[Q] Are the variants all compatible with the same rom? - G2 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I'm looking to buy this phone and I'm wondering if all of the variants are compatible with the same roms, my doubt comes from the separate "Android Development" areas for each of the vendors. I've seen people use G3 roms on their G2, does the same apply here? I'm coming from a Galaxy S3 with 3 metre range wifi.
Thank you.

Yes they are all compatible but if the rom doesn't have support your variant you need to flash a compatible kernel for your model number or it won't boot... Also you need to edit the build.prop to display your device model number (up to you if you do this because it doesn't have any effect on anything but visual)

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[Q] Interesting thing: China Mobile i9508 is i9505?

i9508 is the China Mobile model of Galaxy S4, which supports GSM and TD-SCDMA.
A group of people made a custom ROM to enable WCDMA on i9508.
Seems i9508's got both WCDMA and TD-SCDMA support, and WCDMA is disabled by firmware.
However, people also report that they see "i9505" on those i9508 they buy. So, maybe i9508 is just a software-modified i9505 on which WCDMA and LTE is disabled.
So, anyone knows if i9505 also has both WCDMA and TD-SCDMA on it?
P.S.
Refs from a website called tphone8... sorry i can't add outside links.
Ref of i9505 printed on i9508: thread-21245-2-1.html
Ref of a project intended to find and enable TD-SCDMA on i9505: thread-14619-1-1.html
Yes, I9508 = I9505 + custom firmware
As far as I know, Snapdragon 600 supports WCDMA/TD-SCDMA/LTE, and someone said it can be hacked via *#1111#
Sylphia said:
Yes, I9508 = I9505 + custom firmware
As far as I know, Snapdragon 600 supports WCDMA/TD-SCDMA/LTE, and someone said it can be hacked via *#1111#
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I am looking forward to is unlocking TD-SCDMA on the coming Galaxy S4 with Stock Android.
And it's also DUOS!
coolcfan said:
What I am looking forward to is unlocking TD-SCDMA on the coming Galaxy S4 with Stock Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
100% sure this will be possible?
My next phone needs to be TD-SCDMA enabled, have all gapps (so not a chinese version) and hopefully stock Android.
read gsmarena.com http://bit.ly/YYbUHR
adrian3 said:
read gsmarena.com http://bit.ly/YYbUHR
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have, and I can't find an answer to my question on the page, it just says;
There’s another Chinese model, the I9508, which is a single-SIM Galaxy S4 with a Snapdragon 600 chipset. This one is China specific and differs from the I9505 in its TD-SCDMA support (the 3G tech in China).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will it be possible to enable TD-SCDMA on any i9505, and specifically on the the stock android S4?
jude999 said:
100% sure this will be possible?
My next phone needs to be TD-SCDMA enabled, have all gapps (so not a chinese version) and hopefully stock Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some people tried to raise money to buy 2 i9505s for the development. However, it doesn't seem promising. Only a few people donated, so the total amount will hardly reach the target. On the other hand, ROM makers already built ROMs for i9508 which enables the phone to use WCDMA instead of TD-SCDMA.
So there is no proof that an i9505 could support TD with some software level hack, even though the two models share the same hardware (or almost the same, i don't know).
So, for now, the only choice for TD seems to be i9508. I believe the CM-based ROMs for i9508 are coming soon (maybe they already built one).
They did.
Guys, I have a GT-I9508 and flashed into custom rom via Touchwiz UI and everything works very well. Once I used to have some wifi and bluetooth issues but I solved it with latest official rom.
Here is what I've done:
1) I flashed the GT-I9508's software with the latest official rom. (This updates the baseband of the device which means wifi and bluetooth connection issues are gone)
2) I flashed Omega v42.1 Android 5.0.1 Based on firmware XXUHOF2 ( which you can find it here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2253528 )
Now, I have GT-I9505's rom runs on GT-I9508 without any restrictions even Google Products.
Regards.
coolcfan said:
Some people tried to raise money to buy 2 i9505s for the development. However, it doesn't seem promising. Only a few people donated, so the total amount will hardly reach the target. On the other hand, ROM makers already built ROMs for i9508 which enables the phone to use WCDMA instead of TD-SCDMA.
So there is no proof that an i9505 could support TD with some software level hack, even though the two models share the same hardware (or almost the same, i don't know).
So, for now, the only choice for TD seems to be i9508. I believe the CM-based ROMs for i9508 are coming soon (maybe they already built one).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

[Q] Please Help, Totally Confused!!!

I have a Samsung S4 and the device model name is SM-S975L. My problem is that all accessories and even firmware updates are for other device models so I am confused as to which accessories will fit (cases) or even what firmware update will work or if there is even a firmware update available for my phone.
I have looked at wireless charging attachments for the phone but again these are for the same phone but have different device numbers.
As a noob, I think different carriers have different device model numbers yet the phones are the same (Galaxy S4) but would the shape differ in anyway even if only slightly?
Which model will be the closest to the SM-S975L or does it really not matter?
Thanks in advance.
Any standard S4 accessory, e.g. cases, will fit your device. Firmware is another matter. You have a Straight Talk S4, and Straight Talk does not provide ROM updates. If you want to update your device to the latest version of Android you'll have to root and install a custom ROM. There is a thread on your device in these forums. Take a look for it and read up.

Bootloader unlocked, can I use any rom?

So Ive had this Verizon Note 3 since day one. Finally unlocked my bootloader... What are the rules on what I can and can't do now. Can I install any Android rom? Can I only install note 3 roms from any carrier... Can I install only Verizon note 3 roms? Or is it a hybrid... I can install any rom if I replace the firmware and or modem.
I really want something on 7.1 but I'd rather take 6 and have something custom... Fast and responsive.
Thanks community.
You are in luck. :crying:
There's hardly anything to choose from; maybe 3 or 4 ROMs and about the same number of kernels.
AFAIK, there are no Nougat ROMs and only one Marshmallow ROM (AryaMod6.6).
Normally, when a dev ships a "ROM", there are two important pieces: the /system image (what some folks call "the ROM"), and the boot image. The boot image is what some folks erroneously call "the kernel"; but it is really a combination of kernel + ramdisk. The ramdisk has all the scripts in it that the "init" process reads to start up all the low-level daemons and services... as well as the Android UI as well.
The kernel is very tightly tied to the specific hardware in a given handset - both the processor/gpu and all the sensors/leds/peripherals.
So that's the reason you can't just flash any old ROM. In the least bad case, your device wouldn't boot; in the worst bad case the kernel would boot up far enough go off in the weeds and possibly damage some of your hardware.
You might be tempted to think "we'll, what if I find a boot image for the "hltevzw" SM-N900V device... can I flash that after I have flashed 'any old Android ROM'? Won't that take care of things?"
Well, not really. The system library binaries in /system are possibly compiled with instruction-set optimumization tweaks that are only supported by specific CPU and GPU hardware chips. Moreover, other peripheral chips such as GPS have unique "downloadable" vendor firmware in the system image... so again, there's the issue of hardware dependencies of the /system image.
Beyond that, there's carrier-specific "setup and activation" software that differs between ROMs, so even using ROMs that are from a different carrier's version of the exact same handset hardware might not work fully - specifically in the telephony function areas. Everything else might work fine though. For instance if you wanted to use the device as a WiFi-only unit for kid's games etc.
Note BTW that the "International" Note 3 GSM phones are not the same hardware - they use an Exynos processor.
good luck in your quest
Thanks
That was very helpful... Looks like Araya is my best bet. I'll leave jasmine rom to try it.
I was hoping that I could get another note 3 rom on this forum and flash the CDMA modem for networking... But doesn't seem like that's an option.
If I'm still stuck to Verizon Note 3 rom... What is the purpose or benefit of unlocking the bootloader... Was that really just to avoid Odin so I can flash my couple rom choices easier?
I appreciate your time!
cyberoptics said:
That was very helpful... Looks like Araya is my best bet. I'll leave jasmine rom to try it.
I was hoping that I could get another note 3 rom on this forum and flash the CDMA modem for networking... But doesn't seem like that's an option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I might have very slightly overstated the case for pessimism. There is a "consolidated" Verizon Note 3 Forum which is meant for devs to provide development tools and even ROMs that could potentially be used on devices from more than one carrier. But the world being organized the way it is, that means that you are more likely to find multi-carrier GSM ROMs over there than multi-carrier ROMS which support GSM and oh by the way CDMA and LTE as well.
If you want to fool around over there, I recommend that you proceed with great caution to make sure that the ROMs you choose specifically target Qualcomm MSM8974AB Note 3 handsets, and you should read the developer notes very carefully to see whether you need to flash an "hltevzw" kernel separately. If the dev does not mention "supports hltevzw" or "supports N900V" (for example here) you might be taking chances with your hardware.
I suppose it is possible that the radios are 100% "software defined" in the sense of which bands they can support. Maybe you can get what you want by simply flashing the desired carrier's "modem" firmware, but I have never done that so I can't say for certain whether that works or you are risking a brick (or hardware damage) by doing that. I simply don't know (e.g.) if the chips and antennas in a T-mo version of the Note 3 are identical or different from a Verizon Note 3's hardware
cyberoptics said:
If I'm still stuck to Verizon Note 3 rom... What is the purpose or benefit of unlocking the bootloader... Was that really just to avoid Odin so I can flash my couple rom choices easier?
I appreciate your time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, for one - having a custom recovery allows you to make backups - even if you never change ROMs
People don't think of backups as being "sexy", but they allow you something which is really valuable: freedom to mess around and experiment with the knowledge that "if something goes wrong, I'll just restore the backup".
And with Odin, you only had the choice of Stock Roms. Now you have a few more.
cheers
Yes you can install Any rom for note3
Here is my experience with installing roms on note 3 after unlock bootloader
you should Flash twrp-2.8.7.0-hlte-4.4.img by ODIN for the hlte roms or twrp-2.8.7.0-hltevzw-4.4.img if you looking to flash verizon roms ,
im on Phronesis Rom N7 now and i tryed many roms
AryaMod N7 & S7 Edge
MagMa-NX from NXT TEAM
Resurrection Remix Nougat 7.1.1
CM 13 ROM 6.0.1 for Trader418
Purify CM13 6.0.1 ( the best CM13 till now )
and more ...
i have only one problem that i cant get LTE in mobile network always on H+
i tryed to add screenshot but i couldn't its my firist reply :laugh:
@ALPHA85
Pretty informative first post - thanks, and welcome aboard!
Are you on a Verizon SIM? If not, have you been flashing modems from other Note3 devices?
Just curious; I don't have much experience with radio issues or carrier activation issues. Trying to port a carrier-specific ROM elsewhere (esp starting from a VZW ROM) looks like a massive pile of interlocking software dependencies, though. My respect to anyone who can succeed at it.
Feel free to write a brief summary about what's broken in each - any of them have NFC working? I was on CM13 (trader418) for a long time and would have been happy to stay there were it not for all the GPS issues.
Thank you ,:angel:
i dont use Verizon SIM becouse im from egypt, i bought my verizon note 3 by wrong , when i bought it i saw N9005 under the battery and in the boot screen also inside the rom ,it was lollipop 5.0 ,but sinse i did factory rest i surprised it change to N900V even the imei changed , till now i cant understand how they flashed N9005 rom for N900V device with locked bootloader
i'm on OF1 bootloader unlocked and i flashed PL1 Modem i thought maybe it help me to get LTE but still the same H+
about NFC i really didn't try it at all , i always disable it by titanium pro
ALPHA85 said:
when i bought it i saw N9005 under the battery and in the boot screen also inside the rom ,it was lollipop 5.0 ,but sinse i did factory rest i surprised it change to N900V even the imei changed , till now i cant understand how they flashed N9005 rom for N900V device with locked bootloader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you first got it, did it appear to have a Verizon ROM on it? (For instance, the Verizon splash screen?) Or some other carrier's logo?
Actually, that cleared something up for me. Well, except for the part about the IMEI changing
Apparently there were both LTE and GSM models of the "Note 3" that were sold in international markets. I understand the LTE version was originally sold in China, but the GSM model is more common?
The SM-N9005 is an LTE phone (I don't know about CDMA) with the Qualcomm MSM8974 processor
and the N9000 is the GSM model with an Exynos 5420 processor
So that probably explains the binary compatibility of the SM-N900V and the SM-N9005 - same processor, and both phones were designed for LTE service.
But your report should give @cyberoptics a little less pessimistic view of things; thank you for that.
But I wouldn't go so far as to say you can flash ANY Note 3 ROM. Even though both the Exynos and Qualcomm processors use ARM cores, they are fairly different - the Exynos has 8 cores, half of which are Cortex-A15, and the MSM8974 has only four cores which are Krait- something or other. I think they are not quite compatible. Note that in theory, ARM code that was compiled to earlier standards (e.g. thumb, armv5) would certainly work on both devices - but if they compiled ALL the code in ROM libraries that way they would be giving up a lot of performance on either device. So.... to the extent that they target processor specifics for either Cortex-A15 or Krait, they will be incompatible.
cheers.
bftb0 said:
You are in luck. :crying:
There's hardly anything to choose from; maybe 3 or 4 ROMs and about the same number of kernels.
AFAIK, there are no Nougat ROMs and only one Marshmallow ROM (AryaMod6.6).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bftb0 I just wanted to thank you once again for your consistently helpful, verbose posts about the N900V. I've been using CM13 thinking it was the best thing going, when, as nice as it was at the time, it doesn't hold water compared to AyraMod, which I switched to yesterday after reading this thread.
Now my GPS won't take me sailing past Easter Island when en route to a noon meeting downtown. Maybe Google Cardboard will even work, now that NFC appears to.
Thanks again, and please don't ever bore of being a great and helpful resource, we need you!

Frankenstein device

Hello everyone
I had Note 4 with Exynos chipset (N910C) with no brand (European version).
After some issues with LTE connections and SIM card recognition I have bought used N910F motherboard and installed in my device.
First boot shows that motherboard is from Italy device with Wind operator applications installed.
Next I flashed device but forgot to record IMEI, modem version and bootloader version.
I have restored device using Samsung Kies and during restore process Kies reported device as:
PDA: QG3
CSC: QG1
PHONE: QA1
After restore system setting shows:
Model: N910F
Modem: N910FXXS1DQA1
Version number: MMB29M.N910FXXU1DQG3
1) Now I have a problem: should I use TRLTE roms or TRLTEXX?
When I put "Note 4" in TWRP website search it suggest "Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Qualcomm (trlte)" - so it is TRLTE device?
On the other hand most of N910F images are tagged as TRLTEXX.
2) Can I mix TRLTE TWRP with TRLTEXX ROM image (and vice versa) or they should always match?
3) I have tested few roms and faced problems with not working camera. I know that latest official Android version for Note 4 was Android 6.1
and most roms (RR, Lineage) are based on Android 7.1 If this is the reason of problems? Because official Samsung kernel with working camera
supports Android up to version 6.1 and customs kernel used in 7.1 have some camera issues?
4) What is the relation between kernel version and Android versions? Its like Android 6.1 requires kernel 3.x.x and Android 7.1 requires for example versions never than 4.x.x etc?
I will be thankful for answers to my questions. I know that they may be naive for experienced users but I try to good understand the process,
rather than blind flash roms until device will work.
Your device is basically n910f now. You should use twrp and roms for n910f
Your camera is nonfunctional because Exynos based units use Samsung's ISOCELL modules, and Snapdragon devices use Sony's image sensors. Your network connectivity should be gone as well for that reason.
neondragon1909 said:
Your device is basically n910f now. You should use twrp and roms for n910f
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, but still, if it is TRLTE or TRLTEXX because both tags comes with N910F roms.
oddbehreif said:
Your camera is nonfunctional because Exynos based units use Samsung's ISOCELL modules, and Snapdragon devices use Sony's image sensors. Your network connectivity should be gone as well for that reason.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By network connectivity You mean that antena design is also different and will cause signal loss?
I forgot to mention that I have also switched front and back camera to used ones from N910F.
From original N910C only body, USB port and scrren left.
elKoniu said:
By network connectivity You mean that antena design is also different and will cause signal loss?
I forgot to mention that I have also switched front and back camera to used ones from N910F.
From original N910C only body, USB port and scrren left.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Precisely. If you replaced those too, you should have no issues
Questions 1 and 2: Both use Snapdragon chips. Trltexx is the unlocked international N910F, while the other one is usually sold by carriers (T-mobile, AT&T and the likes). You should be able to mix 'em with no issues.
3: To get devices working on non-OEM firmwares without direct support from official drivers, developers write bundles of code called SHIMs. The camera is one such device, and because in most cases the driver is based on the manufacturer's own proprietary code, it's usually with blood and tears that our dear devs are able to get everything working even as it is. That's why you may face almost-working equipment with AOSP ROMs. You can read more about SHIMs here.
4: "If it ain't broken, don't fix it" applies here. There's no direct correlation between Android versions and which kernel versions they use, and manufacturers are sometimes slow to move to a higher version number because of how little meaningful improvements it brings. Recently, Google has mandated that all devices shipping with a SoC manufactured in 2017 or later must come with kernel version 4.4
Hope this clears things up. Anyone is welcome to correct if anything I've said is in the slightest incorrect. :angel:
Cheers,
-odd

Old newbie help!

Hi all,
It's been a long, long while since I tinkered with roms, I think my last one was either a Samsung Galaxy Tab (the original one!) or an HTC Sensation.
So I've recently acquired a Note 4 n910F and can't stand all of the Samsung bloatware, and I'd like a newer version of android for compatibility with newer apps.
So remind me... What does 'stock' mean? Is this as Samsung intended, or as android intended? I'd just like a vanilla as possible android experience that works well.
Help please!
richuu said:
Hi all,
It's been a long, long while since I tinkered with roms, I think my last one was either a Samsung Galaxy Tab (the original one!) or an HTC Sensation.
So I've recently acquired a Note 4 n910F and can't stand all of the Samsung bloatware, and I'd like a newer version of android for compatibility with newer apps.
So remind me... What does 'stock' mean? Is this as Samsung intended, or as android intended? I'd just like a vanilla as possible android experience that works well.
Help please!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey! I don't know if you've already found your answers but I thought I would respond in case you haven't.
In almost every reference you see in this section of xda "stock" is referring to the TouchWiz OS that Samsung phones are shipped with.
True android stock is referred to as "vanilla" like you said.
I use a different model Note 4 than you have but from what I've read it's fairly easy to flash TWRP (custom recovery) on the F model via Odin and from there you can pick from whichever rom suits you. Just be sure you're in the Snapdragon section. There are many different models of the Note 4 and some of them have a different processor called Exynos. The roms are processor specific and you can only use the ones built for your type which is the Snapdragon processor.
One other thing I wound suggest, because of the different variants of the F model, is to take notice of your CSC code. Once you start flashing other roms it may be hard to track down the original code. Use this app to see what it is and that way you can flash the appropriate modem file (or if you need to reflash your stock firmware) instead of just using whichever modem file is provided in the OP of the rom you're flashing. There are many different variants of the F model with many different country codes, just remember that just because the firmware has a newer release date doesn't mean it's the correct version.
TWRP- Found here
Samsung USB drivers for Windows. Needed to connect your phone to your PC- Found here
Odin download- Found here
Development section for Snapdragon- Found here
Fantastic response, thank you. I think I'd like to do without TouchWiz... Pretty much all of my previous phones have been HTC, which either had the HTC skin over it, which was fairly unobtrusive, or barely anything at all. The current version of android and TW on the note 4 is messy.

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