I was about to pull the trigger on the S22 Ultra but came across the X80 pro and did a lot of research - I'm now convinced it's the best camera phone currently on the market.
I noticed it's available on Amazon UK for £1200, but would prefer a decent contract. Has it not been officially released in the UK or why are none of the mobile companies offering them? Also saw it cheaper here, but it's from Hong Kong so worried about service in case there is an issue with the phone (got screwed by eGlobal some years ago):
Vivo X80 Pro 5G (Global Version) Dual SIM 12GB/256GB
Global version. 12GB Ram / 256GB 2nd batch pre order : Available to ship out 4th July, 2022
www.wondamobile.com
Its unlikely any of operators in the UK will offer the device (most providers will stock Oppo or Oneplus but never Vivo) and Amazon is your best bet or wait a few months for a discount
Odd. Best camera phone ever made, released for European market, and operators decide to skip. Samsung must be happy. Oh well, at least I will have something unique
I'm not sure about the policy of carriers in the UK with respect to provisioning VoLTE services for this phone. The Voice Over LTE (4G) toggle only appears in settings if the carrier's SIM enables the option. Without VoLTE switched on, you can connect on 4G and 5G for downloads, streaming, etc., but all voice calls will drop to 3G. Carriers around the world are beginning to shut down their 3G networks. They have all been decommissioned in the United States, and Canada is following suit in two years. T-Mobile in the US will provision VoLTE for this phone, but other American carriers won't. None of the Canadian carriers will provision VoLTE for this device. Without local 3G networks, if VoLTE is not enabled the phone will try to drop the call to a non-existent network and it won't go through. You may want to enquire with your UK carrier before ordering the phone.
I bought this phone last week from Amazon. I can confirm that VoLTE is available using the EE network.
Related
Hi Group.
I'm in a geographical predicament and thought your suggestions would be useful in purchasing my new phone... I am going to buy the Pixel XL, but don't know if I should buy it in the USA when I go or buy it in London where I live. I am Canadian and go back and forth quite often, but my homebase and Home is in London. Knowing that there are always two versions, North America and International, I was wondering which one I should buy... When in Canada I use Bell, and when in London (where I am 90% of the time) I am with 3 (Three.co.uk).
Which should I get/where should I buy it, seeing that I heard that sometimes the different versions burn battery life differently.
Thanks!
I'd say the main thing to consider (which I'm concerned about as well) is the Carrier Aggregation for LTE, I placed a preorder for the XL, but I won't be using it in the states. My carrier supports LTE Band 1 and 3, however if you look at the CA combinations in the technical specs, the US model won't support B1+B3 aggregation, only the international model will. You might be in a different boat though, so check your carrier's LTE Band support and see if the US model supports those for CA. US model is cheaper after all.
yeah it all comes down to the bands, as a rule the international always has more available bands, but there are still a handful that are exclusive to the US or International version, so all you can do is research what the networks you use work on and then go from there picking the version that has all the bands you need.
I have the Samsung Factory Unlocked version of the S20+ (model SG-M986U1).* This means the phone is not carrier-specific, it works on all carriers (CDMA, GSM) and supports both millimeter wave (Verizon 5G Ultra Wide UW) AND lower frequency band 5G (usually called Sub 6).* The 5G UW super fast network is typically only available in highly populated areas (cities) because it that frequency signal doesn't travel very far and is easily blocked by buildings.* However you will notce the Verizon 5G coverage map shows 5G as being pretty widespread across the country.* Most of that is their Sub 6 5G Network which was launched in mid October 2020.* The 5G Sub 6 network, to my understanding, is using some of the same frequency bands as 4G so essentially it's really an amped up 4G signal using what is called Dynamic Signal Sharing (DSS)*(A lot of people don't understand all this.)*
I'm curious if there's anyone on the forums with a factory unlocked version of the S20 (typically the model number I think has a U at the end instead of VZW) can confirm if their phone shows a 5G icon when you are in sub 6 5G or does it show "LTE+"* I read somewhere the unlocked phones show LTE+ because technically that is what Sub 6 band 5G using DSS really is and 5G in that case is more of a marketing term.* Because different carriers use different terms for different networks, the factory unlocked phones can connect to all the different 5G networks but they can't accomodate all the different marketing terms.* I'd also be curious if when connected to the millimeter wave 5G in the cities if these factory unlocked phones show the "UW" designation which is bascially a Verizon marketing term, or if the phone just shows "5G".
There was also an article that talked about these phones needing a software update to use 5G and supposedly the updates were pushed out right after Verizon announced their Sub 6 5G network launch in mid October. But the author wasn't sure if the Factory Unlocked non-carrier specific models would receive the necessary update. Considering Verizon and Samsung just signed a 6.5 Billion Dollar agreement for SAMSUNG to further build out their 5G network, I would be very surprised if it were the case the factory unlocked models didn't get the update.
My S20+ model SG-M986U1 is showing Service Provider SW Ver. SAOMC_SM-G986U1_OYN-VZQ_QQ_0027 wondering if that's the 5G compatible version?
The other thing is a lot of people just swap SIM cards when they get a new phone. With 5G in most cases, if your SIM card was issued may months ago, you need to go into the carrier store and have them give you a new 5G compatible SIM card. I honestly can't remember if my phone was showing LTE or LTE+ before and after SIM card change. I tested the bandwidth after the change and in a strong signal area got 60mbit download but I didn't have a pre-SIM swap test in that area to compare to unfortunately.
Well I feel like I'm going in circles but now found a Reddit thread that confirms what I originally suspected.
The Factory Unlocked (model ending in U1) S20 phones apparently have not got the update from Samsung yet to allow sub 6 5G connection. But there is a hack in that you can change the carrier network code to ATT even though you are on Verizon and it enabled the N5 band which is what Verizon uses for their "Nationwide 5G" To do this you dial *#272*your IMEI number# Then select ATT and Install and change network code only. Phone will reboot and now you will see 5G UW symbol.
I tried the CSC change on my factory unlocked S20+. I ran three successive bandwidth tests on bandwidthplace.com before and after the change so 3 times on VZW and 3 times on ATT. As others have alluded to the LTE DSS Sub 6 Flavor of Verizon 5G is on average about the same speed as 4G LTE+. So I just turned it back to VZW and will wait for the update from Samsung. I'm surprised a month and a half later it still hasn't got the update to allow N5 band on Verizon.
I'm also wondering is the S20 always show 5G UW when connected to any 5G including sub 6 5G and not actual millimeter wave ultra wide 5G? Or is that just a side effect of "spoofing" the ATT carrier code when actually on a Verizon network IMEI?
Hello Jazee, this is my first response to anyone on xda, and I know that by now you probably have your answer I notice this is an old post. I have an unlocked Samsung s20 5g. And depending on where I am, it says 4g let, and when I'm closer to the city, or hold my leg right(I live in the country), my phone shows 5g. It's shown lte+ before. I think it depends on your carrier. Some I've noticed share 4 and 5g lte simultaneously depending on the current speed. As you mentioned earlier, 5g signal doesn't put up a big fight when it sees a tree or building. Anyways, that's my 2 bits worth, hope this helped. BTW, lte+, when I get that, it is pitiful. Nothing like either 4g lte or 5g lte.
I am considering purchasing the OnePlus 9 or 9 Pro. As a longtime T-Mobile customer I want to know if the International version of the phone is 100% compatible with T-Mobile. I have read on some web sites that there are frequency bands missing on the International version that are supported on the T-Mobile version. I would prefer to buy the International version because updates would come sooner. Does anyone have any information on this? Thanks!
Yes, my last 2 Global OnePlus's works great with tmobile usa including 5g...
I used 3T, 5, 6T, 7Pro and 8Pro international version with TMO sim and no issues. All works great (in my area) including 5G. (not sure about the SA band on OnePlus though, only recently updated my sim card and 5G SA works on my international S21 Ultra).
You'll have to make sure you get a model with the right bands when it comes out.
I always buy from the manufacture. The mobile cell providers always have to add their crummy annoying software tweaks.
I do not case which one as long as custom recovery and custom rom are available
I'm also a long time T-Mobile customer, and I will always buy from the manufacturer going forward. T-Mobile puts too much crapware on the phones. I also like to root and mod my device, and it's a real pain to do that on a T-Mobile device.
Been on TMo for ages. Still will alway sbuy the unlocked international version.
I need unlocked/dual sim. If I buy the UK variant, SM-F926B/DS, will it work on AT&T network? Will I get 5G/LTE? Will it update? Thanks!
It should. The spec sheets for the phone does not show any variance in the radio's and frequencies they are compatible with in regards to where it's sold other than the ROM's with the carrier configurations pre-configured.
Doesnt the US version have a mmwave 5g antenna the UK version doesn't have?
If correct, how would this affect me? Thanks!
I would be very careful. In 2020 I bought unlocked Note 20 Ultra in Czech Republic and brought it to USA to be used on AT&T network. Unfortunately the 5G bands are not compatible and I didn't get 5G at all. Otherwise the phone works fine, you get LTE speeds and little bit spotty coverage. If you can live with that, you will be ok.
I use an international note 10+ n975f in USA on ATT and my line was shutoff last month because of a new company policy that will be fully in effect Feb 2022. Only u/u1 variants will work on their network...must have volte working and be a device provided thru ATT...not imported. I recommend a different carrier.
These phones will keep working on AT&T after the 3G network shutdown
AT&T will shut down its 3G network and require HD Voice support by February 2022. Check this list to see if your phone will make the cut.
www.xda-developers.com
It sucks. They did send me a free note 9, but...I need a new carrier.
Interesting. I’m on an unlocked, dual-SIM, Note 8, N950F which came from Singapore. I don’t remember how long I’ve had it, but I think it’s been around 5 years. It’s not a 5G device, but it is 4G/LTE and supports VoLTE. I think AT&T knows about it because I think I had to provide them with a S/N, M/N, and IMEI years ago. I’d like a 5G device and this one isn’t holding a charge for a full day anymore, but otherwise works fine on AT&T for now. I’d really like to stay with an unlocked, dual-SIM.
I bought the Pixel 6 Pro directly from Japan and use it. Currently, VOLTE is used through the MAGISK patch, but the 5G network is not available. Therefore, I have a question. Isn't there a way for Pixel 6 Pro to use 5G networks in areas where it hasn't been released?
Currently, the support bands for my carrier are N78 and N257
Not yet
Yes it works, for me in Europe, Austria.
I bought the phone in Europe, Germany.
Funnily I get 5G in Austria (where my carrier is) but not in any other countries e.g. Germany.
But that might be due to roaming. No idea.