Anyone know when the unlocked G6 will hit the States? I keep checking various retailers but nothing so far.
I came across this seller on eBay - is this legit? Should I be worried about buying an International unlocked version? Which would be more likely to get more timely updates - unlocked States or unlocked International?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LG-G6-H870D...006423|5374:Cell+Phones&rmvSB=true&rmvSB=true
I purchased the one in the link you posted and I'm in love with it. 64gb of storage and quad dac plus I'm not having any issues at all on the t-mobile network.
An unlocked version looks good but it appears it will not work on Verizon. Which is too bad since the Verizon version has a few features removed like FM radio and LG Smart settings.
htcnext said:
An unlocked version looks good but it appears it will not work on Verizon. Which is too bad since the Verizon version has a few features removed like FM radio and LG Smart settings.
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According to the b&h photo website, the unlocked version will work on all carriers in US and has the right bands for Verizon. Hard to say if it's 100% accurate as it's not released yet, although they say expected release is mid May and it's $100 off right now $599. Here's the link:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1322815-REG/lg_g6_us997_32gb_smartphone.html
Yes, I did some more research on this and it appears the one at b&h photo is US unlocked and works on Verizon. Ebay and amazon have the international unlocked GSM version as of now. It is reasonable to assume in the near future the US unlocked versions will be available from many more sellers though.
htcnext said:
Yes, I did some more research on this and it appears the one at b&h photo is US unlocked and works on Verizon. Ebay and amazon have the international unlocked GSM version as of now. It is reasonable to assume in the near future the US unlocked versions will be available from many more sellers though.
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Usually it starts with b&h photo and best buy for the lg unlocked versions and eventually other sellers, at least that was the way it was with us unlocked rs988 g5. Only good part is that lg allowed official bootloader unlock for the rs988 (us unlocked g5) but they did it almost a year after release Hopefully with the g6 they don't do the same thing. Would be good if the us unlocked version also bootloader unlockable and working on all carriers guess we will have to wait and see.
Well they started offering free google home with the b&h photo us unlocked version so I pre-ordered one today. Hopefully LG will do a decent job with Android updates. My previous LG phones were on Verizon. Pretty excited to try an unlocked Android phone for the first time without carrier bloatware and disabled features.
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I looked on Samsungs site and only see the 4 major carriers. I've been looking for an actual international GSM version because I'm tired of getting stuck with the At&t locked down, no fun standard device. I find very little info about the g928c which I'm only guessing at this point, is a European version. I ordered the 64gb At&t version but would sell my Nex 6, and my 128gb S6E for an unlocked S6+. Any luck finding anything else out would be great to hear.
Phoneguy589 said:
I looked on Samsungs site and only see the 4 major carriers. I've been looking for an actual international GSM version because I'm tired of getting stuck with the At&t locked down, no fun standard device. I find very little info about the g928c which I'm only guessing at this point, is a European version. I ordered the 64gb At&t version but would sell my Nex 6, and my 128gb S6E for an unlocked S6+. Any luck finding anything else out would be great to hear.
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You can buy a TMo phone & cell unlock it so it can be used internationally. Generally, TMobile phones come with an unlocked bootloader also, so they can be rooted. I use an unlocked TMobile phone on the AT&T network.
Sent from my SM-N915T using Tapatalk
I am looking to buy an international unlocked as well, I was going to order one off eBay, but I am waiting for a silver 64gb to show up.
The carriers mark them up so I won't pay non contract price. Guess I'll wait until they are more available.
Compared to the unlocked model, that is. I found a great deal on the T-Mobile variant but don't want to be buying a phone that is lagging behind compared to the carrier-free model. My carrier is T-Mobile, so that works in my favor.
gagdude said:
Compared to the unlocked model, that is. I found a great deal on the T-Mobile variant but don't want to be buying a phone that is lagging behind compared to the carrier-free model. My carrier is T-Mobile, so that works in my favor.
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I have factory unlocked PRIV which I use on T-Mobile. I do know that T-Mobile Variant had only 1 out of the box OTA update in which users got some of the T-Mobile's apps + Feb security update. We will have to wait until March to see
gagdude said:
Compared to the unlocked model, that is. I found a great deal on the T-Mobile variant but don't want to be buying a phone that is lagging behind compared to the carrier-free model. My carrier is T-Mobile, so that works in my favor.
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I picked up the carrier model. Just the one update so far. We'll find out next week if they're on par with the unlocked updates. I'm hoping so. T-mobile has been known to lag on updates.
What are the differences in my options for purchasing a Verizon compatible LG V20? Direct from VZW, Best Buy, US996 version from Newegg/B&H.
What are the differences in the versions available from these vendors? Do we know yet? Thanks.
The Verizon model is VS995, it is the same model if you buy it from Verizon directly or Best Buy.
The US996 is carrier unlocked and will work on most US carriers, including Verizon. But the hope is that the US996 will have its bootloader unlocked like on the Tmobile model, which could lead to possible root.
indeed. the US has a few more frequencies and bands than the Verizon one. I believe Verizon has 17 and US has 21. seems the unlocked won't be shipping until November for B and h and Newegg and who knows if best buy is going to get it. I think my plan is to get the unlocked version when available and use it with Verizon. I'm not dealing with Verizon's crap, I'd much rather have an unlocked phone again.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7 using Tapatalk
I see this BOGO offer direct on Samsung's website for Galaxy S8's. In the past, all Galaxy S phones were SM-G920T (T for T-Mobile) SM-G920V (V for Verizon, etc) and then Best Buy sold that piece of crap SIM unlocked SM-G920U that was bootloader LOCKED and couldn't do anything with it.
I'm trying to find out here if the Bootloader is locked on any variant of the Snapdragon 835 S8's, and which version I should get. T-Mobile has the same BOGO offer on the S8 in the form of a rebate as well, but I can't confirm anywhere the specific model number. I'm so jaded by the fact that T-Mobile left the bootloader locked on their S7 that I can't imagine them leaving it unlocked.
The G6 is also BOGO right now as well, but I don't know if that bootloader is unlocked like all my previous LG phones from T-Mo we're.
I'd really appreciate any kind of confirmed answers you might have!
Cheers!
joesee said:
I see this BOGO offer direct on Samsung's website for Galaxy S8's. In the past, all Galaxy S phones were SM-G920T (T for T-Mobile) SM-G920V (V for Verizon, etc) and then Best Buy sold that piece of crap SIM unlocked SM-G920U that was bootloader LOCKED and couldn't do anything with it.
I'm trying to find out here if the Bootloader is locked on any variant of the Snapdragon 835 S8's, and which version I should get. T-Mobile has the same BOGO offer on the S8 in the form of a rebate as well, but I can't confirm anywhere the specific model number. I'm so jaded by the fact that T-Mobile left the bootloader locked on their S7 that I can't imagine them leaving it unlocked.
The G6 is also BOGO right now as well, but I don't know if that bootloader is unlocked like all my previous LG phones from T-Mo we're.
I'd really appreciate any kind of confirmed answers you might have!
Cheers!
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All the carriers have "U" devices in the U.S. this year. The SIM you initialize the phone with is what carrier's features are added. A "U" from Samsung apparently doesn't take on the carrier whose SIM is used features and remains virgin. So "U" could be considered "universal" or "U.S." It's still a S-835 device which means "U" definitely doesn't mean unlocked bootloader.
I'm not an expert at all but I really doubt that ANY Samsung bootloader will ever be unlocked again. Pretty much after 2013 all bootloaders were locked [AFAIK] at least for the Galaxy series. I really like Samsung devices but my Galaxy Tab S (late 2014) isn't even going to get the Nougat upgrade - this actually pisses me off greatly.
When you see 'unlocked' concerning a phone/device it means CARRIER unlocked, not the bootloader. The 'unlocked' means that you can use it with any carrier that the device supports - so just about most of the carriers/providers in the entire world. Still not sure about this concerning CDMA (Verizon/Sprint) as some things may not work (different bands). Tried using GSM phones on CDMA a few years back and wasn't able to use 4G/LTE & also MMS.
Good luck.
EDIT:
Was typing this as BarryH_GEG replied to your question. Yes the letter following the model corresponds to the various carriers (Verizon, Cricket, Sprint, etc) and are also different for international versions.
EDIT2:
On another note I own a Galaxy S7 Edge (international) that has the Exynos processor that is unlocked. At the same time this is the only device I've never rooted because it works so well for me, no carrier bloatware. Also the only device I've ever purchased without a removable battery. Until the latest updates I was able to go 2 days without charging (not anymore unfortunately). The international S8/S8+ also use the Exynos processor so you might consider this option. However the cost will be high as it was for me when I purchased my GS7edge as you'll need to purchase it directly without any US discounts or such. I paid out just over $700 for my GS7edge directly, though at the same time my AT&T bill is much lower because of this.
I've researched the GS8+ international and it's looking to be around $800. Compared to trading in my GS7edge international for an unlocked US version I can get for $375 (with trade-in) if I do this within a month or so... I can probably get $400 for my GS7edge (since it's international) but how long will this take? If I only get $300 for it for a quick sale I'll still spend $500 for the new 8+ so is this worth it?
Only stating these issues so that you understand my thinking concerning an unlocked bootloader. These are [mostly, still SS stuff] bloatware free, have incredible power, etc, etc. I miss rooting my device but is it really worth it for the cost? I really want the international/Exynos S8+ but still not sure.
Let me know your thoughts, later.
So I got burned on ebay on two separate US996 phones. The sellers never stated a provider and just said factory unlocked (some on ebay actually say US Cellular) so I naively assumed they were the same as the unlocked version B&H photo has been selling.
However after buying them I found a thread on how to tell the difference and the factory unlocked should say USA under the battery. However, the phone I got says UCL (which I think is US cellular) and my wife's phone says BPL (no idea what provider that is).
So, I am wondering if I should just keep these at this point. I paid $268 for my wife's phone about a month or two back and $250 for mine a week ago, so not a terrible deal, but I could have gotten an AT&T unlocked version for not much more new.
So anyway, these phones don't come with any carrier bloatware which is nice and why I'm considering just keeping them. I don't really care about rooting, however I am concerned about 2 things: future updates and cellular bands.
Does anyone know what the differences are hardware wise between these 3 variants or is the only thing that's different the software?
If it's just software shouldn't there be a way to flash these with the real factory unlocked firmware?
Here's a page with the latest ROMs for each variant of the US996:
https://lg-firmwares.com/lg-us996-firmwares/
The BPT one is the BrightPoint version.
The odd thing is that the US Cellular version of the US996 has a much newer version of firmware than the USA Factory Unlocked US996.
Interesting. It looks like the US Cellular firmware works on the unlocked version so I guess there is no difference. I wonder if that means I can flash my wife's phone with the US cellular firmware as well. Never heard of brightpoint.
shawnmos said:
Interesting. It looks like the US Cellular firmware works on the unlocked version so I guess there is no difference. I wonder if that means I can flash my wife's phone with the US cellular firmware as well. Never heard of brightpoint.
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not sure how true it is, but if you flash the US Cellular firmware on the unlocked version and try to unlock through LG then it would no longer be recognized as the unlocked version. that said you can unlock first and then flash... which is what I did so I can't confirm the former to be true