Cons Of Using Exynos In USA? - Samsung Galaxy S10 Questions & Answers

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)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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

Related

Should I get the international version or the AT&T version of Note 3 ?

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?
Click to expand...
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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.

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...
Click to collapse
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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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~Beware T-Mobile Version Is The International One!!~ According To The USA Site.~!

According to the T-Mobile site there are only offering the international version, This is on the USA site.
International
Quad Band GSM; LTE: 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 17; UMTS: Band I (2100), Band II (1900), Band IV (1700/2100), Band V (850), Band VIII (900)
http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phones/google-nexus-6.html%20.html
Am I missing something here. I will correct this if I am wrong but this must be a joke giving me a phone thats the international version when I live in the US.. Not to mention half the bands and other things are missing... I have contacted T-Mobile and I am making sure this gets escalated .
I'm pretty sure by "international" T-Mobile is just listing the bands to give those who travel outside the States a reference. It doesn't necessarily mean it's the international "version". If you look carefully, the bands listed on the T-Mobile website match exactly with the NA ver bands on the Nexus website.
All is well. No need to stress about it.
They might actually sell in international one. After all it doesn't need CDMA bands to run on t-mobile. But this would definitely mean the t-mobile ones won't work on Verizon.
Unless I am overlooking, I see that half the bands are still not there or the lacking info on the North America Stuff. Haa trying not to stress about this
Yeah I really don't know what bands t-mobile uses. I can say that I would be really surprised if they sold you a phone that wouldn't work on their network.
That's not true.
dave2metz said:
That's not true.
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I'll correct my post,, but tell me what I am missing. I am just stating what I see on the site.
T-Mobile is selling the North American variant. It is listing the bands under the "International" heading for those who travel internationally, you will know what bands your phone will work with.
Relax and don't get everyone riled up.
PaisanNYC said:
T-Mobile is selling the North American variant. It is listing the bands under the "International" heading for those who travel internationally, you will know what bands your phone will work with.
Relax and don't get everyone riled up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got of the phone with TMobile Cooperate made it all the way up that ladder and Google. Heard different things from each of them, then again they made some similar points so now I am waiting because the things I heard I don't like at all.
Just compared the bands offered by the two versikns...tmobile is the american version...just go to googles website and see the difference in bands the two versions offer and you will see tmobile is offering the american version
Mr.Marc said:
Got of the phone with TMobile Cooperate made it all the way up that ladder and Google. Heard different things from each of them, then again they made some similar points so now I am waiting because the things I heard I don't like at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just @askdes on Twitter. He'll tell you.
All the T-Mo bands are there. Most importantly the LTE bands (4 and soon 12) they use are there.

so Snapdragon 845 is an LTE monster, but is Exynos?

after watching Pocket Now's video on the Note 9's LTE speed, it got me excited. Excited til I realized their unit is a snapdragon 845 and the Exynos will have its own benchmarks.
Anyone have any idea how the Exynos version compares?
didn't watch video, but what are the actual results?
i have unlocked usa version with ATT LTE, i'm sure mine is the Exynos version. My results:
download = 51.3 mbps
upload = 6.2 mbps
are my test results in line with the results from the video?
Mine is an exynos version on 3uk and I recorded 73.2 down and 42.2 up. Upload speed is 4 times my home broadband speed
nycalex said:
i have unlocked usa version with ATT LTE, i'm sure mine is the Exynos version.
Click to expand...
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It's not.
My Exynos Note9 result
entropism said:
It's not.
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Click to collapse
you are right, even unlocked ones are snapdragon
Dolgogi said:
My Exynos Note9 result
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what the heck......
i'm in NY metro and my LTE speeds suck
Updated test
For a comparison, here's my Note8 Exynos model result.
Tested in the same location last week before my Note9 arrived.
The test's were done at almost the same time last week and today
nycalex said:
didn't watch video, but what are the actual results?
i have unlocked usa version with ATT LTE, i'm sure mine is the Exynos version. My results:
download = 51.3 mbps
upload = 6.2 mbps
are my test results in line with the results from the video?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the tldw is 160mbps speed test in congested downtown NYC, on t-mobile.
soraxd said:
the tldw is 160mbps speed test in congested downtown NYC, on t-mobile.
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i'm about 5 miles from there and getting 51mbps on an unlocked version with ATT as the carrier.
this is seriously pissing me off.
i'm going to exchange my unlocked one for an ATT branded one.
screw unlocked, carrier branded it is going forward
Unlocked US version on AT&T, pretty poor signal strength here at work, but still phenomenal speeds considering.
nycalex said:
you are right, even unlocked ones are snapdragon
what the heck......
i'm in NY metro and my LTE speeds suck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because AT&T's main bands are 71 and another one which i forgot which aren't supported on the US unlocked variant or any other. They're not gunna treat unlocked customers like they do their own.When you have a carrier, it is important to know these types of things when choosing your phone. Just because it supports GSM and CDMA means almost nothing to you (unless you plan on switching carriers a few times in the lifesoan of the phone) as AT&T only uses GSM. The unlocked supports more bands but no model supports all of them. You also have to take into account carrier features like VoLTE and VoWiFi.
LTE/modem speeds are hard to test as the actual speed vary mostly from the network towers, how many connected users yours have, how much they download, the signal strength and so on.
For a real tests a lab is needed and from there are the stated measurements from the manufacturers. The exynos model is good.
SamGuy2020 said:
Because AT&T's main bands are 71 and another one which i forgot which aren't supported on the US unlocked variant or any other. They're not gunna treat unlocked customers like they do their own.When you have a carrier, it is important to know these types of things when choosing your phone. Just because it supports GSM and CDMA means almost nothing to you (unless you plan on switching carriers a few times in the lifesoan of the phone) as AT&T only uses GSM. The unlocked supports more bands but no model supports all of them. You also have to take into account carrier features like VoLTE and VoWiFi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The US Unlocked variant DOES support band 71. It supports all the bands any of the US Carriers use.
You are correct about VoLTE and WiFi calling using the unlocked phone on ATT. However, both those features work perfectly on T-Mobile.
If you have ATT and want VoLTE or WiFi calling, or for some reason you don't think you're getting full band support (you are), then just flash the ATT firmware. They are all the SAME EXACT device. No difference in hardware at all. Been this way since the S8/+.
It's important to know these types of things when choosing your phone.
Exynos ee Coventry
Mr. Orange 645 said:
The US Unlocked variant DOES support band 71. It supports all the bands any of the US Carriers use.
You are correct about VoLTE and WiFi calling using the unlocked phone on ATT. However, both those features work perfectly on T-Mobile.
If you have ATT and want VoLTE or WiFi calling, or for some reason you don't think you're getting full band support (you are), then just flash the ATT firmware. They are all the SAME EXACT device. No difference in hardware at all. Been this way since the S8/+.
It's important to know these types of things when choosing your phone.
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Flashing ATT firmware in odin wont change csc since s7
SamGuy2020 said:
Flashing ATT firmware in odin wont change csc since s7
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CSC changes automatically depending on what SIM you have installed.

Question S21 Ultra 5G Snapdragon US unlocked version doesn't show 5G icon in the UK

Hi All,
I have recently bought an Unlocked US snapdragon version of Galaxy S21 ultra 5g but I live in UK. Since the day 1, I have never experienced 5G icon on notifications area here in London. I only see LTE. My SIM is 5G enabled. Is there any difference between the US snapdragon 888 version and UK Exynos 2100 as I am not seeing this 5G icon.
OR, if someone knows if there is a chance to get benefit of 5G here in London with my US version.
I look forward to getting your answers...
Thanks,
If your version is dual sim, try putting the sim on 2nd sim card slot. Otherwise, I would contact Samsung about it.
I thought the US and UK used different bands and that is why Samsung use the different chipsets based on the countries 5G bands. There is a small overlap in the high bands around 27/28 Ghz but that would depend on the bands you Uk provider uses. That is why they do not recommend buying devices from abroad.
The US unlocked won't get 5G in Europe
mpore14 said:
If your version is dual sim, try putting the sim on 2nd sim card slot. Otherwise, I would contact Samsung about it.
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It's a single SIM device...
lywyn said:
I thought the US and UK used different bands and that is why Samsung use the different chipsets based on the countries 5G bands. There is a small overlap in the high bands around 27/28 Ghz but that would depend on the bands you Uk provider uses. That is why they do not recommend buying devices from abroad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does it mean, I will never get a chance to to see 5G icon on my device ? Or I can get the 5G in the future when the 5G rolls out fully in the UK with different bands or frequencies? Please comment on this. Thanks
ekerbuddyeker said:
The US unlocked won't get 5G in Europe
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Is it for now ? Or I will get a chance to see 5G on my device in future ?
Armani505 said:
Does it mean, I will never get a chance to to see 5G icon on my device ? Or I can get the 5G in the future when the 5G rolls out fully in the UK with different bands or frequencies? Please comment on this. Thanks
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Click to collapse
It would depend on many things, 1) The SD support your carriers 5G band, 2) the firmware supporting the 5G, 3) your plan with carrier supporting 5G.
(1) and (2) may be supported depending on the carriers bands, you would need to ask your carrier.
(3) for example, previous EE plans do not include 5G in the plan and only if you upgrade to a 5G plan can you connect at 5G. My last phone did not do 5G so the plan was a 4G plan, upgrading the phone meant I had to upgrade the plan.
It's not whether your carrier will add 5G, it's the bands that they add that matter. European 5G bands are not the same as US 5G bands. Samsung doesn't include both in a single version of the s21 (apple does). You either have the US version or the various global versions. I have the HK version. It's a snapdragon like the US (and dual sim) but it only gets 5G in Europe (and HK of course).
lywyn said:
It would depend on many things, 1) The SD support your carriers 5G band, 2) the firmware supporting the 5G, 3) your plan with carrier supporting 5G.
(1) and (2) may be supported depending on the carriers bands, you would need to ask your carrier.
(3) for example, previous EE plans do not include 5G in the plan and only if you upgrade to a 5G plan can you connect at 5G. My last phone did not do 5G so the plan was a 4G plan, upgrading the phone meant I had to upgrade the plan.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the detailed answer. I contacted my carrier which is EE here in the UK. They said we are running different bands of 5G as compared to the US 5G bands.
And they confirmed that my plan is 5G enabled...
ekerbuddyeker said:
It's not whether your carrier will add 5G, it's the bands that they add that matter. European 5G bands are not the same as US 5G bands. Samsung doesn't include both in a single version of the s21 (apple does). You either have the US version or the various global versions. I have the HK version. It's a snapdragon like the US (and dual sim) but it only gets 5G in Europe (and HK of course).
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Click to collapse
Hi, Thanks for your reply, I contacted them, and Yes, they said we are running different 5G bands here in UK as compared to US 5G bands and your US version supports the bands currently US carriers are providing in the US.
So, it means, when they (EE UK) add more 5G bands in their service like more frequencies of 5G then I can get the benefit of my 5G Snapdragon US version in the UK ???
ekerbuddyeker said:
The US unlocked won't get 5G in Europe
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@ekerbuddyeker I hope you're okay. Could you specify the technicality(s) why it won't work?
@ekerbuddyeker I hope you're okay. Could you specify the technicality(s) why it won't work?
SidRose01 said:
I hope you're okay. Could you specify the technicality(s) why it won't work?
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it's set up to receive a different set frequencies than are mostly used in Europe as others have said.
Hey. Ignore the incorrect advice from both your carrier and other users here.
Your S21 from the US includes band n78 support even though it isn't advertised.
You just need to enable it and remove the NR whitelist.
You can do it through the service menu (access through Google Dialer).
3mel said:
it's set up to receive a different set frequencies than are mostly used in Europe as others have said.
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Click to collapse
Yep. We know. I mean do you know which frequency the US version is missing that is required in UK?
Skander1998 said:
Hey. Ignore the incorrect advice from both your carrier and other users here.
Your S21 from the US includes band n78 support even though it isn't advertised.
You just need to enable it and remove the NR whitelist.
You can do it through the service menu (access through Google Dialer).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The service menu was unfortunately disabled on the US versions many months ago...
*Edit* - To clarify this, I'm sure that the code is probably the same as before, however, when you type it in on the US phones (using Google Phone, of course), the number instantly deletes itself and doesn't allow the menu to open. This was either just before or after launch (I can't remember which one as I had a Note 20 Ultra and exchanged it for this phone just after it released). But just before I did the phone exchange, all of a sudden, I couldn't access that service menu anymore on my Note 20U as it had just been blocked on the US phones. Furthermore, both of my phones were unlocked, and so it doesn't seem to be a carrier dependent thing =(
NippleSauce said:
The service menu was unfortunately disabled on the US versions many months ago...
*Edit* - To clarify this, I'm sure that the code is probably the same as before, however, when you type it in on the US phones, the number instantly deletes itself and doesn't allow the menu to open.
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Click to collapse
Not really true. Just add a 2 at the end of the old code, click the first menu option, then 3 dot, back. Click the first option, and again, 3 menu, back. And now you've got the old service menu back.
We still have QPST access to if they ever block that second code
Armani505 said:
Hi, Thanks for your reply, I contacted them, and Yes, they said we are running different 5G bands here in UK as compared to US 5G bands and your US version supports the bands currently US carriers are providing in the US.
So, it means, when they (EE UK) add more 5G bands in their service like more frequencies of 5G then I can get the benefit of my 5G Snapdragon US version in the UK ???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only if they add the specific US bands, which is as likely as the UK Ministry of Transport regulating that the UK will start driving on the left to be in line with the US, but phasing it in, and starting only with Heavy Goods Vehicles first.

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