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I've been an iPhone user for 5 years now. 3G and 5 versions. I am tired of iTunes I would also like to tinker a bit with my next phone. . I have used Linux as my main desktop os for a few years.
Anyways, I'm on a grandfathered unlimited data plan on att. My iphone 5 has no working power button, the mic is defective and the battery is worn.
I work in construction so i was considering the s5 for its dust rating and removable battery.
I spoke with tmobile today and they told me that any tmobile device, even if bought for full price new on amazon or best buy would be locked to tmobile service. They informed me I would need service with them in order to unlock. If that's the case it rules out buying a tmobile version for the unlocked bootloader.
Does the unlocked version from bestbuy come with the unlocked boot loader?
To clarify I meant the model listed as "Sam G900"
Sayn3ver said:
To clarify I meant the model listed as "Sam G900"
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Go into settings and in "about device" for the model name. Sam G900 is not a model name.
lingowistico said:
Go into settings and in "about device" for the model name. Sam G900 is not a model name.
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Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure he's just going off what best buy says for the model.
I too am wondering this question. Very disappointed in the new S6, thought it was going to be "the next big thing", turns out they just want to be like apple now.
Side note, where would u recommend buying an unlocked bootloader S5, that has LTE capabilities for att? Or does that not exist in the US? Been searching but coming up empty handed.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337
I don't have the phone I am referencing. Like mentioned earlier, it's just the model number off of best buys webpage. They have the g900a model and a Sam-g900 for sale. They only sell the tmobile prepaids unlocked at a higher price point.
Is there a reputable online seller of new or refurbished unlocked tmobile versions?
I don't know if I wanna gamble buying used.
fals3illusion said:
I'm pretty sure he's just going off what best buy says for the model.
I too am wondering this question. Very disappointed in the new S6, thought it was going to be "the next big thing", turns out they just want to be like apple now.
Side note, where would u recommend buying an unlocked bootloader S5, that has LTE capabilities for att? Or does that not exist in the US? Been searching but coming up empty handed.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Buy a 900f from ebay. There are tons of reputable sellers there, just look at their feedback score. All qualcomm models support all lte frequencies, however they're not activated by default. There's a guide in general or q&a which shows how to activate all freqeuncies
lingowistico said:
Buy a 900f from ebay. There are tons of reputable sellers there, just look at their feedback score. All qualcomm models support all lte frequencies, however they're not activated by default. There's a guide in general or q&a which shows how to activate all freqeuncies
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Does the 900f come with unlocked bootloaders? Is there a way you can identify if they have an unlocked bootloader without physically checking the phone just don't want to spend hundreds of dollars and kinda get stuck with a phone that's not what I wanted.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Free mobile app
I just purchased an unlocked GS5 G900T (Tmobile version) from eBay yesterday, and should have it by the end of the week. I've purchased my last 3 phones from eBay, and all have been true to the ad, and in excellent condition.
You do need to study the photos closely though, and make sure the seller has good feed back, and a lot of feedback (I never buy from sellers who have only a few ratings and/or using a new account).
I got this phone to use with ATT and wanted an unlocked bootloader. Kinda wish I knew that you could activate the frequencies on the 900F though, as it seems like most of the development is for that model. Oh well, as long as I can root and have a few choices of ROMs, I'll be happy.
I'll probably be using some sort of stock based rom on this phone (for a while at least).
fals3illusion said:
Does the 900f come with unlocked bootloaders? Is there a way you can identify if they have an unlocked bootloader without physically checking the phone just don't want to spend hundreds of dollars and kinda get stuck with a phone that's not what I wanted.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the 900f/klte/international has an unlocked bootloader
lingowistico said:
Yes, the 900f/klte/international has an unlocked bootloader
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Click to collapse
ok cool, thanks for all the help!!
I did not know that T-Mobiles Galaxy S5 Came with unlocked bootloaders. I am just going to get one from them since T-Mobile and ATT run on basically the same LTE Basebands and LTE will not be affected as much as the international version when i'm on ATT's network
fals3illusion said:
I'm pretty sure he's just going off what best buy says for the model.
I too am wondering this question. Very disappointed in the new S6, thought it was going to be "the next big thing", turns out they just want to be like apple now.
Side note, where would u recommend buying an unlocked bootloader S5, that has LTE capabilities for att? Or does that not exist in the US? Been searching but coming up empty handed.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337
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Click to collapse
didn't read the rest of the replies but cricket...they sell it with unlocked boot loader, and you can sim unlock after six months...but they are owned wholly by att so you'll have att's reception and reliability. Of course your unlimited data would be history but crickets rates are significantly lower than most other mvno carriers
Edit: the model no is sm-g900az
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
I called bestbuy.com customer service. The customer service agent was no help. No additional info than what's provided on the webpage (actual samsung model # is what I was looking for).
She transferred me to their technical support department. The gentleman spent about 5 minutes or so searching and couldn't come up with anything more.
I was told to call an actual best buy store and speak with their mobile department.
I called later today when best buy opened up. Sat on hold for 8min before an actual human being answered the phone. They too were no help. The conversation went like this...
Me: do you know which model of the g900 the sku 5760005 is referring to. . The listed model number Sam-g900 with that sku# is not an actual samsung model number.
Them: it's a g900.
Me: no you do not understand, g900 should be followed by one more letter. Is it a g900a, g900t, g900v, g900f, g900h, etc?
Them: it's a g900. What provider do you have?
Me: I'm on att but probably going to tmobile soon.
Them: we don't carry tmobile. I have a g900a. It works good. (they have the prepaid tmobile s5 on their website).
Me: nvm. Thanks have a nice day.....click.
How would I go about buying an international Galaxy s7,and which one is best for sprint?
Thanks!
I did not get your question properly but here i want to inform you that sprint is offering BOGO deal for s7.
Lifehags said:
How would I go about buying an international Galaxy s7,and which one is best for sprint?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sprint will never activate an international model of any phone, especially if said phone lacks a CDMA antenna.
The Galaxy Note Edge still to this day does not have Root. I was wondering if it was worth it getting the Note 7 from At&t or should I get an unlocked one. What do you guys think?
I had the At&t Note 4 as well, which also never got root. I recently sold mine for over $200 on eBay and I found a T-Mobile Note 3 that I rooted and ROM'd and it is nearly as fast as the Note 5. I've already pre-ordered the Note 7 through At&t only because I've used the S7 Edge and it is fast enough to not really need root. But to be fair the S7 and S7 Edge do have root so it may be possible for the Note 7 to be rooted in a similar fashion. Now the bootloader is a whole nother story!
Sent from my SM-T700 using XDA-Developers mobile app
whmgreen said:
I had the At&t Note 4 as well, which also never got root. I recently sold mine for over $200 on eBay and I found a T-Mobile Note 3 that I rooted and ROM'd and it is nearly as fast as the Note 5. I've already pre-ordered the Note 7 through At&t only because I've used the S7 Edge and it is fast enough to not really need root. But to be fair the S7 and S7 Edge do have root so it may be possible for the Note 7 to be rooted in a similar fashion. Now the bootloader is a whole nother story!
Sent from my SM-T700 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems to really depend on the popularity of the phone, whether it gets root or not. The Note 4 Edge was a great phone, but was not that popular with the general public. With all the excitement generated for the Note 7, I think we will get root. I do really wish they had put the snapdragon 821 & 6GB of ram, like the rumors had said. Then it really would of been an iphone killer. Btw, I also Pre-ordered a Note 7.
whmgreen said:
I had the At&t Note 4 as well, which also never got root. I recently sold mine for over $200 on eBay and I found a T-Mobile Note 3 that I rooted and ROM'd and it is nearly as fast as the Note 5. I've already pre-ordered the Note 7 through At&t only because I've used the S7 Edge and it is fast enough to not really need root. But to be fair the S7 and S7 Edge do have root so it may be possible for the Note 7 to be rooted in a similar fashion. Now the bootloader is a whole nother story!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We do have root, what are you talking about lol. S7 edge Verizon rooted
I'm gonna also pre-order and I have AT&T. But I'm gonna go to best buy and out right buy the unlocked no plan version. AT&T can kiss my rear end, if it weren't for my wife not wanting to leave them I would have dumped them way back when bootloader got locked.
Reinaldo33897 said:
I'm gonna also pre-order and I have AT&T. But I'm gonna go to best buy and out right buy the unlocked no plan version. AT&T can kiss my rear end, if it weren't for my wife not wanting to leave them I would have dumped them way back when bootloader got locked.
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Click to collapse
Dont buy it from best buy, they upcharge. They wont carry a sim unlocked one anyways. Buy on amazon. For me as much as I used to like sammy I cant deal with locked bootloaders and the price tag is too high. If anything id consider a international exynos model s7 from amazon. Theres at least stable root and development.
fix-this! said:
Dont buy it from best buy, they upcharge. They wont carry a sim unlocked one anyways. Buy on amazon. For me as much as I used to like sammy I cant deal with locked bootloaders and the price tag is too high. If anything id consider a international exynos model s7 from amazon. Theres at least stable root and development.
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Click to collapse
Good advise, I went to best buy and asked if they were taking pre-orders for the unlocked version. She looked at me like I was talking some alien language. Gave me a weird expression and walked away.
You shouldn't support ANY carriers - including AT&T.
Buy unlocked and do what you want with YOUR device!
TechBSwift said:
We do have root, what are you talking about lol. S7 edge Verizon rooted
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Click to collapse
Umm...can you read? I said S7 and S7 Edge CAN be rooted!!
HNIC215 said:
You shouldn't support ANY carriers - including AT&T.
Buy unlocked and do what you want with YOUR device!
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Click to collapse
What model version is unlocked? Will it be possible to unlock the bootloader on this version as well? Thanks in advance
Sent from my SGH-I337 using XDA-Developers mobile app
awakener777 said:
What model version is unlocked? Will it be possible to unlock the bootloader on this version as well? Thanks in advance [/URL]
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Click to collapse
N930F (Europe); N930G (India)
I think both of these models come unlocked and I think there are also dual sim variants that come unlocked as well. Not sure.
I always go for the F variant - N930F - which is usually the international unlocked version.
Yes, it should be possible to unlock the bootloader and root - at least it was on the S7 Edge I used to own.
Keep in mind, the international model uses the Exynos processor as opposed to the SD820 the US version uses.
They both have pros and cons - do your research before you purchase. Especially if you are planning to root, use Samsung Pay etc...
I prefer international for less bloat/carrier restrictions, better battery life, root etc...
P.S. -> if you root then no Samsung Pay
HNIC215 said:
N930F (Europe); N930G (India)
I think both of these models come unlocked and I think there are also dual sim variants that come unlocked as well. Not sure.
I always go for the F variant - N930F - which is usually the international unlocked version.
Yes, it should be possible to unlock the bootloader and root - at least it was on the S7 Edge I used to own.
Keep in mind, the international model uses the Exynos processor as opposed to the SD820 the US version uses.
They both have pros and cons - do your research before you purchase. Especially if you are planning to root, use Samsung Pay etc...
I prefer international for less bloat/carrier restrictions, better battery life, root etc...
P.S. -> if you root then no Samsung Pay
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your input! Can't do a phone without unlockable BL. I don't even know what Samsung pay is so that's okay.
Sent from my SGH-I337 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Don't the unlocked phones use different frequencies/channels compare to US carriers and might not get full potential of US LTE network?
Even between US carriers the frequencies/channels are different. For example my Note 3 T-mob doesn't use some channels that Att uses and I can't get full LTE speeds on ATT network because of that.
[email protected] said:
Don't the unlocked phones use different frequencies/channels compare to US carriers and might not get full potential of US LTE network?
Even between US carriers the frequencies/channels are different. For example my Note 3 T-mob doesn't use some channels that Att uses and I can't get full LTE speeds on ATT network because of that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not anymore, Almost all unlocked variants work perfect with all US carriers..I have international Note5 on AT&T
Sent from my SM-N920S using Tapatalk
will I be able to flash Indian firmware on a note7 purchased from Dubai? The models in India and Dubai are same. SM-N930FD
Sent from SM-N910G on Dr. Ketan's L16
rajat_delhi said:
will I be able to flash Indian firmware on a note7 purchased from Dubai? The models in India and Dubai are same. SM-N930FD
Sent from SM-N910G on Dr. Ketan's L16
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as model numbers are same, you can...
Sent from my SM-N920S using Tapatalk
Like the title says, what's the best place to buy unlocked international phones in US.
I also might have an option to buy while traveling to UK and looking for suggestions.
Will be using it on AT&T.
thanks!
The US has Snapdragon, the UK has Exynos
Super-Veloce said:
The US has Snapdragon, the UK has Exynos
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Click to collapse
thanks for the eye opener, now back to my question "Best place to buy Exynos version in US"
In the past, I've had the best success with well rated ebay resellers. Having ebay back your purchase is important because they are so buyer centric. If there are any issues at all, they will force paypal to refund your money. The only downside to this, is that you'll likely pay a little more - especially if you purchase right at release time.
Wonda Mobile and Expansys are also great/reputable online resellers that will surely sell the S8 and S8+. You'll pay closer to the retail price of the device (no ebay fees, price gouging, etc) and their return policies are good. That said, YOU will pay return fees back to Korea if there are issues and you're 100% at their discretion for returns/replacements/restocking fees, etc.
Hope this helps.
morbidz said:
thanks for the eye opener, now back to my question "Best place to buy Exynos version in US"
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Click to collapse
I got my Galaxy S7 Edge (G935F) on Amazon and was going to get the NOTE 7 EXYNOS from https://www.bhphotovideo.com/
They are a good retailer - I am hoping we can get preorder from them - (they did offer a preorder for the NOTE but it never happened because batteries started exploding before the NOTE 7 Was released.
Silly question - but why would one prefer the Exynos version over the Snapdragon? Is there a noticeable difference in performance, or some other factor?
From what I hear, the performance on the Exynos variant is better than the Snapdragon variant. Also, the SnapDragon variant has been bootloader locked as of lately (Note 7, S7, and S7 Edge) while the Exynos variants have been unlocked.
So I pre-ordered a sim unlocked s8+ through samsung's UK site. not sure if they will ship to US though
Greetings from Canada,
Would anyone know which "soc" goes in the Canadian variant?
Thank you.
cguarino said:
Silly question - but why would one prefer the Exynos version over the Snapdragon? Is there a noticeable difference in performance, or some other factor?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats so naive from you..see the galaxy s7 exynos variant was unlock the past year where the s7 820 was not, what that means ?
basically means that you was not able to root any western device , but only exynos variant can... and root a device is crucial to open a lot of possibilitys like overclock
and responding to the question of this guy, basically in every latin country on america you can find the exynos variant, which is kind a weird cosidering that allways all america used the qualcomm variant in the past , and because a lot of mexicans carriers dont have the culture of wait until the oficial release of the smartphone i will expect some people to buyit long before
samteeee said:
Greetings from Canada,
Would anyone know which "soc" goes in the Canadian variant?
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Canada is getting the snapdragon like the USA unfortunately.
Handtech and Clove are both reputable UK shops that many on this forum have used and recommend. Be aware if you're a first time buyer at either you may have to jump extra hoops to clear your credit card. This is normal and due to the high degree of fraud in international cell phone sales.
mocsab said:
I got my Galaxy S7 Edge (G935F) on Amazon and was going to get the NOTE 7 EXYNOS from https://www.bhphotovideo.com/
They are a good retailer - I am hoping we can get preorder from them - (they did offer a preorder for the NOTE but it never happened because batteries started exploding before the NOTE 7 Was released.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BH has it listed now, but just to notify when available. It has it listed as SM-G955. It doesn't say whether or not it is SD or exynos though.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod..._sm_g955_64gb_gry_galaxy_s8_sm_g955_64gb.html
I know with the international S7, Samsung Pay would not work in the US. Not too worried about that, but are there any other drawbacks? Will it work on all the LTE bands for AT&T?
I think for those that really want the international version, you'll have to find overseas sites that ship to the US or get them from a reputable seller on eBay such as never-msrp. The downside, as always, to importing is a higher price and generally, no warranty. I generally get quarterly trade where if anything happens and no one fixes the phone, they'll just give a full refund of the phone price. Anyways, just make sure it says SM 950F or SM 955F. The F are the true international unlocked models. Samsung pay may now work in the US. Check out the S7 threads to see how they got pay to work in the US
Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 09:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:44 AM ----------
PuffinNugz said:
BH has it listed now, but just to notify when available. It has it listed as SM-G955. It doesn't say whether or not it is SD or exynos though.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod..._sm_g955_64gb_gry_galaxy_s8_sm_g955_64gb.html
I know with the international S7, Samsung Pay would not work in the US. Not too worried about that, but are there any other drawbacks? Will it work on all the LTE bands for AT&T?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The s7 had all AT&T and tmobile bands. Volte didn't work and wifi calling also didn't work on tmobile tho even though the s7 had band 12. It just would not connect. I now have att so that's no longer a concern with me
Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk
Ordered from SamsungUK, they didnt reject my US address, so we will see what happens.
morbidz said:
So I pre-ordered a sim unlocked s8+ through samsung's UK site. not sure if they will ship to US though
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Click to collapse
I contacted the UK samsung web page and the sim free version still need to make a 5 minut call in the uk first to be truly unlocked, as it has region locked.
Check out clove UK. They have the cheapest pricing for the S8 and the s8+ and you get the international model. Picking mine up Soon
Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk
morbidz said:
So I pre-ordered a sim unlocked s8+ through samsung's UK site. not sure if they will ship to US though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't want them to ship it. The EU phones have region lock. To use a SIM from a country different from the phone's selling country you have to make a 5 minute call on a SIM native to the selling country on a network native to the selling country. That's why all the grey market phones on eBay are mostly from Asia.
Here's an article on it.
http://www.androidcentral.com/your-...8e43&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter
PuffinNugz said:
BH has it listed now, but just to notify when available. It has it listed as SM-G955. It doesn't say whether or not it is SD or exynos though.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod..._sm_g955_64gb_gry_galaxy_s8_sm_g955_64gb.html
I know with the international S7, Samsung Pay would not work in the US. Not too worried about that, but are there any other drawbacks? Will it work on all the LTE bands for AT&T?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LTE on ATT works fine on the International Varients - the only thing missing is WIFI Calling and VOLTE - if those are big deals for you, yoiu need to stick with an ATT Phone. I haven't missed them - LTE speeds for me have always been great - I don't need WIFI Calling - and HD VOICE, well, I am not so sure it is everythign it is cracked up to be - call quality for me has been very good - so I personally am not missing anything.
I have wondered for a while if the snapdragon model in the US isn't something paid for by the NSA to be a the only US variant offered. Like more backdoors, etc built in to the Snapdragon variant. Unless there is some other obvious reason why the US gets only the Snapdragon variant.
It really doesn't matter for daily usable or noticeable performance however. Bet you'd never be able to tell which variant you were using if they were set up the same and you didn't check in the settings to cheat to see which variant it was.
Hey All!
I'm currently using the s5 active, and I'm looking for an upgrade. I'm looking for a phone with a great camera, so obviously s7 edge has come up.
I'm planning on using this phone primarily in Vietnam, so I wanted to ask a few questions about which variant you all suggest.
1. Are all versions sim unlocked? I read online that verizon is, but I also read that some other ones I need to buy codes. Is it relatively easy to unlock the other variants (without paying money)? I'm not shy about flashing and odin things so if it's complicated that's fine too, as long as it's possible.
2. Hows the unified development? I love flashing roms and trying out new ones, if you were to buy a new s7 edge and didn't care about carrier, is there one that you would recommend over the others? I'm on the ATT s5 active now, and locked bootloader sucks. So I'm hoping to avoid that if I can.
If you can buy the exynos version, it's SIM unlock and easily rootable. All USA version are based on Qualcomm and with locked boot loader so no development for it.
G935 exynos is your choice, but I'd wait for S8
Anik49 said:
If you can buy the exynos version, it's SIM unlock and easily rootable. All USA version are based on Qualcomm and with locked boot loader so no development for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah okay. Maybe I'll check out some other phones then. Thanks!
yaro666 said:
G935 exynos is your choice, but I'd wait for S8
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Click to collapse
Thanks! haha, but since I'm not on any US plan, I figured I'd buy a used one instead. Although, if I wait till the s8 comes out, I'm sure there will be a nice price drop for a used s7.
Although now I gotta think if I want to look into HTC or LG for my development needs =D
Ah. One more question. People are generally saying touchwiz now isn't terrible. So if carriers have OTA updates, are they easily flashed in other countries? With my att sg5, it was pretty difficult to get updates abroad.