moved to Q&A
perrin_wolf said:
I'm looking a purchasing a Samsung Note II that will be used on AT&T network. Since my upgrade is a year away, I have a Skyrocket that's only a year old, this phone will be a full price for me. I'm trying to find out some specific questions on the different Note II phone types, euro vs North America and what preloaded software differences are between them.
* the Note II that I purchase MUST have 4G LTE (AT&T FINALLY turned on 4G LTE in North East OKLA about 4 weeks ago! ..LOVEING IT).
* 10 minutes after I purchase the phone and verifying that everything is in working order it gets rooted.
I can purchase the phone from AT&T for full retail for $649. Best Buy said they would match that price (we'll see if they really do). When at Best Buy I asked about the preloaded software on the Note II (sense they do not have a working model on the floor) I was told in a blunt tone that it was an AT&T phone so it would work on AT&T's network. So i got no help on that front.
Questions---
1. Is the AT&T Note II phone that Best Buy sells have the same preloaded junk that comes on the one at the AT&T store?
2. Is the AT&T Note II phone that Best Buy sells been stripped of some of the Note II futures like the one at the AT&T store?
-- I read on a Amazon review the following---- http://www.amazon.com/review/R2Q2WM4I4VO8J7/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R2Q2WM4I4VO8J7
Be aware that the AT&T version of the Galaxy Note II is currently missing various standard functionality that Samsung is marketing and the other major carriers provide- missing functionality include:
~Multiview
~Group Shot Camera mode - with the ability to change faces
~Mobile data toggle
~Blocking mode toggle
~Screen Recorder
Since I am trying to get the most bang for my buck (a lot of bucks) which Note II phone that will work on AT&T that has 4G LTE should I be looking at?
(note- I suffered waiting on an ICS update from AT&T, so not having to depended on AT&T for my Android updates is a big plus)
Any advise or pointers is appreciated
Thanks
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The Note II that is in the Best Buy and AT&T stores are going to be exactly the same. Given your concerns with the missing features compared to the international model, keep in mind once you root the device and install a custom recovery on it, you can flash N7105 ROMs to essentially make it function identical to the international model but with AT&T LTE. I've been doing that since I've had the phone and it works perfectly (No AT&T preinstalled apps and all the features you want): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2016575
TRF-Inferno said:
The Note II that is in the Best Buy and AT&T stores are going to be exactly the same. Given your concerns with the missing features compared to the international model, keep in mind once you root the device and install a custom recovery on it, you can flash N7105 ROMs to essentially make it function identical to the international model but with AT&T LTE. I've been doing that since I've had the phone and it works perfectly (No AT&T preinstalled apps and all the features you want): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2016575
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Cool thanks!
^^^ I don't even know why you bothered answering this absurdly asinine question. I'm questioning the seriousness of it. The entire OP statement was a grammatical nightmare. I just told my bestie what was asked, and after he died laughing, he ripped him to shreds. To suggest that Best Buy somehow had some control over what goes inside of a phone ... like they have their own phone service or software peripherals. I don't even know where to begin. Perhaps an iPhone 5 would be more akin to your needs, OP.
Everyone's got to start from somewhere, given the fact how much control U.S. carriers have over handsets to go as far as locking the bootloader or placing their company logo on the device's home button, it's a legitimate concern. As far as grammatical errors go, I've seen much worse.
If I'm not mistaken, Best Buy did sell devices that were exclusive to them such as a white HTC Incredible and a few other handsets.
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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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.
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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...
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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.
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Click to collapse
Hi all.
I'm sporting a Galaxy S3 and I believe it's time for an upgrade. I've been considering the Note 4 and it looks like a great phone. I was wondering, however, which version I should get. I'm on AT&T and the price for the phone is $845. I looked around a bit and unlocked versions of this phone are about $550. I would get the benefit of mobile insurance, should I want it, from AT&T, and maybe some support with them if the unit is faulty for some reason. But I'm not sure if it's worth the price difference. Why are the prices so different? And what are the differences between the AT&T version and the unlocked version?
Thank you in advance.
I'm happy with the Note 4 on AT&T, even without root, but if you can hold out, there's rumor that the Note 5 will drop in July. Also rumored is that it will have SD card slot.
Remember, the AT&T version is still unable to be permanently rooted nearly 9 months after release, so if that matters to you, stay away from it.
I was planning on getting new phones for myself and my wife. I was planning on buying a note 10+ and possibly a note 9 have seen a few posts about people getting unlocked phones like this on places like amazon and ebay having issues with Tmobile specific stuff like WiFi calling and Visual Voicemail. I have also seen conflicting info about being able to fix this with a firmware flash.
I know this thread is for the Note 10+, and I don't know if the info would be the same for the note 10+ and the note 9, but I read that the US model was basically the same hardware and you could flash it for whichever carrier you are using to get the version of Android tailored to that carrier. I was wondering if anyone could confirm if this is true or not. Also, I'm guessing that the unlocked version might have a slightly less bloated version of Android, so I'm wondering if it's possible to just keep it as-is and add in the features like Visual Voicemail.
When I get the phone, if any type of flashing is recommended, should I do it or anything else before putting my SIM card in and firing the phone up, or should I just do that first and see if the t-mobile specific stuff works before wasting time going any further? Any info is appreciated.
Hi everyone.
TLDR: Is it currently possible to root a Canadian (W) variant of the S22? I find the new XDA search hard to operate, but from what I see here and elsewhere US versions are a no-go, but I don't see the W version mentioned, so I want to clarify.
Long version: I've used Samsung devices for a long time, and mostly had Exynos variants. Problem is I live in Canada where the version is the Snapdragon one since the S8. This meant my S9 Exynos had horrible reception and compatibility with local carriers. When came time to update, I went for a Pixel 6 but there are things on there related to dual SIM usage that really bother me. I'm thinking of maybe going back to Samsung since we can now do DSDS with an eSIM and a physical one!
But... there's the question of root. I really want to keep root; don't really care about custom ROMs or tripping Knox for that matter, but I use root a lot in automation and backup, and that's something Samsung is horrible for, at least with stupid locked BL in North America. I want to weigh what's more important to me before I switch devices.
Edit: the reason why I don't want another Exynos is because of compatibility issues I've had in the past with carriers. On paper the phone should have been 100% compatible, but in reality it wasn't and had very weak signal. Carriers in Canada only support whatever phones they sell, even if you can use any device you want, so I'm trying to ere on the side of caution. That's why I'm weary of using an international version of SD as well, in the event those are also problematic...
Thanks!