There seem to be very slight radio differences. I don't know enough to know if buying the generic unlocked version will hinder my usage on T-Mobile. T-Mobile doesn't seem to be offering it for sale anymore. Is there a reason I might want the Exynos version in the U.S. if I don't travel? Any help would be appreciated.
kbone213 said:
There seem to be very slight radio differences. I don't know enough to know if buying the generic unlocked version will hinder my usage on T-Mobile. T-Mobile doesn't seem to be offering it for sale anymore. Is there a reason I might want the Exynos version in the U.S. if I don't travel? Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All of the N960U and N960U1 devices are exactly the same. Literally.??
To use any of them on Tmobile and get the full tmobile features, just flash the T-Mobile version of the software for the N960U and you'll be good to go.
You can use the Exynos version but I am not sure if any of T-mobile's features would be hindered. Tekhd has a Detonator rom for the Exynos version to get it to run on Tmobile. I am assuming it will enable all Tmobile features. ??
no. every snapdragon galaxy device has the same hardware. If you buy a U version and you want it to be a T version, all you need is a computer, usb cable, drivers installed, Odin, some bubblegum to chew once youre done kicking ass, a keyboard, monitor and a mouse. Flash the T-Mob firmware, reboot and prepare to unwrap that bubblegum and the ass kicking will soon commence.
if you want root, get the xynos version, but if youre using GSM strictly, you wont notice a difference between the functionality of the F and U versions
youdoofus said:
no. every snapdragon galaxy device has the same hardware. If you buy a U version and you want it to be a T version, all you need is a computer, usb cable, drivers installed, Odin, some bubblegum to chew once youre done kicking ass, a keyboard, monitor and a mouse. Flash the T-Mob firmware, reboot and prepare to unwrap that bubblegum and the ass kicking will soon commence.
if you want root, get the xynos version, but if youre using GSM strictly, you wont notice a difference between the functionality of the F and U versions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats not exactly the case. The n960w (Canadian) has different cell band support than the n960u or n960u1. A slight hardware variation. I'm not entirely sure if you can convert a n960w to a n960u, but if you could, there would be missing or incompatible cellular bands. The phone would work, just not as well as a region specific device would.
I don't think so. If you are purchasing the US unlocked variant of the Note 9, you should be able to use it with any US cell provider. However you may have to take your device to a high street retail store and let them config some of the settings.
Bober_is_a_troll said:
Thats not exactly the case. The n960w (Canadian) has different cell band support than the n960u or n960u1. A slight hardware variation. I'm not entirely sure if you can convert a n960w to a n960u, but if you could, there would be missing or incompatible cellular bands. The phone would work, just not as well as a region specific device would.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh? do tell
youdoofus said:
oh? do tell
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here, I'll tell.
https://www.techwalls.com/samsung-galaxy-note-9-sm-n960-model-number-differences/
Bober_is_a_troll said:
Here, I'll tell.
https://www.techwalls.com/samsung-galaxy-note-9-sm-n960-model-number-differences/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you should note the 2G and 3G bands being identical, or at least nearly and the screenshot you showed is suggesting these bands for LTE B38 – 2600 B39 – 1900 B40 – 2300 B41 – 2500
which are covered in the G960U portion of your screenshot
i dont see a compatibility issue here
youdoofus said:
i dont see a compatibility issue here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3g-scdma are completely different, n960u is missing 4g fdd band 2600, n960w is missing 4g tdd band 2100.
Bober_is_a_troll said:
3g-scdma are completely different, n960u is missing 4g fdd band 2600, n960w is missing 4g tdd band 2100.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dude.... rogers is a GSM provider. 3G-SCDMA is utterly irrelevant
Bober_is_a_troll said:
3g-scdma are completely different, n960u is missing 4g fdd band 2600, n960w is missing 4g tdd band 2100.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
also, missing 2 LTE bands isnt a big deal. Let alone the fact that there likely isnt any actual difference anyways. Do you know anyone with a N960U? Id gladly put your Rogers card in my phone if i was able.
youdoofus said:
dude.... rogers is a GSM provider. 3G-SCDMA is utterly irrelevant
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Short sighted much? Sprint and Verizon are both cdma carriers. So if anyone in the us on those carriers bought a n960w using your advice they would be lacking in cellular connection in some areas.
Not only that but you also completely ignored the 4g differences as well. Don't go around spreading false information like that. Just because it's snapdragon based doesn't mean they're the same.
---------- Post added at 11:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:21 AM ----------
youdoofus said:
also, missing 2 LTE bands isnt a big deal. Let alone the fact that there likely isnt any actual difference anyways. Do you know anyone with a N960U? Id gladly put your Rogers card in my phone if i was able.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Missing all the 3g-scdma and a few 4g bands would make quite a big difference, given that different 4g lte bands serve different purposes.
It goes to show that just because they are snapdragon based doesn't mean they are the same all I've done is prove my point that there are slight cellular band differences. Proved you wrong, deal with it and stop saying that all snapdragon note 9's are the same. You're wrong. All the n960u and n960u1's are the same but that's it.
Bober_is_a_troll said:
Short sighted much? Sprint and Verizon are both cdma carriers. So if anyone in the us on those carriers bought a n960w using your advice they would be lacking in cellular connection in some areas.
Not only that but you also completely ignored the 4g differences as well. Don't go around spreading false information like that. Just because it's snapdragon based doesn't mean they're the same.
---------- Post added at 11:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:21 AM ----------
Missing all the 3g-scdma and a few 4g bands would make quite a big difference, given that different 4g lte bands serve different purposes.
It goes to show that just because they are snapdragon based doesn't mean they are the same all I've done is prove my point that there are slight cellular band differences. Proved you wrong, deal with it and stop saying that all snapdragon note 9's are the same. You're wrong. All the n960u and n960u1's are the same but that's it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is hysterical.... ok dude.... theyre different because you say so. Oh, did you know that the single sim phones are also the same as the dual sim?
samsung made a very concerted effort to consolidate all of their physical models starting with the S8.
When canada came-a-callin, they must have changed their entire business model regarding the building of phones and the countries respective CSC's and threw them all out the window. So yes, let the poor suckers who took the advice of myself and many others suffer the consequences and wrath of having "the wrong phone".
Get a 960U and a 960W, put the sim card in each of them, prove that youre right or wrong, post up your findings and we can go from there. Until then, we have to base what we do on what we know. Techwalls says they dont share the same band connectivity, samsung says that theyre all the same. Do with that information what you will. Good day sir.
youdoofus said:
this is hysterical.... ok dude.... theyre different because you say so. Oh, did you know that the single sim phones are also the same as the dual sim?
samsung made a very concerted effort to consolidate all of their physical models starting with the S8.
When canada came-a-callin, they must have changed their entire business model regarding the building of phones and the countries respective CSC's and threw them all out the window. So yes, let the poor suckers who took the advice of myself and many others suffer the consequences and wrath of having "the wrong phone".
Get a 960U and a 960W, put the sim card in each of them, prove that youre right or wrong, post up your findings and we can go from there. Until then, we have to base what we do on what we know. Techwalls says they dont share the same band connectivity, samsung says that theyre all the same. Do with that information what you will. Good day sir.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right, this is hysterical. Why do you think inserting a different Sim would tell us if the bands are available or not? It wouldn't. It's even funnier because your source wasn't Samsung. Do you have a link from Samsung showing all the bands being the same? I'd like to really see that one because currently you're wrong.
I'd really like to see how you're going to explain how the n960f and the n960u are the same phone?! do tell us how a exynos based phone and a Snapdragon Basedphone are the same thing hardware wise?!?!?! Not even talking about cell radios at that point, just the chipset itself?
Bober_is_a_troll said:
You are right, this is hysterical. Why do you think inserting a different Sim would tell us if the bands are available or not? It wouldn't. It's even funnier because your source wasn't Samsung. Do you have a link from Samsung showing all the bands being the same? I'd like to really see that one because currently you're wrong.
I'd really like to see how you're going to explain how the n960f and the n960u are the same phone?! do tell us how a exynos based phone and a Snapdragon Basedphone are the same thing hardware wise?!?!?! Not even talking about cell radios at that point, just the chipset itself?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
omfg dude... the xynos F variants and the snapdragon (too many letters to bother listing) arent the same. The statement i made about them all being the same was assuming that you could go ahead with the already understood part of this discourse which is that we are discussing American continent versions. If youd like we could also discuss the Chinese versions that have snapdragon processors but are rootable. Thats not likely a rabbit hole you want to go down. I even just got off a chat with a rogers cellular tech who said that they are all the same phone. Every samsung s series or note series phone that was built for the americas are all the same hardware.
youre still wrong and youre fighting like hell to defend your losing position
oh, and for the info from samsung.....
i sold samsung phones at the end of the S7 lifespan and thru the S8 and S9s debuts. We got TONS of technical data on them at the time. Yes i perused the materials because it was such an unprecedented change in samsung phone lineup for the previous 7 iterations. FFS, ive flashed the G960F firmware on my G960U. Currently Running the G960U1.
And yes, putting your card in my phone and running a Cellular utility will tell you ABSOLUTELY what bands its using. Give up dude... Go read some more. Go to a cellular store and ask for the technical releases. THEYRE THE SAME PHONE
---------- Post added at 11:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:49 AM ----------
Bober_is_a_troll said:
I'd really like to see how you're going to explain how the n960f and the n960u are the same phone?! do tell us how a exynos based phone and a Snapdragon Basedphone are the same thing hardware wise?!?!?! Not even talking about cell radios at that point, just the chipset itself?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just because this is fun shutting you down. I did get my information from Samsung. I even got some demo models of the S7 and S7 edge from my local Samsung rep. I talked with him a lot. I sent him away to speak with his contacts in Korea about technical issues we encountered with various Sammy devices a few times for that matter.
Ive grabbed at&t S8s and activated them on Verizon. Theyre literally all the same. Im even beginning to think that the firmware is like windows. Every ISO of windows has every version built in to it, its just been bottlenecked to only allow installs of a certain version. Id be willing to entertain the thought of the firmwares doing the same thing. I say this because ive seen apps magically appear that were verizon specific on at&t phones when activated even before having data working or wifi
@troll and Doofus. You're both making schoolboy mistakes when attempting to compare radios on the W and U models.
Get the radio information from Samsung USA website and Samsung CA website then post your screenshots.
Besides, we all already know what F and W stands for in these models.[emoji1787]
Sent from my GM1900 using Tapatalk
Limeybastard said:
@troll and Doofus. You're both making schoolboy mistakes when attempting to compare radios on the W and U models
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Click to collapse
um... no? i am, and have been, keenly aware of the heat issues that samsung has faced over the years of developing their own processor line and having CDMA radios in those devices. Try again pal....
Limeybastard said:
Get the radio information from Samsung USA website and Samsung CA website then post your screenshots.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
have you even looked for those on the website you recommended for yourself? Have you found them? are they even there? does it even matter since they are literally the exact same phone if they both have the snapdragon processor?
Limeybastard said:
Besides, we all already know what F and W stands for in these models. [emoji1787]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
apparently not, hence why this discourse has even happened in the first place.....
youdoofus said:
um... no? i am, and have been, keenly aware of the heat issues that samsung has faced over the years of developing their own processor line and having CDMA radios in those devices. Try again pal....
have you even looked for those on the website you recommended for yourself? Have you found them? are they even there? does it even matter since they are literally the exact same phone if they both have the snapdragon processor?
apparently not, hence why this discourse has even happened in the first place.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll say it again. Use Samsung official regional websites to attain accurate radio/band information.
Sent from my GM1900 using Tapatalk
Limeybastard said:
I'll say it again. Use Samsung official regional websites to attain accurate radio/band information.
Sent from my GM1900 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
from the guy complaining about not posting screenshots from samsung directly, its ironic that you havent posted them either.
oh, and yeah.... gsmarena is a non reputable site, i can see your reticence in accepting what they say as having any truth to it....
Related
I have T-Mobile and am in US.... I really am interested in the Galaxy note and am wondering if it is compatible with T-Mobile's 3G/"4G"/HSPA+ network? I don't know what these frequency bands mean for compatibility ...
It will only work on EDGE speeds. It doesn't have the AWS frequency (1700, 2100) required for their 3G/4G network.
cadavar said:
It will only work on EDGE speeds. It doesn't have the AWS frequency (1700, 2100) required for their 3G/4G network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is exactly the response I was looking for in terms of technicality goes.
Thank you very much!
interestingly, many sites point to the India specific version of the phone being a "penta band" UMTS phone. and as far as i know penta band means T-Mo AWS support no?
source.
http://www.knowledgebase-script.com/demo/article-1079.html
crazy talk said:
interestingly, many sites point to the India specific version of the phone being a "penta band" UMTS phone. and as far as i know penta band means T-Mo AWS support no?
source.
http://www.knowledgebase-script.com/demo/article-1079.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello all,
This is interesting. Is there anyways to confirm that Indian version will have "Penta" band?
I read that Note will launch in India on 3nd November. May be will have to wait to find out.
crazy talk said:
interestingly, many sites point to the India specific version of the phone being a "penta band" UMTS phone. and as far as i know penta band means T-Mo AWS support no?
source.
http://www.knowledgebase-script.com/demo/article-1079.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm having doubts about that article, SGSII was 34k when it was released in India. Galaxy Note has to top that.
Dragooon123 said:
I'm having doubts about that article, SGSII was 34k when it was released in India. Galaxy Note has to top that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i can't find anything to suggest any carrier in India uses the 1700/2100 bands needed for T-Mo (US) 3G to work anyway. so it must be about something else.
crazy talk said:
interestingly, many sites point to the India specific version of the phone being a "penta band" UMTS phone. and as far as i know penta band means T-Mo AWS support no?
source.
http://www.knowledgebase-script.com/demo/article-1079.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are many bands for UTMS, and t-mobile USA is the only one that uses 1700.
Odds are, even if it is pentaband, it still won't support 1700. It might, but it's unlikely.
- Frank
Dragooon123 said:
I'm having doubts about that article, SGSII was 34k when it was released in India. Galaxy Note has to top that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what about the modem.bin from the galaxy s2 4g on the tmobile phone
I've been researching a bit and it seems that the files are about the same on these phones, so I don't see why it wouldn't work. That being said, I am in no way an expert, but I hope someone with more knowledge will chime in on this and give us a concrete answer.
getmouse said:
what about the modem.bin from the galaxy s2 4g on the tmobile phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
phone frequency band is hardware specific. if the crystal is not tuned for the frequency, theres nothing you can do to make the phone to accept it
I guess I'll have to wait on the Galaxy Nexus then. Thanks for dropping that bit of knowledge on us.
torres351 said:
I guess I'll have to wait on the Galaxy Nexus then. Thanks for dropping that bit of knowledge on us.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that for now is the best idea
I still want this and thinking hard about pulling the trigger and just buying. Has anybody bought this on tmobiles network yet.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App
You will only get Edge speeds.
There is no need to confirm anything.
Hardware IS HARDWARE.
I would not consider getting T-Mobile's version of this for the sole fact that they'll mess it up by putting a pair of 1.8 ghz Qualcomm chip in there to support their 42mbps network.
It will be garbage once that happens.
At this point, you either accept it as being Edge only on T-Mobile's network, or you don't get it altogether.
Yeah I know it only works on edge but if a million iphone users are using it then it might be usable but I kinda want a real world test of the Internet and not just specs since that's the only thing that's holding me back
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App
torres351 said:
I guess I'll have to wait on the Galaxy Nexus then. Thanks for dropping that bit of knowledge on us.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could ditch T-Mob, or not worth it? I would leave my carrier for the Note.
I made an inquiry about the Note coming to T mobile directly to someone I know at Samsung. He did get back to me and said they have figured a way around the present problem with the present chip configuration and will come out with a version that will be 1700/2100 compatible. BUT, not soon (2012) and probably will be the next version of this type of 5" + smart phone ....... So it is edge only on TMO for now..............
By the time they actually get to bring something like that out the quad core chips will be out and other makers might bring out something similar hopefully.
Howdy all?
Currently I am using Dell Streak which actually was launched for AT&T. So I was only getting TMo's EDGE speed on my Streak. Which for me was not a big deal because I would only have to deal with slow speed while I am either away from home or work.
Some might find it silly, but what I did was, removed my data portion which was with the phone and actually got TMo's 4g hotspot. And I carried both, my Streak and hotspot always with me. Which for me works out alright.
Hello,
I'm very confused.
I live in Israel and I have a Verizon S6 Edge (G925V). The phone is working fine here even though we don't have CDMA network.
As far as I know G925V supports GSM networks (http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s6_edge_(usa)-7166.php).
My screen has shattered so I ordered this replacement:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-Samsung...715005?hash=item51f2137f3d:g:UyAAAOSwImRYdBBU
The seller then gave me refund claiming that "This item will NOT work for you if you have GSM. The frame for GSM and CDMA are different, so you would not be able to install this item.".
I'm really confused now, how is this screen different than the screen I originally got with my G925V? What screen do I need? Where to buy it from?
Thanks in advance for your help!
? anyone got a clue ?
tbtb123 said:
? anyone got a clue ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not repair phones and have never taken apart an S6 Edge, but I think you ordered the correct part. There are internal design differences for each carrier variant/model since they have to cram so much into a tiny space. The Verizon branded SM-G925V is a phone designed for a CDMA voice network, so the eBay seller is referring to the model of phone when he says "CDMA Only". Yes, the SM-G925V supports GSM but each carrier variant/model has different frequency band support. So, you may want to look into which frequency bands your carrier uses as the phone may only have partial support. Edit: Which model does your local carrier/provider recommend?
blkt said:
I do not repair phones and have never taken apart an S6 Edge, but I think you ordered the correct part. There are internal design differences for each carrier variant/model since they have to cram so much into a tiny space. The Verizon branded SM-G925V is a phone designed for a CDMA voice network, so the eBay seller is referring to the model of phone when he says "CDMA Only". Yes, the SM-G925V supports GSM but each carrier variant/model has different frequency band support. So, you may want to look into which frequency bands your carrier uses as the phone may only have partial support. Edit: Which model does your local carrier/provider recommend?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, thanks.
In Israel they only sell the global version - SM-G925F.
I think I would go with this:
https://www.etradesupply.com/samsung-galaxy-s6-edge-sm-g925v-lcd-and-digitizer-assembly-gold.html
tbtb123 said:
Hi, thanks.
In Israel they only sell the global version - SM-G925F.
I think I would go with this:
https://www.etradesupply.com/samsung-galaxy-s6-edge-sm-g925v-lcd-and-digitizer-assembly-gold.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have another 80USD? http://www.ebay.com/itm/361958487879 Just saying, it might save a lot of time and hassle (64GB too).
blkt said:
Have another 80USD? http://www.ebay.com/itm/361958487879 Just saying, it might save a lot of time and hassle (64GB too).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, crazy. But I rather keep my phone with all the data, also I will never buy any USA phone again, only global/unlocked versions.
tbtb123 said:
LOL, crazy. But I rather keep my phone with all the data, also I will never buy any USA phone again, only global/unlocked versions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm just trying to help. Samsung's Smart Switch software allows for very easy migration to another phone. Keep in mind the different models all have different frequency band support, so if you are back in the USA on a global phone the data speeds will likely be slower and of course only GSM/UMTS/LTE support (no CDMA carriers).
https://www.frequencycheck.com/comp...ng-sm-g925v-galaxy-s6-edge-lte-a-samsung-zero
https://www.frequencycheck.com/models/JGpYA/samsung-galaxy-s6-sm-g925f
https://www.frequencycheck.com/models/vDaP6/samsung-sm-g925v-galaxy-s6-edge-lte-a-samsung-zero
Hello Is it possible to enable all the T-mobile US carrier features on the Exynos N960F/DS ?
Yes, when I reach 10 posts. I will be able to make a new thread with step by step images.
HERE is the guide, I got to 10 post
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-9/how-to/note-9-n960fd-dual-sim-csc-change-oxm-t3841000
jgoorn said:
Yes, when I reach 10 posts. I will be able to make a new thread with step by step images.
HERE is the guide, I got to 10 post
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-9/how-to/note-9-n960fd-dual-sim-csc-change-oxm-t3841000
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there absolutely any way to do it without root? Can't I take the home CSC of a desired rom and flash just that in Odin, keeping everything else as it originally was?
hkalltheway said:
Is there absolutely any way to do it without root? Can't I take the home CSC of a desired rom and flash just that in Odin, keeping everything else as it originally was?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure, I saw something like that on another post but then it was updated 4 pages later to say that method was not functioning. I assume you don't want to trip knox, but if you just don't want root but want custom CSC flash twrp and custom rom with root. Edit files to change csc as shown in my guide, or others guides. then factory reset rom, and reflash without root, and then make odin reset the recovery to stock recovery.
This is all speculation however.
I was very excited to see this as I've been wanting an international Exynos variant due to absolutely 'needing' to have root.
The Million dollar question is "Does the carrier aggregation still exist? ie... Does ALL the bands work perfectly on T-Mobiles network just as it would 1:1 on a TM variant Note 9?"
I along with some other fellow Note 8 owners got the (F) model of the Note 8 last year and we had discovered that the international variants on T-Mobile / US network suffered from carrier aggregation, where it would connect fine to one single frequency, but it would not aggregate properly to where it would not be able to 'hand off' / 'connect to multiple frequencies at once' with the (F) variants....
For those that remember, I went as far as completely disassembling my Note 8 and testing varies antenna cables thinking that it was hardware related, however, it has been concluded that it is a software issues that causes the international variant of the Note 8 to not work properly on US carriers....
Note: If one is in an area with good signal in the US with a (F) variant, it may look like everything is fine and well, however, it is not. Due to the good reception, the (F) variant is connecting only to that one band, whereas with other devices the domestic US variant would have the ability to pick up several bands and aggregate accordingly, where the (F) can't ...
Therefore, the Million dollar question is "Does this carrier aggregation issue still exist on the Note 9?"
The only way to be able to properly test this is for one to have both the T-Mobile Note 9 + the International (F) variant Note 9 and test the bands side by side in multiple areas ... along with checking in the hidden settings to see exactly what bands it is connected to. If they match, great.... if not, then the carrier aggregation still exists.....
While at it, I'll tag my fellow OG partners in Android Fanatics @DeeXii , @butchieboy , @KennyLG123 ....
I doubt it. It will probably be another year or two to get full or near full capability on Samsung modems. Look at all the weird spectrums going up in different countries. And TMobile just got band 71. It will be awhile before we start seeing noticeable effects nationwide for 71. Your optimism is obsessive. When the galaxy note 2 came out all were Exynos chipsets but some had LTE radios. I opted for without mainly because LTE was not fleshed out yet. (and the LTE radios were add on chips and not fully integrated meaning they were battery drainers). I made a good call as did Apple. You also have to consider Qualcomm has a lot more experience than Samsung and Intel in modems and radios. People are so focused on the results or what they can get without thinking through the whole front end of it and what is plausible, necessary and time needed. I am not saying no but again your optimism is obsessive to a fault. Qualcomm hasn't even made a truly international modem yet. (More bands than they can fit in their design and still too many different techs.) How would Samsung do it? It could be done but your battery life would suffer. That's why there are regional phones. Alsooooo, 2g bands are being deprecated in a few places (I think hspa too but nowhere near as much as GPRS/EDGE). To be honest I think it won't be until 2021 at the very least where there will be a few mainstream phones that you could pop in a sim anywhere and get good service across those regions. For now, you have to compromise. LTE is thankfully dropping in the GSM bucket but it needs to be sorted out.
iunlock said:
I was very excited to see this as I've been wanting an international Exynos variant due to absolutely 'needing' to have root.
The Million dollar question is "Does the carrier aggregation still exist? ie... Does ALL the bands work perfectly on T-Mobiles network just as it would 1:1 on a TM variant Note 9?"
I along with some other fellow Note 8 owners got the (F) model of the Note 8 last year and we had discovered that the international variants on T-Mobile / US network suffered from carrier aggregation, where it would connect fine to one single frequency, but it would not aggregate properly to where it would not be able to 'hand off' / 'connect to multiple frequencies at once' with the (F) variants....
For those that remember, I went as far as completely disassembling my Note 8 and testing varies antenna cables thinking that it was hardware related, however, it has been concluded that it is a software issues that causes the international variant of the Note 8 to not work properly on US carriers....
Note: If one is in an area with good signal in the US with a (F) variant, it may look like everything is fine and well, however, it is not. Due to the good reception, the (F) variant is connecting only to that one band, whereas with other devices the domestic US variant would have the ability to pick up several bands and aggregate accordingly, where the (F) can't ...
Therefore, the Million dollar question is "Does this carrier aggregation issue still exist on the Note 9?"
The only way to be able to properly test this is for one to have both the T-Mobile Note 9 + the International (F) variant Note 9 and test the bands side by side in multiple areas ... along with checking in the hidden settings to see exactly what bands it is connected to. If they match, great.... if not, then the carrier aggregation still exists.....
While at it, I'll tag my fellow OG partners in Android Fanatics @DeeXii , @butchieboy , @KennyLG123 ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I remember that thread very well, kalm_traveller also made adjustments to the antenna . I recall that ultimately carrier aggregation didn't work on international models when used on the USA networks.
Sent from my SM-N960U1 using Tapatalk
@rbiter said:
I doubt it. It will probably be another year or two to get full or near full capability on Samsung modems. Look at all the weird spectrums going up in different countries. And TMobile just got band 71. It will be awhile before we start seeing noticeable effects nationwide for 71. Your optimism is obsessive. When the galaxy note 2 came out all were Exynos chipsets but some had LTE radios. I opted for without mainly because LTE was not fleshed out yet. (and the LTE radios were add on chips and not fully integrated meaning they were battery drainers). I made a good call as did Apple. You also have to consider Qualcomm has a lot more experience than Samsung and Intel in modems and radios. People are so focused on the results or what they can get without thinking through the whole front end of it and what is plausible, necessary and time needed. I am not saying no but again your optimism is obsessive to a fault. Qualcomm hasn't even made a truly international modem yet. (More bands than they can fit in their design and still too many different techs.) How would Samsung do it? It could be done but your battery life would suffer. That's why there are regional phones. Alsooooo, 2g bands are being deprecated in a few places (I think hspa too but nowhere near as much as GPRS/EDGE). To be honest I think it won't be until 2021 at the very least where there will be a few mainstream phones that you could pop in a sim anywhere and get good service across those regions. For now, you have to compromise. LTE is thankfully dropping in the GSM bucket but it needs to be sorted out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So how come Apple is doing that since the iPhone 6s unlocked version? Qualcomm Modem and a truly a word.
Doing what?
I would almost guarantee no ca working. Does it really matter? My s8+ still got 12mb download speeds.
Yakuzahi said:
So how come Apple is doing that since the iPhone 6s unlocked version? Qualcomm Modem and a truly a word.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doing what?
iunlock said:
I was very excited to see this as I've been wanting an international Exynos variant due to absolutely 'needing' to have root.
The Million dollar question is "Does the carrier aggregation still exist? ie... Does ALL the bands work perfectly on T-Mobiles network just as it would 1:1 on a TM variant Note 9?"
I along with some other fellow Note 8 owners got the (F) model of the Note 8 last year and we had discovered that the international variants on T-Mobile / US network suffered from carrier aggregation, where it would connect fine to one single frequency, but it would not aggregate properly to where it would not be able to 'hand off' / 'connect to multiple frequencies at once' with the (F) variants....
For those that remember, I went as far as completely disassembling my Note 8 and testing varies antenna cables thinking that it was hardware related, however, it has been concluded that it is a software issues that causes the international variant of the Note 8 to not work properly on US carriers....
Note: If one is in an area with good signal in the US with a (F) variant, it may look like everything is fine and well, however, it is not. Due to the good reception, the (F) variant is connecting only to that one band, whereas with other devices the domestic US variant would have the ability to pick up several bands and aggregate accordingly, where the (F) can't ...
Therefore, the Million dollar question is "Does this carrier aggregation issue still exist on the Note 9?"
The only way to be able to properly test this is for one to have both the T-Mobile Note 9 + the International (F) variant Note 9 and test the bands side by side in multiple areas ... along with checking in the hidden settings to see exactly what bands it is connected to. If they match, great.... if not, then the carrier aggregation still exists.....
While at it, I'll tag my fellow OG partners in Android Fanatics @DeeXii , @butchieboy , @KennyLG123 ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the F model and tested with both AT&T and T-Mobile. Carrier aggregation works with 2 bands on AT&T (12+2) and while it supports all the other AT&T bands it will not aggregate them. No carrier aggregation at all on T-Mobile (single band only).
You can see the supported CA combos the F model has by looking at the FCC filing of the device (do a google search).
Sent from my SM-N960U1 using Tapatalk
@rbiter said:
Doing what?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doing a world phone with smaller battery than the Note line.
So basically it can be done. Samsung can make a world if they want to.
Apple doesn't have a world phone. They have a minimum of 2 phones to do the world. You have to pick your poison of which part. If they do have one, it probably has you covered for calls but not data. Heck any phone has this if data is less a priority and making calls and texts are a higher priority.
There might be obscure world phones but we probably are not privy to it. Satellite phones too of course but price. I actually read an article about Qualcomm's modem and the increase of LTE bands that came out recently talking about RF360 and Intel and Samsung probably not having anything to compete for at least a couple of years. They don't have an all in one solution yet. Close but not world yet. You have China, US and I forgot what part of South America that messes it up. Even though LTE falls under GSM standards I wish they would tighten it up. So many bands across different countries now and you can't keep up. Band 71 for TMobile is not relevant yet unless you live in a market that is getting it because of low or no coverage.
@rbiter said:
I doubt it. It will probably be another year or two to get full or near full capability on Samsung modems. Look at all the weird spectrums going up in different countries. And TMobile just got band 71. It will be awhile before we start seeing noticeable effects nationwide for 71. Your optimism is obsessive. When the galaxy note 2 came out all were Exynos chipsets but some had LTE radios. I opted for without mainly because LTE was not fleshed out yet. (and the LTE radios were add on chips and not fully integrated meaning they were battery drainers). I made a good call as did Apple. You also have to consider Qualcomm has a lot more experience than Samsung and Intel in modems and radios. People are so focused on the results or what they can get without thinking through the whole front end of it and what is plausible, necessary and time needed. I am not saying no but again your optimism is obsessive to a fault. Qualcomm hasn't even made a truly international modem yet. (More bands than they can fit in their design and still too many different techs.) How would Samsung do it? It could be done but your battery life would suffer. That's why there are regional phones. Alsooooo, 2g bands are being deprecated in a few places (I think hspa too but nowhere near as much as GPRS/EDGE). To be honest I think it won't be until 2021 at the very least where there will be a few mainstream phones that you could pop in a sim anywhere and get good service across those regions. For now, you have to compromise. LTE is thankfully dropping in the GSM bucket but it needs to be sorted out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think your lack of optimism is obsessive and at fault. What's wrong with being optimistic and having hope? Most of us are just wanting a simple root on the SD variant of the Note 9, whether it be a samfail method or whatever, we'll take it.
The US variant Note 5 was Exynos and worked just fine, so its not impossible for an Exynos equipped phone to work on US carriers. After all, most of the newer phones have a wide range of frequencies that it can support. Sure some phones are set regionally, but you're aware that there are dual SIM phones right?
If you were familiar with the F model Note 8 that some of us got and have tested last year, then my post would have made more sense to you.
suzook said:
I would almost guarantee no ca working. Does it really matter? My s8+ still got 12mb download speeds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it does matter, because with out the ability for the phone to hand off and/or merge the signals, for those in areas where the reception is sketchy, it'd become major headache.
clubtech said:
I have the F model and tested with both AT&T and T-Mobile. Carrier aggregation works with 2 bands on AT&T (12+2) and while it supports all the other AT&T bands it will not aggregate them. No carrier aggregation at all on T-Mobile (single band only).
You can see the supported CA combos the F model has by looking at the FCC filing of the device (do a google search).
Sent from my SM-N960U1 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey @clubtech, thanks for reiterating. Yea that was the case exactly as you've described.... I was getting the same results on TM on the F variant. I'm aware of the fcc filings, but the curiosity stems from the potential possibility...
Is this a possible lead to get CA working on N960F/DS?
https://www.reddit.com/r/GalaxyS8/comments/75ru94/root_exynos_galaxy_s8_how_to_get_carrier/
I've tried this method but just get these two lines without the menu popping up as instructed.
Broadcasting: Intent { act=android.provider.Telephony.SECRET_CODE dat=android_secret_code://27663368378 flg=0x400000 }
Broadcast completed: result=0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am most likely doing something wrong or these devices are somehow further locked down. I'm rooted, connected adb, etc. as the instructions say with no success.
Techronico said:
Is this a possible lead to get CA working on N960F/DS?
https://www.reddit.com/r/GalaxyS8/comments/75ru94/root_exynos_galaxy_s8_how_to_get_carrier/
I've tried this method but just get these two lines without the menu popping up as instructed.
I am most likely doing something wrong or these devices are somehow further locked down. I'm rooted, connected adb, etc. as the instructions say with no success.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mind sharing more info? I'm willing to try it with my device, I'll make a full backup and give it a go! Anything for even better reception!
jgoorn said:
Mind sharing more info? I'm willing to try it with my device, I'll make a full backup and give it a go! Anything for even better reception!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried using the dialer codes *#0011# and *#2263# first to get an idea of what I was looking at. These are mentioned further down in the Reddit thread by other users.
Apparently the code mentioned in the Reddit thread OP is a more advanced code that was removed/disabled from being activated from the dialer several iterations of Samsung devices ago...(ie. It now requires root, can only be activated from adb or terminal).
My theory is that Samsung has now fully gimped it or further hid the activation method. This method apparently worked on the Note 8...
Techronico said:
I tried using the dialer codes *#0011# and *#2263# first to get an idea of what I was looking at. These are mentioned further down in the Reddit thread by other users.
Apparently the code mentioned in the Reddit thread OP is a more advanced code that was removed/disabled from being activated from the dialer several iterations of Samsung devices ago...(ie. It now requires root, can only be activated from adb or terminal).
My theory is that Samsung has now fully gimped it or further hid the activation method. This method apparently worked on the Note 8...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, I'm the author of that thread and I also have an Exynos s9+ which is same as the Note 9.
The menu is indeed completely disabled, you can't get to it even with adb or root.
There is a way to activate it, but it will not fix our issue. I've been trying for weeks.
We have a problem that started out on the Note 8, and that is the phone is not reporting the correct supported aggregation combos to the cell tower.
Using the menu, my phone does not support 4+12 however it reports 2+12 and I get carrier aggregation when I disable B4.
So far j haven't found a way to change those combos. At this point I'm very sure it grabs them from the CSC. I've been experimenting and have been unsuccessful so far
The S8 reported the correct combos out of the box, however the ill configured 3xCA was stopping it from working, disabling 3xCA made 2xCA work perfectly.
Our issue here is just were missing those combos so no matter what the phone will not do 4+12 even though the hardware is fully capable.
If anyone knows how to change combos, pm me or reply here, thanks.
Interceptor777 said:
Hey, I'm the author of that thread and I also have an Exynos s9+ which is same as the Note 9.
The menu is indeed completely disabled, you can't get to it even with adb or root.
There is a way to activate it, but it will not fix our issue. I've been trying for weeks.
We have a problem that started out on the Note 8, and that is the phone is not reporting the correct supported aggregation combos to the cell tower.
Using the menu, my phone does not support 4+12 however it reports 2+12 and I get carrier aggregation when I disable B4.
So far j haven't found a way to change those combos. At this point I'm very sure it grabs them from the CSC. I've been experimenting and have been unsuccessful so far
The S8 reported the correct combos out of the box, however the ill configured 3xCA was stopping it from working, disabling 3xCA made 2xCA work perfectly.
Our issue here is just were missing those combos so no matter what the phone will not do 4+12 even though the hardware is fully capable.
If anyone knows how to change combos, pm me or reply here, thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will totally donate to you if you can get this to work some how! It's pretty much the last feature I'm looking at as a "This phone is perfect except for X".
I am thinking of getting n9600 for use on t-mobile and at&t
Will losing B71 band mean too much of a hassle, or I won't even feel it?
Any ideas?
Anybody here using that. I am gravitating towards that due to dual sim
tsk1979 said:
I am thinking of getting n9600 for use on t-mobile and at&t
Will losing B71 band mean too much of a hassle, or I won't even feel it?
Any ideas?
Anybody here using that. I am gravitating towards that due to dual sim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using n9600 in bay area with simple mobile (tmobile network) and get calls, sms/mms and lte data out of the box.
I didn't have to but i flashed detonator anyway for the wifi calling, Volte and video calling. I don't ever use those but it's nice to know it's there.
Seeing as the N9600 is a Snapdragon device, you should be able to use it in the states without any issues.
iceepyon said:
Seeing as the N9600 is a Snapdragon device, you should be able to use it in the states without any issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is
1. No CDMA
2. Some bands like B71 missing. Am wondering if it won't be too much of a hassle
iceepyon said:
Seeing as the N9600 is a Snapdragon device, you should be able to use it in the states without any issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Misleading and oversimplified statement...there's more to it than simply Snapdragon or Exynos.
I just got one (n9600) for Metro by TMobile. Would love video calling, volte, Samsung pay. Any ideas?
tsk1979 said:
The problem is
1. No CDMA
2. Some bands like B71 missing. Am wondering if it won't be too much of a hassle
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's going to depend on where you are whether the missing bands are going to be a hassle or not. I live in an almost purely Band71 area so it would be almost useless to me at home, however I travel to areas where it's band 4 so it wouldn't be an issue there. So the question is, where do you plan to use it the most?
Long time lurker, first time poster here. First of all, a massive THANK YOU to everyone here. You guys and gals are Awesome! <3
So, I bought a Samsung S10 (SM-G973F/DS) on Ebay recently and flashed it to Lineage OS 19.1. All was fine until I tried to activate it. We did everything...manually changing the ASP settings, and a bunch of other stuff to try and get this thing to connect to the mobile network. Even placed the SIM card in another phone just to confirm the SIM card was fine, which it was.
Long story short, I think the device was perhaps locked even though the seller claimed it was unlocked. Whatever, I'm over it. I flashed stock back on it and re-locked the boot loader, sent it back. Not worth the aggravation. However, I am questioning if there wasn't something else I could have done?
I was trying to activate the S10 on Mint Mobile USA (a T-Mobile reseller, so GSM) it should have been fine. The default language on the device was German. I don't think that should matter, but maybe it does? Do European phones have problems activating in North America?
My question is: If I decide to get another S10 (SM-G973F/DS) from the secondary market (if its even worth it at this point, since the SM-G973F/DS is really hard to find), is there anything I can find out from the seller first so I don't end up having to send it back?
Or, should I just give up my dream of having an S10 installed with Lineage OS and it's glorious headphone jack and expandable storage forever? If so, are there any worthy alternatives to the S10 worth considering, given my affinity for headphone jacks and expandable storage?
Hello PhonePerfection, all a novel why you speak S10 G973F / DS in the United States.
Already your model S10 G973F/DS exynos 5G or the first 4G model so if these this Europe chip model, if now installed Samsung phone info look at who is scoring at worst take screenshots.
I don't understand your question United States, locked unlocked the seller.
You buy in the back market refurbished and unlocked telephone all operator therefore for sim card, the concern these the chip to install network either US or ASIA controls your model if these good SM-G973F/DS and not SM-G973U or G973U1.
Don't forget to say hello
I think what @meric57 is trying to say is that your phone doesn't have the right chips to communicate on the frequencies in the USA. It's made for other markets and other frequencies... so it won't work here.
If you use FrequencyCheck you can see what carriers support what frequencies on your specific model: https://www.frequencycheck.com/comp...m-td-lte-512gb-samsung-beyond-1/united-states
Scroll down to the "United States" area and you'll see it doesn't support the frequencies used in the USA (except for GSM 2.5, which is old and dead here in the USA). The US is primarily on LTE... and you can see that phone model doesn't support ANY of the available frequencies.
Bottom line "GSM" doesn't tell you enough. You have an incomatible phone model for the USA market. No SIM card will fix that.
Note, in SOME cases, you can activate other frequencies by loading different ROMs into the phone. My old LG V30 did this, for example. I have heard that you can run some Exynos phones here in the USA, but I don't know the details to help. FrequencyCheck may help you figure that out. Be sure the look for the complete model number, not just "Galaxy S10" or something... the naming is worthless for figuring this out.
schwinn8 said:
I think what @meric57 is trying to say is that your phone doesn't have the right chips to communicate on the frequencies in the USA. It's made for other markets and other frequencies... so it won't work here.
If you use FrequencyCheck you can see what carriers support what frequencies on your specific model: https://www.frequencycheck.com/compsomethingatibility/RdEkS7k/samsung-sm-g973f-ds-galaxy-s10-global-dual-sim-td-lte-512gb-samsung-beyond-1/united-states
Scroll down to the "United States" area and you'll see it doesn't support the frequencies used in the USA (except for GSM 2.5, which is old and dead here in the USA). The US is primarily on LTE... and you can see that phone model doesn't support ANY of the available frequencies.
Bottom line "GSM" doesn't tell you enough. You have an incomatible phone model for the USA market. No SIM card will fix that.
Note, in SOME cases, you can activate other frequencies by loading different ROMs into the phone. My old LG V30 did this, for example. I have heard that you can run some Exynos phones here in the USA, but I don't know the details to help. FrequencyCheck may help you figure that out. Be sure the look for the complete model number, not just "Galaxy S10" or something... the naming is worthless for figuring this out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
schwinn8 said:
I think what @meric57 is trying to say is that your phone doesn't have the right chips to communicate on the frequencies in the USA. It's made for other markets and other frequencies... so it won't work here.
If you use FrequencyCheck you can see what carriers support what frequencies on your specific model: https://www.frequencycheck.com/comp...m-td-lte-512gb-samsung-beyond-1/united-states
Scroll down to the "United States" area and you'll see it doesn't support the frequencies used in the USA (except for GSM 2.5, which is old and dead here in the USA). The US is primarily on LTE... and you can see that phone model doesn't support ANY of the available frequencies.
Bottom line "GSM" doesn't tell you enough. You have an incomatible phone model for the USA market. No SIM card will fix that.
Note, in SOME cases, you can activate other frequencies by loading different ROMs into the phone. My old LG V30 did this, for example. I have heard that you can run some Exynos phones here in the USA, but I don't know the details to help. FrequencyCheck may help you figure that out. Be sure the look for the complete model number, not just "Galaxy S10" or something... the naming is worthless for figuring this out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, this is great info. Good to know. It looks like that S10 could only communicate on 1 of 8 bands used by Mint/T-Mobile. That 1 usable band appears to have been deprecated by T-Mobile as it is. I think that explains it perfectly. Thank You!
You're welcome.
Yeah, frequencies/bands are very important to watch, particularly if you're buying out of market devices. You have to know model numbers and carriers to be sure of anything, and unfortunately this info is relatively hidden.
schwinn8 said:
You're welcome.
Yeah, frequencies/bands are very important to watch, particularly if you're buying out of market devices. You have to know model numbers and carriers to be sure of anything, and unfortunately this info is relatively hidden.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The CSC on that device was DBT (Germany). I had to find that out in order to put the correct stock OS back on there.
Makes me wonder if the ebay seller even knows this. They appear to specialize in mobile phones with tens of thousands of transactions, so I would hope they've encountered this situation before. They were more than happy to accept a return on the device. Sent me a prepaid shipping label immediately.
Back to the CSC... Let's say I look for another S10 (SM-G973F/DS) but I ask what the CSC is for that device. Are there any regions outside the lower 48 states with reasonably good chances of it working? I suppose I would need to study the mobile frequency website for the answer to that.
I did some quick searching, and supposedly there are websites that say the 973F/DS will work on MM (mint mobile)... but they don't detail how. For example: https://de-googled.com/blogs/news/a-word-on-network-compatibility-of-our-degoogled-phones
and https://www.ebay.com/p/15030406771 (in the description).
So, maybe it is possible? I don't know, so maybe someone else can chime in.
Personally, I stuck with U-version phones and gave up rooting/romming. It's just getting too hard to find phones that offer this, so I figured I'd just adapt back to a stock ROM, since choices are limited. I had done a bunch of that in the past, but I found that stock roms (today) are pretty good... and allow enough customization that made root/rom unnecessary... for me. My current is an SM-G975U1 (unlocked, USA, Snapdragon S10+) on Total Wireless (VZ MVNO)... it works great and I don't miss root/rom at all.
Rumor is that the Galaxy S23 will only be offered as Snapdragon, so maybe that will open up more options... but I doubt it. Samsung loves it's Knox system, and will likely lock down the phone even more with every generation.
schwinn8 said:
I did some quick searching, and supposedly there are websites that say the 973F/DS will work on MM (mint mobile)... but they don't detail how. For example: https://de-googled.com/blogs/news/a-word-on-network-compatibility-of-our-degoogled-phones
and https://www.ebay.com/p/15030406771 (in the description).
So, maybe it is possible? I don't know, so maybe someone else can chime in.
Personally, I stuck with U-version phones and gave up rooting/romming. It's just getting too hard to find phones that offer this, so I figured I'd just adapt back to a stock ROM, since choices are limited. I had done a bunch of that in the past, but I found that stock roms (today) are pretty good... and allow enough customization that made root/rom unnecessary... for me. My current is an SM-G975U1 (unlocked, USA, Snapdragon S10+) on Total Wireless (VZ MVNO)... it works great and I don't miss root/rom at all.
Rumor is that the Galaxy S23 will only be offered as Snapdragon, so maybe that will open up more options... but I doubt it. Samsung loves it's Knox system, and will likely lock down the phone even more with every generation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the link. I think I may try for an S10 again if the seller can tell me what the CSC is. That page on De-googled.com affirms that American devices are more restrictive than their European counterparts.
It just doesn't make any sense to me personally to use a device with an open source OS that has loads of telemetry, spyware, bloat, etc. Which is a contradiction that I am not comfortable with. It's like installing a Linux distro that comes bundled with Facebook.
To me, being proactive about privacy is the equivalent to standing up for yourself in the real world. Sure, you can use a stock ROM and there is nothing wrong with that. It's having the freedom to choose which is most important. So long as that choice is available, I will happily go that route.
I like the added bonus of an Android device that seems faster with a longer lasting battery as well. I mean, I paid for this device. I should have the right to decide what apps are running on it.
No argument there... I agree with why we should be allowed to root/rom. Unfortunately, the carriers pull the strings in the USA (business over people) so we are losing options. Frankly, it pisses me off that they can still prevent phones from connecting to their network just because the IMEI doesn't match (even if the software is correct). In the end, if the device CAN work on the network, the carrier should have no say in allowing/disallowing it on the network. They like to claim that a "bad" device could "hurt" the network, but if that happens, they can lock out that phone and figure it out. I doubt that's even ever happened, but whatever. (They prevented me from using my already-working V30 US998 phone on the network, even though it ran as VS996 with no issues for years... they only later saw the IMEI wasn't "theirs" (original SIM card failed) so they prevented me from re-registering it. So stupid.)
Good luck, and let us know if you figure it out... I'm always curious to learn!
yes, most japan and europe phones do not have the correct radios channels in them for 4g and 5g. i ran into this same problem with my xperia phones that i bought overseas. this is a common problem that can happen.
The S10 and all it's variants is a world compatible GSM phone. So yes, the F variant should work with most GSM carriers and resellers in N. America.
There are various websites that will tell you what frequencies and carriers any particular model will work with if you do a search. Like this one.
WillMyPhoneWork.net - Check if your phone works on a network
Check 2G, 3G, and 4G LTE Network Frequency Compatibility for a Smartphone, Tablet, and Mobile Device in any Country and Mobile Network Carrier
willmyphonework.net
According to that site the SM-G973F/DS supports all 2G, 3G, and 4G frequencies used by Mint.