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Does anyone know if this dual sim version of the phone will be getting an international release?
I know the S4 Mini dual sim is already out, but I'd rather get an S4 with actual S4 advertised functions.
I'm very tempted to buy this from China and root it, but I hear that it's pretty unstable. I'd much rather wait for an international release, but I also dont want to be waiting around for nothing...
If anyone has heard anything or any opinions on whether markets outside of China will ever see this phone, please share your news here.
Thanks!
No one has any info/opinions?
m0928 said:
No one has any info/opinions?
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I doubt it, I own i9502 dual sim, it's stable using SVA ROM, it's just the battery life that worries me (I Think it might be just the ROM).
If you want international release, get the S4 Mini Duos (i9192).
dumb4ever said:
I doubt it, I own i9502 dual sim, it's stable using SVA ROM, it's just the battery life that worries me (I Think it might be just the ROM).
If you want international release, get the S4 Mini Duos (i9192).
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Yeah, I was thinking exactly this, I was about to buy the Mini Duos but realised that I was basically getting the same phone as I have now (S3) with dual sim and paying the price of a new phone for it. As the S4 Mini has almost none of the features that the S4 is advertising.
The retailer told me to wait for the S4 Duos to be released internationally, but when I asked him if it was even planned, he had no idea.
I would be interested to know about the stability of the SVA rom, I read the whole thread (the one starts with "Wonted") and it seems people are having issues with caller ID and battery life. I'm also not very experienced with rooting and all that so I'm really torn about whether or not it's worth buying.
I'm looking to buy a new phone but don't want/need the latest and greatest. I'm happy with the performance of my HTC One Mini, my work HTC One X/XL and my wife's S4 Active, all AT&T phones used in the U.S. My One Mini just suffered a horrible mountain bike crash which busted the screen up pretty bad, then too, my old eyes are tired of that tiny screen. I've also had bad luck with the built in battery and lack of SD card slot. So I was thinking S4 would be ok by me. Asking on the device forum I've gotten 50-11 answers some of which are conflicting answers. I was thinking the i9505 would be the right phone until someone piped up stating it wouldn't work on LTE here. From all I've seen it looks to me like that senior member don't know what they're talking about. Here's my criteria:
1. 4.5" to 5" screen
2. Unlocked/unlockable and can easily accept custom ROMs
3. Prefer to stick with a Kit Kat Rom as it gets along with my Do Not Disturb app better than Lollipop due to the built-in app on Lollipop
4. Removable battery
5. SD Slot
6. LTE service on AT&T/T-Mobile and Caribbean and South American Countries
7. Custom ROM must allow hotspot w/o AT&T controlling my use (I have unlimited internet on my plan and want to make use of it)
Background: I'm almost green having only installed a custom ROM on my work phone an HTC One X/XL from AT&T. Apparently it's one of the harder phones to unlock the bootloader and permanent Root is impossible I think. I 1st installed CM12.1 on the HTC ONE X and ran into conflicts and buggy operations. After a few weeks of testing I backed it up, wiped it and installed CM11 which I truly like. No experience or much understanding of KNOX, ODIN or ODEX. I only read bits and pieces on those while trying to figure out which S4 variant will fit my need. Lastly, were can I get a new phone off contract? Anybody purchased from www.Cell2Get.com? I was about to buy this phone prior to the member claiming it wouldn't work on AT&T.
http://www.cell2get.com/samsung-galaxy-s4-i9505-16gb-unlocked-gsm-android-cell-phone-p-5122.html
IRBent said:
I'm looking to buy a new phone but don't want/need the latest and greatest. I'm happy with the performance of my HTC One Mini, my work HTC One X/XL and my wife's S4 Active, all AT&T phones used in the U.S. My One Mini just suffered a horrible mountain bike crash which busted the screen up pretty bad, then too, my old eyes are tired of that tiny screen. I've also had bad luck with the built in battery and lack of SD card slot. So I was thinking S4 would be ok by me. Asking on the device forum I've gotten 50-11 answers some of which are conflicting answers. I was thinking the i9505 would be the right phone until someone piped up stating it wouldn't work on LTE here. From all I've seen it looks to me like that senior member don't know what they're talking about. Here's my criteria:
1. 4.5" to 5" screen
2. Unlocked/unlockable and can easily accept custom ROMs
3. Prefer to stick with a Kit Kat Rom as it gets along with my Do Not Disturb app better than Lollipop due to the built-in app on Lollipop
4. Removable battery
5. SD Slot
6. LTE service on AT&T/T-Mobile and Caribbean and South American Countries
7. Custom ROM must allow hotspot w/o AT&T controlling my use (I have unlimited internet on my plan and want to make use of it)
Background: I'm almost green having only installed a custom ROM on my work phone an HTC One X/XL from AT&T. Apparently it's one of the harder phones to unlock the bootloader and permanent Root is impossible I think. I 1st installed CM12.1 on the HTC ONE X and ran into conflicts and buggy operations. After a few weeks of testing I backed it up, wiped it and installed CM11 which I truly like. No experience or much understanding of KNOX, ODIN or ODEX. I only read bits and pieces on those while trying to figure out which S4 variant will fit my need. Lastly, were can I get a new phone off contract? Anybody purchased from www.Cell2Get.com? I was about to buy this phone prior to the member claiming it wouldn't work on AT&T.
http://www.cell2get.com/samsung-galaxy-s4-i9505-16gb-unlocked-gsm-android-cell-phone-p-5122.html
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- AT&T has it's own variant of the S4. It's called the "SGH-I337".
- The I9505 will not work with LTE on the AT&T network. It support different bands. So the member was correct. You can see it here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S4#Model_variants
- The "SGH-I337" has a locked bootloader and cannot be unlocked. Only some old devices will have an unlocked bootloader because they never upgraded their software. Thus you cannot use custom roms like CM.
Lennyz1988 said:
- AT&T has it's own variant of the S4. It's called the "SGH-I337".
- The I9505 will not work with LTE on the AT&T network. It support different bands. So the member was correct. You can see it here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S4#Model_variants
- The "SGH-I337" has a locked bootloader and cannot be unlocked. Only some old devices will have an unlocked bootloader because they never upgraded their software. Thus you cannot use custom roms like CM.
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So is the GT-I9505G the preferred phone to have and to mod and if so, can I buy new one without getting a fake?
"Google Play Edition
At the Google I/O 2013 keynote, Samsung and Google revealed that an edition of the U.S. S4 would be released on June 26, 2013 through Google Play, initially featuring stock Android 4.2.2, later updated to 4.4.4, with Samsung provided updates; it has an unlockable bootloader (similar to Nexus devices) and supports LTE on AT&T and T-Mobile's networks. The model number is GT-I9505G."
I'm likely "that member", because I have an I9505 (not I9505G) running on Straight Talk, which is a US MVNO that rents bandwidth from all the major US carriers. The I9505 will not work on LTE here in the US because the LTE frequencies used worldwide (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20) are not the frequencies used by the carriers here in the US. The I9505G is a different story. It has the LTE frequencies needed to work here in the US, and does not have Touchwiz as it uses stock Android.
You can't purchase one new because they've been discontinued for some time now. You may want to check out Swappa (link at the top of the page) and see if they have a used one you can purchase.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
I'm likely "that member", because I have an I9505 (not I9505G) running on Straight Talk, which is a US MVNO that rents bandwidth from all the major US carriers. The I9505 will not work on LTE here in the US because the LTE frequencies used worldwide (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20) are not the frequencies used by the carriers here in the US. The I9505G is a different story. It has the LTE frequencies needed to work here in the US, and does not have Touchwiz as it uses stock Android.
You can't purchase one new because they've been discontinued for some time now. You may want to check out Swappa (link at the top of the page) and see if they have a used one you can purchase.
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Really good and interesting reply. Being new to this stuff and having not kept up with cellphone technology, some of the things you guys just know, I'm having to try to understand. At first I assumed all 9505's were the same, but apparently I was wrong there. Then I also thought that since most cellphone review sites showed a plethora of Freq. and bands, with at least on or two being those that AT&T and most other North American GSM carriers use, I assume that meant I could get that model of phone. little did I know that those two lines of freqs and bands were for different versions of that same model, one for here and being a carrier locked phone and the other line being and international phone without the proper band for use here. So now after learning that difference it appears to me that there may be now way possible to purchase a new S4 and turn it into a custom ROM phone. So if I understand you and the carrier stuff correctly, you're using a plain 9505 and piggybacking off AT&T by way of StraightTalk like so many of us do. However since your phone is an international version you don't have LTE, is that right? One last thing I've yet to read or learn about but saw when I was putting CM11 and 12.1 on my HTC One X/XL (AT&T), I kept seeing stuff about "the radio". The way it read made me think they were NOT talking about an FM radio for music, but the freqs the phone itself uses. I think I recall them flashing "radios" which I assume they meant they were able to change the original freqs/bands that the model came with to one more useful here. Is that something that truly exists and can be done even on an S4 variant? My assumption is that it CANNOT be done or else you'd have done so already on your i9505.
IRBent said:
So if I understand you and the carrier stuff correctly, you're using a plain 9505 and piggybacking off AT&T by way of StraightTalk like so many of us do. However since your phone is an international version you don't have LTE, is that right?
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Correct.
IRBent said:
My assumption is that it CANNOT be done or else you'd have done so already on your i9505.
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Again correct. With Samsung, their firmware loading software, Odin, actually checks and makes sure the parts of the firmware match the model of the S4 connected to the PC. If they don't match, Odin will instantly fail. The only way to try and enable LTE on the I9505 is to delve into the low-level firmware for the LTE chip and attempt to rewrite it so it can see the added frequencies. However, I don't recommend it. Not only is it a very intricate process compared to something like rooting, it's also quite possible that you could render the LTE chip non-functional. I tried it, and nearly lost the ability to use my phone at all due to having my phone's SIM lock restored.
If you do decide to get an S4, an I9505G is likely your best bet. Not only does it have the AT&T frequencies, it's also got an unlocked bootloader (unlike the AT&T model) and is also carrier unlocked right out of the box. That last means you can use it on T-Mobile and carriers which use GSM SIM cards. Other choices would be the T-Mobile S4 (SGH-M919) or the North American S4 (SGH-I337M). All these phones include the AT&T frequencies and also have an unlocked bootloader so customization is easier.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
If you do decide to get an S4, an I9505G is likely your best bet. Not only does it have the AT&T frequencies, it's also got an unlocked bootloader (unlike the AT&T model) and is also carrier unlocked right out of the box. That last means you can use it on T-Mobile and carriers which use GSM SIM cards. Other choices would be the T-Mobile S4 (SGH-M919) or the North American S4 (SGH-I337M). All these phones include the AT&T frequencies and also have an unlocked bootloader so customization is easier.
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I thank you so much sir. This answer is direct and explains exactly what I wanted to know. I only wish it were possible to purchase one of those models new so I could ensure years of use void of glitches due to possible abuse by the previous owner. If I can't find one of the above models I will probably be looking for some other make/model, preferably a new phone not used. Do you know if it's possible to get a new phone that meets the criteria below?
1. Unlocked bootloader or one that can be unlocked
2. Removable battery
3. 4.7" - 5" screen
4. SD card
5. Capable of being used as a hotspot ( I have unlimited internet but need to thwart AT&T from controlling my use)
6. Rootable and custom ROM capable
7. Can be used in U.S, South America and Caribbean (I think most of those places all use the same freqs/bands as U.S.)
That is why on Swappa you search for the ones labeled Mint or New. My device was Mint off Swappa, and the main reasons were that it was always in a case, and had a tempered glass screen protector installed.
For a current flagship-level device, looking at your laundry list, I believe you need to adjust your expectations. Not because of the software, but because of the hardware. LG is perhaps the only manufacturer still offering both removable batteries and MicroSD card slots, but their flagship device has a larger screen than you want. Motorola doesn't have removable batteries. Google provides neither, just like Samsung. Sony is an unknown, but their devices are not common here in the US.
Your best option is to go with a larger screen size and get an LG G4. If you absolutely MUST have the smaller screen, then you want a used Galaxy S4 or S5, so long as they aren't AT&T devices.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
For a current flagship-level device, looking at your laundry list, I believe you need to adjust your expectations. Not because of the software, but because of the hardware. LG is perhaps the only manufacturer still offering both removable batteries and MicroSD card slots, but their flagship device has a larger screen than you want. Motorola doesn't have removable batteries. Google provides neither, just like Samsung. Sony is an unknown, but their devices are not common here in the US.
Your best option is to go with a larger screen size and get an LG G4. If you absolutely MUST have the smaller screen, then you want a used Galaxy S4 or S5, so long as they aren't AT&T devices.
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I guess I should have made it clear too that flagships, latest and greatest wasn't necessary. I'm happy with the speeds my older HTC ONE X and HTC ONE Mini supply. But closing in on 50 years old, my eyes and the Mini's screen don't get along so well anymore.
If you have bad eyesight, a bigger screen can be a godsend.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
If you have bad eyesight, a bigger screen can be a godsend.
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Exactly. I need a bigger screen but a smaller phone because my hands can't reach around my HTC ONE Mini. Sometimes it sucks being 5'4". LOL
IRBent said:
Exactly. I need a bigger screen but a smaller phone because my hands can't reach around my HTC ONE Mini. Sometimes it sucks being 5'4". LOL
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I would not recommend someone buying the S4 anymore. It was and still is a great phone, but newer models are just way better. The battery life is to short with the standard battery.
Based on your preferences I would recommend one of the following:
- LG Nexus 5
- Oneplus one
- Motorola X Play
But then again, maybe they are to big for you. The LG is the smallest but doesn't have a sd slot.
Lennyz1988 said:
Based on your preferences I would recommend one of the following:
- LG Nexus 5
- Oneplus one
- Motorola X Play
But then again, maybe they are to big for you. The LG is the smallest but doesn't have a sd slot.
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Amazing discovery by me just now. Yes, I've seen folks here talk about the brand OnePlus but I didn't know who or what OnePlus was until just now. I used to keep up with all things electronics related, reading review sites and forums like this. 10 years ago or so a DVD manufacturer named OPPO was the talk. Excellent brand but unheard of. I just learned that OnePlus is a company started by an OPPO founder. I'm so out of the loop.
Research is a little slow moving. I'm buying a new phone. This seems to be the most complete in terms of features (removable SD and IR blaster which is a small thing but missing from other flagships I've considered.)
My only concern is my carrier AT&T. If I buy the note will I be able to flash twrp? Is there a huge difference in custom ROM/kernel options from sprint or T-Mobile? Is there a certain model I should try to get?-I'm buying it unlocked.
I think most people understand the tedious process of choosing a new phone if you're into flashing Roms. Any info that's helpful is most welcomed. Thanks.
I actually use att service also and just bought a Tmobile Note 4 in January and I have never been happie with any phone I have ever owned.. N910T is best in my opinion if you are big on root because it has way more active developement and it has all the same lte bands that att uses
The tmob variant should work fine but the 910c definitely works and I think the 910f does as well. I'd steer clear of the actual at&t variant itself unless they have solved the root/bootloader issue. I guess the question is of you are buying sim free do you want the exynos or snapdragon variant
Sent from my SM-N920C using Tapatalk
But which model? I'd go for the regular S7 but I'd like the slightly larger screen, but I need Exynos, the 3.5mm jack, SD card expansion. I use Straight talk, so I'd like to be able to use the AT&T SIM or the Verizon SIM. I know the G930U is the right one for S7, but I seem to have a hard time finding information on which S7 Edge comes with all network capabilities, along with Exynos, SIM/SD Card slot. Thank you all in advance, I know you all are the best on these forums!
cumminspowered said:
But which model? I'd go for the regular S7 but I'd like the slightly larger screen, but I need Exynos, the 3.5mm jack, SD card expansion. I use Straight talk, so I'd like to be able to use the AT&T SIM or the Verizon SIM. I know the G930U is the right one for S7, but I seem to have a hard time finding information on which S7 Edge comes with all network capabilities, along with Exynos, SIM/SD Card slot. Thank you all in advance, I know you all are the best on these forums!
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all the S7 edges share the same chassis, so they all have the headphone jack and sd card slot. What makes you think you need the xynos version? If you want to use at&t, youre fine, but the verizon sim will not work in a xynos powered device. They are gsm only. Get a used G935V. Tehy are sim unlocked out of the box (or at least should be) and will work on both of your carrier choices
youdoofus said:
all the S7 edges share the same chassis, so they all have the headphone jack and sd card slot. What makes you think you need the xynos version? If you want to use at&t, youre fine, but the verizon sim will not work in a xynos powered device. They are gsm only. Get a used G935V. Tehy are sim unlocked out of the box (or at least should be) and will work on both of your carrier choices
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I see I was wrong on a few things. Was just hoping to get the Exynos for the improved battery life/talk time and rooting/flashing rom capability. Have been doing some more research today and it looks like even if i did get a Exynos model, they are Region locked. The Verizon part was just a bonus, but I see Exynos isn't capable running CDMA, my thoughts were to possibly run a Verizon card and a AT&T card in a Dual Sim version.
Looks like I won't get getting any Exynos the way it looks.
Any reason to get a G935V over a G935U?
Edit - I would take any recomendations on a phone with good service, SD card and 3.5mm jack, that is sub- $300. Need something to replace this Nexus 4.
Thanks!
cumminspowered said:
I see I was wrong on a few things. Was just hoping to get the Exynos for the improved battery life/talk time and rooting/flashing rom capability. Have been doing some more research today and it looks like even if i did get a Exynos model, they are Region locked. The Verizon part was just a bonus, but I see Exynos isn't capable running CDMA, my thoughts were to possibly run a Verizon card and a AT&T card in a Dual Sim version.
Looks like I won't get getting any Exynos the way it looks.
Any reason to get a G935V over a G935U?
Edit - I would take any recomendations on a phone with good service, SD card and 3.5mm jack, that is sub- $300. Need something to replace this Nexus 4.
Thanks!
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i dont think the S7's with the exynos chips are region locked. I run a galaxy A8 (2018) that was built for the UAE and its about as un-region locked as you can get. If i was to recommend any of them, id recommend the 935f. It has everything youre looking for and shouldnt have any issue working on AT&T towers stateside, which is also where im at. Oh, and for that price range, youre not short for choice. Look at xiaomi redmi devices. i bought 2 of them and they are actually great phones for the price. The only reason theyre not in use today is due to one word. teenagers. They broke the screens on them and thats not a fault of the phone, theyve broken 3 since... each.
youdoofus said:
i dont think the S7's with the exynos chips are region locked. I run a galaxy A8 (2018) that was built for the UAE and its about as un-region locked as you can get. If i was to recommend any of them, id recommend the 935f. It has everything youre looking for and shouldnt have any issue working on AT&T towers stateside, which is also where im at. Oh, and for that price range, youre not short for choice. Look at xiaomi redmi devices. i bought 2 of them and they are actually great phones for the price. The only reason theyre not in use today is due to one word. teenagers. They broke the screens on them and thats not a fault of the phone, theyve broken 3 since... each.
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Ahh that's interesting. I was looking at a few of the "tough" off brand phones and they looked great. I ended up with a regular S7 to try get going for my dad, and really liked it. Had planned on getting an S9 as I thought the price would have dropped alot more with the S10 launch. 300 imo is already a ton to drop on 1 phone, as I need 2, 1 for the wife.
I ended up finding a pair of brand new G935F's for $600 on ebay, so I went with those!! Thanks for all the info, it definitely helped!
cumminspowered said:
Ahh that's interesting. I was looking at a few of the "tough" off brand phones and they looked great. I ended up with a regular S7 to try get going for my dad, and really liked it. Had planned on getting an S9 as I thought the price would have dropped alot more with the S10 launch. 300 imo is already a ton to drop on 1 phone, as I need 2, 1 for the wife.
I ended up finding a pair of brand new G935F's for $600 on ebay, so I went with those!! Thanks for all the info, it definitely helped!
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glad to hear you got what you needed thats what we are here for!!
Just an update. The G935F's I received. Neither one would work right with the AT&T Straight Talk sims. I have a feeling they were region locked, but nothing came up about that on the phones. They were brand new in the box. Neither 935F wanted to recognize the sims, but they would intermediately recognize the sims, and if calling would work, data and text wouldn't, and vice-versa. It was a 12 hour nightmare of trying to get them to work right, and the bit of service I did get when they would work, was very shoddy.
I ended up sending them back, getting a full refund, no issues, and ordered 2 brand new Pixel XL's G-2PW2100. I'm glad I did as I can pretty much freely switch between AT&T Sim and Verizon sim.
Just wanted to update for anyone in the US wanting to use an international samsung phone, they don't work properly. Rip Exynos.
TL;DR: Specifically looking for a Note 4 that satisfies the following:
- GSM Unlocked 4G LTE and works in the US*
- Has an unlocked bootloader (is rootable, custom ROM-able, etc.)
- Is exempt from, or at least has the fewest reported instances of, the infamous eMMC failure, if possible
*I don't have much knowledge on carrier frequency bands - if it does calls, SMS, and 4G LTE data at reasonable speeds for a 6 year old phone (can stream a video at 480p), that's fine
I have a N910A (the AT&T one) and it's by far and wide the best phone I've ever had. It has an unparalleled set of hardware features that no phone on the market today has beat (IR, S-Pen, user-removable battery, user-servicable internal electronics to an extent, 16MP camera with focus, stabilization and 1080p60 recording, SD card slot, and headphone jack, all in one package). But sadly it fell victim to the eMMC issue earlier this year. So far the cardboard fix combined with wakelock has kept it usable, but it still runs slow, overheats, and randomly freezes doing simple tasks.
However I refuse to give up on the 4 just yet. I have a bunch of spare batteries, plus all my chargers are still micro USB, and the phone still does everything I need it to and more; had it not been for the eMMC issue it would still be going strong.
I'm leaning toward either the N910T (Snapdragon, T-Mobile) for its great software modding potential, or the N910C (Exynos) because I've heard the Exynos one may be less prone to the eMMC failure (?) and has better performance (?), but this is speculation. Plus the Exynos one is more expensive and harder to find. I had thought about just getting a motherboard of one of those two models to put in my AT&T shell, but with that comes the hassles of possibly needing to swap the cameras too, coming across other incompatibilities like carrier frequencies, and worst of all getting one with a bad ESN.
If I'm right that N910T or N910C is the way to go, I'm hoping for some input to steer me in the right direction by addressing a few questions I have that I couldn't find clear answers to:
1. Is it true that the Exynos one isn't prone to eMMC failures, or is every Note 4 susceptible all the same? If the latter is true that pretty much confirms I would go for N910T.
2. Is the Exynos version more or less equivalent to the Snapdragon one in terms of usability when used in the US?
3. Does one or the other have greater custom ROM support?
4. Would I run into any other issues using the Exynos one in the US that the T-Mobile one wouldn't have?
Any input is appreciated, but please be aware I'm really looking for input based on my question. If you're only here to recommend a new phone outside of the Note series, it will take some hard convincing
My carrier is TracFone. Let me know if you need any more info. Thanks for your help!
It's hard to say really, but what you need to know first is.. Which carriers had the most eMMC failure, then go from there.. If your here in the states, then either ATT again, or T-Mobile. I have had 3 Note4 1 with Verizon, and 2 Sprint.. Neither one had failures.. I sold the one from Verizon when I went back to Sprint.. The first Sprint I had for less than 6 months, as I got bored, and wanted something new.. But with the phones being locked down, and me not happy with phones I have had including my Pixel 3a Xl which is being kept in it's box only as a spare.. I went back to this phone, because of root, removable battery, S-pen, really decent camera that came in the custom rom etc. And believe it or not, with a little tweaking, it is just as smooth as my Pixel.
Seeing as you live in the US. It would be more beneficial for you to get a US variant of the Note 4. As both the international variants won't receive LTE from US Cell Providers with the exception of T-Mobile, I believe