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I am on ATT but I am tired of ATT BS and locked bootloaders and ROM work arounds. I want to be able to use international ROMs. Plus I want to have my ATT LTE.
I want freedom to have me device my way and with any carrier sim. With this said money is not the issue. So what do I buy. If I am reading things right the answer is a T-Mobile Version and then cancel the contract and put my ATT SIM in the Note 3.
Can anyone confirm or advise?
Want your cake (international version) and eat it too (non-international LTE) AND complain because getting both requires a bit of work? LOL
No carrier is going to let you have full freedom w/o you going behind their back (i.e. unlocking bootloaders and custom ROMs)
weirdingway said:
Want your cake (international version) and eat it too (non-international LTE) AND complain because getting both requires a bit of work? LOL
No carrier is going to let you have full freedom w/o you going behind their back (i.e. unlocking bootloaders and custom ROMs)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The T-Mobile appears to have an unlocked Bootloader and unlocked if paid in full. So that sounds like a clean unit to me. That I am free to load Intonational ROM's etc...
If you don't mind 32GB only of internal storage, which effectively translates into ~24GB of user available space - T-Mobile GN3 is your best bet. Pay in full, to get it unlocked and put your AT&T sim into it. Then you will have unlocked bootloader, no carrier network lock, no regional lock and it will work with AT&T LTE. You will be able to use international roms as well, as long as they're not for the octa-core version. You will also be able to flash AT&T modem to it, if you wish.
I just got the T-Mobile Note 3 from Negri (unlocked) It is $689 with no tax here in CA
boilerkim said:
I just got the T-Mobile Note 3 from Negri (unlocked) It is $689 with no tax here in CA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait, how did you get yours already?
Apo11on said:
If you don't mind 32GB only of internal storage, which effectively translates into ~24GB of user available space - T-Mobile GN3 is your best bet. Pay in full, to get it unlocked and put your AT&T sim into it. Then you will have unlocked bootloader, no carrier network lock, no regional lock and it will work with AT&T LTE. You will be able to use international roms as well, as long as they're not for the octa-core version. You will also be able to flash AT&T modem to it, if you wish.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want to order a Note 3 from Negri to use it with AIO. I would like to have the unlocked bootloader but I'm worry about something I read in another thread here (Note 3 Carrier Selection):
"The main difference between the 1700 band being used by AT&T or TMO device is that AT&T version will use that 1700 for LTE signals where as Tmobile variant will use the 1700 for their HSPA signals."
What if ATT is using 1700 in my area for LTE? I will have the unlocked bootloader and no LTE? Where can I find what frequencies ATT is using in what areas? I made some searches without luck.
Any help will be appreciated.
T-Mobile note3 bootloader appears to be locked. Can't flash CWM
jmarquesh said:
I want to order a Note 3 from Negri to use it with AIO. I would like to have the unlocked bootloader but I'm worry about something I read in another thread here (Note 3 Carrier Selection):
"The main difference between the 1700 band being used by AT&T or TMO device is that AT&T version will use that 1700 for LTE signals where as Tmobile variant will use the 1700 for their HSPA signals."
What if ATT is using 1700 in my area for LTE? I will have the unlocked bootloader and no LTE? Where can I find what frequencies ATT is using in what areas? I made some searches without luck.
Any help will be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some search without luck? You've got to be kidding me! I have personally posted AT&T's LTE frequencies in at least 3 threads in Note 3 forums. It takes about 2 seconds to google a wiki page with LTE frequencies by carrier worldwide...FYI AT&T operates it's LTE network on both bands 4 and 17 in most areas. However, I don't understand why do you think there is a problem with AT&T & T-Mo using the same frequency in a certain area. There are 2 absolutely independent carriers, each with their own towers and your phone will get service from a carrier, based on whatever SIM you put in. What difference do these overlapping frequencies make to you?
eclipxe said:
T-Mobile note3 bootloader appears to be locked. Can't flash CWM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have a source for this?
serialtoon said:
Wait, how did you get yours already?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't, just ordered it
Apo11on said:
Some search without luck? You've got to be kidding me! I have personally posted AT&T's LTE frequencies in at least 3 threads in Note 3 forums. It takes about 2 seconds to google a wiki page with LTE frequencies by carrier worldwide...FYI AT&T operates it's LTE network on both bands 4 and 17 in most areas. However, I don't understand why do you think there is a problem with AT&T & T-Mo using the same frequency in a certain area. There are 2 absolutely independent carriers, each with their own towers and your phone will get service from a carrier, based on whatever SIM you put in. What difference do these overlapping frequencies make to you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did find information about the frequencies used by each carrier. What I was looking for is what frequency is used in a given area, say near my house. Maybe that is not the right question since I'm new to all this problem.
In another thread (Note 3 Carrier Selection) people is recommending to buy the TMobile version over the ATT version even if you want to use it with ATT (AIO). Because the bootloader in TMo may be unlocked. But then cheols46 posted this:
The main difference between the 1700 band being used by AT&T or TMO device is that AT&T version will use that 1700 for LTE signals where as Tmobile variant will use the 1700 for their HSPA signals.
I have 2 HTC One from each carrier and while AT&T version will pick up LTE at my house with the AT&T sim card in it, while T-mobile version only picks up HSPA+ with the AT&T sim card. It really depends on the tower frequency you use in your area.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want to know if that will happen to me if I buy the TMo version to use it with AIO.
Thanks in advance for any help you may provide.
That guy is getting only HSPA with AT&T SIM card because his APN for AT&T LTE is not configured correctly on the T-Mo phone. He probably didnt change the APN settings, or maybe T-Mo stock firmware doesnt even have those settings, since the network didnt support LTE when that phone was bought?
If your phone is configured correctly, and you use AT&T SIM you should get LTE service.
Apo11on said:
That guy is getting only HSPA with AT&T SIM card because his APN for AT&T LTE is not configured correctly on the T-Mo phone. He probably didnt change the APN settings, or maybe T-Mo stock firmware doesnt even have those settings, since the network didnt support LTE when that phone was bought?
If your phone is configured correctly, and you use AT&T SIM you should get LTE service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will you advice to buy the sim unlocked TMo version instead of the ATT version, because of the unlocked bootloader and the support for TMo bands (again this is just something I read)? I'm planning to use it with AIO but after spending all that money it will be good to know that I could use it with TMo if I wanted.
jmarquesh said:
Will you advice to buy the sim unlocked TMo version instead of the ATT version, because of the unlocked bootloader and the support for TMo bands (again this is just something I read)? I'm planning to use it with AIO but after spending all that money it will be good to know that I could use it with TMo if I wanted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If i were you I'd wait a week or two, until other people do it, and you can find enough feedback on how well things work. The question, you should be asking yourself is not a choice between T-Mo vs AT&T version, but T-Mo vs international LTE version with unlocked bootloader, because getting AT&T one with locked bootloader will severely cripple what you can do with your phone. Keep in mind if you have any LTE version with unlocked bootloader you should be able to flash AT&T modem onto it, once it becomes available, regardless of what LTE bands it currently supports.
Apo11on said:
If i were you I'd wait a week or two, until other people do it, and you can find enough feedback on how well things work. The question, you should be asking yourself is not a choice between T-Mo vs AT&T version, but T-Mo vs international LTE version with unlocked bootloader, because getting AT&T one with locked bootloader will severely cripple what you can do with your phone. Keep in mind if you have any LTE version with unlocked bootloader you should be able to flash AT&T modem onto it, once it becomes available, regardless of what LTE bands it currently supports.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sort of forced to get an AT&T version (have unlimited data) but considering taking chance that someone will figure out N3 bootloader unlock for future versions of AT&T roms. Is that wise?
sonicthoughts said:
I'm sort of forced to get an AT&T version (have unlimited data) but considering taking chance that someone will figure out N3 bootloader unlock for future versions of AT&T roms. Is that wise?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll give you a hint: http://www.androidoverload.com/bootloader-bounty-exceeds-5k-verizonatt-samsung-galaxy-s4/
boilerkim said:
I just got the T-Mobile Note 3 from Negri (unlocked) It is $689 with no tax here in CA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Negri still shows preorder, did they start to ship phones?
And by the way it's 669.5 with code ne20offcart
T-Mobile uses the 1700MHz and 2100MHz frequencies for 4G LTE data, and the Galaxy S5 Active supports 1700 and 2100, according to GSMArena.
1) Why then is the phone listed everywhere as "For AT&T"?
2) If I buy an S5 Active without a contract, how will data work on T-Mobile? 3G? 4G? 4G LTE?
dandv said:
how will data work on T-Mobile? 3G? 4G? 4G LTE?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any given S5 model has the hardware capability to operate on all of the GSM and LTE bands. But Samsung can sell more phones, and carriers can deter you from jumping ship too readily by marketing lots of different S5 models that have various incompatibilities.
The S5 Active or SM-G870ADGEATT is a ruggedized variant, exclusive to ATT. So why is it said to be for ATT? Marketing.
As to compatibility with TMobile, assuming that you SIM unlock it, it can operate on most of the TMB bands. But again ATT has put a lot of thought into how to discourage you from moving to a different carrier. To wit, they have omitted support for TMB's 3G 1700 and LTE band 8.
You'd have to find out how widely TMB uses those bands to know if that would be a large impact on data use or not.
.
dandv said:
T-Mobile uses the 1700MHz and 2100MHz frequencies for 4G LTE data, and the Galaxy S5 Active supports 1700 and 2100, according to GSMArena.
1) Why then is the phone listed everywhere as "For AT&T"?
2) If I buy an S5 Active without a contract, how will data work on T-Mobile? 3G? 4G? 4G LTE?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There was a rumor posted 2 months ago on the Android Community that a T-Mobile version of the Galaxy S5 Active (model SM-G870T vs the AT&T model SM-G870A) would be out in late July. Here's a link.
http://androidcommunity.com/samsung-galaxy-s5-active-availability-leaks-out-20140529/
Obviously it's late July now and we haven't seen it but I'm wondering if AT&T got an exclusive on the Galaxy S5 Active for a few months and T-Mobile will release it after the exclusivity period expires.
fffft said:
Any given S5 model has the hardware capability to operate on all of the GSM and LTE bands. But Samsung can sell more phones, and carriers can deter you from jumping ship too readily by marketing lots of different S5 models that have various incompatibilities.
The S5 Active or SM-G870ADGEATT is a ruggedized variant, exclusive to ATT. So why is it said to be for ATT? Marketing.
As to compatibility with TMobile, assuming that you SIM unlock it, it can operate on most of the TMB bands. But again ATT has put a lot of thought into how to discourage you from moving to a different carrier. To wit, they have omitted support for TMB's 3G 1700 and LTE band 8.
You'd have to find out how widely TMB uses those bands to know if that would be a large impact on data use or not.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to dredge up an old topic, however you mentioned that the S5 active has the hardware capability to support all TMB bands, 1700 included, but then say "To wit, they have omitted support for TMB'S 3G 1700 and LTE band 8". Does this just mean the stock AT&T ROM is the only limiting factor? So, were I to flash the AT&T stock ROM and install a Tmobile ROM for example I could then utilize ALL of Tmobile ' 3G and LTE bands? (And wifi calling to boot).
Thanks
S5 Active is pretty limited on Tmobile network
"Sorry to dredge up an old topic, however you mentioned that the S5 active has the hardware capability to support all TMB bands, 1700 included, but then say "To wit, they have omitted support for TMB'S 3G 1700 and LTE band 8". Does this just mean the stock AT&T ROM is the only limiting factor? So, were I to flash the AT&T stock ROM and install a Tmobile ROM for example I could then utilize ALL of Tmobile ' 3G and LTE bands? (And wifi calling to boot).
Thanks"
I NEED to do something with my S5 Active to get it working better on Tmobile. I love the S5A... its a perfect phone for me. Not too big, but big enough. Rugged, waterproof, good camera, uSD card, etc. Without WiFi Calling and support for all of Tmo's freq & channels, its severely limiting.
I'd pay someone to help me convert my phone to Tmobiles stock S5 5.1.1 ROM and baseband radio firmware.
Help!
Jim
Also having the same problem with an unlocked S5 Active originally setup for AT&T. It uses the EDGE network only.
Has anyone successfully modified the phone to utilize the TMB 1700 band or the LTE band 8 as mentioned in this post? (either through ROM upgrade or other)?
I love the S5 Active, but using it with T-Mobile is such a hassle. I have the $30/mo. prepaid plan that includes unlimited text and data, so I'm not changing carriers anytime soon, but I have to buy new phones outright. When I bought this for myself last December, I saw it was compatible with T-Mobile so I pulled the trigger - a mistake in retrospect.
I'm from a large metro-area but T-Mobile's 4G signal is nearly impossible to get with this phone. Aside from never being able to connect to the internet when out of my apartment, sending/receiving MMS texts are a chore. I also discovered today that my android OS with this phone hasn't updated itself since I bought it - it's still running 4.4.2 and when I try to check for updates to Android through my device settings, it tells me AT&T has no new available updates at this time (there have in fact been 3 new updates AT&T released during this time).
So while I really love the phone, I'm going to have to sell it and look for a new device that's actually compatible with T-Mobile's network.
The Fix
I would go in the VPN settings and manually reset the ports and frequencies the phone reads and when it reads the T-Mobile sim card that it reads upon boot up.
Now, I'm running similar set up with Samsung Galaxy S4 & S5 (At&T variants), it seems like it works, have tried it on friend's S5 Active and it works perfectly.
The only problem is that you won't get to enjoy the freedom of wifi calling even though u have T-Mobile sim card and service, But at least u will be guaranteed to use T-Mobile 4G LTE speed and signals. Occassionally, T-Mobile will blackout or a region without T-Mobile and automatically the phone will roam with no charge and use AT&T signals for up to 15 minutes or depending to circumstances of the situation.
---------- Post added at 05:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:04 PM ----------
ActiveS5 said:
I love the S5 Active, but using it with T-Mobile is such a hassle. I have the $30/mo. prepaid plan that includes unlimited text and data, so I'm not changing carriers anytime soon, but I have to buy new phones outright. When I bought this for myself last December, I saw it was compatible with T-Mobile so I pulled the trigger - a mistake in retrospect.
I'm from a large metro-area but T-Mobile's 4G signal is nearly impossible to get with this phone. Aside from never being able to connect to the internet when out of my apartment, sending/receiving MMS texts are a chore. I also discovered today that my android OS with this phone hasn't updated itself since I bought it - it's still running 4.4.2 and when I try to check for updates to Android through my device settings, it tells me AT&T has no new available updates at this time (there have in fact been 3 new updates AT&T released during this time).
So while I really love the phone, I'm going to have to sell it and look for a new device that's actually compatible with T-Mobile's network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To get the At&T updates, I would advise you to go to Ebay and buy a prepaid At&t sim card for the phone and use it temporarily just to update it all the up to 5.1 Android OS and your phone will be running up to date. (cost anywhere from $3.99 to $15.99)
rossionQ!va said:
I would go in the VPN settings and manually reset the ports and frequencies the phone reads and when it reads the T-Mobile sim card that it reads upon boot up.
Now, I'm running similar set up with Samsung Galaxy S4 & S5 (At&T variants), it seems like it works, have tried it on friend's S5 Active and it works perfectly.
The only problem is that you won't get to enjoy the freedom of wifi calling even though u have T-Mobile sim card and service, But at least u will be guaranteed to use T-Mobile 4G LTE speed and signals. Occassionally, T-Mobile will blackout or a region without T-Mobile and automatically the phone will roam with no charge and use AT&T signals for up to 15 minutes or depending to circumstances of the situation.
---------- Post added at 05:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:04 PM ----------
To get the At&T updates, I would advise you to go to Ebay and buy a prepaid At&t sim card for the phone and use it temporarily just to update it all the up to 5.1 Android OS and your phone will be running up to date. (cost anywhere from $3.99 to $15.99)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the AT&T updates by going into a Best Buy where they have a Samsung Experience center, took about 10 minutes but they updated my phone. I'll have to look into the VPN settings and see if there's anything I can do, but after purchasing the phone online I did have the folks at a T-Mobile store set the phone up for me so I would've figured they would have set it up proper.
Thinking of going to TMobile
ActiveS5 said:
I got the AT&T updates by going into a Best Buy where they have a Samsung Experience center, took about 10 minutes but they updated my phone. I'll have to look into the VPN settings and see if there's anything I can do, but after purchasing the phone online I did have the folks at a T-Mobile store set the phone up for me so I would've figured they would have set it up proper.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a S5 Active and I was considering making the jump to TMo, but I really would like the functionality of the wi-fi calling and text, since I work in a hospital and can get no reception or texts. Pardon me if this is a dumb question as I have no experience in jumping carriers with rooted phones, but would I get the features if I had the TMo sim, applied the TMo APN's, flashed a TMo stock or custom rom that has the features baked in? Would I just flash the 870a kernel to make it work? Anybody that has any ideas, I would love to hear them. Thanks
I'm on T-Mobile, would it be worth getting the S5 Active? I currently have the S4 Active.
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
gigadigit said:
Will rooting or unlocking this phone allow the use of the bands that were locked by Sprint?
Click to expand...
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 bought a Verizon SM-G950UZKAVZW direct from Samsung. I thought that I was buying a phone that I could take to any carrier. I'm hearing that might not be true. Does anyone have definitive, confirmed specs ie supported radio bands on all of the carrier variants as well as the upcoming intl version? Also I heard other reports that the hardware is identical and it's firmware that is limiting the phones. Not sure if that is true either. Samsung was absolutely not helpful.
Bottom line I need to know:
1 if I keep the SM-G950UZKAVZW, will I be able to use it with other carrier networks?
2 if I can use the SM-G950UZKAVZW with other carriers, what actions (if any) would I need to take to do that? (Other than swapping a sim card)
3 would the phone I currently possess be limited in any way if I were to use it with other carriers? (Limited is defined here as "performing differently in contrast to that carriers native S8 model variant") if so, specifically how would it be limited?
4 if I were to purchase an unlocked international model once it becomes available, would that phone be limited in any way when used on any US carrier? (Limited is again defined here as "performing differently in contrast to that carriers native S8 model variant") if so, specifically how?
If you aren't sure, please don't reply. There's plenty of people documenting their best guess already. I'm looking for the straight story.
Thanks for reading!
All of Verizon phones are Sim card unlocked and since there is really only 1 version of the S8/S8+ in the US (with different model #'s corresponding to the different carriers) using the phone on another carriers network is not going to be an issue. All you need to do is insert the sim card in.
http://www.gottabemobile.com/how-to-unlock-the-galaxy-s8/
As a quick note, if you have a Verizon Galaxy S8 congratulations. Your phone is already unlocked. Verizon Wireless no longer locks phones, regardless of what you might hear from friends or family. Simply drop a T-Mobile or AT&T SIM card in a Verizon model and it works. It may require manually configuring the APN settings though, so keep that in mind.
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The ONLY exception that might be would be Sprint since they are CDMA as well, but who really wants to go from Verizon to Sprint?????
All 4 Major US(and subsequent sub carriers) are receiving the same version of the phone(meaning same internals). From my understanding, inserting the carriers Sim card into the verizon phone just means you start going at that point and have access to all the carriers bands
If you got an international version, it most likely would be powered by an Exynos CPU vs the Snapdragon 835 so there would be some performance differences (typically Exynos models perform marginally better based on previous history)
If you're looking for a US unlocked model - wait until next month
http://www.theverge.com/circuitbrea...-unlocked-galaxy-s8-plus-pricing-release-date
I appreciate your clear response! Would it be accurate to say that I will have just as much freedom to hop from one carrier to another using the phone I have, as opposed to purchasing the upcoming US unlocked variant?
Also, I have heard the same thing about the hardware, that all of the carrier variants are the same physical model. But some folks, including the Samsung tech support rep I spoke to (unfortunately that probably doesn't mean a whole lot) seem to think that the carrier firmware is limiting the radio bands. Do you know this to be false?
I have the Verizon version and works fine on Tmo out of the box. Have to use Verizon update software through Windows though. OTA's will never come through.
I am using Verizon GS8 on att, it works but I only get HSPA mostly. No LTE, so band is definitely capped by firmware.
I didn't have any issue receiving ota with att sim in vzw gs8
I saw a review that said the s8 gets locked to the first carrier sim it accepts. Can someone confirm swapping sims of different carriers works?
Whanksta said:
I am using Verizon GS8 on att, it works but I only get HSPA mostly. No LTE, so band is definitely capped by firmware.
I didn't have any issue receiving ota with att sim in vzw gs8
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Have you tried going into the network band menu and locking it to one of the AT&T LTE bands?
This still works on the S8 (found this on the S7 and used it to lock my S7 to band 4 for Tmobile)
https://forum.xda-developers.com/tm...ng-network-t3331555/post65722081#post65722081
ElBeaner said:
Have you tried going into the network band menu and locking it to one of the AT&T LTE bands?
This still works on the S8 (found this on the S7 and used it to lock my S7 to band 4 for Tmobile)
https://forum.xda-developers.com/tm...ng-network-t3331555/post65722081#post65722081
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I am unable to access the service menu via the S7 method
Whanksta said:
I am unable to access the service menu via the S7 method
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Ok forgot you were Verizon - you have to edit a setting because they block you from that access
Try this if you're daring enough
https://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-s6/general/enabling-using-servicemode-t3109579
EDIT Damn, looks like you have to be rooted first
---------- Post added at 12:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:18 AM ----------
Whanksta said:
I am unable to access the service menu via the S7 method
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You'll need to wait unti the official AT&T rom is available from Smasung and then you should be able to flash it via ODIN onto the phone and get all the AT&T carrier bands
mredamon said:
I bought a Verizon SM-G950UZKAVZW direct from Samsung. I thought that I was buying a phone that I could take to any carrier. I'm hearing that might not be true. Does anyone have definitive, confirmed specs ie supported radio bands on all of the carrier variants as well as the upcoming intl version? Also I heard other reports that the hardware is identical and it's firmware that is limiting the phones. Not sure if that is true either. Samsung was absolutely not helpful.
Bottom line I need to know:
4 if I were to purchase an unlocked international model once it becomes available, would that phone be limited in any way when used on any US carrier? (Limited is again defined here as "performing differently in contrast to that carriers native S8 model variant") if so, specifically how?
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Once it becomes available? You can buy Exynos right now from other countries. Clove in UK will region unlock the phone before shipping to you in the U.S. What needs to become available?
Don't confuse the "unlocked" S8 Samsung will sell here in the U.S. in a month or so with the Exynos international variant. The "unlocked" S8 coming to the U.S. is still the bootloader locked Snapdragon version, just without carrier branding. It will be carrier unlocked but not bootloader unlocked. If you care about rooting, TWRP, ROMs, etc Exynos is what you want.
would that (Exynos international variant) phone be limited in any way when used on any US carrier?
(Limited is again defined here as "performing differently in contrast to that carriers native S8 model variant") if so, specifically how?
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NO, except if you are on CDMA-handicapped Sprint or Verizon. If you use Sprint or Verizon be aware Exynos doesn't have 3G CDMA bands to fall back on if you can't get LTE. For AT&T or T-Mobile, YES it has all the LTE/HSPA/GSM bands.
The "international" Exynos variant can be bootloader unlocked, rooted, etc. so tons of advantages. While it has Verizon LTE bands, there's no CDMA. This means you really need Verizon VoLTE to work and I don't have the answer to that. And if you can't get LTE signal on mobile network, you won't have any signal due to no CDMA fallback. Again, only an issue because of CDMA if you stay on Verizon instead of using AT&T or T-mobile (or their network affiliates). You seem like you want to switch to another carrier? So, go ahead and do so!
EXYNOS VARIANTS LTE BANDS:
LTE Bands: FDD: B1(2100), B2(1900), B3(1800), B4(AWS), B5(850), B7(2600), B8(900), B12(700), B13(700), B17(700), B18(800), B19(800), B20(800), B25(1900), B26(800), B28(700), B32(1500), B66(AWS- 3) | TDD: B38(2600), B39(1900), B40(2300), B41(2500)
GSM/GPRS
850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
3G/HSPA
850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz
ChazzMatt said:
Once it becomes available? You can buy Exynos right now from other countries. Clove in UK will region unlock the phone before shipping to you in the U.S. What needs to become available?
Don't confuse the "unlocked" S8 Samsung will sell here in the U.S. in a month or so with the Exynos international variant. The "unlocked" S8 coming to the U.S. is still the bootloader locked Snapdragon version, just without carrier branding. It will be carrier unlocked but not bootloader unlocked. If you care about rooting, TWRP, ROMs, etc Exynos is what you want. /QUOTE]
Yeah I screwed up. I did confuse them.
I'm not interested in all that rooting stuff I just want a phone that pretty much works anywhere I want to take it and if it's slower on one network than another I wanna know what I'm getting myself into.
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Whanksta said:
I am using Verizon GS8 on att, it works but I only get HSPA mostly. No LTE, so band is definitely capped by firmware.
I didn't have any issue receiving ota with att sim in vzw gs8
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Hey guys
I'm from Brazil and I wanna buy the Verizon's S8 but I'm afraid about the 4G.
I saw that this model has the Brazil LTE frequencies, but I read here that Verizon capped the band from the firmware.
Somebody knows if I could flash via ODIN the unlocked rom that will come with the unlocked version in USA and so get the LTE free to use in any place?
I don't want to assume the risk to have a top mobile phone but don't be able to use 4G.
Thank you very much guys
Hey mredamon. Did you ever get a clear response here or somewhere else about this?