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Samsung Galaxy S or Captivate?

Hello, I need some help in choosing my new phone I have an opportunity to buy Samsung Galaxy S for $700 here in Russia but I really don't like its iPhonish design but it's possible to buy some replacing backplates and firmware support is better than Captivate's one I think.
And I really love the Captivate's design, it really looks fantastic! But I am not really sure if it will be unlockable by the end of this summer when I come back home, so it's very risky.
Advise me something, please
P.S. Sorry for 2 themes in different thredes but I really have only 1 day to choose.
btw Samsung Galaxy S is HSDPA 900 / 1900 / 2100
so it's better to buy AT&T Data plan for 3g internet? because t-mobile has 1700/2100 and is 2100 enough for normal 3g?

If you're interested in the Captivate and are buying it outright ($500, so it's a bit cheaper), I would get a commitment from AT&T that they'll allow you to unlock it first. I read here somewhere that AT&T said they have a 10 month exclusivity contract with the Captivate and there won't be any unlocks until then. I agree with you, I like the Captivates design a ton compared to the other Galaxy S phone designs.

Is gyroscope so important in Captivate and has anybody tried to use Samsung Galaxy's face camera?

I would go with the galaxy s if i could. More broadly released and has that physical homebutton which i feel is much needed.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

why does the international version of galaxy s does not have the gyro where the US branded versions have it? Moreover, the US version has 6 axis where as the international one has only 4

The gyro is what gives it the extra two axises.

[Q] Buying a no-contract smart phone

I'm a T-Mobile Prepaid customer using a simple $19 phone but am planning to purchase a no-contract smart phone, say Samsung Galaxy S 2 or HTC Amaze 4G.
If I buy one of these for T-Mobile Prepaid, am I locked in there, or the phone is useful even if I might move onto another carrier such as Verizon or ATT, or to another Plan within T-Mobile later?

xdabyk said:
I'm a T-Mobile Prepaid customer using a simple $19 phone but am planning to purchase a no-contract smart phone, say Samsung Galaxy S 2 or HTC Amaze 4G.
If I buy one of these for T-Mobile Prepaid, am I locked in there, or the phone is useful even if I might move onto another carrier such as Verizon or ATT, or to another Plan within T-Mobile later?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No you are not locked in if you buy a phone off contract. You will not be able to move to verizon or sprint with the phone though, because they use CDMA and not GSM like the rest of the world.

you can outright buy the phone, but check to see if they have a pre-paid plan/data plan for that phone, it will not be unlocked so you cannot move. You can request t-mobile to unlock it though, but you will not get the same 4g speeds

Please use the Q&A Forum for questions Thanks
Moving to Q&A

lowandbehold said:
No you are not locked in if you buy a phone off contract. You will not be able to move to verizon or sprint with the phone though, because they use CDMA and not GSM like the rest of the world.
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Click to collapse
Thank you. Does that mean I can use the Samsung Galaxy S2 No-Contract Model I buy from/for T-Mobil Prepaid now for other carriers of GSM? May I understand from your reply message(s) that T-Mobile is a GSM format carrier(and so is AT&T?) as opposed to Verizon and Sprint being a CDMA guys? If so, I can use the phone as long as my next carrier is a GSM guy? Does this make sense?

djjuice said:
you can outright buy the phone, but check to see if they have a pre-paid plan/data plan for that phone, it will not be unlocked so you cannot move. You can request t-mobile to unlock it though, but you will not get the same 4g speeds
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To: djjuice -
Thank you. I will do some homework in order to understand what "locked", "unlock" and " . . . will not get the same 4g speeds" mean.

Even unlocked the phone may not support the 3G or "4"G data speed between TMobile and AT&T. The AT&T Galaxy S II will not run on TMobile 3G data, only Edge (2G) data, because they run on different frequencies, same thing with the TMobile Galaxy S II does not support AT&T frequencies. If you buy the phone off contract from TMobile, they should unlock it for you, but there is no guarantee it will work (fully) anywhere else.
If you buy a phone off of craigslist even though you are buying it off contract you cannot guarantee it can be unlocked freely. For example if you buy an AT&T phone used from someone, AT&T will not unlock it for you for free until it's a certain number of months old (based on when the first person bought it from AT&T). You would have to pay a third party for an unlock code (if there is no help here on xda to unlock it).
It's best to just buy a phone for the carrier you plan on using. That ensures its going to work, and that it will work at full speed. If you really think you are going to switch to AT&T buy one of their branded phones, or Verizon etc. Verizon and Sprint both use CDMA, but they are very resistant to allowing another carriers phone on their network. Plus their 4G networks are different types (Verizon uses LTE, Sprint WiMax) so they wouldn't work fully regardless.

Thank you, quarlow.
My budget is around $600 max. So I'm inclined to purchase an HTC Amaze 4Z or Samsung Galaxy S2 for use for T-Mobile Prepaid at Target or at T-Mobile. T-Mobile Net Shop is selling Galaxy S2 Re-Furbished at a discount price. Hear Galaxy S2 have high rate of initial failures and therefore maybe better to buy a re-furbished one that has failed once and was repaired by qualified repairman. Below is how I come to think of buying a smart phone now. I've been happy with a simple prepaid phone buying 100 minutes at a time, which lasts more than a year for me. I also use a Sony Clie, a PDA running Palm Desk Top, which has gone obsolete long time ago. With a smart phone such as Galaxy or Amaze 4Z, I can leave not only the PDA but also a digital camera home. I do not need to access my PDA data over internet. I will import necessary data from my PC to my new smart phone either via cable or via WIFI before going out. That's why I want to remain "Prepaid Customer" not a customer with monthly fees. (Besides, I am not so much interested in leaving my data at ISP's servers.)
Thank you.

I haven't heard of high failure on the Galaxy S II's for TMo. But I have seen several studies showing refurbished devices have lower failure rates because they can have problem components replaced, and have to pass full qa testing twice.
If you are going to put all your data on your phone via USB on the computer, or wifi, then data compatibility won't matter. That changes the whole issue of taking it to another carrier. Any att or TMo phone that is unlocked will make and receive phone calls, text messages and mms messages just fine on the other network. You will only notice the difference when web browsing, or downloading files. If you aren't going to do that, then it wont make a difference.
Knowing that and your budget I would say get a international version of the phone. Get the Galaxy S II (i9100), or the Galaxy Note, or the Galaxy Nexus. All of those phones are top tier, and international versions will receive updates quicker. The Nexus being the Google device will be the first ICS device to get the next version of android, so its the most future proof. The GSM version of any of those phones will likely come unlocked.
The i9100 has a 4.3" screen, and 1.2Ghz dual core Exynos chip. The TMo version has a 4.5" screen (same resolution) with 1.5Ghz dual core qualcomm chip. The bigger screens did have issues with splotches and vertical lines far more than the 4.3" screen. With them being the same resolution the smaller screen is crisper. The Exynos chip is made by Samsung and widely regarded as the better chip, even at a slower speed. It also comes with a more powerful gpu than the qualcomm chip. So, the graphics are better, and games run better. The att version (i777) is almost exactly the same as the i9100, except it has the U.S. norm of 4 buttons, vs the international 3 buttons. The dev support on xda for the i9100 is unmatched by any other phone, its an amazing device with a huge support and user base.
The Galaxy Note is a 5.3" half phone half tablet with a stylus, and 1.4Ghz dual core Exynos chip. Its screen is a whopping 1280x800 resolution. But, for some that's too big.
The Galaxy Nexus has a 4.65" screen with 720p resolution (this screen is pentile which means it doesn't have as many sub pixels as it could. Its hard to explain, Google pentile vs rgb and there should be plenty of explinations. But, most reviews say at that resolution you need a microscope to tell). But the real strength with that device is that its the pure Google device. Its running Android the way its meant to be ran, unbloated and unrestricted. That is the Rolls Royce of Android phones for the next year. The Nexus S is last years Google device, and will be the first gingerbread device with an official ICS upgrade, if it isn't already upgraded. Its like a Mercedes at this point, its got the pure android experience, but its running last years tech: 4" screen, 1Ghz single core hummingbird chip.
I'm sure that is way more information than you ever wanted to know, but I hope it helps.
Sent from my Galaxy S II (i777)

quarlow said:
Even unlocked the phone may not support the 3G or "4"G data speed between TMobile and AT&T. The AT&T Galaxy S II will not run on TMobile 3G data, only Edge (2G) data, because they run on different frequencies, same thing with the TMobile Galaxy S II does not support AT&T frequencies. If you buy the phone off contract from TMobile, they should unlock it for you, but there is no guarantee it will work (fully) anywhere else.
If you buy a phone off of craigslist even though you are buying it off contract you cannot guarantee it can be unlocked freely. For example if you buy an AT&T phone used from someone, AT&T will not unlock it for you for free until it's a certain number of months old (based on when the first person bought it from AT&T). You would have to pay a third party for an unlock code (if there is no help here on xda to unlock it).
It's best to just buy a phone for the carrier you plan on using. That ensures its going to work, and that it will work at full speed. If you really think you are going to switch to AT&T buy one of their branded phones, or Verizon etc. Verizon and Sprint both use CDMA, but they are very resistant to allowing another carriers phone on their network. Plus their 4G networks are different types (Verizon uses LTE, Sprint WiMax) so they wouldn't work fully regardless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually the T-mobile SGSII supports AT&T 3g.

lowandbehold said:
Actually the T-mobile SGSII supports AT&T 3g.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Att 3G runs on 850 and 1900, with preference on 1900 generally. The TMo looks to have 850, but not 1900. So like the vibrant the support will be spotty at best. It may work in some places, but not everywhere.
Sent from my Galaxy S II (i777)

To quarlow and lowandbehold -
Very informative! Thank you very much.
I will stay with the plan to go for a Galaxy S2(i1900) or an HTC Amaze 4Z for TMO Prepaid. If there be good prepaid phone service(s) available from other carrier(s), I'd definitely want to learn about.

[Q] T989 (Hercules) or i9100

Hi all!
I have been looking to get a galaxy s2 and can't decide between the tmobile version or the international version.
I currently have t-mobile so that would leave me on edge speeds with the international version, but with the upcoming roaming agreements and possible 1900 Mhz 3G service that tmobile might be using (BIG IF I know). It's sounding like an okay option, plus its not like I use my phone to surf the web all day, I am mostly in a place that has wireless that I can use.
I am leaning towards the international version due to its form factor and great roms. I'm not exactly a fan of how huge the tmobile version felt in my hands after getting to see a friend of mines.
In any case I have a vibrant and as much as I love the phone I would like an upgrade as this summer it will be 2 years old, which will be the longest kept phone I have had. (most of the ones I did have were replaced in 1 year or less).
Thanks for any input and yes I did search the forums, but if I missed something then thread point away

Which tablets can you use as a Phone? (No 3rd party app/VOIP)

I'm wondering what tablets out there that you can use as a Phone, even if they are hacked or need to be shipped overseas!
I used the original Galaxy Tab (7") as a phone (T-Mobile/USA) since late October 2010, but am looking to switch to a better/faster tablet phone. The Galaxy Tab I used was hacked by a guy who enabled the 'phone' function of it (used European firmware or something?)
I purchased the new Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus assuming that can be hacked to do it, unfortunately it cannot (Would need to buy an oversees model and ship it here)...
So what tablets allow this?
--I heard the Galaxy 8.9 might
--There's the new Galaxy Note and LG Vudo (spelling?), but those are only 5", a little small then what I'm used to
I'm not looking for Wifi calling, or 3rd party app calling, or VOIP calling, I'm talking GSM Calling (making a call from a SIM Card that supports voice + data)
I tried doing a Google search but it's a little hard finding accurate results with keywords like tablet/phone/gsm calls/etc
Hoping you experts out there might direct me in the right place

Broken in the Marketplace has a new Tab 7.0 that does it right out of the box. I can't remember the model number, but it's white and for AT&T I think

juzz86 said:
Broken in the Marketplace has a new Tab 7.0 that does it right out of the box. I can't remember the model number, but it's white and for AT&T I think
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Broken in the Marketplace has a new Tab 7.0
What do you mean Broken in the Marketplace? I'm not sure if I read that right, are you saying there is a tablet on AT&T that is capable of this out of the box?
I went to their website and didn't see anything :\

HTC Flyer 3G, but needs to be hacked.

NineT9 said:
Broken in the Marketplace has a new Tab 7.0
What do you mean Broken in the Marketplace? I'm not sure if I read that right, are you saying there is a tablet on AT&T that is capable of this out of the box?
I went to their website and didn't see anything :\
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it's from AT&T directly, but it is 3G-band compatible with their service.
Broken's For Sale thread is here.
Hope you can work something out

Thanks for the feedback and providing that link! The HTC Flyer looks decent, wish it had better specs (Dual core)... and that link to the Broken's for Sale, unfortunately I don't have 10 posts yet, so gotta wait it out!

Also wondering the same thing. I'm looking for a tablet i can just stick my T-mob sim in and use as a phone. no extra plan or anything. I have an android plan on it already.

anon1ski said:
Also wondering the same thing. I'm looking for a tablet i can just stick my T-mob sim in and use as a phone. no extra plan or anything. I have an android plan on it already.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you find anything let me know So far I've only seen 1 or 2 options :\ I was debating getting the Sony Tablet P and doing VOIP but I'm a little turned off by VOIP after hearing some disadantages

Found this topic after doing a Google search for the same question...what I've found over time:
-HTC Flyer 3G - can be made to work as a GSM voice/text device with some work, and works on T-Mobile 3G; drawback being that it's ~$450 (like $200 more than the Wifi version) and single-core
-Samsung Galaxy 7.0 (original) - you obviously know about this one =P
-Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 - can do GSM voice/text and 3G/4G web out of the box; drawback being the high ~$600 price (it is a quality tablet, though), 7.7" size (I'd sooner go for a plain 7", but that's just me), and only does 2G on T-Mobile
-Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 - AFAIK can do GSM voice/text on the international version; drawback being that it only does 2G on T-Mobile
-T-Mobile Springboard (Huawei Mediapad) - from what I've gathered on the Mediapad/Springboard discussion topic on XDA, flashing the ICS beta from Huawei grants it GSM voice/text capabilities, but because of the IMEI, you're limited either to data-use only or GSM voice/text-use only (I could be wrong, but I can't truly confirm one way or the other); drawback being that there's very little support for it (doesn't have it's own board on XDA)
-Dell Streak 7 - has a dialer app "hidden" in the system, but nobody has been able to find a way to use it AFAIK
And there's a few random ZTE/Huawei/etc 7" tablets that seem to support GSM voice/text, but finding info on them seems to be even more difficult than on the Mediapad/Springboard, they seem to be pretty low-spec, and AFAIK they'd only offer 2G on T-Mobile (and probably on AT&T too).
Why companies (especially in the US) are so reluctant to add GSM voice/text capability to 7" tablets, especially ones compatible with T-Mobile US 3G, is beyond me, when there's a clear desire for it since the original Galaxy Tab 7. I'd really love a nice high-end tablet that I could just easily pop in the SIM from my T-Mobile phone and easily use.
Also, while on topic - I know you're obviously looking to upgrade your Galaxy Tab 7, but how does it currently work? From what I understand, you either have the choice of GSM voice/text and 2G web or T-Mobile 3G (not both), correct?

galaxy note 10.1
the new Samsung galaxy note 10.1 has phone capabilities right...

Good smartphone with 6.7 or 6.8 screen under $350?

Hi there,
I've been using my Note 8 for a few years now, but I feel I need a bigger screen.
I don't want to spend too much money, I don't use the phone to take pictures, I have my professional camera for that, nor for gaming as I use my Switch.
So, I'm looking for a good phone, with bigger screen.
I'm considering the Moto G for $299 or the Galaxy A71 for $149, though I'm confused because there's also this Galaxy A71 for $469. If the difference between the two Galaxy is only the unlocked feature, than I should be ok with the $149 as I'm on T-Mobile.
Anyway, are those two phones good? Is there a clear winner between the two? Is there a better option?
Thanks for any help!

Perseus Legend said:
Hi there,
I've been using my Note 8 for a few years now, but I feel I need a bigger screen.
I don't want to spend too much money, I don't use the phone to take pictures, I have my professional camera for that, nor for gaming as I use my Switch.
So, I'm looking for a good phone, with bigger screen.
I'm considering the Moto G for $299 or the Galaxy A71 for $149, though I'm confused because there's also this Galaxy A71 for $469. If the difference between the two Galaxy is only the unlocked feature, than I should be ok with the $149 as I'm on T-Mobile.
Anyway, are those two phones good? Is there a clear winner between the two? Is there a better option?
Thanks for any help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go for that moto g. unless you have xiaomi available in your country.

Fytdyh said:
Go for that moto g. unless you have xiaomi available in your country.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately no, can't buy Xiaomi in the U.S.
So Moto G! I thought it was a good phone, what was holding me back is that on a few YT reviews it seemed that Samsung is a little better in terms of speed, and screen quality.
Thanks for chiming in!
Edit: I could stretch the budget to $400, maybe Moto 5G could be a better option?

Perseus Legend said:
Unfortunately no, can't buy Xiaomi in the U.S.
So Moto G! I thought it was a good phone, what was holding me back is that on a few YT reviews it seemed that Samsung is a little better in terms of speed, and screen quality.
Thanks for chiming in!
Edit: I could stretch the budget to $400, maybe Moto 5G could be a better option?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you tag the phones again with gsmarena? Either the links don't work as intended for me or I am getting redirected from the US website.

AFAIK you can buy XIAOMI phones in the US from here:
Xiaomi USA | Xiaomi Store USA | Xiaomi Mobile Phones USA
Xiaomi USA - Best Budget Phone is Authorized USA Xiaomi store offers new arrivals and the best selling Xiaomi mobile phones USA online at lowest price.
bestbudgetphones.us