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I'm an American currently living in Kuwait for work, and I was going to buy an S3 here. It comes unlocked and according to coworkers who have bought phones out here in the past, it will work in the US on ATT's network (and most importantly, it's red!).
Anyway when I go back to the US, assuming the phone as purchased will work on ATT like I think it will, what should I expect from customisation. I've never bought a non-US android before. I understand that roms usually come in US and International varieties due to hardware differences. If I put an International rom on my phone, can I expect it to work with ATT in the same way that the stock rom would?
And is there anything in particular that I should be aware of when buying and rooting/customising my new phone? (aside from the usual concerns about doing it correctly and such).
Thanks!
Will work fine only you won't get lte speeds here in the states..
I'm curious how much (in usd) the phone goes for out there locally?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
I paid KWD199, which is a little over USD$700. Phones are a bit pricier in Europe and the middle east than they are in the US.
I learned the Stratosphere II existed like a week ago and I've been researching this phone like crazy. Seems like a better version of the Glide. Is this essentially an unofficial update of the Glide? The specs seem to match up, with the only thing lacking on the Strat's side is the megapixels (the Glide has 8, the Strat 2 has 5) and the Strat 2 having a dual 1.2GHz CPU compared to Glide's dual 1.0GHz CPU.
I've been looking to get a Glide for a long time. I've been keeping up with this board for updates and everything. And while it seems like an awesome phone, the GPS problems worry me. But, there are plenty of guides here so when I finally get a Glide, I can see if the GPS solutions here work.
But the Stratosphere II...I mean its so new I don't think anyone has figured out how to root it yet. So no custom roms for the time being, but I'm sure it would be coming as more people learn of its existence and start working on it.
My main cause of concern is the GPS, as I travel to Mexico alot. I already have service there that I maintain here (Movistar) by going to a tienda every three months and putting a few dollars on it. While you can't root the Stratosphere II, I could at least slap the SIM card in there and use it (apparently if I buy it outright Verizon can/should/will unlock the GSM functionality for me) until that magical moment does come when a root guide finally pops up online. And I could be wrong but I think there's no GPS issues with the Stratosphere II.
So that's where I am. Get the Glide for pretty cheap ($225 online), with the ability to root and flash roms but with shaky GPS (and apparently no Jelly Bean?), or get the Stratosphere II for not pretty cheap ($445 directly from Verizon) with no ability to root or flash roms, but, great (as far as I know) GPS? Thoughts, comments, suggestions?
I knew about the original Stratosphere but not the 2. It looks like a nice device. Personally I wouldn't buy a device without root, let alone some sort of dev community. I can pretty much confirm your GPS worries about the Glide. It blows and there is no nicer way to put it. I have tried tweak apps, modding files myself, even copying the conf files right from my N7 to it. It still takes like 2 minutes to get a lock and loses it rather easily. Compared to my N7 which takes under 10 seconds.
The Glide is a good phone though. Our dev community kind of sucks, being so small and relying on key people to do most of the work. But at least we have one and a pretty decent JB builds.
I'm not sure what to suggest. If you can live on stock without root and such, the Strato 2 looks nice. But after having my Glide for nearly a year, I still really like it. But I don't use GPS much with it either.
I sell for all carriers so I'll give you my thought.
Glide is an older device with a tegra 2 processor and operates on GSM. It has an older touch wiz on it meaning the skin and other tweaks Samsung applied to the gs3 isn't all their.. The strat 2 is a well built phone slightly smaller than its older brother. But had newer touch wiz along with newer things Samsung threw in. I'm not going to go into a lot of tech specs of the two phones since u can do that but if I had a choice it would be the strat 2 because of the newer touch wiz which is faster and nicer to look at. Plus the over all look and feel much nicer on the strat 2.. the glide is pretty bulky you really must consider who you want to pay monthly and who has better coverage Verizon or AT&T?
Good luck Bud.:beer:
My battery is dead now.. Have fun!
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
bobbinthreadbare said:
I knew about the original Stratosphere but not the 2. It looks like a nice device. Personally I wouldn't buy a device without root, let alone some sort of dev community. I can pretty much confirm your GPS worries about the Glide. It blows and there is no nicer way to put it. I have tried tweak apps, modding files myself, even copying the conf files right from my N7 to it. It still takes like 2 minutes to get a lock and loses it rather easily. Compared to my N7 which takes under 10 seconds.
The Glide is a good phone though. Our dev community kind of sucks, being so small and relying on key people to do most of the work. But at least we have one and a pretty decent JB builds.
I'm not sure what to suggest. If you can live on stock without root and such, the Strato 2 looks nice. But after having my Glide for nearly a year, I still really like it. But I don't use GPS much with it either.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the advice. I have a rooted Epic 4G (hence my name), so I know the joys of having a rooted phone. But I want to switch to a GSM device (more on that below in dincdoes.me), but unlike you would rely on the GPS a lot.
dincdoes.me said:
I sell for all carriers so I'll give you my thought.
Glide is an older device with a tegra 2 processor and operates on GSM. It has an older touch wiz on it meaning the skin and other tweaks Samsung applied to the gs3 isn't all their.. The strat 2 is a well built phone slightly smaller than its older brother. But had newer touch wiz along with newer things Samsung threw in. I'm not going to go into a lot of tech specs of the two phones since u can do that but if I had a choice it would be the strat 2 because of the newer touch wiz which is faster and nicer to look at. Plus the over all look and feel much nicer on the strat 2.. the glide is pretty bulky you really must consider who you want to pay monthly and who has better coverage Verizon or AT&T?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing is, I want to go to Net10, do their BYOD program, and basically have AT&T service through Net10. Why? Net10 has that international coverage plan, its like $60-$65 a month, and I can call my friends in Mexico (via an 800 number I believe) and talk as long as I want (well as long as THEIR minutes will allow). And it makes no difference if its to a landline or a cell phone. Also when I go TO Mexico, just swap out the Net10 sim card for my Movistar one.
Also, at least in NC, the AT&T coverage is second only to Verizon. Definitely better than Sprint, and T-Mobile might as well not even exist with its shaky coverage.
The GPS function is VERY IMPORTANT to me, especially in Mexico, and I have seen my friends in Mexico's Androids use GPS (Google Maps) to find stuff just fine. So...I may have to go ahead and get the Strato 2 and just live with it being unrooted for a while.
That's a tough decision. If time wasn't a factor, I would wait a month or two to see what happens with the i415 (Stratosphere) within the XDA community. Unfortunately for qwerty keyboard lovers, the phones we want don't get as much hype and publicity as the candybar phones. Otterbox and CyanogenMod barely acknowledged our phones. We happened to get VERY lucky getting this much support for the i927 (Captivate Glide) as the early stages were definitely desperate.
I'm currently running the Vanilla Rootbox rom and even though there are still a few bugs, the essentials work well enough for me not to upgrade. I heavily use GPS as I have a memory of a fish and it works flawlessly.
Long story short, after watching the i927 go from a simple request in a Captivate forum to it's own forum with no devs to what it is today, I would go with the Captivate Glide. Who knows if the i415 will get also get lucky with support or not? After all, qwerty phones are a dying breed.
rogernizzLe said:
That's a tough decision. If time wasn't a factor, I would wait a month or two to see what happens with the i415 (Stratosphere) within the XDA community. Unfortunately for qwerty keyboard lovers, the phones we want don't get as much hype and publicity as the candybar phones. Otterbox and CyanogenMod barely acknowledged our phones. We happened to get VERY lucky getting this much support for the i927 (Captivate Glide) as the early stages were definitely desperate.
I'm currently running the Vanilla Rootbox rom and even though there are still a few bugs, the essentials work well enough for me not to upgrade. I heavily use GPS as I have a memory of a fish and it works flawlessly.
Long story short, after watching the i927 go from a simple request in a Captivate forum to it's own forum with no devs to what it is today, I would go with the Captivate Glide. Who knows if the i415 will get also get lucky with support or not? After all, qwerty phones are a dying breed.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the advice. Well...what I am considering is getting the Glide (the Rogers version, which it appears that you have) and just root and put a rom on it (I would like one that mimic's the Jelly Bean, but if the Vanilla Rootbox you're using is fine, I may try that), and use that until more development pops up for the Stratosphere II. If you have the Rogers Glide, and your GPS problems are nil...I don't know, I'm considering it. I probably should have mentioned if I get the Glide it would be the Rogers version (somehow its cheaper than the AT&T version, which costs more than the Stratosphere II! ).
I could do that, or just get a Strato 2 and live without root/flashed roms for a while (but if it already has Jelly Bean may not need it). Thinking, thinking...
Is time a factor? Well I plan on going to Mexico sometime in April, so kinda sorta. But since I plan on making regular trips, not really, I guess.
5-row keyboard!
rogernizzLe said:
That's a tough decision. If time wasn't a factor, I would wait a month or two to see what happens with the i415 (Stratosphere) within the XDA community. Unfortunately for qwerty keyboard lovers, the phones we want don't get as much hype and publicity as the candybar phones. Otterbox and CyanogenMod barely acknowledged our phones. We happened to get VERY lucky getting this much support for the i927 (Captivate Glide) as the early stages were definitely desperate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If all other things were equal, and they're not (in terms of development progress here on xda), I would go for the 5 row keyboard. One of the things I found very irritating very early on with the glide is that every time you type a number, you have to hit Alt first. Given the number of characters and numbers in text these days, this gets really old, really fast.
If I had had more patience, and thought more deeply at the time, I suspect I would have preferred to wait.
CDN$0.02.
bs27975 said:
If all other things were equal, and they're not (in terms of development progress here on xda), I would go for the 5 row keyboard. One of the things I found very irritating very early on with the glide is that every time you type a number, you have to hit Alt first. Given the number of characters and numbers in text these days, this gets really old, really fast.
If I had had more patience, and thought more deeply at the time, I suspect I would have preferred to wait.
CDN$0.02.
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Click to collapse
I forgot the Glide only had four rows. As much as I've been using my Epic 4G...well it would be a learning curve to go from 5 rows to 4.
Stratosphere II has a locked bootloader and hasn't even been rooted yet. Also, while I haven't seen any reports yay or nay, it probably suffers the same domestic GSM lock all other Verizon phones have. It is possible to counter this, but not without a lot of dev support and root.
I switched from Captivate Glide to the Galaxy S Relay 4G. It has 5 rows, supports AT&T and a few other odd UMTS frequencies (Wind Mobile for instance) and has a fairly decent (but small) dev community with a working unofficial cyanogenmod 10.
The other choice is the Motorola Photon Q for Sprint, which comes comes with GSM capabilities, but you have to remove the pre-soldered SIM chip and add a SIM card adapter. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1929143 I have seen no information on whether it is locked domestically for GSM. It can be reflashed to Cricket and PagePlus on the CDMA side as well, and there is a CM 10 for it http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1929143
Nardholio said:
Stratosphere II has a locked bootloader and hasn't even been rooted yet. Also, while I haven't seen any reports yay or nay, it probably suffers the same domestic GSM lock all other Verizon phones have. It is possible to counter this, but not without a lot of dev support and root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply. That no one has tried to root or unlock or even just manipulate the settings on this phone, which to me appears to be the true [yet unofficial] successor to the Epic 4G...blows my mind. Is there just no interest, or people don't know that it exists...I just don't understand.
I switched from Captivate Glide to the Galaxy S Relay 4G. It has 5 rows, supports AT&T and a few other odd UMTS frequencies (Wind Mobile for instance) and has a fairly decent (but small) dev community with a working unofficial cyanogenmod 10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well my gameplan was to have a phone I can use both in the US and in Mexico...in Mexico it wouldn't be a big deal, but here any GSM (like from Net10) will go straight to the T-Mobile network since its a T-Mobile phone. And T-Mobile sucks and doesn't appear to be getting any better. I don't know how good or bad the 4G functionality is, but its not enough to have me go back to T-Mobile. That was a year of hell, not just from the almost non-existent coverage but the idiotic customer service as well. My uncle still has them and he complains about them all the time, but he's with them for a reason (something about coverage in Canada, I forget).
The other choice is the Motorola Photon Q for Sprint, which comes comes with GSM capabilities, but you have to remove the pre-soldered SIM chip and add a SIM card adapter. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1929143 I have seen no information on whether it is locked domestically for GSM. It can be reflashed to Cricket and PagePlus on the CDMA side as well, and there is a CM 10 for it http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1929143
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Click to collapse
I'm not good at soldering. Plus if I mess up, gotta buy another phone.
Dang. Looks like I'll have to stick with the Glide for now. Well, I'll have to GET the Glide, then stick with it for now.
Um, I hate to break it to you, but your gsm service depends on which sim card you have. I am using the Galaxy S Relay just fine on AT&T.
Sent from my SGH-T699 using xda premium
Nardholio said:
Um, I hate to break it to you, but your gsm service depends on which sim card you have. I am using the Galaxy S Relay just fine on AT&T.
Sent from my SGH-T699 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not the way Net10 worded it, and I've spoken to them many times. They said it depends on the phone itself, as far as the BYOD program goes.
QWERTY Geek here
I've had the following QWERTY phones:
OG Droid
Stratosphere 1
Stratosphere 2 (current phone)
And my wife had the Captivate Glide until she dropped it recently.
Here are my thoughts:
1. Out of this list of phones, the Stratosphere 2 is best, no question. It's slightly faster than the Captivate Glide, has NFC, has a 5 row keyboard, has Verizon LTE, and has Bluetooth 4.0. There's hardly anyone even talking about this phone, much less getting dev/root work going. Sucks, too, since this is basically a Galaxy S3 Lite w/ QWERTY. Everything about this phone is solid.
2. The Captivate Glide GPS's sucked. And the ICS upgrade was an utter disaster. The new ICS upgrade isn't as bad, but the GPS on this phone is definitely much worse than any other phone on the above list. My wife stopped using it altogether and would just use Google Maps like I did back in the iPhone 3G days.
3. I liked the Captivate Glide's keyboard, but my wife hated it. She preferred the Stratosphere 1's keyboard and then the Strat 2. And in case you are wondering, I was barely surviving on the Strat1 when I upgraded in January... a 1GHz single core 512MB RAM phone just doesn't hold up any more, and battery life was awful (about 10 hours with light use, 16-20 hours with no use).
4. A Jellybean (4.1) update just came out for the Strat2. I've been holding back on upgrading due to my wife's horrible experience with ICS. In researching it, I discovered that FoxFi would apparently be broken and 4.1/4.2 has issues with a lot of N-only routers. I've been happy with the Strat2 and ICS, so I won't upgrade. But I so wish Cyanogen would pick up the slack.
5. Are we sure the Strat2 has a locked bootloader? My understanding is that Samsung phones have an unlocked bootloader but switch a flag if you change the ROM so warranty can be denied. Can someone verify?
Thank you very much for the note, some good and interesting stuff in here.
JoeFresco said:
1. Out of this list of phones, the Stratosphere 2 is best, no question. It's slightly faster than the Captivate Glide, has NFC, has a 5 row keyboard, has Verizon LTE, and has Bluetooth 4.0. There's hardly anyone even talking about this phone, much less getting dev/root work going. Sucks, too, since this is basically a Galaxy S3 Lite w/ QWERTY. Everything about this phone is solid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any comments, Glide vis a vis Galaxy S Relay 4G? [e.g. you say Stratosphere 2 is basically a Galaxy S3 Lite w/qwerty - I've yet to come across a similar 'rating' for the 4G. I believe Glide would be S2 (Sii). I don't know what the 4G is.]
For me LTE vs anything else doesn't matter - I don't do data. Wi-fi, yes, so the N only issue is biting me. (Which I think is a phone hardware, not a software, issue. Guessing.) Much the same for Bluetooth - most any bluetooth, and within, say, 10', does what I need it to do. Can you say what Bluetooth 4 brings to the party?
JoeFresco said:
2. The Captivate Glide GPS's sucked. And the ICS upgrade was an utter disaster. The new ICS upgrade isn't as bad, but the GPS on this phone is definitely much worse than any other phone on the above list. My wife stopped using it altogether and would just use Google Maps like I did back in the iPhone 3G days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
New ICS upgrade? (Link?)
JoeFresco said:
4. A Jellybean (4.1) update just came out for the Strat2. I've been holding back on upgrading due to my wife's horrible experience with ICS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you comment on that horrible experience? I've yet to upgrade from Gingerbread to something ICS here, so looking to be forearmed with (your) forewarning, here.
JoeFresco said:
In researching it, ... 4.1/4.2 has issues with a lot of N-only routers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm now wondering if this explains what I'm seeing on a certain router - across multiple phones and laptop. It's becoming a PITA. At home I get around some problem by setting a static IP.
Is this a common experience for people, across hardware - be it phones or laptops?
The Galaxy S Relay 4G looks like it basically has the tech of the Strat2, so I'd expect them to be equivalent. It looks like it has a physical mashup of the Captivate Glide and Strat2. Assuming you like the keyboard, the S Relay 4G looks like a better phone than the Captivate GLide. I have no experience with this phone.
Bluetooth 4 lets you use super low power bluetooth devices. StickNfind.com (I bought 6) is the first one I know of, but there will definitely be more over the next year or two. Lots of workout type devices and other sensors will start using it. It first arrived in phones in the iPhone 4s.
The Captivate Glide's original ICS upgrade was over Kies and was pulled due to horrendous user response. You can read threads all over by googling. Here's a taste: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1879432
Basically, GPS went to completely useless, phone app crashed constantly, contacts app crashed constantly, keyboard backlight never lit up, text messages coming in 15 times even though only sent once, and more. Most were fixed in a latter OTA update, though the text message thing still happened. The GPS also would sometimes go in and out of lock and wasn't really dependable.
Until the OTA update came out, I was about to have my wife take the phone back to the ATT store to exchange for a Gingerbread model under warranty. Incidentally, a month ago she dropped it and broke the screen and I replaced it with an LG Escape, which she LOVES (no qwerty). She never liked the Captivate Glide keyboard and considers the LG Escape's software keyboard to be just as good and it resolved all her other problems.
The router problem I'm seeing is only on phones that were working fine with ICS and then were upgraded to Jellybean. Here's a couple links:
https://community.verizonwireless.com/message/950253
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=34786
What you are experiencing sounds like a poor/dying router. It's definitely not normal. A firmware update may resolve the problem or you may try installing ddwrt.
Oh, here's a thread about rooting the Strat2 with no success yet:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2078615
Incidentally, I just tried to root the Samsung Stratosphere II i415 via SRSRoot, which claims it can root that phone. Unfortunately, after 3 attempts, I have nothing but failure. It tries to use root4, 4b, and 5 regardless of whether all root options or smartroot is selected.
Sucks because now VZ is forcing the JB update down. My options were simply to install now or defer 5 days. I chose the defer option, but from what I'm reading, that's a one time deal. So if I can't get rooted in the next 4 days and stop it, I'm going to be running JB whether I like it or not.
Stratosphere II gsm access
Hi
does the samsung stratosphere ii 2 work with gsm in the United States? What about internation gsm?
JoeFresco said:
Incidentally, I just tried to root the Samsung Stratosphere II i415 via SRSRoot, which claims it can root that phone. Unfortunately, after 3 attempts, I have nothing but failure. It tries to use root4, 4b, and 5 regardless of whether all root options or smartroot is selected.
Sucks because now VZ is forcing the JB update down. My options were simply to install now or defer 5 days. I chose the defer option, but from what I'm reading, that's a one time deal. So if I can't get rooted in the next 4 days and stop it, I'm going to be running JB whether I like it or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm more interested in flashing it to another service like Cricket. I think its possible, not 100% sure. People barely know this phone exists, let alone have taken the time to hook it up to QPST to see what happens.
liongood9 said:
Hi
does the samsung stratosphere ii 2 work with gsm in the United States? What about internation gsm?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the question. Like I said, except for the nice fellow in this very thread, no one else really has it, so so far no one has bought it and taken it abroad to see if the GSM works. I would think its locked out the box, though. Verizon refuses to give me a straight answer, and I think its kinda obvious why: its impossible to be unlocked abroad yet locked here, meaning its unlocked all the way or not at all. Meaning if they unlock it, I could just buy it and take it to AT&T.
My guess (heck the Verizon folks are guessing if not outright lying) is that the CDMA functionality works in tandem with the GSM functionality, if you use the phone in the US. It kinda has to, since the GSM slot is also the 4G LTE slot and how you'd get the 4G functionality. Abroad, the CDMA functionality will both detect the 4G LTE SIM isn't there (you'd have to remove it to put in the international SIM from the carrier of your choice while abroad, like Telcel or Movistar in my case) and that you're not in the US, thus giving you "permission" I guess you'd say to let it be unlocked for the duration of your visit. Once you return, however, Verizon will say "Ah you're back in the US" (the CDMA will detect an active Verizon network and account) and lock it right back so you'd have no choice but to replace your international SIM with the 4G LTE sim.
Basically, Verizon through the CDMA functionality can lock or unlock the GSM functionality, merely through network detection (if you're in the US) and by itself using the GSM (4G).
So if you buy the phone outright, you'd never have to worry about the CDMA part since you never had an active service with Verizon through that phone. Without an active CDMA, its merely...a GSM phone, meaning it can be unlocked and can be used on any GSM network. Hence Verizon's reluctance to say yay or nay to whether the GSM can be unlocked. They can't stop you from buying the phone outright, but they don't have to help you unlock the GSM part and potentially take it to another carrier, either. I've heard more or less "Well by law..." yes, but they either don't know the law or count on you not knowing the law. And even pointing it out to them can simply result in "well we don't know how to unlock it, so..." Which would be BS, but there being a law won't make them do anything. They'll just find ways around it. Plausible ways.
All guesswork, and I could be 100% wrong. But hey, that's what it seems like. If I'm right, at least it could potentially be used as a GSM phone at least abroad until someone figures out how to root it.
Go for the Strat 2.
1. Faster CPU
2. Better GPS.
3. Jelly Bean Released on it.
4. 4 row keyboard, I hate having to hit ALT to hit a number. Use excel a lot and that is really annoying.
5. I think it has more internal memory as well. Glide has only 4GB useable internal memory. (they say it is an 8GB phone)
Don't get me wrong GLide is a great phone but it is stating to show its age. Unfortunately I have a 3 year contract, so still have another year and a half on it.
JB
dudejb said:
Go for the Strat 2.
1. Faster CPU
2. Better GPS.
3. Jelly Bean Released on it.
4. 4 row keyboard, I hate having to hit ALT to hit a number. Use excel a lot and that is really annoying.
5. I think it has more internal memory as well. Glide has only 4GB useable internal memory. (they say it is an 8GB phone)
Don't get me wrong GLide is a great phone but it is stating to show its age. Unfortunately I have a 3 year contract, so still have another year and a half on it.
JB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems unrootable, but I'm wondering if its unflashable. I would like to buy it, flash it to Cricket, and just wait till someone roots the sucker. Flash it to Cricket and also unlock the GSM for use abroad. :good: That's my dream anyway. :fingers-crossed:
My old phone broke and I had to run out and get a new one on short notice. I went with the Galaxy S4 from a T-Mobile store (SGH-M919).
I am happy with the phone overall, but I place great importance on getting the best value (I don't want to pay the same money for an inferior product). After doing some research, I've found the "8-core" GT-I9500 available on Amazon for roughly the same price. It seems that the Exynos version is more powerful and will have better battery life (compared in this video). The drawback, of course, is that it doesn't have LTE support (although it should work on HSPA).
In addition, now there's the "nexus" version with an unlocked bootloader coming down the pike. My previous phone also had stock Android (HTC Desire-Z / T-mobile G2), and I was extremely happy with it, especially the speed of updates and the fact that I was always getting new features OTA.
So, should I keep the version I have, or get another one and return this phone?
I want to make sure I'm getting the best experience, would giving up LTE support slow down my internet noticeably? Or is T-Mobile HSPA fast enough?
Any difference between the versions if I'm traveling internationally (I can unlock the T-mobile version after 60 days, so that's not an issue, I'm talking about band support, particularly in China)
Should I even consider the stock android / Google version? If I keep the one I have, I plan to root it and will probably use a custom ROM, and it seems there are plenty around for this version, so is the Google unlocked bootloader even an advantage? (only indication it is was is some of the posts in this thread, indicating that the Google version will get updates faster but that the S4's advanced sensors won't work on it). Then again it's also speculated they have the same hardware, so if that's true I could just flash my phone to the Google version and there would be no difference.
Note: I'm not looking to change to another model of phone besides the Galaxy S4. The HTC One is less powerful, has no SD support, and a non-replacable battery, otherwise I would have chosen it.
Rumor has it, that the "nexus" version, is based off the SGH-M919. Just the software is different. So in theory, once the nexus version drops, the modders would be able to reverse engineer the software and make it so that we can flash it onto the T-Mobile version. I'm not sure about having the 8-core GT-I9500. People are saying it isn't truly an octacore phone, nor will we ever need all the cores active at the same time.
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The octa core is two quad core chips put together. I highly doubt it's THAT much better than ours. I personally have no issues with mine. Honestly, I think you're getting more with the T-Mobile variant. You can unlock it and use it on any GSM carrier. I would keep what you have. This phone rocks!
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2
hot can i unlock my sgh-m919 tmobile phone
elesbb said:
The octa core is two quad core chips put together. I highly doubt it's THAT much better than ours. I personally have no issues with mine. Honestly, I think you're getting more with the T-Mobile variant. You can unlock it and use it on any GSM carrier. I would keep what you have. This phone rocks!
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
Hi elsbb,
How can i understand that my M919 is locked?
I put my diffrent carrier SIM (AVEA) its not asking unlock code.
Thanks for your help...
1) No your browsing wont be slowed down significantly, but not a feature I would personally give up
2) Not that Im aware of, however the T-Mobile variant I think has better band support overall, cannot remember 100% over the top of my head
3) Not really, its rumored to be hardware wise the same as the T-Mo variant.....Also the T-Mo variant which you have is bootloader unlocked already, not sure why you put that as strong point for the Stock Android variant?
Overall I would say stick with what you have, support wise your better off than the international variant (if your into custom roms, development should be stronger overall for the US variants, And the Google version offers nothing over what you can get with 10 min of your time with the phone you have currently.
-W.Feather
Just Another User said:
I want to make sure I'm getting the best experience, would giving up LTE support slow down my internet noticeably? Or is T-Mobile HSPA fast enough?
Any difference between the versions if I'm traveling internationally (I can unlock the T-mobile version after 60 days, so that's not an issue, I'm talking about band support, particularly in China)
Should I even consider the stock android / Google version? If I keep the one I have, I plan to root it and will probably use a custom ROM, and it seems there are plenty around for this version, so is the Google unlocked bootloader even an advantage? (only indication it is was is some of the posts in this thread, indicating that the Google version will get updates faster but that the S4's advanced sensors won't work on it). Then again it's also speculated they have the same hardware, so if that's true I could just flash my phone to the Google version and there would be no difference.
Note: I'm not looking to change to another model of phone besides the Galaxy S4. The HTC One is less powerful, has no SD support, and a non-replacable battery, otherwise I would have chosen it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks everyone who responded for the useful info. I now feel confident about keeping the M919. It's not worth giving up LTE for the tiny improvement in performance (and less custom ROM support) of the quad core, and since the M919 has an unlocked bootloader already, I don't think there's any reason to get the Google version.
skyblue34 said:
Hi elsbb,
How can i understand that my M919 is locked?
I put my diffrent carrier SIM (AVEA) its not asking unlock code.
Thanks for your help...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't personally confirm it, but this thread may have the info you're looking for.
If you have inserted another carriers sim (that is not your own), and it still functions with data, voice, and text, it is sim unlocked.
skyblue34 said:
Hi elsbb,
How can i understand that my M919 is locked?
I put my diffrent carrier SIM (AVEA) its not asking unlock code.
Thanks for your help...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The performance gains would be little if any in real world usage, battery life would be better by a small amount IIRC, however I am personally able to go two days or more with low usage, or a day without issues with heavy streaming and ~3hr screen on time, YMMV
-W.Feather
Just Another User said:
Thanks everyone who responded for the useful info. I now feel confident about keeping the M919. It's not worth giving up LTE for the tiny improvement in performance (and less custom ROM support) of the quad core, and since the M919 has an unlocked bootloader already, I don't think there's any reason to get the Google version.
I can't personally confirm it, but this thread may have the info you're looking for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi there,
Sorry if this is an obvious question - I'm a big mobile enthusiast, but probably not as technically minded as some of you folks
I'm in the UK right now but am moving to the US permanently in a few weeks. I'm getting the Note 7 and am torn between what to do - buy it here or there.
Here's my thinking: If I buy here, it will be free of all that yucky bloatware you get over there since I gather that even if I purchase from BestBuy, there's nothing quite like a sim-free unlocked phone of the type we would get here. And that carrier bloatware scares me. I don't want to have to be rooting my phone and messing about with it to make it run at an acceptable speed when it inevitably starts to slow down, down the line. Plus, I just hate the thought of having all of that rubbish on my phone. If I'm spending $900 or so, I want it to be pure as the driven snow!
I'm not sure which network I'm going to be going for in the US (as an 'Alien' new to the US with no credit history, it's not easy to get a contract) but what I'm looking at is either T-Mobile or AT&T (possibly Cricket, if not main AT&T.) Although I hear T-Mobile signal can be patchy. I'll be in Los Angeles, so I imagine signal should be good.
So what I'm wondering is - will it all work OK there? I'm assuming the GSM version we get in the UK will be compatible with those two networks, though not Verizon. Although I doubt I'll go with Verizon because their packages don't really look good for what I need and also I hear their bloatware in particular is immense!
I know we have a different processor in the Exynos edition (or is that the one you guys have and we have Snapdragon? Anyway, you know what I mean..) But would that processor make any actual difference in day to day use? Does the processor just run the software or does it have an influence on how the phone actually works with the network as a phone and data device? Am I likely to run into problems?
Also, you probably can't answer this - but worth a try.. I assume that Samsung's warranties are not international? Right now, I am on an iPhone and I know that if it breaks in the US, I can just take it to an Apple store in the US. My gut tells me if I buy in the UK and it starts playing up, I'll be on my own, unless you know different? But hey - it's a trade off. Bloatware vs warranty.
Anyway, any thoughts or advice would be gratefully received.
Thanks all.
Phil :good:
Definitely buy the Exynos International version of the phone. I live near Los Angeles and plan to purchase the international version as well because it has no bloatware. It will be my first purchase of an international unlocked phone. I'm on AT&T but my understanding is that T-mobile rocks in Los Angeles. You can't go wrong with AT&T or T-Mobile, but I would lean toward T-Mobile if I were you, they are really kicking butt right now.
The exynos version of the phone will have better battery life by just a bit and it will be only slightly faster. They both have trade-offs, but in the end, it doesn't make a big difference, just get the international version, which is what all of us Americans want. I don't know about the warranty, you might have to ship the phone off for that.
if you buy one in the UK, make sure you make a few phone calls before you move.
European Samsung phones usually refuse to accept US SIM cards unless you make a phone call for a few minutes using a European SIM.
thedicemaster said:
if you buy one in the UK, make sure you make a few phone calls before you move.
European Samsung phones usually refuse to accept US SIM cards unless you make a phone call for a few minutes using a European SIM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a very good point! I remember reading about this with my old Galaxy when it said that it locked it to the country where the first phone call was made.
But would this possibly present problems? If I made a few calls with my Vodafone sim, would that then mean that it locks it to UK networks and makes a T-Mobile USA or AT&T sim incompatible?
And bands-wise, they're all good to go, right? There's no reason a local US sim wouldn't work 100% in that model? And the processor doesn't make a difference? Just wondering why they bother to put two different processor types in the phone otherwise?
DuffmasterFresh said:
Definitely buy the Exynos International version of the phone. I live near Los Angeles and plan to purchase the international version as well because it has no bloatware. It will be my first purchase of an international unlocked phone. I'm on AT&T but my understanding is that T-mobile rocks in Los Angeles. You can't go wrong with AT&T or T-Mobile, but I would lean toward T-Mobile if I were you, they are really kicking butt right now.
The exynos version of the phone will have better battery life by just a bit and it will be only slightly faster. They both have trade-offs, but in the end, it doesn't make a big difference, just get the international version, which is what all of us Americans want. I don't know about the warranty, you might have to ship the phone off for that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks - this is really helpful. Good to know TM are good there as had heard a few stories about bad coverage.
it's the opposite.
unless they changed it just for the note 7, you have to use the phone in the UK before you can use it in the US.
here's a quote from an article regarding the region lock in the S7 and S7 edge:
its box will be sealed with a sticker reading "European SIM card only."
The tab below this sticker explains how and why, albeit in tiny and rather verbose script. Essentially, in order for your unlocked European GS7 to be fully unlocked, you first need to make a total of five minutes worth of phone calls using a European SIM. If you don't do this, and try to use it with a SIM from outside of Europe, it won't connect to the network.
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Click to collapse
this is to prevent shops from selling European phones in the US.
the unlocking method is so that people moving outside Europe after buying a phone can continue to use it.
thedicemaster said:
it's the opposite.
unless they changed it just for the note 7, you have to use the phone in the UK before you can use it in the US.
here's a quote from an article regarding the region lock in the S7 and S7 edge:
this is to prevent shops from selling European phones in the US.
the unlocking method is so that people moving outside Europe after buying a phone can continue to use it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got it - just been reading up on it. Thanks for this.
Well, that all looks simple enough. Shouldn't be an issue.
In fact, my only fear is warranty now. If I smash or crack it (which I will try not to obvs, but heaven forbid, it happens), I may be spannered.
I doubt my insurance will cover it if it is an international model and Samsung look like they don't do international warranties.
That's the only thing stopping me sitting here pressing 'order' when I'm on the verge of it.
Also, I wonder if Samsung Pay will be affected, If maybe, somehow, that's region specific.
It's a big risk.. Eeek!
Screw it, I've ordered.
So just to clarify - the bands on the international (UK) unlocked version will be compatible with ATT/Cricket and T-Mobile?
Hi guys,
I live in Europe(Croatia) where only the exynos version of Note 10+ is available. I am looking for a new phone and my wish number 1 is Note 10+, but the snapdragon variant.
If I decide to import it from somewhere, will it work here? I am even ready to risk and go without a warranty.
I was googling it, but find contradictory information. So I decided it is better if I open a new thread for it.
There are a lot of questions I want to ask
What version to import? Will I receive software updates? Will I have all network bands? What about regional unlock?
Thank you.
I think you won't have any problem provided you import the unlocked international version (if there is one where you want to import from).
Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk
Thx, but which one of these(SM-N975F (Europe); SM-N975F/DS (Global); SM-N975U (USA); SM-N975U1 (USA unlocked); SM-N975W (Canada); SM-N9750/DS (LATAM, Brazil, China); SM-N975N (South Korea)) is unlocked international version?
If you are referring to global SM-N975F/DS, it also has exynos: https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note10+-9732.php#sm-n975f-ds
You'll find all Note 10+ available models here: https://www.phonemore.com/models/samsung/galaxy-note-10-plus/
Based on SAMMOBILE site, which has all firmwares for all Note 10+ models (https://www.sammobile.com/samsung/galaxy-note-10-plus/firmware/#SM-N975U1), I understand that, in fact, any of the models can be locked to a certain cellular network or unlocked. So the unlocked version should be international also. The only thing that will make a difference between same Note 10+ model sold in different countries is the ability to record phone calls, which is restricted in some countries. Regarding firmware updates, there should not be any problem, you will only get the updates when they are officially released for the country you bought the phone from.
Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk
Really don't care about phone calls recording...I just want a functional phone.
Do you have any suggestions on where to buy it? EDIT: preferably from Europe
third party sellers are the only way you will get a snapdragon phone in europe, the entire european market is on Exynos, so you would either have to find a site willing to export to your country or a local seller who imports the phones. either way it won't be from a first party phone shop.
then if you do import you have to watch the sim unlocking rules, as the european phones need to use a european sim for a short period before unlocking to work for other countries, so buying from a reseller who has already done the network unlock meaning you will always be getting an opened box devices with no guarantee it's new and likely no warranty.
I bought a Snapdragon version N9750 on Ebay, from a seller in Europe. It's working great for me, I live in Sweden. Updates are working, but for example the 2.1 update that have rolled out to Exynos devices still haven't come to my device. But I'm not to stressed over updates anymore
Kimbo82 said:
I bought a Snapdragon version N9750 on Ebay, from a seller in Europe. It's working great for me, I live in Sweden. Updates are working, but for example the 2.1 update that have rolled out to Exynos devices still haven't come to my device. But I'm not to stressed over updates anymore
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you get rid of region lock? Or it came in the open box already unlocked?
I'm sorry, I do not have any suggestions. Belimawr said it all. I'm just not sure about what he said regarding the need to use a phone bought in Europe, for the first few days, with an european simcard, in order to have it unlocked. In the days of Note 4, I bought one in Germany (me living in Israel), during a trip, and use it without a simcard, for navigation only or at home on wifi. I never had a local simcard and I bought it (in a big shop) as international version. Never had problems with it, it was unlocked from the beginning. There are many risks you have to take when ordering online, from unknown sources. What's so bad with the Exynos? I have it and I'm very pleased with it.
Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 10:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:43 AM ----------
Take a look at this thread:
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/to...1&share_fid=3793&share_type=t&link_source=app
Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk
tmatkovic said:
How did you get rid of region lock? Or it came in the open box already unlocked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It came in the box already unlocked :good:
uhi711 said:
Belimawr said it all. I'm just not sure about what he said regarding the need to use a phone bought in Europe, for the first few days, with an european simcard, in order to have it unlocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://www.coolblue.nl/en/advice/samsung-region-lock-what-is-it-and-how-do-you-get-rid-of-it.html
uhi711 said:
What's so bad with the Exynos? I have it and I'm very pleased with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, there are many resources on the internet that saying Exynos is inferior in lot of categories.
I don't care if it has slightly inferior CPU speed because it is enough for my needs. I also don't care it is much inferior in GPU speed because I don't play graphic intensive games. I can also live with a slightly inferior camera.
But what I do care is an inferior signal and battery life(bigger standby battery drain, bigger energy consumption for the same workload).
yeah that link posted above is what I Was talking about with unlocking, it isn't much to unlock the "unlocked" phones but it can be a problem if it comes to you brand new and still with the lock in place as you would then need to source a way of doing the time in calls with the sim from the intended region, it's why most imports come open box as they do the phone call before exporting it making the phone technically second hand and likely voiding any warranty directly from Samsung so you would be reliant on the person who sent you the phone. there is also stories about of firms like Samsung not doing repairs on devices outside of their intended regions so any fault would likely need a third party repairer as well.
I've been using the Exynos since it came out and honestly even under above average use I easy get a day out of the battery and as far as performance goes, it does everything I need it to. the big problem with the Exynos Vs SD argument is it goes by benchmarks on phones and chances are in the real world those difference will be that small people wont even notice them under general use. it's always been a problem with technology people look at benchmark numbers and in the real world they generally mean very little as they are done under lab conditions and not actual usage or with devices that have been used day in and day out, it is on clean devices fresh out of the box with little bulk, 12 month down the road the numbers could shift but in truth unless you sit the 2 side by side you are unlikely to actually notice the difference.
personally for me it's easier to just buy the local one as in day to day use you are gaining nothing by taking the extra steps to get one from a different region unless you are specifically going for something like dual sim that might not be in your region or if you are picking the device up cheaper.
Regarding the region lock, if this would be your case, looks like there is an other solution to unlock it, if using a local sim for 5 minutes isn't possible.
Take a look here: https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5/Galaxy-Note9/Regional-lock/td-p/650891
Or here: https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5...5G/Regional-Lock-Samsung-10-Note/td-p/1504884
Or here:
https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5...10-5G/European-SIM-card-only-S10/td-p/1296078
So, my point is that if you intend to buy your phone from an european country, then you shouldn't have any region lock problem. In my opinion, the only thing that could make me import a phone from an other country by online ordering would be a big difference in price. But also in this case I would think twice because we should not forget the customs taxes and the shipping fees.
Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk
Check on Wonda Mobile. They have a really good reputation and have the snapdragon version available. It looks like all the 5G versions are sold out but they have the non 5G versions at very good prices too.
I live in Russia and use the Hong Kong version and I still haven’t received a firmware update to 2.1, do you have any update information? Thank you in advance
Scripitiscrip said:
I live in Russia and use the Hong Kong version and I still haven’t received a firmware update to 2.1, do you have any update information? Thank you in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think Samsung has released it yet. I'm still waiting for mine as well, and don't see anything official yet:
https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-N9750/TGY/doc.html
Biggenz said:
Check on Wonda Mobile. They have a really good reputation and have the snapdragon version available. It looks like all the 5G versions are sold out but they have the non 5G versions at very good prices too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx, seems they have very good trustpilot score. I might go for it.
Don't need 5G here atm anyway.
Samsung is slower with updating the Snapdragon versions, always a few weeks after the Exynos versions
Belimawr said:
I've been using the Exynos since it came out and honestly even under above average use I easy get a day out of the battery and as far as performance goes, it does everything I need it to. the big problem with the Exynos Vs SD argument is it goes by benchmarks on phones and chances are in the real world those difference will be that small people wont even notice them under general use. it's always been a problem with technology people look at benchmark numbers and in the real world they generally mean very little as they are done under lab conditions and not actual usage or with devices that have been used day in and day out, it is on clean devices fresh out of the box with little bulk, 12 month down the road the numbers could shift but in truth unless you sit the 2 side by side you are unlikely to actually notice the difference.
personally for me it's easier to just buy the local one as in day to day use you are gaining nothing by taking the extra steps to get one from a different region unless you are specifically going for something like dual sim that might not be in your region or if you are picking the device up cheaper.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The SD variant is better in terms of battery efficiency which makes another significant difference that affects the daily use of any owner if we ignore the better overall performance.
ghassan haddad said:
The SD variant is better in terms of battery efficiency which makes another significant difference that affects the daily use of any owner if we ignore the better overall performance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I easy get a full day out of it and can sit several hours straight gaming on the phone, the size of the battery unless you are being kept alive by looking at the screen it will get you through a day and I honestly doubt the difference is anything substantial enough to make a difference (you aren't getting 2 days without really light use)