Hey mates,
I've been a loyal nokia user since the last few years, things are about to change tomorrow as im buying my first android phone, the galaxy s2!
Vodafone india is exclusively going to sell the phone from tomorrow. They're also offering 1gb per month data usage on 3g for the first 6 months.
Im curious to know if the phone will come with vodafone badge/logo, etc. Im also assuming that the phone will be locked? If i do unlock it through some 3rd party app, will it create trouble, end my free 3g usage? Or should i wait till the 9th and buy a factory unlocked phone(i hope they're gonna sell factory unlocked units in india)?
Any help would be much appreciated. Cheers!
No, it is exactly same as the retail version(Unlocked) . Indiaplaza offers the phone for 29.9k . I hope the price is going to be come down below 30k in retails stores in a week or two .
Thanks - Anish
Hey i was unable to locate any vodafone store around Delhi, India which had information regarding SGS2 from which part are you?
Hi -
I live in the UK and would love to get my hands on a sim-free 32Gb S3 which is a problem as vodafone seem to still have the exclusivity rights.
There are some retailers (simplyelectronics, mobicity etc) that are sell 32Gb units - but I am concerned that that these will have overseas ROM and won't function correctly in the UK.
How justified is this concern? If I get an overseas model then is it just a case of using odin and flashing the ROM and I'll be as good as if it was a UK unit?
Also... does anyone know what the status is of the vodafone exclusivity deal - is it likely to end soon and we'll see 32Gb units everywhere?
Many thanks!
You do realise that you can expand the storage of the 16GB version... how much storage do you really need???
As for the expansys/handtec supply etc. - grey imports - caveat emptor
No such a thing as a UK unit...a car may be but not a phone hardware wise..software not always branded by carriers...and yes Odin it! Plenty of custom romsto choose from..
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
OP may want the 32gb just to have tons of memory. Anyway, I bought my S3 from mobicity UK. Came with stock European unbranded rom. No issues whatsoever.
Hi
Many thanks to all who have replied ...
LenAsh - yes i know there's a slot for a card but given the OS uses up ~6Gig then ideally I'd like to have some more onboard storage.
Widget21 - thanks for that - if I've understood correctly then just Odin-ing the phone will give me a UK unit as the hardware is the same globally?
DramatikBeats - good to hear your feedback from mobicity - appreciated; was this a 32Gb unit?
Cheers!
dconroy said:
Hi
Many thanks to all who have replied ...
LenAsh - yes i know there's a slot for a card but given the OS uses up ~6Gig then ideally I'd like to have some more onboard storage.
Widget21 - thanks for that - if I've understood correctly then just Odin-ing the phone will give me a UK unit as the hardware is the same globally?
DramatikBeats - good to hear your feedback from mobicity - appreciated; was this a 32Gb unit?
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey dconroy,
I'm currently in the UK and purchased an unbranded 32GB S3 from amazon.de without any issues or problems and got shipped straight here.
I'm in France and bought my unit on a Hong Kong website and all is perfect. Localization is brought by the Rom, not by the phone.
Nah, 16gb. 48gb is more than enough memory for me (including 32gb sdcard)
Regardless of where you get it as long as it is modelo i9300 you can restasure you can unlock it flash it and root it without any problems. In my most humble opinion you should wait and get the LTE version
2gigs of ram
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Hi -
Many thanks to all the answers - I really appreciate your time. To summarise this is what I think is the case - let me know if any of this is wrong!
* All S3 units are the same globally - it matters not which country it's bought in (so long as it's a genuine product not a fake).
* I can flash the ROM with Odin to make it behave as if it was a new UK handset with no difference to any other and this does not require me to root the phone
Many thanks!
Almost correct. The US S3's are completely different phones.
As somebody else pointed out, just make sure the model is i9300
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Does anyone have any reviews or know of any 3rd party roms for this phone?
The search has come up empty. It is possible it is a rebranded phone.
Are there any alternatives for a quadcore dual sim phone? I need to buy an upgrade for someone with the thl w8, but they need dual sim and love gravitymod which i have flashed. A responsive dual sim 5" phone with PAC would be a godsend.
Thanks
SamGold said:
Does anyone have any reviews or know of any 3rd party roms for this phone?
The search has come up empty. It is possible it is a rebranded phone.
Are there any alternatives for a quadcore dual sim phone? I need to buy an upgrade for someone with the thl w8, but they need dual sim and love gravitymod which i have flashed. A responsive dual sim 5" phone with PAC would be a godsend.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nothing exists for this phone. only the $99 pandawill model and an aliexpress Tai-Wan-WMC-X5 variation.
no reviews or rom
Just ordered one, quite curious how it will perform.
Ill post updates, when I get my hands on it.
Does anybody have any idea what hides behind WMC or the phone ?
I cant find any infos on it whatsoever.
Hi
1. I am looking at purchasing two Samsung Galaxy S9+ Plus (256 GB) G965FD Dual Sim (SIM-Free / Unlocked) phones from a UK company in Leeds UK called Empire Hut. They are imports and are sourced from the UAE and are brand new sealed boxed. The company (Empire Hut) give a two year warranty but if there is a problem it is handled by them who send to/from Samsung. I have no problem with that.
I will be putting them on the a BT SIM only (4GB) contract because I am already with them and can get a good family deal at £10 monthly for the 1st SIM and £8 for second SIM.
Some questions if I may!
a). I live in a very poor signal area and will be using Wifi calling always in the house. Both phones we have at present are Samsung S7's and work successful in this mode in my house. Also looking at the BT site they list many phones that do support wifi calling and list the S9+
I asked Empire Hut if they knew if these imports (G965FD Dual Sim)(different supporting configuration) would work using Wifi calling, because it is important to my wife and myself that they do. The operative did not know the answer and would not commit herself in chat. I also asked the new guy in the new Samsung shop just opened in Reading Berkshire and he is fairly sure it does. Does anyone on this forum know for certain because they already do it?, Perhaps I am being overcautious with this question? Belt and braces so to speak.
b). Browsing the internet (as one does), I did read somewhere that the ROM versions are different (region specific) and certain payment systems (samsung pay) will not work. This is not important to me and is not a show stopper.
c). Also searching I saw mentioned (sorry no link) that I may not be able to update this android system (regional differences) with the latest patches. Has anyone any information on whether this is true or false?
I would be most grateful if anyone can advise on these 3 questions and also if anyone has knowledge of any other potential pitfalls (if any) operating this UAE version of the S9+ in the UK. Extensive searching reveals nothing.
I look forward gratefully to any replies.
Kind regards and Thank you.
Peter
Broadmarsh said:
Hi
1. I am looking at purchasing two Samsung Galaxy S9+ Plus (256 GB) G965FD Dual Sim (SIM-Free / Unlocked) phones from a UK company in Leeds UK called Empire Hut. They are imports and are sourced from the UAE and are brand new sealed boxed. The company (Empire Hut) give a two year warranty but if there is a problem it is handled by them who send to/from Samsung. I have no problem with that.
I will be putting them on the a BT SIM only (4GB) contract because I am already with them and can get a good family deal at £10 monthly for the 1st SIM and £8 for second SIM.
Some questions if I may!
a). I live in a very poor signal area and will be using Wifi calling always in the house. Both phones we have at present are Samsung S7's and work successful in this mode in my house. Also looking at the BT site they list many phones that do support wifi calling and list the S9+
I asked Empire Hut if they knew if these imports (G965FD Dual Sim)(different supporting configuration) would work using Wifi calling, because it is important to my wife and myself that they do. The operative did not know the answer and would not commit herself in chat. I also asked the new guy in the new Samsung shop just opened in Reading Berkshire and he is fairly sure it does. Does anyone on this forum know for certain because they already do it?, Perhaps I am being overcautious with this question? Belt and braces so to speak.
b). Browsing the internet (as one does), I did read somewhere that the ROM versions are different (region specific) and certain payment systems (samsung pay) will not work. This is not important to me and is not a show stopper.
c). Also searching I saw mentioned (sorry no link) that I may not be able to update this android system (regional differences) with the latest patches. Has anyone any information on whether this is true or false?
I would be most grateful if anyone can advise on these 3 questions and also if anyone has knowledge of any other potential pitfalls (if any) operating this UAE version of the S9+ in the UK. Extensive searching reveals nothing.
I look forward gratefully to any replies.
Kind regards and Thank you.
Peter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought the S9+ 256GB Dual SIM in Dubai. Thing is that you'll have to flash any Official ROM from your region that supports VoLTE/WiFi calling, because the ROM from UAE (XSG) has VoLTE and WiFi calling disabled by software.
I've tried everything and only flashing Indian (INS) ROM solved it (I live in Argentina and here Samsung sells Snapdragon version, instead of Exynos one).
My case flashing INS Official ROM didn't trip Knox, and flashing official ROMs without any customization shouldn't trip it. But have in mind it can happen (read a couple of people had that). So do it at your own risk and only flash it with ODIN.
I think you'll have to flash BTU ROM in order to have your region stuff (VoLTE, WiFi calling, Samsung Pay)
Oh, about updates don't worry, unless you root your phone ot flash any custom ROM, you'll continue getting updates for your phone via OTA.
Sent from S.G. S9+ Duos
Broadmarsh said:
Hi
1. I am looking at purchasing two Samsung Galaxy S9+ Plus (256 GB) G965FD Dual Sim (SIM-Free / Unlocked) phones from a UK company in Leeds UK called Empire Hut. They are imports and are sourced from the UAE and are brand new sealed boxed. The company (Empire Hut) give a two year warranty but if there is a problem it is handled by them who send to/from Samsung. I have no problem with that.
I will be putting them on the a BT SIM only (4GB) contract because I am already with them and can get a good family deal at £10 monthly for the 1st SIM and £8 for second SIM.
Some questions if I may!
a). I live in a very poor signal area and will be using Wifi calling always in the house. Both phones we have at present are Samsung S7's and work successful in this mode in my house. Also looking at the BT site they list many phones that do support wifi calling and list the S9+
I asked Empire Hut if they knew if these imports (G965FD Dual Sim)(different supporting configuration) would work using Wifi calling, because it is important to my wife and myself that they do. The operative did not know the answer and would not commit herself in chat. I also asked the new guy in the new Samsung shop just opened in Reading Berkshire and he is fairly sure it does. Does anyone on this forum know for certain because they already do it?, Perhaps I am being overcautious with this question? Belt and braces so to speak.
b). Browsing the internet (as one does), I did read somewhere that the ROM versions are different (region specific) and certain payment systems (samsung pay) will not work. This is not important to me and is not a show stopper.
c). Also searching I saw mentioned (sorry no link) that I may not be able to update this android system (regional differences) with the latest patches. Has anyone any information on whether this is true or false?
I would be most grateful if anyone can advise on these 3 questions and also if anyone has knowledge of any other potential pitfalls (if any) operating this UAE version of the S9+ in the UK. Extensive searching reveals nothing.
I look forward gratefully to any replies.
Kind regards and Thank you.
Peter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Peter,
You're in luck since the UAE S9+ is NOT region locked, which means as soon as you insert a British SIM card, the device will prompt you to reset it, which will change the devices CSC (Carrier Specific Customization) to UK Unlocked, once the phone restarts and you set it up, it will function as if it was an S9+ bought directly from Samsung UK.
Question 1) The S9+ sure does support both VoLTE and WiFi calling, as long as you activate the phone with a British SIM card, and then do a factory reset right after, you'll get WiFi calling.
Question 2 and 3) Yes, they are technically different. Since the UK and UAE have a slightly different update schedule, you will have to manually flash your device to the latest UK firmware to continue getting software updates as they are released for the UK.
After converting your devices CSC to UK as I mentioned in the answer to your first question, you'll have to flash this UK firmware:
https://androidfilehost.com/?fid=11410963190603871251
The tutorial for which can be found in my thread here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...ficial-stock-firmware-thread-samsung-t3764479
Let me know if you didn't understand any part of my post, and I'd be happy to clarify anything.
MeltdownSpectre said:
Hi Peter,
You're in luck since the UAE S9+ is NOT region locked, which means as soon as you insert a British SIM card, the device will prompt you to reset it, which will change the devices CSC (Carrier Specific Customization) to UK Unlocked, once the phone restarts and you set it up, it will function as if it was an S9+ bought directly from Samsung UK.
Question 1) The S9+ sure does support both VoLTE and WiFi calling, as long as you activate the phone with a British SIM card, and then do a factory reset right after, you'll get WiFi calling.
Question 2 and 3) Yes, they are technically different. Since the UK and UAE have a slightly different update schedule, you will have to manually flash your device to the latest UK firmware to continue getting software updates as they are released for the UK.
After converting your devices CSC to UK as I mentioned in the answer to your first question, you'll have to flash this UK firmware:
https://androidfilehost.com/?fid=11410963190603871251
The tutorial for which can be found in my thread here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...ficial-stock-firmware-thread-samsung-t3764479
Let me know if you didn't understand any part of my post, and I'd be happy to clarify anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much for the comprehensive reply. You have covered all my questions that has made me review my thinking.
I was not specifically wanting a dual SIM card option phone, it was just that the larger storage of 256gb for the S9 Plus from UAE came with that option and was a reasonable price.
Going through all the hoops is not appropriate for myself and my wife when a single SIM phone will do nicely and fits our needs, so I have decided not to go forward with getting one from UAE, but get a 64gb European version one (G965FZKADBT) that is sold by Debenhams UK and fit it with a Samsung Mobile UK 128 GB 100 MB/s Class 10 U3 Memory Evo Plus MicroSD card, or even a 256gb card.
Taking this route is only £20 more per phone. Hardly worth worrying about, given that I get the full support from Samsung UK where it is sourced from. Samsung do not make a 64gb version for the UK market, only a 128gb version. They know that anyone in the whole of the EU can source that smaller 64gb size (with the german code ADBT) from the EU and fit with the appropriate size memory card. I spoke to debenhams who spoke to Samsung to confirm.
As a matter of interest the prices for the S9+ are as follows:
From UAE are £569 (128gb) and £599 (256gb). (no Samsung support) (I can sell my phone on ebay for £140)
From Samsung with UK firmware £769 (128gb) Can get £150 cash back for S7 phone = £619). (with UK support).
From Debenhams UK with EU software (identical software as UK) it is £599 (64gb). I can fit this with a 128gb card at £20 (totals £619) or £41 for a 256gb card (total £640). Also I can get £140 for my S7s.
Do you have any comments on this? How about micro SD cards for 4k recording or 1080p?
Thanks again.
Peter
Broadmarsh said:
Thank you very much for the comprehensive reply. You have covered all my questions that has made me review my thinking.
I was not specifically wanting a dual SIM card option phone, it was just that the larger storage of 256gb for the S9 Plus from UAE came with that option and was a reasonable price.
Going through all the hoops is not appropriate for myself and my wife when a single SIM phone will do nicely and fits our needs, so I have decided not to go forward with getting one from UAE, but get a 64gb European version one (G965FZKADBT) that is sold by Debenhams UK and fit it with a Samsung Mobile UK 128 GB 100 MB/s Class 10 U3 Memory Evo Plus MicroSD card, or even a 256gb card.
Taking this route is only £20 more per phone. Hardly worth worrying about, given that I get the full support from Samsung UK where it is sourced from. Samsung do not make a 64gb version for the UK market, only a 128gb version. They know that anyone in the whole of the EU can source that smaller 64gb size (with the german code ADBT) from the EU and fit with the appropriate size memory card. I spoke to debenhams who spoke to Samsung to confirm.
As a matter of interest the prices for the S9+ are as follows:
From UAE are £569 (128gb) and £599 (256gb). (no Samsung support) (I can sell my phone on ebay for £140)
From Samsung with UK firmware £769 (128gb) Can get £150 cash back for S7 phone = £619). (with UK support).
From Debenhams UK with EU software (identical software as UK) it is £599 (64gb). I can fit this with a 128gb card at £20 (totals £619) or £41 for a 256gb card (total £640). Also I can get £140 for my S7s.
Do you have any comments on this? How about micro SD cards for 4k recording or 1080p?
Thanks again.
Peter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go with whatever route is cheapest for you, since all the phones are the same.
I went with the 64 GB S9+ and I've got a 64 GB SDCard in it. Plenty of storage for me and I'm not even close to occupying all of it.
I'm not sure if Samsung allows 4K recording to SDCards, however 1080p should be fine. You can record 4K to internal storage and then shift to SDCard after you're done.
Sent from my SM-G965F
MeltdownSpectre said:
Go with whatever route is cheapest for you, since all the phones are the same.
I went with the 64 GB S9+ and I've got a 64 GB SDCard in it. Plenty of storage for me and I'm not even close to occupying all of it.
I'm not sure if Samsung allows 4K recording to SDCards, however 1080p should be fine. You can record 4K to internal storage and then shift to SDCard after you're done.
Sent from my SM-G965F
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!
1. When you say this, are you saying the path/route is fixed by internal coding or is it down to the detection of the type of memory or the flash memory speed?
2. Once shifted to a microsd card, presumably it play it from there?
3. I have experience of a microSD UHS memory card, because I purchased a larger one( to V30 standard) from DELKIN to use on my Dashcam because I saw errors with a lower standard card.
4. On the subject of memory types, do you have any recommendations for memory types/standards? I would be after the fastest. I do understand the differences and classes?
Kind regards and thanks again.
Peter
Broadmarsh said:
Thanks!
1. When you say this, are you saying the path/route is fixed by internal coding or is it down to the detection of the type of memory or the flash memory speed?
2. Once shifted to a microsd card, presumably it play it from there?
3. I have experience of a microSD UHS memory card, because I purchased a larger one( to V30 standard) from DELKIN to use on my Dashcam because I saw errors with a lower standard card.
4. On the subject of memory types and so forth, presumably there is an online .pdf for the S9+ that I can download? If so could you point me in that direction.
Kind regards and thanks again.
Peter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) I believe fixed by internal coding. Don't think the phone can detect the type of SDCard inserted, although I could be wrong.
2) Yes.
4) Not that I know of. Most newer class 10 and UHS-1 cards should work fine. To rule out any compatibility issues, grab yourself a Samsung EVO SDcard and use that.
Sent from my SM-N960F
MeltdownSpectre said:
1)
4) Not that I know of. Most newer class 10 and UHS-1 cards should work fine. To rule out any compatibility issues, grab yourself a Samsung EVO SDcard and use that.
Sent from my SM-N960F
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I have been looking at that!
Thanks.
Broadmarsh said:
Thank you very much for the comprehensive reply. You have covered all my questions that has made me review my thinking.
I was not specifically wanting a dual SIM card option phone, it was just that the larger storage of 256gb for the S9 Plus from UAE came with that option and was a reasonable price.
Going through all the hoops is not appropriate for myself and my wife when a single SIM phone will do nicely and fits our needs, so I have decided not to go forward with getting one from UAE, but get a 64gb European version one (G965FZKADBT) that is sold by Debenhams UK and fit it with a Samsung Mobile UK 128 GB 100 MB/s Class 10 U3 Memory Evo Plus MicroSD card, or even a 256gb card.
Taking this route is only £20 more per phone. Hardly worth worrying about, given that I get the full support from Samsung UK where it is sourced from. Samsung do not make a 64gb version for the UK market, only a 128gb version. They know that anyone in the whole of the EU can source that smaller 64gb size (with the german code ADBT) from the EU and fit with the appropriate size memory card. I spoke to debenhams who spoke to Samsung to confirm.
As a matter of interest the prices for the S9+ are as follows:
From UAE are £569 (128gb) and £599 (256gb). (no Samsung support) (I can sell my phone on ebay for £140)
From Samsung with UK firmware £769 (128gb) Can get £150 cash back for S7 phone = £619). (with UK support).
From Debenhams UK with EU software (identical software as UK) it is £599 (64gb). I can fit this with a 128gb card at £20 (totals £619) or £41 for a 256gb card (total £640). Also I can get £140 for my S7s.
Do you have any comments on this? How about micro SD cards for 4k recording or 1080p?
Thanks again.
Peter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are buying it too expensive. Look around, s9 should not be more than 500 gbp and s9+ 579.
Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
omeryounos said:
You are buying it too expensive. Look around, s9 should not be more than 500 gbp and s9+ 579.
Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really. I am not interested in the S9 and I have misquoted for th S9+. It should read, £589 from 3 separate vendors. I consider within £10 is OK when I can pick up the phone and ask relevant question. Anyway at no time was I was asking forum members where I could get it cheaper.
Thank you very much for your interest in my financial circumstances.
Have a nice day.
sentinelvdx said:
I bought the S9+ 256GB Dual SIM in Dubai. Thing is that you'll have to flash any Official ROM from your region that supports VoLTE/WiFi calling, because the ROM from UAE (XSG) has VoLTE and WiFi calling disabled by software.
I've tried everything and only flashing Indian (INS) ROM solved it (I live in Argentina and here Samsung sells Snapdragon version, instead of Exynos one).
My case flashing INS Official ROM didn't trip Knox, and flashing official ROMs without any customization shouldn't trip it. But have in mind it can happen (read a couple of people had that). So do it at your own risk and only flash it with ODIN.
I think you'll have to flash BTU ROM in order to have your region stuff (VoLTE, WiFi calling, Samsung Pay)
Oh, about updates don't worry, unless you root your phone ot flash any custom ROM, you'll continue getting updates for your phone via OTA.
Sent from S.G. S9+ Duos
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you mean to say that the Indian ROM fixes VoLTE with an Argentine SIM card? Very interesting!
duraaraa said:
Do you mean to say that the Indian ROM fixes VoLTE with an Argentine SIM card? Very interesting!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but ensure mobile carrier enables it for your number. It not ensbled by default
Sent from S.G. S9+ Duos
duraaraa said:
Do you mean to say that the Indian ROM fixes VoLTE with an Argentine SIM card? Very interesting!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Forgive me, what has this got to do with my original question? Gone off topic I would say.
My sister bought me a Samsung Galaxy S9+ for my birthday but because she lives in America and I live in the UK I'm having issues with certain apps, especially Samsung Pay which won't allow me to use it as it only recognises me as being in America due to the Firmware restrictions, I can sign in fine, my account is registered in the UK but as I said, it's the Firmware restrictions so I can't use it at all.
I'm hoping someone knows if it's possible for me to replace the USA Firmware with a UK Firmware version? It's caused a lot of havoc in many different ways for me but I cherish the phone since it was a birthday present from the sweetest sister ever! ?? ♥
Congratulations on your new phone from your sister! Unfortunately if the model# is G965U or G965U1, you will be limited to US firmwares. The global model has a different processor and the firmwares are incompatible.
YrrchSebor said:
Congratulations on your new phone from your sister! Unfortunately if the model# is G965U or G965U1, you will be limited to US firmwares. The global model has a different processor and the firmwares are incompatible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I had a feeling it would be bad news but that's worse because it actually is an SM-G965U1 ?
She also sent me another phone, it's a BLU ENERGY XL, the OS is terrible on it, I don't suppose you have any recommendations for a firmware I can install via the SD Card on that do you? ??
Thank you so much for your help, I really appreciate it ??
DoctaOsiris said:
Thanks, I had a feeling it would be bad news but that's worse because it actually is an SM-G965U1 ?
She also sent me another phone, it's a BLU ENERGY XL, the OS is terrible on it, I don't suppose you have any recommendations for a firmware I can install via the SD Card on that do you? ??
Thank you so much for your help, I really appreciate it ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome, but sorry for that news. I can't think of any other options for Samsung Pay either, since the US model doesn't currently have a root method. As for the BLU ENERGY, I don't know anything about it so the best I can recommend is look it up in the forums here on XDA, or maybe another similar site? Good luck!