Given that I’m probably not going to root the phone or anything which unlocked version is better for the UK- do I have to worry about region lock even if it’s carrier unlocked
krackalackel02 said:
Given that I’m probably not going to root the phone or anything which unlocked version is better for the UK- do I have to worry about region lock even if it’s carrier unlocked
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Hi,
I have been using the U.S Unlocked Snapdragon s10 version in the U.K for a few months.
No issues for me so far.
The only network issue you may run in to, is the 3 Network. The phone does not work on their 2G connections, but all other networks are good to go.
I have traveled in a few EU countries (UK, Spain, Italy, Romania) with my unlocked US S10, using local SIM/carriers (mostly Vodafone, sometimes roaming from one country to another).
I didn't have any issues...
Related
Which variant of the Note 4 should I buy? I live in the states, but don't use the LTE coverage, but would be great to future-proof my device. I travel around the globe at times. I would rather have the warranty in the states than having a warranty belonging to some other country that I never travel to. If I had to go between the T-Mobile and AT&T version (obviously Unlocking these devices will incur an additional fee), which one should I buy? What about the International version? What are your thoughts. Please let me know. Thank you.
arjun90 said:
Which variant of the Note 4 should I buy? I live in the states, but don't use the LTE coverage, but would be great to future-proof my device. I travel around the globe at times. I would rather have the warranty in the states than having a warranty belonging to some other country that I never travel to. If I had to go between the T-Mobile and AT&T version (obviously Unlocking these devices will incur an additional fee), which one should I buy? What about the International version? What are your thoughts. Please let me know. Thank you.
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T-Mobile give you free Wifi calling, international texts and data, $.20 international calls if you can't get on Wifi, plus free texts and voicemail in the air through Go-Go. That's why I'm getting it.
Thanks for the information. I too am considering T-mobile and just signed up for their test-drive phone.
JimSmith94 said:
T-Mobile give you free Wifi calling, international texts and data, $.20 international calls if you can't get on Wifi, plus free texts and voicemail in the air through Go-Go. That's why I'm getting it.
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arjun90 said:
Which variant of the Note 4 should I buy? I live in the states, but don't use the LTE coverage, but would be great to future-proof my device. I travel around the globe at times. I would rather have the warranty in the states than having a warranty belonging to some other country that I never travel to. If I had to go between the T-Mobile and AT&T version (obviously Unlocking these devices will incur an additional fee), which one should I buy? What about the International version? What are your thoughts. Please let me know. Thank you.
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The previous answers seem to be talking about using a T-Mobile Note 4 and getting T-Mobile service. Your question's about which device would be the most versatile used both in the U.S. and overseas. Definitely go with international version. Samsung's UK site shows it supports both AT&T and T-Mobile's LTE bands as well as additional international bands neither of the U.S. phones support.
While you may be able to use a AT&T Note 4 on T-Mobile and vice versa their radios are optimized for the networks they are designed to be used on. I'm in an AT&T VoLTE market and can use it on my Note 3. A friend here using a T-Mobile N3 on AT&T can't using the same APN.
My current Note 3 is my first carrier phone out of a half dozen over four years so I have a lot of Samsung international device experience. I've only used them on AT&T and have no interest in T-Mobile as a carrier. They've performed fine on AT&T. But none of them got the same level of connectivity and data speeds as friends with AT&T phones when tested from the exact same locations. In the year I've had my AT&T Note 3 I've never had a network connectivity problem. With my international phones they'd occasionally lose connectivity and I'd have to reboot them to get them back on the network. Like when turning them on when landing at destination after a flight; they couldn't find the network on their own when moving from one AT&T network design (they're different by region through acquisition) to another.
I'm typing this on an international 3G N10.1-14. 90+% of the time I have no network issues and it works brilliantly overseas. Going with an international device is always safer than a carrier device because Samsung's international radios are generic. Every carrier's device has its radio optimized for their specific network. If you read the forums where people are using T-Mobile (and even Canadian phones) on AT&T it's not all peaches and cream. My recommendation is to go with an EU international Note 4 because of its generic support for a ton of global bands. I'd avoid Asian phones because their bands are very different as is the pre-installed s/w.
Good luck.
Thanks for a very careful and thorough explanation. Are there any ebay sellers selling the UK Note 4 version? How should I go about adding warranty? Squaretrade?
BarryH_GEG said:
The previous answers seem to be talking about using a T-Mobile Note 4 and getting T-Mobile service. Your question's about which device would be the most versatile used both in the U.S. and overseas. Definitely go with international version. Samsung's UK site shows it supports both AT&T and T-Mobile's LTE bands as well as additional international bands neither of the U.S. phones support.
While you may be able to use a AT&T Note 4 on T-Mobile and vice versa their radios are optimized for the networks they are designed to be used on. I'm in an AT&T VoLTE market and can use it on my Note 3. A friend here using a T-Mobile N3 on AT&T can't using the same APN.
My current Note 3 is my first carrier phone out of a half dozen over four years so I have a lot of Samsung international device experience. I've only used them on AT&T and have no interest in T-Mobile as a carrier. They've performed fine on AT&T. But none of them got the same level of connectivity and data speeds as friends with AT&T phones when tested from the exact same locations. In the year I've had my AT&T Note 3 I've never had a network connectivity problem. With my international phones they'd occasionally lose connectivity and I'd have to reboot them to get them back on the network. Like when turning them on when landing at destination after a flight; they couldn't find the network on their own when moving from one AT&T network design (they're different by region through acquisition) to another.
I'm typing this on an international 3G N10.1-14. 90+% of the time I have no network issues and it works brilliantly overseas. Going with an international device is always safer than a carrier device because Samsung's international radios are generic. Every carrier's device has its radio optimized for their specific network. If you read the forums where people are using T-Mobile (and even Canadian phones) on AT&T it's not all peaches and cream. My recommendation is to go with an EU international Note 4 because of its generic support for a ton of global bands. I'd avoid Asian phones because their bands are very different as is the pre-installed s/w.
Good luck.
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arjun90 said:
Are there any ebay sellers selling the UK Note 4 version? How should I go about adding warranty? Squaretrade?
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I'd stay away from eBay. Most LTE Samsung devices sold there are Asian. The dollar's exceptionally strong right now. I'd buy it from handtec.co.uk if I were you. In fact, if I wasn't getting the Note 4 for free because I'm on Next I'd buy my Note 4 from Handtec too. You can even get it in bronze and be the first on your block. Converted from GBP it's currently $806 including two-day FedEx shipping; that's cheaper than AT&T's $826 without tax. Because you're buying a UK phone in the UK Samsung's 24 month UK warranty is intact. You'll have to pay to send it there if it needs service but it's better than nothing. I had a UK SGS2 that had a cracked bezel and Samsung UK was very accommodating in repairing it. I'd get SquareTrade anyway and they'll cover an imported UK phone. The UK is also one of the first region's to receive updates so that's a plus too.
Seems like Clove is able to take off the region-lock whereas Handtec is unable to. Do the UK LTE Note 4's support T-Mobile's Band 12. Seems like I just want as many bands as possible as you never know when you want to switch to another US Carrier.
I'm currently using an MVNO (PureTalk) that relies on AT&T's network; currently using an unlocked T-Mobile Note 2 in Mint Condition, soon to be sold.
I do see how the European Model N910F is more versatile and at the same time, most expensive if purchased in the states (~$1300) compared to the Korean LTE Variants and Hong Kong Exynos (910U) Variant. The T-Mobile units are available online for $~750.
JimSmith94 said:
T-Mobile give you free Wifi calling, international texts and data, $.20 international calls if you can't get on Wifi, plus free texts and voicemail in the air through Go-Go. That's why I'm getting it.
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Just to confirm, does Samsung consider the N910F to be an international unlocked Note 4?
I can't seem to tell what is the official International Unlocked version
http://www.clove.co.uk/samsung-galaxy-note-4
Would you go for the 910'F' or 910'C'?
My note 8 is already unlocked(remotely by someone using my computer). I bought this device for my father in Hong Kong and he will be leaving in 3 days. I just worry if the network will be locked by itself again once he goes back to Hong Kong, will this happen? What should I do to prevent this? Currently I am not paying it off yet. Should I flash a rom to avoid this situation? But I want to keep the warranty......... PS, I already ran several software updates and it seems that no problem so far......
Flashing firmware or root will not address your issue. These methods alone cannot and do not prevent a blacklist.
If you've unlocked the phone but haven't paid it off AND have no intentions to pay it off, be aware that T-Mobile reserves the right to restrict access to their network OR outright blacklist the phone across North America.
Said phone would continue to function outside North America but NOT with a T-Mobile SIM or on ANY other North American cellular network.
To make it active again for North American use, you would need to get the IMEI changed by a third-party.
But if you have every intention to pay the bill off, you'll suffer no consequences in North America.
Even if you DON'T pay off the bill and the device resides overseas for the foreseeable future, a North American blacklist won't affect an unlocked device with a foreign SIM in a foreign country.
If they unlocked it already and you used a different SIM card with this phone (even from the same country) then there will be no issues with a foreign (Hong Kong) SIM.
Peculiar story, why buy expensive Note 8 in USA for someone in HK? Phones are much cheaper in HK.
Moreover warranty will create issues in HK, as US branded Note 8 (SD) will not be serviced under waranty by Samsung HK.
Hi!
So I've bought a Samsung S9 Duos recently and to be honest, although I like the phone and have been on a Samsung streak for the past few years, I'm getting seriously tired of their country dependant shenanigans. Because I live in Canada, when I buy a Global phone there's a bunch of stuff that either doesn't work or does only partially. And because the Canadian model is a SD proc, not an Exynos, it's an absolute nightmare to switch CSCs and get everything working right...
I hesitated long and hard to get a P20 pro, but the fact it wasn't available anywhere in Canada made me nervous. But my carrier (Rogers) recently announced it so, being really tired of this Samsung ****e, I'm considering returning the S9 and getting the P20 pro (even if it doesn't have a lot of stuff I like such as the headphone jack, SD card and wireless charging).
TL;DR
My question is, if I get an international (dual SIM) model of the P20 pro, is it going to be different than the Canadian one? Is there an equivalent of CSC codes with Samsung that I have to worry about, or can I assume it will be the same phone and I just need to activate it to get carrier specifics?
Thanks
I'm not an expert, but before I bought my P20 Pro, I made sure that it worked with the AT&T's network frequency bands. Each network has different bands and if the phone doesn't support the band, it won't connect.
https://www.droid-life.com/2015/02/...sm-cdma-wcdma-lte-verizon-att-sprint-tmobile/
https://www.worldtimezone.com/gsm.html
Here are the tech specs from Huawei:
4G FDD-LTE, TD-LTE: B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B6/B7/B8/B9/B12/B17/B18/B19/B20/B26/B28/B32/B34/B38/B39/B40
3G WCDMA: B1/B2/B4/B5/B6/B8/B19
https://consumer.huawei.com/uk/phones/m/p20-pro/tech-specs/
honua said:
I'm not an expert, but before I bought my P20 Pro, I made sure that it worked with the AT&T's network frequency bands. Each network has different bands and if the phone doesn't support the band, it won't connect.]
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Thanks for the input. I checked the bands for sure, and they are covered since it will be sold on my carrier soon. I guess what I meant is more the model itself, if there are variants per country or if we (Canada) are getting the same global version.
You see I come from a Samsung user's background and they have these silly country codes that dictate what you can use and where. I'm not sure it's related, but I found that even if on paper all LTE bands are covered with my S9, it still has shoddy reception compared to a Canadian S7. I could try to flash my CSC code to the phone, but a) it's complicated and risks bricking the phone and b) since the Canadian model is NOT the same as the global one, my CSC cannot be applied to this phone no matter how hard I try...
DenisEhm said:
Thanks for the input. I checked the bands for sure, and they are covered since it will be sold on my carrier soon. I guess what I meant is more the model itself, if there are variants per country or if we (Canada) are getting the same global version.
You see I come from a Samsung user's background and they have these silly country codes that dictate what you can use and where. I'm not sure it's related, but I found that even if on paper all LTE bands are covered with my S9, it still has shoddy reception compared to a Canadian S7. I could try to flash my CSC code to the phone, but a) it's complicated and risks bricking the phone and b) since the Canadian model is NOT the same as the global one, my CSC cannot be applied to this phone no matter how hard I try...
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FunkyHuawei offers a rebranding tool, which changes the region of the ROM. I used it because I bought mine from a Chinese e-commerce website. I rebranded to European region.
I couldn't find anything about International or Global versions of the phone. I know they are region locked, but the rebranding tool will fix that. You can also flash a firmware from FunkHuawei or use HuRUpdater tool from TWRP custom recovery.
I have used both tools, and had 100% success.
https://funkyhuawei.club/rebranding
https://forum.xda-developers.com/honor-9/development/tool-flash-official-firmware-recovery-t3769279/
https://forum.xda-developers.com/huawei-p20-pro/development/recovery-twrp-3-2-1-0-t3779400
https://forum.xda-developers.com/tools/general/huawei-firmware-finder-team-mt-t3469146
honua said:
FunkyHuawei offers a rebranding tool, which changes the region of the ROM. I used it because I bought mine from a Chinese e-commerce website. I rebranded to European region.
I couldn't find anything about International or Global versions of the phone. I know they are region locked, but the rebranding tool will fix that. You can also flash a firmware from FunkHuawei or use HuRUpdater tool from TWRP custom recovery.
I have used both tools, and had 100% success.
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Cool thanks, I'll see how this could help me out. I'm giving my S9 one last chance but short of that, I'll cough up another $1000 for this phone; I just don't want to end up in the same trap!
Firstly, I hope this is appropriate to post here - I'm new to this and I'm just getting to grips with it all!
Basically, I live in England, but I'll soon be moving to America. While I was on holiday in America this year, I bought an unlocked Note9 because it was cheaper with the exchange rate, and I thought that it would be the better decision, given that I'll be living in the U.S. soon enough.
However, the firmware is different in certain ways, and I much prefer the U.K. firmware versions. There are things missing from the firmware, that my Dad's U.K. Note9 has, and that my old GS8+ had.
My question is, if I flashed the U.K. firmware to my Note9 would that change my device status? I want it to still say 'Official'. Also, would it do anything to the KNOX counter - or would it even work?
Thanks in advance!
ClassilyContagious said:
Firstly, I hope this is appropriate to post here - I'm new to this and I'm just getting to grips with it all!
Basically, I live in England, but I'll soon be moving to America. While I was on holiday in America this year, I bought an unlocked Note9 because it was cheaper with the exchange rate, and I thought that it would be the better decision, given that I'll be living in the U.S. soon enough.
However, the firmware is different in certain ways, and I much prefer the U.K. firmware versions. There are things missing from the firmware, that my Dad's U.K. Note9 has, and that my old GS8+ had.
My question is, if I flashed the U.K. firmware to my Note9 would that change my device status? I want it to still say 'Official'. Also, would it do anything to the KNOX counter - or would it even work?
Thanks in advance!
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uk model is a N960F
us model is a N960U
you cant flash anything from one to the other.
you should have bought the uk version. a high % of Americans buy the international versions for various reasons. one being the locked bootloader on the us version stopping them from attaining root and modifying the system to their will. this year the international F model you guys have in the UK apparently is the lesser phone performance wise. i think it is negligible since rooting is a big advantage in some cases.
anyways please dont mix up unlocked phone meaning not bound to a carrier or region and unlocked bootloader.
cpu arch:
exynos = F model =unblockable bootloader
snapdragon = U model = locked bootloader
both models are avalablabe in region unlocked models.
there are other variants like the N9600 which is special in a way that being a snapdragon, it can have its BL unlocked.
there is also a N960N which is 99% identical to a N960F model.
A N960W In canada which is 99.999% like the us U model.
and finally the F, N and n9600 are all available in DS models too( 2 x sim cards /dual sim)
ClassilyContagious said:
However, the firmware is different in certain ways, and I much prefer the U.K. firmware versions. There are things missing from the firmware, that my Dad's U.K. Note9 has, and that my old GS8+ had.
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I'm curious, what stock features does the UK version have over the US version?
It's got that sexy date speed indicator in the status bar
[emoji1787]
ramiss said:
I'm curious, what stock features does the UK version have over the US version?
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Sent from my SM-N960U1 using Tapatalk
Hey guys, hope everyone is well!
I've been doing alot of reading of various posts and sites and am getting myself quite confused! I was hoping some of you may be able to point me in the right direction!
I bought an unlocked new note 9 from ebay (I'm in the UK). I'm currently on three and dont think I ever really did a factory reset when I first got the phone.
The details are SM-N960U , Baseband N960USQS2CSGB , XAA/XAA/SPR
My three wifi calling is working which is good, however I am still stuck on August 2019 update. I thought I could perhaps flash this with a OXM firmware or even BTU to start getting updates again. It would be good to get security updates...!
Using Frija I can only seem to find USA firmwares though, and can't find any firmware online for UK sm-N960U (BTU/XEA/OXM). Just wanted advice on what you recommend? Should I just download the latest USA firmware from any of the carriers and flash that using ODIN? Frija doesnt seem to be able to even find any firmware with CSC XAA. I'm worried that if I install a new USA carrier firmware it'll lock the phone and I wouldnt want to lose the three voice calling either.
Any help/advice/pointers are much appreciated! Just couldn't find this particular situation on any of my searches!
The N960U is a North American only variant, with a Snapdragon SoC and non-unlockable bootloader, you won't be able to find any firmware for regions outside USA or Canada, neither will you be able to install custom ROMS.
I believe that the UK models are using the Samsung Exynos SoC.
But... You get the FM Radio on the chip, with the App NextRadio, and with a set of wired earbuds you can listen to OTA radio.
SPR was the carrier Sprint, now gobbled up by T-Mobile, (CSC; TMB)
My carrier Xfinity Mobile, CSC: CCT (Comcast) has WiFi Calling enabled, and has September update in Frija.
However, if you are getting WiFI calling on Three using the SPR firmware already on the phone, you might as well download the latest one, which is the Sept 20 update also.
FWIW, Flashing ROMS using Odin doesn't reset the SIM Lock.
I pre-ordered our phones (my wife received hers the day before the official launch, mine arrived the day after the closing date for claiming the pre-order bonus, luckily they honoured it due to overwhelming demand for the model that I ordered) and Xfinity unlocked them a month after we received mine.
I have flashed other official US ROMs before returning to the carrier's firmware and was still able to slip a Vodafone SIM in at Heathrow Airport and still enjoy glorious UK LTE during my vacation through England and Wales last April.