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i was at BestBuy last week, and was about to get the AT&T Galaxy S II, unfortunately i haven't established my own credit, so i have to deposit $500, on top of the $199 [phone price] before they sell me the phone. that's around $750 with the activation fee and taxes.
that made me think, should i just get the International Version from Amazon, since they're only selling it for $550? then just start an account with AT&T? or with T-Mobile, becuase i heard T-Mobile won't ask for a deposit? will it be worth it? also, regarding data speeds, will the international version be slower than AT&T's Galaxy S II? or will it be just the same?
i really like the International Version, because of the fact that it's the slimmest versus the other 3 US variants, and from the 3, i like the AT&T's version better than T-Mobile's and Sprint's, just because i don't like how the edges are rounded.
also, i need your reason why the version of your choice is better.
any comments, suggestions or tips will be appreciated.
thank you
International version if you don't need warranty.
I think either way you might need to do a deposit if you're signing up with AT&T though.
hmm, so the $500 deposit is for the contract? and not for the phone?? i thought the idea was, deposit $500, so you don't run away with a $700 worth of phone.. -_-
the deposit is not for the phone, its for the line.
It's for the contract/line. You pay $199.99 for the phone + $500 deposit for the contract/line.
Yeah unfortunately its very easy to rack up crazy charges on your bill so if you have no credit to show you're credit worthy, you get hit. It sucks but it could be $1k...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
ahhh. i get it now. ok, so how 'bout which is better? AT&T or the International Version? will data speeds differ from each other?
IF you have an options, which I would assume, since you are asking, then definitely get the international. There are tiny physical differences, and some firmware. Some cases will fir both models, but not all. Some software will support both, but not all. In this case, if you want the greatest flexibility in software and accessories, go with international, as it's had a BIG head start.
sweetrobot said:
IF you have an options, which I would assume, since you are asking, then definitely get the international. There are tiny physical differences, and some firmware. Some cases will fir both models, but not all. Some software will support both, but not all. In this case, if you want the greatest flexibility in software and accessories, go with international, as it's had a BIG head start.
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thank you for your suggestion. now for the carrier? should i go for AT&T or T-Mobile? (since i heard they don't require the $500 deposit unlike AT&T) and also, is the data speed faster on the AT&T's GSII versus the International??
viciouspinoy said:
thank you for your suggestion. now for the carrier? should i go for AT&T or T-Mobile? (since i heard they don't require the $500 deposit unlike AT&T) and also, is the data speed faster on the AT&T's GSII versus the International??
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If your'e going with T-Mobile, you will have to buy T-Mobile's version of Samsung Galaxy S II, otherwise you will have no "3G/4G" data. You will only get EDGE data speed if you're using International or AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II.
The $500 is for contracts. If you walk into an att store with your own phone they won't ask for any money down. The only reason for contracts is to make sure they make back the discounts they give on phones. A contract is not needed if you have your own phone. Even if you're a terrible customer they only have to worry about a month. And how they schedule payments is your bill 'pays' for the next month. Even though your bill is based off your usage for that last month, you in reality are paying for the next month. That's why when you're late on a payment they don't immediately kill your line, cause they're not out money yet.
As far as what carrier? I'd go with att just for the chance tmobile deal goes through quicker than expected.
Having a phone through a carrier that is getting bought out = lots of frustration.
Having personally dealt with that situation twice, I can confidently say it's not worth it.
But since you wouldn't be on contract you could just as easily jump from tmobile to att (would be frustrating if you couldn't take your number with you, but our google overlords make that situation much better if you get a google number from them, no need to tell anyone your number even changed)
Obviously these are points with 'price being beside the point.'
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
If you decide to get an international version, I have one for sale. I'll do $500 shipped. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1296689
@runtohell121 Wow for making my long post pointless. Too bad I didn't see your post till after I had already sent mine.
You're definitely right.
Tmobile uses both 1700 and 2100. One for upstream and one for downstream.
Unfortunately the galaxy s ii uses 850/900/1800/1900 bands for gsm.
Looks like att is the best choice, otherwise it will only be edge speeds.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
gr8hairy1 said:
The $500 is for contracts. If you walk into an att store with your own phone they won't ask for any money down. The only reason for contracts is to make sure they make back the discounts they give on phones. A contract is not needed if you have your own phone. Even if you're a terrible customer they only have to worry about a month. And how they schedule payments is your bill 'pays' for the next month. Even though your bill is based off your usage for that last month, you in reality are paying for the next month. That's why when you're late on a payment they don't immediately kill your line, cause they're not out money yet.
As far as what carrier? I'd go with att just for the chance tmobile deal goes through quicker than expected.
Having a phone through a carrier that is getting bought out = lots of frustration.
Having personally dealt with that situation twice, I can confidently say it's not worth it.
But since you wouldn't be on contract you could just as easily jump from tmobile to att (would be frustrating if you couldn't take your number with you, but our google overlords make that situation much better if you get a google number from them, no need to tell anyone your number even changed)
Obviously these are points with 'price being beside the point.'
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
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ok, so just for clarification, if i walk in to an AT&T STORE with the INTERNATIONAL Galaxy S II on hand, i won't have to pay $500 for the deposit? With that in mind, then it would be cheaper for me right? Because i'm a college student with no credit. because with what you said, i think i will definitely get the international version.
Forget T-Mobile, since i work in Irvine, Ca., most of my co workers that are with AT&T, have better coverage than Verizon and T-Mobile. My only question now is if i get the International Galaxy S II, and start a plan with AT&T, will it run the same data speeds as with AT&T's Galaxy S II?
Truceda said:
If you decide to get an international version, I have one for sale. I'll do $500 shipped. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1296689
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for some reason, i couldn't see your post, it says, its because im a new member. anyway, post the details here, or PM it to me. is it brand new? and where are you from? send pictures.
viciouspinoy said:
ok, so just for clarification, if i walk in to an AT&T STORE with the INTERNATIONAL Galaxy S II on hand, i won't have to pay $500 for the deposit? With that in mind, then it would be cheaper for me right? Because i'm a college student with no credit. because with what you said, i think i will definitely get the international version.
Forget T-Mobile, since i work in Irvine, Ca., most of my co workers that are with AT&T, have better coverage than Verizon and T-Mobile. My only question now is if i get the International Galaxy S II, will it run the same data speeds as with the AT&T Version?
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I'm not too sure about the contract question, but I still think you would have to pay a deposit IF you sign a contract with AT&T. I personally don't know that you're allow to get service with AT&T without a contract or I never done it before so.. yea.. I don't know.. but my guess is that if you go into an AT&T store with your international SGSII, they will say it won't work or something LOL.
As for the SGSII data speed question, it will be the same as AT&T version as long as you have the correct data settings.
thanks! but i need this clarified though. ive been watching videos of the international galaxy s ii.. i'm in love with it.
after googling and looking at at&t forum.. seems like you can do month to month with AT&T on an unlocked phone as long as it works. Just that I'm not too sure on what data package you would need.
Ok, so what does the "correct data settings" that you were saying mean? Hmm, data package? I might want a 2GB data plan. Is that what you were asking?
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App
You will most likely have to enter the data settings to enable the 3G for the SGSII International to work on AT&T. By data pack, I mean you might be able to get the "dumbphone" unlimited since it's an unlocked phone..
Galaxy S 4g broke today... To get a replacement would be $130 but if I'm paying that much I'd rather get another phone. Like the topic title, what's the best phone to get for rooting? My budget on a phone is $200 and I'd like to get a phone that is in active development on the xda forums.
Best phone for rooting is definitely the Galaxy Nexus. It is my understanding that (for U.S. customers) it can be purchased directly from the Play Store for a very reasonable price. Just make sure you get the T-Mobile (AWS) version.
Whether T-Mobile carries it as a subsidized phone I don't know.
Tomaxda said:
Best phone for rooting is definitely the Galaxy Nexus. It is my understanding that (for U.S. customers) it can be purchased directly from the Play Store for a very reasonable price. Just make sure you get the T-Mobile (AWS) version.
Whether T-Mobile carries it as a subsidized phone I don't know.
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Agreed, Nexus-series devices should certainly be the first choice if you're interesting in rooting and hacking and whatnot. The Galaxy Nexus is available straight from Google, though at $400 it may be a bit beyond your budget. There is no AWS version; the GSM version is pentaband (supporting HSDPA 850/900/1700/1900/2100 bands) so it will work on any GSM carrier.
And no, the GSM Galaxy Nexus is not available at a subsidized price (or really at all) from T-Mobile.
Quickie question. I know it's been discussed in a few other posts, but I have a question regarding the intl version and NOT using AT&T.
I'm getting my own plan with StraightTalk, most likely, with the SGS3. The problem is, if I'm not worried about getting a 4G Plan, should I save about $100ish and buy the AT&T Version for full price and then unlock it or just buy it from Expansys-USA? How is the warranty for US Customers with AT&T/Expansys? Are there better places to buy the international version from?
Thanks so much! Hoping to get my hands on this within the next two weeks!
I'll be upgrading my phone through AT&T soon. Basically I've decided on going Android, but not sure which device to choose. I'd like a solid phone that I can root. I prefer as close to stock Android as possible. I'm currently under a 2 year contract with AT&T and will be renewing it with the phone purchase. I guess I'm just looking for advice on which flagship level phones are available from AT&T that can be rooted easily enough. I don't care for the custom skins and bloatware that come with most phones these days.
I know there are some that I can purchase unlocked, but since I'll be renewing my contract with AT&T, I would like to use the benefit of purchasing the device at a lower cost. I'd rather not pay full price for the phone elsewhere and still have the subsidized cost built into my monthly bill.
Thanks in advance!
Bump?
Like the title says, I've looked in every T-Mobile store and they're not selling any since it's a "year old", just the S2. Went to Best Buy...they just sell Sprint and Verizon versions but you can't get them unless you get a contract with them. I've looked online, and I'm scared to purchase one because most just say "750" without the model at the end (for example 750T for T-Mobile). I've found a AT&T watch and was thinking of ordering it since most of you guys on here have said it's compatible with a T-Mobile sim, but you only get 2G speeds, or I can get prepaid such as Straight Talk or H20 as well. Any suggestions as to where I can purchase a T-Mobile Gear S? Can't find anything on Ebay or Amazon
Leelouster said:
Like the title says, I've looked in every T-Mobile store and they're not selling any since it's a "year old", just the S2. Went to Best Buy...they just sell Sprint and Verizon versions but you can't get them unless you get a contract with them. I've looked online, and I'm scared to purchase one because most just say "750" without the model at the end (for example 750T for T-Mobile). I've found a AT&T watch and was thinking of ordering it since most of you guys on here have said it's compatible with a T-Mobile sim, but you only get 2G speeds, or I can get prepaid such as Straight Talk or H20 as well. Any suggestions as to where I can purchase a T-Mobile Gear S? Can't find anything on Ebay or Amazon
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where are you located? I'm asking because i can't find a sprint version anywhere around me (philadelphia) and i'm going crazy trying to figure out how to get the at&t one i've purchased to work standalone when i have sprint! It could be so much easier if i could just find a sprint version!
Leelouster said:
Like the title says, I've looked in every T-Mobile store and they're not selling any since it's a "year old", just the S2. Went to Best Buy...they just sell Sprint and Verizon versions but you can't get them unless you get a contract with them. I've looked online, and I'm scared to purchase one because most just say "750" without the model at the end (for example 750T for T-Mobile). I've found a AT&T watch and was thinking of ordering it since most of you guys on here have said it's compatible with a T-Mobile sim, but you only get 2G speeds, or I can get prepaid such as Straight Talk or H20 as well. Any suggestions as to where I can purchase a T-Mobile Gear S? Can't find anything on Ebay or Amazon
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Click to collapse
There is a guy under this subforum selling a T-Mobile Gear S. Contact him?
LunaWasted said:
where are you located? I'm asking because i can't find a sprint version anywhere around me (philadelphia) and i'm going crazy trying to figure out how to get the at&t one i've purchased to work standalone when i have sprint! It could be so much easier if i could just find a sprint version!
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Purchase a prepaid sim for you att device and turn on call forwarding or use the prepaid number.
LunaWasted said:
where are you located? I'm asking because i can't find a sprint version anywhere around me (philadelphia) and i'm going crazy trying to figure out how to get the at&t one i've purchased to work standalone when i have sprint! It could be so much easier if i could just find a sprint version!
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I'm located in the bottom of Texas lol. There's Sprint versions at my Best Buy but no T-Mobile Lol. I'm thinking of just getting it from AT&T and opening up a contract with them for 10 bucks a month. :/ I saw some on E-Bay but I rather not risk it from there.
James.Markham0757 said:
There is a guy under this subforum selling a T-Mobile Gear S. Contact him?
Purchase a prepaid sim for you att device and turn on call forwarding or use the prepaid number.
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I did, but he never replied. As for the prepaid sim, I can't find none of what they were talking about in this forum. I've looked for H20 and StraightTalk at my Wal-Mart, but there's no H20, and with StraightTalk, I don't know what card to get. They spoke of one expiring after 90 days (maybe that was the H20?) but every card there expires after 30 days, even if you don't use all the texting and calling minutes.
Leelouster said:
I'm thinking of just getting it from AT&T and opening up a contract with them for 10 bucks a month. :/ I saw some on E-Bay but I rather not risk it from there.
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The AT&T $10 device plan only works if you already have a family shared plan with them. You also can't use it on T-Mobile's Wearable plan because T-Mo locks this plan to IMEIs of T-Mo version Gear S or Gear S2 only.
The Gear S is already over a year old. Most places already cleared them out for Gear S2. eBay is probably your only bet for any device of this age.
Swappa website has some good deals on Smartwatches..
Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk
foxbat121 said:
The AT&T $10 device plan only works if you already have a family shared plan with them. You also can't use it on T-Mobile's Wearable plan because T-Mo locks this plan to IMEIs of T-Mo version Gear S or Gear S2 only.
The Gear S is already over a year old. Most places already cleared them out for Gear S2. eBay is probably your only bet for any device of this age.
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Damn...but if I use the AT&T watch with the AT&T plan, I can still forward calls to my T-Mobile phone right?
nktwister said:
Swappa website has some good deals on Smartwatches..
Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk
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Thanks man, I'll check it out
(Offer up) great app
Can you buy an AT&T and then buy an unlock code? It's only $20-$25 online for one.
jmattick said:
Can you buy an AT&T and then buy an unlock code? It's only $20-$25 online for one.
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Yes you can. I read that many people did that. AT&T is supposed to supply an unlock code if you call, but I've seen that many people had different outcomes. Some were able to get it, some had to keep on calling nad persisting, and others had no luck. Although beware that in unlocking the device, when you go to another carrier (such as T-Mobile) that it will have 2g or HSPA+ speeds instead of 3G or even 4G since the bands are different or something like that.
I sold my unlocked ATT gear S last month, because I managed to grab an LG watch Urbane 2nd edition LTE before they took them off the market. For what it's worth, I bought mine from ATT, had it unlocked by ATT, and used it on Tmobile with the wearables plan for a year. (As soon as I put the sim card in my LG watch, it did something to my wearables plan and i could never get it reinstated. In general, unlocked ATT Gear s devices no longer work with the $5 Tmo wearables plan, but with any other regular Tmo sim card.)
Anyhow, in New England, I was getting 3G speeds sometimes, if I recall correctly.
To get the ATT Gear S unlocked, you need to have been an ATT postpaid cell customer at some point, and provide that respective phone number to them. If you have a friend who is a customer, they could submit the unlock request for you as well.
Otherwise, ATT forces you to "wait 90 days" during which time you have to pay for a plan with them.
There was also an Ebay seller who was selling unlock codes for around $10 if memory serves me well.
By the way, the regular retail price for the ATT version is cheaper by $50 than Tmo's, so definitely worth going that route.
It would be unbelievably helpful if you'd let us know how much you love it =), on a side note I does anybody have a bricked Gear S? I'll buy it =)
xendula said:
Otherwise, ATT forces you to "wait 90 days" during which time you have to pay for a plan with them.
There was also an Ebay seller who was selling unlock codes for around $10 if memory serves me well.
By the way, the regular retail price for the ATT version is cheaper by $50 than Tmo's, so definitely worth going that route.
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Yeah, AT&T's stupid 90 days plan. Way too much. I don't wanna be paying 50 dollars a month for a watch. I found a friend who has a watch that is 1 month old and was selling it so I brought it, and it's from T-Mobile too so it's a win, win. It's only 5 dollars a month (plus an addition 10 for insurance). AT&T is selling the watch right now for $199 outright. T-Mobile isn't selling it at all, but before they took it down it was going for $250. I went with T-Mobile because $199 plus tax comes out to $220. Then I got to put 30% down for AT&T's stupid plan plus an additional $20 or $30 dollars extra (forgot for what) which comes out to $76 dollars total. So add that to the $220. Then the following month I'm going to have to pay a one-time activation fee of $15 dollars, PLUS the service which is $50 dollars (but if you're already a customer with them it's $10 a month), PLUS if you haven't already finished paying off the watch, you're going to have to put down money for that before the 3 months is over. Too costly in my opinion. I just payed my friend $120 (cause he has $80 left due in his account so I'm paying off that) and then just the $15 bucks a month so I'm good.
I think my friend has a bricked Gear S, but he has to send that back since they gave him the one that I have right now lol.
GOIGIG said:
It would be unbelievably helpful if you'd let us know how much you love it =)
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If you mean the Urbane, it's mindblowingly awesome, with a battery life that's out of this world. My Gear S was great for the year I had it, but the Urbane is so much better; I've been using it daily for almost 3 months now.
The only updates Google needs to make is allow voice calls over BT and a way to manually update APN settings, both possible with the Gear S.
Don't buy an att gear s if you plan to use the android rom on it. Att locked the bootloader on their gear s and so far there is no way to unlock it so no rom for us.
I have a T-Mobile version and I shopped for it on my local Craigslist. You just have to be careful yet persistent. Ask for better photos and definitely take a copy of the ad with you when you go to check it out for hopefully your purchase. My seller had a warranty replacement and it is in near pristine condition. I have replaced his original watch band, thanks to eBay. And I do have a broke clip on the charger cradle that I will eventually replace as well.
Also, Swappa is an excellent place to purchase items. There's 2 sides, there's the Swappa.com and then there's Boneyard where you purchase stuff not able to be sold on regular Swappa like broken glass, missing parts and devices for parts. Google both. Hope this helps!! If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Now, I did in fact have an AT&T branded Gear S that I tried, unsuccessfully, to get to operate on T-Mobile. I wanted the wearables sim card and I put T-mobile's in it. It would NOT work for me as I was told by many support levels (twitter, email, and phone) that the T-Mobile wearables sim card was not provisioned for the AT&T branded Gear S. I gave up and sent that version Gear S back, getting a full refund and purchased what I described in my opening of this post.
ladydi102 said:
I have a T-Mobile version and I shopped for it on my local Craigslist. You just have to be careful yet persistent. Ask for better photos and definitely take a copy of the ad with you when you go to check it out for hopefully your purchase. My seller had a warranty replacement and it is in near pristine condition. I have replaced his original watch band, thanks to eBay. And I do have a broke clip on the charger cradle that I will eventually replace as well.
Also, Swappa is an excellent place to purchase items. There's 2 sides, there's the Swappa.com and then there's Boneyard where you purchase stuff not able to be sold on regular Swappa like broken glass, missing parts and devices for parts. Google both. Hope this helps!! If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Now, I did in fact have an AT&T branded Gear S that I tried, unsuccessfully, to get to operate on T-Mobile. I wanted the wearables sim card and I put T-mobile's in it. It would NOT work for me as I was told by many support levels (twitter, email, and phone) that the T-Mobile wearables sim card was not provisioned for the AT&T branded Gear S. I gave up and sent that version Gear S back, getting a full refund and purchased what I described in my opening of this post.
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I bought an AT&T branded gear S from swappable a couple of months ago and I am using it with my wearable sim card without a problem. I already had the plan though with a tablet and cut down the sim put it in the gear and called tmobile and they turned it into a data and phone line for me as it was only a data line.
izakura said:
I bought an AT&T branded gear S from swappable a couple of months ago and I am using it with my wearable sim card without a problem. I already had the plan though with a tablet and cut down the sim put it in the gear and called tmobile and they turned it into a data and phone line for me as it was only a data line.
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NIce. I found a really good deal on a AT&T Gear S but not sure I want to get it because my luck isn't that good. lol So your AT&T Gear S works exactly the same on T-Mobile then? I don't have a tablet plan so not sure what I would have to do to go the route you did.
sweets55 said:
NIce. I found a really good deal on a AT&T Gear S but not sure I want to get it because my luck isn't that good. lol So your AT&T Gear S works exactly the same on T-Mobile then? I don't have a tablet plan so not sure what I would have to do to go the route you did.
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So far it's been working great. But I already had the plan so I don't know if it would work. Call tmobile and see if it could work. I mean they turned my data only plan into a phone line
izakura said:
So far it's been working great. But I already had the plan so I don't know if it would work. Call tmobile and see if it could work. I mean they turned my data only plan into a phone line
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I know a T-Mobile manager. I called him today but he was off. He's worked his magic before. So let me get this straight your watch has it's own number and you get 4G speeds?