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I've been an iPhone user for 5 years now. 3G and 5 versions. I am tired of iTunes I would also like to tinker a bit with my next phone. . I have used Linux as my main desktop os for a few years.
Anyways, I'm on a grandfathered unlimited data plan on att. My iphone 5 has no working power button, the mic is defective and the battery is worn.
I work in construction so i was considering the s5 for its dust rating and removable battery.
I spoke with tmobile today and they told me that any tmobile device, even if bought for full price new on amazon or best buy would be locked to tmobile service. They informed me I would need service with them in order to unlock. If that's the case it rules out buying a tmobile version for the unlocked bootloader.
Does the unlocked version from bestbuy come with the unlocked boot loader?
To clarify I meant the model listed as "Sam G900"
Sayn3ver said:
To clarify I meant the model listed as "Sam G900"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go into settings and in "about device" for the model name. Sam G900 is not a model name.
lingowistico said:
Go into settings and in "about device" for the model name. Sam G900 is not a model name.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure he's just going off what best buy says for the model.
I too am wondering this question. Very disappointed in the new S6, thought it was going to be "the next big thing", turns out they just want to be like apple now.
Side note, where would u recommend buying an unlocked bootloader S5, that has LTE capabilities for att? Or does that not exist in the US? Been searching but coming up empty handed.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337
I don't have the phone I am referencing. Like mentioned earlier, it's just the model number off of best buys webpage. They have the g900a model and a Sam-g900 for sale. They only sell the tmobile prepaids unlocked at a higher price point.
Is there a reputable online seller of new or refurbished unlocked tmobile versions?
I don't know if I wanna gamble buying used.
fals3illusion said:
I'm pretty sure he's just going off what best buy says for the model.
I too am wondering this question. Very disappointed in the new S6, thought it was going to be "the next big thing", turns out they just want to be like apple now.
Side note, where would u recommend buying an unlocked bootloader S5, that has LTE capabilities for att? Or does that not exist in the US? Been searching but coming up empty handed.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Buy a 900f from ebay. There are tons of reputable sellers there, just look at their feedback score. All qualcomm models support all lte frequencies, however they're not activated by default. There's a guide in general or q&a which shows how to activate all freqeuncies
lingowistico said:
Buy a 900f from ebay. There are tons of reputable sellers there, just look at their feedback score. All qualcomm models support all lte frequencies, however they're not activated by default. There's a guide in general or q&a which shows how to activate all freqeuncies
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the 900f come with unlocked bootloaders? Is there a way you can identify if they have an unlocked bootloader without physically checking the phone just don't want to spend hundreds of dollars and kinda get stuck with a phone that's not what I wanted.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Free mobile app
I just purchased an unlocked GS5 G900T (Tmobile version) from eBay yesterday, and should have it by the end of the week. I've purchased my last 3 phones from eBay, and all have been true to the ad, and in excellent condition.
You do need to study the photos closely though, and make sure the seller has good feed back, and a lot of feedback (I never buy from sellers who have only a few ratings and/or using a new account).
I got this phone to use with ATT and wanted an unlocked bootloader. Kinda wish I knew that you could activate the frequencies on the 900F though, as it seems like most of the development is for that model. Oh well, as long as I can root and have a few choices of ROMs, I'll be happy.
I'll probably be using some sort of stock based rom on this phone (for a while at least).
fals3illusion said:
Does the 900f come with unlocked bootloaders? Is there a way you can identify if they have an unlocked bootloader without physically checking the phone just don't want to spend hundreds of dollars and kinda get stuck with a phone that's not what I wanted.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the 900f/klte/international has an unlocked bootloader
lingowistico said:
Yes, the 900f/klte/international has an unlocked bootloader
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Click to collapse
ok cool, thanks for all the help!!
I did not know that T-Mobiles Galaxy S5 Came with unlocked bootloaders. I am just going to get one from them since T-Mobile and ATT run on basically the same LTE Basebands and LTE will not be affected as much as the international version when i'm on ATT's network
fals3illusion said:
I'm pretty sure he's just going off what best buy says for the model.
I too am wondering this question. Very disappointed in the new S6, thought it was going to be "the next big thing", turns out they just want to be like apple now.
Side note, where would u recommend buying an unlocked bootloader S5, that has LTE capabilities for att? Or does that not exist in the US? Been searching but coming up empty handed.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
didn't read the rest of the replies but cricket...they sell it with unlocked boot loader, and you can sim unlock after six months...but they are owned wholly by att so you'll have att's reception and reliability. Of course your unlimited data would be history but crickets rates are significantly lower than most other mvno carriers
Edit: the model no is sm-g900az
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
I called bestbuy.com customer service. The customer service agent was no help. No additional info than what's provided on the webpage (actual samsung model # is what I was looking for).
She transferred me to their technical support department. The gentleman spent about 5 minutes or so searching and couldn't come up with anything more.
I was told to call an actual best buy store and speak with their mobile department.
I called later today when best buy opened up. Sat on hold for 8min before an actual human being answered the phone. They too were no help. The conversation went like this...
Me: do you know which model of the g900 the sku 5760005 is referring to. . The listed model number Sam-g900 with that sku# is not an actual samsung model number.
Them: it's a g900.
Me: no you do not understand, g900 should be followed by one more letter. Is it a g900a, g900t, g900v, g900f, g900h, etc?
Them: it's a g900. What provider do you have?
Me: I'm on att but probably going to tmobile soon.
Them: we don't carry tmobile. I have a g900a. It works good. (they have the prepaid tmobile s5 on their website).
Me: nvm. Thanks have a nice day.....click.
I would definitely prefer an unbranded phone, usually that means 'International' model? Any suggestions on where I should be looking to buy one?
Here on "pre-order launch" day, the only offers I see are for carrier branded phones.
In case I've made an error in logic, I'll note what I'm trying to do: I use a MVNO GSM carrier with an unlimited data plan, so I'm looking for a "GSM" S7-EDGE that is carrier unlocked. I'll check the LTE bands and all... the question is, where to buy one of these?
Not sure on international models however you'll want to check out tmobile. There always unbranded and I believe I read somewhere it has all 4 bands except cmda? Can't confirm the cmda one. Also the bootloader are unlocked.
Expansys and eBay are your best bets when the time comes
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Shoulon said:
Not sure on international models however you'll want to check out tmobile. There always unbranded and I believe I read somewhere it has all 4 bands except cmda? Can't confirm the cmda one. Also the bootloader are unlocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TMOBILE phones are not Unbranded at all - they include a bunch of bloat and their branding is all over the software in their phones - I don't think they put the name TMOBILE on the phone itself, but I thnk Unbranded means much more than just that. I am not meaning to criticize, just pointing out the fact that I don't think TMOBILE Phones could be considered unbranded.
Having said that, they do work beautifully on other compatible networks.
Just preordered my Samsung Galaxy S7 (930T). Hopefully this T-Mobile phone will get rooted quick. I'm done with AT&T phones.... paid outright, and will unlock through T-Mobile....
mocsab said:
TMOBILE phones are not Unbranded at all - they include a bunch of bloat and their branding is all over the software in their phones - I don't think they put the name TMOBILE on the phone itself, but I thnk Unbranded means much more than just that. I am not meaning to criticize, just pointing out the fact that I don't think TMOBILE Phones could be considered unbranded.
Having said that, they do work beautifully on other compatible networks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He might be talking about the international versions and not the US version.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Tidbits said:
He might be talking about the international versions and not the US version.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Bad... thanks for the heads up
Here's an unlocked probably European phone from Expansys
http://www.expansys-usa.com/samsung-galaxy-s7-unlocked-32gb-black-onyx-288135/
I think it's the European because it's listed as an Octa core (Processor: Octa-Core / 2.3 GHz Quad + 1.6 GHz Quad) if I'm not mistaken the SD820 isn't Octa but the Exynos is and Europe is supposed to be getting Exynos.
If those bands are correct that is very limiting. I'd still hold out and wait to see the full support listing.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Isn't that you can just use qualcomm's QXDM,QPST and DFS to unlock all the band? Just need have root first.
maybe, but you should rely on it. Let's just say for example Samsung changes how things are in this version or we can't find an exploit for 6 months to a 1 year? That's just me though. I'd rather be safe than sorry.
So I was planning to get the international version (Exynos) Galaxy S7 Edge, but After using the Live Chat on Samsung website, they told me as of today the International Version of S7 DOESN"T support the Samsung Pay yet.... any ideas?
I am trying to unlock one for my family member from t mobile. Anyway to unlock it for international use without paying a fortune?
---------- Post added at 04:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:16 AM ----------
Is it true what they are saying that when you first put the sim in the phone and turn it on it locks itself to that carrier?? SO IF I PUT IN att sim in tmobile phone it will be locked to att ?
UnixSlayer said:
Just preordered my Samsung Galaxy S7 (930T). Hopefully this T-Mobile phone will get rooted quick. I'm done with AT&T phones.... paid outright, and will unlock through T-Mobile....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to break it to you but the bootloader on the TMO S7 Edge is locked down now like ATT and Verizon without root available
"And on that bombshell!"
Sent from my Smokin G935A
Check out the Canadian version sm-g935w8. It has exynos, supports samsung pay and can be rooted. The specs say it supports all the north American lte bands. If you buy one from a Canadian samsung experience store, it comes with factory unlock codes
Sent from my SM-G900T using XDA Free mobile app
I'm getting an Exynos S7 Edge and am thinking of installing an unbranded Rom from Sammobile, any idea which?
I'm in Australia, so no Samsung Pay yet, but it could be handy.
I'm sure certain European Roms get updates sooner too.
Ok, checked Sammobile again and this looks safe. Looks to be an unbranded Australian rom.
http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/download/67083/G935FXXU1APAW_G935FXSA1APAW_XSA/
The Galaxy Note Edge still to this day does not have Root. I was wondering if it was worth it getting the Note 7 from At&t or should I get an unlocked one. What do you guys think?
I had the At&t Note 4 as well, which also never got root. I recently sold mine for over $200 on eBay and I found a T-Mobile Note 3 that I rooted and ROM'd and it is nearly as fast as the Note 5. I've already pre-ordered the Note 7 through At&t only because I've used the S7 Edge and it is fast enough to not really need root. But to be fair the S7 and S7 Edge do have root so it may be possible for the Note 7 to be rooted in a similar fashion. Now the bootloader is a whole nother story!
Sent from my SM-T700 using XDA-Developers mobile app
whmgreen said:
I had the At&t Note 4 as well, which also never got root. I recently sold mine for over $200 on eBay and I found a T-Mobile Note 3 that I rooted and ROM'd and it is nearly as fast as the Note 5. I've already pre-ordered the Note 7 through At&t only because I've used the S7 Edge and it is fast enough to not really need root. But to be fair the S7 and S7 Edge do have root so it may be possible for the Note 7 to be rooted in a similar fashion. Now the bootloader is a whole nother story!
Sent from my SM-T700 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems to really depend on the popularity of the phone, whether it gets root or not. The Note 4 Edge was a great phone, but was not that popular with the general public. With all the excitement generated for the Note 7, I think we will get root. I do really wish they had put the snapdragon 821 & 6GB of ram, like the rumors had said. Then it really would of been an iphone killer. Btw, I also Pre-ordered a Note 7.
whmgreen said:
I had the At&t Note 4 as well, which also never got root. I recently sold mine for over $200 on eBay and I found a T-Mobile Note 3 that I rooted and ROM'd and it is nearly as fast as the Note 5. I've already pre-ordered the Note 7 through At&t only because I've used the S7 Edge and it is fast enough to not really need root. But to be fair the S7 and S7 Edge do have root so it may be possible for the Note 7 to be rooted in a similar fashion. Now the bootloader is a whole nother story!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We do have root, what are you talking about lol. S7 edge Verizon rooted
I'm gonna also pre-order and I have AT&T. But I'm gonna go to best buy and out right buy the unlocked no plan version. AT&T can kiss my rear end, if it weren't for my wife not wanting to leave them I would have dumped them way back when bootloader got locked.
Reinaldo33897 said:
I'm gonna also pre-order and I have AT&T. But I'm gonna go to best buy and out right buy the unlocked no plan version. AT&T can kiss my rear end, if it weren't for my wife not wanting to leave them I would have dumped them way back when bootloader got locked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont buy it from best buy, they upcharge. They wont carry a sim unlocked one anyways. Buy on amazon. For me as much as I used to like sammy I cant deal with locked bootloaders and the price tag is too high. If anything id consider a international exynos model s7 from amazon. Theres at least stable root and development.
fix-this! said:
Dont buy it from best buy, they upcharge. They wont carry a sim unlocked one anyways. Buy on amazon. For me as much as I used to like sammy I cant deal with locked bootloaders and the price tag is too high. If anything id consider a international exynos model s7 from amazon. Theres at least stable root and development.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good advise, I went to best buy and asked if they were taking pre-orders for the unlocked version. She looked at me like I was talking some alien language. Gave me a weird expression and walked away.
You shouldn't support ANY carriers - including AT&T.
Buy unlocked and do what you want with YOUR device!
TechBSwift said:
We do have root, what are you talking about lol. S7 edge Verizon rooted
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Umm...can you read? I said S7 and S7 Edge CAN be rooted!!
HNIC215 said:
You shouldn't support ANY carriers - including AT&T.
Buy unlocked and do what you want with YOUR device!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What model version is unlocked? Will it be possible to unlock the bootloader on this version as well? Thanks in advance
Sent from my SGH-I337 using XDA-Developers mobile app
awakener777 said:
What model version is unlocked? Will it be possible to unlock the bootloader on this version as well? Thanks in advance [/URL]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
N930F (Europe); N930G (India)
I think both of these models come unlocked and I think there are also dual sim variants that come unlocked as well. Not sure.
I always go for the F variant - N930F - which is usually the international unlocked version.
Yes, it should be possible to unlock the bootloader and root - at least it was on the S7 Edge I used to own.
Keep in mind, the international model uses the Exynos processor as opposed to the SD820 the US version uses.
They both have pros and cons - do your research before you purchase. Especially if you are planning to root, use Samsung Pay etc...
I prefer international for less bloat/carrier restrictions, better battery life, root etc...
P.S. -> if you root then no Samsung Pay
HNIC215 said:
N930F (Europe); N930G (India)
I think both of these models come unlocked and I think there are also dual sim variants that come unlocked as well. Not sure.
I always go for the F variant - N930F - which is usually the international unlocked version.
Yes, it should be possible to unlock the bootloader and root - at least it was on the S7 Edge I used to own.
Keep in mind, the international model uses the Exynos processor as opposed to the SD820 the US version uses.
They both have pros and cons - do your research before you purchase. Especially if you are planning to root, use Samsung Pay etc...
I prefer international for less bloat/carrier restrictions, better battery life, root etc...
P.S. -> if you root then no Samsung Pay
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your input! Can't do a phone without unlockable BL. I don't even know what Samsung pay is so that's okay.
Sent from my SGH-I337 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Don't the unlocked phones use different frequencies/channels compare to US carriers and might not get full potential of US LTE network?
Even between US carriers the frequencies/channels are different. For example my Note 3 T-mob doesn't use some channels that Att uses and I can't get full LTE speeds on ATT network because of that.
[email protected] said:
Don't the unlocked phones use different frequencies/channels compare to US carriers and might not get full potential of US LTE network?
Even between US carriers the frequencies/channels are different. For example my Note 3 T-mob doesn't use some channels that Att uses and I can't get full LTE speeds on ATT network because of that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not anymore, Almost all unlocked variants work perfect with all US carriers..I have international Note5 on AT&T
Sent from my SM-N920S using Tapatalk
will I be able to flash Indian firmware on a note7 purchased from Dubai? The models in India and Dubai are same. SM-N930FD
Sent from SM-N910G on Dr. Ketan's L16
rajat_delhi said:
will I be able to flash Indian firmware on a note7 purchased from Dubai? The models in India and Dubai are same. SM-N930FD
Sent from SM-N910G on Dr. Ketan's L16
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as model numbers are same, you can...
Sent from my SM-N920S using Tapatalk
Like the title says, what's the best place to buy unlocked international phones in US.
I also might have an option to buy while traveling to UK and looking for suggestions.
Will be using it on AT&T.
thanks!
The US has Snapdragon, the UK has Exynos
Super-Veloce said:
The US has Snapdragon, the UK has Exynos
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the eye opener, now back to my question "Best place to buy Exynos version in US"
In the past, I've had the best success with well rated ebay resellers. Having ebay back your purchase is important because they are so buyer centric. If there are any issues at all, they will force paypal to refund your money. The only downside to this, is that you'll likely pay a little more - especially if you purchase right at release time.
Wonda Mobile and Expansys are also great/reputable online resellers that will surely sell the S8 and S8+. You'll pay closer to the retail price of the device (no ebay fees, price gouging, etc) and their return policies are good. That said, YOU will pay return fees back to Korea if there are issues and you're 100% at their discretion for returns/replacements/restocking fees, etc.
Hope this helps.
morbidz said:
thanks for the eye opener, now back to my question "Best place to buy Exynos version in US"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got my Galaxy S7 Edge (G935F) on Amazon and was going to get the NOTE 7 EXYNOS from https://www.bhphotovideo.com/
They are a good retailer - I am hoping we can get preorder from them - (they did offer a preorder for the NOTE but it never happened because batteries started exploding before the NOTE 7 Was released.
Silly question - but why would one prefer the Exynos version over the Snapdragon? Is there a noticeable difference in performance, or some other factor?
From what I hear, the performance on the Exynos variant is better than the Snapdragon variant. Also, the SnapDragon variant has been bootloader locked as of lately (Note 7, S7, and S7 Edge) while the Exynos variants have been unlocked.
So I pre-ordered a sim unlocked s8+ through samsung's UK site. not sure if they will ship to US though
Greetings from Canada,
Would anyone know which "soc" goes in the Canadian variant?
Thank you.
cguarino said:
Silly question - but why would one prefer the Exynos version over the Snapdragon? Is there a noticeable difference in performance, or some other factor?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats so naive from you..see the galaxy s7 exynos variant was unlock the past year where the s7 820 was not, what that means ?
basically means that you was not able to root any western device , but only exynos variant can... and root a device is crucial to open a lot of possibilitys like overclock
and responding to the question of this guy, basically in every latin country on america you can find the exynos variant, which is kind a weird cosidering that allways all america used the qualcomm variant in the past , and because a lot of mexicans carriers dont have the culture of wait until the oficial release of the smartphone i will expect some people to buyit long before
samteeee said:
Greetings from Canada,
Would anyone know which "soc" goes in the Canadian variant?
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Canada is getting the snapdragon like the USA unfortunately.
Handtech and Clove are both reputable UK shops that many on this forum have used and recommend. Be aware if you're a first time buyer at either you may have to jump extra hoops to clear your credit card. This is normal and due to the high degree of fraud in international cell phone sales.
mocsab said:
I got my Galaxy S7 Edge (G935F) on Amazon and was going to get the NOTE 7 EXYNOS from https://www.bhphotovideo.com/
They are a good retailer - I am hoping we can get preorder from them - (they did offer a preorder for the NOTE but it never happened because batteries started exploding before the NOTE 7 Was released.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BH has it listed now, but just to notify when available. It has it listed as SM-G955. It doesn't say whether or not it is SD or exynos though.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod..._sm_g955_64gb_gry_galaxy_s8_sm_g955_64gb.html
I know with the international S7, Samsung Pay would not work in the US. Not too worried about that, but are there any other drawbacks? Will it work on all the LTE bands for AT&T?
I think for those that really want the international version, you'll have to find overseas sites that ship to the US or get them from a reputable seller on eBay such as never-msrp. The downside, as always, to importing is a higher price and generally, no warranty. I generally get quarterly trade where if anything happens and no one fixes the phone, they'll just give a full refund of the phone price. Anyways, just make sure it says SM 950F or SM 955F. The F are the true international unlocked models. Samsung pay may now work in the US. Check out the S7 threads to see how they got pay to work in the US
Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 09:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:44 AM ----------
PuffinNugz said:
BH has it listed now, but just to notify when available. It has it listed as SM-G955. It doesn't say whether or not it is SD or exynos though.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod..._sm_g955_64gb_gry_galaxy_s8_sm_g955_64gb.html
I know with the international S7, Samsung Pay would not work in the US. Not too worried about that, but are there any other drawbacks? Will it work on all the LTE bands for AT&T?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The s7 had all AT&T and tmobile bands. Volte didn't work and wifi calling also didn't work on tmobile tho even though the s7 had band 12. It just would not connect. I now have att so that's no longer a concern with me
Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk
Ordered from SamsungUK, they didnt reject my US address, so we will see what happens.
morbidz said:
So I pre-ordered a sim unlocked s8+ through samsung's UK site. not sure if they will ship to US though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I contacted the UK samsung web page and the sim free version still need to make a 5 minut call in the uk first to be truly unlocked, as it has region locked.
Check out clove UK. They have the cheapest pricing for the S8 and the s8+ and you get the international model. Picking mine up Soon
Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk
morbidz said:
So I pre-ordered a sim unlocked s8+ through samsung's UK site. not sure if they will ship to US though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't want them to ship it. The EU phones have region lock. To use a SIM from a country different from the phone's selling country you have to make a 5 minute call on a SIM native to the selling country on a network native to the selling country. That's why all the grey market phones on eBay are mostly from Asia.
Here's an article on it.
http://www.androidcentral.com/your-...8e43&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter
PuffinNugz said:
BH has it listed now, but just to notify when available. It has it listed as SM-G955. It doesn't say whether or not it is SD or exynos though.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod..._sm_g955_64gb_gry_galaxy_s8_sm_g955_64gb.html
I know with the international S7, Samsung Pay would not work in the US. Not too worried about that, but are there any other drawbacks? Will it work on all the LTE bands for AT&T?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LTE on ATT works fine on the International Varients - the only thing missing is WIFI Calling and VOLTE - if those are big deals for you, yoiu need to stick with an ATT Phone. I haven't missed them - LTE speeds for me have always been great - I don't need WIFI Calling - and HD VOICE, well, I am not so sure it is everythign it is cracked up to be - call quality for me has been very good - so I personally am not missing anything.
I have wondered for a while if the snapdragon model in the US isn't something paid for by the NSA to be a the only US variant offered. Like more backdoors, etc built in to the Snapdragon variant. Unless there is some other obvious reason why the US gets only the Snapdragon variant.
It really doesn't matter for daily usable or noticeable performance however. Bet you'd never be able to tell which variant you were using if they were set up the same and you didn't check in the settings to cheat to see which variant it was.
I see this BOGO offer direct on Samsung's website for Galaxy S8's. In the past, all Galaxy S phones were SM-G920T (T for T-Mobile) SM-G920V (V for Verizon, etc) and then Best Buy sold that piece of crap SIM unlocked SM-G920U that was bootloader LOCKED and couldn't do anything with it.
I'm trying to find out here if the Bootloader is locked on any variant of the Snapdragon 835 S8's, and which version I should get. T-Mobile has the same BOGO offer on the S8 in the form of a rebate as well, but I can't confirm anywhere the specific model number. I'm so jaded by the fact that T-Mobile left the bootloader locked on their S7 that I can't imagine them leaving it unlocked.
The G6 is also BOGO right now as well, but I don't know if that bootloader is unlocked like all my previous LG phones from T-Mo we're.
I'd really appreciate any kind of confirmed answers you might have!
Cheers!
joesee said:
I see this BOGO offer direct on Samsung's website for Galaxy S8's. In the past, all Galaxy S phones were SM-G920T (T for T-Mobile) SM-G920V (V for Verizon, etc) and then Best Buy sold that piece of crap SIM unlocked SM-G920U that was bootloader LOCKED and couldn't do anything with it.
I'm trying to find out here if the Bootloader is locked on any variant of the Snapdragon 835 S8's, and which version I should get. T-Mobile has the same BOGO offer on the S8 in the form of a rebate as well, but I can't confirm anywhere the specific model number. I'm so jaded by the fact that T-Mobile left the bootloader locked on their S7 that I can't imagine them leaving it unlocked.
The G6 is also BOGO right now as well, but I don't know if that bootloader is unlocked like all my previous LG phones from T-Mo we're.
I'd really appreciate any kind of confirmed answers you might have!
Cheers!
Click to expand...
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All the carriers have "U" devices in the U.S. this year. The SIM you initialize the phone with is what carrier's features are added. A "U" from Samsung apparently doesn't take on the carrier whose SIM is used features and remains virgin. So "U" could be considered "universal" or "U.S." It's still a S-835 device which means "U" definitely doesn't mean unlocked bootloader.
I'm not an expert at all but I really doubt that ANY Samsung bootloader will ever be unlocked again. Pretty much after 2013 all bootloaders were locked [AFAIK] at least for the Galaxy series. I really like Samsung devices but my Galaxy Tab S (late 2014) isn't even going to get the Nougat upgrade - this actually pisses me off greatly.
When you see 'unlocked' concerning a phone/device it means CARRIER unlocked, not the bootloader. The 'unlocked' means that you can use it with any carrier that the device supports - so just about most of the carriers/providers in the entire world. Still not sure about this concerning CDMA (Verizon/Sprint) as some things may not work (different bands). Tried using GSM phones on CDMA a few years back and wasn't able to use 4G/LTE & also MMS.
Good luck.
EDIT:
Was typing this as BarryH_GEG replied to your question. Yes the letter following the model corresponds to the various carriers (Verizon, Cricket, Sprint, etc) and are also different for international versions.
EDIT2:
On another note I own a Galaxy S7 Edge (international) that has the Exynos processor that is unlocked. At the same time this is the only device I've never rooted because it works so well for me, no carrier bloatware. Also the only device I've ever purchased without a removable battery. Until the latest updates I was able to go 2 days without charging (not anymore unfortunately). The international S8/S8+ also use the Exynos processor so you might consider this option. However the cost will be high as it was for me when I purchased my GS7edge as you'll need to purchase it directly without any US discounts or such. I paid out just over $700 for my GS7edge directly, though at the same time my AT&T bill is much lower because of this.
I've researched the GS8+ international and it's looking to be around $800. Compared to trading in my GS7edge international for an unlocked US version I can get for $375 (with trade-in) if I do this within a month or so... I can probably get $400 for my GS7edge (since it's international) but how long will this take? If I only get $300 for it for a quick sale I'll still spend $500 for the new 8+ so is this worth it?
Only stating these issues so that you understand my thinking concerning an unlocked bootloader. These are [mostly, still SS stuff] bloatware free, have incredible power, etc, etc. I miss rooting my device but is it really worth it for the cost? I really want the international/Exynos S8+ but still not sure.
Let me know your thoughts, later.