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I live in the USA, using AT&T, and is shopping around for Galaxy S phone. The Captivate is the obvious choice under the Galaxy S flag. I just noticed the Galaxy S Vibrant from Canada today and I am really interested in it, especially because of the front facing camera.
How would I go about purchasing it? How would I get it working under the AT&T carrier? How is Edge, 3G, and voice, etc? How would future rom updates be installed? What are the down sides to buying the Vibrant versus a local Captivate?
Thanks
I have a Bell GS and on Bell it works great. Though after a firmware upgrade yesterday is is acting a bit wonky, might have to do reset.
To use it on ATT in the US you would have to buy it outright from Bell or other brick and mortar store that carry Bell phones. ie. Best Buy/FutureShop.
There is an unlock app for GS's and supposedly works on the Bell I9000, haven't tried it myself, no need atm. This will allow you to use a ATT sim card in the phone.
To update, you can use Samsung kies, supposedly what they will be using to push updates to GS, you can get that from samsungs web site. From what I have found so far you need to be in the touch wiz launcher to use kies. only matters if you use 3rd party launchers.
Not sure how the FFC will work for you. That might be dependant on ATT?
Your best bet, if you decide to get one. ROOT and make it your *****!
It would be 100% compatible on AT&T's network. In fact, it's even more compatible because Bell doesn't have a 2G network you can switch to to save battery life.
ROM updates come officially through Kies like normal, although you should also be able to flash most international i9000 ROMs you see floating around here, just make sure before doing so. Flashing a Captivate ROM just because you're on AT&T is a surefire way to brick your phone.
To buy it you will likely need to use something like eBay because even if you purchase it outright almost every store won't let you leave unless you have existing service with Bell. You can unlock it for free though with the method that I am sure is detailed on the Android Development board somewhere.
The obvious downside to buying Bell's Galaxy S is it comes at full retail price (over $500 Canadian) and in all likelihood you're probably going to get a model with the three button download/recovery modes disabled, making flashing ROMs risky. Hold out until the end of this month to see if Samsung Canada announces more about their promised fix for this.
I am using one on AT&T as well and it works fine. Best part is that AT&T doesn't force you on their limited smartphone plans and you can put it on a cheaper unlimited plan.
I got mine in a trade for a BB Torch but you can find one on eBay or maybe talk to a Canadian member here to see about picking one up for you. I would suggest you have them check for the 3 button recovery to make sure it's working before they buy it though.
The downside is warranty issues if it breaks but as long as the 3 button recovery works you should be able to recover from a bad flash and the hardware seems pretty solid so far so no worries there.
Based on the responses, I am definitely going with the Bell/Canadian Vibrant. The only trouble I have now is just finding one to purchase.
How do I post my intentions here to let people that I want one? Who is a reliable dealer here?
Many Thanks
GH
the bell ones got both 850 and 1900 bands?
Also does it have a bell logo on it or is it unbranded.
send me a PM if you want to buy a Bell SGS with 3 button working tested, and GPS tested before mailing it to your address of choice.
BuddyLee said:
the bell ones got both 850 and 1900 bands?
Also does it have a bell logo on it or is it unbranded.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is unbranded
3 button mode is enabled again with latest firmware
Epic 4G (used as 3G on Bell / Rogers)
Hello,
I am interested exactly the opposite: I want to buy an Epic from Sprint (with no contract) and to use it in Canada (on Bell or Rogers) but only with a data plan, no voice (as I will use the SIP / VOIP). If Bell or Rogers offers only data plan, should this phone (Epic) works out of the box (or with the unlocking code) on the 3G network of Bell / Rogers, simply inserting their SIM card into the phone?
catalinu said:
Hello,
I am interested exactly the opposite: I want to buy an Epic from Sprint (with no contract) and to use it in Canada (on Bell or Rogers) but only with a data plan, no voice (as I will use the SIP / VOIP). If Bell or Rogers offers only data plan, should this phone (Epic) works out of the box (or with the unlocking code) on the 3G network of Bell / Rogers, simply inserting their SIM card into the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the sprint version is CDMA, chances are it's CDMA locked to sprint
CDMA unlocking is done on the server side, is not on the phone like GSM
you need to register your CDMA IMEI number to the say... Bell or Telus, if they see it on their server it's allowed they will let you in, if they see it listed as not allowed then they wont register the phone into their (Telus/Bell) CDMA network
garyHal said:
I live in the USA, using AT&T, and is shopping around for Galaxy S phone. The Captivate is the obvious choice under the Galaxy S flag. I just noticed the Galaxy S Vibrant from Canada today and I am really interested in it, especially because of the front facing camera.
How would I go about purchasing it? How would I get it working under the AT&T carrier? How is Edge, 3G, and voice, etc? How would future rom updates be installed? What are the down sides to buying the Vibrant versus a local Captivate?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use it on Rogers network and it works great. No problem so far.
AllGamer said:
the sprint version is CDMA, chances are it's CDMA locked to sprint
CDMA unlocking is done on the server side, is not on the phone like GSM
you need to register your CDMA IMEI number to the say... Bell or Telus, if they see it on their server it's allowed they will let you in, if they see it listed as not allowed then they wont register the phone into their (Telus/Bell) CDMA network
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your answer.
I am not a tech, but the 4G/3G is also depending on CDMA? Or CDMA concerns only voice? Is it 4G/3G a standard (the same on Sprint and Bell and Rogers) that doesn't depend neither on CDMA or GSM?
we don't have 4G support yet in Canada
CDMA is for voice, but if you can not register the phone in the network for voice, you will also not get access to data
to have data you must have a voice connection
not a phone requirement but a phone network carrier requirement
Thanks.
Anyway, I checked right now with Bell and Rogers and no one offers only data plan... But what they will do with iPad and Galaxy Tab that doesn't support voice, but only data? If I will take the SIM out the gTab and put in a phone (Epic or Vibrant or Captivate), will the phone be able to work on 3G?
catalinu said:
Thanks.
Anyway, I checked right now with Bell and Rogers and no one offers only data plan... But what they will do with iPad and Galaxy Tab that doesn't support voice, but only data? If I will take the SIM out the gTab and put in a phone (Epic or Vibrant or Captivate), will the phone be able to work on 3G?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tab is a Cell phone, just gigantic! one at that LOL
you can make phone calls with Samsung Tab, just like the Apple iTab... ipad i mean
AllGamer said:
Tab is a Cell phone, just gigantic! one at that LOL
you can make phone calls with Samsung Tab, just like the Apple iTab... ipad i mean
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but if Bell already sells the dataonly plan for iPad, why they don't sell a dataonly plan also for a smartphone?
because they can claim a Tab is "not a phone" (whatever...)
and a Galaxy is a "phone"
garyHal said:
I live in the USA, using AT&T, and is shopping around for Galaxy S phone. The Captivate is the obvious choice under the Galaxy S flag. I just noticed the Galaxy S Vibrant from Canada today and I am really interested in it, especially because of the front facing camera.
How would I go about purchasing it? How would I get it working under the AT&T carrier? How is Edge, 3G, and voice, etc? How would future rom updates be installed? What are the down sides to buying the Vibrant versus a local Captivate?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I currently have a I9000 and am on ATT's network in southern california. I'm all but satisfied since my coverage is poor indoors and in some areas because of the lack of 850 band support.
I'm looking to move instead to the I9000M from Bell to get the added 850 3g coverage. Were you able to get a phone, root, unlock it and upgrade to froyo 2.2? Can you tell me about your experience so far including testing for 3-button boot into recovery? Where and how much you got the phone for out-the-door? Thanks.
Sorry mate, still waiting on mine, can't believe its been a month. An xda member here indicated that the stores in Canada are out of stock for awhile now.
Hello,
I have just purchased an unlocked international version of the Galaxy s3 from newegg.ca
I'm not allowed to post the link to the product as I am a new member.
Before I bought it I noticed that it will work on Rogers (in Canada, where I am from) so I went ahead and ordered it. I went back to the site a few days later and noticed that in the details it says that this phone will only work on the AT&T 3g network. In Canada we don't use AT&T so basically I am stuck with a smart phone that I can't connect to a data network with. A useless phone. I can send it back and get a refund so it's really not a big problem. I am wondering however, if there is a way that I can get the phone to work on a rogers network? Is there anything I can do, or do I just have to send it back? Thanks.
HaZe905 said:
Hello,
I have just purchased an unlocked international version of the Galaxy s3 from newegg.ca
I'm not allowed to post the link to the product as I am a new member.
Before I bought it I noticed that it will work on Rogers (in Canada, where I am from) so I went ahead and ordered it. I went back to the site a few days later and noticed that in the details it says that this phone will only work on the AT&T 3g network. In Canada we don't use AT&T so basically I am stuck with a smart phone that I can't connect to a data network with. A useless phone. I can send it back and get a refund so it's really not a big problem. I am wondering however, if there is a way that I can get the phone to work on a rogers network? Is there anything I can do, or do I just have to send it back? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So i am unsure about your carrier networks over there, but usually when a phone is locked to a carrier here in Australia, you really just need to pay an unlocking fee to use the other networks. Sure there might be some difference between their networks, but overall you should be able to get a working phone, maybe just not on the fastest mobile infrastructure.
TheFatHobbits said:
So i am unsure about your carrier networks over there, but usually when a phone is locked to a carrier here in Australia, you really just need to pay an unlocking fee to use the other networks. Sure there might be some difference between their networks, but overall you should be able to get a working phone, maybe just not on the fastest mobile infrastructure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey thanks. It is already unlocked. But for some reason, which I don't understand, the 3g will only work with AT&T networks. I'm sure there is a way to fix it if it's rooted or something like that but I just don't know how.
strange, according to wikipedia both AT&T and Rogers use 850/1900MHz for their 3G, so if you buy a phone for the AT&T network, the 3G should work fine on Rogers..
omniwolf said:
strange, according to wikipedia both and use 850/1900MHz for their 3G, so if you buy a phone for the AT&T network, the 3G should work fine on Rogers..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah I wish I could post the link to the product. I even called the company and they said it would be AT&T only. I guess this is why noobs should just stick to carriers and contracts.. I can't sign a contract because I may be headed overseas (hence the international version of the phone) but I am just not knowledgeable enough to navigate this situation without risk, I suppose
Hey guys, I've searched Google and the forums and I couldn't find my answer. I apologize if I overlooked anything.
I'm on Verizon and I understand that GSM phones cannot work with CDMA which made me bummed out since this phone is what I really want to use. I was even planning on going to a different carrier but decided not to.
Anyway, at Best Buy a mobile associate told me that as long as the phone supports Verizon's LTE bands, I can just slip in Verizon's sim card and I'll be able to use the phone. Now I told him that I'm sure he was wrong about it and he insisted that it's a fact and wouldn't change his mind about it at all.
So basically, since the Sony Xperia Z1 supports Verizon's LTE bands, can I just pop in a Verizon sim card and everything will work?
Thanks in advance.
Sorry, but you cannot simply slip a Verizon Sim card into a GSM phone and expect it to work 100%. You may get LTE but I don't believe you'll get anything else (such as phone calling capabilities and what not).
The Best Buy associate is only half right. It's unfortunate because it's guys like him that make us look like we don't know what we're talking about (I'm am employee as well).
Good luck though! At this point, Verizon can offer all the LTE they want, they can't provide customers with all the amazing phones that are available. The Nexus 5 will be another big deal breaker for Verizon customers, as it won't fully with with Verizon either.
Sent from my C6906 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Hi guys, just a quick question, although all signs point to yes and I’ve done my research, there’s no real loss in asking here.
I am in Mexico and went to some Telcel centers here and even the Samsung stores and they just don’t have the phone down here at the moment, it’s all sold out except for colors I don’t want, so I went online and found a good deal on a completely unlocked T-Mobile version and I am about to pull the trigger but I just want to make sure T-Mobile and telcel are 100% compatible when it comes to voice, 3g and LTE. As far as I know now that T Mobile has a different LTE infrastructure it is now compatible with ATT, Telcel and Rogers but I rather ask the experts here.
If it is compatible I will pull the trigger on this offer instantly because I really like this phone.
As long as it's unlocked then you should be good
Long time lurker, first time poster here. First of all, a massive THANK YOU to everyone here. You guys and gals are Awesome! <3
So, I bought a Samsung S10 (SM-G973F/DS) on Ebay recently and flashed it to Lineage OS 19.1. All was fine until I tried to activate it. We did everything...manually changing the ASP settings, and a bunch of other stuff to try and get this thing to connect to the mobile network. Even placed the SIM card in another phone just to confirm the SIM card was fine, which it was.
Long story short, I think the device was perhaps locked even though the seller claimed it was unlocked. Whatever, I'm over it. I flashed stock back on it and re-locked the boot loader, sent it back. Not worth the aggravation. However, I am questioning if there wasn't something else I could have done?
I was trying to activate the S10 on Mint Mobile USA (a T-Mobile reseller, so GSM) it should have been fine. The default language on the device was German. I don't think that should matter, but maybe it does? Do European phones have problems activating in North America?
My question is: If I decide to get another S10 (SM-G973F/DS) from the secondary market (if its even worth it at this point, since the SM-G973F/DS is really hard to find), is there anything I can find out from the seller first so I don't end up having to send it back?
Or, should I just give up my dream of having an S10 installed with Lineage OS and it's glorious headphone jack and expandable storage forever? If so, are there any worthy alternatives to the S10 worth considering, given my affinity for headphone jacks and expandable storage?
Hello PhonePerfection, all a novel why you speak S10 G973F / DS in the United States.
Already your model S10 G973F/DS exynos 5G or the first 4G model so if these this Europe chip model, if now installed Samsung phone info look at who is scoring at worst take screenshots.
I don't understand your question United States, locked unlocked the seller.
You buy in the back market refurbished and unlocked telephone all operator therefore for sim card, the concern these the chip to install network either US or ASIA controls your model if these good SM-G973F/DS and not SM-G973U or G973U1.
Don't forget to say hello
I think what @meric57 is trying to say is that your phone doesn't have the right chips to communicate on the frequencies in the USA. It's made for other markets and other frequencies... so it won't work here.
If you use FrequencyCheck you can see what carriers support what frequencies on your specific model: https://www.frequencycheck.com/comp...m-td-lte-512gb-samsung-beyond-1/united-states
Scroll down to the "United States" area and you'll see it doesn't support the frequencies used in the USA (except for GSM 2.5, which is old and dead here in the USA). The US is primarily on LTE... and you can see that phone model doesn't support ANY of the available frequencies.
Bottom line "GSM" doesn't tell you enough. You have an incomatible phone model for the USA market. No SIM card will fix that.
Note, in SOME cases, you can activate other frequencies by loading different ROMs into the phone. My old LG V30 did this, for example. I have heard that you can run some Exynos phones here in the USA, but I don't know the details to help. FrequencyCheck may help you figure that out. Be sure the look for the complete model number, not just "Galaxy S10" or something... the naming is worthless for figuring this out.
schwinn8 said:
I think what @meric57 is trying to say is that your phone doesn't have the right chips to communicate on the frequencies in the USA. It's made for other markets and other frequencies... so it won't work here.
If you use FrequencyCheck you can see what carriers support what frequencies on your specific model: https://www.frequencycheck.com/compsomethingatibility/RdEkS7k/samsung-sm-g973f-ds-galaxy-s10-global-dual-sim-td-lte-512gb-samsung-beyond-1/united-states
Scroll down to the "United States" area and you'll see it doesn't support the frequencies used in the USA (except for GSM 2.5, which is old and dead here in the USA). The US is primarily on LTE... and you can see that phone model doesn't support ANY of the available frequencies.
Bottom line "GSM" doesn't tell you enough. You have an incomatible phone model for the USA market. No SIM card will fix that.
Note, in SOME cases, you can activate other frequencies by loading different ROMs into the phone. My old LG V30 did this, for example. I have heard that you can run some Exynos phones here in the USA, but I don't know the details to help. FrequencyCheck may help you figure that out. Be sure the look for the complete model number, not just "Galaxy S10" or something... the naming is worthless for figuring this out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
schwinn8 said:
I think what @meric57 is trying to say is that your phone doesn't have the right chips to communicate on the frequencies in the USA. It's made for other markets and other frequencies... so it won't work here.
If you use FrequencyCheck you can see what carriers support what frequencies on your specific model: https://www.frequencycheck.com/comp...m-td-lte-512gb-samsung-beyond-1/united-states
Scroll down to the "United States" area and you'll see it doesn't support the frequencies used in the USA (except for GSM 2.5, which is old and dead here in the USA). The US is primarily on LTE... and you can see that phone model doesn't support ANY of the available frequencies.
Bottom line "GSM" doesn't tell you enough. You have an incomatible phone model for the USA market. No SIM card will fix that.
Note, in SOME cases, you can activate other frequencies by loading different ROMs into the phone. My old LG V30 did this, for example. I have heard that you can run some Exynos phones here in the USA, but I don't know the details to help. FrequencyCheck may help you figure that out. Be sure the look for the complete model number, not just "Galaxy S10" or something... the naming is worthless for figuring this out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, this is great info. Good to know. It looks like that S10 could only communicate on 1 of 8 bands used by Mint/T-Mobile. That 1 usable band appears to have been deprecated by T-Mobile as it is. I think that explains it perfectly. Thank You!
You're welcome.
Yeah, frequencies/bands are very important to watch, particularly if you're buying out of market devices. You have to know model numbers and carriers to be sure of anything, and unfortunately this info is relatively hidden.
schwinn8 said:
You're welcome.
Yeah, frequencies/bands are very important to watch, particularly if you're buying out of market devices. You have to know model numbers and carriers to be sure of anything, and unfortunately this info is relatively hidden.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The CSC on that device was DBT (Germany). I had to find that out in order to put the correct stock OS back on there.
Makes me wonder if the ebay seller even knows this. They appear to specialize in mobile phones with tens of thousands of transactions, so I would hope they've encountered this situation before. They were more than happy to accept a return on the device. Sent me a prepaid shipping label immediately.
Back to the CSC... Let's say I look for another S10 (SM-G973F/DS) but I ask what the CSC is for that device. Are there any regions outside the lower 48 states with reasonably good chances of it working? I suppose I would need to study the mobile frequency website for the answer to that.
I did some quick searching, and supposedly there are websites that say the 973F/DS will work on MM (mint mobile)... but they don't detail how. For example: https://de-googled.com/blogs/news/a-word-on-network-compatibility-of-our-degoogled-phones
and https://www.ebay.com/p/15030406771 (in the description).
So, maybe it is possible? I don't know, so maybe someone else can chime in.
Personally, I stuck with U-version phones and gave up rooting/romming. It's just getting too hard to find phones that offer this, so I figured I'd just adapt back to a stock ROM, since choices are limited. I had done a bunch of that in the past, but I found that stock roms (today) are pretty good... and allow enough customization that made root/rom unnecessary... for me. My current is an SM-G975U1 (unlocked, USA, Snapdragon S10+) on Total Wireless (VZ MVNO)... it works great and I don't miss root/rom at all.
Rumor is that the Galaxy S23 will only be offered as Snapdragon, so maybe that will open up more options... but I doubt it. Samsung loves it's Knox system, and will likely lock down the phone even more with every generation.
schwinn8 said:
I did some quick searching, and supposedly there are websites that say the 973F/DS will work on MM (mint mobile)... but they don't detail how. For example: https://de-googled.com/blogs/news/a-word-on-network-compatibility-of-our-degoogled-phones
and https://www.ebay.com/p/15030406771 (in the description).
So, maybe it is possible? I don't know, so maybe someone else can chime in.
Personally, I stuck with U-version phones and gave up rooting/romming. It's just getting too hard to find phones that offer this, so I figured I'd just adapt back to a stock ROM, since choices are limited. I had done a bunch of that in the past, but I found that stock roms (today) are pretty good... and allow enough customization that made root/rom unnecessary... for me. My current is an SM-G975U1 (unlocked, USA, Snapdragon S10+) on Total Wireless (VZ MVNO)... it works great and I don't miss root/rom at all.
Rumor is that the Galaxy S23 will only be offered as Snapdragon, so maybe that will open up more options... but I doubt it. Samsung loves it's Knox system, and will likely lock down the phone even more with every generation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the link. I think I may try for an S10 again if the seller can tell me what the CSC is. That page on De-googled.com affirms that American devices are more restrictive than their European counterparts.
It just doesn't make any sense to me personally to use a device with an open source OS that has loads of telemetry, spyware, bloat, etc. Which is a contradiction that I am not comfortable with. It's like installing a Linux distro that comes bundled with Facebook.
To me, being proactive about privacy is the equivalent to standing up for yourself in the real world. Sure, you can use a stock ROM and there is nothing wrong with that. It's having the freedom to choose which is most important. So long as that choice is available, I will happily go that route.
I like the added bonus of an Android device that seems faster with a longer lasting battery as well. I mean, I paid for this device. I should have the right to decide what apps are running on it.
No argument there... I agree with why we should be allowed to root/rom. Unfortunately, the carriers pull the strings in the USA (business over people) so we are losing options. Frankly, it pisses me off that they can still prevent phones from connecting to their network just because the IMEI doesn't match (even if the software is correct). In the end, if the device CAN work on the network, the carrier should have no say in allowing/disallowing it on the network. They like to claim that a "bad" device could "hurt" the network, but if that happens, they can lock out that phone and figure it out. I doubt that's even ever happened, but whatever. (They prevented me from using my already-working V30 US998 phone on the network, even though it ran as VS996 with no issues for years... they only later saw the IMEI wasn't "theirs" (original SIM card failed) so they prevented me from re-registering it. So stupid.)
Good luck, and let us know if you figure it out... I'm always curious to learn!
yes, most japan and europe phones do not have the correct radios channels in them for 4g and 5g. i ran into this same problem with my xperia phones that i bought overseas. this is a common problem that can happen.
The S10 and all it's variants is a world compatible GSM phone. So yes, the F variant should work with most GSM carriers and resellers in N. America.
There are various websites that will tell you what frequencies and carriers any particular model will work with if you do a search. Like this one.
WillMyPhoneWork.net - Check if your phone works on a network
Check 2G, 3G, and 4G LTE Network Frequency Compatibility for a Smartphone, Tablet, and Mobile Device in any Country and Mobile Network Carrier
willmyphonework.net
According to that site the SM-G973F/DS supports all 2G, 3G, and 4G frequencies used by Mint.