I've already posted on Reddit looking for advice, but realised I might be more likely to get some good answers here. I’ll start with the TL;DR… What stock firmware (preferably without bloatware) should I flash on a Verizon Galaxy S10+ SM-G975U that’s going to be used in France with a French SIM, to get the best network coverage?
Some more info: I bought a refurbished Galaxy S10+ which was said to be an unlocked model originated in Europe. Turns out it was shipped from the US, and is a Snapdragon-based Verizon phone.
To get rid of all traces of Verizon, I successfully flashed U1 XAA firmware downloaded with Frija (SM-G975U1, XAA, June 1 2021 Security Patch Level) which did get rid of the bloatware, and now doesn't have the Verizon startup screen. Success? Not quite...
On this firmware, 4G signal doesn't seem to get picked up as easily as when it was on the original Verizon firmware. It also shows LTE rather than 4G in the notification bar as it did before flashing the U1 firmware.
My S9+ (Exynos 'F' model, flashed with French non-carrier firmware) gets 4G signal (-115 dBm 25 asu) on a certain spot on my desk. In the exact same spot, the S10+ gets H (-101 dBm 19 asu), and I struggle to find a spot in the house where it gets LTE/4G. This makes me wonder if some required frequency bands aren't supported on this firmware?
I'm wondering whether the U1 firmware was not the best option after all? If U1 isn’t the way to go, what firmware version would you suggest? Should I go back to U firmware instead, or maybe go for the Canadian W XAC unbranded firmware? Not sure if there's even a version of U firmware that doesn't come with carrier branding + bloat...
Basically, I'm looking for stock firmware without carrier bloatware, that'll work well on the SFR network in France, and ideally show 4G in the notification bar. It's actually a surprise birthday gift for my wife too, so I'm trying to prepare it for her so she has the best experience with the phone as possible.
Cheers in advance for any advice! You might help me save this from being a bit of a disaster of a birthday gift
Quick update. I've flashed SM-G975W XAC (unbranded Canada) firmware, and now the phone picks up LTE signal in parts of the house where it would only get E signal whilst on SM-G975U1 XAA firmware. So I know that the Canadian firmware is at least a bit better in my situation.
However, the LTE speeds are still between 25%-50% of what I get on my S9+ Exynos on French unbranded firmware using the same SIM. And obviously the phone still shows LTE in the notification bar, rather than 4G.
I might try going back to Verizon firmware to see if the LTE/4G performs better, which might be the best route to go, even with the bloatware and Version branded annoyances.
Ok, I thought it might be best to post my last update to close this off, in case it helps anyone else who stumbles on it in future.
I was going to do back-to-back tests on U1 XAA, W XAC, U VZW and U CHA firmware, in that order, to see what would work best and give a good 4G signal.
I started with flashing the latest U1 XAA, which had the same poor signal and only showed LTE in the notification bar and not 4G, as before.
Next up, I flashed the same W XAC (Canadian non-carrier) firmware as before, but this time I left my SIM card in the phone. Out of paranoia I'd always removed it when flashing, but when the phone booted up it showed 4G in the notification bar, not LTE like before, and signal strength and speeds were good!
So I stopped there and have stuck with SM-G975W XAC firmware. It seems to have achieved what I want—decent performance on the French SFR network, without bloatware, and correctly displaying 4G—so I decided not to push my luck and stop flashing any more firmware versions, just in case I end up with an expensive paperweight.
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I just bought the 935F and I am stuck on Edge data. I also have the At&t model of the gs7 edge and I get full LTE and good speeds in the exact same spot. Same sim card, and I believe I'm using the correct APN settings. I want to switch to the international model because at&t ruins this phone with bloatware. I get a lot of lag on the at&t gs7 edge, and no lag at all on the 935F. Now I just need the LTE to work!!
Anyone able to try and help? I did search the forum first and didnt see anything relevant.
do you see 4G instead but not LTE on your 935F? US carriers call HSPA+ 4G (while it's 3G+) so when their branded phones are in LTE they add an LTE (or 4G LTE for tmobile) icon. My G935F always shows 4G but it's actually LTE. You can dial *#0011# to check for reception or download the LTE discovery app to check your reception
Remix22 said:
do you see 4G instead but not LTE on your 935F? US carriers call HSPA+ 4G (while it's 3G+) so when their branded phones are in LTE they add an LTE (or 4G LTE for tmobile) icon. My G935F always shows 4G but it's actually LTE. You can dial *#0011# to check for reception or download the LTE discovery app to check your reception
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Click to collapse
Thank you very much for the reply. I see E for edge data. I think I may have made some progress by changing the APN settings though. I am seeing LTE now, but the speeds are terrible. Nothing close to what I was getting with the ATT branded version of the GS7E.
Anyone know exactly what APN settings the G935F should be using on ATT? I have unlimited data, so I want to be able to use it!
toptekjon said:
I just bought the 935F and I am stuck on Edge data. I also have the At&t model of the gs7 edge and I get full LTE and good speeds in the exact same spot. Same sim card, and I believe I'm using the correct APN settings. I want to switch to the international model because at&t ruins this phone with bloatware. I get a lot of lag on the at&t gs7 edge, and no lag at all on the 935F. Now I just need the LTE to work!!
Anyone able to try and help? I did search the forum first and didnt see anything relevant.
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Click to collapse
It has nothing to do with the APN, but you have to tell AT&T you have an AT&T branded phone and give them an imei of that phone. Or your 935F will not be able to get lte.
Psyscope said:
It has nothing to do with the APN, but you have to tell AT&T you have an AT&T branded phone and give them an imei of that phone. Or your 935F will not be able to get lte.
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Hmm, Ok thank you. I'll try that now. I haven't been on att in years, and don't remember having to do that but I will now.
Yeah if you don't have an ATT branded phone they will limit you to the 4g network and not the new LTE network. I bought a cheap Motorola LTe phone that was an at&t approved. I gave them its imei, and I started to get lte.
Psyscope said:
It has nothing to do with the APN, but you have to tell AT&T you have an AT&T branded phone and give them an imei of that phone. Or your 935F will not be able to get lte.
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Click to collapse
Ok so I worked with At&t and gave them the IMEI, but still no LTE data
Psyscope said:
It has nothing to do with the APN, but you have to tell AT&T you have an AT&T branded phone and give them an imei of that phone. Or your 935F will not be able to get lte.
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Click to collapse
No, you do not have to give AT&T the IMEI of your 935F phone.
I just got back to the US, popped my AT&T SIM card in my new intl S7e (935FD) and LTE works as it should. I get speeds of >10 Mbs
LTE bands 2 & 17 are used (in my area - Portland)
Not getting full speed LTE
I have the 935FD S7E. I just went to the AT&T store as I needed a nano sim. The guy who helped me did a Speed Test right next to me performing the exact same test. His AT&T S7 was receiving in the mid to high 30's for download speed while I was getting in the mid 20's. He checked the APN, we assumed that I was getting an LTE speed even though no LTE icon showed. However his S7 was receiving significantly consistent faster data rates than I was getting.
Is there anything I can do to resolve this?
This will be the main hindrance for me buying the international version. If someone gets the LTE thing figured out I'm all in
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA-Developers mobile app
For what it's worth, AT&T LTE problems in my case were caused by custom ROM.
I just got International S7 Edge (G935F), and without thinking, rooted it and installed SuperMan-ROM 1.8.1. In that state I did have LTE formally, but speeds were very bad. Tried turning data on/off, changing APNs - nothing helped. As a result, in some places data connection barely worked (1.0 Mbps down / 0.1 Mbps up), and the best result reported by SpeedTest was around 4 Mbps up/down. At the same time, when I moved this SIM card into older XPeria phone, it consistently showed ~15 Mbps up/down, which was normal performance for me on AT&T prepaid in NYC. Unfortunately, I didn't check LTE performance with the original default ROM on the Edge, but I recorded all versions.
I went back to stock ROM using this German stock firmware. It was possible to switch to English during installation. Other downloads in that thread are dead links. I immediately did official OTA update, and after that, I now have normal LTE performance on AT&T (15+ Mbps).
I am pretty sure that at least in my case, the radio which the custom ROM insisted I have (G935FXXU1APEQ) was the problem. After going back to stock, I have baseband G935FXXU1APD1, which is what I had out-of-the-box.
cozzamara said:
For what it's worth, AT&T LTE problems in my case were caused by custom ROM.
I just got International S7 Edge (G935F), and without thinking, rooted it and installed SuperMan-ROM 1.8.1. In that state I did have LTE formally, but speeds were very bad. Tried turning data on/off, changing APNs - nothing helped. As a result, in some places data connection barely worked (1.0 Mbps down / 0.1 Mbps up), and the best result reported by SpeedTest was around 4 Mbps up/down. At the same time, when I moved this SIM card into older XPeria phone, it consistently showed ~15 Mbps up/down, which was normal performance for me on AT&T prepaid in NYC. Unfortunately, I didn't check LTE performance with the original default ROM on the Edge, but I recorded all versions.
I went back to stock ROM using this German stock firmware. It was possible to switch to English during installation. Other downloads in that thread are dead links. I immediately did official OTA update, and after that, I now have normal LTE performance on AT&T (15+ Mbps).
I am pretty sure that at least in my case, the radio which the custom ROM insisted I have (G935FXXU1APEQ) was the problem. After going back to stock, I have baseband G935FXXU1APD1, which is what I had out-of-the-box.
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Click to collapse
Imgo to try this you flash via Odin?
Has anyone experienced bad or inconsistent LTE speeds on the International S7 Edge Duos while on AT&T? I was out walking the dog yesterday and my speeds were ranging anywhere from 0.3 megabits/second to 12 megabits/second depending on which block I am on. This morning, on my commute to work, I had anywhere from 2 megabits/second speeds or 32 megabits/second speeds depending on where I am on the road.
Is the International not nearly as good with using AT&T band LTE? Is there perhaps an APN setting I should be making? Or should I just learn to live with this?
Thanks in advance
No one has encountered this at all? Perhaps it's emblematic of a potential defect?
Im on att using g935fd, no issue with lte. Im ranging from 15-30 mbps depending on the area. im in boston,ma
in dallas with a 935FD and i've been getting average 29mb down/19mb up... check your APN and also consider testing with another sim card if you have one available.
I'm having the same issue. There is definitely something going on with the Duos. I'm on T-mobile and experience weaker signal (10-15 dBm) on Duos than I get on my 935T sitting next to it. I've flashed several modems, csc's and firmwares. Nothing has helped. Even lost signal last week at a clinic and had to tether of my wife's T-Mobile s7 edge.
VinylJStar said:
I'm having the same issue. There is definitely something going on with the Duos. I'm on T-mobile and experience weaker signal (10-15 dBm) on Duos than I get on my 935T sitting next to it. I've flashed several modems, csc's and firmwares. Nothing has helped. Even lost signal last week at a clinic and had to tether of my wife's T-Mobile s7 edge.
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It got so bad that I am returning the phone. The speeds I was getting was just too low to make it a useful device.
Maybe its the rom. What firmware you guys are using? I flashed the stock g935f PHN firmware, CSC, AP and then OntheedgeLite UX rom.
There was another posst with OP having similar issue. I have issue as well. But flashing BTU csc ap bl and cp helped me gain better 4g around my home, so I thought problem was fixed. but when I go to poor reception areas and phone is switching to 2g/3g bands, I lose 4g unless restart or messing with sim options switching 4g between sim1 and sim 2.
currently on stock samsung touchwiz rom. BTU cp, csc, ap, and bl
Is it missing the appropriate at&t bands ? I'm looking at note duos as an alternative to the ATT version a day it's meant to be the same chipset and that misses one of the LTE bands.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using XDA-Developers mobile app
I've been combing the forums and I'm still unclear on a few things and looking for help. Current AT&T customer and I plan to switch to T-Mobile soon. Any confirmation or corrections/answers to the questions/statements below would be really appreciated.
1. The 935F variant is the international model that works with all GSM carriers (and I assume without any carrier bloatware) but VoLTE and wifi calling will not work on any GSM carrier here in the US. Theres a secondary 935F model (d?)- whats the advantage there? Shopping tools that let you compare the models show no difference but always priced differently. There is something I'm missing.
2. The 935U variant is official US unlocked model for use with any carrier. Only silver. I have not seen any posts confirming that VoLTE and wifi calling works- and will continue to work if you switch carriers.
3. Lots of listings for factory unlocked 935A variants. Official AT&T version. That just means a reseller has applied unlock codes to each and resells them? I'm very unclear here. Listings always say compatible with all GSM carriers. But will AT&T bloatware, logo continue to survive? And again, will VoLTE and wifi calling work and continue to work if I switch carriers. This is also the cheapest phone to buy virtually new. But if truly GSM compatible with features that are important to me are intact among carriers- what would I get for the significant premium to get the 935U? Besides, I wanted black.
4. Black Pearl- has this been released in the US and in any specific model? I have not seen one.
Thanks in advance. Really appreciate it.
FD is dual sim. You can put 2 GSM simcards there and both are active. Can send and receive sms or calls.
Sent from my Galaxy S7 Edge Duos via Tapatalk
You can install 935U stock firmware on att/tmobile/verizon version. If used on tmobile network, you will get wifi call and volte. For att you have to install or have att stock.
xometer10 said:
I've been combing the forums and I'm still unclear on a few things and looking for help. Current AT&T customer and I plan to switch to T-Mobile soon. Any confirmation or corrections/answers to the questions/statements below would be really appreciated.
1. The 935F variant is the international model that works with all GSM carriers (and I assume without any carrier bloatware) but VoLTE and wifi calling will not work on any GSM carrier here in the US. Theres a secondary 935F model (d?)- whats the advantage there? Shopping tools that let you compare the models show no difference but always priced differently. There is something I'm missing.
2. The 935U variant is official US unlocked model for use with any carrier. Only silver. I have not seen any posts confirming that VoLTE and wifi calling works- and will continue to work if you switch carriers.
3. Lots of listings for factory unlocked 935A variants. Official AT&T version. That just means a reseller has applied unlock codes to each and resells them? I'm very unclear here. Listings always say compatible with all GSM carriers. But will AT&T bloatware, logo continue to survive? And again, will VoLTE and wifi calling work and continue to work if I switch carriers. This is also the cheapest phone to buy virtually new. But if truly GSM compatible with features that are important to me are intact among carriers- what would I get for the significant premium to get the 935U? Besides, I wanted black.
4. Black Pearl- has this been released in the US and in any specific model? I have not seen one.
Thanks in advance. Really appreciate it.
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Click to collapse
1. 935F is the European / International model. 935FD, D stands for Dual-SIM, both slots will be able to accept a GSM SIM card and are usually used, as one for work, and one as a personal number. Dual-SIM however, is not a popular concept in the US.
2. Check the 935U threads, if a CSC flash is possible, it might work. Though, I'm not sure.
3. Yes, if you have an AT&T phone, it'll still have the AT&T ROM, which will always remain the same, regardless. It will work with other carriers, meaning SMS, Data and calls are compatible, but things like VoLTE and WiFi calling might not work on the carrier that the phone isn't intended for.
4. No it hasn't. It's been released in South Korea with 128GB of internal storage. Also available in the UAE, India and some other Middle Eastern countries. Only in a Dual SIM Configuration (SM-G935FD), and with 128GB of internal storage. It's a limited edition phone, and not sure if it'll be launched in the US.
hp79 said:
You can install 935U stock firmware on att/tmobile/verizon version. If used on tmobile network, you will get wifi call and volte. For att you have to install or have att stock.
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A couple of followups if thats ok:
1. So if I purchase a "factory unlocked" 935A, before I insert any SIM, I can immediately flash the 935U firmware and it will remain unlocked? I couldn't find a single post that said VoLTE or Wifi calling worked with the 935U firmware on T-mobile (AT&T- what do you have to install?)
2. Flashing to firmware is not considered rooting the device? My work will not let my device connect to the network if it is rooted.
Seems like there is no reason to spend the extra money for the 935U variant. I can save hundreds and purchase an unlocked 935A and flash the firmware. I've rooted devices before and the process looks similar.
Thanks.
xometer10 said:
A couple of followups if thats ok:
1. So if I purchase a "factory unlocked" 935A, before I insert any SIM, I can immediately flash the 935U firmware and it will remain unlocked? I couldn't find a single post that said VoLTE or Wifi calling worked with the 935U firmware on T-mobile (AT&T- what do you have to install?)
2. Flashing to firmware is not considered rooting the device? My work will not let my device connect to the network if it is rooted.
Seems like there is no reason to spend the extra money for the 935U variant. I can save hundreds and purchase an unlocked 935A and flash the firmware. I've rooted devices before and the process looks similar.
Thanks.
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Click to collapse
According to other people in verizon 935u thread and att 935u thread, volte and wifi call works on tmobile. For att wifi call and volte, it must be a ATT carrier firmware. ATT only let their branded phones have wifi call and volte while tmobile allows any phone to do this. That's why with 935U wifi call and volte will work fine on tmobile.
Every time you insert a new sim the phone will adjust settings, so there's no relation with what you can install.
Flashing is done through Odin while phone is in Download mode. There no root involved.
Hey fella's, and ladies. I just got my G955F, bought in the US off of the same person I usually go through. Turns out It's a UK model that came with Vodafone bloatware and shows 4G instead of LTE. Is there a US variant? And if so can I flash the software using odin?
Hi im not 100% sure you can flash any us versions as the US model runs on snapdragom different to UK my s8 was on Vodafone with there bloatware so i got them to unlock it using the website took a day or 2 then flashed xeu now I get my updates faster.
If you didn't know, LTE is usually displayed as 4G (H or H+ for 4G), in most countries outside N.A. So chances are if you are getting 4G signal, you are getting LTE in the U.S.
I bought my S7 Edge (Exynos) some time before Christmas for use in the short term. It was on 3 uk with previous owner but was stated as unlocked. I'm on talkmobile which runs off the Vodafone UK network.
I occasionally lose network on my phone and it loses the imei number too on occasion. I believe I have a baseband issue as I can only ever use lte band 20 and I thought that the phone would at least pick up a few more bands. I'm on the latest firmware R16NW.G935FXXS7ESL5
I'm wondering if I can change to roms that are more suited or sort the baseband. I'm happy to go to custom firmware if it's possible (unsure what I would lose in the process of leaving oem firmware?) I used to own a Sony and was competent with changing bootloader and firmware, obviously Samsung is somewhat different with locked bootloader on some devices so any pointers would be very welcome and gratefully received.
Phil