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S7 AT&T or TMobile Model

Hey guys im going to be pre-ordering tomorrow and want to know your thoughts on which carrier variant to go with. I have AT&T where I live but I have heard that tmobiles phone are usually easier to get bootloader unlocked, or they come pre unlock. Which one do you think is a better choice?

I'm sure the tmobile one will have all. The band's requires for att.. Or at least the main ones. If you're looking at modding, go the tmobile route. But Idk how easy it will be to get the tmobile one and have them unlock it for you. I went through hell with my s6 edge and getting them to unlock it
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I am debating the same thing. Last time I got a TMOB, and paid for a 3rd party unlock which took a week. Then canceled the TMOB service before the 30 days were up.
TMOB won't unlock phones until they are on plan after two payment cycles and the phone is fully paid off.
Now TMOB unlocks via app and I understand there is a 3rd party vendor that might be able to get them unlocked, but might be troublesome. I asked my sister who is a TMOB customer if she could just outright buy the phone for me but she said under her plan they require her to surrender her old phone so I have to put it on their stupid plan.
Not sure if you can get the phone via MetroPCS as a pre-paid plan and avoid this nonsense but it seems their phone choices are severely limited.
Definitely looking for a better way to get an unlocked bootloader.

I'm in the same boat. Have an AT&T S4 and finally looking to upgrade but after the hell AT&T gave with the S4 locked bootloader I think T-mobile is the way to go. Just hope unlocking it for AT&T will be a straight forward process.

The guy that unlocked an S6 for me emailed me back that he was not sure yet if he could unlock a TMOB S7.

I believe AT&T has more bands than T-Mobile.
Will get the AT&T model as will use with prepaid carriers and AT&T supports most T-Mobile bands. T-Mobile does not support all AT&T bands.

Nextstep said:
I believe AT&T has more bands than T-Mobile.
Will get the AT&T model as will use with prepaid carriers and AT&T supports most T-Mobile bands. T-Mobile does not support all AT&T bands.
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The only bands that are missing from the 930T (t-mobile version) versus the 930A (AT&T) are bands 29 and 30 which don't appear to be used in the US at all. I found the bands on the product pages on both sites. You are better off getting the t-mobile one and hope for an unlocked bootloader. AT&T will be locked down for sure.

zcubed said:
The only bands that are missing from the 930T (t-mobile version) versus the 930A (AT&T) are bands 29 and 30 which don't appear to be used in the US at all. I found the bands on the product pages on both sites. You are better off getting the t-mobile one and hope for an unlocked bootloader. AT&T will be locked down for sure.
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That's great news, thanks for checking.
What I'm currently debating is preordering the AT&T S7 from Best Buy to get in on the VR and MicroSD, then just selling once an unlocked T-Mobile variant becomes available No other way to preorder a 930T without an account right?

The TMOB preorder is up. You need to subscribe to a plan to order it. It does not let you pre-order it on a post paid or prepaid plan.
I am really hesitant to preorder it since TMOB sucks and won't unlock until after 2 billing cycles. And you have to unlock it using their app verses typing in a code provided by a 3rd party unlocker after you turn the phone on when a non-TMOB sim is inserted.
Guess I'll have to wait until some unlocked ones appear on Swappa or Fleabay. Hate doing that as I was just burned with a phone that that eventually popped up with a blacklisted IMEI.

Like Flame Red said, there's no way to get the T-Mobile one without signing up for a plan but you also get a year of Netflix with the t-mobile one that's worth WAY more than the microSD from Best Buy. You can cancel the plan immediately though and hope for a third party unlocking service to unlock the phone for a fee.
---------- Post added at 10:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:02 AM ----------
Bands detail links:
https://support.t-mobile.com/community/phones-tablets-devices/android/samsung_galaxy_s_7#id_1299991
https://www.att.com/cellphones/samsung/galaxy-s7.html#sku=sku7840239 (Click Details)

Is there a place to order the 930F Global version? Will that have all the bands required for ATT & TMO?

Are there any Galaxy S7 that will support CDMA and GSM.
I looking to go prepaid route and Sprint prepaid MVNO and T-Mobile prepaid MVNO with maybe some AT&T prepaid.
Any assistance greatly appreciated.

According to this thread, the underlying hardware is the same for all S7 variants and the bands are turned on/off via the radio files. http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s7/how-to/finally-single-hardware-variant-carriers-t3308040
Should be interesting if I decide to get a t-mobile S7 and possibly being able to "turn on" the extra bands at a later date.

Looks like it doesn't matter which one you get anymore: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Cert...the-carrier-of-the-first-SIM-inserted_id78809
The S7 should "lock" to the first carrier's sim you insert. Would love confirmation of this if someone gets the T-Mobile one and puts in an AT&T sim.

Will see, hoping some users will get the phone soon, and confirm before I purchase.

clove.co.uk is now showing pre-orders for the unlocked international s7 (and edge). Interestingly enough, they're showing it having the SD820 whereas I thought EU was getting the Exynos!?

zcubed said:
Looks like it doesn't matter which one you get anymore: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Cert...the-carrier-of-the-first-SIM-inserted_id78809
The S7 should "lock" to the first carrier's sim you insert. Would love confirmation of this if someone gets the T-Mobile one and puts in an AT&T sim.
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So technically speaking, no matter what version ill get it will be locked to att after I put in that sim card?
I wonder if that means the bootloaders will be the same on all the models, since they are all the same except for the radio differences?

Neither for me. International versions only

As far as unlocking goes, I've been in that scene for about 6 months. If it's an app unlock, no biggie, it'll just cost about $30 more than without the app unlock. You should expect to pay about $20-50 for the unlock once the phone comes out. No sweat!

The big difference between att and tmobile is not the sim lock, but the fact that att phones come with locked bootloaders thereby severely limiting their attractiveness to the mod community.

AT&T or T-Mobile for unlocked S8+ ?

The backstory.... Preordered an ATT Note 7 and had many headaches with delivery / billing. I am now living with my old Note3 using Goggle Voice/Hangouts because of my weak signal (all carriers) at home. I'm using a pre-paid Straight Talk plan when away from home.
I've been waiting patiently for the S8+ and now need to decide between AT&T and T-Mobile for a GSM phone. I plan on paying full cash price and having it unlocked to use a 3rd part prepaid plan (Straight Talk or ?).
I considered a factory unlocked phone (Best Buy, May 9th??) but I am told that those will also have a locked bootloader. Up until the Note 7 I always ran rooted with custom ROMS. I became a big fan of Samsung Pay which I think also means a locked bootloader with no root is needed. Of coarse, bloatware sucks. I had good luck with Package Disabler Pro on my Note 7. I will be using my Google number, if only for forwarding to another number. WiFi calling is a must one way or another.
My Note 7 from ATT let me run Mobile Hotspot at the same time WiFi was enabled. This made it easy for giving my Android head unit in my car Internet access. The T-mobile version at the time needed to be turned on and off.
I'm leaning toward T-mobile only because of my bad blood with ATT. ATT coverage is marginally better in my area.
Thoughts, comments.

Either and flash the OS on it with ODIN. It is the same hardware so it doesnt matter.

mweinbach said:
Either and flash the OS on it with ODIN. It is the same hardware so it doesnt matter.
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Yes and also if the T-Mobile version is going to have an unlocked bootloader, flashing T-Mobile firmware should allow you to unlock it through the OS.
But it's highly unlikely it will have an unlocked bootloader, although T-Mobile have supported it, I don't think it's happening.

No unlocked bootloaders on u.s.a. Carriers....

SBERG117 said:
No unlocked bootloaders on u.s.a. Carriers....
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I get that if you buy a carrier phone and then unlock it. But what about the factory unlocked phones sold in the US?
I've heard that the bootloader on those phones is also locked, but not from a real good source of info. I've also heard international versions do not have a locked bootloader and do not support Samsung Pay. They also do not support CDMA (which doesn't bother me at all).

Interceptor777 said:
Yes and also if the T-Mobile version is going to have an unlocked bootloader, flashing T-Mobile firmware should allow you to unlock it through the OS.
But it's highly unlikely it will have an unlocked bootloader, although T-Mobile have supported it, I don't think it's happening.
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If I flash via ODIN does that kill Samsung Pay? What about Knox?

Phredeee said:
The backstory.... Preordered an ATT Note 7 and had many headaches with delivery / billing. I am now living with my old Note3 using Goggle Voice/Hangouts because of my weak signal (all carriers) at home. I'm using a pre-paid Straight Talk plan when away from home.
I've been waiting patiently for the S8+ and now need to decide between AT&T and T-Mobile for a GSM phone. I plan on paying full cash price and having it unlocked to use a 3rd part prepaid plan (Straight Talk or ?).
I considered a factory unlocked phone (Best Buy, May 9th??) but I am told that those will also have a locked bootloader. Up until the Note 7 I always ran rooted with custom ROMS. I became a big fan of Samsung Pay which I think also means a locked bootloader with no root is needed. Of coarse, bloatware sucks. I had good luck with Package Disabler Pro on my Note 7. I will be using my Google number, if only for forwarding to another number. WiFi calling is a must one way or another.
My Note 7 from ATT let me run Mobile Hotspot at the same time WiFi was enabled. This made it easy for giving my Android head unit in my car Internet access. The T-mobile version at the time needed to be turned on and off.
I'm leaning toward T-mobile only because of my bad blood with ATT. ATT coverage is marginally better in my area.
Thoughts, comments.
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I'm in a similar situation and my first concern is what bands both phones support. Online it seems AT&T covers both GSM providers perfectly. The info on T-Mobile and its bands is extremely lacking. My second concern is the process of unlocking either fully paid off phone for use on the other. I think I can have TMobile unlock it for me but I'm not sure how it works with AT&T. The easiest solution is the unlocked version but thats not even got a release date set in writing anywhere.

Phredeee said:
If I flash via ODIN does that kill Samsung Pay? What about Knox?
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As long you are flashing official firmware from Samsung nothing will break. Knox will not be tripped and Samsung Pay will work.

954wrecker said:
I'm in a similar situation and my first concern is what bands both phones support. Online it seems AT&T covers both GSM providers perfectly. The info on T-Mobile and its bands is extremely lacking. My second concern is the process of unlocking either fully paid off phone for use on the other. I think I can have TMobile unlock it for me but I'm not sure how it works with AT&T. The easiest solution is the unlocked version but thats not even got a release date set in writing anywhere.
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It is my understanding that all US (Snapdragon) phones cover all bands, including CDMA. That means you could even take an unlocked AT&T phone to Verizon. I'm not used to that! It even has LTE-U which TMo is supposed to be soon supporting.
I am an ex AT&T customer. They unlocked my Note 7, and again with the replacement, without issue. I seem to remember there was a wait period at first. 7 or 14 days?
The thing I'm considering is also the VR incentives for pre-ordering. I can tell you AT&T messed up my Note 7 pre-order. They shipped it on the release day by a slow method. I ended up going to a store and buying one outright and returning the unopened one once it arrived. That caused a billing nightmare that I had to call them every months until I finally turned it in and closed my account.

Phredeee said:
It is my understanding that all US (Snapdragon) phones cover all bands, including CDMA. That means you could even take an unlocked AT&T phone to Verizon. I'm not used to that! It even has LTE-U which TMo is supposed to be soon supporting.
I am an ex AT&T customer. They unlocked my Note 7, and again with the replacement, without issue. I seem to remember there was a wait period at first. 7 or 14 days?
The thing I'm considering is also the VR incentives for pre-ordering. I can tell you AT&T messed up my Note 7 pre-order. They shipped it on the release day by a slow method. I ended up going to a store and buying one outright and returning the unopened one once it arrived. That caused a billing nightmare that I had to call them every months until I finally turned it in and closed my account.
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Can you recall where you read the carrier versions support all the bands just like the unlocked versions? All the info I found from the carriers shows different bands on each model.

Phredeee said:
I get that if you buy a carrier phone and then unlock it. But what about the factory unlocked phones sold in the US?
I've heard that the bootloader on those phones is also locked, but not from a real good source of info. I've also heard international versions do not have a locked bootloader and do not support Samsung Pay. They also do not support CDMA (which doesn't bother me at all).
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You're missing what I'm saying... There will be no unlocked bootloaders on any Samsung S8 phones for the USA. You cannot get one from carrier or factory.
I think you may be mixing up Bootloader unlock and Sim unlock....

954wrecker said:
Can you recall where you read the carrier versions support all the bands just like the unlocked versions? All the info I found from the carriers shows different bands on each model.
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I do remember that it was a story about FCC approval of the factory unlocked (SIM) phone. Keep that in mind that it may be the unbranded, factory unlocked phone only, but the article did say they were all the same. The locked carrier phones may not be so flexible.
Other things I've found.. Best Buy SIM unlocked does not get the incentives. Best Buy, and their cheaper price, does not seem to offer a T-Mo phone.
The VR incentive is attractive to me, but is not a must have. At this moment, until I can find out for sure if Samsung Pay will work on an international version, I am leaning towards a T-Mo pre-order. But that is me and my preferences YMMV. I have a major dislike for AT&T.
Looking for where I read it. In the mean time this may be interesting to you.
Model numbers http://techbeasts.com/list-of-samsung-galaxy-s8-galaxy-s8plus-model-numbers/
Frequencies https://www.frequencycheck.com/models/OyqBp/samsung-sm-g955a-galaxy-s8-td-lte-samsung-dream
The link is for the AT&T model search for other models.

954wrecker said:
Can you recall where you read the carrier versions support all the bands just like the unlocked versions? All the info I found from the carriers shows different bands on each model.
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Click to collapse
It appears that going by this information the factory unlocked and the AT&T are NOT the same https://www.frequencycheck.com/compare-devices/6MQWs05y/samsung-sm-g950a-galaxy-s8-td-lte-samsung-dream/samsung-sm-g950f-galaxy-s8-td-lte-samsung-dream
You're correct that it seems T-mo info is evasive.

Hello,
I would like to know, if it posible to buy the Galaxy S8 from the samsung web page (att version), then unlock it and after that flash the unlocked rom flashing it with odin.
Can someone help me?
thanks.

Just ordered the 955F from Clove...
I'm hoping that missing bands won't hurt my AT&T usage much. Or any prepaid sims I may throw in there.
Will see if the 955U info comes out before my phone, and will decide if I want to cancel.
:good::angel:

Unlocked Version vs Carrier Specific

I was looking to buy the Galaxy Note 8, and is it worth buying the Unlocked version over the ATT version? I know I will save a little money, and also have less bloatware. I could not find much info on the basebands of these phones, there would not really be any basebands the unlocked version wouldnt have that the ATT version has? I assume that it would just be smarter to get the unlocked version?
Someone correct me if I am wrong
Sorry this is somewhat unrelated to the S8+
Thanks

Somebody mentioned the carrier specific ones may get updates more frequently. Regardless, the only unlock that really matters to me is bootloader unlock. US Snapdragon S8/S8+ are not bootloader unlocked--regardless whether the model is carrier unlocked or not. Only the Chinese and Hong Kong Snapdragon S8/S8+ bootloaders can be unlocked so far. My recommendation is to pre-order the Note 8 as you were interested in that phone, but that if you were planning on sticking with the same carrier and wanted updates more frequently, getting a carrier specific Note 8 might be best.

I'm in the same situation. I currently with att prepaid, they have LTE+ (LTE advanced). I did speed test twice, getting 127mb down, 30mb up, 115mb down, 28mb up. I'm not sure if unlocked version note8 has all the LTE bands. I thinking of just getting att version and if I want to switch carrier in the future, I just pay for those unlock service.

netnerd said:
I thinking of just getting att version and if I want to switch carrier in the future, I just pay for those unlock service.
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Be careful about those assumptions, make sure the AT&T variant has all the bands needed for full rate.
Recently switched from ATT to Verizon, and ended up getting a new phone (not *really* complaining since it's the GS8+) because my 1 yr old GS7edge AT&T model didn't have support for the correct LTE bands to work properly with the Verizon network.

I'm planning on staying with the same carrier, I just figure I'd get update faster, have less bloat ware, and have more lte bands (with the unlocked version)
Isn't that all accurate?

ALL the US versions have the same exact hardware and support the same exact bands. The ONLY difference is the carrier specific firmware. And you can change that by flashing whichever firmware you want through ODIN.

brendan4t said:
I was looking to buy the Galaxy Note 8, and is it worth buying the Unlocked version over the ATT version? I know I will save a little money, and also have less bloatware. I could not find much info on the basebands of these phones, there would not really be any basebands the unlocked version wouldnt have that the ATT version has? I assume that it would just be smarter to get the unlocked version?
Someone correct me if I am wrong
Sorry this is somewhat unrelated to the S8+
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have both S8 T-mobile and S8 unlocked. They have identical LTE bands. Moreover, when inserting SIM cards from different providers the CSC is changed to that provider and some specific options are enabled. I put in T-mobile SIM card and used it without any issues. Put in Vodaphone Europe SIM card and CSC changed from TMB to XAA (unlocked) and phone still had all LTE bands available and worked. I'm sure it's the same for ATT. Also, from previous experience if you get ATT version and change providers you'll not get updates anymore unless you go to Samsung to have your phone updated, as all OTA's go through ATT servers.
Go for unlocked.

Question Bands with unlocked and att

Are there any missing bands in the unlocked version vs att variant?
Thinking which one to buy...
I know note 10 had some differences and I havent been following since.

Good question...I just purchased the unlocked 1TB version. Guess I'll know for sure when it gets here..

I have AT&T and have always bought AT&T phones from Samsung to be sure all the features work such as wifi calling which I need. I did some research and apparently unlocked Samsung phones now are fully functional on AT&T. I ordered an unlocked S22U today. It will be nice to lose all that AT&T bloat. They really load it up. I'm sure all the bands for AT&T are on the unlocked US device.

dmb219 said:
I have AT&T and have always bought AT&T phones from Samsung to be sure all the features work such as wifi calling which I need. I did some research and apparently unlocked Samsung phones now are fully functional on AT&T. I ordered an unlocked S22U today. It will be nice to lose all that AT&T bloat. They really load it up. I'm sure all the bands for AT&T are on the unlocked US device.
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Can we unlock bootloader of this unlocked US S22U ? Does it have oem unlocking option?

donkeyman1234 said:
Can we unlock bootloader of this unlocked US S22U ? Does it have oem unlocking option?
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Click to collapse
it wont. even if you buy the u.s. model from samsung it wont. they are bootloader locked. if you bought the at&t version from at&t you can still load the u1 software version on it to get rid of the at&t bloat. the only difference the u and u1 have is the u1 is sim unlocked. if you get from at&t you have to pay the phone off to get it sim unlocked. but as far as bootloader goes they are both locked.

We might see an option in the future where a paid service comes along that might enable bootloader unlock. I never understood why Samsung treats the U.S market in such a strict way while the rest of the world less so.

freebee269 said:
it wont. even if you buy the u.s. model from samsung it wont. they are bootloader locked. if you bought the at&t version from at&t you can still load the u1 software version on it to get rid of the at&t bloat. the only difference the u and u1 have is the u1 is sim unlocked. if you get from at&t you have to pay the phone off to get it sim unlocked. but as far as bootloader goes they are both locked.
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Thanks, then I will not buy US version even it costs less.

Question Does the regular unlocked version work with Verizon or do I have to buy 'unlocked' through Verizon?

Just wondering if the regular unlocked version supports mmwave or if I have to buy through Verizon. This gets on my nerves now.

Unlocked should in theory work with all carriers unless a carrier does certain odd things that couldn't be included on the "catch all" unlocked devices.
From what I can see it should work with Verizon phone and data just fine. Only the Verizon model it looks like comes with UWB (Ultra Wideband) though since that's Verizon's way of doing things if that interests you.
If you want that, will mean that you will have to have carrier injected junk though and buy the carrier version, get updates from the carrier, and have to have it unlocked by the carrier or sell it if you switch carriers. It will probably need to be unlocked by the carrier to put a custom rom on there also if you wanted to go that way. Its win and lose.

Coming from someone who just got the Verizon variant, it is indeed loaded with bloatware. It is also completely locked down from flashing roms or unlocking, verizon removed the oem unlock option entirely from their variant. So you can't even Odin flash to the unlocked firmware. Also the unlocked in the US is $349.99 right now versus $499 from Verizon directly. Although if you really want that UWB 5G then your only option is the Verizon model. Though imo not worth it. Go for the $349 one and enjoy it.

tserv95 said:
Coming from someone who just got the Verizon variant, it is indeed loaded with bloatware. It is also completely locked down from flashing roms or unlocking, verizon removed the oem unlock option entirely from their variant. So you can't even Odin flash to the unlocked firmware. Also the unlocked in the US is $349.99 right now versus $499 from Verizon directly. Although if you really want that UWB 5G then your only option is the Verizon model. Though imo not worth it. Go for the $349 one and enjoy it.
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So I got the 349 one and it works with 5G was pleasantly surprised when I saw the 5G appear on my cell. All reps said phone compatible and the 5G Sim etc etc
Transferring device was painless.
I love the phone. I'm coming from using an Axon 7 never had a samsung phone before but like it. Got rid of a lot of samsung crop but customized it the way I like.
Thanks for your reply!

This is US market specific. For the A53 5G, any of the US carrier versions (with the exception of Tracfone) SIM unlocked will work on any of the big 3 carriers. Most of the versions (including Verizon owned Visible) are A536U, which is the version with Sub-6. A536V is the Verizon version with mmWave. I don't know what A536D from Tracfone is. Yes, you can get Sub-6 5G on Verizon.
But if you want to bootloader unlock, whether you are directly purchasing from Samsung or any SIM locked versions from carrier, it is not possible. See https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/psa-there-is-no-oem-unlock-on-us-galaxy-a53s.4443189/

I can confirm that the unlocked US version purchased from Samsung DOES work with Verizon. And like b1283822 said, does have/support Sub-6 5G, no UW.