Im hoping someone can please help me get up to speed here.
A while back I was looking at whether to get the AT&T version or the unlocked Exynos version sold at Best Buy.
From what I recall, many favored the Exynos version as having better real life performance and meaningfully better battery life. Also no bloatware.
The downside was that here in the US it would not work for Samsung Pay. From what I remember it worked just as well on AT&T's LTE network.
I have tried searching the forums to figure out if all of this still holds? Has Samsung Pay been made available - either through Samsung or through some kind of rooting, etc? Has the network performance been confirmed as identical between the two?
I am trying to decide which to purchase so any and all feedback would be helpful.
Thanks.
SPAY will not work and data transfers will be faster will the ATT variant.
Despite this, you should get the exynos for its fast mutli core capabilites, assuming you have no hope for a bl unlock and you care nothing about roms.
No way in hell does the Exynos model work as well on AT&T as the AT&T specific model. Not even the 930U.
With the 930A, you're gaining...
3xCA (bonds 3 LTE Channels), 4x4 MIMO (not active yet, but will probably require 930A), 256QAM (33% faster LTE speeds), WiFi Calling/Texting, RCS Messaging, and VoLTE. If LTE is your concern then the 930A is the only way to go.
Jakeuten said:
No way in hell does the Exynos model work as well on AT&T as the AT&T specific model. Not even the 930U.
With the 930A, you're gaining...
3xCA (bonds 3 LTE Channels), 4x4 MIMO (not active yet, but will probably require 930A), 256QAM (33% faster LTE speeds), WiFi Calling/Texting, RCS Messaging, and VoLTE. If LTE is your concern then the 930A is the only way to go.
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Click to collapse
Thank you both for the feedback.
Really the only reason I was thinking about the Exynos was the better battery life...I dont care THAT much about ROMS, etc.
Jakeuten said:
No way in hell does the Exynos model work as well on AT&T as the AT&T specific model. Not even the 930U.
With the 930A, you're gaining...
3xCA (bonds 3 LTE Channels), 4x4 MIMO (not active yet, but will probably require 930A), 256QAM (33% faster LTE speeds), WiFi Calling/Texting, RCS Messaging, and VoLTE. If LTE is your concern then the 930A is the only way to go.
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Click to collapse
So just to verify - does this mean that the 930U will have WORSE data and calling performance on AT&T 4G LTE network?
lirong said:
So just to verify - does this mean that the 930U will have WORSE data and calling performance on AT&T 4G LTE network?
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Data performance maybe, but not calling performance unless you have wifi calling as a necessity. Most people have lived without it for years, so I don't know how big of a deal it is for most people.
Thanks. I dont use Wifi calling although data performance is kind of a big deal!
Other than slower data on the 930U are there any other drawbacks?
Are there any BENEFITS for 930U? Its just unlocked right?
Related
I am leaving post paid service and going pre paid.
I since majority if prepaid US carriers are Sprint, T-Mobile and some AT&T. I want a GS 7 that will support all three carriers with as much bands possible.
Any suggestions or does the Sprint version support (once unlocked) support AT&T and T-Mobile.
Technically, any GSM unlocked phone would work on any GSM network, but that wasn't your question.
I ordered the sprint version to use with cricket (at&t network). What I read, the sprint version will support AT&T better than tmobile. In the end, once rooted, you could add in the band's not supported by default.
Music to my ears!
Will have to get the Sprint version and hope for the best.
S7E's sprint version can't turn off shutter camera. But im still happy with the 50%off promo
Has it been confirmed that the s7 uses sprints LTE advanced signal. I can't find a place where it says for sure like the g5's page .
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
bdsullivan said:
Has it been confirmed that the s7 uses sprints LTE advanced signal. I can't find a place where it says for sure like the g5's page .
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
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I'd like to know this as well. I seem to get better 4G coverage in my area with the advanced signal enabled compared to my friends who don't support it.
Yes, my new s7 uses lte adavanced
Splash screen says so
VandyCWG said:
Yes, my new s7 uses lte adavanced
Splash screen says so
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Sweet. I have the nexus 6 now and considering getting one for the SD card access alone. Is there a noticeable difference in data speeds with the LTE advanced, does it offer data and voice at the same time?
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
TehPirate_ said:
I'd like to know this as well. I seem to get better 4G coverage in my area with the advanced signal enabled compared to my friends who don't support it.
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It just seems that way, or it's because it has a better antenna in general. LTE Plus doesn't get you a stronger signal. The beamforming that helps at the cell edge is a tower-side enhancement. As long as your phone supports band 41, you're able to take advantage of LTE Plus - just not the Carrier Aggregation component.
I am very eager to see what happens in this regard as well. Sprint is notorious about locking down their phones to include very few LTE modes so that the phone is truly only for Sprint. Samsung's CDMA version of the Galaxy phones have been crippled in this way all the way up to the S6.
You can see various phones like the S4, S6, LG G4 and the S7. The S7 CMDA variant does not appear on this comparison chart yet but I'm hoping that it won't need to.
http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/compare.php?p=4066,4769,4773,5081,4928
The last phone in that comparison is the iPhone 6s Plus, which is the same no matter which carrier you use worldwide. I really, really hope Samsung does the same thing.
The only other phones with lots of LTE bands like the iPhone on Sprint is the Nexus 5s/6p and Moto X Pure.
PLEASE let LG and Samsung include all the default LTE modes by default on the CDMA versions of their phones!
Edit: nope, Sprint made Samsung get rid of the most important worldwide LTE band, 7, along with 13 and 20. LAME.
More info here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=65825260&postcount=14
I'm thinking of buying the SM-G730P (Sprint) version of the Galaxy S7 even though I was all the years on Verizon and they are for sure the better service and have more coverage, at least here where I live, but the reason I wanna buy Sprint is just because Verizon just makes Samsung phones much more secure, and locks the boot loader, now the question is, First of all does Sprint still lock their LTE phones? And second of all, will an unlocked Sprint phone work on the Verizon network, and will it work overall perfectly when I'm aboard, on the International GSM network? And last of all is there a different in the build of this 2 phones, Verizon S7 and the Sprint S7, besides the bands
YankyA said:
I'm thinking of buying the SM-G730P (Sprint) version of the Galaxy S7 even though I was all the years on Verizon and they are for sure the better service and have more coverage, at least here where I live, but the reason I wanna buy Sprint is just because Verizon just makes Samsung phones much more secure, and locks the boot loader, now the question is, First of all does Sprint still lock their LTE phones? And second of all, will an unlocked Sprint phone work on the Verizon network, and will it work overall perfectly when I'm aboard, on the International GSM network? And last of all is there a different in the build of this 2 phones, Verizon S7 and the Sprint S7, besides the bands
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Today's news concludes that all US (Qualcomm) variants of the S7 indeed have a locked bootloader except for a select few apparently. Verizon and AT&T lock the bootloader tighter than others, such as Sprint. Sprint and T-Mobile didn't lock the bootloader themselves but rather Samsung. Samsung locked the bootloader to better add security to their consumers and there's been hints they may release an unlock kit/tool for developers but this hasn't been confirmed.
I got Sprint to unlock my G930P and works perfectly with AT&T. The S7, at a hardware level, is the same phone for all US variants where the only thing that changes is the software. Meaning a Sprint phone on the Verizon network would essentially have the same network performance as if you were to use an actual Verizon variant. Once the device is unlocked, at least for me, it knew my sim was on the AT&T network and switched the bands to AT&T on reboot.
Internationally, I'm not sure. There is an option to enable Global bands in one of the hidden menus in self-service but I'd assume it'll cover enough bands to provide you with what you need minimally. (I've never gone international before so can't say from experience)
TehPirate_ said:
Internationally, I'm not sure. There is an option to enable Global bands in one of the hidden menus in self-service but I'd assume it'll cover enough bands to provide you with what you need minimally. (I've never gone international before so can't say from experience)
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GSM will work as expected.
LTE, however, will be crippled depending on the country you go to.
The updated spec list:
http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=5081
According to that list, Sprint purposely took out three very important LTE bands: 7/13/20. Why does that matter? Because much of the world uses these three bands, especially band 7 and especially Europe! Sprint purposely crippled the LTE radio modes for this phone and I cannot understand why.
So yes, you'll probably get normal GSM and some LTE if they offer one of the other bands but Sprint purposely disabling or deleting the commonly used international LTE modes abroad is just anti-competitive and backwards.
Will rooting or unlocking this phone allow the use of the bands that were locked by Sprint?
asuh said:
The updated spec list:
http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=5081
but Sprint purposely disabling or deleting the commonly used international LTE modes abroad is just anti-competitive and backwards.
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gigadigit said:
Will rooting or unlocking this phone allow the use of the bands that were locked by Sprint?
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Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5/general/how-to-add-rf-lte-frequency-bands-to-t2886059
VandyCWG said:
Yes, my new s7 uses lte adavanced
Splash screen says so
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The splash screen says LTE Plus, not LTE Advanced. LTE Plus is simply the new branding for Sprint SPARK. Was that the OPs question?
LTE Plus is not Sprint Spark , its more in depth. Carrier aggregation by antenna beam forming.
For those interested, Sprint is releasing an unlocked S7 that works on all the carriers and has a full range of US LTE bands:
http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=17870
Is it more compatible/capable with at&t rather than tmobile? For TMob the F would be lacking a 3g band which might affect calling. For atnt the F version would be lacking LTE band 30 which I'm sure nobody is concerned about at the moment.
Trying to figure this out. Looking at the s7 edge F possibly but would rather have the note6 F version if Samsung keeps up this bootloader bs. I'm still on my note4 and have never owned a phone this long. Moto X is probably a no go. They've gone mad. Sony is too expensive and not my style. LG is just weak sauce all around. HTC might get my cash but they need a bigger phone comparable to note series with big battery. Nexus doesn't have microSD support. I'm going mad. Need new phone.
You will lack VOLTE, and band 30 which is hardly anywhere. Everything else is a dream, and, they don't block the built in hotspot feature so unlimited data plans on the F are awesome.
When you make a call you will get H+, which has the same download speed for me as LTE. Upload is much slower though but I don't really care about that when on the phone.
Volte and band 30 are not issues. Just wondering if atnt is a better option for the int'l version. I think 1700 will be missing for tmobile for voice. Or 1900. Forgot. That's an issue because I don't like running 2g. Waste of battery these days.
I use mine on t-mobile and haven't noticed any difference reception wise with t-mobile's own variant (I have both), except wifi calling and volte (which I don't use)
Not worried about reception. Worried about usability. WiFi calling isn't even an issue with hangouts. Do users not miss a beat on T-Mobile or is atnt the better option for int'l version?
Root is essential to my use. Custom Roms aren't. Custom kernels can be but most are junk to me these days and a few devs have burned me so I usually stay stock kernels. But what I'm really getting at I need as much bands available as available. Atnt is a better choice but way oversaturated in Houston and data speeds suffer. Was hoping to see 600mhz bamds supported this generation but looks like probably won't happen til next gen or two. I'd rather stay with tmobile, but if they aren't gonna keep unlocked bootloaders for the minority that need it then I need to change phone variations and carriers.
I currently own the AT&T Snapdragon and overall very happy with the phone.
Unfortunately, I always want the best and fastest.
Is the Xynos S8 that much better?
Do I lose anything by going Xynos in comparison to AT&T Snapdragon version.
I'm still within return policy so need to make a decision soon.
Thanks.
Sent from my SM-G950U using XDA-Developers Legacy app
It is not much better/faster, you will likely not notice any speed difference in normal use. You would however notice the much slower mobile connectivity of the Xynos by not being able to connect to LTE.
And no band 30.
I was debating on the same thing. I decided to keep my AT&T for LTE and US warranty.
whoamanwtf said:
It is not much better/faster, you will likely not notice any speed difference in normal use. You would however notice the much slower mobile connectivity of the Xynos by not being able to connect to LTE.
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Click to collapse
Why wouldn't it be able to connect to LTE? Just because it's missing one band?
U wouldldnt reap the benefits of band 30 which really isn't a big deal, I would just miss hdvoice for the time being until someone to figures out how to enable
So it will still have LTE on ATT? I'm debating between this or waiting for the Pixel 2. No LTE would be a dealbreaker.
Of course you'll still have LTE but not volte
Go Xynos if you want to root your phone
From performance stand point Snapdragon 835 is better overall than Exynos 8895. There is anandtech article about it.
If you want performance yea I'd say snapdragon is a little better but if you're looking for more customization go with Exynos do to the bootloader being unlocked
I am considering upgrading to the S8. I like that the G950F has an unlocked bootloader on a phone that has (almost) everything I want.
But it seems like it's a bit of a hassle to get it to work fully on the T-Mobile network. It looks like I can flash the CSC to enable WiFi Calling and VoLTE on it, but is there any hope for 256QAM and 4x4 MIMO? There's hardly any information about this other than one or two threads. So I'd like to know:
If I go with the G950F over the T-Mobile or Unlocked US variants, what am I missing out on out of the box?
What will flashing the T-Mobile CSC not fix? (I currently think it does fix WiFi Calling and VoLTE.)
Can I flash the T-Mobile US modem on the G950F to fix this, or will that just brick my device? (Snapdragon image on Exynos terrifies me.)
Am I missing some other way (like a secret service mode or something) that would allow me to force 256QAM and/or 4x4 MIMO on the G950F?
I really hate that I can't just have a US model with an unlocked bootloader...
I think Galaxy S8 International variant maybe missing some bands and I would suggest you either get T-Mobile as you mentioned or US unlocked. With US unlocked which I already ordered from Samsung, should support all T-Mobile features: VoLTE, Band 12 and WiFi Calling. At the moment Samsung offers $200 off if you trade in any Android or iOS device. Just check their page for Trade-in details.
Charkatak said:
I think Galaxy S8 International variant maybe missing some bands and I would suggest you either get T-Mobile as you mentioned or US unlocked. With US unlocked which I already ordered from Samsung, should support all T-Mobile features: VoLTE, Band 12 and WiFi Calling. At the moment Samsung offers $200 off if you trade in any Android or iOS device. Just check their page for Trade-in details.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can I trade any device?
I got a one plus one somewhere.
borisb said:
Can I trade any device?
I got a one plus one somewhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see why you can't. It said any Android/iOS device, but just has to be in good condition. Check it out: http://www.samsung.com/us/trade-in/terms-and-conditions/
I'm using an international S8 on Tmobile, works fine. I'm in the middle of nowhere and it actually gets better signal than a Tmobile Pixel and S6 Edge I had before.
sketron13 said:
I'm using an international S8 on Tmobile, works fine. I'm in the middle of nowhere and it actually gets better signal than a Tmobile Pixel and S6 Edge I had before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does you phone show 4G or 4G LTE?
It has 4G LTE shown
sketron13 said:
It has 4G LTE shown
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Hmm, I don't remember which bands exactly and how many, but F model had some bands missing for T-Mobile.
Just one night frequency
The exynos variant lacks 4x4 mimo and 256qam from what I've read. It achieves 1gb down via 5xCA. But also only allows it to max upload at 150mb/s
So it would only be able to utilize the 3xCA from tmobile. And not get max possible downloads. But the F does support all 3 of t-mobile's used bands
Acoustichayes said:
The exynos variant lacks 4x4 mimo and 256qam from what I've read. It achieves 1gb down via 5xCA. But also only allows it to max upload at 150mb/s
So it would only be able to utilize the 3xCA from tmobile. And not get max possible downloads. But the F does support all 3 of t-mobile's used bands
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got it. That's what I was looking for, thanks. My understanding is that it's a hardware issue that can't easily be fixed via service mode or flashing something, but it doesn't look like I'd miss out on much overall.
I am in a 4x4 MIMO service area though so maybe I'll just hold out for now and see what happens over the next few weeks/months.
Can someone point me to the thread for how to make a sm-g950f have volte and wifi calling on T-Mobile?
My searches turned up nothing concrete if this is possible but I found a Note 8 thread that sounded promising.
Does anyone know if I were to flash the latest Germany T-Mobile firmware (DTM) from Sammobile, would that enable VoLTE, WiFi Calling here in the US?
Currently my G950F S8 has the Australian (XSA) firmware installed and it doesn't have VoLTE or WiFi Calling. The WiFi Calling setting in Quicktiles is greyed out.
I'm considering buying a Galaxy S8, and I'm leaning to the unlocked, except that I want to know if Ill be able to try out AT&Ts 5G. Will I?
Also, if I buy unlocked, do I just put in my ATT SIM card and go or is there some special procedure I need to do?
There is currently no 5G capable devices as of yet you will have to wait until 5G is out of testing phases
Edit: nevermind the s8 and s8+ are 5g capable so it should work wiith just putting in sim
Yes the s8 will work on att's fake 5g network https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/25/...ion-network-lte-advanced-misleading-marketing
customers with a Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus will be able to take advantage of a “5G Evolution” connection at “twice the speeds of [AT&T’s] 4G LTE network.”
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peachpuff said:
Yes the s8 will work on att's fake 5g network https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/25/...ion-network-lte-advanced-misleading-marketing
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I know the ATT branded one will, but will the unlocked S8 work on their "5G"?
Who knows, whether you will even notice the difference is anyone's guess too.
There is no 5G yet it's all gimmicks in reality it is 4G+ or 4.5G because it's using for examble carrier aggregation 700+800+1800+2600mhz at once and it is combining them for best dl speed. I built those networks my best so far is 430mb/s dl.
OP you should wait for a first hand confirmation. That hardware is ready does not mean it will work.
This is carrier aggregation this is nokia flexi lte this has 3 carriers per sector aka 5G LoL no really its just 4G but it can give speeds up to 450mb or was it more i dont remember