Galaxy S4

My only option is to have Verizon send me a refurbished phone. Do you think I should? The lady at the Verizon store said that since the s4 just came out that the refurbished phone would probably be brand new. Should I take the risk? I mean, if they sent me a refurbished one and it was scratched etc I'd send it back and tell them send me a different one. Wouldn't send them my original s4 until I made sure I was happy with the refurbished one.
Sent from my Galaxy S4

Chadly said:
My only option is to have Verizon send me a refurbished phone. Do you think I should? The lady at the Verizon store said that since the s4 just came out that the refurbished phone would probably be brand new. Should I take the risk? I mean, if they sent me a refurbished one and it was scratched etc I'd send it back and tell them send me a different one. Wouldn't send them my original s4 until I made sure I was happy with the refurbished one.
Sent from my Galaxy S4
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Refurbished personally I prefer BC the problems are usually sorted out I've never had a messed up refurbished phone.

Oh really? Just don't want to get one that's all scratched up and looks used. I guess I could try it out for a couple of days to make sure it seemed fine before I mailed my original back to them?
Sent from my Galaxy S4

Recently, with sprint at least, I had to get three refurbs of my s2 before I found a fully working one. I didn't see any scratches or blemishes upon quick first inspection at the store.

Still unsure on what to do. Here's a video of my camera wobble..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvSZUT1itgg&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Sent from my Galaxy S4

Take it back mine is perfectly stable and yes that would be fing annoying
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda premium

Ok well I guess I'm happy. I called Verizon and they are shipping me a phone and it will be here tomorrow. They let me change colors too. I have a black one but I think the white looks cleaner. He also put it in the notes that I would prefer a brand new device instead of refurbished. I'm definitely going to check everything on the phone tomorrow. Speed, build quality, battery temp, call quality and benchmarks. If all of that checks out then I'll keep the new phone and ship mine back.
Sent from my Galaxy S4

[Q] Switching out the motherboard in the i337

Hi everyone! I have a bit of a dilemma.
I bought two AT&T S4's from a seller on eBay. One for my Mom, and one for me. Now, the listing says that the phones are guaranteed to have a clean ESN and IMEI, are activation ready, and all that good stuff! So I get the phones yesterday and check both IMEI numbers and they check out. I went a step further to see if I could get them unlocked, because hey, why not? No dice. One phone's service contract hasn't been completed, and the other phone's Next payment plan hasn't been paid off. So I'm sitting here like . . . . okay, so will they both eventually get blacklisted? I sent the seller an e-mail about it. I could care less about unlocking the phone, but I do care about having the IMEI blacklisted some day out of the blue and not being able to use the phone, but that's another story for another day.
If the seller gives me some push back and things don't work out, I was thinking about switching the motherboard's out. I know another i337 motherboard would work just fine, but what about an M919 motherboard. Are they interchangeable? Just wanted to know! Thanks

merlise said:
Hi everyone! I have a bit of a dilemma.
I bought two AT&T S4's from a seller on eBay. One for my Mom, and one for me. Now, the listing says that the phones are guaranteed to have a clean ESN and IMEI, are activation ready, and all that good stuff! So I get the phones yesterday and check both IMEI numbers and they check out. I went a step further to see if I could get them unlocked, because hey, why not? No dice. One phone's service contract hasn't been completed, and the other phone's Next payment plan hasn't been paid off. So I'm sitting here like . . . . okay, so will they both eventually get blacklisted? I sent the seller an e-mail about it. I could care less about unlocking the phone, but I do care about having the IMEI blacklisted some day out of the blue and not being able to use the phone, but that's another story for another day.
If the seller gives me some push back and things don't work out, I was thinking about switching the motherboard's out. I know another i337 motherboard would work just fine, but what about an M919 motherboard. Are they interchangeable? Just wanted to know! Thanks
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Looking at both of them, I don't see any differences that should prevent it from working. The only thing I'm aware of that prevents some mobo's from working is the frame on the screen and the screen's cable. The connection for the cable is in different places and the frames differ slightly so they don't fit other mobo's (learned that when i had to fix my screen) but the I337 and M919 screens appear to be the same. Beyond just fitting in there and connecting, dunno.

merlise said:
If the seller gives me some push back and things don't work out, I was thinking about switching the motherboard's out. I know another i337 motherboard would work just fine, but what about an M919 motherboard. Are they interchangeable? Just wanted to know! Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It'll fit right in, it's the exact same board.

DeadlySin9 said:
Looking at both of them, I don't see any differences that should prevent it from working. The only thing I'm aware of that prevents some mobo's from working is the frame on the screen and the screen's cable. The connection for the cable is in different places and the frames differ slightly so they don't fit other mobo's (learned that when i had to fix my screen) but the I337 and M919 screens appear to be the same. Beyond just fitting in there and connecting, dunno.
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~wolverine~ said:
It'll fit right in, it's the exact same board.
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Thank you both for responding! This info is good to know I'll probably end up getting the M919 mother board if need be

Screen burn in or broken screen?

Hey all,
My friend just got a brand new galaxy s4 on Friday the 8th of January this year. She's had multiple software problems on lollipop, many force closes and heavy battery drain for the last few days. It's been plagued with issues. Now her screen is messing up, there's a clear line of some sort of app imprinted on the screen, she also says a time has been imprinted on the screen where it shows in the notification bar. Is her phone just a defect or is it just lollipop?
Last night she dropped it from about one and a half feet onto the screen, its got a tempered glass screen protector on it but now the screen has those imprints. I've attached the photo. Looks to me like burn in but she said she thinks she noticed it since she dropped it. Surely the S4 couldnt be that bad? What do you think of it? Any way to fix it?
Thanks,
Lachy
http://i.imgur.com/pWb3IH9.jpg

Are you sure it's a genuine phone? I doubt new phone would have such problems.

GDReaper said:
Are you sure it's a genuine phone? I doubt new phone would have such problems.
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If it has a download mode (not just recovery), it should be a real S4.

Humm.....
Looks like a refurbished or used phone..... Burn-ins shouldn't appear this fast, as a S4 owner myself I didn't notice any burn-in in my 2 year old phone.
Try installing Phone INFO from Play Store and do a refurbish test or something like that in the menu section.

GDReaper said:
Are you sure it's a genuine phone? I doubt new phone would have such problems.
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Hmm, all of the features are working, air view, infared sender etc. Runs pretty smooth, feels like a legit phone. No scratches or anything. I'll get her to get that app. Thanks!
EDIT: Has a download mode

CHIN3S3_N00B said:
Looks like a refurbished or used phone..... Burn-ins shouldn't appear this fast, as a S4 owner myself I didn't notice any burn-in in my 2 year old phone.
Try installing Phone INFO from Play Store and do a refurbish test or something like that in the menu section.
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Click to collapse
I agree with you, surely something like this couldn't have been from a drop at two feet though? I'll get her to download that app you mentioned and report back

News
Okay hey everyone got some things to report back. The phone has a download mode, so it is a legit version. I got her to download the phone info app and I have pasted the screenshots below. It was bought at an electronics expo in Singapore advertised as a new Galaxy S4 GT-i9500 for $239. Something weird I have found is that the samsung info app states it is a SPH-L720T, which after I googled saw it was the Sprint LTE version. All of the other apps, including about phone in settings state it is the GT-i9500. One thing to note is that she is on a holiday in Singapore, but has a prepaid card from Starhub (I don't think the LTE bands match up though) and is apparently getting 4g on her phone (tried switching to 3g but to no avail), but doesn't want to check because she'll waste her credit. I find this weird because the apps state different things. It didn't look refurbished to me and I didn't notice the streaks across the lines. What do you guys make of this?
http://imgur.com/a/9YO2l
Thanks heaps!
Lachy
EDIT: She noticed three more lines running through the screen. But now they're more obvious, looks like it's getting worse. Not a great experience for a brand new phone
SECOND EDIT: Her sisters phone also has the line in the middle, albeit much much feinter. Are both of these defective?

It is definately refurbished.
It probably has been repaired with parts from different S4 models and then sold as refurbished. That's why there is no match between the phone model info. This might also be the reason for the various problems.
Edit: If it really is brand new she can take it back to the store for warranty service. Every store offers warranty with brand new products. Refurbished phones also have some sort of warranty I think.
Edit2: The screen might need to be replaced. As for the app problems, check the phone model in download mode and flash a rom (stock rom) for that model. Apps can be fooled, download mode not so easily.

GDReaper said:
It is definately refurbished.
It probably has been repaired with parts from different S4 models and then sold as refurbished. That's why there is no match between the phone model info. This might also be the reason for the various problems.
Edit: If it really is brand new she can take it back to the store for warranty service. Every store offers warranty with brand new products. Refurbished phones also have some sort of warranty I think.
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It was sold as brand new. Her sisters states black as the colour in that phone info app, when it is white. And also has 4g. But unlike this one the model number is GT-i9500. On the box I remember it said American version only, for use with american sims only. But then it worked with the one from Singapore. This is super weird :/

toobywedge said:
It was sold as brand new. Her sisters states black as the colour in that phone info app, when it is white. And also has 4g. But unlike this one the model number is GT-i9500. On the box I remember it said American version only, for use with american sims only. But then it worked with the one from Singapore. This is super weird :/
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Do they have warranty? If yes, send the phones to service. If no, the store is not legit and they got hustled.
As I said, brand new products have a warranty, generally for a 2 year period.
---------- Post added at 02:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:35 AM ----------
The L720 model is a I9505 from Sprint.
I doubt Samsung would mix parts together..
I'm telling you, those phones are clearly not factory new. They have been repaired with spare parts from various S4 models.

GDReaper said:
Do they have warranty? If yes, send the phones to service. If no, the store is not legit and they got hustled.
As I said, brand new products have a warranty, generally for a 2 year period.
---------- Post added at 02:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:35 AM ----------
The L720 model is a I9505 from Sprint.
I doubt Samsung would mix parts together..
I'm telling you, those phones are clearly not factory new. They have been repaired with spare parts from various S4 models.
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Looks about right. Her sisters phone was also meant to be a GT-i9500 but by the IMEI it says it's a SGH-1337 which is the AT&T 4G LTE. I guess both of these phones were false advertised as the GT-i9500 (even on the box) and as brand new. Looking like they're definitely replaced parts or something?

Yea. The original phones might have had their screen broken so they took the motherboards and put them into other frames. I like to call them frankenphones.
I don't think Samsung would do that. So somebody else repaired them. Factory new phones don't come with mixed parts and used screens.

toobywedge said:
Looks about right. Her sisters phone was also meant to be a GT-i9500 but by the IMEI it says it's a SGH-1337 which is the AT&T 4G LTE. I guess both of these phones were false advertised as the GT-i9500 (even on the box) and as brand new. Looking like they're definitely replaced parts or something?
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Click to collapse
Yap, agree with @GDReaper , they just assembled those phones with parts that they could find and didn't at least try to flash a new firmware for Singapore before they sell it. And that product name... I think the nomenclature used is jflte for all Qualcom variants and the two or three last words are to specify which like jfltexx for international LTE(GT-i9505) jflteatt for AT&T(SGH-I337) but jfltefreshspr... of which spr is code for Sprint.... but that fresh which means refreshed?????
In my opinion give back those phones and order a refund if possible, if not you'll have to change those screens which where I'm living now still has a nasty price of 130 euro (the touchscreen and the AMOLED one are bundled together) Which will cost almost the cost of the phone....
EDIT1: They probably grabbed some i9500 box or made some with cardboard and covered it with printed exterior and also replaced the broken safety anti-tamper seals for them to look authentic and genuine which they are not.
Other thing is that they just cosmetically replaced those models with i9500, that like i said before they didn't even try to flash a new firmware as they are afraid bricking those devices.

My mother has an S3 which also has the same kind of burn in problems you describe, so clearly this is a problem with Samsung screens, I have never seen this on any other screen except my pals old plasma flat-screen TV....

tommern said:
My mother has an S3 which also has the same kind of burn in problems you describe, so clearly this is a problem with Samsung screens, I have never seen this on any other screen except my pals old plasma flat-screen TV....
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Well. It's not Samsung's fault it's the natural degradation of AMOLED matrix due to heavy use or prolongued static image display.

The drop did it. I know this because someone I know has a same problem, and I saw this a several times. Also sadly, there is no way to fix this problem ;(
Sent from my E300K, jaltektt - CM 12.1

Bought a used s7 Verizon. Is it fake?

I bought a galaxy s7 on craigslist. It was listed as new Verizon model but was obviously used lightly. No burn in and few scratches. The price was good.
It works well and I was able to get it to work with the sim and even installed 930u firmware to use with att. Att was able to add emei to my account
I have never seen s7 before this but on this one there are small squares around the back and menu button and a number engraved in the left upper bezel to the left of Samsung logo
I did not see this in the s7 in another store after I bought it, also a Verizon model. The phone has a clean emei
Can anyone tell me if this is some kind of demo unit and if there is a chance this is not the real deal or the glass was replaced or something like that.

Dvuder said:
I bought a galaxy s7 on craigslist. It was listed as new Verizon model but was obviously used lightly. No burn in and few scratches. The price was good.
It works well and I was able to get it to work with the sim and even installed 930u firmware to use with att. Att was able to add emei to my account
I have never seen s7 before this but on this one there are small squares around the back and menu button and a number engraved in the left upper bezel to the left of Samsung logo
I did not see this in the s7 in another store after I bought it, also a Verizon model. The phone has a clean emei
Can anyone tell me if this is some kind of demo unit and if there is a chance this is not the real deal or the glass was replaced or something like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no

Dvuder said:
I bought a galaxy s7 on craigslist. It was listed as new Verizon model but was obviously used lightly. No burn in and few scratches. The price was good.
It works well and I was able to get it to work with the sim and even installed 930u firmware to use with att. Att was able to add emei to my account
I have never seen s7 before this but on this one there are small squares around the back and menu button and a number engraved in the left upper bezel to the left of Samsung logo
I did not see this in the s7 in another store after I bought it, also a Verizon model. The phone has a clean emei
Can anyone tell me if this is some kind of demo unit and if there is a chance this is not the real deal or the glass was replaced or something like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you go into recovery and download mode? if yes. this is an original samsung phone.

This explains the difference between a real S7 and a fake one.
https://androidcommunity.com/learn-...een-fake-and-real-samsung-galaxy-s7-20160415/
Are your back and menu buttons always visible and not lit up? In other words, if the phone and/or screen is off, can you still see them? If so, it's a fake. True S7s don't have a box around them and they are lit by a back light.
Craigslist is definitely a place I wouldn't get a phone from. Reports are, most people do not get what is advertised when it comes to cell phones. Yes, there are reputable people out there, but if the price was too good to be true, then more than likely, it's a fake.

If you were able to flash the 930u firmware onto it, it's real. If it were fake the flash would have been unsuccessful.

Sound like a cheap non samsung ebay screen replacement