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Best version for AT&T

Just wondering what versions of the phone will work on AT&T and what version is best? Wouldn't mind buying an international or unlocked model as they seem to get updates fastest and would use Qi instead of whatever the AT&T one uses. Any input appreciated.

Unlocked T-Mobile G3 .
Sent from my 1+ One

Was thinking the D855 from Expansys

bose301s said:
Just wondering what versions of the phone will work on AT&T and what version is best? Wouldn't mind buying an international or unlocked model as they seem to get updates fastest and would use Qi instead of whatever the AT&T one uses. Any input appreciated.
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What version works on AT&T best? I'm going with the AT&T variant. [emoji13]

BreakingVZW said:
What version works on AT&T best? I'm going with the AT&T variant. [emoji13]
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Yea but it doesn't that's the thing lol.
Sent from my LG-D851 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Skizzy034 said:
Yea but it doesn't that's the thing lol.
Sent from my LG-D851 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Click to collapse
Mine works perfectly on the AT&T network. No complaints at all.

I was meaning not the AT&T variant specifically though, Carrier IQ, locked, ****ty wireless charging standard and bloat galore.
I am currently with Verizon using a G2 on unlimited data, was thinking of buying an unlimited AT&T plan on eBay and switching now that Verizon will be throttling. I know AT&T throttles 2 but now that Verizon also does there's no reason to stick with them and their limited choice of phones, I would love to be able to use Nexus, OnePlus, Oppo and GPE phones instead of the locked down Verizon selection.

BreakingVZW said:
What version works on AT&T best? I'm going with the AT&T variant. [emoji13]
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Click to collapse
The att G3 comes with carrier IQ and the radio is not nearly as good as the other models. Also the att model does not have qi wireless charging so it is actually the worst model made.

conan1600 said:
The att G3 comes with carrier IQ and the radio is not nearly as good as the other models. Also the att model does not have qi wireless charging so it is actually the worst model made.
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Carrier IQ is easily removed, I have no problem with my radios and don't care about wireless charging. I'm happy with my device. If you don't like the att variant then don't get it. He asked which version works best on AT&T and I made a joke.

BreakingVZW said:
Carrier IQ is easily removed, I have no problem with my radios and don't care about wireless charging. I'm happy with my device. If you don't like the att variant then don't get it. He asked which version works best on AT&T and I made a joke.
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Carrier iQ is removable by annoying methods but that still makes it inferior which directly related to the Op's question. There is also a Radio fix by modding the build prop, that also makes it inferior which is directly related to the Op's question. The fact that you dont care about wireless charging doesn't mean that others dont or make the att version better, again, directly related to the Op's question.
The Op showed good sense asking that question as he obviously knew you can buy an unlocked version and use it on ATT network. I provided him with a good assessment of the product I am familiar with. I hope my comment helped the Op in his decision. Im quite happy with my phone now that I've finished modding it and am more than capable of choosing what phone I buy and didnt ask or need your help with product selection. Kthxbye

conan1600 said:
Carrier iQ is removable by annoying methods but that still makes it inferior which directly related to the Op's question. There is also a Radio fix by modding the build prop, that also makes it inferior which is directly related to the Op's question. The fact that you dont care about wireless charging doesn't mean that others dont or make the att version better, again, directly related to the Op's question. There was a question asked and I made a correct and helpful response with good knowledge of the product
The Op showed good sense asking that question as he obviously knew you can buy an unlocked version and use it on ATT network. I provided him with a good assessment of the product I am familiar with. I hope my comment helped the Op in his decision. Im quite happy with my phone now that I've finished modding it and am more than capable of choosing what phone I buy and didnt ask or need your help with product selection. Kthxbye
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Is your recommendation the T-Mobile version?

bose301s said:
Is your recommendation the T-Mobile version?
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Cant say for sure. I havent personally tested it. The International version can be bought unlocked, T Moble offers many phones in unlocked versions and if they do on the G3 it appears from what ive read it may be better for some. It would depend on if you like Qi better than Power mat and if you're proficient at modding phones. If you are comfortable with rooting and tweak box as well as a bit of build prop edits, the Att d850 is fine. I already am invested in Qi so personally I just bought a 14 dollar Qi film and put it in the otterbox case I use and it works well with Qi.
One thing I havent checked into on the other versions is rotation locking as well. That is annoying to some as it is backwards from samsung and vanilla android. This is changeable in tweakbox though. The amount of bloat is kinda absurd on Att as well lol. There does seem to be a headphone jack issue with the Att version that I havent had on my own phone as well as the Auxiliary bug that seems to be across all variants but I cant say for sure. I have read about the headphone issue only related to Att and have not seen it in the other forums but I could have missed it..
---------- Post added at 11:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:41 PM ----------

The AT&T variant has an extra band. Not to say that it's a high use frequency, but I wouldn't want to need that band on the AT&T network when in a specific area and not have it.

conan1600 said:
The att G3 comes with carrier IQ and the radio is not nearly as good as the other models. Also the att model does not have qi wireless charging so it is actually the worst model made.
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In what sense is the radio on the D850 inferior to any other gsm variant?
---------- Post added at 01:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:48 PM ----------
done12many2 said:
The AT&T variant has an extra band. Not to say that it's a high use frequency, but I wouldn't want to need that band on the AT&T network when in a specific area and not have it.
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Completely agree. When I was testing the One Plus One for a few days I could feel the difference traveling not having all of the bands on the AT&T network.

Well, I don't think I am going to go to AT&T now, I was thinking about buying a grandfathered unlimited plan but have since heard AT&T is extremely heavy handed in their throttling after ~5GBs and some people get speeds in the 0.5mbps range after the 5GB mark. For now will stick to Verizon and see how heavy handed their unlimited throttling will be once they activate it in October and go from there. Thanks for all the help though!

bose301s said:
Well, I don't think I am going to go to AT&T now, I was thinking about buying a grandfathered unlimited plan but have since heard AT&T is extremely heavy handed in their throttling after ~5GBs and some people get speeds in the 0.5mbps range after the 5GB mark. For now will stick to Verizon and see how heavy handed their unlimited throttling will be once they activate it in October and go from there. Thanks for all the help though!
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Good luck. I have a 10 gig plan and have never noticed any throttling and have used over 7 or 8 gigs frequently but I do not speed check regularly.
---------- Post added at 09:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:27 PM ----------
3's&7's said:
In what sense is the radio on the D850 inferior to any other gsm variant?
---------- Post added at 01:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:48 PM ----------
Completely agree. When I was testing the One Plus One for a few days I could feel the difference traveling not having all of the bands on the AT&T network.
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I can't say it is versus the Verizon version of the G 3 but there is a thread for this and some say their unlocked variant on att network gets better signal. I can tell you that in real world use and signal tested in comparison to the LG g pro on att network the signal on the G 3 is far worse than the G Pro so I pulled out my note 3 on Att network poped in the same sim card and did the same thing and the Note 3 was able to make a call where the G 3 can not in my low signal areas of my home. So far, after rooting and a few edits this is my only real issue with the G 3 and tolerable. Mine doesnt have lag issues anymore than other phones and I feel I get superb screen angles, clarity and battery life.

conan1600 said:
Good luck. I have a 10 gig plan and have never noticed any throttling and have used over 7 or 8 gigs frequently but I do not speed check regularly.
---------- Post added at 09:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:27 PM ----------
I can't say it is versus the Verizon version of the G 3 but there is a thread for this and some say their unlocked variant on att network gets better signal. I can tell you that in real world use and signal tested in comparison to the LG g pro on att network the signal on the G 3 is far worse than the G Pro so I pulled out my note 3 on Att network poped in the same sim card and did the same thing and the Note 3 was able to make a call where the G 3 can not in my low signal areas of my home. So far, after rooting and a few edits this is my only real issue with the G 3 and tolerable. Mine doesnt have lag issues anymore than other phones and I feel I get superb screen angles, clarity and battery life.
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AT&T does not throttle the limited plans like your 10 gig plan. You are simply charged for your overage. The unlimited plans are throttled on a case by case basis. I've exceeded 20 gigs one month without throttling and have been throttled right at 5 gigs on others.
I have a Galaxy S5 and a Galaxy Note 3 and regularly swap my sim card between them and my G3 without degradation in performance.
The T-Mobile versions of Galaxy series phones are known to experience reduced data performance when used on the AT&T LTE network when compared to the AT&T variant. One could only assume the same for the T-Mobile LG G3 on the AT&T LTE network since it's missing one of AT&T's bands.

conan1600 said:
Cant say for sure. I havent personally tested it. The International version can be bought unlocked, T Moble offers many phones in unlocked versions and if they do on the G3 it appears from what ive read it may be better for some. It would depend on if you like Qi better than Power mat and if you're proficient at modding phones. If you are comfortable with rooting and tweak box as well as a bit of build prop edits, the Att d850 is fine. I already am invested in Qi so personally I just bought a 14 dollar Qi film and put it in the otterbox case I use and it works well with Qi.
One thing I havent checked into on the other versions is rotation locking as well. That is annoying to some as it is backwards from samsung and vanilla android. This is changeable in tweakbox though. The amount of bloat is kinda absurd on Att as well lol. There does seem to be a headphone jack issue with the Att version that I havent had on my own phone as well as the Auxiliary bug that seems to be across all variants but I cant say for sure. I have read about the headphone issue only related to Att and have not seen it in the other forums but I could have missed it..
---------- Post added at 11:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:41 PM ----------
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Click to collapse
Did you mod an ATT G3 to use Qi? If so how did you do it?

shikem said:
Did you mod an ATT G3 to use Qi? If so how did you do it?
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Click to collapse
Yes. Just bought a qi film that plugs into the usb, it will sit under your protective case like a slip of paper but make sure to tape it down right over the battery. I dont see the listing on eBay atm but a top search in google found plenty. http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Wireless-Charging-Receiver-micro-USB/dp/B00H7FJX7M . Make sure you find one with the right head for our phone and also If I remember right rhere were a few different milliamp versions. Higher equals faster.

what I want to know is how do you buy a "grandfathered unlimited plan"

UK - Silver Version?

Has anyone in the UK managed to find where they are selling the silver version of the S7 or S7 edge?
Thanks

3473 said:
Has anyone in the UK managed to find where they are selling the silver version of the S7 or S7 edge?
Thanks
Click to expand...
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As i work for samsung, sorry to disappoint you but there will only be black and gold in the uk

RCJ89 said:
As i work for samsung, sorry to disappoint you but there will only be black and gold in the uk
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Click to collapse
Okay thanks for letting me know, it'll have to be black then
Random question. On the samsung website the gear vr comes up as a 'paid' accessory - I thought it was supposed to be free if you pre-order?

RCJ89 said:
As i work for samsung, sorry to disappoint you but there will only be black and gold in the uk
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Click to collapse
Why is Europe being punished again? Do people at Samsung think customers in Europe don't want to buy silver phones? Not getting the S7 Edge because I cannot get it in silver (only colour I liked). Honestly really stupid decision once again from Samsung.

3473 said:
Okay thanks for letting me know, it'll have to be black then
Random question. On the samsung website the gear vr comes up as a 'paid' accessory - I thought it was supposed to be free if you pre-order?
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Click to collapse
Yes I noticed this also.
Also, I'm wondering if the gold version = gold platinum?

No gear vr as a free gift just rugby pen. Just preordered s7 edge.

RCJ89 said:
As i work for samsung, sorry to disappoint you but there will only be black and gold in the uk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know about Europe in general? I'll import it if I need to.

emersonas said:
No gear vr as a free gift just rugby pen. Just preordered s7 edge.
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A rugby pen? What's that?
Did you order off the samsung UK website? During the keynote they said the free gear vr was applicable to Europe

3473 said:
Okay thanks for letting me know, it'll have to be black then
Random question. On the samsung website the gear vr comes up as a 'paid' accessory - I thought it was supposed to be free if you pre-order?
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Afaibt - as far as i have been told. It is free with all contract pre orders of the s7/s7 edge, so not sim free devices.
---------- Post added at 09:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:45 PM ----------
zanwo said:
Do you know about Europe in general? I'll import it if I need to.
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Click to collapse
UK and Europe only black and Gold, which is quite crap iio, as I wanted a silver one but buying from another country means no warranty.
So black it has to be.
---------- Post added at 09:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:46 PM ----------
rochitka said:
Yes I noticed this also.
Also, I'm wondering if the gold version = gold platinum?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is gold platinum and ive just been updated the vr is only with contracts not sim free
---------- Post added at 09:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:51 PM ----------
Toss3 said:
Why is Europe being punished again? Do people at Samsung think customers in Europe don't want to buy silver phones? Not getting the S7 Edge because I cannot get it in silver (only colour I liked). Honestly really stupid decision once again from Samsung.
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Rreally strange decision as we sell alot of the s6 edge+ silver.

RCJ89 said:
It is gold platinum and ive just been updated the vr is only with contracts not sim free.
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I thought the samsung website only sold Sim free?

This was actually the first time I would have preorder a phone but now I learnt that you only get the vr headset when you get a contract I'm getting second thoughts. Why punish people who are willing to buy the phone outright?

sareen said:
This was actually the first time I would have preorder a phone but now I learnt that you only get the vr headset when you get a contract I'm getting second thoughts. Why punish people who are willing to buy the phone outright?
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Must be a country-thing as I pre-ordered and got the free gear vr deal (not on a contract).

3473 said:
I thought the samsung website only sold Sim free?
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they do but at the carphone warehouse they sell contracts so they are offering the gear vr.

RCJ89 said:
UK and Europe only black and Gold, which is quite crap iio, as I wanted a silver one but buying from another country means no warranty.
So black it has to be.
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Click to collapse
Damn, that's a shame. The first time a non-black/dark phone has interested me and it isn't even available... :/

RCJ89 said:
UK and Europe only black and Gold, which is quite crap iio, as I wanted a silver one but buying from another country means no warranty.
So black it has to be.
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Click to collapse
Are you sure about that ? I Sweden you can preorder the S7 and the S7 Edge in Black, Gold and White.

The silver version is available for pre-order in France on the s7 edge. I bought the gold one though.
UPDATE: Nervermind it's not the silver version, it's the white version.
Available colours are Black, White and Gold.
The gear VR is also given to people who pre-order it.
Envoyé de mon SM-N910F en utilisant Tapatalk

mathieulh said:
The silver version is available for pre-order in France on the s7 edge. I bought the gold one though.
UPDATE: Nervermind it's not the silver version, it's the white version.
Available colours are Black, White and Gold.
The gear VR is also given to people who pre-order it.
Envoyé de mon SM-N910F en utilisant Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
right in Poland white gold and black , looks like again silver its something special...

Will the Galaxy S7 UK version have the Snapdragon or Exynos soc?

I spoke with the Samsung UK Web Store support guys and they told me that you don't get the VR in the UK but if you call and complain they have started an internal petition where they add anyone's name who calls. I'm guessing if there's enough interest this will change.

Dwayne01 said:
Will the Galaxy S7 UK version have the Snapdragon or Exynos soc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exynos.

Die-hard Windows Phone guy admits defeat

Hello All,
I have been a hard-core Windows Phone guy since the first Windows Mobile devices. I came to Windows Mobile when the Palm devices went away. I stayed loyal to Windows Phone as long as I could. The Lumia 950XL was not a bad device, but when mine started deteriorating recently, I tried the HP Elite X3 at a cost of over $1,000.
I’ll make this long story short. This device is junk. There are no apps left, and the ones that are left don’t work on this device. Windows Phone is dead, and I can’t wait on a “Surface Phone” which we may or may not ever see.
I have ruled out an apple device. I have never had an Android device, but have pretty much decided on an S8+. I’m U.S. AT&T, but I work in Africa and have a local sim card there. I need an unlocked, “real” dual-sim device. By “real”, I mean both sims must be fully functional (active) simultaneously. No switching back and forth.
So, my question is; does anyone know if Samsung will release an unlocked dual-sim S8+? If so, when? If not, can anyone recommend a high-quality, unlocked, dual-sim device?
Thank you!
Dave
PS: For Sale: Like new HP Elite X3 with two cases and all accessories. I think I also have a Sony Beta HiFi in the garage.

Isn't there an international dual-SIM, unlocked version of the S8+ available?
Just checked and found this:
https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy-Factory-Unlocked-Smart/dp/B06XXR799Q
This is probably available in the Middle East and Indian markets.
Another alternative for you could be the OnePlus 3T at less than half the cost.
https://oneplus.net/ca_en/3t
Hope that helps.

April 28th samsung will release another version of the s8 I think it's unlocked but I know for sure is exynos... sorry I couldn't help out more

Thanks Rajeshr. I looked at the comments to the Amazon ad. It looks like this is not a dual-sim device, even though it states it is. I am looking at the 1+. Thanks.
Thanks also mlock420 (& a happy day-late 420). I will follow this closely. Must have an unlocked, real dual-sim. Will check the 28th. Thanks.

rajeshr said:
Isn't there an international dual-SIM, unlocked version of the S8+ available?
Just checked and found this:
https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy-Factory-Unlocked-Smart/dp/B06XXR799Q
This is probably available in the Middle East and Indian markets.
Another alternative for you could be the OnePlus 3T at less than half the cost.
https://oneplus.net/ca_en/3t
Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, youll want that, youll also want to custom rom your phone too which will only be availble with the exynos varient. Its not enough to get an unlocked sim these days, for maximum compatibility between countries/networks you'll also need an unlocked bootloader, so dont get snapdragon usa model! Get international exynos!

XATAGuy said:
Thanks Rajeshr. I looked at the comments to the Amazon ad. It looks like this is not a dual-sim device, even though it states it is. I am looking at the 1+. Thanks.
Thanks also mlock420 (& a happy day-late 420). I will follow this closely. Must have an unlocked, real dual-sim. Will check the 28th. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, the Amazon link is not a dual-SIM one, but there will be dual-SIM S8+'s released in certain markets on the 28th.
---------- Post added at 05:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:46 PM ----------
cantenna said:
Yea, youll want that, youll also want to custom rom your phone too which will only be availble with the exynos varient. Its not enough to get an unlocked sim these days, for maximum compatibility between countries/networks you'll also need an unlocked bootloader, so dont get snapdragon usa model! Get international exynos!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not debating the custom ROM part being better (although I hold slightly differing views from you on that point), but why would you state that you need a custom ROM for maximum compatibilities between countries/networks?

rajeshr said:
Yeah, the Amazon link is not a dual-SIM one, but there will be dual-SIM S8+'s released in certain markets on the 28th.
---------- Post added at 05:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:46 PM ----------
I'm not debating the custom ROM part being better (although I hold slightly differing views from you on that point), but why would you state that you need a custom ROM for maximum compatibilities between countries/networks?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, for maximum compatibility you need to be able to quickly flash the carriers csc with twrp, see xda S7 sub forum/superman rom for s7 for more info

cantenna said:
Sure, for maximum compatibility you need to be able to quickly flash the carriers csc with twrp, see xda S7 sub forum/superman rom for s7 for more info
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wouldn't an unlocked device have access to the requisite/correct CSC files for each individual region\carrier?

rajeshr said:
Wouldn't an unlocked device have access to the requisite/correct CSC files for each individual region\carrier?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will still work without, it just may not work as well.
Google xda galaxy s7 csc selector superman rom for more info.

Are there no pre order freebies in the UK?

As title says, usually when you pre order a flagship phone from Samsung you get some kind of free item, but can't find anything. Got the Samsung buds free with the S10+. Can't find anything with the Note 10.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

No freebies, for now at least

Nothing noted with my pre-order just an extra £100 with any trade in I do (which I won't be doing) shame but still

Where can we purchase the international version from the US please?
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

marcgear said:
Nothing noted with my pre-order just an extra £100 with any trade in I do (which I won't be doing) shame but still
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Click to collapse
I got that offer from Vodafone. Sending them an old Samsung wave I found in the drawer. 100 quid for nowt

zanderswigan said:
I got that offer from Vodafone. Sending them an old Samsung wave I found in the drawer. 100 quid for nowt
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Click to collapse
Samsung is only interested in the US. I guess that's where they also gets a bulk of their customers..

liquidraven said:
Where can we purchase the international version from the US please?
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Click to collapse
Are you sure you want to? I thought the exynos versions don't work in US carriers that's why they use snapdragons? If you do want one I'd imagine ebay or one of the Chinese sites like gearbest would be your best bet.

zanderswigan said:
Are you sure you want to? I thought the exynos versions don't work in US carriers that's why they use snapdragons? If you do want one I'd imagine ebay or one of the Chinese sites like gearbest would be your best bet.
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Click to collapse
Verizon told me they will support it gsm but as to whether it will ever do CDMA, i don't know. I think i need to get the latin verson exynos note 10 for that.

Are you looking for the exynos so you have root capability?
Edit: just done a bit of digging and you may be OK with att and tmobile but verizon and sprint can only work on CDMA.

zanderswigan said:
Are you looking for the exynos so you have root capability?
Edit: just done a bit of digging and you may be OK with att and tmobile but verizon and sprint can only work on CDMA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Has there been much talk about rooting?

RiffyDivine said:
Has there been much talk about rooting?
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Click to collapse
I'm not really sure to be honest. I'm sure the dev community will have it cracked already though. I don't bother these days as I know it can limit some features and android is as open as I need it to be. I'd prefer the snapdragon variant but I'd have to go through the hassle of importing it and sacrifice the warranty and on an £1100 device its just not worth it for me personally

zanderswigan said:
I'm not really sure to be honest. I'm sure the dev community will have it cracked already though. I don't bother these days as I know it can limit some features and android is as open as I need it to be. I'd prefer the snapdragon variant but I'd have to go through the hassle of importing it and sacrifice the warranty and on an £1100 device its just not worth it for me personally
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can understand that but I am sending mine back for the same reason, I forgot the SD855 is very unlikely to get root.

Nah. Nothing. The s10+ was an outlier since the last pre order bonus in the UK was the dex thing for the note 8.

A work colleague got free buds with the s10e. I think it sucks how Samsung treats UK customers compared to elsewhere. I've been an avid note customer since day one and in all that time received a couple of free charging pucks and a GearVR (from Carphonewarehouse).

Importing Note 20 Ultra 5G from USA to UK

Hi Guys,
I have a possibility to buy an Unlocked version of Note 20 Ultra 5G from the US and ask a friend to bring it to the UK with them.
Apart from Snapdragon advantage, it will be even a little cheaper than buying in the UK.
I am, however, a bit worried about 5G support in the UK. I spent many hours torturing different Samsung US Live Chat Agents and BestBuy Live Chat Agents with the same questions and they all advised that the phone is fully unlocked and 5G will work in the UK. They also said there is no Region Lock so I can directly insert a UK sim card to it.
However, I am taking it with a grain of salt as the agents seem to care about sales only. Also, I couldn't find official band specifications for Note 20 Ultra on Samsung's website (correct me, if I am wrong, please).
Does anyone know if the 5G will work in the UK? Will VoLTE work? I know Samsung Pay won't work but I don't care at all - I always use Google Pay instead.
Also, will I get a Samsung firmware if I buy it from BestBuy, for firmware updates?
I really want to import it but don't want to end up getting a phone that will not have 5G or any other significant feature.
Can you please shed some light on this? Thanks.

You need to check the actual 5G bands on the device are compatible with your cellular provider.

ekerbuddyeker said:
You need to check the actual 5G bands on the device are compatible with your cellular provider.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, this is what I was thinking about too but I couldn't find any band specs on Samsung's website apart from generic 5G thing.
Any idea where can I find them? Thanks.

VirtualWaver said:
Thanks, this is what I was thinking about too but I couldn't find any band specs on Samsung's website apart from generic 5G thing.
Any idea where can I find them? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://www.phonearena.com/phones/S...he Note 20 Ultra is,a starting price of $1300.
https://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=6280

Thanks a lot for the info.
Surprisingly, neither Samsung Chat nor their Facebook support do not know the specs, saying they are not published on the website which is strange.
According to the phonescoop site it doesn't support n78 which is the UK spec, but what is really surprising that it doesn't even list all 4G bands that are supported in the UK but I remember people were saying S20 Ultra was working fine with UK 4G... I am trying to call their e-commerce department to get a confirmation from them directly.
Man, the Samsung really messed the things up with their rubbish processor policy. To be honest I was not bothering until the point when then started to sell Snapdragon in their home country which really speaks loud on how good it is in comparison with Exynos.

This is also a dilemma I am facing as well. I can choose between a US Unlock or an International Unlock. The question I am wondering is whether I can get Samsung Pay to work. I currently live in Japan. I had a Note 8 unlocked international , connected to a US vpn, that I was able to register my US credit cards on Samsung Pay and it worked flawless here. I was able to use Samsung Pay out in town with no problems. Yet ever since the Note 9 I have not been able to get it to work again. My thinking was to instead of buying an international unlocked version, was to get a US unlocked version and try to activate/register Samsung Pay via US vpn to see if it would work. Do you guys think that is doable? Or should I just go for the international Note 20 Ultra and call it a day?

cezeff said:
This is also a dilemma I am facing as well. I can choose between a US Unlock or an International Unlock. The question I am wondering is whether I can get Samsung Pay to work. I currently live in Japan. I had a Note 8 unlocked international , connected to a US vpn, that I was able to register my US credit cards on Samsung Pay and it worked flawless here. I was able to use Samsung Pay out in town with no problems. Yet ever since the Note 9 I have not been able to get it to work again. My thinking was to instead of buying an international unlocked version, was to get a US unlocked version and try to activate/register Samsung Pay via US vpn to see if it would work. Do you guys think that is doable? Or should I just go for the international Note 20 Ultra and call it a day?
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I was reading in many places that Samsung Pay is region locked so it won't work properly. But it might be different in case of Japan.
I personally don't use Samsung Pay at all so can't say but hopefully someone else would advise.

So I spent another 30 minutes on the phone with Samsung and am, honestly, shocked to say the least.
Not only they had not idea about 5G and 4G frequencies of their own product, they were just repeating something like "well it says it support mmwave and we googled and saw the UK also supports mmwave so it should work" which is complete nonsense (the UK doesn't even support mmwave yet, its a US thing!). The UK is using band 78 which is 3..5Ghz so all I wanted from them is to confirm if the US version has 3.5Ghz or not. Another disappointment on Samsung....
So I am currently stuck, this is, really, a gamble, not sure if the risk worth it or not. Something tells me the 5G won't work in the UK and this doesn't' worth it.
How come Samsung doesn't know what frequencies their own product supports? Is it that hard for them to get? Its rubbish!

Us Note 20 doesn't work with 5G band in UK. If you want a working snapdragon 5G note 20 or note 20 ultra you have to by N986N model from South Korea, which is one sim only but it has 256gb internal storage....

manager77 said:
Us Note 20 doesn't work with 5G band in UK. If you want a working snapdragon 5G note 20 or note 20 ultra you have to by N986N model from South Korea, which is one sim only but it has 256gb internal storage....
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Yes, it seems to. I will try my luck with Wondamobile and order the HK version once available. Don't want to buy the Exynos...
Thanks for your help!

It seems like a lot of hassle just to get a snapdragon version. You may gain performance (that's probably not even noticeable in normal every day tasks) and a possible gain in battery life... but gain hassles with the UK network bands, import duty, warranty issues and resale value.
There are meant to be tweaks on the Exynos 990 in the Note20 version, so why not wait and see a reasonable handful of reviews on this subject first?
.

apprentice said:
It seems like a lot of hassle just to get a snapdragon version. You may gain performance (that's probably not even noticeable in normal every day tasks) and a possible gain in battery life... but gain hassles with the UK network bands, import duty, warranty issues and resale value.
There are meant to be tweaks on the Exynos 990 in the Note20 version, so why not wait and see a reasonable handful of reviews on this subject first?
.
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This is also true, especially the resale value part (Wondamobile covers all import duties, etc so no probs from that side).
I am also waiting for the reviews, even though Ice Universe advised the rumors about tweaked Exynos are not legit. Still, hope dies last
Decisions, decisions

apprentice said:
It seems like a lot of hassle just to get a snapdragon version. You may gain performance (that's probably not even noticeable in normal every day tasks) and a possible gain in battery life... but gain hassles with the UK network bands, import duty, warranty issues and resale value.
There are meant to be tweaks on the Exynos 990 in the Note20 version, so why not wait and see a reasonable handful of reviews on this subject first?
.
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Interesting...I know you said wait for the reviews, yet if you had the choice which version would you get or which version do you normally get? I'm looking at making a decision between the snapdragon or the exynos... I'm pretty sure I've always had exynos, yet this maybe the last year I'm able to afford upgrading to the latest and greatest... I want to ensure I'm getting the best bang for the buck... I'm thinking the Korean unlocked snapdragon maybe the best bet.

cezeff said:
Interesting...I know you said wait for the reviews, yet if you had the choice which version would you get or which version do you normally get? I'm looking at making a decision between the snapdragon or the exynos... I'm pretty sure I've always had exynos, yet this maybe the last year I'm able to afford upgrading to the latest and greatest... I want to ensure I'm getting the best bang for the buck... I'm thinking the Korean unlocked snapdragon maybe the best bet.
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Depending on where you live though, if in Europe than HK would be a better choice as it has a better network compatibility with European 5g and GSM standards than Korean version. I was also reading that Koren version comes with specific Korean settings and bloatware that cannot be removed, hence, it is cheaper than HK version.
I was reading today that one guy on Twitter apparently tested Note 20 Ultra Exynos and said it is more optimised and faster than the same processor in S20 Ultra, but still not on par with Snapdragon.
I will probably try my luck with Wondamobile once they will have the HK version available.

cezeff said:
Interesting...I know you said wait for the reviews, yet if you had the choice which version would you get or which version do you normally get? I'm looking at making a decision between the snapdragon or the exynos... I'm pretty sure I've always had exynos, yet this maybe the last year I'm able to afford upgrading to the latest and greatest... I want to ensure I'm getting the best bang for the buck... I'm thinking the Korean unlocked snapdragon maybe the best bet.
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I see you are in the US, so you will automatically get the Snapdragon version. This is technically a better chipset for both performance and battery life, but the evidence seems to point to about a 6% performance boost (on the Galaxy S20) and about 1hr more battery power. But these figures are only relevant if you are pushing the phone to absolute limits. As with all benchmarking, results are clinical and most likely aren't noticeable in every day usage and the majority of people really don't care much.
However what we do care about (here in non US markets) is that we are paying the same amount (often more) for something that technically has an inferior chipset. But Samsung seemed to have addressed this with the Exynos version having a bigger (256Gb) base storage.
There are rumours banding about that the Exynos 990 has been much improved/ramped up, also addressing the overheating issues on previous devices. So it remains to be seen if this holds true. But the crux of my input here is that is it really worth the OP going to the trouble of importing a phone from the US or S.Korea to the UK, based on all the above? Especially if something goes wrong you most likely don't have a warranty. At the price of a Note 20 Ultra that's a lot of money to lose if you get a fault.

apprentice said:
I see you are in the US, so you will automatically get the Snapdragon version. This is technically a better chipset for both performance and battery life, but the evidence seems to point to about a 6% performance boost (on the Galaxy S20) and about 1hr more battery power. But these figures are only relevant if you are pushing the phone to absolute limits. As with all benchmarking, results are clinical and most likely aren't noticeable in every day usage and the majority of people really don't care much.
However what we do care about (here in non US markets) is that we are paying the same amount (often more) for something that technically has an inferior chipset. But Samsung seemed to have addressed this with the Exynos version having a bigger (256Gb) base storage.
There are rumours banding about that the Exynos 990 has been much improved/ramped up, also addressing the overheating issues on previous devices. So it remains to be seen if this holds true. But the crux of my input here is that is it really worth the OP going to the trouble of importing a phone from the US or S.Korea to the UK, based on all the above? Especially if something goes wrong you most likely don't have a warranty. At the price of a Note 20 Ultra that's a lot of money to lose if you get a fault.
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Well I live in Japan .. Shipping and importing is not really an issue for me... Even with the improvements to exynos, it still seems the snapdragon is the better chipset (?).. I can source an unlocked 256 snapdragon from Korea, yet now am concerned about the bloatware on the phone... wouldn't the Hong Kong version also include some form of bloatware?
---------- Post added at 06:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:35 PM ----------
VirtualWaver said:
Depending on where you live though, if in Europe than HK would be a better choice as it has a better network compatibility with European 5g and GSM standards than Korean version. I was also reading that Koren version comes with specific Korean settings and bloatware that cannot be removed, hence, it is cheaper than HK version.
I was reading today that one guy on Twitter apparently tested Note 20 Ultra Exynos and said it is more optimised and faster than the same processor in S20 Ultra, but still not on par with Snapdragon.
I will probably try my luck with Wondamobile once they will have the HK version available.
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Click to collapse
Wouldn't the HK version include bloatware as well?

cezeff said:
Well I live in Japan .. Shipping and importing is not really an issue for me... Even with the improvements to exynos, it still seems the snapdragon is the better chipset (?).. I can source an unlocked 256 snapdragon from Korea, yet now am concerned about the bloatware on the phone... wouldn't the Hong Kong version also include some form of bloatware?
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Ah sorry, I was just going by the country flag on your profile.
I don't know if the HK version will be full of bloatware. However, I think Samsung have toned down their bloatware over the past 2-3 years anyway (certainly in the UK versions), instead opting to provide links to downloads of their apps that might interest you. I actually really like the Samsung Browser for example but it's no longer installed by default, so I had to install it from the Galaxy Store.

apprentice said:
Ah sorry, I was just going by the country flag on your profile.
I don't know if the HK version will be full of bloatware. However, I think Samsung have toned down their bloatware over the past 2-3 years anyway (certainly in the UK versions), instead opting to provide links to downloads of their apps that might interest you. I actually really like the Samsung Browser for example but it's no longer installed by default, so I had to install it from the Galaxy Store.
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I will second the Samsung Browser - absolutely the best and works super fast. My to go browser, in fact.
I am not sure about bloatware content but there was a deal on HotUKDeals website where Wonda was selling S20 from Korea and it was cheaper and people was saying the comments that the reason is that it has many pre-configured Korean bloat that cannot be removed even with package managers.
It looks like (from my research on the web) that HK version doesn't have these.

apprentice said:
Ah sorry, I was just going by the country flag on your profile.
I don't know if the HK version will be full of bloatware. However, I think Samsung have toned down their bloatware over the past 2-3 years anyway (certainly in the UK versions), instead opting to provide links to downloads of their apps that might interest you. I actually really like the Samsung Browser for example but it's no longer installed by default, so I had to install it from the Galaxy Store.
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No problem. I do agree that Samsung has toned it down. I think I'll go ahead and pre-order the Korean snapdragon with 256gb in mystic white... mystic bronze looks great, yet I can't do much with it, even putting on a skin the frame would stick out like a sore thumb... If anything I can disable bloatware via ADB shell without root... One of the reasons I buy unlocked phones is because the bloatware on Japanese locked phones are absolutely crazy... The system is also proprietary, losing much of the customization other regions have, along with super long delayed updates...
---------- Post added at 07:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:01 PM ----------
VirtualWaver said:
I will second the Samsung Browser - absolutely the best and works super fast. My to go browser, in fact.
I am not sure about bloatware content but there was a deal on HotUKDeals website where Wonda was selling S20 from Korea and it was cheaper and people was saying the comments that the reason is that it has many pre-configured Korean bloat that cannot be removed even with package managers.
It looks like (from my research on the web) that HK version doesn't have these.
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Click to collapse
I'll roll with the Korean version for now.. If there is any excessive bloated I'll ADB shell it and if anything else maybe flash a universal ROM later down the road... Thanks for you guys input

cezeff said:
No problem. I do agree that Samsung has toned it down. I think I'll go ahead and pre-order the Korean snapdragon with 256gb in mystic white... mystic bronze looks great, yet I can't do much with it, even putting on a skin the frame would stick out like a sore thumb... If anything I can disable bloatware via ADB shell without root... One of the reasons I buy unlocked phones is because the bloatware on Japanese locked phones are absolutely crazy... The system is also proprietary, losing much of the customization other regions have, along with super long delayed updates...
---------- Post added at 07:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:01 PM ----------
I'll roll with the Korean version for now.. If there is any excessive bloated I'll ADB shell it and if anything else maybe flash a universal ROM later down the road... Thanks for you guys input
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Please let us know how once you get it
I will also hold on and wait for Exynos review. Hope it will be available soon.
I am not a gamer at all, but am a power user and do appreciate when the phone heats less and consumes less battery. Also, apparently, Snapdragon's reception is better. So will wait for reviews before getting. For now, I cancelled my Samsung order from the UK.