Develop Bugs

International variants and warranty in the US?

Hi Guys,
As I understand it, if we buy the International, unlocked model, we can't get the Samsung warranty honored in the US. Is this correct? Has anyone successfully gotten lucky with Samsung honoring it?
And most importantly, have you guys tried and have had success with third party warranties like Square Trade and etc? ?
Thanks for your sharing your experiences!

ProFragger said:
Hi Guys,
As I understand it, if we buy the International, unlocked model, we can't get the Samsung warranty honored in the US. Is this correct? Has anyone successfully gotten lucky with Samsung honoring it?
And most importantly, have you guys tried and have had success with third party warranties like Square Trade and etc?
Thanks for your sharing your experiences!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3rd party should work. Samsung officially says they dont honor it but I've heard cases of good will happening where they do fix it. If you are that worried about warranty I would buy the locked US version. I'm buying the Dual Sim version and taking my chances. If its DOA then you can always return it to the original seller they normally accept 30 days issues.

I've owned Samsung international devices since the Galaxy S II. Not only do they not warranty devices sold outside their selling region they also don't service them at your expense. You can't even add an international device to your U.S. Samsung account. You're literally on your own with a Samsung international device in the U.S.

erootaku123 said:
3rd party should work. Samsung officially says they dont honor it but I've heard cases of good will happening where they do fix it. If you are that worried about warranty I would buy the locked US version. I'm buying the Dual Sim version and taking my chances. If its DOA then you can always return it to the original seller they normally accept 30 days issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BarryH_GEG said:
I've owned Samsung international devices since the Galaxy S II. Not only do they not warranty devices sold outside their selling region they also don't service them at your expense. You can't even add an international device to your U.S. Samsung account. You're literally on your own with a Samsung international device in the U.S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow thanks for your experiences guys! What a contrasting description . Do we know if 3rd party warranties work (for sure)? Any experiences to share?

Identifying U.S. Version

Hi,
I want to buy an HTC 10 through eBay or Amazon to save money. I don't want an international version because I understand that it can't use AT&T or Cricket LTE networks. The eBay and Amazon ads hardly ever say whether the phone for sale is a U.S. version or international version. Can anyone tell me how to identify the U.S. version of the phone, whether by UPC, model number or whatever?
Thanks
Ndmand

Ndmand said:
Hi,
I want to buy an HTC 10 through eBay or Amazon to save money. I don't want an international version because I understand that it can't use AT&T or Cricket LTE networks. The eBay and Amazon ads hardly ever say whether the phone for sale is a U.S. version or international version. Can anyone tell me how to identify the U.S. version of the phone, whether by UPC, model number or whatever?
Thanks
Ndmand
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might be able to find out from htc using the info you mentioned. They have a live chat, you could find out in a couple mins.

Ndmand said:
Hi,
I want to buy an HTC 10 through eBay or Amazon to save money. I don't want an international version because I understand that it can't use AT&T or Cricket LTE networks. The eBay and Amazon ads hardly ever say whether the phone for sale is a U.S. version or international version. Can anyone tell me how to identify the U.S. version of the phone, whether by UPC, model number or whatever?
Thanks
Ndmand
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get a close up photo of the back. US models in small lettering on the bottom say "Model: 2PS6500" International will say "2PS6200"
You could also ask for the IMEI (you should do this anyway to make sure the phone isn't blacklisted), and check it with ESN Checker which you can find here.

Thank You Both,
That's good advice. I am almost certain I saw one that was the htc2ps6500 version.
Ndmand

Galaxy s9 live demo

Hello Experts,
I have messed up I need some expert advice. I just bought an S9 live demo. I tried to installed stock filmware and now it is not working. It says installed unauthorized software and now it is not working please someone help me. How can I fix this issue.

How did you buy a live demo phone? Many times these phones don't even have all the hardware like the modem or antennas, plus many are stolen. You can't get support here for a possible stolen unit.

You can get demo units of phones in certain countries and online. I think they can be made to work as retail units. I don't know how.

If it's anything like the S7, there is no Modem in the demo units, and the Fingerprint reader didn't work
So no way to make calls or texts
You could however just flash the F firmware to them to remove the limits of the demo firmware iirc

did the sim card work?
here in Cyprus, they are using normal phones with the stock rom! and if there is no availability the offer you the demo mode(which is a normal phone 100% fully working) at lower price and beter warranty(from store)
try your luck by talking to the person you bought it or from Samsung directly!

Which model for use in the USA?

Hello,
I am quite interested in purchasing this device! I live in Washington D.C. and I was curious which model of the phone is best suited for use in America? I ask because I assume there are probably different model numbers depending on what region the phone is purchased from.
Thanks

cms062407 said:
Hello,
I am quite interested in purchasing this device! I live in Washington D.C. and I was curious which model of the phone is best suited for use in America? I ask because I assume there are probably different model numbers depending on what region the phone is purchased from.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SM-705MN or SM-705W
DO NOT BUY SM-705FN

JaY_III said:
SM-705MN or SM-705W
DO NOT BUY SM-705FN
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about SM-705GM?

omnomsky said:
How about SM-705GM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Link to where you see it please.
I cant find an FCC cert for that model and only see it listed on Samsung India's site:
https://www.samsung.com/in/smartphones/galaxy-a70-a705g/SM-A705GZWHINS/#specs
And from what I can see, that will not work in North America
good news is I found another version that should work so that brings us to
SM-705MN
SM-A705YN
SM-705W*
* for the SM-705W I have not seen the cert myself, but going off information another posted listed on XDA

Try this website https://sim-usa.mobi/phone-compatibility-check/
Sent from my SM-A705FN using Tapatalk

Will Samsung pay work on any of these?

Yes And No..
badrsj said:
Will Samsung pay work on any of these?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes Samsung Pay Works On The A70..
But... Samsung Pay is : "Region Specific" depending on Model in a given Region. . So, choose your model carefully.

RaiderWill said:
Yes Samsung Pay Works On The A70..
But... Samsung Pay is : "Region Specific" depending on Model in a given Region. . So, choose your model carefully.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the SM-705MN and i can confirm that samsung pay WILL NOT WORK here in the USA.
I was wondering if anybody had the M or W and if it worked on theirs?
And if so could we swap firmware?
or even possibly change the CSC with out flashing the firmware?

Devilmonkey27 said:
I have the SM-705MN and i can confirm that samsung pay WILL NOT WORK here in the USA.
I was wondering if anybody had the M or W and if it worked on theirs?
And if so could we swap firmware?
or even possibly change the CSC with out flashing the firmware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simply Put..
There is NO WAY, NO FIRMWARE SWAP, NADA... ZIP.. That Samsung Pay will work on ANY A70 in the United States Of America.
Period..
If Google Pay does not cut if for you.. time to return / sell your device and get a S6, S7, S8, S9, S10, Note 5, Note 8, Note 9, or wait for the Note 10.. if S-Pay means that much to you.
You can buy the A50 through Sprint.. and have a working Samsung Pay MINI in the U.S.A. as an alternative..
Until I found out Google Pay works in 99% of the place I personally shop.. I was going to return my A70 and go for one of the mentioned device listed above.
I still might... there is something just not feeling right about this purchase.. Great Battery, Fingerprint is Ok for me, Face Unlock is very fast.. even in the dark, 6.7 inch screen seems to be where screens are headed, Amoled is... Amoled the best. You can't root and trip knox, and use Samsung Pay on any device.. even though there appears to be a workaround for using Google Pay.. But I'm fine not rooting with Developer's not having any interest in this device and TWRP seems like a distant dream at this point..
So, why am I just not feeling this device?.. It seems perfect on so many fronts.. but.... with Prime Day coming in a couple of weeks.. and also having thoughts of spending $270.00 more and getting the One Plus 7 Pro.. I just don't know what it is about the A70 for me.. but something is missing at this price point..
Maybe the rumored A507 and A707 ( A50 and A70 ) updated models which are due out later this year will get sold through U.S. carriers or get offered by Samsung directly in the U.S.A. but I'm sure those will be Late 2019 releases. But if they do get released in the U.S. at least the A70 would have Samsung Pay support out of the box.

Sorry to bump an old thread, but just to be clear, the best model for use in the USA would be the SM-A705W (the Canadian model)?

leotakacs said:
Sorry to bump an old thread, but just to be clear, the best model for use in the USA would be the SM-A705W (the Canadian model)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The SM-A705MN/DS is the best for use in the US.

Galaxy S20 Plus 5G with Snapdragon in Europe

I need help understanding all the differences between the various S20 Plus 5G versions. I live in Italy and I want to buy the Snapdragon international unlocked but I miss some points in using an international version here where we can only find the Exynos one.
Speaking about the various names, so far I understood
Snapdragon 865 – 12GB RAM:
SM-G986U - Factory Unlocked from US
SM-G986N - South Korea (?)a lot of bloatware and a custom intro animation, so not the original and "pure" Android version(?)
SM-G9860, SM-G9868 - China, Hong Kong, Japan, Brazil
I've found a good price for the SM-G986N in a European store but I'm missing some details:
My phone will update as soon as the update is rolled out in Korea? And then about the bloatware, easily removable to make the phone lighter and snappier? Regarding this I was wondering if I can flash the US firmware or is it impossible due to hardware differences between the SM-G986N and the SM-G986U? I really miss this point, if there only are software-related differences between devices with the same CPU or also hardware ones.
I've found sometimes the US version in some stores but there were crazy prices or very limited availability.
Which version would you guys suggest me to go for? Thanks in advance for any answer.
EDIT #1 after chieco's answer: rootable phone isn't a priority

you need to get this model SM-G9860 because it has the least bloatware, SnapDragon aaaaaand most important, it can be rooted! Also since your warranty is handled thru the seller and not Samsung you don't need to worry about knox effecting your warranty.

chieco said:
you need to get this model SM-G9860 because it has the least bloatware, SnapDragon aaaaaand most important, it can be rooted! Also since your warranty is handled thru the seller and not Samsung you don't need to worry about knox effecting your warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the suggestion, I wasn't actually thinking aboutroot, but knowing I can do that if I want is certainly an added value!

ianeze46 said:
Thanks for the suggestion, I wasn't actually thinking aboutroot, but knowing I can do that if I want is certainly an added value!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SM-G9860 will get OTA Updates regardless of your Service Provider, it's Dual-SIM unlike South Korean Variant, it's less expensive than the SM-G986N or SM-G986U and it's as close as you'll get to a pure Android Device when compared to any other Samsung offerings. The only real disadvantages are it may not be 5G Compatible depending on your Service Provider and Warrant Repairs typically aren't handled by the seller unless you buy it directly from Samsung.

SM-GM9860 is the one you need.
I'm using it in the Netherlands and everything works like a charm.
Please do check beforehand whether the device supports all network bands that your telecom provider is operating on.
Forget about the SM-986N. It is single SIM and has a lot of Korean bloatware.

YH93 said:
SM-GM9860 is the one you need.
I'm using it in the Netherlands and everything works like a charm.
Please do check beforehand whether the device supports all network bands that your telecom provider is operating on.
Forget about the SM-986N. It is single SIM and has a lot of Korean bloatware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've only heard about Samsung Pay, it's the only feature that won't work here in Europe with the SM-GM9860 right? (There's Google Pay, so no problems with that)
All the other "Samsung's" ones like Knox, Pass etc. should work normally as far as I know. Can you confirm?
I checked the bands here in Italy and all should work normally. Thanks for sharing your opinion!

YH93 said:
SM-GM9860 is the one you need.
I'm using it in the Netherlands and everything works like a charm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you get it in a Dutch (online) shop (if so, where?) or did you import it?

ianeze46 said:
I've only heard about Samsung Pay, it's the only feature that won't work here in Europe with the SM-GM9860 right? (There's Google Pay, so no problems with that)
All the other "Samsung's" ones like Knox, Pass etc. should work normally as far as I know. Can you confirm?
I checked the bands here in Italy and all should work normally. Thanks for sharing your opinion!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure about Samsung Pay.
I've read some stories (can't recall on which forum) from European users who confirmed that Samsung Pay works fine on their Snapdragon S20.
I'm not using it myself so cannot confirm.
I can confirm though that the other features that you're mentioning work perfectly.
---------- Post added at 01:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:39 PM ----------
anandus said:
Did you get it in a Dutch (online) shop (if so, where?) or did you import it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I imported from HongKong via Wondamobile.com.
I can recommend this shop. They're very fast in shipping out the phone (took about a week to arrive), you don't pay any customs fees and they are very helpful in answering any questions you have.
The only thing I recommend to buy yourself if you order from Hongkong is a wallcharger that is compatible with the powersockets in your country.

Samsung Pay does work, you're only getting Hong Hong ads.