Yesterday I was pretty much set on purchasing a T-Mobile branded Z3 since I was going to connect the phone with a T-Mobile reseller plan. Luckily though, I read something about T-Mobile based Z3s being a bit harder to root or get ROMs to run. Plus, they get late updates and more.
So now, I'm trying to see which version would be best in terms of updates and ROMs available, etc. I will be connecting it with Harbor Mobile which is a T-Mobile reseller in the U.S., if that makes a difference.
Thanks guys.
Related
Im not sure, but from previous experience about how verizon seems to lock out all the good features that are in the other carries version of the same phone. Many examples can be suggested, but yeah you get the point.
I was considering dropping verizon to get a fuze since the price is much more appealing.
What im trying to ask is do you think verizon will lockout a lot of features on the touch pro? ex: flashing the rom that isn't a authorized verizon htc update rom. Non verizon approved app's???
Also features that ATT offers that verizon dsnt and vise versa. +verizons supposed faster speed on a data connection. I know this should be asked at howard forums for the question, but the flashing issue would be better suited here.
thanks for your time
Verizon will do everything possible to make the phone suck... it's what they do with all their phones
http://gizmodo.com/5084980/htc-touch-pro-to-launch-on-verizon-november-24th
A few verizon employee's told me about this last monday before the info was leaked. Specs wise i know the verizon ver is worse, but im more interested in the software aspect.
Worse and $50 more expensive than the Sprint and AT&T version... I don't know how people still find it possible to stick with Verizon.
Verizon is wonderful in terms of network for a large part of the country that is why they are successful. And many people don't care about having the cutting edge or newest phones.
Verizon almost always handicaps their handsets in some way to push their own software, not unlike what ATT did with the Fuze.
If you are die hard verizon wait it out and see.
Ill wait to see, personally id rather have the Touch HD*no 3g* since its like 50$ more than a contract free verizon touch pro. Im most likely gona get the FUZE if i dont see any good reason to switch.
If i get an oportunity to have verizon leme use a demo version and ask someone who actually knows. What should I ask em like specs wise besides it being downclocked >_<? Also anything important to look out for if i get to try the demo or full ver?
ALso on the fuze is there video play back? I looked on htc's US site and didnt see any info about that, which the pro models had.
i've learned to wait and see for myself...
guys, if life has taught me anything is to wait and see, third party comments aren't always accurate.... wait and see for yourself...
morning guys
I've seen a few threads about buying in the US and using the N5 in different countries and the fact that although you can use it for 3G/GSM, being able to use 4G LTE is a no go due to the bands that are utilised.
Does/Would anyone know if this is changeable due to the radio being used or would it be a hardware matter as to me it would seem abit odd to produce 2 different phones using the same form factor where a piece of software enabling the bands would be more cost efficient. I appreciate that the software etc is probably being looked at by Dev's now but was wondering if anyone with previous knowledge of this would know.
Only reason I ask is as I'm in the US at the moment (the 32Gb works out considerably cheaper than in the UK) and the area I live in (in the UK) hasn't got 4G (and probably won't have for a while), whether or not to purchase one and then wait for a radio change, but if thats not possible I'll have to go with the expensive UK version
thanks for you help
There are two Nexus 5 models, the D820 (for the U.S) & D821 (for the rest of the world. According to this article by Android Central, it seems that there is a physical difference between the radios installed in each model. So I don't think you would have the option of flashing a radio from a D821 on to a D820 and suddenly have access to UK/European LTE bands. I'm no expert though so maybe others could confirm/deny this.
I too would like to know the same thing (hoping to take advantage of relatives in the US )
However reading around a bit I think it's a hardware limitation. They use the same software on the phones, but they enable the different LTE bands built into the hardware.
Pretty sure no amount of flashing radios will enable the different LTE bands...I'd love to be wrong though.
Shame, even after sales tax the saving would have been worth it. Might have to bite the bullet and buy UK price £££££££££
Hello
I'm looking at replacing my S4 with an S7. My carrier in the US is AT&T and that won't be changing. I've been looking at different unlocked versions and can't find a solid representation of what the real world differences are. I know they have different processors. Some say a band is missing, but does that matter. I don't use android or samsung pay, but i know there is a difference here too. I found one comment about some kind of samsung 'coverage' plan, but what is that?
Best Buy has US unlocked phones for about $700. B&H Photo has an International phone for about $640. Its a lot of money either way. Is one phone really better or different than that other?
I am planning a trip through Canada and maybe to Europe. I assume either would take a SIM from those areas and I could avoid getting raped by international fees.
Here is a summary of question I can think of:
Does the US unlocked phone from BestBuy have a warranty or insurance or anything like that?
Can the US phone be rooted. I only do this to remove apps I don't use.
Is the hardware one vs the other really better or just different?
Does a dual SIM do anything useful?
Does a band being missing make a real world difference?
Is there a good comparison somewhere to that can decide on a phone to purchase?
It comes with a limited warranty as stated on their site:
"This device is not warrantied through the manufacturer. This device has a limited 1 year warranty provided by CCR Warranty. To obtain technical or warranty assistance, please contact CCR Warranty at 866-579-8436."
What I don't know is how useful/limited that warranty is. I'd like the HTC 10 but the unlocked S7 is my runner up, and the warranty issue is one of the major factors in my hesitation.
I do believe it can be rooted.
As far as I know, through research, the only major difference between the two is battery life.
Hello, I'll just go straight to the answers.
1. I'm going to assume that if you go through a carrier (att, t-mobile etc etc.) they will offer an insurance plan. You will have to go to third party insurance for the international version
2. As far I know, the US version does not have a root option yet. Because of the locked bootloader.
3. Hardware will depend on which version you choose. Both are very good.
4. Dual sim is as the name implies, you'll be able to use 2 separate sim cards with their respective #s. that's the only benefit really.
5. Missing radio bands is something you may have to do some research on depending your location.
6. I'm sure YouTube or some online site will have some reviews/comparison of both.
I just looked at the best buy website again and something is different. The S7 listed for $690 is definitely the international version and not the US version. When I looked last month I was positive that the phone was listed as a US phone ... huh
A little late
a little late to the thread but just wanted to share what I learned while researching the matter.
There is an US unlocked version of the S7 (g930u) and available through a few places (Best Buy, B&H, Ebay). It goes for $679.99 retail and I have not been able to find one that goes for less. Probably because it just came out end of June. The biggest benefit of it is that it has a bunch of bands and CDMA-compatible. Thus, you can get full connection with AT&T and TMobile. Downside is no wifi calling or VOLTE (as those seem to be locked by the carriers to their own phones).
The international versions (930f/930fd) are both available on Ebay/Swappa for about $500. Upside are that they have the Exnyos chip and no bloatware. You can also root and flash them with new ROM. Another thing is that you get updates earlier. I got Marshmallow on my s6 a month or so before AT&T released its update. Downsides are no Samsung Pay or WiFi Calling/VOLTE and the biggie...missing bands. I had a g920i and it was missing support for bands 29 and 30 on AT&T...this led to poor LTE and indoor reception at times. I would have to turn on/off the mobile data switch sometimes to get good connection.
Finally, we have carrier based versions, which loads you down with bloatware and has the Snapdragon chip. But, it does support all features of your carrier. Slower updates also an issue and lack of support of all bands internationally are additional drawbacks. Cost is also about $500.
Personally, I am going with an unlocked 930a. Bloatware sucks but I can delete or disable almost all of them. Snapdragon seems pretty powerful to me. Samsung Pay, Wifi Calling, and Band support are just too important for me. Note, make sure you ask the seller on Ebay/Swappa about whether the phone is unlocked.
Hope that helps.
I did a lot of research into this before buying my S7 but was kind of screwed since I'm on Verizon (CDMA)...
Since you're on AT&T you have more options.
There are two different processors in the two different models, Snapdragon 820 in the US CDMA capable and an Eyxnos in the International GSM ONLY phone.
After doing my research, I personally recommend the Eyxnos, which I couldn't get :/
If for nothing else, better battery life, by far. Do some research into the comparison between the two.
However! When buying from Best Buy be careful!
Last I checked, on their website, the black/onyx S7 was an unlocked US Snapdragon 820 phone.... while strangely enough the other two, gold and silver? were both unlocked US (actually international) Eyxnos phones.
Also, last I checked Samsung themselves only sell the CDMA snapdragon processor model to the US.
Unless Best Buy made a mistake listing the Eyxnos processor, it is the only way to get that model without buying an "internationally sourced" phone on ebay.
Just a few notes:
1) The G930u is fully compatible with all the US Carriers
2) VoLTE works on both T-Mobile and Verizon
3) Wi-Fi Calling works on T-Mobile and potentially Verizon (but I am not positive about Verizon).
The big downside to the G930u is that for whatever reason it is not receiving updates from Samsung when its branded siblings are.
The axynos ones are cheap on ebay, but I can also buy an unlocked US version from Samsungs website.
Can you advice me on this?
I'm coming from the LG V20 side with the unlocked US996 model, and just looked at the non-existent G6 forums so please keep it in mind as I say this: I will never ever ever buy a major branded Android phone unlocked, ever again.
Signed, a likely future S8+ owner
midwhiteflava said:
I'm coming from the LG V20 side with the unlocked US996 model, and just looked at the non-existent G6 forums so please keep it in mind as I say this: I will never ever ever buy a major branded Android phone unlocked, ever again.
Signed, a likely future S8+ owner
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? Why ???
The exynos have an unlocked bootloader, the "unlocked" other version only has unlocked sim. The exynos will allow root, however root trips knox, and therefore breaks Samsung Pay.
I'm using a UK version and it's pretty flawless. Samsung Pay works out of the box. I bought it from a UK authorized reseller so its got a two year warranty (in the UK - I pay to ship it there) and BTU is typically in front of the line for updates. It has no bloatware but none of the unlocked versions do. I had a AT&T version first and the Exynos version seems a tad more fluid and responsive.
It has all AT&T's LTE bands except for 30 and gets better LTE speeds than the AT&T version. Do a search, there's a thread on it.
I'm going to sell it when the Note8 comes out and it was cheaper to buy outright and will fetch more when I resell it. I liked it so much I bought a EU LTE Tab S3 to keep it company. It doesn't do VoLTE or Wi-Fi calling but that too is common to unlocked phones.
BarryH_GEG said:
I'm using a UK version and it's pretty flawless. Samsung Pay works out of the box. I bought it from a UK authorized reseller so its got a two year warranty (in the UK - I pay to ship it there) and BTU is typically in front of the line for updates. It has no bloatware but none of the unlocked versions do. I had a AT&T version first and the Exynos version seems a tad more fluid and responsive.
It has all AT&T's LTE bands except for 30 and gets better LTE speeds than the AT&T version. Do a search, there's a thread on it.
I'm going to sell it when the Note8 comes out and it was cheaper to buy outright and will fetch more when I resell it. I liked it so much I bought a EU LTE Tab S3 to keep it company. It doesn't do VoLTE or Wi-Fi calling but that too is common to unlocked phones.
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I want to get a phone with a care plan . Is there something like that in the states?
I'm curious to know if anyone here is going to purchase the U.S. version of the phone and use it on T-Mobile or AT&T. Current pre-order sites are Amazon and Best Buy.
I currently have HTC U11 but have always been a Xperia fan and I'm really liking what Sony is offering in the XZ Premium so on a whim I decided to pre-order the phone.
I have T-Mobile for service so I'll be trying it out on that. My concerns are no VOLTE and no WIFI calling. I've been testing my LG V20 for the last week with VOLTE and WIFI calling turned off and it hasn't been an issue or bothered me at all so I think that I'm good there. Another thing is that it's missing the software for fingerprint sensor. I can live without the fingerprint sensor so it's really a non-issue to me but I understand that it bothers others.
Let me and others know what you think about it. Have you pre-ordered or will you order it? Would you use it on AT&T or T-Mobile?
Thanks!
UPDATED: So it appears that the phone I pre-ordered from Best Buy has the model# 8142. This is the same model number for the UK phones per the info from https://www.techwalls.com/sony-xperia-xz-premium-g8141-g8142-model-number-differences/. If this is the case then I guess that I am getting the international UK model, just from Best Buy. The phone listed on US Amazon doesn't have a model number so I'll have to say that it's unknown until someone orders it and can update me. Per that website there is a G8141 but I don't know who is selling it in the US.
Hi - I've ordered from Unlocked-mobiles.com (UK). Its ~100$ lesser + Bluetooth speaker ($150 in BestBuy) not to forget the Sony international warranty. Also you don't need to flash anything since the FP scanner works out of the box. I am using with Tmobile and haven't noticed any issues so far. Several in the US have got it from UK as per the other threads in this forum
gauthamsv said:
Hi - I've ordered from Unlocked-mobiles.com (UK). Its ~100$ lesser + Bluetooth speaker ($150 in BestBuy) not to forget the Sony international warranty. Also you don't need to flash anything since the FP scanner works out of the box. I am using with Tmobile and haven't noticed any issues so far. Several in the US have got it from UK as per the other threads in this forum
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Thanks for the input. I guess that a big deal for many is the cost difference between a UK version and a US version and that alone may drive them to opt for the UK version. It's too bad that I'm not too keen on purchasing a phone from UK and bringing to US. I'd rather purchase the US version from Best Buy and include the accidental damage plan to have that extra coverage as well. As a note I haven't owned a Sony phone since the Z3 from T Mobile and believe me I'm pissed that T-Mobile hasn't had a Sony phone since.
If the phones are identical (I think that's the case) then I could flash the UK firmware onto it and use as normal until (if) a warranty claim is needed then I can flash US firmware and off it goes. :good:
I'm interested in purchasing this phone at Best Buy as well and using it on the T-Mobile network. For those that have purchased and on T-Mobile, does the Wi-Fi Calling feature work? I love that it has dual sim capability for when I travel abroad, but I do use Wi-Fi calling just as much. Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
hypershark said:
I'm interested in purchasing this phone at Best Buy as well and using it on the T-Mobile network. For those that have purchased and on T-Mobile, does the Wi-Fi Calling feature work? I love that it has dual sim capability for when I travel abroad, but I do use Wi-Fi calling just as much. Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
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The unfortunate answer to that question is a definitive NO. Something about the fact that Sony doesn't have the device certified by T Mobile is what I heard. Same goes for the VoLTE.
I still use it on TMO though.