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So reading around here about the issues with Chinese versions of Mate 9's and Google Play. I am confused on a few points and thought maybe it would help others, and myself, to have a thread just for the purpose of version clarity. Can someone chime in with a yay or nay to the following:
- My understanding is there are 3 versions; Euro version, International version, and Chinese version.
- Read somewhere around here that the single sim version is Euro.
- Read around here that dual SIM version is International.
- Read around here that 128/6 GB is Chinese.
- With regard to all of the above are they mutually exclusive meaning that, for instance, any 128/6 GB Mate 9 would necessarily be a Chinese version? However, getting a 64/4 GB model might not mean you are avoiding a Chinese variant? If you get dual SIM you are avoiding Chines variant?
- Deducing from what I have read here it seems that any version other than the Chinese version is fine out of the box to work with Google Play.
- Is color in play for versions, all this color a that version or something like that.
I ordered a 128/6 GB White Mate 9 from Oppomart and just trying to see if I need to change to a 64/4 GB or what. Also read around here someone quoted Oppomart as saying they are selling International versions but figured that could change over time (also emailed Oppomart and will share their response when I get it).
*edit*. Adding info that answers my questions so, hopefully, others questions as well. Thanks to all here and elsewhere for the clarity:
The Chinese model is MHA-AL00, and two international models are MHA-L29 and MHA-L09. The MHA-AL00 and the MHA-L29 both support the same bands, basically almost all bands. The MHA-L09 supports all of the bands of the other two models except Band 41 (so bad news for Sprint and China/India if my research is correct). The MHA-L09 is single sim while the MLA-AL00 and MHA-L29 are dual-sim (the hybrid kind so second SIM slot is SD slot). Only the MHA-AL00 now comes in the 128 or 256 and 6 GB variant. Some, not many, MHA-AL00 phones will have the B109SP01 firmware but maybe not many - if it does then you basically got the same thing as an International version in terms of Google Play working (just don't do system update until word here is the Play issue is fixed in the ROM they are pushing out), SIM slots, etc and in future it is likely with unlocked bootloader it could be flashed to become an International version. In short, it seems MHA-AL00 (Chinese) and MHA-L29 (International) are the same hardware phone with the former have the 128/256 and 6 GB option out there and the MLA-L09 is the same but missing the aforementioned band and second SIM slot.
100% you have the Chinese version. There is no MHA-L29 (international) or MHA-L09 in that format...yet...sorry . A lot of these Chinese retailers will lie to fool you into a sale. Only some of them really know their stuff and list it all correctly with the right information/product.
MHA-AL00:
http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=device..._9_dual_sim_td-lte_mha-al00__huawei_manhattan
MHA-L09:
http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=device&id=10917&c=huawei_mate_9_td-lte_mha-l09__huawei_manhattan
MHA-L29:
http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=device...e_9_dual_sim_td-lte_mha-l29__huawei_manhattan
I can't comment on software capabilities of each version in terms of LTE etc (I was pretty damn sure that was always limited to hardware). I've coded BMWs so I know hardware limitations for Europe vs USA, and they are there (most notably in tail lights and headlights - orange vs red, glare free LEDs vs regular LEDs due to DOT regulations).
@duraaraa knows more on development on our Mate 9s though since he has tinkered a bit and helped Chinese Mate 9 owners already in the google play/version thread. The phone is still brand new, so hard to say what's true without real world users actually doing tests in each region on select carriers, etc.
So 128/6 GB is going to be useless Chinese brick without Google Play. Why even ship such a pointless device? Not sure it is worth even trying to find right one somewhere.
Starting to see why not bothering with these Chinese phones is probably smart. Thanks for the info. Just so sick of Samsung and that new Pixel iPhone with bigger bezels are no real choices. Ugh.
Back to looking.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge using XDA Labs
SWBgHz said:
So 128/6 GB is going to be useless Chinese brick without Google Play. Why even ship such a pointless device? Not sure it is worth even trying to find right one somewhere.
Starting to see why not bothering with these Chinese phones is probably smart. Thanks for the info. Just so sick of Samsung and that new Pixel iPhone with bigger bezels are no real choices. Ugh.
Back to looking.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your not alone, Hang in there till there's some better information & legitimate details...
Saw the guy who figured out how to work around and downgrade them, but can't spend that kind of money for a device from a company that would ship a useless brick like that. Really sad to me the so called tech press doesn't lambast a company for doing this kind of stuff. Lapdogs, sadly.
So here is the gist of it:
MHA-AL00:
Useless crap
MHA-L09 & MHA-L29
Usable smartphones
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge using XDA Labs
SWBgHz said:
Saw the guy who figured out how to work around and downgrade them, but can't spend that kind of money for a device from a company that would ship a useless brick like that. Really sad to me the so called tech press doesn't lambast a company for doing this kind of stuff. Lapdogs, sadly.
So here is the gist of it:
MHA-AL00:
Useless crap
MHA-L09 & MHA-L29
Usable smartphones
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, they can't really slam them for adhering to the Chinese market. You're buying a Chinese variant with all that entails. That's just how these things work. Huawei can't ship a device with play services in China.
Why don't you buy from a more local shop with better credibility? I assume it's because you are in a location where it hasn't launched (yet).
So, why bringing out a MHA-L09 and a MHA-L29?
I checked the database (thanks opasha) and the difference seems to be the number of bands they support. L09 seems to be a subset off L29.
Any ideas? I'm in the Netherlands and I would have expected the 09 but I received the 029.
Trixanity said:
Well, they can't really slam them for adhering to the Chinese market. You're buying a Chinese variant with all that entails. That's just how these things work. Huawei can't ship a device with play services in China.
Why don't you buy from a more local shop with better credibility? I assume it's because you are in a location where it hasn't launched (yet).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, in US. As for slamming them ... not installing Google Play in understand but no capability for it to run? That is pretty messed up. Got a mi mix and easy to install and use Play store and Google services.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 using XDA Labs
SWBgHz said:
Yes, in US. As for slamming them ... not installing Google Play in understand but no capability for it to run? That is pretty messed up. Got a mi mix and easy to install and use Play store and Google services.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Two reasons for not being able to do it: Chinese market banning Google products and to avoid people buying devices cheaper from China - instead buying them locally.
If you have a Mi Mix, why would buy another phone?
The US is very restrictive towards Huawei and particularly the Kirin SoCs and the brand isn't particularly strong in the US, so that's why they're hesitant to launch the Mate 9 or Mate 9 Pro in the US.
Trixanity said:
If you have a Mi Mix, why would buy another phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/mi-mix/help/mi-mix-google-voice-issue-t3506686/page1
That is why I got rid of the Mi Mix, everything worked great but Google Voice could not make calls and my home area was problematic with the limited bands.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 using XDA Labs
So I found a guy on eBay (yes, I know - but I do fine in eBay and know how to use the protections it affords) that has Chinese version with the B109SP01 firmware that will run Google Play services. This solves the issues, right? It is dual SIM and 128/6 GB (has other sizes too) so question is will this work or just not worth bothering with it?
Oops, yes I know - should have edited previous post instead of adding another.
Adding info that answers my questions so, hopefully, others questions as well. Thanks to all here and elsewhere for the clarity:
The Chinese model is MHA-AL00, and two international models are MHA-L29 and MHA-L09. The MHA-AL00 and the MHA-L29 both support the same bands, basically almost all bands. The MHA-L09 supports all of the bands of the other two models except Band 41 (so bad news for Sprint and China/India if my research is correct). The MHA-L09 is single sim while the MLA-AL00 and MHA-L29 are dual-sim (the hybrid kind so second SIM slot is SD slot). Only the MHA-AL00 now comes in the 128 or 256 and 6 GB variant. Some, not many, MHA-AL00 phones will have the B109SP01 firmware but maybe not many - if it does then you basically got the same thing as an International version in terms of Google Play working (just don't do system update until word here is the Play issue is fixed in the ROM they are pushing out), SIM slots, etc and in future it is likely with unlocked bootloader it could be flashed to become an International version. In short, it seems MHA-AL00 (Chinese) and MHA-L29 (International) are the same hardware phone with the former have the 128/256 and 6 GB option out there and the MLA-L09 is the same but missing the aforementioned band and second SIM slot.
Will edit original post with this info too so easy for anyone to see. Thanks all.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 using XDA Labs
I just received the MHA-L00 Mate 9 couple of days ago and I was able to install google play without any issues after installing GMSinstaller from Huawei app, I received a firmware OTA as soon as I connected to my wifi B165SP01 which has been working fine. I will keep you posted once I do more tests on it and using it on a daily basis.
I have the international L29 with B158 and 64gb. Dual.
Runs exactely like any other phone vis-a-vis Google / Facebook / Whatsapp
kolembo said:
I have the international L29 with B158 and 64gb. Dual.
Runs exactely like any other phone vis-a-vis Google / Facebook / Whatsapp
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Click to collapse
How did you get B158? Regular OTA or some kind of black magic? Mine is still on B126 with nothing to update...
Is that really B158, or B138?
received OTA B167 update on my MHA-AL00 working fine using T-mobile, google apps installed using GSM from HiApp. Only annoying thing is not able to use stock audio controls (Everything is in chinese) and notification bugs considering to rebrand to international verison whenever I have time
I ordered the Mate 9 from a local supplier (Switzerland) 6 months ago. They sent me the MHA-AL00 which - intriguingly - already had Google Play installed. There was no sign of the phone having been set up before to allow the supplier to install Google Play.... Anyway, everything worked as expected and they only thing I noticed that a few obscure menus were in Chinese as well as some text on the lock screen. Last month I broke the screen and since I liked the phone so much (the battery life is a-ma-zing!) I ordered a new one. This time they sent me the MHA-L29 and the only difference I noted is that all the traces to Chinese were gone. Other than that the phones look, feel and act exactly the same. If you figure out how to tweek the very aggressive power management features, this phone is easy to love.
Alright guys I know I am late to the party but I am considering buying a chinese version with 128GB and 6GBRAM from Ebay. My only question is, now that the phone has been out for a while, is it possible to unlock the bootloader and install the international ROM on the chinese 128/6 mate 9?
Or is it safer to stick with the 64GB/4GB RAM MHA-L29?
Btw I am from Australia
i have the international version, mha-l29c185...works great with google installed...also they do have google play store and all the apps on huawei app market...i seen the 128gb mate 9 6gb ram runing play store in videos....not sure whats all the if are about...can easily install a rom with google in it...
s8plususer said:
Alright guys I know I am late to the party but I am considering buying a chinese version with 128GB and 6GBRAM from Ebay. My only question is, now that the phone has been out for a while, is it possible to unlock the bootloader and install the international ROM on the chinese 128/6 mate 9?
Or is it safer to stick with the 64GB/4GB RAM MHA-L29?
Btw I am from Australia
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah. It is possible. Even it will detect that you have 6 / 128 specs on world ROM.
Maximum you will have some troubles with unlock bootloader. In strange cases Chinese models get wrong unlock code via official way. Also, you have to register Huawei account and use phone with it in 14 days to approve your legitimate reason to unlock.
Hi,
I'm sorry if I overlooked a similar thread, but I'm looking in to buying a galaxy s7 and I wanted to buy one that has an unlocked bootloader and will work with USA metro pcs. is there such phone? lol I've heard usa s7's don't unlock. just wondering.
The Exynos models G930F/G930FD/G930W8, and the hong kong snapdragon model are the only ones can be bootloader unlocked
They will work in the USA, but the USA uses different network carrier standards than the rest of the world, so your connectivity won't be as good as using a USA specific device. You may also lack carrier features like VoLTE.
Thanks! Are the s8's like this as well? I'm trying to figure out if I want a 7 or 8. is there much difference between the phones?
Same for S8 through to S10. International gets unlockable Exynos, USA gets locked Snapdragon, HK gets unlockable Snapdragon.
Main difference would be the bump in specs and build. S7 also won't get official Android Pie, I believe the S8 will/has.
S8's were also a bit unique in that unlocking the Exynos bootloader is harder on them but still possible, S9 and S10 went back to easy as far as I'm aware.
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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?
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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?
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Hey Guys,
What would you recommend as the best model of the Note 20 Ultra to get? I have access to purchase the US unlocked, the International unlocked or the Korean Unlocked variant. I was concerned about using SamsungPay, yet I think I will let that ship sail. I am more concerned about overall performance and value. I will not be rooting. I use to for years on here, yet have not done so for the last 4 Note models. Just can't decided which would be the best one to purchase. Yet I need to get my pre-order in soon. I currently live in Japan. What are you thoughts?
cezeff said:
Hey Guys,
What would you recommend as the best model of the Note 20 Ultra to get? I have access to purchase the US unlocked, the International unlocked or the Korean Unlocked variant. I was concerned about using SamsungPay, yet I think I will let that ship sail. I am more concerned about overall performance and value. I will not be rooting. I use to for years on here, yet have not done so for the last 4 Note models. Just can't decided which would be the best one to purchase. Yet I need to get my pre-order in soon. I currently live in Japan. What are you thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my recommendation would be to get the version which has all the required bands to work well in Japan.
That said i would not get the international one though because it has the crappy exynos 990 in it.
both US and Korean variants have the snapdragon 865+. i known rooting doesnt matter but just for information the US and Canadian models cannot be rooted due to the locked bootloader
force70 said:
my recommendation would be to get the version which has all the required bands to work well in Japan.
That said i would not get the international one though because it has the crappy exynos 990 in it.
both US and Korean variants have the snapdragon 865+. i known rooting doesnt matter but just for information the US and Canadian models cannot be rooted due to the locked bootloader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply. Both the Korean and the US variant would work the same for LTE here... I'm going with the Korean version as it has twice the storage for the same price.... If for some crazy reason I do root it later, it looks like it would be doable with the Korean model in flashing a generic worldwide wide rom(?).. It seems there was pretty healthy development on the snapdragon Korean version of the note 10 plus...I don't think that I will ever push it has enough to fully use the chipset, yet it's a good piece of mind to have when spending so much money, that you got the best performance you can buy.... because any variant isn't 100% completely compatible with all the LTE bands in Japan, I would feel better getting the chipset that has the best energy efficiency as well... I'll be going with mystic white as it give me the greatest flexibility in swapping skins and cases, plus the grey framed camera bump looks better in my opinion
force70 said:
my recommendation would be to get the version which has all the required bands to work well in Japan.
That said i would not get the international one though because it has the crappy exynos 990 in it.
both US and Korean variants have the snapdragon 865+. i known rooting doesnt matter but just for information the US and Canadian models cannot be rooted due to the locked bootloader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am stuck in this too, live in Canada
I need Dual SIM ( not avail for North American version )
I need rooting
I checked but the HK bands dont work for my carriers 5G
So - should I buy a Note 20 Ultra with Exynos? where I am not getting its worth OR go for a Note 10 + instead International but with Exynos for $1200 CAD
inningsdefeat500 said:
I am stuck in this too, live in Canada
I need Dual SIM ( not avail for North American version )
I need rooting
I checked but the HK bands dont work for my carriers 5G
So - should I buy a Note 20 Ultra with Exynos? where I am not getting its worth OR go for a Note 10 + instead International but with Exynos for $1200 CAD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I definitely wouldnt buy exynos this year..the 990 is total crap.
last year the snapdragon was still better but I don't think the performance margin was a big.
what carrier you with?
inningsdefeat500 said:
I am stuck in this too, live in Canada
I need Dual SIM ( not avail for North American version )
I need rooting
I checked but the HK bands dont work for my carriers 5G
So - should I buy a Note 20 Ultra with Exynos? where I am not getting its worth OR go for a Note 10 + instead International but with Exynos for $1200 CAD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me 5G is nice, yet not super important due to the fact Japan just turned on 5G for commercial use 2 months ago and still have yet to flesh it out properly. NTT Docomo, the largest of the 3 carriers, expects only 2.5 million subscribers by March 2021... In short I'm saying how much access will you have to 5G in your area?... Is it top priority if you are getting great speeds on LTE already?
I went with the HK version over the Korean version for the dual sim capability....
As far as rooting I think both the HK and Korean versions were enjoying some success on the Note 10+ forums... You might want to check how things went with rooting development on those models , with expectations for probably the same level of support
Wondering how many out there plan to get the bootloader unlocked Snapdragon edition? It seems the Snapdragon will be 2 generations ahead this year, as the Snapdragon is a model above the S20's while the Exynos processor (which was already inferior) will be the same.
Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Korea, (and South America?) are the regions so far that seem will offer Snapdragon bootloader unlocked Note 20 Ultra's.
still doing my own research on where to buy, anyone else doing this as well?
I'm going to pass and just get the US SD version from Samsung. Honestly, I haven't flashed a ROM on an Android Phone since the LG G3 days. Android is just too mature and feature full for me to worry about it at this point. I spent waaaaay too much time flashing ROM's lol. Was fun when Android was still very green, though.
Semantics said:
I'm going to pass and just get the US SD version from Samsung. Honestly, I haven't flashed a ROM on an Android Phone since the LG G3 days. Android is just too mature and feature full for me to worry about it at this point. I spent waaaaay too much time flashing ROM's lol. Was fun when Android was still very green, though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I definitely feel you. while I'm stubborn to give up root because I like to feel in control of my device, my list of root uses gets slimmer and slimmer each year.
it's basically ad blocker, screenshot Netflix so I can picture message with friends about shows we're all watching, and then 5 other root apps to hide the fact that I have root lol
soraxd said:
Wondering how many out there plan to get the bootloader unlocked Snapdragon edition? It seems the Snapdragon will be 2 generations ahead this year, as the Snapdragon is a model above the S20's while the Exynos processor (which was already inferior) will be the same.
Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Korea, and South America are the regions so far that seem will offer Snapdragon bootloader unlocked Note 20 Ultra's.
still doing my own research on where to buy, anyone else doing this as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FYI the HK and Korean snapdragon versions 5g bands are not compatible with the 5g here in Canada, likely the same applies to the US (don't quote me on that).
this may not matter to some, to others it certainly will.
force70 said:
FYI the HK and Korean snapdragon versions 5g bands are not compatible with the 5g here in Canada, likely the same applies to the US (don't quote me on that).
this may not matter to some, to others it certainly will.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does anyone know of any Snapdragon versions that DO offer compatible 5G bands in the US with Tmo and also have an unlockable bootloader?
Sent from my SM-N976U 5G using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Purchased the HK version from WondaMobile after being recommended by another user. I cancelled the Korean version due to concerns with bloatware and the single sim. Not interesting rooting, yet it is nice to have the option. I would think the the HK version is the most well round one the available versions if you are looking for an unlocked device.
Eudeferrer said:
Does anyone know of any Snapdragon versions that DO offer compatible 5G bands in the US with Tmo and also have an unlockable bootloader?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if there is such a thing Im buying one, havent seen one so far though.
dont have any info on the latin america version, dont even know yet if it is still snapdragon this year.
Semantics said:
I'm going to pass and just get the US SD version from Samsung. Honestly, I haven't flashed a ROM on an Android Phone since the LG G3 days. Android is just too mature and feature full for me to worry about it at this point. I spent waaaaay too much time flashing ROM's lol. Was fun when Android was still very green, though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm with you on that one. Last phone I actively installed and played with ROM's was the Note 4. Note 7 we know how that went and Note 8 onward in Canada had locked bootloader so I stopped since Android as you said is more mature now. I miss the ROM's too sometimes but I'm happy with the OS now for the most part that I'm not worried if I can ROM or not either anymore.
I'm just getting the Canadian Note 20 Ultra 512GB and will be happy with that.
Definitely rooting. I've rooted every single note I've owned. It's become easier and less stressful. Magisk makes it simple.
Viper4android, ad-blocking, changing system emojis, removing volume warnings, disabling or uninstalling apps, backing up and restoring apps, etc.....
I completely forgot volume warning was a thing.... gosh it's been almost a decade since I had to be subjected to one. there's also enabling call recorder, removing camera shutter sound (for non US), and some other ones I take for granted and can't think of right now
having order the us unlocked version im hoping to a way to unlock the bootloader will become available. i loved roms on my note 3, nexus and nexus 6p. was super disappointed there weren't many ROM options when i had the pixel 3xl
metalb00 said:
having order the us unlocked version im hoping to a way to unlock the bootloader will become available. i loved roms on my note 3, nexus and nexus 6p. was super disappointed there weren't many ROM options when i had the pixel 3xl
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't hold your breath. Hasn't happened for the last few Notes I've had.
soraxd said:
I definitely feel you. while I'm stubborn to give up root because I like to feel in control of my device, my list of root uses gets slimmer and slimmer each year.
it's basically ad blocker, screenshot Netflix so I can picture message with friends about shows we're all watching, and then 5 other root apps to hide the fact that I have root lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel you on adblocker. Do any other versions have full USA bands though??
Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk
oneandroidnut said:
I feel you on adblocker. Do any other versions have full USA bands though??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
our only hope is latin america and I have zero information on it thus far
The bootloader has been locked down on Samsung Snapdragon devices for quite a few years now and it's very likely that unlocking them in the future will not happen. You would need to purchase a Exynos powered device for that (for now )
kangi26 said:
The bootloader has been locked down on Samsung Snapdragon devices for quite a few years now and it's very likely that unlocking them in the future will not happen. You would need to purchase a Exynos powered device for that (for now )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For USA since the S7 I think, for us in Canada it started on the S8 (our s7 was exynos).
So yeah for an unlocked its either the sub par exynos 990 or a HK, Korean or Brazilian snapdragon.
5g likely not going to be compatible with NA bands..for sure not with Canadian bands on rogers anyway .
This whole 5g thing has thrown a new variable on many of us who generally import our devices, it has definitely screwed up my plans for the Note 20 ultra at any rate
there's a bit to dig thru here, but we should be able to find answers
https://www.frequencycheck.com/search?s=galaxy+note+20+ultra
soraxd said:
Wondering how many out there plan to get the bootloader unlocked Snapdragon edition? It seems the Snapdragon will be 2 generations ahead this year, as the Snapdragon is a model above the S20's while the Exynos processor (which was already inferior) will be the same.
Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Korea, (and South America?) are the regions so far that seem will offer Snapdragon bootloader unlocked Note 20 Ultra's.
still doing my own research on where to buy, anyone else doing this as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me - want it for canada
Is HK version best?
---------- Post added at 02:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:11 AM ----------
Brava27 said:
Definitely rooting. I've rooted every single note I've owned. It's become easier and less stressful. Magisk makes it simple.
Viper4android, ad-blocking, changing system emojis, removing volume warnings, disabling or uninstalling apps, backing up and restoring apps, etc.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me above + Dual SIM
Looking for the HK version currently have the note 10 plus HK one.
Rooted.
Rooting is a must for me.
Don't want the exynos because it's really bad with battery and doesn't seem like sammy cares for it.
But the ultra is going for 1599 now.
Too much
[
force70 said:
5g likely not going to be compatible with NA bands..for sure not with Canadian bands on rogers anyway .
This whole 5g thing has thrown a new variable on many of us who generally import our devices, it has definitely screwed up my plans for the Note 20 ultra at any rate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't be too concerned about 5G, it's mostly marketing hype.
There's 2 types of 5G, the first (millimeter) is ludicrously fast, but if a leaf falls in front of your phone the connection breaks. and you can count on 1 hand the telephone poles (not towers) that have it.
The second more realistic 5G (low band) is near the same speed as LTE.
According to Ookla Speedtest Intelligence, AT&T 5G tests on Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G phones averaged 78.21Mbps down, while LTE tests on the same model of phone averaged 70.47Mbps down.