I've been lurking around the forums for about a week now and thanks to the folks who contribute, I've been able to root, carrier unlock (tested to work with AT&T and Tmo), and side load a few ROMs on my I337 without bricking or even tripping KNOX. So again, thanks to all who contributed to those tutorials!
Unfortunately, the phone I bought came with MK2 pre-installed and since I'm a noob I wasn't aware of the limitations of this version until after reading these forums. You guys have saved me from bricking my phone though!
So my question... Do any of the other US variants of the S4 (aside from the I9505G) have similarly locked down bootloaders like the I337 (assuming latest OTA has been applied)? I'm gathering from various posts that AT&T was the only carrier implementing such nonsense. I'm asking because it seems like other models (M919, I545, and L720) sell for less on eBay and I'm considering selling my pristine I337 for another model. I want to make sure I don't end up with similar restrictions if I make such a move.
Secondly, can either the L720 or the I545 be unlocked to work with Tmo and AT&T in the US? I assume they all have the same radios, maybe just a firmware lock on frequencies?
The locked down bootloader should be only AT&T and Verizon.
The I545 should work on Tmobile and AT&T. . The L720 will not work on Tmobile or AT&T due to it being CDMA.
If you're liking for something you can rom and root easily and isn't carrier locked consider the nexus 5. I love it no carrier bloat and no gimmicky stuff you'll only use once.
Sent from my Nexus 5
I strongly agree with "jd1639"
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Kaze105 said:
The locked down bootloader should be only AT&T and Verizon.
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Good to know. Thanks!
Kaze105 said:
The I545 should work on Tmobile and AT&T. . The L720 will not work on Tmobile or AT&T due to it being CDMA.
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I understand that Verizon and Sprint use CDMA, Tmo and AT&T use GSM. But phone wise, don't all four US carrier S4 variants contain the same radios? Did Samsung actually yank CDMA radios from the GSM variants and vice versa? just looking for clarification.
Let me ask another way... if you guys were to recommend an S4 for US GSM networks that could be "easily" ROM'd/root'd at will, which would you suggest?
I've considered the Nexus 5 very heavily, but I prefer the hard buttons on the S4 because they seem to leave a bit more screen real estate than the soft buttons on the N5. I'm somewhat trying for an N5 like experience on the S4. Yeah, I want to have my cake and eat it too.
Rickerdo said:
Good to know. Thanks!
I understand that Verizon and Sprint use CDMA, Tmo and AT&T use GSM. But phone wise, don't all four US carrier S4 variants contain the same radios? Did Samsung actually yank CDMA radios from the GSM variants and vice versa? just looking for clarification.
Let me ask another way... if you guys were to recommend an S4 for US GSM networks that could be "easily" ROM'd/root'd at will, which would you suggest?
I've considered the Nexus 5 very heavily, but I prefer the hard buttons on the S4 because they seem to leave a bit more screen real estate than the soft buttons on the N5. I'm somewhat trying for an N5 like experience on the S4. Yeah, I want to have my cake and eat it too.
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For a bit more cash they have the Google Play Edition S4 from the play store as well at $649.00
None Touchwiz OS
https://play.google.com/store/devic...oogle_Play_edition?id=samsung_galaxy_s4&hl=en
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
jball said:
For a bit more cash they have the Google Play Edition S4 from the play store as well at $649.00
None Touchwiz OS
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
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I think I left out the most important part... I'm cheap, er um, I mean very frugal. My like new I337 from ebay only cost me $370, so I'm looking to replace it with something around the same price that's more "hackable". This is why the Nexus 5 looked so appealing directly from the Play store. but, again, the screen on the N5 gets robbed a bit by the soft keys.
So, I guess I'm looking at an M919 (Tmo variant) as the best bang for the buck in terms of hacking friendly S4's. Is that the general consensus?
Honestly the keys aren't that bad once you have your hands on the Nexus 5 .the lack of a menu/settings button is a bit odd but the phone makes up for it in stock smoothness
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Will the S5 on T-Mobile boot loader unlocked? And I need a 32gb. I want to get a new phone that has the boot loader unlocked.I may jump ship and go to the Sony Xperia Z2
jimsond said:
Will the S5 on T-Mobile boot loader unlocked? And I need a 32gb. I want to get a new phone that has the boot loader unlocked.I may jump ship and go to the Sony Xperia Z2
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Forget about the Z2, wait and see what the OnePlus (AKA the first Cyanogenmod partnership with hardware) has to offer
Former Oppo engineers + CM = awesome
The only reason to get a Samsung is the incomparable SAMOLED.
CrashTestDroid said:
Forget about the Z2, wait and see what the OnePlus (AKA the first Cyanogenmod partnetship with hardware) has to offer
Former Oppo engineers + CM = awesome
The only reason to get a Samsung is the incomparable SAMOLED.
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I can wait thanks!
When is that coming out
its confirmed unlocked 100% if u want root and dont care about knox bit us chainfires autoroot -beanstown
Sent from my SM-G900T
dynospectrum said:
its confirmed unlocked 100% if u want root and dont care about knox bit us chainfires autoroot -beanstown
Sent from my SM-G900T
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I'm pretty sure the boot loader is LOCKED on AT&T or any other US Carrier, aside from a TBA release of the Verizon Developer Version of the S5. He asked about the Bootloader, not the SIM card slot. The international version, apparently has an unlocked boot loader (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) but will only work at HSPA+ speeds assuming your nearby network supports the speed, otherwise you'll be getting standard 3G speeds and I know for a fact that there's a huge difference. I own the Nexus 5, Moto G, and LG G2 (AT&T) and the Moto G is only 3G. It gets excellent reception when I pop the SIM card in it, but it's definitely sluggish (most notably with web apps, cloud sync, and interruptions in streaming music from Google Music).
I would buy the S5 Unlocked Bootloader in a SECOND if it's hardware supported domestic (USA) LTE bands for AT&T.
**Does anyone know if there is even a variant on earth right now that you can unlock the boot loader on, that also is fully compatible with AT&T speeds?**
Because if not, I'm probably going to get the Moto X gsm dev edition today before midnight (big sale) or the HTC One M8 if I can get my hands on a Google Play Edition, but they've been out of inventory on Google Play every time I check. I simply want the S5 that is unlockable because it has a user replaceable battery, which means adding an extended battery. It also has a microSD card slot that allows you to use up to a 128GB micro-SD card. Honestly, how much better than that does it need to get? Oh yeah, an unlocked bootloader so we can workaround SD-card limitations KitKat has introduced - the details of which I am not fully aware of yet.
Thanks for anyone that responds that can link me to a reputable source to confirm...that or a fellow dev&member on XDA that clearly knows their stuff.
Cheers,
Justin
justintime001 said:
I'm pretty sure the boot loader is LOCKED on AT&T or any other US Carrier, aside from a TBA release of the Verizon Developer Version of the S5. He asked about the Bootloader, not the SIM card slot. The international version, apparently has an unlocked boot loader (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) but will only work at HSPA+ speeds assuming your nearby network supports the speed, otherwise you'll be getting standard 3G speeds and I know for a fact that there's a huge difference. I own the Nexus 5, Moto G, and LG G2 (AT&T) and the Moto G is only 3G. It gets excellent reception when I pop the SIM card in it, but it's definitely sluggish (most notably with web apps, cloud sync, and interruptions in streaming music from Google Music).
I would buy the S5 Unlocked Bootloader in a SECOND if it's hardware supported domestic (USA) LTE bands for AT&T.
**Does anyone know if there is even a variant on earth right now that you can unlock the boot loader on, that also is fully compatible with AT&T speeds?**
Because if not, I'm probably going to get the Moto X gsm dev edition today before midnight (big sale) or the HTC One M8 if I can get my hands on a Google Play Edition, but they've been out of inventory on Google Play every time I check. I simply want the S5 that is unlockable because it has a user replaceable battery, which means adding an extended battery. It also has a microSD card slot that allows you to use up to a 128GB micro-SD card. Honestly, how much better than that does it need to get? Oh yeah, an unlocked bootloader so we can workaround SD-card limitations KitKat has introduced - the details of which I am not fully aware of yet.
Thanks for anyone that responds that can link me to a reputable source to confirm...that or a fellow dev&member on XDA that clearly knows their stuff.
Cheers,
Justin
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I thought the T-Mobile s5 has a unlocked bootloader?
Sent from my SM-G900T using XDA Free mobile app
icebear8 said:
I thought the T-Mobile s5 has a unlocked bootloader?
Sent from my SM-G900T using XDA Free mobile app
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are you sure? someone please confirm.
It is confirmed that the T-Mobile S5 is bootloader unlocked and can work on ATT network and get ALL frequency bands that ATT uses. Just check out the T-Mobile S5 Subforums.
They already have root, recovery via TWRP or some others, just not a lot of Roms yet. I follow the T-Mobile and ATT forums in case I upgrade from my S4.
Sent From My Spiderman,Ironman,Red,Dark Blue,Green, GreyedOut BadAss Themed I337
justintime001 said:
are you sure? someone please confirm.
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I can also confirm that T-Mobile's bootloader is unlocked. I have a T-Mobile S5, which I have rooted and installed TWRP and am running AllianceRom (from the international forum, so you are not limited to the roms in the T-Mobile S5 forum).
I actually also have sim unlocked the phone and am using Straight Talk (AT&T) service. I get full AT&T speeds, including LTE.
Questions about S5, will soon be passing on LG-G2, as awesome as it is.
RockRatt said:
It is confirmed that the T-Mobile S5 is bootloader unlocked and can work on ATT network and get ALL frequency bands that ATT uses. Just check out the T-Mobile S5 Subforums.
They already have root, recovery via TWRP or some others, just not a lot of Roms yet. I follow the T-Mobile and ATT forums in case I upgrade from my S4.
Sent From My Spiderman,Ironman,Red,Dark Blue,Green, GreyedOut BadAss Themed I337
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rsmolen said:
I can also confirm that T-Mobile's bootloader is unlocked. I have a T-Mobile S5, which I have rooted and installed TWRP and am running AllianceRom (from the international forum, so you are not limited to the roms in the T-Mobile S5 forum).
I actually also have sim unlocked the phone and am using Straight Talk (AT&T) service. I get full AT&T speeds, including LTE.
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Thanks for answering guys! I do have another question. I've been looking on swappa.com and even T-Mobile's website and I've yet to see a 32GB version of their S5. Since it has yet to be released, I wonder if it will have a locked bootloader when it is released, does anyone know when the 32GB version is supposed to be on sale? I assume it will ship with 4.4.3 or something. I did not end up getting the Moto X, so it's going to either be the M8 or the S5 and I just saw an article on the internet that the S5 GPe was put onto the play store and pulled very quickly sometime last week. M8 has 32GB, but no user-replaceable battery. S5 has 16 GB but can replace the user battery. I suppose with a fast and large enough microSD card, you wouldn't experience noticeable lag if you used your microSD card to store everything aside from commonly used/accessed apps/data.
Can I just go to a T-Mobile store or online and purchase an S5 outright? Given that it has an unlocked bootloader? I heard that some one people got the Verizon or Sprint version and they were able to use on the ATT network (apparently some of them are unlocked) but apparently having gotten the Verizon version means they can't use T-Mobile ROMs. How much different is the hardware? I feel silly for asking this question because I'm pretty confident I know the answer but it's a lot of money to shell out: doesn't unlocking the bootloader mean you can literally install almost any type of OS or ROM or Kernel to your device? Assuming you can support it yourself or the community has created ROMs that support it?
Last question of the least importance: Anyone running a hybrid HTC Sense from the M8 on their S5? I know there aren't many T-Mobile ROMs for the S5 yet, but I figure this is the best place to ask them since you guys really know what you're talking about.
Thanks everyone! If I DO come across the answers to my own questions, I'll post them myself.
-Justin
BTW! if anyone wants to buy an AT&T LG-G2, I have one in perfect condition that is sparingly used. I'm not going to post on swappa.com until I know for sure what device I'll be buying. However, I am willing to make a listing for anyone that truly wants an LG-G2 so we can make the transaction and I can ship the LG-G2 immediately after everything goes through.
Please share this far and wide!!! http://www.change.org/petitions/verizon-grant-galaxy-s5-users-unlocked-bootloader-upon-request
I have a OnePlus, does anyone want to buy it at cost? It's unopened in factory plastic seal!!!!
rocketrazr1999 said:
I have a OnePlus, does anyone want to buy it at cost? It's unopened in factory plastic seal!!!!
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I do. 16 or 64
Sent from my XT1028 using XDA Free mobile app
12
---------- Post added at 06:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:22 PM ----------
justintime001 said:
I'm pretty sure the boot loader is LOCKED on AT&T or any other US Carrier, aside from a TBA release of the Verizon Developer Version of the S5. He asked about the Bootloader, not the SIM card slot. The international version, apparently has an unlocked boot loader (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) but will only work at HSPA+ speeds assuming your nearby network supports the speed, otherwise you'll be getting standard 3G speeds and I know for a fact that there's a huge difference. I own the Nexus 5, Moto G, and LG G2 (AT&T) and the Moto G is only 3G. It gets excellent reception when I pop the SIM card in it, but it's definitely sluggish (most notably with web apps, cloud sync, and interruptions in streaming music from Google Music).
I would buy the S5 Unlocked Bootloader in a SECOND if it's hardware supported domestic (USA) LTE bands for AT&T.
**Does anyone know if there is even a variant on earth right now that you can unlock the boot loader on, that also is fully compatible with AT&T speeds?**
Because if not, I'm probably going to get the Moto X gsm dev edition today before midnight (big sale) or the HTC One M8 if I can get my hands on a Google Play Edition, but they've been out of inventory on Google Play every time I check. I simply want the S5 that is unlockable because it has a user replaceable battery, which means adding an extended battery. It also has a microSD card slot that allows you to use up to a 128GB micro-SD card. Honestly, how much better than that does it need to get? Oh yeah, an unlocked bootloader so we can workaround SD-card limitations KitKat has introduced - the details of which I am not fully aware of yet.
Thanks for anyone that responds that can link me to a reputable source to confirm...that or a fellow dev&member on XDA that clearly knows their stuff.
Cheers,
Justin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
their is a thread on the GS5 general section on xda that delvs into turning on dormant LTE bands on international devices
[GUIDE] Add all GSM and LTE bands to your phone " keyword "
Hey guys, Just wondering which GS5 i should buy. I'm on AT&T and i'll be buying it used on ebay/craigslist.
When i had the S4 i remember there was issues with AT&T users having locked bootloaders/locked phones and what not. Should i get an ATT GS5, Verizon? Tmobile?
Thanks guys
Don't get AT&T. That's what I have and they locked the bootloader down hard-core and now I can't flash any cool roms
Yea idk if i want AT&T used for 350 or nexus 5 new for 350. I need a phone for work, as my environment is strictly android/windows based and i have an iPhone 6 plus at the moment.
thanks
Yea idk if i want AT&T used for 350 or nexus 5 new for 350. I need a phone for work, as my environment is strictly android/windows based and i have an iPhone 6 plus at the moment.
thanks
My Galaxy s3 just died this morning So I'm thinking of buying a new phone. But I don't have too much budget on my hands. My needs are:
1) Good community support: I want to buy phone which has Stable CM12.1 release. Please let me know are there any major bugs on cm12.1 roms for i9500 ?
2) Good Camera: I believe s4 has one
3) Expandable Memory
4) Good battery backup
5) Good Display
Also the US cousin of i9500 i.e. i9505 is also available for little more, but if I go for that I would lose warranty and will also spend little more. So is it worth to go for i9505 ? I know it has 4g which i9500 doesn't have. But how good are the lollipop ROM stability on i9505, is it more stable ? Any other things which I'm missing out ?
Also I have option to go for oneplus one, but I don't know how good is the quality of phone when compared with Samsung ? I want to use it for atleast next 2-3 years
Avoid US models of S4 unless from T-Mobile (M919). The AT&T (I337) and Verizon (I545) models come with locked bootloaders which make customization difficult. The Verizon and Sprint (L720) models use CDMA instead of the global standard GSM, making them difficult to use outside of the US.
Canadian devices don't have the bootloader or CDMA issues, but if you live anywhere in Europe you will want the I9505. The LTE bands of US and Canadian devices are different, and you may get slow LTE, if any LTE at all. Whether Android 5.x.x runs well on it is a matter of opinion. Some will swear by it while others curse it. You'll have to try it out for yourself.
The I9500 has no LTE but also has little custom ROM support. I don't recommend it.
oh, I thought i9500 had good ROM support
Anyway will look for others then..thanks
Will go for LG G2 d800 then..
That's a good choice, but you were contemplating the OnePlus One as well. What made you select the G2 over the One?
G2 camera got ois ..only thing I miss in s4.. one plus one and yuphoria got official cm os .. greatly customizable
Mafioso said:
Will go for LG G2 d800 then..
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Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
That's a good choice, but you were contemplating the OnePlus One as well. What made you select the G2 over the One?
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Click to collapse
One plus one is only 16gb, 64gb is expensive
I'm getting g2 32gb for lot less, even cheaper than one plus 16gb..hardware/ram pretty much same between them two..
I crushed my S5 (AT&T) today, pretty much broke it in half. Ooops.
I've long disliked the bootloader lock and ATT bloatware but I want to stay with the S5 platform for now since I like the form factor and various features.
Which is the best S5 variant for me to get that allows the most flexibility with unlocked bootloader and loading various ROMs? I'm thinking its the T-mobile variant, but wanted to get some feedback before I bought one. I'll be using a SIM from Puretalk as my carrier, so any SIM unlocked version should work.
Many thanks!
G900F seems to be the most popular, and has an unlocked bootloader
*Detection* said:
G900F seems to be the most popular, and has an unlocked bootloader
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G900T is a good choice as well. If you're in North America it might be easier to get your hands on one of those than a G900F.