hi, yesterday my sister got a Verizon Galaxy s4 for 700 bucks, I've read some websites that say that's what the verizon galaxy s4 developer edition cost. so technically her phone should come with an unlocked bootloader. I have already rooted it and flashed TWRP 2.6 but I wanted to know if there's a way to find out if the booloader is actually unlocked because people with the retail version can also flash a custom recovery so I don't know what the difference is.
Anyone???
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Easiest way I know would be to check the order receipts. Where did she buy it? Did she buy it from Samsung's website? Verizon's? Ask her to look at the emails she got. If the standard version is $650, then on top of tax even the standard version would be more than $700.
Find out where she bought it from. If it was from vzw then it's not a developer phone. Those only come from Samsung. Unless it's from a third party would purchased from Samsung.
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Related
Okay gang, I need your help. I'm new to the android landscape (note was my first android device) and was asked by a good friend of mine to find her a phone.
She's looking for a Unlocked Samsung Galaxy series phone that she can use here in the US as well as be able to swap a sim card and use for service in Italy when she visits.
So two questions. What device do you all recommend, and where is the best place to procure it?
Thanks in advance!! I know this is a galaxy note forum, but couldn't think of a better group of folks to field these questions
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Any lte phone should work as they are world phones
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Galaxy Nexus from the google store
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crxlvr said:
Any lte phone should work as they are world phones
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are LTE frequencies the same worldwide?
MUFC17JW said:
Galaxy Nexus from the google store
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Agreed. The unlocked Nexus $399.99 is the best choice for now.
Sent from my AT&T Galaxy Note™ - please forgive any typos
Here's a list of frequencies used by country:
http://allworldcellphones.com/gsm-frequencies-list.htm
Italy uses GSM 900 and 1800 frequencies which is supported by the International Note as well as the I717. I didn't see anything about LTE or HSDPA related figures, but I only looked for 3 min and clicked the first link.
My suggestion would be for her to determine what she wants in a phone. Does she want to take notes? does she want a small phone? As long as the phone has the proper frequencies, she would be able to use it in Italy. Most AT&T phones have the capability of running 800 and 1800 as well as many others, but verify by looking at the specs before buying. If she has a US carrier in mind (like AT&T) she can buy one of those subsidized and pay an unlock fee from a site (cheapest I've heard of was $8) and will probably save money.
If she wants to buy a phone outright I'd say look at the galaxy 2 series. From what I hear it's a great phone, a large community here (if she feels the urge to mod it) and can pick a new unlocked one for about 400.
Hope this helps a little.
any international unlocked phone will work. the international gs3 wouldnt be a bad bet. n7000 as well. you just wont have lte. I would not recommend an at&t direct phone because it will not be unlocked. so sim flipping could be an issue in italy.
International Galaxy Note, Galaxy Nexus, or wait for the Galaxy S3 to come out.
-Once you go NOTE, you'd say 4 inches a Joke
Figured most people here would appreciate this news.
http://phandroid.com/2013/05/23/galaxy-s4-developer-edition/
Could be a good alternative for us on Verizon considering we don't get the "google experience" model.
Cool.
yep. Waiting for the Ports
Def. getting this. With cm10.1 I can make it a nexus experience while keeping it on a better network
I almost bought the gs4 (full price to keep unlimited data) at best buy today. I wonder how long we'll have to wait for developer edition for vzw? Where we would buy it? How much would it cost? Who would handle warranty and insurance?
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Still no 32 for VZW. There might be 1gb more storage with this version, but likely no Verizon support since a dev version. I would rather root a stock VZW version and have warranty support with a 32 model.
rushless said:
Still no 32 for VZW. There might be 1gb more storage with this version, but likely no Verizon support since a dev version. I would rather root a stock VZW version and have warranty support with a 32 model.
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It should still have the same warranty as it is still a Verizon phone.
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My understanding is there is no warranty for unlocked phones. This has changed?
My job pays for my phones, otherwise I would jump at something like this. I hate all the crap Verizon forces on every phone we buy.
rushless said:
My understanding is there is no warranty for unlocked phones. This has changed?
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Click to collapse
Last I heard if you buy the dev edition and unlock it, you void the warranty. I also seem to recall that you can't go to a Verizon store for warranty work, it has to go directly to Samsung.
Will having a developer edition help us with the "normal" verision? Like, for instance, will it make it easier to understand how to unlock the normal edition, etc?
Should we all just return our devices and wait for the dev edition?...
I also wonder if the developer model will come free of vzw bloat? If so I might not even need to unlock it... at least not right away. Unfortunately it prolly will come with samsung stuff I hate like talk back?
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geoff5093 said:
Last I heard if you buy the dev edition and unlock it, you void the warranty. I also seem to recall that you can't go to a Verizon store for warranty work, it has to go directly to Samsung.
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The bootloader on the dev edition ships unlocked, that is why they call it a developer edition. With no Verizon bloatware.
cybertec69 said:
The bootloader on the dev edition ships unlocked, that is why they call it a developer edition. With no Verizon bloatware.
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What about samsung launcher and apps?
No way to purchase accident insurance?
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recDNA said:
What about samsung launcher and apps?
No way to purchase accident insurance?
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Yes it runs touchwiz still, and you can insure the phone through verizon too.
But we will have to purchase the phone directly from Samsung? Do they have repair facilities for warranty work in USA?
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recDNA said:
But we will have to purchase the phone directly from Samsung? Do they have repair facilities for warranty work in USA?
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Yes and Yes. remember verizon's insurance is through asurion. I heard squaretrade was a good alternative
BennyJr said:
Yes it runs touchwiz still, and you can insure the phone through verizon too.
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The only is if you have any software issues you would have to go thru Samsung, since Verizon has not inserted any of their special "lock down, and bloat" sauce into the phone. Any physical damage, you will need to go thru any of the insurance vendors you sign up with.
Will it cost a lot more?
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recDNA said:
Will it cost a lot more?
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Most likely $650 retail, you are buying an unlocked phone directly from the manufacturer, not from Verizon on a subsidized price.
Feedback Appreciated:
Would you recommend getting the VZW Developer Edition or sticking with the normal VZW S4 ?? (not the google edition)
Here are my notes:
-I already have the normal VZW S4. I have about 5 days to return it
-My current S4 is not yet rooted
-I am paying full retail either way in order to keep unlimited data. (I use a ton of data)
-The Developer Edition looks like it only has a 30 day warranty. Is that true? even for hardware?
-I'd like to be able to easily root my phone in order to do things like easily wifi tether, record voice calls, remove bloatware, etc.
Should I stick with the normal S4 and root it, or go with the Developer Edition. It seems like if I have an issue on the normal version, I could always De-root it, and deal with any warranty that way.
Thanks!
Personally I'll be honest with you, if you're going to root why not just throw CM10 on? Idk I paid full retail for mine also but I just don't see the big hype about the developer edition if we can do all of it with the regular edition.
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From what I have seen, the Google Edition S4 is GSM only, meaning AT&T or T-Mobile.
Developer edition with the unlocked boot loader was release for Verizon today?. Hmmmm
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I ordered one. I believe it comes carrier unlocked which is a bonus. I hope there is some support for it.
droidrev71 said:
I ordered one. I believe it comes carrier unlocked which is a bonus. I hope there is some support for it.
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I think even the normal retail ones will work with another SIM. I don't think you have to do anything special.
crunchybutternut said:
From what I have seen, the Google Edition S4 is GSM only, meaning AT&T or T-Mobile.
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Negative... Vzw is getting Google Edition...
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chrishoyt2012 said:
Negative... Vzw is getting Google Edition...
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Really? What source? I was under the impression no Google Edition for VZW, only the Dev Edition.
chrishoyt2012 said:
Negative... Vzw is getting Google Edition...
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Do you have a source or link for that information?
Hey guys, here's my situation. I'm buying a Nexus smartphone for development. This will not be my daily driver, my Verizon Galaxy S4 is used for that purpose. My two choices for Nexus phones are the Verizon Galaxy Nexus or Unlocked Nexus 4. I can get the Verizon Galaxy Nexus from a buddy for $160 or an Unlocked Nexus 4 for $299 through Google Play. I don't know what device to get and I need opinions.
Advantages for Unlocked Nexus 4:
Unlocked
Newer hardware
Better Design
Disadvantages fo4 Unlocked Nexus 4:
Higher Price than Unlocked Galaxy Nexus
Cannot throw in my Verizon SIM Card from my S4 to use in case I want to switch between it and the Nexus 4. ( I can however, do this with the Verizon Galaxy Nexus).
Advantages for Verizon Galaxy Nexus:
Cheaper
Able to use with my Verizon SIM Card
Removable battery
More storage
Disadvantage for Verizon Galaxy Nexus:
Older hardware
Not "brand new" (The Unlocked Nexus 4 will be)
So, what do you guys think?
Unlocked Nexus 4 or Verizon Galaxy Nexus?
Comment and tell me what you think!
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Gnex. It's cheaper, still has hardware comparable to the hardware that most end users are running, and Google will still support it through KLP. The crap battery will not matter since it's not your dd.
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What are you developing? Depending on that answer would depend on my answer. Dev work on a close to obsolete phone would be nearly fruitless. But if you are doing application development then it wouldn't much matter and I'd say go cheap
sent from my GE gs4
Rom development
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I'd say the n4 then personally.
sent from my GE gs4
If I were to pay "full price", as in $600-$650 or whatever, what is usually the best place to buy the phone, when something like warranty is considered?
Looks like Best Buy and Amazon don't sell it.
I'm considering getting the TMO S5 to use on my AT&T plan (grandfathered unlimited data).
If the TMO S5 gets TWRP recovery then I'm definitely in.
since you're looking for a TMO S5, have you tried a TMO store?
CZ Eddie said:
If I were to pay "full price", as in $600-$650 or whatever, what is usually the best place to buy the phone, when something like warranty is considered?
Looks like Best Buy and Amazon don't sell it.
I'm considering getting the TMO S5 to use on my AT&T plan (grandfathered unlimited data).
If the TMO S5 gets TWRP recovery then I'm definitely in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know if this will help you but I purchased my Note 3 from TMOBILE but had to buy a TMOBILE PLAN (they said they couildn't just sell me a phone. So I bought the phone online and when it came in the mail - I cancelled the tmobile data plan aft, before I activated the line. Because I never activated the line, I didn't have to pay any fees - beyond the cost of the phone. The only other thing you have to worry about is getting an unlock code for the phone - Tmobile may or may not give the code to you - in which case you can probably buy it online - or it might be possible that Chain Fires Region Fix will work as well. (that is what happened on the NOTE - the region fix also unlocked Tmobile CARRIER. (it is also possible that secret samsung codes will unlock carrier (The S4 has codes that work for that phone - I don't know if they work on the S5)
I hope this helps... (I think I read that some people were able to buy a phone from TMOBILE for use on ATT and they purchased it directly from the TMOBILE store - but I am not for sure about that. I know that Best Buy will not let you do that.
The code to unlock the phone was fixed in future versions of the software and don't work on the 4.4.2 s4 software.
I doubt that it will work on this one.
If you are going to continue using AT&T you should be able to go into one of their stores and buy one out right.
It shouldn't impact your account if you do.
May as well buy the international version.
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blackknightavalon said:
May as well buy the international version.
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International doesn't get 4G, so nahhhh...
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CZ Eddie said:
International doesn't get 4G, so nahhhh...
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Give them time. There are two international versions of the Note 3 out there and the one I have has 4G.
They will appear on Swappa.com soon enough.
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barondebxl said:
They will appear on Swappa.com soon enough.
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That's where I plan on buying one. When they get below 400.
Sent from my Wicked S4.
Saturny said:
That's where I plan on buying one. When they get below 400.
Sent from my Wicked S4.
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Well then you can wait a good 6 months. Good luck
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RMXO said:
since you're looking for a TMO S5, have you tried a TMO store?
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Lol.
T-Mobile store will charge full retail.
Dang, does Amazon, BestBuy and no other major retailer out there offer this phone?
I want to stay away from eBay because of warranty concerns.