Buy unlocked version - Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Questions and Answers

Hello everybody,
I wanted to buy the sd820 unlocked variant of the S7 edge. I tried reading this thread but couldn't figure out if there's an unlocked sd820 variant that's available at samsung store in the US, or just China and Japan would be receiving those?
If USA will get it, when is it hitting the stores?

I was looking in Ontario Canada and spoke to someone at the Samsung store here and they said they didn't have em but would prolly get them.
Don't know who it was I spoke to at store level as I too was wanting to buy a unlock able version.
I guessing maybe after all the carriers blow thru their stock
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Related

International Unlocked Version?

I looked on Samsungs site and only see the 4 major carriers. I've been looking for an actual international GSM version because I'm tired of getting stuck with the At&t locked down, no fun standard device. I find very little info about the g928c which I'm only guessing at this point, is a European version. I ordered the 64gb At&t version but would sell my Nex 6, and my 128gb S6E for an unlocked S6+. Any luck finding anything else out would be great to hear.
Phoneguy589 said:
I looked on Samsungs site and only see the 4 major carriers. I've been looking for an actual international GSM version because I'm tired of getting stuck with the At&t locked down, no fun standard device. I find very little info about the g928c which I'm only guessing at this point, is a European version. I ordered the 64gb At&t version but would sell my Nex 6, and my 128gb S6E for an unlocked S6+. Any luck finding anything else out would be great to hear.
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You can buy a TMo phone & cell unlock it so it can be used internationally. Generally, TMobile phones come with an unlocked bootloader also, so they can be rooted. I use an unlocked TMobile phone on the AT&T network.
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I am looking to buy an international unlocked as well, I was going to order one off eBay, but I am waiting for a silver 64gb to show up.
The carriers mark them up so I won't pay non contract price. Guess I'll wait until they are more available.

Unlocked/International Version for use with US/GSM Carrier

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
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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.
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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.
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He might be talking about the international versions and not the US version.
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Tidbits said:
He might be talking about the international versions and not the US version.
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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.
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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....
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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
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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/

Global Version Galaxy s7 edge,SM-G930F

hi
I am originally from Switzerland and always bought all the galaxy's there in a regular electronic store with no branding or carrier on it. I was always able to use my phones internationally with every possible carrier. a year ago I moved to the states and currently using my s6 edge from Switzerland on cricket (at&t) network. Though i don't get great data speed and connection cause of some frequencies differences between the european and us network. I want to get the s7 edge in the US so i can enjoy perfect connection and speed, but cant find any reliable information regrading the global version SM-G930F, i need one that will also funtion worldwide and especially in switzerland as i travel alot. Unfortunatly in the US people are forced to suscribe to the major cariers to get a the s7 now. i would love to pre-order to get the VR for free. Can anyone pls help me ? what are my possiblities?
Thank u
I don't think you can preorder unless it's through a carrier. You would have to wait until amazon and Samsung begin selling them directly. Which means no VR. Also I can't guarantee that the USA version will be able to fully function abroad. Sorry buddy.
European retailers have been taking pre orders for the unlocked sm-g930F and sm-g-935F international versions since February 23. Unlike US, where carriers dominate the market with their own variants.
The problem is the EU retailers I came across don't ship internationally. But if you have someone in Switzerland, you can order it with their (or your own address in Switzerland) and have them send it to you. You can go to (Google Samsung Switzerland) and on their site you'll see a dozen retailers, such as Steg Electronics, simply offering the unlocked SM-G935F for 818 CHF. Nice and simple!
I preordered mine today without a carrier. The only ****ty thing is that here in Norway a carrier has got the rights to silver color. So i could just make the preorder with other colors
Thank u so much for the info, will I get a free VR ? And also can I use the global version in the US and still enjoy the same data speed and connectivity on att network as I would with a US version? Cause my Swiss Galaxy s6 edge is slower here than an American one, something because of different frequency usage
Cricket is part of at&t, but the way at&t differentiates its plans with its prepaid business (aka cricket wireless) is that Cricket's 4G LTE data speed is limited to 8 mega bits per second, while a native at&t LTE plan speeds go much higher. Cricket clearly states this in the fine prints under their plan as a link "Important data usage ..." As "High-speed data access allows download speeds of a maximum of 8 Mbps for compatible LTE devices and 4 Mbps for compatible HSPA+ devices.".
So if your Galaxy s6 is the international version (SM-G925F), then it has all the right bands to operate on any GSM carrier in the States. All you need to verify is that if your phone has the correct APN. Every US carrier has instructions and FAQs on their APN. For example here is the cricket page:
https://www.cricketwireless.com/sup...ice-byod/customer/bring-your-own-android.html
Thank u very much but I called them many times and they weren't able to fix the issue. What do u suggest I should do with getting the S7 edge?
I would suggest waiting for the galaxy s7 "unlocked" international version to be available in the States.
Places like bhphotovideo.com have the page set up and ready for it. It should be a matter of short while for us to be able to purchase it free of any carrier related restrictions or bloatware. Hang in there.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1225377-REG/samsung_sm_g930_32gb_blk_galaxy_s7_g930_32gb.html
Lol thank u buddy... It's just that I really want to get that VR for free
s7edge said:
Lol thank u buddy... It's just that I really want to get that VR for free
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I also want to buy the international varient of the S7 Edge as I do not want to get stuck with one career and get updates on time. Unlucky us, no free Gear VR :crying:
I just bought one on ebay. It's a SM-935F. The seller has 100% feedback and 35,000 sales. It's the Exynos version. It has full manufacturer warranty It's says it won't ship till mid to late month but I can wait for an carrier free model!
For those that are curious:
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=281946599883&alt=web
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verks said:
I just bought one on ebay. It's a SM-935F. The seller has 100% feedback and 35,000 sales. It's the Exynos version. It has full manufacturer warranty It's says it won't ship till mid to late month but I can wait for an carrier free model!
For those that are curious:
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=281946599883&alt=web
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i hope he is legit, last year i did the same for galaxy s6 edge, he had perfect review and everything and it came out he was a fraud, i got my money back trough ebay protection but a lot of headace

Verizon options/versions?

What are the differences in my options for purchasing a Verizon compatible LG V20? Direct from VZW, Best Buy, US996 version from Newegg/B&H.
What are the differences in the versions available from these vendors? Do we know yet? Thanks.
The Verizon model is VS995, it is the same model if you buy it from Verizon directly or Best Buy.
The US996 is carrier unlocked and will work on most US carriers, including Verizon. But the hope is that the US996 will have its bootloader unlocked like on the Tmobile model, which could lead to possible root.
indeed. the US has a few more frequencies and bands than the Verizon one. I believe Verizon has 17 and US has 21. seems the unlocked won't be shipping until November for B and h and Newegg and who knows if best buy is going to get it. I think my plan is to get the unlocked version when available and use it with Verizon. I'm not dealing with Verizon's crap, I'd much rather have an unlocked phone again.
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Best place to buy Exynos version in US

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
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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"
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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?
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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
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---------- 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?
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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
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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
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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
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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.

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