I am currently in China and would love to get the asian version due to the faster clock on the processor....
I have bought a chinese android phone before here, and it does NOT come with google apps or google store installed / etc. If I buy this an M8 here, I'm sure I can work my way around rooting / installing recovery, however, are most ROMs going to be compatible?
I am an American and I need the phone to work well in the states, however I tend to travel to China a lot. I would like the stronger Chinese version, but don't wan to miss out on having the apps / etc I'm already used to having.
As far as I have seen from searching the internet / etc, it seems the processor is snapdragon 801 but a slightly different model number. Would I still be able to flash a generic GSM rom with no problems? I don't want to pay higher than I would in the states for a phone that I could never customize to the point of it thinking/acting like it's an american phone, and I can't find any details ROMs that specifically state anything about the asian version of this phone.
Overall, does anyone know of any hardware differences besides the processor from the USA GSM variants? And will a custom ROM here work for the asian version of the phone? And/Or could I find a way to install the GPe version and it work (Best case if possible imo)?
No idea.
Related
A question came up on the us forum for Defy about the different software builds until finally a Moto-mod came in with this. It's intriguing in that apparently the Defy has all band capability, but the software build limits the choice. Here's the quote:
"Each Blur Version for the Defy is all Carrier and Regional Specific like for instance For US T-Mobile Customers its 3.6.19.0 however for UK T-Mobile Users I think the latest version is 2.51 Other parts of europe are using 2.34 without MotoBlur and so on and so fourth, the main difference is Carrier installed apps and the confusing part, from what i've expierenced with the phone, Its the first phone i've ever seen with a software controlled universal radio supporting all bands, however its software tells it which band to use, for instance if you 2.21 and 2.51 UK versions are using UMTS 900/2100 where US's 3.6.190 is using AWS 1700/2100. there are ways if you look to obtain version 2.51.1 however this isn't the place to look on instructions on how to do it because its against the forum rules, is unsupported and with 2.51 if for whatever reason you wanted to downgrade you couldn't unfortunatly."
WHAT.
Software defined radio?
If this is for real the hackers SHOULD REALLY HAVE A FIELD DAY with this phone.
It's a shame they're too busy with the Samsungs and HTCs of the world..
There's quite a difference between true software defined radio (most radios these days are sort of there, as they are most commonly some embedded chip with custom firmware but nothing like a Linux kernel) and being able to switch frequencies to be used
nupi said:
There's quite a difference between true software defined radio (most radios these days are sort of there, as they are most commonly some embedded chip with custom firmware but nothing like a Linux kernel) and being able to switch frequencies to be used
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not an expert, but the basic thrust of this was that all Defy phones are identical and capable of all frequencies, but the firmware defines which can be used. Therefore it seems -- to this novice mind -- that change the firmware change the phone.
The other, related issue is the frustration of some Euro phone owners who really know nothing about differences in 3G frequencies. buy a phone and presume they can use them in the US (as one can with an iPhone). Those of us who prowl these forums are basically smart enough to know that before you buy a phone we have to be sure we can actually use it -- but 90% of buyers buy a phone presuming they can.
Okay well can someone on the forum test this out? You'd need the ability to try and access both sets of frequencies.
Example: You're in Australia and you have a Defy from Telstra which you've also unlocked. Your stock firmware supports 850/AWS/2100. You should be able to get an 850 MHz signal from Telstra's NextG network. Now, if you put in an Optus SIM and visit an area with 900 MHz 3G coverage but not 2100, you'll find the phone drops to EDGE or gets no signal.
So at this point, take a nandroid backup, and flash a 900/2100 firmware or replace the radio files with ones from such a firmware. Now repeat the same test... does it successfully register on Optus at 900 MHz?
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Radio issues...
Strictly on the band issue, I don't think they are that apart. A good radio would be able to handle it without being full SDR.
I agree partly on the point that these radios are somehow SDR for they do change the frequencie ranges by changing firmware.
A full SDR would be able to change even to CDMA or something else, not only the band!
If you want to challenge someone for doing something about it, ask for a full tri-band version of the Defy radio! (That I would ask for too!)
I intend to use my Defy originally 850/1900 over a 2100 network.
Well that's is my humble guess.
KMur said:
A full SDR would be able to change even to CDMA or something else, not only the band!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting, as if you go into the INFO menu and select "set preferred network type" one choice (which it will not allow) is CDMA. But it's there.
Which version of the Defy is UMTS 850/1900? I thought there was only 850/1700/2100 and 900/2100.
Also, pretty much all Androids have CDMA as a listed option, not because they're compatible, but because it's a testing menu that was designed to be applicable to a wide variety of phones.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
i am about to switch from the note 3 the only android phones i have used were from samsung so i am a total noob when it comes to the htc dev community...i am about to buy an m8 which is from verizon usa but is sim unlocked meaning it can work in my country pakistan...the questions i have are as follows
the phone is from verizon will i be able to flash all the custom roms like PA,CM and other AOSP roms?because in samsungs world there are different roms for tmobile etc.
will flashing roms affect my phones unlocked status?
can i turn my phone into a gpe edition phone?
if there are any other hiccups or bugs which i should check before buying the phone please fill me in folks.
First of you need to look at which bands are used in your country and compare them to the Verizon bands. Which can be found on google as I cannot link to other websites . Most countries outside of the US have carriers that use GSM networks so beware as verizon does not and uses a CDMA network. If you have a carrier in pakistan that uses GSM bands you can look at buying an AT&T version and look if bands coincide.
I would also suggest buying a unlocked phone which would make things much easier, as some custom roms cannot be flashed on the verizon/sprint version. If you want to flash custom roms you do need to unlock the bootloader. As I said above GPE roms usually do not work with verizon/sprint edition of a phone, as far as I know you can flash a GPE rom from phones on other carriers. Still I heavily suggest buying an unlocked phone.
I myself am using an unlocked HTC One M8 and have found no bugs whatoever and use a GPE rom and everything is smooth as silk. It's an amazing phone and worth the last penny but if your phone won't work with the bands in your country it's useless so be carefull!
If you can buy a used model with s-off. It'll save you any potential headaches.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
rodelisdeman said:
First of you need to look at which bands are used in your country and compare them to the Verizon bands. Which can be found on google as I cannot link to other websites . Most countries outside of the US have carriers that use GSM networks so beware as verizon does not and uses a CDMA network. If you have a carrier in pakistan that uses GSM bands you can look at buying an AT&T version and look if bands coincide.
I would also suggest buying a unlocked phone which would make things much easier, as some custom roms cannot be flashed on the verizon/sprint version. If you want to flash custom roms you do need to unlock the bootloader. As I said above GPE roms usually do not work with verizon/sprint edition of a phone, as far as I know you can flash a GPE rom from phones on other carriers. Still I heavily suggest buying an unlocked phone.
I myself am using an unlocked HTC One M8 and have found no bugs whatoever and use a GPE rom and everything is smooth as silk. It's an amazing phone and worth the last penny but if your phone won't work with the bands in your country it's useless so be carefull!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you for the reply i checked up on the bands and they said it is gsm supported and the bands were alright but i found the verizon thread and there was a very weak number of roms so im holding off .
hii guys ,,
im going to buy the HTC m8 next week
i'v seen many type of version of the phone
like AT&A , Verizone , Sprint , Google Edition
so anyone can tell whats the different between them if there any !!
thank you
I believe the hardware is the same on all M8 variants (apart from the dual SIM ones) so all the differences lie in the software side.
AT&T, Verizon and Sprint will have a few differences to each other due to the bloatware they decide to add in.
The Google Play Edition (GPE) is running vanilla android rather than Sense (the same as Nexus devices). As they're Google devices, they'll get updates quicker than the other M8 variants (just slower than Nexus).
There's the developer edition which runs Sense but comes with an unlocked bootloader and will get updates quicker than the other Sense M8's, but not as quick as the GPE.
Then finally there's the Windows M8. This is simply running Windows 8.1 (I think) instead of Android.
It would help to know what region you are located in.
Some of the US carriers (Verizon, AT&T) have their logo on the phone, so you might not like that. And there is some difference in the colors available (for instance Verizon has red, Sprint Harmon Kardon edition has black back and sides with gold front). Other than those minor cosmetic differences, the hardware is identical, from what I understand.
Band compatibility is different on each carrier version, but is software based and can be changed by installing the proper radio (S-off required, which will probably also require sunshine s-off, which costs $25 US).
And as mentioned, the only other difference is the stock ROM, which for US carriers will have their own carrier branding and (tons of ) bloatware. Again, easily changed with unlocked bootloader or S-off.
redpoint73 said:
It would help to know what region you are located in.
Some of the US carriers (Verizon, AT&T) have their logo on the phone, so you might not like that. And there is some difference in the colors available (for instance Verizon has red, Sprint Harmon Kardon edition has black back and sides with gold front). Other than those minor cosmetic differences, the hardware is identical, from what I understand.
Band compatibility is different on each carrier version, but is software based and can be changed by installing the proper radio (S-off required, which will probably also require sunshine s-off, which costs $25 US).
And as mentioned, the only other difference is the stock ROM, which for US carriers will have their own carrier branding and (tons of ) bloatware. Again, easily changed with unlocked bootloader or S-off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Software wise theres carrier bloatware on each device. But hardware wise the Verizon / Sprint ones have an added CDMA chipset and from what ive read they are different from the GSM units hardware wise.
Blowing a GSM rom into a CDMA unit will brick it, or so ive read.
IAmSixNine said:
hardware wise the Verizon / Sprint ones have an added CDMA chipset and from what ive read they are different from the GSM units hardware wise.
Blowing a GSM rom into a CDMA unit will brick it, or so ive read.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought and had heard the same as well (hardware difference between CDMA and GSM M8's). But several folks here have strongly claimed otherwise, that the radio difference is still in software; and that all M8's are the same hardware-wise aside from the dual SIM M8. So I'm not really sure what to believe.
That being said, the OP should probably get the version offered by their carrier, or intended for their region. Even if it can be "converted" by software, it just makes for less steps and less hassle. Unless there is some strong reason to do otherwise, like a much lower price.
IAmSixNine said:
Software wise theres carrier bloatware on each device. But hardware wise the Verizon / Sprint ones have an added CDMA chipset and from what ive read they are different from the GSM units hardware wise.
Blowing a GSM rom into a CDMA unit will brick it, or so ive read.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
redpoint73 said:
I thought and had heard the same as well (hardware difference between CDMA and GSM M8's). But several folks here have strongly claimed otherwise, that the radio difference is still in software; and that all M8's are the same hardware-wise aside from the dual SIM M8. So I'm not really sure what to believe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not too sure about this either. I've seen a lot of people saying they have the same hardware and seen a lot of people saying CDMA have different hardware.
KidCarter93 said:
I'm not too sure about this either. I've seen a lot of people saying they have the same hardware and seen a lot of people saying CDMA have different hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And I haven't actually seen any definitive evidence for either case.
Looking at specs, both (GSM and CDMA versions) use the same chipset (Qualcomm MSM8974AB). I would think if there was a difference due to CDMA, it would have a different chipset number. But that's just a guess.
OP should stick to the version that matches their carrier (GSM versus CDMA) to be safe.
redpoint73 said:
And I haven't actually seen any definitive evidence for either case.
Looking at specs, both (GSM and CDMA versions) use the same chipset (Qualcomm MSM8974AB). I would think if there was a difference due to CDMA, it would have a different chipset number. But that's just a guess.
OP should stick to the version that matches their carrier (GSM versus CDMA) to be safe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually thought the most "obvious" difference in hardware was the actual circuitry itself. They use similar components etc but the way it's "wired" is a bit different, but I don't recall where I got that info from
BerndM14 said:
I actually thought the most "obvious" difference in hardware was the actual circuitry itself. They use similar components etc but the way it's "wired" is a bit different, but I don't recall where I got that info from
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would be great if you could link the source, it would settle this debate.
So you mean the copper trace/tracks between components on the board are different? I would assume that some of components and/or the layout is also different, otherwise why have different trace paths?
The following teardown shows the layouts of the Verizon PCBs, but I can't find similar into for the GSM version to compare it to:
https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/HTC+One+%28M8%29+Teardown/23615
Anandtech actually has a great write-up on the differences between the various models.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7893/the-htc-one-m8-review
Specifically, the chart on the supported bands is useful.
Thanks for the help guys
I think all the versions supported here with operator, im located on Israel for now
If there is no hardware different is it possible to flash a firmware from Google edition HTC to another versions?
So I dont have to wait too long for updates
Thanks again
sparxx4 said:
Thanks for the help guys
I think all the versions supported here with operator, im located on Israel for now
If there is no hardware different is it possible to flash a firmware from Google edition HTC to another versions?
So I dont have to wait too long for updates
Thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The main difference in GSM version is the frequency/band it uses for 3G/LTE.
Everything about the GSM version is the same except for each have different frequencies enabled.
So find out in Israel what cellular company you will be using and what frequencies their 3G and what LTE band if any. Then you'll be able to pick which m8 is right for you.
jshamlet said:
Anandtech actually has a great write-up on the differences between the various models.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7893/the-htc-one-m8-review
Specifically, the chart on the supported bands is useful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what ever model its a amazing phone .
It is amazing indeed
It seem im getting the Gunmetal version
Any ideas about it!?
When an update roll out for HTC Google edtion is it possible to flash it on my phone after unlocking bootloader?
Thanks
sparxx4 said:
It seem im getting the Gunmetal version
Any ideas about it!?
When an update roll out for HTC Google edtion is it possible to flash it on my phone after unlocking bootloader?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gunmetal finish is available for a great many versions/regions, so telling us that alone doesn't say much.
But GPE full conversion is possible with unlocked bootloader and I think S-off also.
Hello,
given that:
(i) where I live the LTE version has similar or significantly lower prices than that Wi-Fi version, since it goes more often on sale
(ii) I do not plan to use LTE at all, I would be fine with a Wi-Fi only tablet;
(iii) I am not interested in replacing the stock ROM during the first one or two years of use;
(iv) I am a bit worried about the inferior custom ROM compatibility and support for the LTE version;
would it be justified to spend more for the Wi-Fi version only to gain a better custom ROM compatibility in the future?
Also I do not understand if T800 ROMs will work on the T805 apart from the LTE functionality.
I am quite undecided so I hope to get some advice.
Thank you in advance
Most custom t800 roms work just fine on the t805.
There are plenty of t805 roms available anyway.
I don't really understand what people want when they say custom rom or what they are actually expecting.
The stock rom can be modified and tweaked to suit most.
Custom roms are really not that necessary, I usually have more problems with them than anything else. Your main focus should be xposed compatibility and unlocked bootloaders. For example, if you're going to get a LTE version you need to make sure you get it from a known carrier that does not lock bootloader (such as t-mobile). Since you have no plans to use the LTE, make the smart decision of buying one that isn't locked.
Also, the LTE version uses Qualcomm processors, which means in theory it would have the best compatibility in applications because a significant chunk of Android uses Qualcomm in other brands.
Personally I went with the wifi only, because it was cheaper and it was only slightly slower than the LTE version.
Most LTE devices are Exynos not Snapdragon, in fact I'm not sure any of the 8.4 LTE models use Snapdragon.
Only the Sprint LTE model uses Snapdragon and that doesn't have a locked bootloader.
Does anyone know how much of the hardware (aside from the obvious exterior stuff & battery) is different? Mainly interested in the radios. I'm with Sprint but really interested in the S7A's durability and larger battery and there is one on Craigslist in my area for $150. With the normal S7, from what I've heard from other XDA threads, all the US versions are the same hardware wise and you can use Odin to flash the firmware of any US model onto any other US model and everything would work (example, flash G930P firmware onto a G930T to get sprint service or G930U firmware to switch between sims at will.)
So what happens if someone flashes another carrier's S7 firmware on the S7A?
NONE of the other S7 firmwares work on our S7Active(G891A)
not even the Qualcomm S7 variant will work, thinks its mainly due to button layout, which i presume changes things on touch screen too ? ..
so registers must be different etc plus sim/mem tray is in dif place remeber so there must a few hardware differences in there.. thus dif firmware ..
althou the underlying hardware is the same, and you probably 'could' port it, but thats not easy ! ..
PLUS .. there is only ONE firmware variant for the S7Active, and thats from AT&T ! as its an exclusive to them... (or is the rumor right its on Bell Cananda ? althou thats just a offshot of AT&T isnt it ??)
there isnt even a Simfree none branded S7active either !
but once carrier unlocked, it does work worldwide it seems