Looking for an LTE tablet with voice call capability - Huawei Mediapad M3 Questions & Answers

The closest Ive thus far researched is the mediapad with LTE that can make and receive phones. Issue us none of the LTE bands work on T mobile USA.
Was wondering if anyone would know of a tablet that can accomodate a SIM card and work on T Mobile usa LTE network as well? Most the ones I see are data only.
Thanks.

I would have thought the US version of the Mediapad m3 would support T-Mobile LTE?
Anyway, have a look at the Galaxy Tab S2 LTE. It should...
Edit: nevermind, you asked about Voice. S2 LTE doesn't do voice other than VoIP.

A little outdated, but the Sony z3 compact tablet does voice calls and should be T-Mobile compatible.

How about the z4 ? US version. Xperia Z4 Tablet Sgp771us/B 1303-5541
Sent from my SGP771 using Tapatalk

does the mediapad m3 support rogers/fido? I'm on the same boat I have the killer $15/3GB tablet plan from fido looking for a tablet to put the sim in

I bought the Z4 LTE tablet and it works. The version is hk Chinese international model that has voice enabled. I don't think the USA spec has the dialer. All works except for volte. Since it's not t mobile provisioned bull****.

To see if phone or tablet works with carrier
You need to go to this site. WillMyPhoneWork.net Anyone else find one that has spec's like this that will work with T-mobile. That's what I thought I bought. When I purchased mine Amazon had it in the spec's as haven't voice phone...

With T-Mo the best you'll get is H+. I have been using this tablet with AT&T and all I get is H+ in Chicagoland but it is acceptable although I have issues from time to time where I have to reboot to make a call. The issue is that this tablet does not physically have the LTE bands that the US uses for LTE. Sucks because otherwise this is a great tablet/phone. Of course I have the international model BTV-DL09

Related

sm-g935f does it work with verizon ??

Can anyone tell me if this will work on verizon carrier ? Don't want the locked down verison
I'm pretty sure the International (GM935F) version does NOT support Verizon's CDMA.
Verizon and sprint are the only reason USA doesn't have the faster exynos processor.
Sent from my Star-Tac
Use the following site to check
http://willmyphonework.net
according to this site you should get 4g LTE, but does not work on 2G or 3G
full spec of samsung model is here
http://www.samsung.com/uk/business/business-products/smartphones/smartphones/SM-G935FZKABTU
also note the foot note at the bottom of the results from http://willmyphonework.net,
******
"How To Interpret The Results
When performing a search, you will be presented with three networks: 2G, 3G, and 4G LTE.
For the technical savvy, we have included the network frequencies that match between the mobile device and the network carrier. Also, we consider HSPA+ to be 3G.
Note: Will My Phone Work assumes that your device is unlocked or allowed to be run on the desired mobile network. Certain carriers such as Verizon USA have an "approved list" of devices. This means that although the phone is compatible with the carrier's network frequencies, the device is blocked. Also, some carriers make frequencies/bands available only to specific geographical regions."
********
Has anyone confirmed this?
5teve0 said:
Use the following site to check
http://willmyphonework.net
according to this site you should get 4g LTE, but does not work on 2G or 3G
full spec of samsung model is here
http://www.samsung.com/uk/business/business-products/smartphones/smartphones/SM-G935FZKABTU
also note the foot note at the bottom of the results from http://willmyphonework.net,
******
"How To Interpret The Results
When performing a search, you will be presented with three networks: 2G, 3G, and 4G LTE.
For the technical savvy, we have included the network frequencies that match between the mobile device and the network carrier. Also, we consider HSPA+ to be 3G.
Note: Will My Phone Work assumes that your device is unlocked or allowed to be run on the desired mobile network. Certain carriers such as Verizon USA have an "approved list" of devices. This means that although the phone is compatible with the carrier's network frequencies, the device is blocked. Also, some carriers make frequencies/bands available only to specific geographical regions."
********
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Click to collapse
I'm also interested in this. I'm thinking of buying a G935F so I can root and have complete control over the recovery and ROMs.
I assumed the international (global) variant would support everything. My Galaxy S5 works everywhere including the US and also drops to 3G if necessary on Verizon. The ultimate question is, if I buy a G935F, can I make/receive calls, texts/mms, and get data using a Verizon SIM card? If I'm in a fringe area and it drops 4G, what will happen? Will it just have no service? I have to think it would support 3G/2G. If a person from Europe comes to the US with the G935F and uses a verizon SIM or is in a verizon only area, they would be screwed.
Again, I would think it should just work, no?
It will not work on Verizon because
1. Verizon relies on using the outdated CDMA standard so you can't connect to their "3G" network.
2. Verizon uses non standard version of the VoLTE IMS (so does T-Mobile it seems), so you can't place calls over LTE even if you flash a VoLTE enabled firmware on your GS7
3. Verizon as a carrier is a control freak that doesn't let its costumers use devices that have not been "approved" by their services, therefore, your devices' IMEI have to be white-listed in order to connect to their network.
mathieulh said:
It will not work on Verizon because
1. Verizon relies on using the outdated CDMA standard so you can't connect to their "3G" network.
2. Verizon uses non standard version of the VoLTE IMS (so does T-Mobile it seems), so you can't place calls over LTE even if you flash a VoLTE enabled firmware on your GS7
3. Verizon as a carrier is a control freak that doesn't let its costumers use devices that have not been "approved" by their services, therefore, your devices' IMEI have to be white-listed in order to connect to their network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already started the process of moving to AT&T...waiting on my work to confirm it. I hope Verizon reads this. It would have been some much simpler if they just unlocked their bootloader and didn't put a ton of crap (bloat) on their stock ROM...then they would have retained this customer.
I was considering the G935FD (dual sim) since my personal phone is AT&T and my work phone is Verizon. I want to consolidate to a single phone. Honestly I only need Verizon for calls and text, not even data, since my AT&T is unlimited. Looks like the international S7 Edge support Verizon's primary LTE band 13 which would technically work for data, but won't connect to their CDMA calling network according to mathieulh.. Now here's the kicker.. the new ZTE Axon 7 is supposedly compatible with Sprint and Verizon, AND it's a dual SIM phone. I know Verizon has to give the final "okay" to have a device activate on their network, but looking at the specs between the Axon 7 and the G935FD (dual sim S7 Edge) on GSMArena, there are essentially NO DIFFERENCES between 2G/3G/4G(LTE) bands between the two devices. The only difference I really see is Cat 6 LTE (300/50Mbps) on the Axon 7 and Cat 9 LTE (450/50Mbps) on the S7 Edge.
Can anyone clear this up? ZTE is literally saying their Axon 7 will work on Verizon, with essentially the same network specs as the S7 Edge international... there MUST be some major defining issue with using the Exynos vs Qualcomm processor when it comes to CDMA connectivity, but I still can't see a spec difference online.
G930f won't work on Verizon
Hey guys so I see this last post is from almost 3 years ago but I like the s7 and I have verizon. I don't like the Verizon variant of the s7 and wanted to try this one, the g930f because it had the same bands for LTE that verizon uses. I thought I could just use Google voice and make calls with data. I've been messing around with it for a few days now and I'm using a pre-registered sim from a Motorola that I bought from Verizon. I cannot get it to register even with data alone. I've tried removing all AP names and then creating several different AP names using Verizon settings. It's a no-go. I'm getting the g930u.
Thank you for reading. Maybe you know a workaround?

Reasearch into the LG G4 US991 Model

So i saw the G4 went down to 299 on Amazon.com and decided to buy it for my parents.
http://www.amazon.com/LG-G4-Unlocked-Leather-Warranty/dp/B01774WPQ8
After purchasing and it was too late to cancel, I noticed a lot of people complaining they were having sporadic issues with the US991 model.
This model was manufactured by LG for US Cellular. They are a CDMA based USA Cellular Provider.
When I Googled the mode, I found a page for this specific model directly on LG's website.
http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-US991-Genuine-Leather-Black-g4
Specifications
Type Smart Phone
Form Factor Bar
OS Android™ 5.1 (Lollipop)
Technology GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, LTE*
Processor Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 808 with (integrated) 1.8 GHz 64-bit Hexa-Core CPU
RAM 3 GB
Network Hepta Band/Dual Mode*
Frequencies LTE Bands 2/4/5/12/13/17/25, CDMA 800, 1900 MHz, WCDMA 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz, GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz*
From what I can tell, WCDMA is just another name for UMTS which is the basis for HSPA/HSPA+ Which means that this phone should be compatible with jut about any GSM carrier providing H+ 3.5g data services as well as typical Voice and Messaging services. What this should mean overall, is this will work as an unlocked international GSM compatible phone.
Data Transmission EVDO, EVDO Rev.A, 1xRTT, LTE*
Dimensions 5.86" (H) x 3.00" (W) x 0.38" (D)
Weight 5.46 oz
Display 5.5" (2560 x 1440) with 538 ppi and 500 nit
Touch Screen Yes
Battery Capacity 3,000 mAh
Talk Time Up to 18.5 hours**
Total Internal Memory 32 GB (21.9 GB usable)
microSD™ Memory Slot Supports card up to 2 TB***
Also, based on US Cellular's unlocking policy page for unlocked carrier locked phones,
http://www.uscellular.com/site/legal/mobile-wireless-device-unlocking.html
The US991 G4 comes carrier unlocked from US Cellular so if there are OS updates and such there shouldn't be any cases of carrier relocking (YMMV).
All in all if you are purchasing it just for general cellphone purposes it seems fine. Rooting and ROMing is another issue entirely.
If anyone can add some additional information to this I would be glad.
I hope this helps someone out there.
We're using one on T-Mobile, and everything is working just fine...no issues so far.
buydig had it for $290 on its eBay store (it went up now) with both black and red leather backs.
LTE bands are OK for AT&T (2,4,12,17) and T-Mobile (2,4,12) in the US.
It's missing LTE bands 1,3,7 which are used in Europe.
WCDMA doesn't have the 1700/2100 band that T-Mobile was using but has refarmed to 1900 in most areas now.
My friend bought the same buydig/ebay deal as above, is using it on Verizon. He just popped his sim out of his dead razr m and it works ok, except it being an unregistered device. His is listed as US99110A for software version, Kernel 3.10.40. It won't do a software update with the sim in (obviously) nor without the sim in it. I guess flashing the US Cellular KDZ over would work, but then it includes all their bloat and there's no way to get back to it's current unbranded status. Would be awesome if it could be updated.
G4 US991 on T-Mobile
GeodudeFFP said:
We're using one on T-Mobile, and everything is working just fine...no issues so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I just received mine, also using on T-Mobile. Works fine, but a couple issues, and possibly a deal breaker:
(1) After upgrading to Marshmallow and signing onto Google to synchonize apps, LG Backup no longer works. Icon still there, but no response when clicked.
(2) Upgrading, from G3, happy to report that Facebook app no longer crashes with Acore error -- not sure if that's because (a) settings changed, (b) upgraded from G3 to G4, or (c) Marshmallow cured it
(3) Cannot find wifi calling, which is necessary for using free text on GoGoInflight-equipped airliners.
I like the $275 price, but #3 may be a deal breaker. If can't make it work within budget, must choose between NEW G4 without wifi-calling, or used G4 with it.
Any thoughts or suggestions appreciated!
skatsinas said:
Hi, I just received mine, also using on T-Mobile. Works fine, but a couple issues, and possibly a deal breaker:
(1) After upgrading to Marshmallow and signing onto Google to synchonize apps, LG Backup no longer works. Icon still there, but no response when clicked.
(2) Upgrading, from G3, happy to report that Facebook app no longer crashes with Acore error -- not sure if that's because (a) settings changed, (b) upgraded from G3 to G4, or (c) Marshmallow cured it
(3) Cannot find wifi calling, which is necessary for using free text on GoGoInflight-equipped airliners.
I like the $275 price, but #3 may be a deal breaker. If can't make it work within budget, must choose between NEW G4 without wifi-calling, or used G4 with it.
Any thoughts or suggestions appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think wifi calling is available as-is with US991 on T-Mobile, but you may be able to use an app for it. Check out "Hangouts Dialer - Call Phones" app.
can any of you guys confirm whether 3g on T-mobile works? I can see that 2g and 4g LTE are fine, just not sure about 3g since my provider has 3g crossed out for this phone.
StraightTalk won't activate it on one of their Verizon SIMs even though it will work on Verizon. I sent mine back and bought a used Verizon model.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
YoColdRain said:
can any of you guys confirm whether 3g on T-mobile works? I can see that 2g and 4g LTE are fine, just not sure about 3g since my provider has 3g crossed out for this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I previously wrote
WCDMA doesn't have the 1700/2100 band that T-Mobile was using but has refarmed to 1900 in most areas now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, if you are in an area that T-Mobile refarmed their 3G from the 1700/2100 band to the 1900 band, then you should get 3G. My understanding is that they have done so in most if not all areas.
Just to confirm, will the US991 will get 4g on both verizon and gsm carriers? I have to switch my vzw sim back to a micro sim before I can try. I'm also going to switch to an mvno in a couple of months, just want to make sure it'll work.
royalflush5 said:
Just to confirm, will the US991 will get 4g on both verizon and gsm carriers? I have to switch my vzw sim back to a micro sim before I can try. I'm also going to switch to an mvno in a couple of months, just want to make sure it'll work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It should work on Verizon LTE since it has all 3 LTE bands verizon uses.
Sent from my LGUS991 using XDA-Developers mobile app
dennis5pia said:
It should work on Verizon LTE since it has all 3 LTE bands verizon uses.
Sent from my LGUS991 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Would you happen to know about GSM compatibility? I'd like to keep my options open when my contract with big red ends
royalflush5 said:
Thanks! Would you happen to know about GSM compatibility? I'd like to keep my options open when my contract with big red ends
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course, as far as the phone supports the LTE band the GSM carrier work with and the phone is set to Global.
It supports LTE Band 2/4/5/12/13/17/25. I'm using it on GSM carriers with LTE band 2 and 4.
Sent from my LGUS991 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Just bought a new G4 on eBay with extra battery, battery charger cradle, and extra leather cover for $289 shipped. Brand new. Box says manufacture month was 03/16. Its working great so far. Its on MM out of the box. Threw an Unlimited T-Mobile SIM in it and its working pretty good. Nice.
Hi. I'm wondering if I can get some help with this device. I purchased this device unlocked from my local Rent a Center in New York. Since its unlocked, I am using with my servicer provider Metropcs. Here's where im having some issues. Metropcs offers WiFi Calling on all their devices [ have a LG K7 ] as does T-mobile since they own metro. I noticed that the feature is MIA on my G4. I did some research and found out from LG that the phone itself was originally a US Cellular device. I then called US Celluar. I spoke with their techs and was informed that they don't offer WiFi calling at all with their service, but it doesnt mean the phone doesnt support it. Believe it or not, the tech told me that its more or less a software thing. I went through the stage to upgrade the device to Marshmallow, but apparently its not available. I noticed that all US Cellular LG G4's have Marshmallow. Im wondering if theres a root method that might fix my issues. I looked around and didnt see one for this LG G4 US99111a. I only see them for US99110. Can anyone here at XDA possibly help? Any and all info will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
mrrock79 said:
Hi. I'm wondering if I can get some help with this device. I purchased this device unlocked from my local Rent a Center in New York. Since its unlocked, I am using with my servicer provider Metropcs. Here's where im having some issues. Metropcs offers WiFi Calling on all their devices [ have a LG K7 ] as does T-mobile since they own metro. I noticed that the feature is MIA on my G4. I did some research and found out from LG that the phone itself was originally a US Cellular device. I then called US Celluar. I spoke with their techs and was informed that they don't offer WiFi calling at all with their service, but it doesnt mean the phone doesnt support it. Believe it or not, the tech told me that its more or less a software thing. I went through the stage to upgrade the device to Marshmallow, but apparently its not available. I noticed that all US Cellular LG G4's have Marshmallow. Im wondering if theres a root method that might fix my issues. I looked around and didnt see one for this LG G4 US99111a. I only see them for US99110. Can anyone here at XDA possibly help? Any and all info will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is not root method yet. Since wifi calling is a metropcs/t-mobile feature you can't get it in a device is not from them, unless someone port a metropcs/t-mobile ROM to other carrier devices.
Sent from my LGUS991 using XDA-Developers mobile app
I kinda figured this was the case, but was hoping. Im wondering though that if and when US Cellular does support WiFi Calling, will an update from LG activate the feature. Either way, its a great phone. No complaints. Just wondering what marshmallow is like on it.
Not sure if the wifi calling feature from one carrier works in any other carrier.
Sent from my LGUS991 using XDA-Developers mobile app
It does with other phones I have had. I owned an Iphone 6 Plus from Verizon. The phone is factory unlocked, and I used it on Tmobile/ATT/Sprint before moving to metro. Verizon initially didnt offer Wifi calling. The feature was active in the phone once I left verizon for the others. So its possible. Hence my confusion as to why its not active with the G4, and why I believe the tech at US Cellular told me that its more or less a software issue.
Iphone is kind of different. But I hope it works with Android
Sent from my LGUS991 using XDA-Developers mobile app

Is the G935FD fully compatible with AT&T in the States?

Apologies if this has been covered, or if this is the wrong place to post--I've searched and have been unsuccessful in finding an answer so I figured I'd ask myself.
Is the G935FD (Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Duo dual sim) variant fully compatible with AT&T? That is, will it work with enough LTE bands such that I should expect fast enough data throughput? I know that it wont be able to access all AT&T LTE bands, but for practical purposes, will this phone work? It seems to be selling relatively cheaply on eBay, so before pulling the trigger I figured I would just double check that it will work. I don't care so much about having multiple sim cards, I mostly just want a cheap(er) phone.
I'm fairly convinced that the G935F will work based on a few other threads I came across on XDA and Reddit. Just looking for confirmation that the G935FD works and works well. Anyone have experience to share here?
Cheers and thanks in advance.
I have two international G935F's, one G935FD and one G935F, both on AT&T. Also an AT&T S6. I haven't had any issue with LTE. All give comparable speedtest results and all are using LTE Band 2 in my area (SF Bay area). I think they may be missing Band 30 but I don't know where that is used. The app LTE Discovery will show what band you are using. Things that don't work on the international phones for me are AT&T HDVoice (VoLTE) and AT&T Video calling. I also believe that if AT&T ever offers Voice over WiFi, that won't work either. These weren't issues for me. I was not expecting Samsung Pay to work but was surprised that it worked on the G935FD. Further investigation revealed that it was the CSC and image. I was able to download different images and got it working on the G935F as well. There's a thread on Samsung Pay on Int'l phones that discusses this if it matters to you. I think when you buy an international phone (G935F/FD) you don't know what CSC you'll get. I don't think the seller can tell without going thru setup and running a utility (I used Phone Info) to reveal the CSC/image. Everything else seems to work the same as the AT&T-branded versions.

Does it work in Canada with LTE data?

I am thinking to buy one, but I was previously burnt on Nextbit Robin being not able to get data service in Canada. Robin could see voice and SMS, and latched on local Canadian carriers fine (Bell, and another one I forgot its name), just no data. Rumor says the manufacturer did not certify this device with any carriers outside of USA.
I want to make sure that this Pro3 can get data in Canada. I am on T-Mobile.
FYI, regular OEM devices such as V20, S3, S4, S7, Moto G4 Play all worked fine in Canada.
I'd appreciate if anyone can share their experience with this phone in Canada. Thanks,
T-mobile is a US carrier not Canadaian, but nonetheless Le pro 3 will work as it has AWS.
I know for a fact cause I'm on Freedommobile that also uses AWS for 3g data and it works fine, LTE is another matter.
I think all Pro 3 HK variants only have 1700/2100 LTE, not 3G. Should work with all carriers in Canada AFAIK, though I'm not sure about Freedom.

Questions Re: International (or Latin) unlocked S10+ or Note10+ / T-Mobile

So I am looking to buy an international (or Latin) version of either the S10+ or the Note 10+.
I am on T-Mobile in the U.S.
1. How "bad" will it be if the phone has 3 out of T-Mobile's main bands? It only lacks 71, so what's the impact will be if I don't have band 71 on this phone with T-Mobile?
2. I read in the forum about flashing T-Mobile firmware on unlocked phones. How necessary is it? I prefer not to mess with flashing anything; done it in the past, I am not 'afraid' of it, but I just don't feel like going that route. Will I be missing anything from the T-Mobile network and services if I keep the phone in its stock ROM?
For example: Wifi Calling (important to me), VoLTE, etc. Will I have access to these features if I don't flash the carrier's firmware?
Thank you.
Band 71 is used only in rural areas where cell towers are very far apart . My phones have never used band 71. If you don't know what bands your phone typically is using you can download a free signal app from the Play Store that will show what band your phone is connected to. Unless you live in a very rural area or frequently find yourself in rural areas it's unlikely you need band 71.
Flashing T-Mobile firmware shouldn't be necessary. I don't have the international S10+ but rather the US unlocked model and I get both WiFi Calling and Volte fine without T-Mobile firmware.
I've used many different models of international unlocked phones from Xiaomi and Huawei on T-Mobile and always got both WiFi Calling and Volte to work with only one exception--the Mate 20 Pro. I had to get rid of that phone even though I really liked it because calls kept going to voicemail without the phone ever ringing first.
It turns out that on T-Mobile if your phone supports band 12 it also needs to support Volte or calls go straight to voicemail without ringing if the caller is using Volte . I never had that problem previously because in 5 years of using international unlocked phones the M20P was the first where Volte didn't work on T-Mobile.
There were lots of posts from T-Mobile customers in the XDA M20P threads about calls going straight to voicemail. I haven't read a single post about that issue with the S10+ so it's pretty safe to assume that the international S10+ works fine with Volte on T-Mobile.
Until the S8 Samsung didn't even sell a US unlocked model--everyone in the US with unlocked Samsung phones were using the international models with the Exynos chip and those phones always worked perfectly with T-Mobile which is very BYOP friendly (unlike AT&T).
The only thing you would be missing on the vanilla Samsung firmware is Visual Voicemail but last I checked you could just download the official T-Mobile Visual Voicemail app from the Play Store.
You would also receive your OTA updates from Samsung rather than T-Mobile but that's actually a plus because the unlocked Exynos models receive updates much more quickly than all of the US models including the unlocked Snapdragon models.
Sorry for the very long answer but I wanted to be thorough.
You should be fine with an international unlocked S10+ on T-Mobile. This is a much better phone than unlocked models from Google Pixel and One Plus so I would recommend going for it.
No manual flashing on your part will be necessary.
@jhs39 - Thank you for your extensive response. It is greatly appreciated!
OK, so I mostly use Band 4 with my current phone, which is one of TMB's main bands, so it seems like that indeed the lack of 71 won't be an issue.
However, how do I know if the Int. version will support VoLTE on the TMB network? I can't see anywhere any information about this phone even supports VoLTE (other than the carrier's model of course).
What about Video Calling?
Thanks again.
sbi1 said:
@jhs39 - Thank you for your extensive response. It is greatly appreciated!
OK, so I mostly use Band 4 with my current phone, which is one of TMB's main bands, so it seems like that indeed the lack of 71 won't be an issue.
However, how do I know if the Int. version will support VoLTE on the TMB network? I can't see anywhere any information about this phone even supports VoLTE (other than the carrier's model of course).
What about Video Calling?
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the international model didn't support Volte on T-Mobile there would be posts on XDA complaining about calls going straight to voicemail without the phone ringing. There were multiple threads about that issue in the M20P section but I haven't seen a single complaint about that happening with the S10+.
This phone has been out since early Spring so if there was a problem using the international model with T-Mobile somebody would have reported it by now.
I don’t know anything about video calling though because I use T-Mobile's network via an MVNO and my carrier doesn't offer video calling.
jhs39 said:
Band 71 is used only in rural areas where cell towers are very far apart . My phones have never used band 71. If you don't know what bands your phone typically is using you can download a free signal app from the Play Store that will show what band your phone is connected to. Unless you live in a very rural area or frequently find yourself in rural areas it's unlikely you need band 71.
Flashing T-Mobile firmware shouldn't be necessary. I don't have the international S10+ but rather the US unlocked model and I get both WiFi Calling and Volte fine without T-Mobile firmware.
I've used many different models of international unlocked phones from Xiaomi and Huawei on T-Mobile and always got both WiFi Calling and Volte to work with only one exception--the Mate 20 Pro. I had to get rid of that phone even though I really liked it because calls kept going to voicemail without the phone ever ringing first.
It turns out that on T-Mobile if your phone supports band 12 it also needs to support Volte or calls go straight to voicemail without ringing if the caller is using Volte . I never had that problem previously because in 5 years of using international unlocked phones the M20P was the first where Volte didn't work on T-Mobile.
There were lots of posts from T-Mobile customers in the XDA M20P threads about calls going straight to voicemail. I haven't read a single post about that issue with the S10+ so it's pretty safe to assume that the international S10+ works fine with Volte on T-Mobile.
Until the S8 Samsung didn't even sell a US unlocked model--everyone in the US with unlocked Samsung phones were using the international models with the Exynos chip and those phones always worked perfectly with T-Mobile which is very BYOP friendly (unlike AT&T).
The only thing you would be missing on the vanilla Samsung firmware is Visual Voicemail but last I checked you could just download the official T-Mobile Visual Voicemail app from the Play Store.
You would also receive your OTA updates from Samsung rather than T-Mobile but that's actually a plus because the unlocked Exynos models receive updates much more quickly than all of the US models including the unlocked Snapdragon models.
Sorry for the very long answer but I wanted to be thorough.
You should be fine with an international unlocked S10+ on T-Mobile. This is a much better phone than unlocked models from Google Pixel and One Plus so I would recommend going for it.
No manual flashing on your part will be necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's odd. I'm using a mate 20X and the although it lacks bands 66 and 71 I don't get calls going to voicemail. In fact when viewing my historical phone signal via gsam app, it shows that I always receive a better signal than even the S10+ that I'm currently using. Both devices on T-Mobile USA.
Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
sbi1 said:
So I am looking to buy an international (or Latin) version of either the S10+ or the Note 10+.
I am on T-Mobile in the U.S.
1. How "bad" will it be if the phone has 3 out of T-Mobile's main bands? It only lacks 71, so what's the impact will be if I don't have band 71 on this phone with T-Mobile?
2. I read in the forum about flashing T-Mobile firmware on unlocked phones. How necessary is it? I prefer not to mess with flashing anything; done it in the past, I am not 'afraid' of it, but I just don't feel like going that route. Will I be missing anything from the T-Mobile network and services if I keep the phone in its stock ROM?
For example: Wifi Calling (important to me), VoLTE, etc. Will I have access to these features if I don't flash the carrier's firmware?
Thank you.[/QUOTE
I have the Hong Kong variant SM-G975 with T-Mobile. No issues with bands, VoLTE. Wifi Calling or 4G, no impact. You won't need to flash the device.
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varcor said:
I have the Hong Kong variant SM-G975 with T-Mobile. No issues with bands, VoLTE. Wifi Calling or 4G, no impact. You won't need to flash the device.
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Thanks @varcor . What about Video calling?
BTW - is it 975F or something else?
I use Skype for Video Calling, it works fine. Mine is an SM-G9750, the best price I've seen is on Ebay. The only issue is when you first get the device you'll need to change the language since it's setup in Mandarin. A bit challenging but not a big deal. The Ebay vendor is in Houston which is where the device ships from, only takes a few days.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-Ga...im-FACTORY-UNLOCKED-6-4-8GB-RAM-/192846270776
varcor said:
I use Skype for Video Calling, it works fine. Mine is an SM-G9750, the best I've seen is on Ebay. The only issue is when you first get the device you'll need to change the language since it's setup in Mandarin. A bit challenging but not a big deal. The Ebay vendor is in Houston which is where the device ships from, only takes a few days.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-Ga...im-FACTORY-UNLOCKED-6-4-8GB-RAM-/192846270776
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Oh yeah, the legendary Never MSRP.
Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
Yep, I've bought a number of devices from them, won't use anyone else. Lowest prices, great customer service as well.
varcor said:
I use Skype for Video Calling, it works fine. Mine is an SM-G9750, the best price I've seen is on Ebay. The only issue is when you first get the device you'll need to change the language since it's setup in Mandarin. A bit challenging but not a big deal. The Ebay vendor is in Houston which is where the device ships from, only takes a few days.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-Ga...im-FACTORY-UNLOCKED-6-4-8GB-RAM-/192846270776
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Click to collapse
I must the F model. I travel to Israel with a local SIM and they use the F model, and it's the only possibility I have to use their WiFi calling while there. I am not 100% sure it'll work because of firmware but better chances with F model.
Thanks.
Limeybastard said:
That's odd. I'm using a mate 20X and the although it lacks bands 66 and 71 I don't get calls going to voicemail. In fact when viewing my historical phone signal via gsam app, it shows that I always receive a better signal than even the S10+ that I'm currently using. Both devices on T-Mobile USA.
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Not having bands 66 & 71 don't cause the problem with T-Mobile calls going straight to voicemail--if band 12 is supported on a phone T-Mobile assumes the phone also supports Volte and if it doesn't then you get calls going straight to voicemail.
I'm not familiar with the Mate 20X but before the M20P I had a P20 Pro, Mate 10 Pro and P10 Pro and none of those phones had an issue because T-Mobile Volte worked with all of them.
It's also possible the problem with the P20 Pro was fixed after I got rid of the phone since it was a firmware issue that was fixable in a software update . I kept mine for 6 months before throwing in the towel. The only workaround was to turn off 4G in the network settings. With 4G off you would receive all calls since Volte is a 4G function.
I personally love Huawei phones. Hopefully after Trump is gone all of the nonsense with Huawei being barred from using Google apps and bullied out of the US market will go away but they might decide selling their products here isn't worth the aggravation.
I've also used a bunch of unlocked Xiaomi phones on T-Mobile with no issues. A nice feature in MIUI is that if Volte doesn't work out of the box there's a dial code you can enter to manually enable it.
Band 66 is an offload for band 4 when band 4 traffic is high but if a phone doesn't have band 66 it just stays on 4 so not having 66 on an unlocked phone has never caused any problems for me.
Band 71 is only live in parts of the country and is relatively new. It can transmit a signal over unusually long distances and is used to provide cell coverage in rural areas where it would cost too much to build a full network of cell towers.
jhs39 said:
Not having bands 66 & 71 don't cause the problem with T-Mobile calls going straight to voicemail--if band 12 is supported on a phone T-Mobile assumes the phone also supports Volte and if it doesn't then you get calls going straight to voicemail.
I'm not familiar with the Mate 20X but before the M20P I had a P20 Pro, Mate 10 Pro and P10 Pro and none of those phones had an issue because T-Mobile Volte worked with all of them.
It's also possible the problem with the P20 Pro was fixed after I got rid of the phone since it was a firmware issue that was fixable in a software update . I kept mine for 6 months before throwing in the towel. The only workaround was to turn off 4G in the network settings. With 4G off you would receive all calls since Volte is a 4G function.
I personally love Huawei phones. Hopefully after Trump is gone all of the nonsense with Huawei being barred from using Google apps and bullied out of the US market will go away but they might decide selling their products here isn't worth the aggravation.
I've also used a bunch of unlocked Xiaomi phones on T-Mobile with no issues. A nice feature in MIUI is that if Volte doesn't work out of the box there's a dial code you can enter to manually enable it.
Band 66 is an offload for band 4 when band 4 traffic is high but if a phone doesn't have band 66 it just stays on 4 so not having 66 on an unlocked phone has never caused any problems for me.
Band 71 is only live in parts of the country and is relatively new. It can transmit a signal over unusually long distances and is used to provide cell coverage in rural areas where it would cost too much to build a full network of cell towers.
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P20 pro was certified and worked fully on T-Mobile , most devices after that were not.
I don't think my mate 20x connected to band 12, but if it did, then yes it'll probably go straight to voicemail.
Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
sbi1 said:
I must the F model. I travel to Israel with a local SIM and they use the F model, and it's the only possibility I have to use their WiFi calling while there. I am not 100% sure it'll work because of firmware but better chances with F model.
Thanks.
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The SM-G975F is the Exynos SoC variant for Europe. The SM-G9750 has the Snapdragon SoC and dual SIM's as well. Wifi Calling will work on both devices in any region, including Israel as long as the service provider offers it. The only thing I would recommend is you do some research on Exynos vs Snapdragon SoC's in the S10. Good luck!
varcor said:
The SM-G975F is the Exynos SoC variant for Europe. The SM-G9750 has the Snapdragon SoC and dual SIM's as well. Wifi Calling will work on both devices in any region, including Israel as long as the service provider offers it. The only thing I would recommend is you do some research on Exynos vs Snapdragon SoC's in the S10. Good luck!
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I am aware of the differences between the two chips.
In regards to WiFi Calling - I am a bit skeptical. This provider does have WiFi calling services, however they have a list of devices that are supported. Clearly they list devices and firmwares that they sell, not BYOD phones, and they sell the F version. I currently use ZTE Axon 7, I have WiFi calling on T-Mobile but it does not work on the Israeli network and when I try to 'register' it for this service through their app, it clearly says that the device is not supported.
That being said - I can't tell you if my phone doesn't work on their WF calling because it's not even sold in Israel. It could very well be that any version of Galaxy S10+ will be supported regardless of firmware. simply because it is sold there. Clearly there is no way to know this beforehand. I asked them, they of course can only guarantee phones that are sold by them and are on the list.
BTW - the Israeli version of the 975F is single SIM, they don't have the D/S, although I can't imagine this should have any impact of phone supporting or not supporting WF calling.
What's the difference between the F and the O, other than the region they are sold in?
Thanks.
Limeybastard said:
P20 pro was certified and worked fully on T-Mobile , most devices after that were not.
I don't think my mate 20x connected to band 12, but if it did, then yes it'll probably go straight to voicemail.
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Devices don't need to be certified by T-Mobile to work with Volte. All of my recent Xiaomi phones worked with Volte--none of the models were officially sold in the US or certified by T-Mobile. The P20 Pro was not sold in the US so there was zero reason for it to be certified by T-Mobile. The last Huawei phone officially sold here was the Mate 10 Pro. AT&T and Verizon require that devices be certified by them to work with Volte on their networks but T-Mobile does not. T-Mobile is very BYOP friendly.
jhs39 said:
Devices don't need to be certified by T-Mobile to work with Volte. All of my recent Xiaomi phones worked with Volte--none of the models were officially sold in the US or certified by T-Mobile. The P20 Pro was not sold in the US so there was zero reason for it to be certified by T-Mobile. The last Huawei phone officially sold here was the Mate 10 Pro. AT&T and Verizon require that devices be certified by them to work with Volte on their networks but T-Mobile does not. T-Mobile is very BYOP friendly.
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Thanks for the clarification. So why is it then that same device , but using different sim card would show the Volte toggle or hide it from the user menu? Example, mate 20 does have Volte capabilities yet its missing the Volte toggle switch. I know on the Xioami devices one can enter a #*code to force it show that option. I think what makes it even more convulsing is that Huawei global versions have various region firmware via their Cust codes. Each one I noticed behaves slighly different using same T-Mobile SIM card. Cheers
You mentioned all calls went to VM on up 20pro, why do you think that was the case, you mentioned earlier that you thought possibly it may have been firmware related amongst other things.
Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
sbi1 said:
I am aware of the differences between the two chips.
In regards to WiFi Calling - I am a bit skeptical. This provider does have WiFi calling services, however they have a list of devices that are supported. Clearly they list devices and firmwares that they sell, not BYOD phones, and they sell the F version. I currently use ZTE Axon 7, I have WiFi calling on T-Mobile but it does not work on the Israeli network and when I try to 'register' it for this service through their app, it clearly says that the device is not supported.
That being said - I can't tell you if my phone doesn't work on their WF calling because it's not even sold in Israel. It could very well be that any version of Galaxy S10+ will be supported regardless of firmware. simply because it is sold there. Clearly there is no way to know this beforehand. I asked them, they of course can only guarantee phones that are sold by them and are on the list.
BTW - the Israeli version of the 975F is single SIM, they don't have the D/S, although I can't imagine this should have any impact of phone supporting or not supporting WF calling.
What's the difference between the F and the O, other than the region they are sold in?
Thanks.
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Click to collapse
You're correct regarding Single SIM for the SM-G975F, the Dual SIM option is available in the SM-G975F/DS. I personally wouldn't consider obtaining a device in Israel if the majority of the time I'm the US. The major differences are SoC's, a minor difference in CPU Clock Speed and Cores. The SM-G975F has no FM Radio and offers fewer Primary Network capabilities. You can view a back-to-back comparison here.
https://www.phonemore.com/compare/p...gb-vs-galaxy-s10-plus-sm-g9750-128gb/10134260
This is quite different than your original question but with that being stated I would be confident enough in the SM-G9750's compatibility with the Israeli network for Wifi Calling. The worst case is not having Wifi Calling in Israel, which isn't an absolute necessity however you'll have the Snapdragon SoC which is a far better chipset with fewer bugs. For me it's the obvious choice if I were faced with your considerations.
You're most welcome
varcor said:
You're correct regarding Single SIM for the SM-G975F, the Dual SIM option is available in the SM-G975F/DS. I personally wouldn't consider obtaining a device in Israel if the majority of the time I'm the US. The major differences are SoC's, a minor difference in CPU Clock Speed and Cores. The SM-G975F has no FM Radio and offers fewer Primary Network capabilities. You can view a back-to-back comparison here.
https://www.phonemore.com/compare/p...gb-vs-galaxy-s10-plus-sm-g9750-128gb/10134260
This is quite different than your original question but with that being stated I would be confident enough in the SM-G9750's compatibility with the Israeli network for Wifi Calling. The worst case is not having Wifi Calling in Israel, which isn't an absolute necessity however you'll have the Snapdragon SoC which is a far better chipset with fewer bugs. For me it's the obvious choice if I were faced with your considerations.
You're most welcome
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SoC, meaning the chip?
You see, your definition of "worst case not having Wifi calling" is important to me , simply because where I usually stay in Israel there is almost no reception at all (inside the house I am staying in), that's the main reason I want a device that will be able to use their Wifi calling.
Also, I looked at the eBay seller that you mention and I don't even think he carries the O model any more, all I see is the F model, unless of course I am missing something.
Thanks.
sbi1 said:
SoC, meaning the chip?
You see, your definition of "worst case not having Wifi calling" is important to me , simply because where I usually stay in Israel there is almost no reception at all (inside the house I am staying in), that's the main reason I want a device that will be able to use their Wifi calling.
Also, I looked at the eBay seller that you mention and I don't even think he carries the O model any more, all I see is the F model, unless of course I am missing something.
Thanks.
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Click to collapse
SoC is System on Chip, same as Chipset. If Wifi calling is a top priority buy the Exynos device to be certain but be advised there are numerous concerns over the chipset on XDA and other sites, plus Network Aggrigaton for Exynos in the US has issues with some T-Mobile clients. You may lose Wifi Calling or VoLTE in the US.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/s10-plus/help/exynos-att-t-mobile-t3920491
They still offer the SM-G9750, the link I shared is correct, not sure you missed something. The also sell the SM-G975F and SM-G975F/DS.

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