Carrier unlocked AT&T M9 on T-Mobile - One (M9) Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Guys, I need help understanding whether or not the phones branded and sold by AT&T and T-Mobile are really the same hardware or not.
I'm in the U.S. I have a carrier-unlocked M9 originally sold by AT&T that is running the Developer's Edition ROM which I flashed via the DE RUU. I decided to get a plan on T-mobile temporarily so I could compare them to AT&T as far as performance and coverage is concerned. The phone recognized the new SIM and prompted me to select my carrier, which I did (T-mo) and I had good voice service, LTE coverage, etc. All sounds good so far, right?
Well, I was at work the other day and my friend has the S6 on T-mobile which he got from T-mobile. So we each did an LTE speedtest while we were both standing in the same spot and his speeds were consistently faster than mine. There was enough of a difference that it was obvious, meaning, like, if I was getting 20MBps down, he was getting 30. Or if I was getting 30MBps down he was getting 40. Something like that.
So, what is your opinion? Is the S6 just built with a faster set of hardware? Or, could my M9 not be 100% compatible with all of T-Mo's LTE bands? I am not that familiar with the subtle differences between these two carriers but clearly the M9 was able to recognize each carrier at least well enough to prompt me to select the right Carrier when the SIM is changed. I am currently under the impression that HTC makes phones for North America and not necessarily any carrier-specific variants (unless like, in order to support carriers using CDMA vs GSM.) Does anyone have more specific details?
If it matters, we're in the Denver, CO market.
If anyone knows of an app that can report on the current LTE status and give you the specific band you're leveraging, please LMK as that'd also be very useful.
cheers.

mrbillishere said:
Guys, I need help understanding whether or not the phones branded and sold by AT&T and T-Mobile are really the same hardware or not.
I'm in the U.S. I have a carrier-unlocked M9 originally sold by AT&T that is running the Developer's Edition ROM which I flashed via the DE RUU. I decided to get a plan on T-mobile temporarily so I could compare them to AT&T as far as performance and coverage is concerned. The phone recognized the new SIM and prompted me to select my carrier, which I did (T-mo) and I had good voice service, LTE coverage, etc. All sounds good so far, right?
Well, I was at work the other day and my friend has the S6 on T-mobile which he got from T-mobile. So we each did an LTE speedtest while we were both standing in the same spot and his speeds were consistently faster than mine. There was enough of a difference that it was obvious, meaning, like, if I was getting 20MBps down, he was getting 30. Or if I was getting 30MBps down he was getting 40. Something like that.
So, what is your opinion? Is the S6 just built with a faster set of hardware? Or, could my M9 not be 100% compatible with all of T-Mo's LTE bands? I am not that familiar with the subtle differences between these two carriers but clearly the M9 was able to recognize each carrier at least well enough to prompt me to select the right Carrier when the SIM is changed. I am currently under the impression that HTC makes phones for North America and not necessarily any carrier-specific variants (unless like, in order to support carriers using CDMA vs GSM.) Does anyone have more specific details?
If it matters, we're in the Denver, CO market.
If anyone knows of an app that can report on the current LTE status and give you the specific band you're leveraging, please LMK as that'd also be very useful.
cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
in a nutshell T-mobile branded phones use an AWS band that is not present on the AT&T and Developer edition phones
This AWS band is a 3G+ or 4G band that is faster than some LTE signals in certain markets.
The big factor in doing Speedtest.net is are you both connecting to the same server for the test
go to settings and change server to say Atlanta (comcast) and see if you both get different speeds

Related

Telus TP2 Radio(s)

Exactly what cellular radios does this phone [Telus TP2] have?
My carrier [Telus] has recently completed their 3G overlay, and I'm still showing "EV".
Should I be talking to them about fixing this, or...?
It was (is?) my understanding that this phone was fully 3G capable.
Can someone help me with this?
As far as I can tell, my phone should support the Telus overlay of HSPA on their CDMA network, however I'm showing "EV" an my network type on the notification bar.
I visited a Telus store, and talked to a rep, who just babbled to me about how my SIM was "registered" as a CDMA phone, and therefore I couldn't use HSPA.
>_>
Thoughts?
EDIT: The rep also fed me this convoluted bullsh*t about how when I'm roaming, I'll be able to be on HSPA networks, so I'll get better bandwidth roaming than on my home network...
Wow no one knows the answer to this?
I've searched, and there's no answer, per se, just descriptions of Telus' technology and the antennae in the TP2, which seems to indicate that the TP2 should be able to get on the Telus HSPA network...
I have a SIM-unlocked Telus Touch Pro2 I bought off Craigslist, figuring it'd be good to go when the HSPA network rolled out (Only four months later!). As I understand it, the telus model can make and receive calls on quad-band GSM frequencies, but only use EDGE speeds for data. Has to do with the firmware for the chipset inside the phone. The only HSPA 3G band the phone can use is 2100 Mhz, which is the bad used in Europe, not Canada. It's a major piss-off, especially when a month ago the stores made this out to be the top-of-the-line phone, perfect for ever and ever.
It would seem that should Telus decide to plug in some firmware upgrades, they could activate the new 3G bands, but why bother? We've already signed away our souls to the company.
Who knows, maybe they'll fix it when they release Windows 6.5 for our rig. Because that's on the top of the to-do list, right?
Well there are new radios that we could flash...would that change anything?
Now I may be misinformed but I think that the Telus version is a CMDA phone with GSM capabilites on some frequencies. I do not think it will work on HSPA in Canada as they use different frequencies (850 and 1900). This is why so many people were waiting for the ATT version to come out as it uses those frequencies.
Remember GSM does not equal 3G.
What I would like to know is whether the distinction between 3G and GSM is on the hardware side, firmware side, or software side. Telus would have you assume it's all the hardware's fault, but I'm not sure on that one.
From everything I have read its the chip in the phone that isnt programmed/capable of doing the frequencies required. It may actually be a second chip but I cant confirm that. Other posts have stated that there wont be a software fix to "unlock the frequencies" needed.
GSM is a cellular line and 3G is a data connection.
I just purchased an At&t Tilt 2 unlocked for use on Telus 3G+ network. The Telus Touch Pro 2 is a CDMA , Quadband GSRM and UMTS/HSDPA 2100. The Telus TP2 will only work with EVDO data on the Telus network. If you unlock it for use with Rogers it will work on GSRM with Edge data. That is why I have ordered the At&t Tilt 2. Unfortunately Telus won't honour my unlimited data plan and say it is only for EVDO and that I have to change to one of their current plans to have HSDPA. Like all of the networks, they get your money one way or the other. I'm pleased that with the Tilt 2 I am free to switch providers here in Canada and still get 3G as well as when I travel in Europe.

T-Mobile USA 1900 PCS Spectrum Refarm Statement

I thought people in the US looking to use the One X will love this, and I hope this will answer people's question regarding phone compatibility on T-Mo USA.
Today we have more than one million unlocked iPhones running on our network. T-Mobile currently offers microSIMs for customers who already have a GSM phone they want to use on the T-Mobile network, including an iPhone. In order to set up an unlocked iPhone on T-Mobile’s network, customers simply need to purchase a microSIM card and select a T-Mobile Value plan that suits their needs.
T-Mobile’s Value plans enable customers who bring their own smartphone, such as the iPhone, to save money. For example, T-Mobile’s Value family plan with unlimited talk, unlimited text and unlimited data with 2 GB of high-speed data is just $49.99 per line for two lines.
In addition, we will continue to deliver more value to customers as we expand and modernize our 4G network. Beginning this year, we will introduce HSPA+ service in our 1900 MHz PCS spectrum. When we do, our 4G network will be compatible with a broader range of devices, including the iPhone.
Source
this is actually good news for some people! I'm lucky enough to live in an area where the 1900MHz frequency is in used
Thank you for posting. This quote from the press release had many T Mo USA customers like me very excited of the possibilities. I import lots of cellys and only recently began to really focus on the appropriate 3g bands on my carrier as I simply cannot put up with 2g at alll.
I am very close to saying goodbye to my Sensation XE in favor of the One X....
Sadly, Boston Ma is still operating Edge/2g data from the 1900 band
What frequency does Tmobiles 2G/Edge service use? That's all that's available in my town
I think the 2G/Edge is 850/1900?
knightsray said:
What frequency does Tmobiles 2G/Edge service use? That's all that's available in my town
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
gwuhua1984 said:
I think the 2G/Edge is 850/1900?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup.
So will the one x work with T-Mobile hspa+
Sent from a guy living in a van down by the river
This is good news - IF we can get confirmation where they have actually rolled out the update.
Also, I wonder whether this phone can get a radio upgrade to enabled AWS on 1700? I know some Samsung devices (like the Note) can get flashed to add the band, would this be possible on the One X?
ScottC said:
This is good news - IF we can get confirmation where they have actually rolled out the update.
Also, I wonder whether this phone can get a radio upgrade to enabled AWS on 1700? I know some Samsung devices (like the Note) can get flashed to add the band, would this be possible on the One X?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The AT&T version will have the AWS and 2100 band on it so my hope is we will be able to swap the radio/modem with the One XL and get the bigger internal SD and built-in radio........crossing fingers!!!!
I don't believe that will be possible. There have been instances where a phone has landed on multiple carriers with certain bands disabled, however in this case, HTC has released separate architecture for the US/AT&T variant and so it's not like the 1700 AWS band is included in the LTE version and simply software disabled.
I did see that AT&T's version has the same exact radios as T Mobile's Amaze 4g (same AWS bands) so it will be interesting to see the phone itself can simply be unlocked and used with T Mo without flashing.
One last thing, T Mo has confirmed the refarming/reframing of their 1900 bands from 2g into 3g, it will only be a matter of time before we see the full deployment of 3g via 1900 band. Both phones may end up in the same price range (unless purchasing an AT&T model used) and so I'd rather have the unbranded 32 gig version.
The only thing is how long will you wait and be stuck on 2G until the refarm hits your area. Right now it's a slow roll out since most time is being spent on the LTE 2013 launch.
I do a lot of data things while i'm out and about, so EDGE speeds would kill me. I'm thinking now of just waiting to see what the SGS3 has to offer or the LG Optimous 4HD. I don't want to speed almost $700 for a phone i can't use data on.
If an unlock would open the AWS band for use on T-Mobile on the AT&T version then we could be able to flash the international version that has the S4 chip with the AT&T radio.
We'll see, since right now all we can do is hopeful speculation.
Same boat I was on when I imported my Desire HD. I was stuck on Edge until I got to my home or office. For most apps I utilize, it was not such a big deal, however YouTube and a few others was pure torture on just 2g.
I was so close to ordering a One X too... I'll keep my XE a little while longer though. I'm really not at all impressed with the One S. The One X is def my choice.
ge3kswag said:
The only thing is how long will you wait and be stuck on 2G until the refarm hits your area. Right now it's a slow roll out since most time is being spent on the LTE 2013 launch.
I do a lot of data things while i'm out and about, so EDGE speeds would kill me. I'm thinking now of just waiting to see what the SGS3 has to offer or the LG Optimous 4HD. I don't want to speed almost $700 for a phone i can't use data on.
If an unlock would open the AWS band for use on T-Mobile on the AT&T version then we could be able to flash the international version that has the S4 chip with the AT&T radio.
We'll see, since right now all we can do is hopeful speculation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If previous trends continue, the international SGSIII won't have T-Mobile bands either :/
joshnichols189 said:
If previous trends continue, the international SGSIII won't have T-Mobile bands either :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL!!!! I was thinking that too but i actually think that due to the LTE rollout the end of the year and beginning of next year will be awesome for T-Mobile. I know the G4X and the SGS3 has to be on T-Mobile, it's their best phone. I actually think that the next big windows phone will be something HTC and be on T-Mobile also. Also, I heard a lil hint from the Samsung rep of a T-Mobile Note. Guess we'll have to wait for CITA to see.
And a few years back you would have laffed at me but dude, the Huawei Ascend D is coming to T-Mobile and from rumors the processor kills all.........so lets be slightly optimistic hahahahahah
Not sure how helpful this is in clarifying anything, but there's a new post about this today at the T-Mobile forums.
http://support.t-mobile.com/thread/21487?start=30&tstart=0
atvxda said:
I don't believe that will be possible. There have been instances where a phone has landed on multiple carriers with certain bands disabled, however in this case, HTC has released separate architecture for the US/AT&T variant and so it's not like the 1700 AWS band is included in the LTE version and simply software disabled.
I did see that AT&T's version has the same exact radios as T Mobile's Amaze 4g (same AWS bands) so it will be interesting to see the phone itself can simply be unlocked and used with T Mo without flashing.
One last thing, T Mo has confirmed the refarming/reframing of their 1900 bands from 2g into 3g, it will only be a matter of time before we see the full deployment of 3g via 1900 band. Both phones may end up in the same price range (unless purchasing an AT&T model used) and so I'd rather have the unbranded 32 gig version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's just reiterating what they've said before. The question still remains as to what the timing and geography will be. I'd imagine it'll be great for people in major markets where T-Mobile will focus the majority of their energy. But people who travel a lot, especially to secondary and tertiary markets, may have a long wait until T-Mobile's 1900Mhz coverage is everywhere. It's better than nothing but still a long ways from being competitive.
"Select areas of Washington State, California, Nevada and Arizona are currently the only places with refarmed spectrum. Users in those affected areas are reporting reliable, HSPA+, 4G level speeds on their iPhones within the currently, largely undocumented, coverage area.
According to my source, it is anticipated that by as early as October of this year that T-Mobile will have their spectrum refarming efforts completed. At that point, T-Mobile's network will support all quad-band GSM/UMTS banded handsets, including Apple's iPhone."
http://www.informationweek.com/byte/news/personal-tech/smart-phones/240000527
Yeah, Its going to be a while. I think there are a few places in Cali somewhere that they have done this already. By the time they finish this a good majority of us will probably be on a different phone so it doesnt really do anything for us.
I was with t-mobile until I Purchased the One X international and moved to straight talk. I will probably move back to T-mobile once they finish this and plan on buying unlocked phones from now on.
Being on AT&Ts network in Downtown Chicago Sucks ass. Although when Im downtown Im usually on wifi at work so its not a huge deal. Still annoying though.
so if I were to get a One X now which one should I buy for it to work with 4g when t-mobile refarms the 1900 band? ATT or International?
AT&T's One X and the international One X will both give you 2g/Edge data for the time being.
Considering T Mobile USA is reframing 3G & HSPA+ traffic to 1900 MHz (currently utilized by T Mobile USA exclusive for 2g), both are solid options as at some point later this year, both will be receiving 3g data. However, AT&T's One X will have to be unlocked in order for you to use it with T Mobile whereas the international One X is already unlocked.
Remember, both devices are not identical. The international One X has a QUAD core Tegra 3 processor vs AT&T's DUAL core Snapdragon and the international One X has 32 Gigs of internal vs AT&T's 16

[Q] Frequency Question for Sim Unlocked TMO S4

Hi Everyone and thanks in advance,
I have a T-Mo Galaxy S4 that was SIM unlocked through unlockerDotnet.
I've heard that the T-Mo S4 is better than AT&T for a variety of reasons, but more importantly that it picks up all of T-Mobiles HSPA+ along with AT&T's network. So in theory, having it sim unlocked, I could fully utilize t-mobile's service and at&t's service to their full potential. Can anyone confirm this?
Reason I ask was I was speaking with a TMO rep once and he said the international unlocked version wouldn't pick up on the full spectrum of TMO frequencies, but it should be fine with AT&T. Ideally I want to get into a situation where I have the option to jump between the two through their full spectrum, or any mvno's that use their towers as well.
Thanks for the clarification! Details and specifics appreciated!
aranock said:
Hi Everyone and thanks in advance,
I have a T-Mo Galaxy S4 that was SIM unlocked through unlockerDotnet.
I've heard that the T-Mo S4 is better than AT&T for a variety of reasons, but more importantly that it picks up all of T-Mobiles HSPA+ along with AT&T's network. So in theory, having it sim unlocked, I could fully utilize t-mobile's service and at&t's service to their full potential. Can anyone confirm this?
Reason I ask was I was speaking with a TMO rep once and he said the international unlocked version wouldn't pick up on the full spectrum of TMO frequencies, but it should be fine with AT&T. Ideally I want to get into a situation where I have the option to jump between the two through their full spectrum, or any mvno's that use their towers as well.
Thanks for the clarification! Details and specifics appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-Mobile's phone will work on both AT&T and T-Mobile however im not sure if the 4g LTE will work on AT&T's Network but either way you will only be able to use one or the other at any one time.

International Note 5 N920i on AT&T

Because I hate the idea of having a neutered AT&T Note 5, I bought an international variant (N920i). It appears the LTE bands are all compatible between the two. I will let everyone know how it turns out. If you already have experience with this, let me know.
EDIT: Yes, N920i works without any modification on AT&T
When does it arrive?
Thats very interesting.
from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using XDA Free mobile app
First half of this week hopefully!
Please keep us posted.
@alaskajoel Le us know if you have any signal issues.
The T Mobile S6 Edge on AT&T network gave me some issues. Calls would take 30 seconds to dial out and phone did not ring a bunch.
martinezma99 said:
@alaskajoel Le us know if you have any signal issues.
The T Mobile S6 Edge on AT&T network gave me some issues. Calls would take 30 seconds to dial out and phone did not ring a bunch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will do. Should be in my hands tomorrow.
Here goes. N920i 64GB
EDIT:
LTE Working with attnextgenphone APN. Made a few phone calls, received one, and so far no odd problems.
I don't see the LTE on the signal bar are you sure it's on LTE?
---------- Post added at 05:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:48 PM ----------
May I ask where you purchased this version?
eroracing said:
I don't see the LTE on the signal bar are you sure it's on LTE?
---------- Post added at 05:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:48 PM ----------
May I ask where you purchased this version?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LTE showing up on the signal bar is a Domestic device visual. International versions Show E (edge) 3G, H+ (Faux G) and 4G for LTE.
If you are still unconvinced, my service mode presently shows I am on LTE Band 4. Download speeds at 40mbps this evening. No carrier aggregation unfortunately, but I also didn't have it on my Nexus 6 or the GS6.
I purchased the phone from a seller in Hong Kong via Ebay.
Awesome! Enjoy!
Yep, just like the International S6 G920I that supported AT&T LTE
Sent from my SD4930UR using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
This is excellent news. How much did you pay for that bad boy? Please go to dev settings and see if "allow OEM unlock" is in the options. Thank you.
seh6183 said:
This is excellent news. How much did you pay for that bad boy? Please go to dev settings and see if "allow OEM unlock" is in the options. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
~$900 USD. OEM Unlock is an available option in Developer Options.
I thought I'd give this thread a small bump as I'm about to pull the trigger on an international N920I as well.
My question stems from simply being new to importing phones and having to pay attention to bands. I have bene following this thread closely, and it seems as though the N920I performs well on the AT&T network, but is it the same as if I had bought one from AT&T? I ask only because it was just mentioned that this phone does not have Carrier Aggregation.
I'm not certain what carrier aggregation is (I looked it up on google but couldn't find much to answer my question). Does this mean that it will perform more slowly on US networks?
Also a final question, if anyone is willing to answer it. What is the region-locking situation on this phone? I have read mixed reports about people being stuck with phones that they cannot use because it was not activated with a compatible SIM, and some people that say they have had no problem. I don't want to drop $900 on this device and not be able to use it.
Diraan said:
I thought I'd give this thread a small bump as I'm about to pull the trigger on an international N920I as well.
My question stems from simply being new to importing phones and having to pay attention to bands. I have bene following this thread closely, and it seems as though the N920I performs well on the AT&T network, but is it the same as if I had bought one from AT&T? I ask only because it was just mentioned that this phone does not have Carrier Aggregation.
I'm not certain what carrier aggregation is (I looked it up on google but couldn't find much to answer my question). Does this mean that it will perform more slowly on US networks?
Also a final question, if anyone is willing to answer it. What is the region-locking situation on this phone? I have read mixed reports about people being stuck with phones that they cannot use because it was not activated with a compatible SIM, and some people that say they have had no problem. I don't want to drop $900 on this device and not be able to use it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My data speeds and reception have been the same as my nexus 6 and girlfriend's GS6 (purchased from AT&T.) Carrier aggregation allows for next generation LTE, but I have yet to own a phone, AT&T branded or otherwise, that supports it in my area. It might just be that there is no support for it in my city, but I'll be in Chicago In a few weeks and will try to investigate it there.
I can't speak to the region locking. All I know is my phone was completely sealed and worked 100% right out of the box with only putting in an AT&T SIM card.
alaskajoel said:
My data speeds and reception have been the same as my nexus 6 and girlfriend's GS6 (purchased from AT&T.) Carrier aggregation allows for next generation LTE, but I have yet to own a phone, AT&T branded or otherwise, that supports it in my area. It might just be that there is no support for it in my city, but I'll be in Chicago In a few weeks and will try to investigate it there.
I can't speak to the region locking. All I know is my phone was completely sealed and worked 100% right out of the box with only putting in an AT&T SIM card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the quick reply. I think I'll put in an order right now.
Samsung Pay
I'm glad to hear that the N920I works on AT&T on the LTE band. I considered getting the International version. However, there is something else that I am concerned about...and that is Samsung Pay that will be coming late September. I believe carriers have to allow (or configure) Samsung Pay to work. For example, Verizon may not be supporting it, at least that's what's traveling around the net. Also when I had the International Galaxy S3 on AT&T, Google Wallet didn't work, it only worked on AT&T versions at that time. Unfortunately, we won't know until Samsung Pay is available, but I wonder if it will work on the N920I?
Awesome news. can you please tell me if VOLTE works on AT&T or if you even had the option for HD calling? Settings should be found under data options.
Thanks in advance.
For those wondering, if you use an N920I on AT&T, there are a few things you should know.
1. Since this is an international model, the signal indicators are different than what we're used to seeing in the US. The SM-N920I shows the following indicators for mobile data:
E - This means you have a 2G/EDGE connection
3G - This means you have a UMTS connection with no HSPA
H+ - This means you have an HSPA+/Faux 4G connection
4G - This means you have an LTE connection
2. Phone calls will not work over LTE (VoLTE), and, by extension, HD Voice doesn't work either. The VoLTE and HD Voice components are proprietary software that is only built into the AT&T-specific ROM on the SM-N920A.
3. The phone DOES support carrier aggregation (otherwise known as LTE-Advanced), but not on AT&T's bands. Considering that the SM-N920I is intended for retail in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore, the baseband firmware is tweaked to do carrier aggregation on band pairs that are common among carriers in that part of the world.
So, what does this all mean? If you want a phone that has support for all the bleeding-edge technologies on AT&T's network (VoLTE, HD Voice, LTE-A), then you have no other choice but to buy an AT&T-branded SM-N920A. However, if you want faster updates, no carrier bloat, no carrier branding, an unlockable bootloader, and don't mind sacrificing the whiz-bang stuff on the network side of things, then an SM-N920I will work just fine. Put your SIM card in, you'll get LTE data on all of AT&T's available bands, and you'll be able to make and receive calls over the HSPA+ network. You're just not going to have all the latest carrier-marketed bells and whistles that you'd get if you bought a proper AT&T-branded SM-N920A.
At this point, I *should* rant about how stupid it is that Samsung refuses to sell SIM-free, unlocked versions of their phones via US retail channels. That's what forces us to go through these 3rd party importers to get the international models that aren't really tweaked for the US carriers. Alas, I'm not going to go down that road, though. It's a tempest in a teapot.
oldblue910 said:
1. Since this is an international model, the signal indicators are different than what we're used to seeing in the US. The SM-N920I shows the following indicators for mobile data:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Translation: On the 920i/c, the signal indicators follow the international standard of "4G" being "LTE", and not the AT&T/TMO marketing fiction of "4G" being what everyone else calls "3.5G".
As for the rest of your points, I have to wonder how well deployed VoLTE is on AT&T (and I don't think AT&T has even started LTE-A yet, have they?)
I live in a somewhat rural area, and I'm just thrilled I have LTE.. which beats the "no signal" I get with other carriers. I don't know that I've ever experienced VoLTE. (Then again, I can't remember the last time I actually had a voice conversation with my phone.)
oldblue910 said:
At this point, I *should* rant about how stupid it is that Samsung refuses to sell SIM-free, unlocked versions of their phones via US retail channels. That's what forces us to go through these 3rd party importers to get the international models that aren't really tweaked for the US carriers. Alas, I'm not going to go down that road, though. It's a tempest in a teapot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, but why not?! We really need some more activity in the AT&T Note5 section.

[Q] Best way to get a phone that will work with Verizon and all LTE bands overseas

I've really enjoyed my S7 and want to upgrade to the S9. Later in the year I'll be overseas for almost a year, so I want something that will work with all Verizon bands of LTE, but also not have a firmware lock that would cause it to not work on other bands of LTE overseas. (planning to just use prepaid dataplan sim cards overseas)
I think my two options are to either get a US 'unlocked' version or wait for the 'international' version. My understanding is the primary differences between the unlocked and international version is the 2G/3G coverage for CDMA and possibly slightly different hardware. I'd rather have a phone with CDMA backwards capability, but my prime concern lacking full access to all LTE bands available wherever I am.
I'm not really interested in going any route that would require me to root the phone if there is a way to do it without.
Well the only way to get VZW compatibility is the VZW phone or a US unlocked model. So you're looking at the US Unlocked model at this point.
A listing of all the different model numbers available (per country and carrier) is available here: https://www.techwalls.com/samsung-galaxy-s9-sm-g960-g965-model-number-differences/
You will probably want to get the phone that works with your primary location the most. I am not sure which countries use which frequencies for LTE in Europe; you will need to research that to see what you may be missing out on.
With my T-Mobile S7, I haven't had any issues when traveling in Europe or Asia. It connects to LTE usually.
So I just did a deep dive of that list:
It looks like the Verizon and Unlocked versions are almost identical (the unlocked US version has B46(5200) 4G TDD LTE, but I'm not sure anyone who uses it)
Looking at 4G FDD LTE it looks like a Verizon or US unlocked phone will have almost complete coverage around the world, notable gaps are B30(2300) in China/Canada/US AT&T, B32(1500) in UK and B71(600) (US Tmobile). I thought that was a bit confusing as you'd expect a US Unlocked phone to service all LTE bands available in the US yet it lacks AT&T and Tmobile bands.
So based on all that information looks like I should just get an unlocked US phone to be totally safe, and I'd likely also be fine getting a Verizon version also.
StykerB said:
Well the only way to get VZW compatibility is the VZW phone or a US unlocked model. So you're looking at the US Unlocked model at this point.
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Relcan said:
So I just did a deep dive of that list:
It looks like the Verizon and Unlocked versions are almost identical (the unlocked US version has B46(5200) 4G TDD LTE, but I'm not sure anyone who uses it)
Looking at 4G FDD LTE it looks like a Verizon or US unlocked phone will have almost complete coverage around the world, notable gaps are B30(2300) in China/Canada/US AT&T, B32(1500) in UK and B71(600) (US Tmobile). I thought that was a bit confusing as you'd expect a US Unlocked phone to service all LTE bands available in the US yet it lacks AT&T and Tmobile bands.
So based on all that information looks like I should just get an unlocked US phone to be totally safe, and I'd likely also be fine getting a Verizon version also.
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So I'm new to Android but i use Verizon prepaid. Will I lose anything by going with the unlocked version or should i stick with a Verizon S9?
I don't use video calling. All i do is text and talk but I've heard that people on Verizon prepaid have issues with unlocked Android phones.
Thanks
Would Wifi Calling work with the US unlocked on verizon? I thought that required a Verizon FW to be flashed. I imagine all the other features such as voLTE / HD calling, etc to work on the US unlocked.
testinguser said:
Would Wifi Calling work with the US unlocked on verizon? I thought that required a Verizon FW to be flashed. I imagine all the other features such as voLTE / HD calling, etc to work on the US unlocked.
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Curious about that also
testinguser said:
Would Wifi Calling work with the US unlocked on verizon? I thought that required a Verizon FW to be flashed. I imagine all the other features such as voLTE / HD calling, etc to work on the US unlocked.
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Throwinrocks said:
Curious about that also
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I did a cursory review of the wifi-calling FAQ on their website. They don't mention anything about compatibility with Unlocked versions of phones (that I saw). I'd call tech support to ask, but I'd expect there to be a 50% chance of getting the wrong answer from the tech based on my interactions with their support.
There might be some good experience based anecdotes in the Galaxy S8 forum, if it works on an unlocked S8 its a safe bet it will work on an unlocked S9
I think I'll ask in the Verizon subreddit, it seems like they normally have really good information as well.
I'm mostly curious about the LTE TDD Band 46 (5200) - its the only band an unlocked US phone has that a Verizon phone doesn't. 5200 is in the U-NII frequency range, no cellphone service providers use it, but I wonder if it may be used for local LTE networks in the near future. The other advantage is avoiding all the verizon bloat wear, but that may be what allows the Wifi Calling to work!
All this has me thinking I might have to add the extra $80 and just buy the Verizon version. I don't get phones on contract and I've always just paid full price. (Page 2 404 error?)
Apparently the Nov/Dec Samsung s8 firmware update added an option for BYOD carrier provisioning for unlocked s8. Given the similarity, I'd imagine the same to be true for s9. Can someone who has an unlocked s8 confirm?
Well after a little more research I see that if you use Verizon prepaid you lose visual voicemail and WiFi calling even if you use a Verizon phone so there's no need in me paying extra for a Verizon S9. Unlocked it is.
Throwinrocks said:
Well after a little more research I see that if you use Verizon prepaid you lose visual voicemail and WiFi calling even if you use a Verizon phone so there's no need in me paying extra for a Verizon S9. Unlocked it is.
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You might wanna check this as Verizon is starting to implement network locks on some devices as to deter thefts more
Dont know when or what devices but it was a statement Verizon made
So, you're saying the prepaid SIM might not work in an unlocked S9?
I don't think Verizon is keeping Verizon prepaid SIMS from working in unlocked phones they are just locking their phones like Sprint and AT&T still do.
I had no problems with my unlocked Pixel 2 XL that I purchased from Google and my Verizon prepaid, just no visual voicemail.

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