Database Users

Where to pre-order 820?

I want to pre-order the new S7 Edge but im from europe and I want the SD820 chip. Mostly because of it's easier to mod so developers will give more love to that.
Does anyone know where I can do this?

Makes no sense at all. If a phone ever cried out for non-stock to be avoided, it's this. You will lose all Samsung features like Edge and the camera features and quality will be s**t in comparison. If you're bothered about running AOSP or CM this isn't the phone for you regardless of what chip set it has in it.

Beefheart said:
Makes no sense at all. If a phone ever cried out for non-stock to be avoided, it's this. You will lose all Samsung features like Edge and the camera features and quality will be s**t in comparison. If you're bothered about running AOSP or CM this isn't the phone for you regardless of what chip set it has in it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not completely true. To be fair he just said modding. Not flashing Stock (AOSP) ROMs, Kernels, etc...
An "clean" TW ROM is always welcomed and usually the best of both worlds.

Except clean stock doesn't require an open source chip set. It's just as easy to debloat stock on Exynos as it is on Snapdragon.

Beefheart said:
Except clean stock doesn't require an open source chip set. It's just as easy to debloat stock on Exynos as it is on Snapdragon.
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Click to collapse
Eh... Got me there.

Beefheart said:
Makes no sense at all. If a phone ever cried out for non-stock to be avoided, it's this. You will lose all Samsung features like Edge and the camera features and quality will be s**t in comparison. If you're bothered about running AOSP or CM this isn't the phone for you regardless of what chip set it has in it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you - for me I wouldn't spend a ton of money on a phone only to lose many of the special features - but at the end of the day, it's his call what he does with his phone - and if he prefers running a clean AOSP rom or even just modded touch wiz, it;s his call - regardless - it probably won't be easy for him to find an unlocked snapdragon model - at least not early on - maybe after it's been out for a while...

I believe the Verizon version would be the best one to get to support most of the spectrum around the world, but Verizon will lock that bootloader. I bought the T-Mobile version outright and will probably get mine unlocked a couple days after I get it(paid outright and meet requirements)
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

If anyone has an answer to the OP's question I am curious also

After the 810 I dont want a snapdragon ever again. Glad my country is getting the 8890.

At echoe they already said they will develop for thz exynos variant cuz most part of their theam is from europe so thats asewome! [emoji3]
Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-N920C met Tapatalk

@Beefheart Just to clarify:
With regards to the S7 Edge, its best to leave it untouched with regards to custom roms & kernels otherwise "Edge" features will be lost ?

SlyUK said:
@Beefheart Just to clarify:
With regards to the S7 Edge, its best to leave it untouched with regards to custom roms & kernels otherwise "Edge" features will be lost ?
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Click to collapse
Yes. The edge features, as far as I'm aware, require Samsung libraries, which are closed source and can't be used outside of stock Touchwiz roms. It's for the same reason S-Pen features in non-stock roms on the Note series of devices can't be used and require third party software (SPenCommand for example).

Beefheart said:
Yes. The edge features, as far as I'm aware, require Samsung libraries, which are closed source and can't be used outside of stock Touchwiz roms. It's for the same reason S-Pen features in non-stock roms on the Note series of devices can't be used and require third party software (SPenCommand for example).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would that be the case also with a custom rom that was based on the Stock rom but was "debloated" ?

mocsab said:
I agree with you - for me I wouldn't spend a ton of money on a phone only to lose many of the special features - but at the end of the day, it's his call what he does with his phone - and if he prefers running a clean AOSP rom or even just modded touch wiz, it;s his call - regardless - it probably won't be easy for him to find an unlocked snapdragon model - at least not early on - maybe after it's been out for a while...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course it's his money and his choice, he can buy an S7 Edge and use it as a paperweight if he wishes to. But this is a forum for discussion, and I'm simply pointing out that, in my opinion with 6 years experience of using and modifying Android devices, it wouldn't make any sense to buy an S7 Edge if he wants to use non-stock roms. It defeats the object of paying the premium on a device like this in the first place.
---------- Post added at 12:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:42 PM ----------
SlyUK said:
Would that be the case also with a custom rom that was based on the Stock rom but was "debloated" ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to clarify, for me a "custom rom" means non-stock. Perhaps not entirely accurate but that is how I've always viewed the phrase. But to answer your question, no. That would be a debloated and minimised stock rom, and any desired features of Samsung vanilla stock could be included as the required libraries are still intact.

Beefheart said:
Of course it's his money and his choice, he can buy an S7 Edge and use it as a paperweight if he wishes to. But this is a forum for discussion, and I'm simply pointing out that, in my opinion with 6 years experience of using and modifying Android devices, it wouldn't make any sense to buy an S7 Edge if he wants to use non-stock roms. It defeats the object of paying the premium on a device like this in the first place.
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Click to collapse
Of course you are right, but he is not alone - there are lots of people who do what he plans to do no matter what we think ..and despite the many advantages and tools that are built into one of these phones, a high end phone with the kind of quality that is built into an S7 or Note 5 or whatever - is still an amazing phone when it uses a different system - AOSP or whatever - so I don't fault yuo for making your point - but it is likely that in his and many other cases it falls on deaf ears

Beefheart said:
Of course it's his money and his choice, he can buy an S7 Edge and use it as a paperweight if he wishes to. But this is a forum for discussion, and I'm simply pointing out that, in my opinion with 6 years experience of using and modifying Android devices, it wouldn't make any sense to buy an S7 Edge if he wants to use non-stock roms. It defeats the object of paying the premium on a device like this in the first place.
---------- Post added at 12:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:42 PM ----------
Just to clarify, for me a "custom rom" means non-stock. Perhaps not entirely accurate but that is how I've always viewed the phrase. But to answer your question, no. That would be a debloated and minimised stock rom, and any desired features of Samsung vanilla stock could be included as the required libraries are still intact.
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Click to collapse
I wasn't quite sure of the terminology to use for a slimmed down, debloated rom based on the official stock rom, so used the word custom to be on the safe side. Thanks for answering that, gives reassurance.

SlyUK said:
I wasn't quite sure of the terminology to use for a slimmed down, debloated rom based on the official stock rom, so used the word custom to be on the safe side. Thanks for answering that, gives reassurance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's worth noting that, to install such a rom, the knox flag would have to be tripped. On Samsung Marshmallow, the only way to avoid tripping knox when installing a new build is to use Odin, which can only be used to install vanilla stock. And to use tools like FlashFire to install a build, you need to be rooted, a process which in itself trips the knox flag so you may as well install TWRP or CWM and install via a zip in recovery.

im also one of a guy waiting for S7edge with S820 from outside of US so i felt the pain and confusion of the way Sammy doing. As one of a guy responded in Reddit chat is to start ordering UNLOCKED SIM Samsung S7 from ebay would be the easiest and fastest option...
Below is the one that I am watching closely. As it said Pre-order, I am a bit afraid of the RISK of ordering a phone that cost >1000$ without seeing actual unlocked & S820 phone as they mention.
[EDIT: can't put links due to lower posts count] googled this eBay item number:281944393668
Here is some other options
to Confirm: you might have to wait for unlocked version from Samsung to released in US since all the US carriers will delay the unlocked version so that mostly can able to attract customer by offering them insensitive to stay in their network.
to Confirm: As far as I knew, US is the ONLY country which S7 variant will come with S820. The rest will ONLY get Exynos version in it with Dual SIMs supported.
to Confirm: As far as I found online is that there is no unique model number which will be the UNLOCKED version of S7 is surfaced in Internet. All the model numbers of US variant are for tied with each US Carriers. So it is possible that US will never get unlocked version of S7 with S820.
to Confirm: some people said they can ask their US carrier to unlock their locked S7 after a period of time using.

ted_O_o said:
im also one of a guy waiting for S7edge with S820 from outside of US so i felt the pain and confusion of the way Sammy doing. As one of a guy responded in Reddit chat is to start ordering UNLOCKED SIM Samsung S7 from ebay would be the easiest and fastest option...
Below is the one that I am watching closely. As it said Pre-order, I am a bit afraid of the RISK of ordering a phone that cost >1000$ without seeing actual unlocked & S820 phone as they mention.
[EDIT: can't put links due to lower posts count] googled this eBay item number:281944393668
Here is some other options
to Confirm: you might have to wait for unlocked version from Samsung to released in US since all the US carriers will delay the unlocked version so that mostly can able to attract customer by offering them insensitive to stay in their network.
to Confirm: As far as I knew, US is the ONLY country which S7 variant will come with S820. The rest will ONLY get Exynos version in it with Dual SIMs supported.
to Confirm: As far as I found online is that there is no unique model number which will be the UNLOCKED version of S7 is surfaced in Internet. All the model numbers of US variant are for tied with each US Carriers. So it is possible that US will never get unlocked version of S7 with S820.
to Confirm: some people said they can ask their US carrier to unlock their locked S7 after a period of time using.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are referring to this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-UNLOCKE...393668?hash=item41a53207c4:g:NhIAAOSwFNZWzWSU

No was not really thinking about a new rom if disabling touchwiz is possible. I had my mind more into rooting and xposed.

All things root and Bootloader?

Hi Friends,
Hope you're all having a great new year. So last time I was lurking the S7E forums, we had a leaked Engineering Bootloader that was used to acquire root on all US Snapdragon models, albeit, with a lot performance issues and etc.
I came here to glance as well as all other variant forums for the SD model and now we have Root for every model, with even ROMs being baked like the Echo ROM for Verizon, Sprint, AT&T models, usually the toughest to achieve these things on. I'm trying to read through the forums, but I fear I'm missing the details, that will help me pull the trigger for getting the device or not.
Can one of you very experienced, knowledgeable, and kind members educate me on the latest?
1. Do we have unlocked Bootloader and Root for all US carrier S7Es? How is it done? I use people using Flashfire. So no TWRP?
2. Does this process still trip Knox and render Samsung Pay to never be used again on the device?
3. If I bought the Verizon variant, for example, can I root, unlock Bootloader, and etc, and then return to stock, to return to the store in case I don't like the phone?
4. Xposed Framework working for all models?
Much appreciate your responses, any and all of them in advance! Thanks!

ProFragger said:
Hi Friends,
Hope you're all having a great new year. So last time I was lurking the S7E forums, we had a leaked Engineering Bootloader that was used to acquire root on all US Snapdragon models, albeit, with a lot performance issues and etc.
I came here to glance as well as all other variant forums for the SD model and now we have Root for every model, with even ROMs being baked like the Echo ROM for Verizon, Sprint, AT&T models, usually the toughest to achieve these things on. I'm trying to read through the forums, but I fear I'm missing the details, that will help me pull the trigger for getting the device or not.
Can one of you very experienced, knowledgeable, and kind members educate me on the latest?
1. Do we have unlocked Bootloader and Root for all US carrier S7Es? How is it done? I use people using Flashfire. So no TWRP?
2. Does this process still trip Knox and render Samsung Pay to never be used again on the device?
3. If I bought the Verizon variant, for example, can I root, unlock Bootloader, and etc, and then return to stock, to return to the store in case I don't like the phone?
4. Xposed Framework working for all models?
Much appreciate your responses, any and all of them in advance! Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely nothing has changed on root (only possible due to ENG kernel) and bootloader unlock (which is not yet possible).
1. No
2. No
3. No
4. No idea about all models. For the t-mobile one, please check: https://forum.xda-developers.com/tmobile-s7-edge/how-to/guide-installing-xposed-framework-t3414718
You can use the search feature in xda for finding out

CravingMender9 said:
Absolutely nothing has changed on root (only possible due to ENG kernel) and bootloader unlock (which is not yet possible).
1. No
2. No
3. No
4. No idea about all models. For the t-mobile one, please check: https://forum.xda-developers.com/tmobile-s7-edge/how-to/guide-installing-xposed-framework-t3414718
You can use the search feature in xda for finding out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey bud, thanks for getting the ball rolling on these questions. If you could add some more information, I'd appreciate it :
If we still don't have a way to Root or Unlock bootloader, how are these ROMs (Echo, Tek, and other stock ROMs) available with root? And how are these flashed? Are we somehow bypassing the BL by using FlashFire?
Can you also educate me on the U Firmware and why people install it and is it reverseable?
Lastly, if I got a T-Mobile variant for example, installed these ROMs Tek, Echo, etc, can I return to Stock completely and return to T-Mobile, by any chance for them to take it back? Thank you again!

for the t mobile variant, I was able to flash the U firmware and flash back to stock t mobile. NOTE: I did not flash the U bootloader. I kept the T mobile bootloader just be sure I could flash back to stock t mobile(APK1). I'm sure this method would work with other carriers as well. so what ever variant you have, make sure you stay on that BL and only flash the U firmware CSC and AP. As for the CP(modem) I would flash your carriers latest CP file. That's what worked best for me with the U firmware. Currently I'm using the latest nougat BETA

Thank you very much for your response, bud. One last follow up question: Since all the US variants are rooting based on the ENG Kernel, is there really a benefit of getting one variant over another, for rooting or etc purposes?
P. S. May I ask why you flashed the U Firmware? What are the advantages of it? ?

ProFragger said:
Thank you very much for your response, bud. One last follow up question: Since all the US variants are rooting based on the ENG Kernel, is there really a benefit of getting one variant over another, for rooting or etc purposes?
P. S. May I ask why you flashed the U Firmware? What are the advantages of it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The u firmware basically does not include all of the software that is usually included with the phone. For example.. Tmobile with their software on it, Verizon att etc... Makes the phone a bit snappier especially if you were to root. Even tho I hope for a more stable root still. I am rooted at the moment. Wish they didn't recall the note 7 because the root on that was better

ProFragger said:
Hi Friends,
Hope you're all having a great new year. So last time I was lurking the S7E forums, we had a leaked Engineering Bootloader that was used to acquire root on all US Snapdragon models, albeit, with a lot performance issues and etc.
I came here to glance as well as all other variant forums for the SD model and now we have Root for every model, with even ROMs being baked like the Echo ROM for Verizon, Sprint, AT&T models, usually the toughest to achieve these things on. I'm trying to read through the forums, but I fear I'm missing the details, that will help me pull the trigger for getting the device or not.
Can one of you very experienced, knowledgeable, and kind members educate me on the latest?
1. Do we have unlocked Bootloader and Root for all US carrier S7Es? How is it done? I use people using Flashfire. So no TWRP?
2. Does this process still trip Knox and render Samsung Pay to never be used again on the device?
3. If I bought the Verizon variant, for example, can I root, unlock Bootloader, and etc, and then return to stock, to return to the store in case I don't like the phone?
4. Xposed Framework working for all models?
Much appreciate your responses, any and all of them in advance! Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're confused. At least, you were.
We do not have an "unlocked Bootloader" and we never did. We had an engineering kernel. That engineering kernel allows certain commands that enabled us to acquire root access. But without that kernel, the system (with the original kernel or boot partition) checks for any changes in the /system partition. If any are found it triggers a bootloop. So basically, if you want root we MUST have the engineering kernel. Unless someone else finds another way that's just the way that it is.
Personally, I unrooted and went back to stock. Root was okay at first but with the lack of development, Samsung Pay and the fact that Android 7+ will probably not be seeing root... well... time to accept the fact that Samsung owns the phone even though we bought it. What else can we do?

nitroevo said:
The u firmware basically does not include all of the software that is usually included with the phone. For example.. Tmobile with their software on it, Verizon att etc... Makes the phone a bit snappier especially if you were to root. Even tho I hope for a more stable root still. I am rooted at the moment. Wish they didn't recall the note 7 because the root on that was better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Binary100100 said:
You're confused. At least, you were.
We do not have an "unlocked Bootloader" and we never did. We had an engineering kernel. That engineering kernel allows certain commands that enabled us to acquire root access. But without that kernel, the system (with the original kernel or boot partition) checks for any changes in the /system partition. If any are found it triggers a bootloop. So basically, if you want root we MUST have the engineering kernel. Unless someone else finds another way that's just the way that it is.
Personally, I unrooted and went back to stock. Root was okay at first but with the lack of development, Samsung Pay and the fact that Android 7+ will probably not be seeing root... well... time to accept the fact that Samsung owns the phone even though we bought it. What else can we do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your helpful responses fellas. I understand root is not perfect, but for some folks like me, Xposed seems to be worth the trouble. For Samsung Pay, I intend to use the Gear S3 one day ?.
Final question, since all US Snapdragon models are using the engineering kernel to root and etc... Is there a benefit of getting one carrier variant, over another? For example, Verizon is usually the cheapest. Is it wise to get that, with the U Firmware, to use on AT&T? Thanks!

ProFragger said:
For Samsung Pay, I intend to use the Gear S3 one day .
Final question, since all US Snapdragon models are using the engineering kernel to root and etc... Is there a benefit of getting one carrier variant, over another? For example, Verizon is usually the cheapest. Is it wise to get that, with the U Firmware, to use on AT&T? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me know if that works out for you then.
I just purchased the S2 Classic (on T-Mobile) and use Samsung Pay quite a bit. But I can tell you that it does open Samsung Pay on the phone and if you are rooted, Samsung Pay will not work at all. So I'm not sure if it will work at all for you even with the S3.
In regards to your other inquiry, I haven't tried the U firmware. I read something about data issues, no wifi calling (which is pretty important to me), no hotspot (which is also really important to me) but I heard that it is really fast. Not sure how much of that is still a problem but you should probably read up on it before doing anything first. But the rooting method is all the same between carriers I believe. All require the engineering kernel and breaks Samsung Pay along with a couple of other apps.
Just make back ups, have a stock firmware available to flash with ODIN just in case and remember that it's almost impossible to brick this device (because we don't have an unlocked bootloader.)

Binary100100 said:
Let me know if that works out for you then.
I just purchased the S2 Classic (on T-Mobile) and use Samsung Pay quite a bit. But I can tell you that it does open Samsung Pay on the phone and if you are rooted, Samsung Pay will not work at all. So I'm not sure if it will work at all for you even with the S3.
In regards to your other inquiry, I haven't tried the U firmware. I read something about data issues, no wifi calling (which is pretty important to me), no hotspot (which is also really important to me) but I heard that it is really fast. Not sure how much of that is still a problem but you should probably read up on it before doing anything first. But the rooting method is all the same between carriers I believe. All require the engineering kernel and breaks Samsung Pay along with a couple of other apps.
Just make back ups, have a stock firmware available to flash with ODIN just in case and remember that it's almost impossible to brick this device (because we don't have an unlocked bootloader.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you again for a helpful post. So the S3 has a dedicated MST/NFC chip in it, that allows for Samsung Pay to work from the watch, it's done through the Gear app. That's what I have read.
About the rest of it, again, curious to see if there is one US variant, superior to another in terms of Root capabilities or bands and radios available and etc? Can anyone confirm this for me?
Thanks!

ProFragger said:
Thank you again for a helpful post. So the S3 has a dedicated MST/NFC chip in it, that allows for Samsung Pay to work from the watch, it's done through the Gear app. That's what I have read.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So does the S2.
When I was setting up the Samsung Pay on my watch it said that it had to download an update.
Then I went through the setup process through my phone which was from the Samsung Pay app.
You go to "Add card" on your watch and it opens Samsung Pay on your phone.
You click "Next" and it displays your Samsung account information.
Then it takes you to a screen that says "Setup complete" telling you that you're ready to use it and at the bottom says "Add card"
You do that all from the Samsung Pay app on your phone which leads me to suspect that if you root your phone, you won't be able to use Samsung Pay on your watch.
People on this thread that you have to set it all up first, remove the Samsung Pay app on the phone but leave it on the watch. If it's all done correctly then it should work. Just make sure you get it all set up first.
Next thing that I'm going to try is using my watch in "Standalone" with my phone out of bluetooth or wifi range. See if that still works.
ProFragger said:
About the rest of it, again, curious to see if there is one US variant, superior to another in terms of Root capabilities or bands and radios available and etc? Can anyone confirm this for me?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I know, the U firmware permits use of some other bands that aren't normally used. Not sure which ones though.

Binary100100 said:
So does the S2.
When I was setting up the Samsung Pay on my watch it said that it had to download an update.
Then I went through the setup process through my phone which was from the Samsung Pay app.
You go to "Add card" on your watch and it opens Samsung Pay on your phone.
You click "Next" and it displays your Samsung account information.
Then it takes you to a screen that says "Setup complete" telling you that you're ready to use it and at the bottom says "Add card"
You do that all from the Samsung Pay app on your phone which leads me to suspect that if you root your phone, you won't be able to use Samsung Pay on your watch.
People on this thread that you have to set it all up first, remove the Samsung Pay app on the phone but leave it on the watch. If it's all done correctly then it should work. Just make sure you get it all set up first.
Next thing that I'm going to try is using my watch in "Standalone" with my phone out of bluetooth or wifi range. See if that still works.
As far as I know, the U firmware permits use of some other bands that aren't normally used. Not sure which ones though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the correction/education on the S2, bud, much appreciated. I wonder if the rooted phone works with the S3, because Samsung has allowed many other non Samsung phones to know work with the S3? But I could be wrong, I thought it was open like that with the S2 as well, no? Looking forward to your testing, hope there is a breakthrough in there! ?

if you want root and customizability and roms, just don't get this phone. you will be very disappointed with the performance once you root and it gets so much worse with Xposed. not worth it at all, you will have better performance and speed from a 4 year old phone that has an unlocked bootloader and strong development. I mean my Nexus 5 (from 2012) had better performance than my rooted S7. it sounds like you do want roms, and if you want roms then AOSP/Cyanogenmod is the way to go. there will probably never be any AOSP or CM ROM on the QC S7/E so you're better off getting an older galaxy model that does have a great development community and unlocked bootloader. or just get a OnePlus or Nexus or something.

xVermicide said:
if you want root and customizability and roms, just don't get this phone. you will be very disappointed with the performance once you root and it gets so much worse with Xposed. not worth it at all, you will have better performance and speed from a 4 year old phone that has an unlocked bootloader and strong development. I mean my Nexus 5 (from 2012) had better performance than my rooted S7. it sounds like you do want roms, and if you want roms then AOSP/Cyanogenmod is the way to go. there will probably never be any AOSP or CM ROM on the QC S7/E so you're better off getting an older galaxy model that does have a great development community and unlocked bootloader. or just get a OnePlus or Nexus or something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or a Exynos S7.

Binary100100 said:
Or a Exynos S7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly this. except for some reason I thought exynos variants are lacking certain bands/features on American networks. could be wrong.

xVermicide said:
if you want root and customizability and roms, just don't get this phone. you will be very disappointed with the performance once you root and it gets so much worse with Xposed. not worth it at all, you will have better performance and speed from a 4 year old phone that has an unlocked bootloader and strong development. I mean my Nexus 5 (from 2012) had better performance than my rooted S7. it sounds like you do want roms, and if you want roms then AOSP/Cyanogenmod is the way to go. there will probably never be any AOSP or CM ROM on the QC S7/E so you're better off getting an older galaxy model that does have a great development community and unlocked bootloader. or just get a OnePlus or Nexus or something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Binary100100 said:
Or a Exynos S7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
xVermicide said:
exactly this. except for some reason I thought exynos variants are lacking certain bands/features on American networks. could be wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very helpful inputs guys, thank you! If I were to be honest with myself, I don't want AOSP/CM/Lineage, especially on a Samsung phone, so unlocked bootloader is not a deal breaker for me. However, I think root is cool for me for doing some SystemUI tweaks, Xposed and etc. Exynos was an option I was exploring, but lack of warranty, no Samsung Pay, and the price are enough to keep me at bay. I think I just need to put my big boy pants on and try to use a phone without rooting it. Something I have yet to do in EVER using an Android phone since about 10 years ago, and I have never ever used or bought an iCrap... I mean... an iPhone !

ProFragger said:
Very helpful inputs guys, thank you! If I were to be honest with myself, I don't want AOSP/CM/Lineage, especially on a Samsung phone, so unlocked bootloader is not a deal breaker for me. However, I think root is cool for me for doing some SystemUI tweaks, Xposed and etc. Exynos was an option I was exploring, but lack of warranty, no Samsung Pay, and the price are enough to keep me at bay. I think I just need to put my big boy pants on and try to use a phone without rooting it. Something I have yet to do in EVER using an Android phone since about 10 years ago, and I have never ever used or bought an iCrap... I mean... an iPhone !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get a One+ 3T good development and really nice phone if you want root. Root is dead on Samsung phones and so are ROMs.

So by reading thru this thread, I assume having a T-mobile S7E (G935T) rooting is pointless and really not available the way I'm used to it coming from a Note 4. That's kind of a bummer... I've been using Android and have always had ROOT and all the goodies that come with it. And I recently starting really enjoying my Note 4 with all the cool development in Note 7 ported roms oh well... I wonder if the S7E is enough of an upgrade to keep my interest as stock?
I see there is a G935U firmware, but that seems a bit hit and miss? But I'm just starting to read up on all this... :good:

ShrekOpher said:
Get a One+ 3T good development and really nice phone if you want root. Root is dead on Samsung phones and so are ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Believe me bud, if Oneplus 5 or even 3T had an SD Card, I'd already have that phone, but thanks for your wisdom !
Araltd said:
So by reading thru this thread, I assume having a T-mobile S7E (G935T) rooting is pointless and really not available the way I'm used to it coming from a Note 4. That's kind of a bummer... I've been using Android and have always had ROOT and all the goodies that come with it. And I recently starting really enjoying my Note 4 with all the cool development in Note 7 ported roms oh well... I wonder if the S7E is enough of an upgrade to keep my interest as stock?
I see there is a G935U firmware, but that seems a bit hit and miss? But I'm just starting to read up on all this... :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You and I both man... The last few years, I have lived off the mercy of T-Mobile and their BLs being unlocked. But Samsung sure done them all in ! Even the International unlocked ones disable Samsung Pay (forever, mind you!) if Knox is tripped, which I believe it is, when rooted and TWRP'd.

As I understand it,
Android pay / Samsung pay is why they frown on rooting now. I can understand it, though I don't agree with it.
The first time someone's financial information is compromised, and they've ever used one of the "pay" methods, on a rooted device the pr nightmare that would ensue would make the note 7 fiasco look like child's play.
"Samsung unsecured device compromises persons credit card information today, while Apple is still secure" I can see the headline.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7E

Which model is recommended for custom roms?

I'm in love with the hardware of the galaxy s8 so I decided I want to buy it (Although I hate Samsung Touchwiz)...
but I'm torn of which variant should I buy - the unlocked US version (with Snapdragon 835) or the international version (with Exynos 8895).
honestly I prefer the snapdragon chip for the popularity of snapdragon but I heard the unlocked US version rarely gets updates .
Another major consideration is that because I hate Samsung Touchwiz I hope (someday) a custom AOSP rom will be released for the phone (like Lineage OS), so I want a model that will get custom rom support fast...
so my question is-
Based on the above, Which model should I buy?
Furthermore, Which model probably will get root and support for custom roms first?
Thanks in advance

You will never see a working aosp rom on a samsung phone..if you hate tw.. I suggest you to run away from this phone and never look back

Well looking at S7 Edge, for some reason Snapdragon, which is usually considered as more opensourced etc than exynos, didn't receive any custom ROMS, especially AOSP. Surprisingly, Exynos did - both Lineage and ResurrectionRemix are available, however, it took time to release them, I guess it will also take some time for S8 to receive it's 'clean' Android ROMs. Not sure whether Snapdragon variant has locked bootloader, but if it is, then it may be a hard nut to crack

h4ck3r69 said:
You will never see a working aosp rom on a samsung phone..if you hate tw.. I suggest you to run away from this phone and never look back
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the Galaxy S7 got Lineage OS (after a lot of time but still)

Monnq said:
Well looking at S7 Edge, for some reason Snapdragon, which is usually considered as more opensourced etc than exynos, didn't receive any custom ROMS, especially AOSP. Surprisingly, Exynos did - both Lineage and ResurrectionRemix are available, however, it took time to release them, I guess it will also take some time for S8 to receive it's 'clean' Android ROMs. Not sure whether Snapdragon variant has locked bootloader, but if it is, then it may be a hard nut to crack
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So which model do you recommend? the international one?

CT2Moun10 said:
So which model do you recommend? the international one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you really want custom roms then maybe you shouldn't go for samsung. First is development on exynos is a pain in the a*s for devs, second as mentioned it takes some time to develop a decent AOSP rom. But if you really want a samsung device then yeah, go for Exynos international, Qualcomm is locked and hard to tinker with.

Some questions about S8s, custom ROMs etc (thinking about moving from OP3T)

Hi,
I hope one of you kind people could help point me in the right direction for some advice on custom ROMs for (UK version of) the Galaxy S8, how they affect performance etc, and where I might start learning more...?
Current situation
I've had a OP3T since launch and have come to the conclusion that even though it's a great phone (IMO) it's just too big/heavy and I want something smaller.
Ideal solution
Buy a second-hand/cheap S8, wipe it, install a custom ROM that's as close to "stock" Android as possible (I'm really nit a fan of Samsung's software and I'll likely have better support/updates etc from a community supported ROM than Samsung themselves)
Questions/concerns
I'm quite confused by the potential differences between the UK model (Exynos) and the Snapdragon model and how that might affect my plans etc?
What would be a good ROM that would deliver a stock Android experience whilst also being as bug free as possible, still retain things like great camera performance, good battery/performance balance, all "main" functions supported (fingerprint, GPS, BT etc)?
Finally, what are your thoughts on my idea? Is it "wrong"? Should I be looking elsewhere? What am I not aware of etc?
Thanks in advance if you take the time to help - it'll be very much appreciated...

PugRallye said:
Hi,
I hope one of you kind people could help point me in the right direction for some advice on custom ROMs for (UK version of) the Galaxy S8, how they affect performance etc, and where I might start learning more...?
Current situation
I've had a OP3T since launch and have come to the conclusion that even though it's a great phone (IMO) it's just too big/heavy and I want something smaller.
Ideal solution
Buy a second-hand/cheap S8, wipe it, install a custom ROM that's as close to "stock" Android as possible (I'm really nit a fan of Samsung's software and I'll likely have better support/updates etc from a community supported ROM than Samsung themselves)
Questions/concerns
I'm quite confused by the potential differences between the UK model (Exynos) and the Snapdragon model and how that might affect my plans etc?
What would be a good ROM that would deliver a stock Android experience whilst also being as bug free as possible, still retain things like great camera performance, good battery/performance balance, all "main" functions supported (fingerprint, GPS, BT etc)?
Finally, what are your thoughts on my idea? Is it "wrong"? Should I be looking elsewhere? What am I not aware of etc?
Thanks in advance if you take the time to help - it'll be very much appreciated...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The main differences between the snapdragon (north america/america/china) and exynos(international) is that the snapdragon version has a locked bootloader (China has unlockable bootloader), so no magisk root, no proper custom roms and no custom kernels, in terms of performance the exynos is better in all aspects bar 1, the adreno gpuin snapdragon is a little better.
If you are looking for a clean android/lineageos based Rom il be honest with you, you maybe waiting a long time, currently only lineageos os Rom is in alpha, so a lot of stuff not working, but there are people working on it.
Most time are stock Samsung firmware based but optimised, you will find debloated version and there is a version where pretty much all Samsung apps are removed.
Also if you rely on Samsung pay once you root and install twrp and so on you will permanent trip Knox counter and it will void Samsung pay, you will however be able to use android pay

sofir786 said:
The main differences between the snapdragon (north america/america/china) and exynos(international) is that the snapdragon version has a locked bootloader (China has unlockable bootloader), so no magisk root, no proper custom roms and no custom kernels, in terms of performance the exynos is better in all aspects bar 1, the adreno gpuin snapdragon is a little better.
If you are looking for a clean android/lineageos based Rom il be honest with you, you maybe waiting a long time, currently only lineageos os Rom is in alpha, so a lot of stuff not working, but there are people working on it.
Most time are stock Samsung firmware based but optimised, you will find debloated version and there is a version where pretty much all Samsung apps are removed.
Also if you rely on Samsung pay once you root and install twrp and so on you will permanent trip Knox counter and it will void Samsung pay, you will however be able to use android pay
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the information...
I guess I could live with a debloated version of the Samsung ROM - I can get a lot of the stock Android "fee" from using a 3rd party launcher etc.
Ideally though I'd like to replace all the default apps with Google variants - clock, contacts etc, and remove the Samsung variants - is that something that's possibly in these debloated versions you mention?
I'm not interested in Samsung pay though - but out of interest, is this totally non-reversible? i.e. if I was to restore to a stock ROM, re-lock the bootloader etc, Samsung pay would still not work?

If you don't want the Samsung experience, skip the s8.
Yes launchers and whatnot, in the end the software is Samsung with no alternative ROM wise.
There are equally good and cheaper phones with better ROM support. The S8 is only an option if you want the best screen and camera or/and really love their approach to software.
I did come from the 3t too and in hindsight would take the 3t over the s8 any day.

domsch1988 said:
If you don't want the Samsung experience, skip the s8.
Yes launchers and whatnot, in the end the software is Samsung with no alternative ROM wise.
There are equally good and cheaper phones with better ROM support. The S8 is only an option if you want the best screen and camera or/and really love their approach to software.
I did come from the 3t too and in hindsight would take the 3t over the s8 any day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's really interesting...
I'm just fed up with the size and weight of the 3T - and there are no other phones that really appeal (other than the S8) when it comes to size, features etc.
I'm still quite tempted by a second hand S8 (can be had for about £400, immaculate, second hand) - at that price I can't think of many alternatives...?

If you want Android stock experience forget about it. At this point there's just an LineageOS 14 alpha version. Someone said that there's people working on it. Might be. But since first release (October 2017) 6 months later there's no "public" progress. So my expectations are very low leaning towards none. But you can try an optimised touchwiz rom (there's plenty of them) or even those "Google edition" roms. Based on Touchwiz but with Samsung stock apps replaced by Google's counterparts (dialer, messenger and I think camera).

Samsung Galaxy S10 +

So, first of all, im new here, yay me!
Second, im uncertain if this is the correct place to post this, if not, I do appologise.
I've been reading through forums for a few hours now, I recently got my S10 (I've been an iOS user since iPhone4) and it seems JB/Root is quite different for adroind.
I read up on KingRoot and heeded XDA warnings and stayed away. My question here is.. Is there any "safe" way to currently root the S10+?

Naeksu said:
So, first of all, im new here, yay me!
Second, im uncertain if this is the correct place to post this, if not, I do appologise.
I've been reading through forums for a few hours now, I recently got my S10 (I've been an iOS user since iPhone4) and it seems JB/Root is quite different for adroind.
I read up on KingRoot and heeded XDA warnings and stayed away. My question here is.. Is there any "safe" way to currently root the S10+?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the moment it is not possible yet. It also depends on the chip of your S10 +. There are two variants, one with snapdragon and one with Samsung's Exynos. I think the latter can soon be rooted. It requires "Magisk" and the developers are working hard to make it compatible with the S10 + (Exynos version). You may want TWRP, a custom recovery. You need it to flash Magisk as soon as it arrives for the S10 Plus. So if you have the Exynos variant, you can watch the following thread:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/s10-plus/how-to/s10-s10-twrp-discussion-t3909530
First of all, I like Apple like Samsung or whatever. The S10 + raises the question of what you really need root for.
Personally, I use a few applications that require root. But the OS of the S10 + is in my opinion already so well and extensively configurable that root lost at least for me in importance. That's different with Apple, at least in my opinion. By that I mean, on my last smartphone (Oneplus 6) I did not want to get along without root. With a few tweaks, it was possible to significantly improve the performance and at the same time the battery life. Furthermore I could raise the screen brightness to a value, that is now comparable to the S10+ out of the box. Changing some stuff and other settings, that does not seem to me necessary anymore with the S10 +. Only a few apps and sound enhancement (viper4android) only work when it is rooted. Therefore, I am waiting for magic Magisk as you probably do. I just wanna say, do not be disappointed, if you have the snapdragon variant and have to wait maybe for month. By the way, I should have asked at the beginning what you want root for.

Yes, think about what you want root for.
The only thing I'm missing so far is the app that stops charging after xx%.
Also Titanium backup doesn't work. Other than that, I don't need it anymore. Yay.

Flying Fox said:
At the moment it is not possible yet. It also depends on the chip of your S10 +. There are two variants, one with snapdragon and one with Samsung's Exynos. I think the latter can soon be rooted. It requires "Magisk" and the developers are working hard to make it compatible with the S10 + (Exynos version). You may want TWRP, a custom recovery. You need it to flash Magisk as soon as it arrives for the S10 Plus. So if you have the Exynos variant, you can watch the following thread:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/s10-plus/how-to/s10-s10-twrp-discussion-t3909530
First of all, I like Apple like Samsung or whatever. The S10 + raises the question of what you really need root for.
Personally, I use a few applications that require root. But the OS of the S10 + is in my opinion already so well and extensively configurable that root lost at least for me in importance. That's different with Apple, at least in my opinion. By that I mean, on my last smartphone (Oneplus 6) I did not want to get along without root. With a few tweaks, it was possible to significantly improve the performance and at the same time the battery life. Furthermore I could raise the screen brightness to a value, that is now comparable to the S10+ out of the box. Changing some stuff and other settings, that does not seem to me necessary anymore with the S10 +. Only a few apps and sound enhancement (viper4android) only work when it is rooted. Therefore, I am waiting for magic Magisk as you probably do. I just wanna say, do not be disappointed, if you have the snapdragon variant and have to wait maybe for month. By the way, I should have asked at the beginning what you want root for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I don't know if I have Snapdragon or not, as I said, brand new to Samsung But the main reason I want root is ofcourse due to playing games. Ability to hex edit and so on.

Going back several years "rooting" was the way to go but for me so many important apps, particularly Banking, will not work with root and also as pointed out in a few replies here the levels that new phones like s10+ have reached there is little benefit anymore

Naeksu said:
Well I don't know if I have Snapdragon or not, as I said, brand new to Samsung But the main reason I want root is ofcourse due to playing games. Ability to hex edit and so on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then you should find out first, if you have Snapdragon or Exynos chip inside. If you haven't done a "special" order, it usually depends on the region, where you live and ordered. Search forum (or google), you´ll easily find the answer.