Returning my Exynos version off the back of disappointing battery life I've experienced, real shame as I love the phone but can't handle having to nurse it through a day.
Has anyone tried importing an American version of the S9+? Looks like it's possible to get one for under £700 on Amazon.
Not too fussed about the locked bootloader but was wondering if anyone has any real world experience of both the exynos and SD variants and their relative battery performance/ any other quirks (I.e. wouldn't be eligible under warranty)?
Hard to tell from the forums as everyone's usage differs but generally speaking the SD seems to have a significant advantage. (Have also closely followed anandtechs work but more interested in people's real-world performance)
I have the Latin America/Hong Kong Dual SIM Snapdragon 845 version (SM-G9650/DS) and the battery life is not that good but is enough for me.
I've returned my UK exynos to very due to battery life and call dropouts. Liked the phone tho.
Just purchased a 256gb g9650 on eBay from France for £690 which seemed like a good deal. Hopefully it will be better.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Any1 knows the way to import the dual sim unlocked SD version to India? EBay, Amazon, aliexpress were of no help.
This is a shame, Was thinking of picking one up from O2 again. Had it for a week before the p20 and it seemed fine
Virgo_Guy said:
Any1 knows the way to import the dual sim unlocked SD version to India? EBay, Amazon, aliexpress were of no help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try wondamobile , dunno if they ship there but worth a try
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Manook01 said:
Try wondamobile , dunno if they ship there but worth a try
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems they have only the sim free versions, won't help that in India. Anyways thanks for the response.
If you have to go SD845 get the 9650 https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_...R5.TRC0.A0.H0.Xg9650.TRS0&_nkw=g9650&_sacat=0
Shipoftheline said:
If you have to go SD845 get the 9650 https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_...R5.TRC0.A0.H0.Xg9650.TRS0&_nkw=g9650&_sacat=0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Better get it from wondamobile, for the same price you get 256GB
Shipoftheline said:
If you have to go SD845 get the 9650 https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_...R5.TRC0.A0.H0.Xg9650.TRS0&_nkw=g9650&_sacat=0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This seller seems to be shipping to India as well, thanks,it helped.
re
isnt the sd better in battery life ? i thought it was from what i been reading. I also thought that it came with an unlocked bootloader
I have both (exynos on Three uk and SD on USA T Mobile). I would say that the SD marginally had better battery life but since three rolled out an update last week the battery life between the two has been more or less the same. This makes me think the exynos just has a badly tuned cpu governer and software updates will even out the gap...
Also I would recommend against the SD models in the UK unless you can unlock the bootloader and root etc or you will be stuck with a firmware and CSC that won't support carrier aggregation LTE, WiFi & calling. Had this issue with a Hong Kong imported S8 Plus last year and changing CSC was buggy as hell...
Related
Hey guys. After researching many possible smartphones in the market right now, I am going to go with my first smartphone ever and possibly the best one right now (in my opinion): the Samsung Galaxy S2.
However, I live in the U.S. in which I do not think the SIM-capable unnerfed galaxy S2 will ever be coming out here.
Anyhow, I was hoping people who have bought the unlocked version of the S2 would be able to help me. My questions are as follows:
1) Which online vendor is the best place to buy an unlocked version of the S2? I have been researching many possible sites for the past few months. It seems NewEgg.com, Amazon.com, and Expansys-usa.com are most mentioned contenders. The question then becomes… which one to buy from? Who to trust? Anyone have experience in this arena?
2) From several reviews online, it seems people worldwide have been getting unlocked S2s with different starting languages/manuals. Are they all the same? Are there any fundamental differences in hardware or settings? If so, which one is best? It seems there are different versions with various configurations, such as with/without NFC. Hmm...
3) My main carrier in the U.S. is AT&T. What would I need to do to experience compatibility with this network? I would like to get HSPA+ (~ 4G speeds as claimed by AT&T, so to speak). Is there a special SIM from AT&T or tweaking within the phone I need to do to achieve this? Do I have to tell notify AT&T as well? What do I need to do to ensure compatibility with that network & the speeds I would like to achieve?
Phew. That is all. Thank you!!!!
As far as I know, the international version of i9100 is quad-brand 3G which matches AT&T. You can get 1 on amazon for around $700 USD
OR
you can get a LOCKED i9100m from Bell or Virgin Canada, then unlock it. This phone is 599.99 in Canada.
Isn't the Bell version CDMA-only? Does it offer SIM?
Anyhow, I'll try my hands on an international unlocked version. Now, the question still remains... which one to buy from? Amazon.com has many resellers. NewEgg and Expansys-USA are single resellers, but I would probably have to ask where they get theirs from.
Are there any differences in getting it via from the UK, Korea, India, etc? I would also need an adapter that can be plugged in the US.
Ok there lots of information if you used search feature
Cheapest place to buy currently is www.expansys-usa.com, you get it for 658.99 and you get additional $10 off with lsjuly10 voucher.
You get hspa+ speeds with att and you can also use $15 unlimited non smartphone plan with sgs2.
Search around and you can find lots of info on this. Hope this helps
Edit : just to answer your other question, you get us adapter along with the phone from expansys, amazon. You might mostly get a phone with uk firmware but it shouldn't really matter. Once you get the phone you can flash whatever firmware you want thru odin.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
Thank you very much for the coupon!!!
Searching around, it seems like Expansys-USA might be the best bang for the buck to purchase the unlocked version.
I also tried e-mailing NewEgg.com and some Amazon.com vendors. NewEgg.com said their S2 was "made in China." Hmm. I am unsure if it means it is a Chinese version. One vendor from Amazon.com said it was "unsure of where the device came from."
I'm assuming since there's an Expansys-UK, the Expansys-USA may be coming from UK. Is the UK version good? I guess UK (since it's in English) would be best for me...
I've also heard some versions do not have NFC. Does the UK version have NFC or working NFC in the states?
Just get the bell one from canada and save yourself some money, its full hspa+ , meaning it will work with att 3g in the states. If you buy the european ones you'll likely pay upwards of 800$ I'm thinking...
Are the Bell ones unlocked? Where would I be able to find one? Any online resellers that are selling them? I thought the Bell ones were CDMA-only? Or do they also have SIM-card capabilities?
Driving up to Canada and purchasing one is not too feasible for me.
Alazarin said:
Are the Bell ones unlocked? Where would I be able to find one? Any online resellers that are selling them? I thought the Bell ones were CDMA-only? Or do they also have SIM-card capabilities?
Driving up to Canada and purchasing one is not too feasible for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The bell ones are locked. Can be easly unlocked. They are sim ones. I using the one i bought with bell on telus
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
Alazarin said:
Are the Bell ones unlocked? Where would I be able to find one? Any online resellers that are selling them? I thought the Bell ones were CDMA-only? Or do they also have SIM-card capabilities?
Driving up to Canada and purchasing one is not too feasible for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, bell has been ditching its CDMA network for well over a year... All their new phones are gsm. Well not just driving up I'm saying ordering online from canada would probably even be cheaper than buying a european phone, and they are the same phone, no nfc, same model.
I`m living in UK and I bought my SGS2 1 month ago from ebay. was sealed and is factory unlocked. It`s 100% original, not a fake. As far as I now if is factory unlocked it`s working in USA on At&t H+ speed, and you don`t need to unlock. If you want you can order from UK or wait when will be release in USA. Hope this help. Good luck!
unleashed12 said:
Nope, bell has been ditching its CDMA network for well over a year... All their new phones are gsm. Well not just driving up I'm saying ordering online from canada would probably even be cheaper than buying a european phone, and they are the same phone, no nfc, same model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have any recommendations to reliable online Canadian resellers?
The hard part is that I'm still deciding whether to buy from Expansys-USA (cheaper), Clove (great reviews + most reliable), or from an online Canadian reseller (could be even cheaper + more reliable since I live in the U.S.?). My main criteria is that:
I would like to buy the phone that was made in Korea, but for the UK/CA market (thus, factory sealed) and comes with a US adapter (not add-on). That seems to be the best one, but I am unsure which one would provide that.
I'm thinking of buying a mate 10 of amazon. I was wondering before i buy if its fully works on At&t. Buy that i mean like lte and such. If anyone has purchased one can you tell me what you do and dont like about the phone. Also If you have att and your experience so far with it. Below is a link to the phone im looking at.
Here is the link https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...fl_title_10?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A35WDPB4Y8D904
i just bought one last week and it does work on AT&T.
mjohnson4580 said:
I'm thinking of buying a mate 10 of amazon. I was wondering before i buy if its fully works on At&t. Buy that i mean like lte and such. If anyone has purchased one can you tell me what you do and dont like about the phone. Also If you have att and your experience so far with it. Below is a link to the phone im looking at.
Here is the link https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...fl_title_10?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A35WDPB4Y8D904
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I purchased the same model from ebay, working good on at&t. Great phone for the price.
Sent from my ALP-L29 using Tapatalk
As far as I know, the Mate 10 has the most complete radio available on any 'phone - that is, it covers more bands than any other 'phone that's available today (or possibly ever).
One comment I'd make is to go for the ALP-AL00 and make sure the seller can install the ALP-L29 (international) firmware onto it before sending it to you. I know all of the sellers on AliExpress will do this as a matter of course, but I refuse to deal with Amazon so can't comment on their suppliers. The ALP-AL00 gives you the 6Gb of RAM and 128Gb of internal storage that the Mate 10 Pro has, but also gives you all the benefits of the "standard" Mate 10 (i.e., headphone socket, QHD 16:9 LCD display [no worries about OLED burn-in], front-mounted fingerprint scanner and support for additional storage [up to 256Gb MicroSD]).
Has anyone found a reliable seller for the S9+ in 128 or 256? Exynos or SD. I don't care.
Vodafone Romania- preordered 256 gb black variant. Check www.vodafone.ro and ask if they do international shipping!
I just ordered my S9+ 256gb black (dual sim) from axiom telecom in UAE. I did order my S8+ from them last year without problem. They ask for a scan of your id and a scan of your credit card. Shipped to France without problem (though Aramex shipping company was not very speedy at delivering). Shipping from UAE is said to happen on March 15 ... and should take 10 days to reach me.
I ended up going with the 128GB UK version from https://www.clove.co.uk/samsung-galaxy-s9-plus .
Cost me $1,023 but it's way better than a Snapdragon with 64GB for $840. and the price includes 3 day international shipping. Considering they are expecting their 1st shipment on the 8th, I may see mine before release day.
sireniankyle said:
Has anyone found a reliable seller for the S9+ in 128 or 256? Exynos or SD. I don't care.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've bought 3 Galaxy's from this eBay seller. They're in Houston and offer US and International devices with features you can't purchase here in the US. Very competitive pricing and a good return policy. Highly Recommend!
https://www.ebay.com/usr/never-msrp?_trksid=p2047675.l2559
varcor said:
I've bought 3 Galaxy's from this eBay seller. They're in Houston and offer US and International devices with features you can't purchase here in the US. Very competitive pricing and a good return policy. Highly Recommend!
https://www.ebay.com/usr/never-msrp?_trksid=p2047675.l2559
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those are some seriously good prices. I'd be tempted if I hadn't already bought a 128 exynos S9+ since the SD 256 is on there for the same price.
sireniankyle said:
Those are some seriously good prices. I'd be tempted if I hadn't already bought a 128 exynos S9+ since the SD 256 is on there for the same price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pardon my ignorance, but are these alternate sources the same as the unlocked phone offered through Samsung's website?
I have never bought a new phone from any seller but one of the big 4 carriers and am just now starting to realize how much better life might be buying this S9+ from someone other than Verizon without all the crapware and the Qualcomm chip. I am aware of the VOLTE concerns, etc. If the standard features work with VZW from some of these overseas sellers I am golden.
The reason I'm even pursuing a source other than Samsung.com is because they don't appear to offer anything but the 64 GB model
you need to get a U3 listed sd card or it wont record 4k video to the card. U1 is too slow
spearoid said:
Pardon my ignorance, but are these alternate sources the same as the unlocked phone offered through Samsung's website?
I have never bought a new phone from any seller but one of the big 4 carriers and am just now starting to realize how much better life might be buying this S9+ from someone other than Verizon without all the crapware and the Qualcomm chip. I am aware of the VOLTE concerns, etc. If the standard features work with VZW from some of these overseas sellers I am golden.
The reason I'm even pursuing a source other than Samsung.com is because they don't appear to offer anything but the 64 GB model
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The S9 and S9+ listed in that ebay sellers shop are the Chinese variants. Which basically means that they have the snapdragon processor, higher storage, and have a better chance of being rooted than any of the U.S. versions.
If you're new to buying outside carriers, it is good to know the benefits of each processor. Snapdragon has support for all U.S. carriers, if unlocked. It also has a stronger gpu so gaming, emulators in particular, will run better. It does not root very well.
The Exynos version tends to have better battery life, and a stronger cpu. It also gets root along with custom roms. It does not, however, work with Sprint or Verizon. They use CDMA radios that the Exynos models just do not have. Also, they apparently lack 1 of T-Mobile's radio bands, but should still mostly work.
You can go HERE to learn more about each individual model.
Clove UK - I have purchased my last three phones there - great people - great service.
international version warranty?
If I get the S9+ international from oversea, will it still have warranty in the US?
sireniankyle said:
The S9 and S9+ listed in that ebay sellers shop are the Chinese variants. Which basically means that they have the snapdragon processor, higher storage, and have a better chance of being rooted than any of the U.S. versions.
If you're new to buying outside carriers, it is good to know the benefits of each processor. Snapdragon has support for all U.S. carriers, if unlocked. It also has a stronger gpu so gaming, emulators in particular, will run better. It does not root very well.
The Exynos version tends to have better battery life, and a stronger cpu. It also gets root along with custom roms. It does not, however, work with Sprint or Verizon. They use CDMA radios that the Exynos models just do not have. Also, they apparently lack 1 of T-Mobile's radio bands, but should still mostly work.
You can go HERE to learn more about each individual model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure?
The S9+ Chinese market device SM-G9650 and SM-G9658 don't list LTE Band 13 to work with Verizon.
That site also shows UK devices with Band 13 which I don't think is correct?
SM-G965FZKDXEU
SM-G965FZVDXEU
Both showing with LTE Bands: B1(2100), B2(1900), B3(1800), B4(AWS), B5(850), B7(2600), B8(900), B12(700), B13(700), B17(700), B18(800), B19(800), B20(800), B25(1900), B26(800), B28(700), B32(1500), B66(AWS- 3)
That seems to directly contradict what Clove has on their website:
https://www.clove.co.uk/samsung-galaxy-s9-plus
I would take that Tech Walls link with a grain of salt because it seems to contradict what I'm seeing in many other places.
sireniankyle said:
The S9 and S9+ listed in that ebay sellers shop are the Chinese variants. Which basically means that they have the snapdragon processor, higher storage, and have a better chance of being rooted than any of the U.S. versions.
If you're new to buying outside carriers, it is good to know the benefits of each processor. Snapdragon has support for all U.S. carriers, if unlocked. It also has a stronger gpu so gaming, emulators in particular, will run better. It does not root very well.
The Exynos version tends to have better battery life, and a stronger cpu. It also gets root along with custom roms. It does not, however, work with Sprint or Verizon. They use CDMA radios that the Exynos models just do not have. Also, they apparently lack 1 of T-Mobile's radio bands, but should still mostly work.
You can go HERE to learn more about each individual model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can purchase the Exynos variant here, manufactured in Viet Nam.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-Ga...hash=item56aa30d9fb:m:m0qNQjaZIJ3QM6T6OQZOZjA
---------- Post added at 05:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:38 PM ----------
oipunx said:
If I get the S9+ international from oversea, will it still have warranty in the US?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope
Got Black 256GB FD Exynos International unlocked variant
from Saudi Arabia here in Pakistan for 1085 dollars today.
varcor said:
You can purchase the Exynos variant here, manufactured in Viet Nam.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-Ga...hash=item56aa30d9fb:m:m0qNQjaZIJ3QM6T6OQZOZjA
---------- Post added at 05:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:38 PM ----------
Nope
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks varcor. What if I buy the international version from an ebay seller or online store in the US, will it have warranty then?
oipunx said:
Thanks varcor. What if I buy the international version from an ebay seller or online store in the US, will it have warranty then?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not warranty in the US whereas the S9/S9+ coming with exynos ( SM-G960F/SM-G965F-DS) instead of snapdragon 845
The SM-G9600 and SM-G9650 have snapdragon 845, but I don´t know if these comes with CDMA ratio, but it´s very probably that they doesn´t come with US warranty ( also the 128GB and 256GB at this time has not been offered in the official Samsung store yet)
oipunx said:
Thanks varcor. What if I buy the international version from an ebay seller or online store in the US, will it have warranty then?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You won't get a Factory Warranty however you can purchase a warranty here.
https://www.cpscentral.com/
I've been waiting for the honor 8x to be available in the USA for months.
i wanted to buy my wife a new phone for Christmas but it is not available yet
does anybody know when this phone will be released in the USA ??
can someone recommend me a good budget phone that is comparable to the 8x ??
Sorry, but this is it: https://techonomy.com/2013/04/huawei-zte-banned-from-selling-to-u-s-government/
If you want, you can use a "workaround" (see here, where I bought mine from AliExpress: https://www.kimovil.com/en/where-to-buy-huawei-8x )
Inviato dal mio Honor 8x utilizzando Tapatalk
i can buy the phone , but i dont think the bands will work {metro pcs } .
I hope we will have a chance in 2019.
Canada
towncarblue said:
I've been waiting for the honor 8x to be available in the USA for months.
i wanted to buy my wife a new phone for Christmas but it is not available yet
does anybody know when this phone will be released in the USA ??
can someone recommend me a good budget phone that is comparable to the 8x ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I live in Toronto, Canada. I got my Honor 8x yesterday. Works perfectly with Bell. I placed an order two weeks ago on ebay. A seller is in Florida.
This phone was confirmed for the USA back on September 27. It's now more than 3 months later and NOTHING. I was going to buy this phone if it was released in the USA a few months ago but by the time it gets here it will be old technology. Add in the fact that the US government hates Huawei/Honor I doubt we will ever see it. And if we do, it certainly won't see any updates.
xphyle1971 said:
but by the time it gets here it will be old technology.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huawei's Honor brand has always been budget priced and so it was always "old technology" one way or another. If you want new technology, you gotta buy a Galaxy Note or similar. Having said that, I think what used to be newest technology around 2015 is basically what most people still really need to get by today.
I was certainly really interested in seeing the release of Honor 8x in the USA because that's my go-to budget brand, but if it does not arrive here, we could still have some other choices. For example, Lenovo's Moto G7. Based on speculations it should arrive some time in March.
JSN-L23
There is a version of this phone that you can purchase (I got mine on ebay, but also available on Amazon) that will work with certain U.S. carriers. At the least, is compatible with T-Mobile bands. I'm not sure about other carriers as I use Ting (which operates on T-Mobile network, and maybe AT&T but I'm not sure so don't quote me). Just make sure the model number is JSN-L23. And also double check your carriers frequency bands it uses and make sure they and the phones' are compatible. As I said, I use Ting which uses T-Mobiles network and I get full 4G LTE signal with 50+mb/s down consistently. The only downsides are, as of right now, it is only available in 4GB/64GB format and is only available in black & blue (no red which sucks cause is the best looking imo). And for some odd reason this model does NOT have dual band Wi-Fi so keep that in mind
Hello i have owned my galaxy S9+ (SM-G965U1) for about a year now. Problem is that One UI has completely ruined my life and my entire experience with my phone. Back when it ran Oreo it was near perfect.
So i need help figuring out what the best S9+ with a unlocked bootloader is and where i might be able to buy them new that is.
My plan is to buy one with a unlocked bootloader so i will never have to deal with the piece of human excrement that is One UI
Thank you, this was the funniest post in forever. It has ruined your life. Omg, thank you!
Any Exynos model cam be rooted.
Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
tdevaughn said:
Thank you, this was the funniest post in forever. It has ruined your life. Omg, thank you!
Any Exynos model cam be rooted.
Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes believe it or not it has truly made my life miserable. I don't understand why companies try to fix stuff that isn't broken.
To answer your question the snapdragon SM-G9650 varient Is OEM unlockable it is China, Brazil etc basically international version and any of the Exynos
Are I believe.
Exynos is good for development only as long as the official android is upgraded. But it's closed source with sammy proprietary blobs.
I've got a Note4 Exynos and officially it was upgraded to MM. Only because of months and years of miraculous work of a couple of developers, it's working (with a few hiccups) with TW nougat and up to oreo Lineage.
If you want to change the phone and got the cash after 2 years (or 3? ) of major upgrades from Samsung, then Exynos is OK.
As for me the OP7 (pro maybe) can cut a better deal. Huge deving possibility. And ain't got too much money to change the phone too often.
Good luck.
darkensx said:
To answer your question the snapdragon SM-G9650 varient Is OEM unlockable it is China, Brazil etc basically international version and any of the Exynos
Are I believe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this listing on Newegg the unlocked snapdragon variant? https://www.newegg.com/black-samsung-galaxy-s9-6-2-4g-lte/p/0V4-000B-00965?Item=9SIAENH92W4764
NitricWave said:
Is this listing on Newegg the unlocked snapdragon variant? https://www.newegg.com/black-samsung-galaxy-s9-6-2-4g-lte/p/0V4-000B-00965?Item=9SIAENH92W4764
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes that's the one there's also supposedly a dual SIM card version around that has 128GB and up but don't know where you get it or much beyond it's existence
But the one you linked is what I have currently.
darkensx said:
Yes that's the one there's also supposedly a dual SIM card version around that has 128GB and up but don't know where you get it or much beyond it's existence
But the one you linked is what I have currently.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So yeah, The package arrived today and it turned out to be a counterfeit reproduction S9+. And i tried to file a claim and Newegg suspended my account. I'm not sure what to do in life itself at this point.
NitricWave said:
So yeah, The package arrived today and it turned out to be a counterfeit reproduction S9+. And i tried to file a claim and Newegg suspended my account. I'm not sure what to do in life itself at this point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hmm... no idea thats a first i heard of newegg sell counterfit anything but essentially the model code for snapdragon unlocked is SM-G9650 Note: there is not a letter after the zero ive seen ones SM-G9650U and SM-G9650U1 not sure difference between the three mine i got through rent a center but assume you can get them online you can try amazon at least if you get a counterfit they will do something.
...