I was thinking about getting either the international or the TMobile version of the phone because it's cheaper and more importantly it has an unlocked bootloader.
Does any one have the international version on att is everything working? what is not working?
thanks
No idea how to differentiate international or non. I preordered mine on At&t 3 days ago.
I don't think anyone has the international version yet. AFAIK, B&H is the only place to buy the international version in the US and they haven't announced a ship date yet (still only accept pre-orders).
I got mine from AT&T about two weeks ago. But I've decided that moving forward I will probably buy international versions of phones as I'm sick of dealing with all the bloatware that takes up space and I can't remove.
FWIW I bought the international version (H850) a month ago for use on AT&T in the US. Definitely has advantages (FM radio, Android 7.0). Just a few issues:
* No VoLTE
* Limited access to LTE networks - spoke to a store employee, without an AT&T device you are not 'guaranteed' access to LTE. Doesn't mean you're barred, but since updating to Nougat haven't seen the LTE symbol, just 4G,
* Wifi calling - I enabled the VoWiFi in the hidden menu, but nothing. Since it's a carrier-supported feature, probably not.
* Some AT&T apps don't install from my previous LG G4. Visual Voicemail is the main one, but you can install an older .apk and it will work.
Related
Note: Posting this here because...this kinda concerns this version, tmobile, AT&T, and the US version. Not sure if this is the best place to post this topic though. If it isn't, please move it. Anyway
Edit: Dammit, maybe this thread is more appropriate for the Tmobile section. I guess I posted this in the wrong place then.
For the past two days, I've been undecided on whether or not I should get the International Samsung Galaxy S3, or the USA Samsung Galaxy S3. To the point where it's stressing me out.From what I've read, its a pretty debatable subject..and its tiring having to go through "lolz quad core owns all" or "2gb ram is the best. Lol international". I looked at some videos, and they seemed even, more or less.
1. Here is my issue. I have Tmobile.Right now I'm under a prepaid type of plan(as in, I pay for minutes whenever. If I'm out of minutes, I can buy some more at any time. I'm under no type of contract. And the only thing that obviously happens to me if I run out of minutes is that I cant call/text anyone until i add more ). But I would like the option to go to 3g/4g in the future. I don't have the money to do 3g/4G right now , but atleast the option is still there for the future. So for now , I'm on a prepaid "pay whenever I want" thing.
From what I've heard the international version does not support 3g/4g(?) regarding Tmobile. All I will get is edge. Now here is the question. Will this always be the case for the International version? Meaning that the international version will never support 3g and 4g under Tmobile?(if I wanted to get a 3g plan) ?
2. If thats the case, what about the USA version? If I decide to stick under Tmobile, and get the US version, I will still have the option of upgrading to 3G/4g on Tmobile, right ? If so, does it matter which US Samsung Galaxy phone I get?(ignoring Verizon and Sprint)
For example, I heard that the AT&T locks the user from disabling LTE for the USA version. As well as locks other things in general. Even if unlocked. Is this true? Or was the person who said this full of crap?
2.5 Also, lets say I do get The AT&T SGS3. And I unlock it and put my Tmobile sim card in it. Now in the future, If I wanted to upgrade to LTE, would I be able to get LTE on this unlocked AT&T phone under a Tmobile Plan? Or would I need an AT&T SGS3, along with an AT&T plan in order to get LTE? And would the reverse be true(as in, If I get a Tmobile SGS3, and wanted to switch carriers . I would never get LTE because of the change of plan). Should I only get a Tmobile USA Samsung Galaxy S3?
3.What about "rooting"? Would that be a way around #2.5 or any of the above questions?
4. Does AT&T have a good prepaid plan as well?(as in, I can pay for minutes whenever. I'm not under any contract or $30 a month type of thing)
5.In my situation, would you recommend I get the US, or international version? Is it worth getting the international version, or USA version when concerning Tmobile? Should I switch carriers in the future, or am I fine the way I am now?
?
6. IYO, if I were to get the USA version, what would be the best place to get it? Without any type of contracts. Again, I assume that buying it locked(and them me manually unlocking it) is the safest option?
7. In my situation, would you recoomend I get the USA, or international version?
Cliffs.
- Deciding between international SGS3, or USA SGS3.
- I'm under Tmobile(prepaid for now)
- Is it true that the International version of the SGS3 will never support 3g or 4g for Tmobile?
- If that's the case, I will at least have the option of upgrading to 3g/4g/on a USA SGS3 under Tmobile, right?
- If the above is true, would it matter which USA Samsung Galaxy S3 I get?(AT&T, or Tmobile). Ex: Is it true that AT&T locks/prevents the user from disabling LTE(which apparently drains a lot)pa, and other apps on the specific AT&T SGS3? Even if it's unlocked? Or was the person who said this full of crap?)
- If I do get a USA AT&T SGS3, unlock it, and put my Tmobile sim card in it. And in the future, wanted to upgrade to LTE, would I be able to get LTE on this unlocked ATT phone, under a Tmobile plan? If not, does the reverse hold true as well?(as in, If I get a Tmobile SGS3, and wanted to switch carriers . I would never get LTE because of the change of plan)
- Would rooting solve the above issues?
- Does AT&T have a good prepaid plan as well?(as in, I can pay for minutes whenever. I'm not under any contract or $30 a month type of thing)
- What would you guys do in my situation?
- IYO, if I were to get the USA version, what would be the best place to get it? Without any type of contracts
- In my situation, would you recommend I get the US, or international version?
destroyer8888 said:
Note: Posting this here because...this kinda concerns this version, tmobile, AT&T, and the US version. Not sure if this is the best place to post this topic though. If it isn't, please move it. Anyway
For the past two days, I've been undecided on whether or not I should get the International Samsung Galaxy S3, or the USA Samsung Galaxy S3. To the point where it's stressing me out.From what I've read, its a pretty debatable subject..and its tiring having to go through "lolz quad core owns all" or "2gb ram is the best. Lol international". I looked at some videos, and they seemed even, more or less.
1. Here is my issue. I have Tmobile.Right now I'm under a prepaid type of plan(as in, I pay for minutes whenever. If I'm out of minutes, I can buy some more at any time. I'm under no type of contract. And the only thing that obviously happens to me if I run out of minutes is that I cant call/text anyone until i add more ). But I would like the option to go to 3g/4g in the future. I don't have the money to do 3g/4G right now , but atleast the option is still there for the future.
From what I've heard the international version does not support 3g/4g(?) regarding Tmobile. All I will get is edge. Now here is the question. Will this always be the case for the International version? Meaning that the international version will never support 3g and 4g under Tmobile?(if I wanted to get a 3g plan) ?
2. If thats the case, what about the USA version? If I decide to stick under Tmobile, and get the US version, I will still have the option of upgrading to 3G/4g on Tmobile, right ? If so, does it matter which US Samsung Galaxy phone I get?(ignoring Verizon and Sprint)
For example, I heard that the AT&T locks the user from disabling LTE for the USA version. As well as locks other things in general. Even if unlocked. Is this true? Or was the person who said this full of crap?
2.5 Also, lets say I do get The AT&T SGS3. And I unlock it and put my Tmobile sim card in it. Now in the future, If I wanted to upgrade to LTE, would I be able to get LTE on this unlocked AT&T phone under a Tmobile Plan? Or would I need an AT&T SGS3, along with an AT&T plan in order to get LTE? And would the reverse be true(as in, If I get a Tmobile SGS3, and wanted to switch carriers . I would never get LTE because of the change of plan). Should I only get a Tmobile USA Samsung Galaxy S3?
3.What about "rooting"? Would that be a way around #2.5 or any of the above questions?
4. Does AT&T have a good prepaid plan as well?(as in, I can pay for minutes whenever. I'm not under any contract or $30 a month type of thing)
5.What would you guys do in my situation? Is it worth getting the international version, or USA version when concerning Tmobile? Should I switch carriers in the future, or am I fine the way I am now?
6. IYO, if I were to get the USA version, what would be the best place to get it? Without any type of contracts. Again, I assume that buying it locked(and them me manually unlocking it) is the safest option?
Cliffs.
- Deciding between international SGS3, or USA SGS3.
- I'm under Tmobile(prepaid for now)
- Is it true that the International version of the SGS3 will never support 3g or 4g for Tmobile?
- If thats the case, I will atleast have the option of upgrading to 3g/4g/on a USA SGS3 under Tmobile, right?
- If the above is true, would it matter which USA Samsung Galaxy S3 I get?(AT&T, or Tmobile). Ex: Is it true that AT&T locks/prevents the user from disabling LTE(which apparently drains a lot)pa, and other apps on the specific AT&T SGS3? Even if it's unlocked? Or was the person who said this full of crap?)
- If I do get a USA AT&T SGS3, unlock it, and put my Tmobile sim card in it. And in the future, wanted to upgrade to LTE, would I be able to get LTE on this unlocked ATT phone, under a Tmobile plan? If not, does the reverse hold true as well?(as in, If I get a Tmobile SGS3, and wanted to switch carriers . I would never get LTE because of the change of plan)
- Would rooting solve the above issues?
- Does AT&T have a good prepaid plan as well?(as in, I can pay for minutes whenever. I'm not under any contract or $30 a month type of thing)
- What would you guys do in my situation?
- IYO, if I were to get the USA version, what would be the best place to get it? Without any type of contracts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I live in Germany on T-Mobile and have the International version. I recently travelled back to the US (PA/WV/OH area). T-Mobile only gave me a roaming Edge connection, no 3G (at least in the Columbus OH area). I went to the local AT&T shop to get one of the prepaid SIM's. They sold me one, but no-go on the data. They don't do "4G" data on the prepaid plan, the phone was too cool for them. I was only there for a couple of weeks, so I dealt with it. As for which is better, 2 core or 4 core, flip a coin. They are both good. Use GSM Arena's specs pages along with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_frequencies for carrier frequencies to figure out which phone supports the data connection you want.
michaeljwestii said:
I live in Germany on T-Mobile and have the International version. I recently travelled back to the US (PA/WV/OH area). T-Mobile only gave me a roaming Edge connection, no 3G (at least in the Columbus OH area). I went to the local AT&T shop to get one of the prepaid SIM's. They sold me one, but no-go on the data. They don't do "4G" data on the prepaid plan, the phone was too cool for them. I was only there for a couple of weeks, so I dealt with it. As for which is better, 2 core or 4 core, flip a coin. They are both good. Use GSM Arena's specs pages along with [link] for carrier frequencies to figure out which phone supports the data connection you want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh I see. Thanks for the input man Now that I think about it, i'm starting to lean more towards the US version.
also, are there any good guides on how to disable LTE on a US ATT SGS3?
I saw a couple of tech points in the other threads. I myself have purchased the Att variant and planning to set it up with T Mobile but as I said, someone pointed out that they have different cellular banding or something to that effect. This person went on to say even if we were to get the ATT Gear S version on T Mobile that speeds would probably only be 2G.
From the articles that I've read on the Gear S specs I haven't come across anything saying that Samsung has designed specific versions for each U.S. carrier.
I do not have the answer at this time whether or not full cross compatibility is built into the device or not. Purely going by what has been announced, again I do not think it has been modified to keep us from doing carrier jumps.
I will update when Tmobile gets their networks up and running for the Gear S. If anyone can clear this up with for sure information, please do so. Feel free to speculate but if you're not certain please say so. Thanks.
If I can't get full functionality on the TMobile network with my ATT purchased and unlocked Gear S, I guess I'll have to return it and pony up the extra $50 that TMobile charges and fully join that club. Guys it may not be worth the hassle. I'll have an update soon on how all this works out, however I'd like to welcome feedback on the issue.
hughedee74 said:
If I can't get full functionality on the TMobile network with my ATT purchased and unlocked Gear S, I guess I'll have to return it and pony up the extra $50 that TMobile charges and fully join that club. Guys it may not be worth the hassle. I'll have an update soon on how all this works out, however I'd like to welcome feedback on the issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im doing the same thing tomorrow.
You can go to Samsung.com to check out the official spec. There are 5 different carrier variants but only three listed so far: AT&T (SM-R750A), Verizon (SM-R750V) and Sprint (SM-R750P). The missing two are T-Mobile (SM-R750T) and US Cellular.
Each listed different supported network (CMDA vs GSM) and bands.
It has the Snapdragon 400 which supports a HUGE number of bands and supports a global mode for both CDMA and GSM.
https://www.qualcomm.com/products/snapdragon/processors/400
https://www.qualcomm.com/products/snapdragon/wearables/samsung-gear-s
Someone will figure out a way to get the device to work with them back and forth ... it may be through a rom or a command line. But if you aren't a tinkerer you'll probably want to go with the version of the watch for your preferred carrier.
Update: I did a search through the FCC and didn't see one with T-Mobile specific bands (1700/2100). Bad news though is that there definitely are two variants for CDMA AND GSM. Argh. I stand brutally corrected!
Supposed to have GSM+CDMA + LTE bands for the big 3 (Tmobile, Verizon, ATT : 2/4/5/12/13/17, pentaband 3G)
ATT likes to whitelist phones for LTE/HD Voice (if this phone isn't on their whitelist, you need to jump through hoops to get LTE access, and very difficult get HD Voice/VoLTE to work properly)
Sprint has some issues too(5X/6P doesn't have wifi calling on Sprint), and you kinda want 2xCA/3xCA no sprint, so pointless to talk about them
Verizon - they are required to allow band 13 devices if device passes technical certificate. (points to HTC One A9 and them cancelling Verizon VoLTE support)
T-mobile - They want devices to pass their VoLTE technical cert process. Otherwise they demand manufacturers to disable band 12 (due to concerns of no 911 if you only have band 12 LTE data, and phone doesn't drop to another carrier for 911). Similar issues with Wifi calling (Moto X Pure doesn't have wifi calling)
B&H lists phone to be release in April/May, can't find any FCC docs yet
EDIT
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1239314-REG/lg_lgrs988_ausasv_g5_h850_32gb_smartphone.html
Under Q&A, Steve (staff at B&H) says there is band 12 VoLTE support, but do you trust him?
http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-RS988-Silver-g5
LG actually has it on the website.
I still wouldn't trust B&H nor LG until someone has a RS988 model on hand to confirm it.
The "R" signifies LTE in Rural America, a joint effort between Verizon and various small CDMA operators to improve coverage. Basically, Verizon let these smaller operators set up shop on Band 13, in exchange for on-network roaming (both for Verizon customers on the LRA network, and LRA customers on Verizon's network). Some of these operators also have their own networks on other LTE bands, such as Bluegrass Cellular on Band 12 (in addition to Band 13), and some have roaming agreements with other carriers (Sprint). This is why the LRA model is chock full o' bands.
I wonder if the LRA model is bootloader unlockable like the T-Mobile model...
b&h said the phone is expected to be released by may 11th, i wander if anyone else is going to sale it?
xtermmin said:
Some of these operators also have their own networks on other LTE bands, such as Bluegrass Cellular on Band 12 (in addition to Band 13), and some have roaming agreements with other carriers (Sprint). This is why the LRA model is chock full o' bands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
except that this model doesn't support Sprint (missing band 26/41)... oh well
paperWastage said:
except that this model doesn't support Sprint (missing band 26/41)... oh well
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bands 26 and 41 are only needed for tri-band LTE Plus / Spark connectivity. Band 25 (which this LRA model has) is Sprint's primary LTE band. I suspect that either one of the LRA carriers has its own Band 25 network, or has a roaming agreement with Sprint but only has roaming access to Band 25.
For Sprint customers, the bigger issue is whether Sprint will allow it on their network. I recall that when the Moto X Pure was first released, people had to request Sprint to add the device's IMEI to the approved device database in order to use it on Sprint. I suspect that reps won't as easily add another carrier's variant of the G5 to their approved database, when Sprint is selling its own model.
xtermmin said:
The "R" signifies LTE in Rural America, a joint effort between Verizon and various small CDMA operators to improve coverage. Basically, Verizon let these smaller operators set up shop on Band 13, in exchange for on-network roaming (both for Verizon customers on the LRA network, and LRA customers on Verizon's network). Some of these operators also have their own networks on other LTE bands, such as Bluegrass Cellular on Band 12 (in addition to Band 13), and some have roaming agreements with other carriers (Sprint). This is why the LRA model is chock full o' bands.
I wonder if the LRA model is bootloader unlockable like the T-Mobile model...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a bunch for this information
I knew for a while something was off with the R and figured it signified something else since the name is so drastically different than the other phones in this lineup.
I went to see the phone in person, it's pretty nice, I like the Titan color, the gold is too light
B&H bootloader
I emailed B&H last week with questions, one concerning bootloader; It took 5 days for an answer but a tech support guy named Adam replied that it was unlocked; I emailed him back, asking if he knew the difference between unlocked sims and bootloader and he replied back and confirmed he did and bootloader was unlocked; This info is likely unreliable but the fact B&H doesn't have a vested interest in carriers and this would give them an edge on sales, we can still have hope. I won't be able to buy one until May when their stock come in though
Wow, it's going to be available on Amazon starting May 1
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DJE22C2...olid=K5RKTG1CO0AE&coliid=I1T763APP0P7E3&psc=1
Guess others will be getting it as well.
Amazon now listed for rs988 G5
thanks for info - looks like the only difference is the color, both same price, free shipping - one more reason to hope LG will allow unlocking bootloader - we will now see how serious is their claim to be "developer friendly" from what I'm hearing lately doesn't seem like US models are included for bootloader unlocking but still hoping.
B&H is silver (last 2 letters of model I'm guessing)
Amazon is titan (dark gray)
also check out the lte bands to be sure they are supported by the carrier you intend to use (mostly look good but a few specialty bands aren't there - there is another xda link to that but I can't remember the thread
The good thing about Shipped and Sold by Amazon.com these devices go on sale quick. For example, the Xperia Z5 went on sale at $599.99 and in about two weeks fell to $539.99.
$600 on Sale would be a nice sweet spot for this phone.
jrhlaser said:
thanks for info - looks like the only difference is the color, both same price, free shipping - one more reason to hope LG will allow unlocking bootloader - we will now see how serious is their claim to be "developer friendly" from what I'm hearing lately doesn't seem like US models are included for bootloader unlocking but still hoping.
B&H is silver (last 2 letters of model I'm guessing)
Amazon is titan (dark gray)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can buy the Titan G5 from B&H, that's what I pre-ordered and it arrived yesterday. I'm using it on AT&T and everything seems to be working fine (no HD Voice, of course, but that's expected when using an unlocked device).
excellent, thanks - so it appears you can get both silver and titan from B&H (probably from Amazon also) Did you see if bootloader was locked (I figured it would be and the salesman who twice told me it was unlocked and that he knew what the bootloader meant, was yanking my chain....
There is an option to OEM Unlock in the developers settings. How to verify bootloader is unlocked?
---------- Post added at 12:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:34 PM ----------
sm partition disk:179,0 private worked to make the SD adoptable - migrated data, all looks fine.
---------- Post added at 12:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:35 PM ----------
adb reboot bootloader doesn't put it into fastboot mode, adb reboot recovery gives the dead droid logo
The bootloader question would better be answered by the Guru's as it was first thought that the T-Mobile variant was unlocked but turned out not to actually be truly unlocked - I suspect it will be the same as the T-Mobile version - unlockable but not actually unlocked (If LG gives us the codes) I have sent several emails to LG concerning this and basically told them that, if they are truly "developer friendly" now is the time to prove it.... (diplomatically of course) I fear that the idea of modular phones won't take off if they keep the software locked down and don't follow through with the promises.
jeffreytz said:
You can buy the Titan G5 from B&H, that's what I pre-ordered and it arrived yesterday. I'm using it on AT&T and everything seems to be working fine (no HD Voice, of course, but that's expected when using an unlocked device).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So did you get my issue with the phone like the reviewers point out? Also did you get headphones in the box?
snaketooth2007 said:
So did you get my issue with the phone like the reviewers point out? Also did you get headphones in the box?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No headphones in the box, just the QuickCharge 3.0 charger and cable. What issue are you referring to?
jeffreytz said:
No headphones in the box, just the QuickCharge 3.0 charger and cable. What issue are you referring to?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awe I was expecting headphones oh well. Issues like screen warp,light bleed , and chin alignment.
snaketooth2007 said:
Awe I was expecting headphones oh well. Issues like screen warp,light bleed , and chin alignment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought this from B&H and I'm not sure about the light bleed (I consider it a fringe issue), but the chin alignment is pretty good and the screen warp is still an issue
Anyone have any luck with getting volte to work on tmobile i have been trying and not having any luck
My brother has an iPad pro and on the tablet in the settings he can browse many available plans from verizon, att, tmobile etc. He is able to purchase it and then immediately use the cellular data plan. I specifically like the $20 for 5GB for 5 months plan that he has access to. Do Samsung tablets have similar functionality (probably with esim)?
invinciblegod said:
My brother has an iPad pro and on the tablet in the settings he can browse many available plans from verizon, att, tmobile etc. He is able to purchase it and then immediately use the cellular data plan. I specifically like the $20 for 5GB for 5 months plan that he has access to. Do Samsung tablets have similar functionality (probably with esim)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. It uses a nano SIM. Find the best deal, get a nano SIM from the provider, and you're off to the races. There are no LTE versions being sold in the U.S. currently and the overseas versions don't work on CDMA so no Verizon and Sprint although they may work on their LTE networks for data because it supports their bands. The dialer and MMS definitely won't work. When the U.S. versions are released they'll be locked to the carrier you bought it from, loaded with their crap on it, the dialer will be disabled, and you can't reflash it using an international ROM because the model numbers are different.
BarryH_GEG said:
No. It uses a nano SIM. Find the best deal, get a nano SIM from the provider, and you're off to the races. There are no LTE versions being sold in the U.S. currently and the overseas versions don't work on CDMA so no Verizon and Sprint although they may work on their LTE networks for data because it supports their bands. The dialer and MMS definitely won't work. When the U.S. versions are released they'll be locked to the carrier you bought it from, loaded with their crap on it, the dialer will be disabled, and you can't reflash it using an international ROM because the model numbers are different.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So no phone/SMS/MMS function even if you have the right sim? I was going to look at the T-Mobile tab today but if those functions are disabled why would I want to pay $100 more for a tab with half the storage? I'll just get the WiFi version and run it if need be from my hot spot on my phone for internet access.
You can get genuine LTE versions from E-Bay no problem, why would you buy a 'carrier specific' one that then locks you to that carrier.
Note that, as mentioned earlier in the thread, that the S6 does NOT have an unlocked CDMA version so even with LTE certain carriers won't work.
In the UK using the LTE 256GB S6 with Giffgaff means unlmtd calls and SMS and 8GB data for $12 month, rolling 30 day contract (so no long term commitment). I'm always shocked that my US friends pay fortunes for phone and cable services compared to the UK.
When I travel in the States I use a UK Three sim in roaming mode that allows me to use my UK calls/SMS/Data allowance without any surcharge, still works out loads cheaper then using a US SIM.
I switch back and forth between T-mobile & AT&T MVNO's quite a bit, so I decided to buy an unlocked AT&T variant off of ebay to replace the T-mobile one I had been using. Problem is, it won't update to Android 12 even if I insert my work phone sim card (on AT&T proper, not an AT&T MVNO). I understand that this V600AM20r build was released in February 2022, so it's hasn't been that long since it was last updated. Is there a certain amount of time that it needs to be on AT&T in order to get the update or is there something wrong with this phone?