Should I get the international version or the AT&T version of Note 3 ? - AT&T Galaxy Note 3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Currently I have the Note 2 with AT&T. I will be upgrading to the Note 3 when it comes out. However, I am not sure which version of the Note 3 to get. Should I get the International version or the AT&T version. I think the international version has the Samsung CPU and the AT&T version has the Snapdragon 800. Would the international version work with AT&T LTE cellular? Would the international version work with T-Mobile LTE cellular (just in case I want to switch)?
Which one would give better battery and faster speed/graphics?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure the international version will only run on AT&T 3G. I am in the camp that prefers the Snapdragon 800 to the revised Exynos 5, too. I'd opt for the AT&T version (Although personally I'm giving T-Mobile a shot this time around)

The N3 will be my first "carrier" phone on AT&T in two years. I'm not thrilled and depending on what it's like using it I may sell it on eBay and get a HSPA Octa. Here's my thinking:
Pros
I've been fine with HSPA+ on my previous phones and use to pay $10 a month for unlimited data through the "non-smartphone" loophole that applied to phone's AT&T didn't recognize. That party's over. So now I'm paying for LTE and not able to use it. So with AT&T's N3 I'll finally get what I'm paying for and even get LTE-A when they start to roll it out; supposedly this year.
The international N3's are insanely expensive. Negri and NewEgg have the Octa's at $779 and up. On Next it's $35 a month, I have no contract commitment beyond the phone's payoff, and I can sell it on eBay if I want something new.
Service and repair. Whether through Asurion or SquareTrade getting a carrier phone repaired/replaced is easy compared to jumping through hoops to get an international version (non-warranted and non-supported by Samsung in the U.S.) repaired.
Cons
God knows what AT&T's done with the s/w. We know there will be tons of their specific bloatware. That doesn't concern me because it can be disabled and with 32GB of NAND the space it takes up isn't a big deal. My big concern is their modifying, neutering, or completely removing some of Samsung's stock apps and features. I can't root my phones because I connect to secure networks so I'm pretty much stuck with what comes out of the box. I'm scared at what's coming out of AT&T's box.
I loved being able to use any multi-CSC ROM on Samfirmware or Samsung-Updates to keep my unrooted phone always current. I've probably had a dozen updates on my N7100. Now I'll be dependent on AT&T. That alone could end up pushing me to an international Octa N3. Also, to support the new features of Knox, Samsung's seriously altered and locked down the bootloader. So who knows what impact that'll have even on international N3's when it comes to updates via Odin. I used to root my phone when I wanted to do someting to it (EG: Google Wallet) and then unroot afterward and run Triangle Away. That ship sailed mid-year and with the Knox enhancements isn't coming back.
AT&T's modified radio may be crappy and I travel a lot internationally. Also I'm guessing on Next the device can't be unlocked until it's paid off. The only reason this is acceptable in my case is I'm getting a 3G (Octa) Note 10.1 2014 which has a dialer and I can use it in situations I need to pop in another carrier's SIM and/or the AT&T radio isn't working well.
Dev support is going to be limited on the AT&T N3's compared to the international versions. It'll probably still be strong but not as simple, timely, and robust. It doesn't apply to my un-rooted situation but something for people to consider.
The moment I find a S-800 international device that's quad-band GSM/UMTS and supports AT&T's LTE bands I'll buy it and sell my AT&T version. So far the EU and Latin American versions of the N3 don't support AT&T's LTE bands. The UK N3's LTE bands haven't been announced yet but I don't have high hopes. There's a chance a Canadian carrier will leave their version of the N3 unmolested and with the same model number as the international version and that it would support AT&T's LTE bands. That would allow it to be flashed like a non-carrier Samsung phone via Odin (with the possible exception mentioned above) and still get LTE on AT&T. Same thing for Claro in Puerto Rico. I'm not sure about the flash part but even an unmolested Canadian or Pueto Rican N3 with AT&T's LTE bands might end up being better than whatever AT&T does to their version.
All just my opinion of course.

I'm leaning towards either international or T.mobile or Canadian version. The att s4 can't be bootloader unlocked and new update patched the root. I'd hate to not have options on such a power device that I could potentially last for a couple years.

I had the note 1,note2,and now using the galaxy mega until the note 3 hits the shelf.I'm up in the air as well in deciding whether to keep my at&t note 3 or sell it and go international.I'd rather keep the at&t note 3,but who knows if were going to be up ****s creek with no root,are how long or ever going to get root method.I guess I can deal with no roms,but no root forget it

I thought that the international N3 (9005) with the SnapDragon 800 would be compatible with AT&T's LTE bands, no? Wasn't this mentioned during the presentation last week about the N3 supporting global LTE bands? Couldn't one just buy/import an international 9005 which was released in a country whose LTE bands match that of AT&T? Would this work?

I guess we'll know soon, but my own need would be for a variant which supports my home UK 4G network (EE most likely) plus USA AT&T LTE for when I'm in the states. Preferably bought in the UK for my UK carrier because of the discounts.
I thought the release event said they were going to support all bands in one device, but I've no idea if that's actually going to be true of the version you get at your local phone shop.
Andre

hockeyfan said:
I thought that the international N3 (9005) with the SnapDragon 800 would be compatible with AT&T's LTE bands, no? Wasn't this mentioned during the presentation last week about the N3 supporting global LTE bands? Couldn't one just buy/import an international 9005 which was released in a country whose LTE bands match that of AT&T? Would this work?
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I heard the same thing too.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

I've beeing researching for hours, and accordung to multiple sites, like this one the international N9005 version will support LTE 2100/1800/850/1600/800MHz (Bands 1,3,5,7,20). This does not include AT&T, whose LTE network operates on bands 4 (1700Mhz) and 17 (700Mhz). I hope these frequencies vary by region, like many sites mention, but I have my doubts we'll get lucky to see international N9005 with LTE bands 4 or 17.

Here is a list of countries, which has partial LTE band overlapping with AT&T. None of these support both, bands 4 and 17, which is what AT&T uses:
Argentina - 4
Colombia - 4
Ecuador - 4
Paraguay - 4
Peru - 4
Uruguay - 4
Canada - 4
Puerto Rico - 17
Since Note 3 has LTE radio, capable of supporting up to 6 bands, the only hope is that one of these carriers will pick up a version, where the other missing band is tossed in without any real purpose behind it, just to keep things interesting. For example, AT&T branded GN3 needs only these 2 LTE bands, and yet the device is LTE penta band.
Also, keep in mind we dont even know what band will AT&T use next year, when LTE-A goes live. I believe AT&T owns spectrum in 1900Mhz and 2100Mhz areas, and in the process of acquiring more.
EDIT: I'd like to clarify my statement about GN3 radio supporting 6 LTE bands. What I meant is some carriers will offer a version, which has up to 6 LTE bands enabled simultaneously. The actual hardware capability of Qualcomm's RF360 Front End solution is universal 2G/3G/4G support - the radio is capable of operating on *all* LTE frequencies.

Related

[Q] Note 3 AT&T(unlocked) vs international

So I am planning on pre-ordering the N9005. My problem is that I travel frequently between the states and Europe. So I either get LTE here or in Europe.
I have always gotten the international versions for my other devices (S2,Note2,S3,note 10.1 3g). But since I spend most of the year in the states I wanted to get the AT&T LTE version.
However, I don't really want the AT&T firmwares, so I was wondering if I could flash an international firmware on the AT&T unlocked note 3? One of the reasons for this is I know that for instance you could not do tethering without rooting your phone (I am planning on rooting mine) on your AT&T handheld.
I know it's not a big deal, but I want my phone to have the international firmware of my choice, not AT&T's. Thank you
AT&T / T-Mobile compatibility
I would like to know the answer to this as well. Here are the two versions I am eyeing:
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 32GB LTE (AT&T) (Unlocked)
SKU SMGALNTEAUB
3G/4G bands 1900, 2100, 850
LTE Bands 1700, 1900, 2100, 700, 850
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 32GB LTE (N9005 - International) (Unlocked)
SKU SMGN9005UB
3G/4G bands 1900, 2100, 850, 900
LTE Bands 1800, 2100, 2600, 800, 850, 900
Was hoping one of the versions would work on both AT&T and T-Mobile....
Well, the international version won't work on either, you need the 1700/2100 (I.e. 1700) band for the international version to work on either networks, and that's missing from the international version. So I want to know the downsides of getting the att version.
sharl1987 said:
Well, the international version won't work on either, you need the 1700/2100 (I.e. 1700) band for the international version to work on either networks, and that's missing from the international version. So I want to know the downsides of getting the att version.
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Not trying to start an argument or anything but just wondering, are you positive about that? The international version has the 2100 band as well as the 850 band and I have read in multiple places, as well as hearing during the Samsung unveiling that it would work on AT&T LTE...
Maybe I'm just confused?
bekyndnunwind said:
Not trying to start an argument or anything but just wondering, are you positive about that? The international version has the 2100 band as well as the 850 band and I have read in multiple places, as well as hearing during the Samsung unveiling that it would work on AT&T LTE...
Maybe I'm just confused?
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Since I am new here, I can't post any links still, but if you go to newegg dot com or to negrielectronics dot com you can see the specs for the international version, they are missing the 1700 band.
bump
bekyndnunwind said:
Not trying to start an argument or anything but just wondering, are you positive about that? The international version has the 2100 band as well as the 850 band and I have read in multiple places, as well as hearing during the Samsung unveiling that it would work on AT&T LTE...
Maybe I'm just confused?
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Like the other user said you need the 1700 band to get AT&T LTE frequency. The 850 band is for H+ at&t so yes the international version will only work on at&t H+.
What Samsung probably meant by " it will work on all networks" is that they will support all LTE networks if you buy the correct model for your network.
sharl1987 said:
I know it's not a big deal, but I want my phone to have the international firmware of my choice, not AT&T's. Thank you
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You should only get the AT&T variant if you prove that LTE is faster than HSPA+ in your area. Either use your current phone or use one at an AT&T store and turn off LTE. Run a speed test, turn LTE back on and run the test again, and compare.
It's possible to some international ROMs on carrier branded devices, but not all are compatible. At the VERY least, you'll have to manually configure the AT&T APN, you may also have to manually re-flash radios in order to connect to AT&T towers.
Some crafty devs have made an Aroma installer to do all this stuff while it loads their ROM:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2324565
Just know that you're in for a bit more tinkering if you plan on going this route. But there's no reason to go through all the trouble if there isn't LTE in your area or it currently runs poorly.
Lets hope it wont be bootloader locked
daraj said:
Lets hope it wont be bootloader locked
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Not that it's ANYTHING close to official, but the link in the second post shows it's not.
docnok63 said:
Not that it's ANYTHING close to official, but the link in the second post shows it's not.
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Im pretty sure by Unlocked they mean Sim Unlocked( u can use on other networks). There is no AT&T units that we know of to confirm whether its bootloader locked or not, but we are only assuming based on recent at&t attempts to lock down their devices.
daraj said:
Im pretty sure by Unlocked they mean Sim Unlocked( u can use on other networks). There is no AT&T units that we know of to confirm whether its bootloader locked or not, but we are only assuming based on recent at&t attempts to lock down their devices.
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You're probably right. I think the AT&T will be bootloader locked as well based on the S4 being locked down.
Doesn't atnt need 700 band for lte also?
@rbiter said:
Doesn't atnt need 700 band for lte also?
Yes I believe at&t operates on both 700/1700 bands for LTE
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daraj said:
Doesn't atnt need 700 band for lte also?
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@rbiter said:
Yes I believe at&t operates on both 700/1700 bands for LTE
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Actually, according to AT&T's website and to their phones' specs, you don't need the 700 band, just the 1700/2100 (I.e. 1700) band.
I believe only Sprint uses the 700 band for lte
Edit: I looked at the AT&T website again, I believe they plan on using the 700 band in the future, but they are not utilizing it now. I might be wrong, so don't take my word for it.
sharl1987 said:
Actually, according to AT&T's website and to their phones' specs, you don't need the 700 band, just the 1700/2100 (I.e. 1700) band.
I believe only Sprint uses the 700 band for lte
Edit: I looked at the AT&T website again, I believe they plan on using the 700 band in the future, but they are not utilizing it now. I might be wrong, so don't take my word for it.
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Actually FCC just approved AT&T's purchase of 700 Mhz spectrum so they will utilize the said band for LTE and Wimax possibly
http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=187&p=231
sharl1987 said:
So I am planning on pre-ordering the N9005. My problem is that I travel frequently between the states and Europe. So I either get LTE here or in Europe.
I have always gotten the international versions for my other devices (S2,Note2,S3,note 10.1 3g). But since I spend most of the year in the states I wanted to get the AT&T LTE version.
However, I don't really want the AT&T firmwares, so I was wondering if I could flash an international firmware on the AT&T unlocked note 3? One of the reasons for this is I know that for instance you could not do tethering without rooting your phone (I am planning on rooting mine) on your AT&T handheld.
I know it's not a big deal, but I want my phone to have the international firmware of my choice, not AT&T's. Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May I ask why t-mobile's unlocked note 3 is not in your list? It appears it will work equally well on AT&T, and there's a much greater chnace of it having an unlocked bootloader. There aren't as many 4G frequencies, so maybe LTE when you're abroad won't always work, but if you want to flash ROMs then an unlocked bootloader is important!
I am in a similar situation to you, and I was planning to go with T-Mobile unlocked. Part of me wants to forget LTE and go with the Exynos, but I fear dev support will be limited.
Thanks for the thread and discussion OP and everyone, because I do not want to regret my choice!
On an unrelated note (no pun intended) - does anyone have experience with Negri electronics? It looks like AT&T will probably start shipping their Notes by October 1st, if not sooner. Do you think Negri will be in the same timeline?
Komodo Rogue said:
May I ask why t-mobile's unlocked note 3 is not in your list? It appears it will work equally well on AT&T, and there's a much greater chnace of it having an unlocked bootloader. There aren't as many 4G frequencies, so maybe LTE when you're abroad won't always work, but if you want to flash ROMs then an unlocked bootloader is important!
I am in a similar situation to you, and I was planning to go with T-Mobile unlocked. Part of me wants to forget LTE and go with the Exynos, but I fear dev support will be limited.
Thanks for the thread and discussion OP and everyone, because I do not want to regret my choice!
On an unrelated note (no pun intended) - does anyone have experience with Negri electronics? It looks like AT&T will probably start shipping their Notes by October 1st, if not sooner. Do you think Negri will be in the same timeline?
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If I get the t-Mobile version then i wouldn't have 4G nor 3G in Europe. Europe mostly operates on the 1900 band for 3G(or at least where I travel to), and T-Mobile's phones don't support this.
As for negrielectronics.com, there was a review of the website by another member, look for it
docnok63 said:
You're probably right. I think the AT&T will be bootloader locked as well based on the S4 being locked down.
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I agree. FWIW, I remember reading a few month ago that AT&T released a semi-official statement (it may have been a tweet, or a response to an online article) that all of their android phones will ship with locked bootloaders from now on. Maybe if Samsung really pushed at&t to keep them unlocked, or at least offer a path to unlock (a la HTC's dev program), then it could happen... but I bet Samsung is happy the bootloader is locked; even though they ship the international model unlocked, I imagine they would prefer if it too was locked, but they don't have a convenient excuse outside of the US, where they can just blame AT&T. I LOVE samsung hardware, but looking at exynos documentation and other policies, they don't seem to welcome tinkering.
sharl1987 said:
If I get the t-Mobile version then i wouldn't have 4G nor 3G in Europe. Europe mostly operates on the 1900 band for 3G(or at least where I travel to), and T-Mobile's phones don't support this.
As for negrielectronics.com, there was a review of the website by another member, look for it
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Darn... but maybe when LTE becomes more prevalent in europe, they'll use some of the same bands as the t-mo version?
I had an HTC One X on AT&T, and eventually a clever dev found a way to get root access and partially unlock the bootloader, but it was such a hassle. For developers, I'm doubt it seemed very hard, but for me, getting it unlocked, and then updating ROMs, flashing radios, boot images, older firmware, newer firmware, trying to find out what was causing a bootloop... It wasn't even worth the headache, I should have just kept it stock (and stock AT&T is pretty terrible when you've been using cyanogenmod for three years). I bought a Nexus 4 soon after, I never want to deal with all that nonsense again!
If only I could wait a couple of months to see what the developer/bootloader situation looks like, I'd probably get the AT&T version if a relatively safe and easy bootloader unlock exploit is found, but I'm too eager to wait, so unless someone miraculously finds an exploit by October 1st, I'm probably going international or t-mobile. It seems like international is the safest bet: 3G coverage everywhere and good support (unless exynos drives everyone away), but I live in DC and the LTE speeds are incredibly good. It's a tough choice!
Komodo Rogue said:
I agree. FWIW, I remember reading a few month ago that AT&T released a semi-official statement (it may have been a tweet, or a response to an online article) that all of their android phones will ship with locked bootloaders from now on. Maybe if Samsung really pushed at&t to keep them unlocked, or at least offer a path to unlock (a la HTC's dev program), then it could happen... but I bet Samsung is happy the bootloader is locked; even though they ship the international model unlocked, I imagine they would prefer if it too was locked, but they don't have a convenient excuse outside of the US, where they can just blame AT&T. I LOVE samsung hardware, but looking at exynos documentation and other policies, they don't seem to welcome tinkering.
Darn... but maybe when LTE becomes more prevalent in europe, they'll use some of the same bands as the t-mo version?
I had an HTC One X on AT&T, and eventually a clever dev found a way to get root access and partially unlock the bootloader, but it was such a hassle. For developers, I'm doubt it seemed very hard, but for me, getting it unlocked, and then updating ROMs, flashing radios, boot images, older firmware, newer firmware, trying to find out what was causing a bootloop... It wasn't even worth the headache, I should have just kept it stock (and stock AT&T is pretty terrible when you've been using cyanogenmod for three years). I bought a Nexus 4 soon after, I never want to deal with all that nonsense again!
If only I could wait a couple of months to see what the developer/bootloader situation looks like, I'd probably get the AT&T version if a relatively safe and easy bootloader unlock exploit is found, but I'm too eager to wait, so unless someone miraculously finds an exploit by October 1st, I'm probably going international or t-mobile. It seems like international is the safest bet: 3G coverage everywhere and good support (unless exynos drives everyone away), but I live in DC and the LTE speeds are incredibly good. It's a tough choice!
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Can't be better said.... There are so many in the same boat.....
Want att network but also need a bootloader unlocked device....
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk 2

Where can I buy an unlocked Note 3 N9005 that would work with AT&T?

I have a Note 2 that I bought from AT&T. I want to upgrade to the note 3 but I want the N9005 version because I believe that it will be able to use G4 LTE signal from AT&T. The only place that I can buy the unlocked N9005 version is at Negri Electronics. However it only sell the 16 gb version and I want the 32 gb version. Is there any other place in the U.S.A that sells the N9005 unlocked version?
Earthbrain said:
I have a Note 2 that I bought from AT&T. I want to upgrade to the note 3 but I want the N9005 version because I believe that it will be able to use G4 LTE signal from AT&T. The only place that I can buy the unlocked N9005 version is at Negri Electronics. However it only sell the 16 gb version and I want the 32 gb version. Is there any other place in the U.S.A that sells the N9005 unlocked version?
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I don't think there is such a thing like a 16gb note 3. At least not yet.
xclub_101 said:
I don't think there is such a thing like a 16gb note 3. At least not yet.
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http://negrielectronics.com/phones/android-mobile-c-67.html
According to the above link...the 16 gb version does exist.
Does the n9005 model have AT&T LTE for sure?
Sent from my LG-D800 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Earthbrain said:
I have a Note 2 that I bought from AT&T. I want to upgrade to the note 3 but I want the N9005 version because I believe that it will be able to use G4 LTE signal from AT&T. The only place that I can buy the unlocked N9005 version is at Negri Electronics. However it only sell the 16 gb version and I want the 32 gb version. Is there any other place in the U.S.A that sells the N9005 unlocked version?
Click to expand...
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Before committed to pay big $ for the phone ... check out this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2457964
I'd buy what you're looking for in a heartbeat - if it existed. So far it doesn't. At least not ln any of the N3's for the UK, EU, or Latin America that have been announced. The Korean S-800 SGS4 supports AT&T's bands so their N3 probably will also. But the Korean phones have funky TV h/w and a funky MMS system that's different than Western versions. Rogers' (Canada) version will be compatible with AT&T LTE and may be closer to "virgin" than AT&T's version. The challenge is warranty service both because you'd have to send it to Canada for repair (assuming Rogers' services a phone for a non-subscriber) and because Knox prevents resetting the warranty status if a non-standard ROM's been flashed. Speaking of which, you'd probably only be able to flash Rogers' ROMs via Odin unless their N3 was a "pure" i9505 capable of using international ROMs.
And as someone above mentioned there's some question as to what "unlocked" means with the N3 as there are now regional limitations on top of carrier's locking phones to their networks.
If I find a true international N3 that works on AT&T's LTE that's not regionally SIM locked I'll let you know. Until then I'm sticking with AT&T's version and hoping they haven't molested it too badly.
Thread cleaned.
Lets knock off the keyboard hero stuff and get back on topic.
The N9005 doesn't work on AT&T LTE, it is missing bands 700/1700
designgears said:
The N9005 doesn't work on AT&T LTE, it is missing bands 700/1700
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Will the N9005 work on the Rogers network in Canada? I have no idea what these bands and frequencies mean, I just know that I need LTE to work.
choch69 said:
Will the N9005 work on the Rogers network in Canada? I have no idea what these bands and frequencies mean, I just know that I need LTE to work.
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You can't just say "N9005" and expect to get an answer. "N9005" refers to generic Snapdragon 800 LTE capable version of GN3, but each country and carrier in the world has different LTE bands enabled in that Snapdragon's SoC radio. Find your Rogers here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LTE_networks
It operates on bands 4 and 7 - none of the Euro countries' carriers work on band 4, as you can see from the list. AT&T USA, T-Mobile USA and Rogers CA should be LTE cross compatible in most coverage areas, but not all.
If you buy N9005 version with unlocked bootloader - later, when someone makes Odin compatible with GN3 you will be able to flash Roger's LTE modem firmware to your N9005, no matter which country it is from and what LTE bands it currently has enabled
]
Okay well I was looking to buy an unlocked N9005 from the UK. Since none of the euro countries work on band 4, what about band 7? Do both bands need to be working in order to get LTE? The problem with buying this in my country is that there wont be a 64gb option available.
choch69 said:
]
Okay well I was looking to buy an unlocked N9005 from the UK. Since none of the euro countries work on band 4, what about band 7? Do both bands need to be working in order to get LTE? The problem with buying this in my country is that there wont be a 64gb option available.
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Some carriers, which operate on dual band LTE use one band for upstream, and the other for downstream. If that is the case with Rogers you will have to have a phone with both bands enabled, to get LTE service from Rogers. However, even if that is not the case and both bands 4 and 7 are independent - Rogers has towers all over Canada, and in some regions those towers will operate on band 4, in other regions it will be band 7 and in some places towers will support both. By getting a phone that supports only band 7 you will greatly reduce your LTE coverage area. What percentage of Rogers' network uses what band - those details are publicly available, so you can either Google it or just call Rogers and ask. I would recommend against getting a phone, that supports only band 7, unless you plan on flashing Roger's modem to it later.
This not quite correct. A band, by definition includes both the up and downstream frequencies. Only one band is used at a time. Rogers happens to use band 4 and band 7. One is not reliant on the other. If you are in an area with band 7 coverage (most of Rogers LTE coverage has both) you will be able to use a N9005.
Apo11on said:
Some carriers, which operate on dual band LTE use one band for upstream, and the other for downstream. If that is the case with Rogers you will have to have a phone with both bands enabled, to get LTE service from Rogers. However, even if that is not the case and both bands 4 and 7 are independent - Rogers has towers all over Canada, and in some regions those towers will operate on band 4, in other regions it will be band 7 and in some places towers will support both. By getting a phone that supports only band 7 you will greatly reduce your LTE coverage area. What percentage of Rogers' network uses what band - those details are publicly available, so you can either Google it or just call Rogers and ask. I would recommend against getting a phone, that supports only band 7, unless you plan on flashing Roger's modem to it later.
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omegacell said:
This not quite correct. A band, by definition includes both the up and downstream frequencies. Only one band is used at a time. Rogers happens to use band 4 and band 7. One is not reliant on the other. If you are in an area with band 7 coverage (most of Rogers LTE coverage has both) you will be able to use a N9005.
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you're correct by claiming each band is self contained and and can carry both, upstream and downstream. However, each carrier owns only a small portion of the spectrum in the bands they operate on, and some carriers do practice using a single band for one way traffic only, in an effort to ease the network congestion and load balancing. I'm not saying it's Rogers - I have no information on that particular carrier, but some carriers do do that. I'm just saying for carriers, who use such practice, in order to get LTE service your phone's modem must have both bands enabled, otherwise it won't register with the network and you won't get LTE service at all.
Apo11on said:
you're correct by claiming each band is self contained and and can carry both, upstream and downstream. However, each carrier owns only a small portion of the spectrum in the bands they operate on, and some carriers do practice using a single band for one way traffic only, in an effort to ease the network congestion and load balancing. I'm not saying it's Rogers - I have no information on that particular carrier, but some carriers do do that. I'm just saying for carriers, who use such practice, in order to get LTE service your phone's modem must have both bands enabled, otherwise it won't register with the network and you won't get LTE service at all.
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The OP needs to take into consideration that If he buys from an online retailer an international unit, this unit will need to be activated in its intended region before he can use it in the states.
Apo11on said:
you're correct by claiming each band is self contained and and can carry both, upstream and downstream. However, each carrier owns only a small portion of the spectrum in the bands they operate on, and some carriers do practice using a single band for one way traffic only, in an effort to ease the network congestion and load balancing. I'm not saying it's Rogers - I have no information on that particular carrier, but some carriers do do that. I'm just saying for carriers, who use such practice, in order to get LTE service your phone's modem must have both bands enabled, otherwise it won't register with the network and you won't get LTE service at all.
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I've never heard of that. Seems like a problematic setup since the RF properties of bands can vary so much. Seems like you would get in a situation where you have up but not downstream or vice versa.
Yes, you would need a N9005 from Asia, not Europe as those are region locked.
omegacell said:
Yes, you would need a N9005 from Asia, not Europe as those are region locked.
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Do you have a link for a source, where you got that information from? Or better yet - list of countries/markets, where GN3 will not be region locked?
Apo11on said:
Do you have a link for a source, where you got that information from? Or better yet - list of countries/markets, where GN3 will not be region locked?
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Email me or hit me me up through my site. We're a retailer/wholesaler, not sure if I'm allowed to post about that since it would be "advertising".
omegacell said:
Email me or hit me me up through my site. We're a retailer/wholesaler, not sure if I'm allowed to post about that since it would be "advertising".
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that is a valuable information, which a lot of people, watching this thread could use, not just me. I don't think it will be considered as advertising. People in this thread are looking to buy international GN3, which will work on AT&T in US. If the phone is region locked then it won't work. Therefore, listing the countries, where there is no region lock would be very much relevant to this topic.
Apo11on said:
that is a valuable information, which a lot of people, watching this thread could use, not just me. I don't think it will be considered as advertising. People in this thread are looking to buy international GN3, which will work on AT&T in US. If the phone is region locked then it won't work. Therefore, listing the countries, where there is no region lock would be very much relevant to this topic.[/QUOTEN
N9005 from HK or Singapore (perhaps others too) will work.
The South American N9000 are region locked to South American, North American, carribean etc. SIM cards (western hemisphere).
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[Q] Why should I buy the TMO model to use on TMO?

Why should a TMO customer buy the TMO Moto X over an unlocked ATT Moto X?
I have 2 Moto X's now on VZW and my fiance and I absolutely love the device. For a battery of reasons however I'd like to switch to TMO soon. I am going to do a TOL, sell the devices, etc. No big. The question of whether I should buy an ATT vs TMO version is for a few reasons. One, I can find a much larger selection of used ATT models on eBay and other sites, so I have more to choose from. Two, is that as far as the bands each are capable of, the only TMO band the ATT model doesn't seem to support is AWS for HSPA. The area I live in is re-farmed already, and within the coming months every market will be re-farmed, so I really don't care about that disadvantage unless I am missing something. Furthermore, the ATT model supports more bands overall, and because I do travel internationally from time to time, it would seem more advantageous to have the ATT version.
Thoughts? I appreciate everyone's time.
Verizon: unlock it and u can use it, probably wont get LTE tho, only band 13 supported.
AT&T: works but it has some bloatware, slightly delayed upgrades, and really only about 100-150 cheaper used
T-mobile: the best, no branding or bloatware, customizeable & new
finalarcadia said:
Verizon: unlock it and u can use it, probably wont get LTE tho, only band 13 supported.
AT&T: works but it has some bloatware, slightly delayed upgrades, and really only about 100-150 cheaper used
T-mobile: the best, no branding or bloatware, customizeable & new
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The bloatware aspect is a fair point, as while it doesn't bother me too much, the WiFi alerts would.
As far as the cost, $100-150/each means $200-300 total, which is a pretty big difference. Customization means little to me as while it's very cool, I will end up with a case on it anyways.
This in mind it still comes down to the bands. If everyone is being re-farmed, then is there any disadvantage to an ATT unit? It has far more bands which is a plus for travel. I'm largely made up, just want to make sure I am not missing a key factor.
AT&T can't be bootloader unlocked.
He doesn't seem to care about that. His biggest concern is radio compatability.
Go with the AT&T X. Save the money and get better use internationally.
Sent from my XT1058 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
XT1058 (AT&T version) does not have AWS UMTS, so you will be seeing EDGE on T-Mobile in places where they don't have LTE yet (for example San Diego, even though it has LTE, has some areas where they haven't switched it on yet, but their HSPA+ works great as long as you have an AWS UMTS compatible device). Eventually this will be a non issue, but it can make your T-Mobile experience worse than it can be. Just keep this in mind when you're suffering with slow data speeds.
You can find an XT1053 (T-Mobile compatible model) on eBay from Nextel Mexico that does have the AWS band for T-Mo. It doesn't have a lot of bloatware, and it has a locked bootloader (even though Motorola says all Latin America Moto Xs can be bootloader unlocked, this XT1053 is not allowed yet. They say they are working on it). Update timing is unknown at this time, but it is about $400. Everything else is exactly the same. I have one and it works great on T-Mobile.
I am a TMobile customer who has used both the XT1058 (att) and XT1053 (TMobile). I live in Kansas City, MO, which is a TMO LTE area. For the most part, both phones work well. However, I have noticed a difference when traveling outside the KC metro area. The XT1058 would mostly be on edge and the XT1053 would be on 3g. The XT1053 ensures I can get HSPA+ in the areas I have been that do not have LTE yet.

Will the International LTE S2 work on Verizon network?

I noticed on the specifications list that the international LTE version has some of the same LTE bands as the Verizon LTE version. Would the international LTE version of the S2 be at all usable on Verizon's network?
Which variant? I don't remember seeing any international variants with LTE B13 support. In any case, there is no CDMA in the international variants and I strongly doubt you could use them on Verizon.
Is B13 the one Verizon uses in the U.S.? I was just looking at the one on amazon listed as "international LTE". I didn't realize there were multiple versions of that. I also got the impression from reading around here that Verizon's LTE was more or less the same as everyone else's because CDMA just isn't capable of the modern band width requirements. That was a long time ago though and I may have misunderstood.
0reo said:
Is B13 the one Verizon uses in the U.S.? I was just looking at the one on amazon listed as "international LTE". I didn't realize there were multiple versions of that. I also got the impression from reading around here that Verizon's LTE was more or less the same as everyone else's because CDMA just isn't capable of the modern band width requirements. That was a long time ago though and I may have misunderstood.
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Yes, B13 is Verizon's main LTE band in the US.
You say main as if there are others. Does Verizon use other bands too? At all?
In certain areas Verizon also supplements coverage with bands 2 and/or 4. Eventually they are also expected to deploy on band 5.
Thank-you for repeatedly taking the time to answer my questions. I appreciate it.
I live around the Baltimore area so I imagine they might have need to supplement with the additional bands around here. The international Tab S2 being sold on Amazon does support bands 2, 4, and 5. No 13 though. So assuming Verizon has deployed band(s) 2, 4, or 5 in the area the question remains: Would the international Tab S2 receive LTE service? Someone must have tried it by now.
Have any other "international" samsung devices been able to receive Verizon service in the US?
0reo said:
Thank-you for repeatedly taking the time to answer my questions. I appreciate it.
I live around the Baltimore area so I imagine they might have need to supplement with the additional bands around here. The international Tab S2 being sold on Amazon does support bands 2, 4, and 5. No 13 though. So assuming Verizon has deployed band(s) 2, 4, or 5 in the area the question remains: Would the international Tab S2 receive LTE service? Someone must have tried it by now.
Have any other "international" samsung devices been able to receive Verizon service in the US?
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What you are trying to do is just a bad idea unfortunately. Even if you could activate it (which I doubt you could in the first place), the supplemental bands are high frequency bands and you may well run into situations where you won't have any coverage at all because you couldn't pick up band 13 (which is a low frequency band that penetrates into buildings much better than bands 2 or 4).
Why not just buy the Verizon model?
That is very helpful and insightful info. Thank-you.
For my purposes the tablet will be used mostly for entertainment purposes. I have a galaxy S4 (mdk bootloader) phone for serious communication needs. I was just thinking that there may be a performance advantage if I could swap the sim card from my S4 into the tablet and get internet (where available on bands 2, 4, 5) directly from LTE rather then from the wifi hotspot on the S4. I figured it may not work all the time but if it did some of the time it would justify buying the device with capability, all else being equal.
I would absolutely buy the verizon model if it wasn't boot-loader locked. It sounds like noone has been able to hack a ssmsung/verizon device for the last few generations so I'm not holding my breath.
(The info you've been giving will also be handy when it comes time to replace my & wife's S4 phones which will probably be in the next year.)
Oh, ok, I see, your issue is with the bootloader. Yeah, that's a problem.
I am also using an S4 on a CDMA carrier (Sprint). Planning on getting a Nexus 5X soon. It's nice in that unlike Samsung and their plethora of variants of the same device for each country, there is just one Nexus model for all carriers in the US, and it's also unlocked right out of the box.

Cons Of Using Exynos In USA?

Never imported a phone before, but I really want the s10, and I dont want to give up my custom roms.
What should I expect with using the international S10 here in the states? Will the network coverage change? I use tmobile, will that make a difference? Is wifi calling disabled?
If someone could at least steer me in the right direction, because I'm a bit confused on how these things work.
Thanks!
You'll have to compare band support (no clue what Exynos has). US model contains ALL bands for T-Mobile. B2, 4, 5, 12, LAA/46, 66, and 71. Carrier aggregation for these bands may vary between the Snap and Exy.
Now, the main reason I wouldn't import is due to warranty coverage (or lack of). You can walk into a Samsung center in the States, and they'll repair your phone. Free repairs for burn in, batteries, etc.
Historically, Exynos models of S8 and S9 don't support T-Mobile bands 66 and 71. It's not yet clear if that's the case with Exynos S10. I wouldn't get a new, expensive phone to be used on Tmo if it doesn't support these bands, but if your area is not served by those bands and you'll never travel to B66, B71 areas, you might be fine without.
You might have to wait for developers CSC hack for Tmo VoLTE and wifi calling support if they're not supported out of the box like Exynos S8/S9. Not having VoLTE/wifi calling would suck for me, but it would also suck to not have root because of locked bootloader (US S8/S9). It's a tough choice for some people, myself included.
I've never seen any situation where my T-Mobile S7 got reception where my rooted Exynos S7 did not, nor any other connectivity differences. As mentioned, you may live in an area where this could be an issue, but for me in the Bay Area and LA areas of California, I've never seen any difference. It's a 3 year old phone, so there may be some differences at this point with the bands an S10 supports, but having an unlocked bootloader trumps losing a few bands, to me.
Ace42 said:
You'll have to compare band support (no clue what Exynos has). US model contains ALL bands for T-Mobile. B2, 4, 5, 12, LAA/46, 66, and 71. Carrier aggregation for these bands may vary between the Snap and Exy.
Now, the main reason I wouldn't import is due to warranty coverage (or lack of). You can walk into a Samsung center in the States, and they'll repair your phone. Free repairs for burn in, batteries, etc.
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If I import, the UK version, will it be region locked? Where I have to have a 5-10 min call in the purchasing country before I can use it in the USA?
gullyous said:
If I import, the UK version, will it be region locked? Where I have to have a 5-10 min call in the purchasing country before I can use it in the USA?
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I believe so, clove.co.uk opens the phone and makes the call for you before they call. Not sure if I really trust them however. Most people dont have a problem but I have heard horror stories.
gullyous said:
If I import, the UK version, will it be region locked? Where I have to have a 5-10 min call in the purchasing country before I can use it in the USA?
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To add, I also found this seller on ebay claiming this model will not region lock, and comes in a sealed box
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-Ga...rentrq:2c3f6f451690ad4a688677f9ffe7ef69|iid:1
Ace42 said:
You'll have to compare band support (no clue what Exynos has)
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it's all there, follow the link in that post:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s10/how-to/s10-model-differences-lte-bands-regions-t3904592

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