I bought a used phone in ebay and ended up getting tricked and had bad IMEI. I'm looking to buy a brand new one but also in Ebay. If I buy a brand new at&t variant s5, will i be able to unlock it immidiately after getting the phone?
up. please help.
glossgloss said:
I bought a used phone in ebay and ended up getting tricked and had bad IMEI. I'm looking to buy a brand new one but also in Ebay. If I buy a brand new at&t variant s5, will i be able to unlock it immidiately after getting the phone?
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Click to collapse
This is taken from one of the more popular cell unlocking sites
PLEASE READ THIS DISCLAIMER: If you have a Samsung Galaxy S3, S4, S5, Note 2, Note 3 or your Android version is Android 4.4 (KITKAT)
All SAMSUNG devices manufactured after the date of JULY 2013 and Samsung devices running on Android version is Android 4.4 (KITKAT) are subject to REGION LOCKING
If your phone has been used previously with the original carrier, this will not apply to you. However, if your device is BRAND NEW, your must activate it with the original carrier and make a call of 5 minutes or longer.
If your Samsung device becomes Region locked, you will not be able to fully factory Unlock your Samsung devices so it can be used internationally. Even the correct code will not work anymore.
In order for your Samsung device NOT to be region locked, you MUST activate (FIRST USE) your S3, S4, S5, NOTE 2, NOTE 3 with your ORIGINAL carrier at least ONCE to take your region lock OFF. After your Region lock is off, you can Sim Unlock your device via Unlock Code.
*All Canadian Carriers are NOT subject to Region Locking
*All USA and European Carriers ARE subject to Region Locking
*There will be absolutely no refunds, if your device is Region Locked and an Unlock code is provided for your Samsung Device.
Bl00dRunzC0ld said:
This is taken from one of the more popular cell unlocking sites
PLEASE READ THIS DISCLAIMER: If you have a Samsung Galaxy S3, S4, S5, Note 2, Note 3 or your Android version is Android 4.4 (KITKAT)
All SAMSUNG devices manufactured after the date of JULY 2013 and Samsung devices running on Android version is Android 4.4 (KITKAT) are subject to REGION LOCKING
If your phone has been used previously with the original carrier, this will not apply to you. However, if your device is BRAND NEW, your must activate it with the original carrier and make a call of 5 minutes or longer.
If your Samsung device becomes Region locked, you will not be able to fully factory Unlock your Samsung devices so it can be used internationally. Even the correct code will not work anymore.
In order for your Samsung device NOT to be region locked, you MUST activate (FIRST USE) your S3, S4, S5, NOTE 2, NOTE 3 with your ORIGINAL carrier at least ONCE to take your region lock OFF. After your Region lock is off, you can Sim Unlock your device via Unlock Code.
*All Canadian Carriers are NOT subject to Region Locking
*All USA and European Carriers ARE subject to Region Locking
*There will be absolutely no refunds, if your device is Region Locked and an Unlock code is provided for your Samsung Device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good piece of info to know. Thank you.
The Gods Approve This Post, From The Ghost Of Sparta's S5 active.
So I am looking forward to buy the S8 and I do want the unlocked bootloader. I heard that if you buy an S8 or S8+ from T Mobile then you get the U variant instead of T. Is it true? Because as far as I know the S8 and S8+ US variants got the U after the numbers which shows that the bootloader is unlocked.
T-mobile bootloader on the s8/s8+ is locked
KidKnowsTech said:
So I am looking forward to buy the S8 and I do want the unlocked bootloader. I heard that if you buy an S8 or S8+ from T Mobile then you get the U variant instead of T. Is it true? Because as far as I know the S8 and S8+ US variants got the U after the numbers which shows that the bootloader is unlocked.
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Click to collapse
Every North American model is the U model, simply with different firmware. Whether you buy a carrier version or the US unlocked model (U1) they are all quite literally the very same U model. This means you CAN do carrier switching, with some work (for instance, install firmware from T-Mobile on to an unlocked model, or Verizon, or whatever) - this DOES NOT however, SIM unlock the device. There was misinformation on the internet that the model numbers would be like they were in the past, but it's not true. If you buy a T-Mobile model, it's the G950U, just like it's the G950U on Verizon and all other carriers (no longer are there "T" models, "V" models, etc). The unlocked model is the G950U1, but it's still the very same model, so the firmwares are interchangeable.
Currently, there is no known way to unlock the bootloader. As of this week, root is available (with some caveats), but no way to unlock the bootloader. The only models you can do that with are the international Exynos models, and the more rare Hong Kong Snapdragon model. I sincerely doubt we'll ever be able to unlock the bootloader, but I'd love to see the XDA community make it happen.
Damn, I guess the International version is better.
The U = carrier unlocked. Not unlockable bootloader. Besides most glass Mashers and text-while-driving people don't even know what the heck a bootloader is lol
Bootloader ? oem
I have been thinking about get a S8+, now my wife's S7 phone and tab S2 tablet you just go to developer options and turn on oem unlock dose the S8 not have that?
brightjh01 said:
I have been thinking about get a S8+, now my wife's S7 phone and tab S2 tablet you just go to developer options and turn on oem unlock dose the S8 not have that?
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Click to collapse
No
stmims1124 said:
Every North American model is the U model, simply with different firmware. Whether you buy a carrier version or the US unlocked model (U1) they are all quite literally the very same U model. This means you CAN do carrier switching, with some work (for instance, install firmware from T-Mobile on to an unlocked model, or Verizon, or whatever) - this DOES NOT however, SIM unlock the device. There was misinformation on the internet that the model numbers would be like they were in the past, but it's not true. If you buy a T-Mobile model, it's the G950U, just like it's the G950U on Verizon and all other carriers (no longer are there "T" models, "V" models, etc). The unlocked model is the G950U1, but it's still the very same model, so the firmwares are interchangeable.
Currently, there is no known way to unlock the bootloader. As of this week, root is available (with some caveats), but no way to unlock the bootloader. The only models you can do that with are the international Exynos models, and the more rare Hong Kong Snapdragon model. I sincerely doubt we'll ever be able to unlock the bootloader, but I'd love to see the XDA community make it happen.
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Click to collapse
So what you are basically saying is, 950U s8 models even though unlocked can only be used on other US carries and not internationally??
captainkbj said:
So what you are basically saying is, 950U s8 models even though unlocked can only be used on other US carries and not internationally??
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Click to collapse
No, you should be able to use the U1 (North American implied variant) internationally, mostly without issue. I believe it supports most, if not all GSM/LTE bands (CDMA may be a different story). I was just saying you cannot unlock the bootloader on the North American models... Different than SIM/Carrier unlock
Hi,
I want to buy international model of Samsung Note 8. Also, can anyone share like the cheapest deal for Note 8's international version. ebay or anything works with me as long as the source is reliable.
zaidbaby said:
Hi,
I want to buy international model of Samsung Note 8. Also, can anyone share like the cheapest deal for Note 8's international version. ebay or anything works with me as long as the source is reliable.
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Click to collapse
N950F = International Version (EXYNOS)
N950U = US Version (SNAPDRAGON)
N950N = Korean Version (EXYNOS) 256GB
I do not reccomend buying from eBay unless its overseas. Lots of easy scams with eBay and Mobile phones
Mr.Ash.Man said:
N950F = International Version (EXYNOS)
N950U = US Version (SNAPDRAGON)
N950K = Korean Version (EXYNOS) 256GB
I do not reccomend buying from eBay unless its overseas. Lots of easy scams with eBay and Mobile phones
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no N950K, like the US variants, all the Korean variants were unified into one SKU, which is the SM-N950N.
zaidbaby said:
Hi,
I want to buy international model of Samsung Note 8. Also, can anyone share like the cheapest deal for Note 8's international version. ebay or anything works with me as long as the source is reliable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SM-N950F (Exynos Single SIM)
SM-N950F/DS (Exynos Dual SIM)
SM-N950N (South Korean carrier variant, Exynos)
SM-N950U (US Snapdragon 835 Single SIM variant, Locked Bootloader)
SM-N950W (Canadian Snapdragon 835 Single SIM, Locked Bootloader)
SM-N9500 (Chinese Snapdragon 835 Dual SIM, Unlocked Bootloader)
Preferably get either of the first two, they're unlocked and it doesn't really matter whether you get the Dual SIM or not since the software updates and all are the same.
murtaza02 said:
There is no N950K, like the US variants, all the Korean variants were unified into one SKU, which is the SM-N950N.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep my bad I meant N950N
Fixed
murtaza02 said:
SM-N950F (Exynos Single SIM)
SM-N950F/DS (Exynos Dual SIM)
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Click to collapse
Ah, that explains it with the SM-N950F/DS I have, which is the variant sold here in Singapore. I'd be willing to bet the SM-N950F has a different SIM tray.
Besides looking at the label on the bottom of the box, another way to identify the SM-N950F/DS variant is the presence of the Samsung "DUOS" logo on the top of the left side of the box, where the carrier logo would be on a carrier variant.
Additionally, Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+, and Note8 sold in Singapore have an extra Samsung Singapore support sticker on the top of the inner lid of the box, and as with past Galaxy phones sold in the same country, there's an extra brochure (separated from the documentation) highlighting some features (some of them specific to here) like Smart Switch, Samsung Pay, Samsung Concierge, and Smart Academy.
kbhasi said:
Ah, that explains it with the SM-N950F/DS I have, which is the variant sold here in Singapore. I'd be willing to bet the SM-N950F has a different SIM tray.
Besides looking at the label on the bottom of the box, another way to identify the SM-N950F/DS variant is the presence of the Samsung "DUOS" logo on the top of the left side of the box, where the carrier logo would be on a carrier variant.
Additionally, Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+, and Note8 sold in Singapore have an extra Samsung Singapore support sticker on the top of the inner lid of the box, and as with past Galaxy phones sold in the same country, there's an extra brochure (separated from the documentation) highlighting some features (some of them specific to here) like Smart Switch, Samsung Pay, Samsung Concierge, and Smart Academy.
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Click to collapse
It probably does, and yes the stuff you mentioned in the spoiler is exactly the same as my Note 8 which is a Singapore import as well. I too have the extra Samsung support sticker, Samsung Pay info and extra brochures inside the box.
murtaza02 said:
It probably does, and yes the stuff you mentioned in the spoiler is exactly the same as my Note 8 which is a Singapore import as well. I too have the extra Samsung support sticker, Samsung Pay info and extra brochures inside the box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except, I do actually live in Singapore*, where it has a recommended retail price of S$1398, and it seems to be more expensive in Australia.
*I'm currently on holiday with some relatives in Perth, that's why I bothered to research the Australian retail price.
Oh yeah! I just remembered, Samsung Pay appears to be region/country specific. I'm not sure if there'll be a way to sideload a different country version without rooting, or if the user would have to use Android Pay instead. At least, after finding out while browsing the "My Apps" list in Galaxy Apps, I now have a second reason why I bought mine in my home country (besides the price difference).
I can post a screenshot of what I mean here, or you can watch this video I just uploaded, where you can also see my particular unit I just mentioned:
Oh, and if you want to see them, more photos I posted on Instagram, and I have even more photos of mine.
kbhasi said:
Except, I do actually live in Singapore*, where it has a recommended retail price of S$1398, and it seems to be more expensive in Australia.
*I'm currently on holiday with some relatives in Perth, that's why I bothered to research the Australian retail price.
Oh yeah! I just remembered, Samsung Pay appears to be region/country specific. I'm not sure if there'll be a way to sideload a different country version without rooting, or if the user would have to use Android Pay instead. At least, after finding out while browsing the "My Apps" list in Galaxy Apps, I now have a second reason why I bought mine in my home country (besides the price difference).
I can post a screenshot of what I mean here, or you can watch this video I just uploaded, where you can also see my particular unit I just mentioned:
Oh, and if you want to see them, more photos I posted on Instagram, and I have even more photos of mine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung Pay will activate in your country when you activate the phone with a SIM card from that country, doesn't matter where you bought it.
Singapore's default CSC is XSP, activating the phone with a Singaporean SIM card will activate XSP on the phone and you'll be able to use Samsung Pay in Singapore.
Suppose you take the phone to Australia cause you've moved there. Reset it, activate it with an Australian SIM card. Origin CSC stays as XSP, active CSC however becomes XSA or any other Australian CSC and Samsung Pay will work there too.
Keep in mind this only applies to international model phones (N950F), and not the other variants.
The issue with the Korean Note FEs was that they were all South Korean carrier phones which meant they could only be used there for Samsung Pay and nowhere else.
murtaza02 said:
Samsung Pay will activate in your country when you activate the phone with a SIM card from that country, doesn't matter where you bought it.
Singapore's default CSC is XSP, activating the phone with a Singaporean SIM card will activate XSP on the phone and you'll be able to use Samsung Pay in Singapore.
Suppose you take the phone to Australia cause you've moved there. Reset it, activate it with an Australian SIM card. Origin CSC stays as XSP, active CSC however becomes XSA or any other Australian CSC and Samsung Pay will work there too.
Keep in mind this only applies to international model phones (N950F), and not the other variants.
The issue with the Korean Note FEs was that they were all South Korean carrier phones which meant they could only be used there for Samsung Pay and nowhere else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, I get it now. I'll go update the description of my video.
The thing is, I saw these packages in Galaxy Apps:
(It disappeared, but I remember it being there when I made the video yesterday)
Oh yeah, and a small side effect for me that can be ignored: I bought my Note8 from someone else, who got it from Singtel, and when I set it up for the first time, I didn't have my SIM card installed, which had it set the CSC to XSP, and install that carrier's bloatware. (I did it like this first because I wanted to try some stuff that I couldn't try on the retail demo unit, theming being one of them) I did a reset, and put in my M1 SIM card. This time, only "My Singtel" app installed, and I could disable that and "Singtel Apps" packages in the Apps section in Settings.
I did, however, find out a way to view the active CSC, which I remembered not being able to do on my Note3 a few years ago.
Hey guys, might be a stupid question, but I wanted to ask this, is the N950F/DS the same (or another name actually) as the N950FD ?
DeejayTelis said:
Hey guys, might be a stupid question, but I wanted to ask this, is the N950F/DS the same (or another name actually) as the N950FD ?
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Click to collapse
Yes. Technically there is no N950FD but most retailers have the dual SIM variant listed as such. That and the N950F/DS are exactly the same.
murtaza02 said:
Yes. Technically there is no N950FD but most retailers have the dual SIM variant listed as such. That and the N950F/DS are exactly the same.
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Happy new year! And thank you very much!
I've recently received my note 8, and I've been meaning to install the ironman rom + kernel + twrp, so i wanted to know if it would be possible. Thanks again!
DeejayTelis said:
Happy new year! And thank you very much!
I've recently received my note 8, and I've been meaning to install the ironman rom + kernel + twrp, so i wanted to know if it would be possible. Thanks again!
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Click to collapse
If it's a N950F or the DS variant, it is possible.
Happy new year to you too.
Cheers
Can I use the International the N950f in the US ??
Thank You.
Mr.Ash.Man said:
N950F = International Version (EXYNOS)
N950U = US Version (SNAPDRAGON)
N950N = Korean Version (EXYNOS) 256GB
I do not reccomend buying from eBay unless its overseas. Lots of easy scams with eBay and Mobile phones
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Click to collapse
Mr. Ash Man thanks for the info on the Note 8 variants !!!
I really appreciate XDA Developers, the limitless amount of legitimate information that is given freely on XDA is truly astonishing.
XDA is my go to place for all things Android.
Hmmmmmm
Mr.Ash.Man said:
N950F = International Version (EXYNOS)
N950U = US Version (SNAPDRAGON)
N950N = Korean Version (EXYNOS) 256GB
I do not reccomend buying from eBay unless its overseas. Lots of easy scams with eBay and Mobile phones
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really don't understand Samsung's choices sometimes, at time I feel totally mind boggled by some of the decisions that Samsung makes, like putting Tizen on Gear smartwatches & making it incompatible with Android Wear, why not make Gear line of run on both Android's os & Samsung's Tizen os just like our Notes & S line phones do, if they couldn't put both operating systems on the devices then why not make a line that runs Android os & a line that runs Tizen os, the same frustration with Samsung when they short the US customers with base variant phones that only come with 64gb of rom, we do always get blessed with the flagship snapdragon processor chip, I definitely appreciate Samsung for that b/c the Snapdragon processors are always better, what I don't understand is why bless the states with Snapdragons flagship processor chips but then turn around & short us by only releasing base version variants that only come with 64gb, bless us with the best processors & cut us off at the knees by only releasing a base model with 64gb of rom while Samsung releases variants with 64gb rom & 128gb rom & 256gb rom.
I WANT the 256gb version, I always go for the variant that has the largest screen size & the most memory.
Samsung should release all variants in every country, it shouldn't be a problem for anyone in any country to go to Samsung's global site or our country's site & order whatever device we want with whatever variant that we want.
---------- Post added at 08:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:12 AM ----------
Mr.Ash.Man said:
N950F = International Version (EXYNOS)
N950U = US Version (SNAPDRAGON)
N950N = Korean Version (EXYNOS) 256GB
I do not reccomend buying from eBay unless its overseas. Lots of easy scams with eBay and Mobile phones
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 256gb Korean variant compatible with US carriers ?!!
If so which carriers is it compatible with ?
Verizon Wireless is my carrier.
Do any of you have a non US variant & if so does it fully function or is it limited ?
Is the 950F/DS or 9500 on 8.0 yet?
note 8models unlock issue
note 8 from pakistan model number SM-N950FZKDXSG
is this unlocked in my country?
im ordering this from online dubai website
kindly help
SAMSUNG NOTE 8 SM-N950U and SM-N9500
Hello All. Please, I need some help. I have a Samsung note 8 SM-N950U as it says in the "About Phone" option with the Snapdragon 835. When i take photos or connect the phone to a PC, it says Samsung note 8 with model number SM-N9500.
I am confused because it is a single sim device and all the SM-N9500 are dual sim device. I was thinking of flashing with the China firmware but i am scared the IMEI will become locked again.
What should I do at this point?
Chidavis said:
Hello All. Please, I need some help. I have a Samsung note 8 SM-N950U as it says in the "About Phone" option with the Snapdragon 835. When i take photos or connect the phone to a PC, it says Samsung note 8 with model number SM-N9500.
I am confused because it is a single sim device and all the SM-N9500 are dual sim device. I was thinking of flashing with the China firmware but i am scared the IMEI will become locked again.
What should I do at this point?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Boot into download mode and it'll show you the actual model number.
If it's SM-N9500, you can flash the TGY SM-N9500 ROM and you should be able to get dual SIM functionality.