Database Develop

It'll be the same ol' story...

The international variant will kick ass with an awesome Samsung Exynos processor. That phone will not be available to us folks in North America. I am sure that the international variant will not support AT&T or T-Mobile's LTE frequencies.
AT&T will lock down their S5 with a locked bootloader, and/or make it extremely difficult for anyone to even root it. This just results in more bricks. T-Mobile's model will not have a locked bootloader, but won't play super nice with us AT&T folks. (The TMO Note 3 sucks on AT&T LTE for example).
Samsung needs to STOP releasing so many variants of their flagship phones. Why can't they release one variant and dictate to the carriers what can and cannot go on it? Now that would be something worthwhile to copy Apple for, don't ya think?
Anyway, I hope I am VERY wrong once the S5 gets announced. If its the same story as every previous gen, then I will be skipping it this time.
EDIT: Ok, so it won't be the same story this time around because the majority of everyone will be SKIPPING THE S5. PERIOD.

I agree completely.

I think all carriers should offer a locked variant for a smaller amount and an unlocked version for the "Next" plan being we are going to be paying full price anyway. Not that I want to pay more but for $50 or $100 I'd pay extra for the international
Sent from my At&t Galaxy S4

MattMJB0188 said:
The international variant will kick ass with an awesome Samsung Exynos processor. That phone will not be available to us folks in North America. I am sure that the international variant will not support AT&T or T-Mobile's LTE frequencies.
AT&T will lock down their S5 with a locked bootloader, and/or make it extremely difficult for anyone to even root it. This just results in more bricks. T-Mobile's model will not have a locked bootloader, but won't play super nice with us AT&T folks. (The TMO Note 3 sucks on AT&T LTE for example).
Samsung needs to STOP releasing so many variants of their flagship phones. Why can't they release one variant and dictate to the carriers what can and cannot go on it? Now that would be something worthwhile to copy Apple for, don't ya think?
Anyway, I hope I am VERY wrong once the S5 gets announced. If its the same story as every previous gen, then I will be skipping it this time.
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Do what?? You do understand why they have to release a different version for North America, right? It's not really Samsung's fault that our carriers can't get their s**t together when it comes to their networks and frequencies. The Exynos doesn't support our LTE bands. Since America isn't the world (despite what most of the people in this country seem to think), I'd say they are correct in making a phone that works with for the rest of the world. We still get the Snapdragon 805 which is by no means a bad processor. Also, you want to complain about a locked bootloader on the AT&T version? How about saying something to the NSA's butt buddy. Samsung is in the business of making money. Want to make money selling to AT&T? Follow their rules.
Lastly, the Galaxy S6 will have a Exynos that supports our LTE bands. You can always wait. I know it's a difficult concept these days but it is possible.

KCRic said:
Lastly, the Galaxy S6 will have a Exynos that supports our LTE bands. You can always wait. I know it's a difficult concept these days but it is possible.
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There will never be an Exynos supporting CDMA or for that matter any high-end Exynos with integrated modem. Furthermore that's besides the point, your whole post is nonsense, the processors themselves are not limited to anything. The Note 2 shipped worldwide with Exynos + Qualcomm modems.

AndreiLux said:
There will never be an Exynos supporting CDMA or for that matter any high-end Exynos with integrated modem. Furthermore that's besides the point, your whole post is nonsense, the processors themselves are not limited to anything. The Note 2 shipped worldwide with Exynos + Qualcomm modems.
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Really? That's why the S2 only had a Exynos available for Sprint and not any other carrier. Due to it supporting WiMax and not LTE. Of course that single device is just one example.
Our current phones are also examples of this occurrence.
To say a processor isn't limited by anything just show your level of understanding of SoC's. To use one device as an example of why something is incorrect is flawed.
Of course I would certainly admit that my posts are wrong if you have verifiable evidence of it being the case. What's your reasoning for the use of the Snapdragon as opposed to the Exynos other than limitations and support?
---------- Post added at 08:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:36 PM ----------
I'll admit I was slightly off. The S2 Exynos didn't support LTE. However, the Exynos 5 does - do a degree. It is "capable" of utilizing the LTE bands here but it does't meet power requirements. So I guess if you want a phone that eats your battery, that's all you. Of course everyone already complains about battery power as it is - I can only imagine one with an inefficient LTE modem.
Oh, a resource might be handy. Here's one of many.
http://phandroid.com/2013/03/29/samsung-exynos-5-octa-lte-support/

KCRic said:
To say a processor isn't limited by anything just show your level of understanding of SoC's.
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Are you for real?
KCRic said:
What's your reasoning for the use of the Snapdragon as opposed to the Exynos other than limitations and support?
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Price, availability, performance are the only reasons. Samsungs own SoCs are too expensive and lately they sucked.
Any SoC can be bundled with any modem and there are no technical limitations. The choice boils down to business decisions. Period.

AndreiLux said:
Are you for real?
Price, availability, performance are the only reasons. Samsungs own SoCs are too expensive and lately they sucked.
Any SoC can be bundled with any modem and there are no technical limitations. The choice boils down to business decisions. Period.
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That's why the S2 only has the Exynos on Sprint and the common knowledge was that it didn't support LTE. There are hardware limitations, compatibility issues, drivers, and a host of other reason why a processor can't be paired with something. So yes, really.
Again, I will recant my statement given verifiable proof stating otherwise. Until then, I can only assume that this thread is just another sign of this site going downhill lately.
At least years ago people would wait until the phone comes out before they complained about it.

KCRic said:
That's why the S2 only has the Exynos on Sprint and the common knowledge was that it didn't support LTE.
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Common knowledge to whom? Forum geniuses who like to spread false assumptions and BS "reports " like you did in the post before just now?
KCRic said:
There are hardware limitations, compatibility issues, drivers, and a host of other reason why a processor can't be paired with something.
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Do you then know what you're talking about or are you spewing buzzwords around?
Any SoC with an SPI or HSIC bus can be connected to any modem because they are standard interconnects. There are no driver issues nor any other source of incompatibility, nor any other vague inexistent reasons you seem incapable of specifying.
The S2 in NA had Snapdragons because of CDMA and it was cheaper to use Qualcomms solution. Qualcomm provides a discount to OEMs if they buy a platform as a package so keep in mind the financial aspect of that choice.
Your Sprint version had Exynos due to another third-party modem due to WiMax which QC didn't provide.
The S3 had a Snapdragon in NA because its MDM solution had a monopoly on LTE for all carriers. The One X was in the very same situation and the reason why they didn't use a Tegra 3 in the NA variant.
The Note 2 launched on Exynos world-wide because QC had a discrete LTE modem available by this time. The S3 LTE (9305) launched at the same time internationally. The reason for this is why this thread was even brought up, the 4412 was simply superior to the Snapdragon S3. The NA userbase is bitter still due to this fact.
The S4 was meant to be NA and Japan QC only but the 5410 was broken performance and consumption wise and it ended up with that all global LTE variants except the Korean one came with a QC chip. The international Exynos versions with LTE were cancelled. In fact, all Exynos versions in LTE markets were cancelled, you could not buy a 3G S4 in Europe.
The Note 3 was initially planned with a 5410 but that also got shelved due to above reasons. It was a miracle that the 5420 was made in time else the Note 3 would have been Qualcomm exclusive world-wide (And I have good source on that it was planned like that).
Now again Qualcomm has a monopoly on LTE-A on their MDM solution as there are no discrete modems currently available, and why all LTE-A devices are S800 solutions.
The S5 will likely still be in the same situation. There will be no competitive discrete products to compete with QC until later this year so you can expect the status quo of different models to continue until then.
So please stop spewing uninformed BS around if you have not the slightest grasp of the industry.

KCRic said:
That's why the S2 only has the Exynos on Sprint and the common knowledge was that it didn't support LTE. There are hardware limitations, compatibility issues, drivers, and a host of other reason why a processor can't be paired with something. So yes, really.
Again, I will recant my statement given verifiable proof stating otherwise. Until then, I can only assume that this thread is just another sign of this site going downhill lately.
At least years ago people would wait until the phone comes out before they complained about it.
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I have to agree, I had the GN10.1 2014 Edition (Exynos WiFi Model) and it stuttered worse than Forest Gump, my GN3 on the other hand with SD800 was rock solid.

AndreiLux said:
Common knowledge to whom? Forum geniuses who like to spread false assumptions and BS "reports " like you did in the post before just now? Do you then know what you're talking about or are you spewing buzzwords around?
Any SoC with an SPI or HSIC bus can be connected to any modem because they are standard interconnects. There are no driver issues nor any other source of incompatibility, nor any other vague inexistent reasons you seem incapable of specifying.
The S2 in NA had Snapdragons because of CDMA and it was cheaper to use Qualcomms solution. Qualcomm provides a discount to OEMs if they buy a platform as a package so keep in mind the financial aspect of that choice.
Your Sprint version had Exynos due to another third-party modem due to WiMax which QC didn't provide.
The S3 had a Snapdragon in NA because its MDM solution had a monopoly on LTE for all carriers. The One X was in the very same situation and the reason why they didn't use a Tegra 3 in the NA variant.
The Note 2 launched on Exynos world-wide because QC had a discrete LTE modem available by this time. The S3 LTE (9305) launched at the same time internationally. The reason for this is why this thread was even brought up, the 4412 was simply superior to the Snapdragon S3. The NA userbase is bitter still due to this fact.
The S4 was meant to be NA and Japan QC only but the 5410 was broken performance and consumption wise and it ended up with that all global LTE variants except the Korean one came with a QC chip. The international Exynos versions with LTE were cancelled. In fact, all Exynos versions in LTE markets were cancelled, you could not buy a 3G S4 in Europe.
The Note 3 was initially planned with a 5410 but that also got shelved due to above reasons. It was a miracle that the 5420 was made in time else the Note 3 would have been Qualcomm exclusive world-wide (And I have good source on that it was planned like that).
Now again Qualcomm has a monopoly on LTE-A on their MDM solution as there are no discrete modems currently available, and why all LTE-A devices are S800 solutions.
The S5 will likely still be in the same situation. There will be no competitive discrete products to compete with QC until later this year so you can expect the status quo of different models to continue until then.
So please stop spewing uninformed BS around if you have not the slightest grasp of the industry.
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wow, just wow. So still no sources for all those words? Not to mention you're getting very lippy using "bs" and telling me how I'm "spewing" things. Interestingly enough, I stayed that I would admit that I'm wrong if given the proper evidence. In no way was I personally attacking you, nor did I sink to using loose insult attempts with abbreviations of vulgur phrases.
Yet another shining example of the downward trend this site has seen lately. You want to provide sources to back statements? Good. Otherwise I can start throwing around conspiracy paradigms about one entity controlling sunlight and all tech used to view it.
For the record, I don't recall my Exynos device being more expensive than the SD equivalent. And just because two objects plug together doesn't mean they work well together if at all. Anyone that has built a computer can tell you that. Hell, I guess I can take the SoC from this phone and toss it in my old G2 and have all sorts of Frankenstein badassery :silly:
Again, all I'm asking for is proof. "Hey, you misunderstand the reason for this here's why" post link. Done. Without the other asinine 12 year old attitude. You seem intelligent, you should portray yourself as such.

KCRic said:
wow, just wow. So still no sources for all those words?
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I'm the source as far as you're concerned. I broke the story on several topics over the last year, and I'm not going to post some third-party site which rehashes what I say just to give weight to it for incredulents like you. My track-record speaks for itself.
KCRic said:
For the record, I don't recall my Exynos device being more expensive than the SD equivalent.
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You already show that you don't comprehend the difference between component cost and device cost. Please stop trying to participate in this discussion.
The 5410 costed about $30 while the S600 was only $20, and that you can find yourself on the web.

KCRic said:
wow, just wow. So still no sources for all those words? Not to mention you're getting very lippy using "bs" and telling me how I'm "spewing" things. Interestingly enough, I stayed that I would admit that I'm wrong if given the proper evidence. In no way was I personally attacking you, nor did I sink to using loose insult attempts with abbreviations of vulgur phrases.
Yet another shining example of the downward trend this site has seen lately. You want to provide sources to back statements? Good. Otherwise I can start throwing around conspiracy paradigms about one entity controlling sunlight and all tech used to view it.
For the record, I don't recall my Exynos device being more expensive than the SD equivalent. And just because two objects plug together doesn't mean they work well together if at all. Anyone that has built a computer can tell you that. Hell, I guess I can take the SoC from this phone and toss it in my old G2 and have all sorts of Frankenstein badassery :silly:
Again, all I'm asking for is proof. "Hey, you misunderstand the reason for this here's why" post link. Done. Without the other asinine 12 year old attitude. You seem intelligent, you should portray yourself as such.
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I agree, AndreiLux was a little too offensive, but dude, do you even know who this guy is? Do a little search about his work and background before you call his knowledge hokey.

MattMJB0188 said:
The international variant will kick ass with an awesome Samsung Exynos processor. That phone will not be available to us folks in North America. I am sure that the international variant will not support AT&T or T-Mobile's LTE frequencies.
AT&T will lock down their S5 with a locked bootloader, and/or make it extremely difficult for anyone to even root it. This just results in more bricks. T-Mobile's model will not have a locked bootloader, but won't play super nice with us AT&T folks. (The TMO Note 3 sucks on AT&T LTE for example).
Samsung needs to STOP releasing so many variants of their flagship phones. Why can't they release one variant and dictate to the carriers what can and cannot go on it? Now that would be something worthwhile to copy Apple for, don't ya think?
Anyway, I hope I am VERY wrong once the S5 gets announced. If its the same story as every previous gen, then I will be skipping it this time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't disagree anymore. First, this is all speculative, no facts. Second, the Tmobile note 3 works PERFECTLY with AT&Ts'LTE network (25-45 Mbps in the dmv area) which is great so it could be the same with the S5.
AT&T is highly likely going to lock the boot loader but there's going to be ways around it especially for a major phone like this (the note 3 for AT&T for example). It may not be as dev friendly as the international version but it'll have support for sure. It's better to look at the positives instead of focusing on the negatives.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

barondebxl said:
I couldn't disagree anymore. First, this is all speculative, no facts. Second, the Tmobile note 3 works PERFECTLY with AT&Ts'LTE network (25-45 Mbps in the dmv area) which is great so it could be the same with the S5.
AT&T is highly likely going to lock the boot loader but there's going to be ways around it especially for a major phone like this (the note 3 for AT&T for example). It may not be as dev friendly as the international version but it'll have support for sure. It's better to look at the positives instead of focusing on the negatives.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I see root as a strong possibility, but getting an unlocked bootloader on a Verizon or AT&T version is not likely. Did they achieve that with the GS4? The last I read (and just did a Google search) the answer seems to be no.

RaptorMD said:
I see root as a strong possibility, but getting an unlocked bootloader on a Verizon or AT&T version is not likely. Did they achieve that with the GS4? The last I read (and just did a Google search) the answer seems to be no.
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Root will be achieve and custom roms will happen. I'm pretty sure the AT&T and Verizon versions will have a locked boot loader which sucks, but it won't stop development (at least in the beginning until they patch the exploit that will lead to custom roms and stuff). Who knows, the devs may find a way to unlock those boot loaders.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

barondebxl said:
I couldn't disagree anymore. First, this is all speculative, no facts. Second, the Tmobile note 3 works PERFECTLY with AT&Ts'LTE network (25-45 Mbps in the dmv area) which is great so it could be the same with the S5.
AT&T is highly likely going to lock the boot loader but there's going to be ways around it especially for a major phone like this (the note 3 for AT&T for example). It may not be as dev friendly as the international version but it'll have support for sure. It's better to look at the positives instead of focusing on the negatives.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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That's fine. You can disagree all you want. The past speaks for itself. How they have done things in the past has ultimately been a nightmare for us folks who enjoy using our phones the way we like. I bet you anything the S5 will be the same as far as excluding the exynos processor and bootloader.
The T-Mobile Note 3 does get AT&T LTE, however, in my experience the LTE signal was horrible. Everywhere my AT&T branded S4 got a good LTE signal, my TMO N3 would struggle to pick up even one bar. And your wrong about AT&T versions having more development support. The AT&T S4 development is practically dead. The N3 for AT&T has active development, but its much more difficult for someone to root or use safestrap than previous methods. It is also very dangerous to attempt these new methods. Locked bootloaders only leads to more bricks. ENOUGH SAID.
Can't be positive, gotta be realistic.

MattMJB0188 said:
That's fine. You can disagree all you want. The past speaks for itself. How they have done things in the past has ultimately been a nightmare for us folks who enjoy using our phones the way we like. I bet you anything the S5 will be the same as far as excluding the exynos processor and bootloader.
The T-Mobile Note 3 does get AT&T LTE, however, in my experience the LTE signal was horrible. Everywhere my AT&T branded S4 got a good LTE signal, my TMO N3 would struggle to pick up even one bar. And your wrong about AT&T versions having more development support. The AT&T S4 development is practically dead. The N3 for AT&T has active development, but its much more difficult for someone to root or use safestrap than previous methods. It is also very dangerous to attempt these new methods. Locked bootloaders only leads to more bricks. ENOUGH SAID.
Can't be positive, gotta be realistic.
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Click to collapse
You're not being realistic my friend, you sound negative.
You should have said that earlier about the tmobile devices not playing nice on AT&T LTE network, you can't speak for everyone cause I had great speed with my Tmobile note 3 on AT&T.
Again you're misunderstanding, I never said the Ar&t s4 got better development than the others, I said at least it got development despite the locked boot loaders.
And lastly, give some credit to the devs, it isn't their fault if the boot loader is locked. Safestrap isn't as cool as a regular recovery but they did a fine job giving us the opportunity to flash Roms. At the end of the day it's your choice, you can always buy something else cause here are some almost certainty:
-AT&T S5 will have a locked boot loader
- devs will come up with a work around to flash roms
If these things bother you perhaps you should consider another phone.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

well the exynos s4 was inferior to the snapdragon model in every single way...
it only had slightly better gpu performance, we are talking about 1 to 3 fps here, but the battery life was considerably worse, and lacking lte.
i also heard that it was better to develop for the snapdragon model or something

barondebxl said:
Root will be achieve and custom roms will happen. I'm pretty sure the AT&T and Verizon versions will have a locked boot loader which sucks, but it won't stop development (at least in the beginning until they patch the exploit that will lead to custom roms and stuff). Who knows, the devs may find a way to unlock those boot loaders.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I don't see development being hampered by anything globally, but what we get in the US is a bit more limited since we will likely never see the bootloader unlocked but hey root is enough for me most of the time.

Oh AT&T... how I loathe you!

Every GALAXY launch we go through the same BS. No 32GB option available, and this time no GOLD or BLUE color options available. Why? Why? Why? Is it really that difficult to include all the colors with 32GB? Now those of us who want to get the phone on launch are once again screwed just like we were last year and the year before on 32gb of storage. Of course I take all this back if the unlocked variant offered AT&T LTE support; which it doesn't by the way. Why am I not surprised? The 16gb S5 will have about 10GB of user storage.
I am so fed up with this type of BS. AT&T is, unfortunately, the only carrier that works well in my area. T-Mobile is spotty with lots of EDGE. If only their service was on lower spectrum, I'd be all over them.
Anyone else feeling just as frustrated with this mess we endure every year.

I totally agree, but the ATT S4 did come with a 32Gb. I am using it right now. I wish Sammy would up them all to 32Gb and an option for 64Gb. 16Gb is too small with how large touchwiz is with each revision. No way I will go back to only 16Gb on board.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

16GB is never an issue with me, regardless of the device. It's more than enough for my needs, considering I have maybe 2-4 very small games on my devices at any given time. What does piss me off is the lack of all the colors. I wanted the blue model, but of course, that's not possible...for whatever idiotic reason. I just said screw it and preordered the black. I guess I'll just buy a different back cover down the road.

karmuh said:
16GB is never an issue with me, regardless of the device. It's more than enough for my needs, considering I have maybe 2-4 very small games on my devices at any given time. What does piss me off is the lack of all the colors. I wanted the blue model, but of course, that's not possible...for whatever idiotic reason. I just said screw it and preordered the black. I guess I'll just buy a different back cover down the road.
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16GB may not be an issue for everyone, but why can't they just give the customer the choice at pre-launch? I have no problem paying more for storage. Why does Apple sell every color and size up front from day 1? That's what I don't get. Since they are dying so much to be like Apple, then why can't they at least do that?

MattMJB0188 said:
16GB may not be an issue for everyone, but why can't they just give the customer the choice at pre-launch? I have no problem paying more for storage. Why does Apple sell every color and size up front from day 1? That's what I don't get. Since they are dying so much to be like Apple, then why can't they at least do that?
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Agreed -- it really doesn't make any sense at all. All model options should be available from day 1, no exceptions. That's one thing Apple does an excellent job at. They announce their devices and the same day you can start preordering any color/storage model, assuming the stock is available, of course. It pissed me off even more, because we had to wait this long after the S5 announcement to just preorder it...and then we don't have all the options available? Very annoying.

karmuh said:
Agreed -- it really doesn't make any sense at all. All model options should be available from day 1, no exceptions. That's one thing Apple does an excellent job at. They announce their devices and the same day you can start preordering any color/storage model, assuming the stock is available, of course. It pissed me off even more, because we had to wait this long after the S5 announcement to just preorder it...and then we don't have all the options available? Very annoying.
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+1, Samsung never have full availability of their models. Either they announce a color but don't have it or announce a 64 GB version and don't have it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

barondebxl said:
+1, Samsung never have full availability of their models. Either they announce a color but don't have it or announce a 64 GB version and don't have it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
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Yeah I know. Its ridiculous. I don't know why I had such high hopes for them to turn around and launch the S5 differently than before.

MattMJB0188 said:
I am so fed up with this type of BS. AT&T is, unfortunately, the only carrier that works well in my area. T-Mobile is spotty with lots of EDGE. If only their service was on lower spectrum, I'd be all over them.
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I know it doesnt help right now, but i recall reading on Engadget recently that T-Mobile is claiming that all of their 2g areas will be upgraded to 4g by 2015 or early in 2015. That should open up more options for you and countless others.

cloudraker said:
I know it doesnt help right now, but i recall reading on Engadget recently that T-Mobile is claiming that all of their 2g areas will be upgraded to 4g by 2015 or early in 2015. That should open up more options for you and countless others.
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That will help, but a major problem T-Mobile has it that their frequencies don't reach as far as AT&T's and therefore you get EDGE. T-Mobile has all their towers upgraded in my area to HSPA+ and some with LTE, but since those signals don't travel as far, it always turns into EDGE. They need to shut EDGE down entirely and use only H+.

New TouchWiz is just over 8 gigs of space, I've been told the 16gb version will have about 7 gigs of usable storage. I'm waiting for the 32gb version to come to AT&BS I guess a little later this year.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

This is why I am thinking of passing on s5 and going to HTC one m8. I checked out the phone at AT&T and very impressed with it plus it comes in 32gb at AT&T as default. Tired of Samsung Bs. They will release a 32gb version on AT&T 6 months down the road or never.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

sabre31 said:
This is why I am thinking of passing on s5 and going to HTC one m8. I checked out the phone at AT&T and very impressed with it plus it comes in 32gb at AT&T as default. Tired of Samsung Bs. They will release a 32gb version on AT&T 6 months down the road or never.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Yea. With the S4 I think they announced the 32GB version about 2 weeks after the 16GB went on sale; ultimately screwing anyone who wanted one because their return policy was up.
I actually ordered the 16GB because I never have come close to filling the internal storage I was just pissed its not an option. I just really wanted the blue. **** like that pisses me off. I am sure if AT&T gets the 32GB it will only come in black. I wanted white this time.

Yeah AT&T waited 2 weeks on purpose so you couldn't return the 16gb version. I bet they will pull something similar now. Hoping that somebody is desperate to open another line or pay full price to get it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Same thing with last year. 64GB M7 cost the same as a 16GB S4.
Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk

Equally as important as the space issue is the "download booster" feature, which is disabled on all the demo devices that are popping up in AT&T stores. I'm going to wait for the actual devices to ship to customers before passing judgment because floor models definitely do have things disabled sometimes. That said, it certainly shouldn't shock anyone that AT&T would want this disabled. Years of history support the idea that they don't want people using their network, and they push people toward WiFi whenever possible. I can just see some corporate goon in a boardroom breaking out in a cold sweat over the idea of people accidentally using download booster and going over their data plans because they didn't realize what they were doing.
Let us not forget this is also the same carrier who disabled installation of non-market APKs on their early Android devices, shipped the Note 2 without the multi-window functionality until enough people raised hell, and removed the Knox security app from the Note 3. This says nothing of the fact that they still manage to get their paws into Nexus devices, successfully getting Google to code in an exception that disables tethering on the Nexus 7 if you have an AT&T SIM card in it. There's no account check or anything else. If you have an AT&T SIM card in your Nexus 7, the tethering option disappears. End of story. Not even Verizon does that. Also, does anyone remember how, for the longest time, AT&T made both Apple and Google disable video chat in Facetime and Hangouts over HSPA+ and LTE, forcing you to use WiFi?
So far, I'm leaving my preorder intact, but if my device doesn't have the download booster feature, I'm returning it. Every time I decide to give a carrier-branded device a chance, it seems I get let down. Even with Nexus devices, AT&T finds a way to let me down (thus why I have my N7 on Verizon). I'm trying to give AT&T the benefit of the doubt on the download booster, but I'm not at all optimistic. :/ I mainly stick with AT&T because they're basically the only choice if you want to use unlocked Nexus and/or GPE devices and still have Verizon-like coverage.

oldblue910 said:
Equally as important as the space issue is the "download booster" feature, which is disabled on all the demo devices that are popping up in AT&T stores. I'm going to wait for the actual devices to ship to customers before passing judgment because floor models definitely do have things disabled sometimes. That said, it certainly shouldn't shock anyone that AT&T would want this disabled. Years of history support the idea that they don't want people using their network, and they push people toward WiFI whenever possible. I can just see some corporate goon in a boardroom breaking out in a cold sweat over the idea of people accidentally using download booster and going over their data plans because they didn't realize what they were doing.
Let us not forget this is also the same carrier who disabled installation of non-market APKs on their early Android devices, shipped the Note 2 without the multi-window functionality until enough people raised hell, and removed the Knox security app from the Note 3. This says nothing of the fact that they still manage to get their paws into Nexus devices, successfully getting Google to code in an exception that disables tethering on the Nexus 7 if you have an AT&T SIM card in it. There's no account check or anything else. If you have an AT&T SIM card in your Nexus 7, the tethering option disappears. End of story. Not even Verizon does that. Also, does anyone remember how, for the longest time, AT&T made both Apple and Google disable video chat in Facetime and Hangouts over HSPA+ and LTE, forcing you to use WiFi?
So far, I'm leaving my preorder intact, but if my device doesn't have the download booster feature, I'm returning it. Every time I decide to give a carrier-branded device a chance, it seems I get let down. Even with Nexus devices, AT&T finds a way to let me down (thus why I have my N7 on Verizon). I'm trying to give AT&T the benefit of the doubt on the download booster, but I'm not at all optimistic. :/ I mainly stick with AT&T because they're basically the only choice if you want to use unlocked Nexus and/or GPE devices and still have Verizon-like coverage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said. Personally, I have never used a Nexus device. I have heard bad things about LG's nexus. But I guess it wouldn't be fair of me to judge that device without actually using it. Samsung's TW provides me with exactly what I need. I love the look and a lot of the features. Like you, and as I have already stated, I will keep my pre-order intact and wait until I actually get the device to see for myself if the feature has been disabled or not.
If they do, in fact disable download booster, I probably will go with the international variant. No carrier branding whatsoever. I believe its the same case as in the past. NO LTE, but 21mbps HSPA+ which is fine for my needs. I think loosing LTE may be worth getting an untouched/non-carrier branded Samsung phone. NO limitations, no nothing. Having the ability to have a custom recovery and kernels would be a deal breaker alone. We already know the AT&T S5 will have a locked down bootloader.
One thing I am looking forward to with the AT&T S5 is its support for carrier aggregation. I live in the Chicago land area (one of AT&T's first LTE-A markets). So I am dying to see how much faster my speeds will be.

oldblue910 said:
Equally as important as the space issue is the "download booster" feature, which is disabled on all the demo devices that are popping up in AT&T stores. I'm going to wait for the actual devices to ship to customers before passing judgment because floor models definitely do have things disabled sometimes. That said, it certainly shouldn't shock anyone that AT&T would want this disabled. Years of history support the idea that they don't want people using their network, and they push people toward WiFI whenever possible. I can just see some corporate goon in a boardroom breaking out in a cold sweat over the idea of people accidentally using download booster and going over their data plans because they didn't realize what they were doing.
Let us not forget this is also the same carrier who disabled installation of non-market APKs on their early Android devices, shipped the Note 2 without the multi-window functionality until enough people raised hell, and removed the Knox security app from the Note 3. This says nothing of the fact that they still manage to get their paws into Nexus devices, successfully getting Google to code in an exception that disables tethering on the Nexus 7 if you have an AT&T SIM card in it. There's no account check or anything else. If you have an AT&T SIM card in your Nexus 7, the tethering option disappears. End of story. Not even Verizon does that. Also, does anyone remember how, for the longest time, AT&T made both Apple and Google disable video chat in Facetime and Hangouts over HSPA+ and LTE, forcing you to use WiFi?
So far, I'm leaving my preorder intact, but if my device doesn't have the download booster feature, I'm returning it. Every time I decide to give a carrier-branded device a chance, it seems I get let down. Even with Nexus devices, AT&T finds a way to let me down (thus why I have my N7 on Verizon). I'm trying to give AT&T the benefit of the doubt on the download booster, but I'm not at all optimistic. :/ I mainly stick with AT&T because they're basically the only choice if you want to use unlocked Nexus and/or GPE devices and still have Verizon-like coverage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said. Unlocked devices in the USA pretty much only fully support AT&T frequencies. Sure they may be unlocked, but use any other carrier and you'll end up losing out on one to numerous frequencies.
Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk

SolarTrans said:
Well said. Unlocked devices in the USA pretty much only fully support AT&T frequencies. Sure they may be unlocked, but use any other carrier and you'll end up losing out on one to numerous frequencies.
Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't speak for all unlocked devices, but every Nexus device with a cellular radio fully supports all bands for both AT&T and T-Mobile. In addition, the Nexus 5 fully supports all Sprint CDMA and LTE bands, and the 2013 N7 has full Verizon LTE support.
On the GPE side, you're right. The Moto G and both generations of the HTC One lack support for HSPA+ on the AWS/1700 MHz band, which T-Mobile requires for any area not refarmed to use HSPA+ on the PCS/1900 MHz band.
That said, all GPEs fully support T-Mobile LTE.
Sent from my Z Ultra Google Play Edition using Tapatalk

oldblue910 said:
I can't speak for all unlocked devices, but every Nexus device with a cellular radio fully supports all bands for both AT&T and T-Mobile. In addition, the Nexus 5 fully supports all Sprint CDMA and LTE bands, and the 2013 N7 has full Verizon LTE support.
On the GPE side, you're right. The Moto G and both generations of the HTC One lack support for HSPA+ on the AWS/1700 MHz band, which T-Mobile requires for any area not refarmed to use HSPA+ on the PCS/1900 MHz band.
That said, all GPEs fully support T-Mobile LTE.
Sent from my Z Ultra Google Play Edition using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that's true I forgot about T-Mobile. Nexus 5 did it right with good carrier support. GPE supporting T-Mobile and AT&T is nice, but nowhere near ideal. Case in point the M8 unlocked and Dev editions only support AT&T. Also, I think the unlocked iPhones support all the US carriers (99% sure).
Point is, to my knowledge, unlocked device support in the USA is like this (greatest adoption to least):
1. AT&T
2. T-Mobile
3. Sprint (very little support)
4. Verizon (pretty much nothing)
Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk

i'm confused, why doesn't everyone that want bigger memory space to just spend 35 dollars on amazon and get a 64GB micro card? that'd what i did so now when i get my AT&T S5, I'll have a total of 70 GBs free space....
i think you guys are crying way too much about this 16GB deal.

S6 for AT&T locked bootloader option?

So as previous Galaxy versions, I'm pretty sure AT&T will lockdown the bootloader on the S6, so my question is, what other variant of the S6 can I buy that will fully work with AT&T's LTE network?
Thanks.

eortizr said:
So as previous Galaxy versions, I'm pretty sure AT&T will lockdown the bootloader on the S6, so my question is, what other variant of the S6 can I buy that will fully work with AT&T's LTE network?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been wondering the same thing but I've never found a good answer. With other versions of Samsung's phones it's always "you're missing this band or that band", "this might work but that won't work." I'm not sure there is a phone you can buy that will work with AT&T as well as one of their phones without their locked down BS. I'm also on AT&T and I like the service and my plan but not the locked down bloated phones they offer. I think I'm making my next phone purchase a hard decision but every phone I look at has a major drawback. I think sometimes I should jump on the S6 from AT&T and live with the phone in it's factory state which I'm sure is awesome but I'm not sure I'd be happy with that. Will probably keep waiting, the good part is that every new phone is better than the one before it.

I currently have an ATT S5 and despise this locked bootloader. I am planning on getting a TMobile S6 because of the modding capabilities(assuming their S6 won't be locked down) and I've heard people using their TM S5's on ATT as well. But I am not sure if the unlocked/regular(?) version will support all of the ATT bands..

Honestly folks on Verizon, AT&T or others wanting to know if (and if so, how much) it will be locked down... I suggest waiting until some folks get hands-on testing with it.
The fact that it will be Exynos means much of what blocked the S5/N3/N4 doesn't apply... and the new solution is unknown.
Part of me thinks that if they're this confident to switch back to Exynos they may have developed their own alternative to the QC features.
The only way to know for sure is to test with an actual device, which won't likely happen until rollout.

If its based on the s5, the tmobile one would be the one to get. The tmobile s5 has all the tmobile bands (minus band 12 LTE) and all of the AT&T HSPA+ and LTE bands. im planning on picking up my s6 from tmobile but in the mean time, making friends with tmobile reps at my local tmobile store is essential as tmobile doesnt like selling their devices without a plan.

osmosizzz said:
If its based on the s5, the tmobile one would be the one to get. The tmobile s5 has all the tmobile bands (minus band 12 LTE) and all of the AT&T HSPA+ and LTE bands. im planning on picking up my s6 from tmobile but in the mean time, making friends with tmobile reps at my local tmobile store is essential as tmobile doesnt like selling their devices without a plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, out of curiousity I checked - lo and behold, the FCC docs are available this week.
LTE Bands for SM-G920T are.... 12,1 2/17 (share same frequency in some cases), 5, 4 and 2.

garwynn said:
Well, out of curiousity I checked - lo and behold, the FCC docs are available this week.
LTE Bands for SM-G920T are.... 12,1 2/17 (share same frequency in some cases), 5, 4 and 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got a link to the doc?

osmosizzz said:
Got a link to the doc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://transition.fcc.gov/oet/ea/fccid/
Grantee Code: A3L
Product Code: SMG920T
Go into the detail records and you'll find all the nitty gritty details including LTE tests.
Just wish could see the rest of the confidential docs that the FCC gets to see...

garwynn said:
http://transition.fcc.gov/oet/ea/fccid/
Grantee Code: A3L
Product Code: SMG920T
Go into the detail records and you'll find all the nitty gritty details including LTE tests.
Just wish could see the rest of the confidential docs that the FCC gets to see...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looking at the Verizon docs for both the S6 and S6 Edge, they both are missing Appendix F, which is where the DUT Antenna Locations are indicated.
So the primary document of interest is missing...
I don't get it, how can you just not post that information?

xdadevnube said:
Looking at the Verizon docs for both the S6 and S6 Edge, they both are missing Appendix F, which is where the DUT Antenna Locations are indicated.
So the primary document of interest is missing...
I don't get it, how can you just not post that information?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The summary list, instead of detail, shows all docs submitted and if they are confidential.
I'll bet it's in there and confidential.

garwynn said:
The summary list, instead of detail, shows all docs submitted and if they are confidential.
I'll bet it's in there and confidential.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most modern phones I have looked at have the DUT Antenna Location diagram listed. The Nexus 6 is listed. Other modern phones have it missing though, and it seems that Sprint's may have it listed when Verizon's does not (I think the Note 4 is an example, but that is just from my memory.) The Sprint model isn't up yet so I have my fingers crossed.
I knew from the Nexus 6 FCC docs that there was no simultaneous voice and data on either EVDO or LTE because there was a single shared antenna. I am curious if the S6 is same way.

garwynn said:
The summary list, instead of detail, shows all docs submitted and if they are confidential.
I'll bet it's in there and confidential.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
" The requested Permanent and Short-Term Confidential exhibits are listed as follows:
PERMANENT AND SHORT-TERM CONFIDENTIAL LIST
Exhibit Description
PERMANENT
1 Block Diagram
2 Operational Description
3 Schematics
4 Parts List & Tune-Up Procedure
SHORT-TERM
5 External Photos
6 Internal Photos
7 Test-Setup Photos
8 Users Manual "
Perhaps you are correct. That would be lame.

Update: The same confidentiality letter for the S6 is listed for several different phones, including the Note 4.
I just checked the docs and both Sprint and Verizon (maybe the T-Mobile and AT&T as well) show the antenna location diagram.
The confidentiality letter therefore doesn't cover the antenna location diagram. For the S6, the antenna location diagram is being described as listed in Appendix F, which is not included in the FCC listing. Perhaps it will be listed at a later time, but I suspect that it isn't confidential, it is just not available.
However, for the those of you interested, the S6 IS NOT capable of simultaneous voice and LTE, according the docs. You would have be on VoLTE. The same for goes for HTC m9. Pretty disappointing. Of the phones I've actually considered recently (Nexus 6, Droid Turbo, HTC m9, and Samsung S6), none of the them can do voice and LTE on Verizon...

We should send ATT/Samsung a message
When it comes out I plan on buying one or two phones(128Gb S6 Edge they will be more exp) and opening them both then returning them in a week or two if they have a locked bootloader. Then I plan on buying and returning them every couple of weeks. This should cost AT&T $$$. If everyone on XDA does it perhaps we can hurt their bottom line and they will get the message not to be assholes.

cciechad said:
When it comes out I plan on buying one or two phones(128Gb S6 Edge they will be more exp) and opening them both then returning them in a week or two if they have a locked bootloader. Then I plan on buying and returning them every couple of weeks. This should cost AT&T $$$. If everyone on XDA does it perhaps we can hurt their bottom line and they will get the message not to be assholes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What??? You have a lot of free time on your hands, maybe you should go work at AT&T for free so they will appreciate you as you do them!
Seriously though, you can't be serious!?!?
Sent from my SM-G900T using AllianceR(●)m

The Sprint Galaxy S3 was the first Android device I ever owned. I found out pretty quick that I did not like TouchWiz so I found out how to root and flash a custom recovery and that's when I fell in love with stock Android.
Anyways, I'm on AT&T now with a HTC One M8. I love the phone, but I really wish the camera were better. The only thing keeping me from instantly wanting a M9 is no optical image stabilization AGAIN.
So, with that said, and after reading through everything in this thread, if the bootloader is locked down on the AT&T Galaxy S6, does that mean we will not be able to achieve root? I'm not worried about flashing ROMs and stuff, I mainly just want root to run root apps like xposed and greenify.

eortizr said:
So as previous Galaxy versions, I'm pretty sure AT&T will lockdown the bootloader on the S6, so my question is, what other variant of the S6 can I buy that will fully work with AT&T's LTE network?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm exploring the same alternative at this point. In fact I am looking at the South Korean variants currently at this point which follow the SM-G920s/k/L variants. On my current LG G3 F400S which operates under the carrier SK Telecom, AT&T LTE works flawlessly, not to mention the device was 1 of the first devices to get 5.0 back in November. I'm still researching these variants, but if all checks out, this is the direction I will be going.

I really think you guys are getting a bit ahead of yourselves. Using the S3/4/5 or Note 3/4 as a basis of comparison for the S6 doesn't work.
Remember, with the S6 going Exynos we don't have a recent frame of reference to gauge against. The closest comparison is the Note II.

garwynn said:
Well, out of curiousity I checked - lo and behold, the FCC docs are available this week.
LTE Bands for SM-G920T are.... 12,1 2/17 (share same frequency in some cases), 5, 4 and 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So is that fully compatible with AT&T LTE or no?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G850A

cciechad said:
When it comes out I plan on buying one or two phones(128Gb S6 Edge they will be more exp) and opening them both then returning them in a week or two if they have a locked bootloader. Then I plan on buying and returning them every couple of weeks. This should cost AT&T $$$. If everyone on XDA does it perhaps we can hurt their bottom line and they will get the message not to be assholes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ALL ATT Phones have locked bootloaders - they made that announcment after the S4 -the ATT S6 is going to be locked bootloader. Guaranteed.
TMOBILE PHONES work on ATT just fine. I have been doing this since the Note 3 came out. unfortunately, the TMOBILE S6 cannot be unlocked for use on other carriers without the help of TMOBILE - and their policy is that you have to use the phone for three months before they will give you an unlock code.
You can't buy an unlock code online for it - because TMOBILE has an app that has to be used to unlock the SIM for use on other carriers. So unless someone comes up with a workaround, if you buy a TMOBILE S6, you will be stuck on TMOBILE with it for three months or so - unless something significant changes before then.
I tried to unlock the sim so I can use it on ATT (like I did all of my previous phones) and his is what I have learned. I am hoping that someone can figure out a secret samsung code that will unlock it but I am not real sure that will happen - fingers crossed...

5.1.1 update?

I was wondering if anyone has heard anything on the 5.1.1 update will be released. All of the other major carriers have released it weeks ago so I am expecting it anytime now. Thanks

I don't have any information on the 5.1.1 update from AT&T but I will say that the lack of updates really gives a bad impression of the S6 edge.
I'm testing the waters of switching from AT&T to T-Mobile, sold my G925A, and bought the G925T. The G925T has had 5.1.1 for some time now and T-Mobile just pushed out the latest updates with all known Stagefright vulnerabilities addressed, most of the S6 edge+ updates (App Edge, refreshed icons), Rich Communication Services support, and the Samsung Pay app (not fully enabled yet, though). The phone seems to run the way it was designed with no noticeable lag, overall quicker response (even the fingerprint reader is noticeably faster), and a bit less carrier bloat.
If I end up staying with AT&T, this version unlocked will probably be superior to the AT&T version.

chp said:
I don't have any information on the 5.1.1 update from AT&T but I will say that the lack of updates really gives a bad impression of the S6 edge.
I'm testing the waters of switching from AT&T to T-Mobile, sold my G925A, and bought the G925T. The G925T has had 5.1.1 for some time now and T-Mobile just pushed out the latest updates with all known Stagefright vulnerabilities addressed, most of the S6 edge+ updates (App Edge, refreshed icons), Rich Communication Services support, and the Samsung Pay app (not fully enabled yet, though). The phone seems to run the way it was designed with no noticeable lag, overall quicker response (even the fingerprint reader is noticeably faster), and a bit less carrier bloat.
If I end up staying with AT&T, this version unlocked will probably be superior to the AT&T version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for this excellent comparison - you've confirmed for me exactly what I thought would be the case if I were to go with a G925T over the A, but instead, I think I'm just going to dump this phone off and go with the Nexus 5X (2015) - I won't have to deal with any root issues, any lack of updates anymore, any AT&T BS....
I'm just so sick of how AT&T has treated loyal customers with locked down phones, I just don't have the time to spend screwing with them anymore, not like I did before, but now I'm just fed up with the whole thing - I wish I could say "something has to change," but it never will, customers will just buy locked down phones, suffer through not being able to root them, and forget all about what it was like to have control anymore!

KryptosXLayer2 said:
Thank you for this excellent comparison - you've confirmed for me exactly what I thought would be the case if I were to go with a G925T over the A, but instead, I think I'm just going to dump this phone off and go with the Nexus 5X (2015) - I won't have to deal with any root issues, any lack of updates anymore, any AT&T BS....
I'm just so sick of how AT&T has treated loyal customers with locked down phones, I just don't have the time to spend screwing with them anymore, not like I did before, but now I'm just fed up with the whole thing - I wish I could say "something has to change," but it never will, customers will just buy locked down phones, suffer through not being able to root them, and forget all about what it was like to have control anymore!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's the best way to get rid of it. I am on AT&T Next as well

KryptosXLayer2 said:
Thank you for this excellent comparison - you've confirmed for me exactly what I thought would be the case if I were to go with a G925T over the A, but instead, I think I'm just going to dump this phone off and go with the Nexus 5X (2015) - I won't have to deal with any root issues, any lack of updates anymore, any AT&T BS....
I'm just so sick of how AT&T has treated loyal customers with locked down phones, I just don't have the time to spend screwing with them anymore, not like I did before, but now I'm just fed up with the whole thing - I wish I could say "something has to change," but it never will, customers will just buy locked down phones, suffer through not being able to root them, and forget all about what it was like to have control anymore!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this info. I totally agree with both chp & KryptosXLayer2 about this issue. I've got a 925A, actually Build G925AUCU2AOF4, using T-Mobile and although I get great reception (I live in a box-canyon and reception on most networks is pretty nil), besides ALL the AT&T bloatware & needless/useless apps I can't remove unless rooted, I can't root this phone! (Also, same issue with the 5.1.1 update not available.) Tried all the options only to learn AT&T hasn't released the file to be able to root it. I'm fed up also and after reading ya'lls comments I think I'll start looking for a 925T as well and dump my 925A. Tired of waiting for AT&T to get with the program...

Another one done with AT&T

I've reached the end of my patience with phones purchased from AT&T and their (lack of) upgrades. So I'm considering buying a new Samsung S& edge unlocked (SM-G935F) from an eBay seller. I have some questions about this process. I looked online but didn't find answers to my questions. If there's an online resource, feel free to redirect me.
Assumptions:
1) I'm satisfied with AT&T as a carrier.
2) Customer in good standing. No contract commitments.
3) I have as S6 with working AT&T nano-sim.
4) I'm fine purchasing for cash. I'm not interested in AT&T's Next plans.
Questions:
1) Do I simply move the sim to the new phone? Is any registration of the new phone/IMEI required with AT&T? Do I have to setup a new APN? Does call forwarding function the same?
2) Are there any features I lose vs. an AT&T branded phone? Samsung Pay? Any others?
3) AT&T uses LTE bands 2,4,5,17. So does the SM-G935F. So I should get the same LTE performance I would get with an AT&T branded phone, right?
4) How do I get system updates? With an AT&T branded phone, I get them OTA thru Settings>About Device>Software Update. How does this work with an unbranded phone when Samsung releases an update?
5) Do I get any support of the phone from AT&T or Samsung? No warranty, correct?
6) Are there any other pluses or minuses to this approach.

I will be going this route for the S7 as well. It's an expensive option but at least I won't have AT&T crapware and faster updates.
In my experience with previous unlocked phones, the SIM card can just be inserted into the new phone and it will automatically configure the data, mms, and voicemail settings.
Provided the phone you are purchasing supports the required LTE bands, there should be no difference in speed.
There will be no support from AT&T and the warranty is not valid within the U.S.
AFAIK Samsung Pay does not work on the international versions in the U.S. This is what will suck because I happen to like Samsung Pay.

AFAIK, your understanding is correct on all your points. I have an unlocked US Cellular moto e that I use as an alternate to my S6, I swap my SIM back and forth with no issues, and there is no official ATT support for the version of moto e that I have, so I can't imagine you'd have any issues getting the phone up and running. You may have to manually enter your APN, but that info is widely available and it's easy to do. Not sure how updates would work.
Only other consideration is that the int'l version uses an Exynos processor rather than the Snapdragon in the ATT version. From the reviews I've seen, the exynos beats the snapdragon slightly in performance and battery life. It's likely going to make development of custom ROMs for the S7 considerably slower than if it were snapdragon based though. However, the locked bootloader on the ATT one will = zero development unless it gets unlocked (I'm guessing that's very unlikely). So this probably doesn't matter too much.

There will also be no Voice over LTE (HD voice ) on the international version should that be a priority for you
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk

VoLTE would be nice. Any idea when AT&T plans to make that available for non-iPhones?
How are software updates delivered?

VoLTE is available on certain phone already. S6 and others support it. Depends on your area, so you will have to check the map.

iceman4357 said:
VoLTE is available on certain phone already. S6 and others support it. Depends on your area, so you will have to check the map.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes but only on AT&T branded Android phones and iphones. The OP was speaking of an unbranded international version Galaxy S6 S7 which does not support volte
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk

I'm the OP. It appears that AT&T-branded S7's support VoLTE (HDVoice) as does (somewhat to my surprise) my S6, though I've never been aware of it based on any calls I've made or received. HDVoice appears to be available throughout my SF Bay Area. But, if I understand correctly, this would be a feature I would lose with an unbranded international phone (or, presumably, with an unlocked phone from, say, T-Mobile with an AT&T sim). Correct?
What about features that AT&T removed? Like download booster, simple sharing, and smart manager? These appear to be Samsung additions that were removed from AT&T-branded S6's. Would they be available on an unlocked, unbranded international version? (I'm not sure I would use these, but it's annoying to have them stripped by the carrier.)
And the remaining question that I haven't heard an answer to: how do I get upgrades? OTA (from who)? Download from somewhere & install with Smart Switch (or some other software)? Something Else?
Thanks for your help so far.

If I remember correctly you can download updated ota just like you do now. It just comes from Samsung not at&t.
All the carrier bloat is gone, and all factory apps will be there because there is no one to strip it from the phone.
BUT
If you buy an unlocked t-mobile phone you will have to Odin the updates. I used a verizon s4 with t-mobile I had to manually update everything myself through XDA and odin.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using XDA Premium HD app

I sold my S6 Edge in December and swapped it with a Tmobile unlocked S6 Edge and what a good decision. Got my Marshmallow update this week and the phone felt new again. So much quicker and boosted my Antutu scores too.
8 year AT&T customer and I'm not coming back. LTE speeds and signal is great with Tmobile and unlimited video streaming.

https://store.google.com/product/nexus_6p Starts at $449. Monthly updates. Easy rooting. Easy everything. Great phone.
Came back here to see if any progress made on S6 bootloader unlock and/or rooting (for a friend), and saw this.
Switched to a Nexus when the Nexus 5 came out. I will never, ever, buy a non-Nexus phone ever again. You should be in full control of whatever hardware you buy. Control should never be dictated by a carrier.
Just thought I'd toss in my own perspective (from a former original Galaxy S then S3 owner). Never had any issues at all with my Nexus 5 or 6P. If you have the money, you won't regret a 6P purchase.
If you don't have that kind of money, I think the 4th Gen Moto G (soon to be released, leaks everywhere this week) will probably be the strongest choice.

Pig Vomit said:
https://store.google.com/product/nexus_6p Starts at $449. Monthly updates. Easy rooting. Easy everything. Great phone.
Came back here to see if any progress made on S6 bootloader unlock and/or rooting (for a friend), and saw this.
Switched to a Nexus when the Nexus 5 came out. I will never, ever, buy a non-Nexus phone ever again. You should be in full control of whatever hardware you buy. Control should never be dictated by a carrier.
Just thought I'd toss in my own perspective (from a former original Galaxy S then S3 owner). Never had any issues at all with my Nexus 5 or 6P. If you have the money, you won't regret a 6P purchase.
If you don't have that kind of money, I think the 4th Gen Moto G (soon to be released, leaks everywhere this week) will probably be the strongest choice.
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Except there's no Smart Stay or Samsung Pay, both features I use and rely on. I'd buy an unlocked Samsung before a a Nexus.

I ordered a T-Mobile sim to test out the carrier where I live, I need to unlock my AT&T S6 Edge first but after that I plan on getting the new Nexus and selling my S6. I simply can't take AT&T's horrible service anymore.

I'm the OP and am back to report. I bought an S7E (G935F) on Amazon (from one of their Marketplace sellers), complete with Prime 2-day free shipping (& no tax). All works as expected:
1) dropping in my old AT&T SIM works fine. No need to call AT&T. No need to configure APNs. Voice calls, SMS, MMS, and LTE data all seem to work correctly. My LTE connection appeared to be on Band 2 in my area.
2) Of course, no AT&T crapware. Features deleted by AT&T are available (download booster, simple sharing, etc.) and work correctly. The Samsung-bundled Microsoft apps (and free 100GB OneDrive) are present.
3) OTA system software updates appear to be available, but there haven't been any.
4) Mine came with Arabic (?!) (and English) printed instructions but the phone sets up fine in English. The (apparently original, sealed) box included a European (Type-C) 2 pin power adapter (with a European-to-US adapter packed separately).
The only unexpected things I've encountered are:
1) changing the VoiceMail configuration. VM works (calls forward to VM as expected and I can retrieve VMs both by calling and using Visual VM app). The only thing I so far unable to do is CHANGE the VM configuration. I can't change the number I forward to (like Call Forward Always to another number, like a colleague). I get a Network Error message when loading the Phone/More Settings page or trying to set a new number. My wife has an AT&T LG G3 that has exactly the same problem. The HTC One M8 (where the S7E SIM came from) VM configuration worked correctly. But an AT&T Samsung S6 works correctly. I haven't found a way around this for any of the phones. I'm wondering if this is some kind of security provision (so that I can't "borrow" your SIM and change the call forwarding to re-route your incoming calls).
2) When I view my AT&T account online, the picture of the phone changed from it's previous model (HTC One M8) to Device Unknown. A minor detail, to be sure, but curious.
So, after a week, I would not hesitate to do this again in the future.

Glad It Worked out For you, I considered an unlocked model but don't want to loose HD Voice and wifi calling (once it arrives). I personally can hear an incredible differnce with HD voice enabled. couldnt care less about it, but video calling would also be lost with unlocked varient.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk

You are correct & I neglected to mention that HDVoice, WiFi Calling, and Video Calling are absent in the International version. It would be nice to have those, but not critical for me. Voice, in general, is less and less important for me. There is video call button in my dialer but it doesn't appear to do anything useful, at least that I've been able to uncover. I have HDVoice on my AT&T S6 and in the few instances that I've had a potential HDVoice call (to a friend's AT&T S7E), I frankly couldn't detect a noticeable difference. I don't know how to see an indication of whether a call is HDVoice or not.

jc95 said:
You are correct & I neglected to mention that HDVoice, WiFi Calling, and Video Calling are absent in the International version. It would be nice to have those, but not critical for me. Voice, in general, is less and less important for me. There is video call button in my dialer but it doesn't appear to do anything useful, at least that I've been able to uncover. I have HDVoice on my AT&T S6 and in the few instances that I've had a potential HDVoice call (to a friend's AT&T S7E), I frankly couldn't detect a noticeable difference. I don't know how to see an indication of whether a call is HDVoice or not.
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On AT&T with an international version you typically loose the HDvoice, Wifi calling and video calling. I have seen people on Verizon with unlocked phones (Galaxy series, htc 10, 6P) that report you can use those features on their network. I think the ideal situation is to have an unlocked phone on Verizon at this point.

OP again with an update... Got a 2nd G935F for wife. Running G935FXXU1APD with AT&T SIM. Call forwarding worked fine on this one. (Not sure why it doesn't work on my other one.) Also, sideloaded Samsung Pay & Samsung Pay Framework from APK Mirror. Installed and works fine. So my list of things that don't work is just HD Voice, WiFi calling and Video calling.

OP again. I'm now more confused. I now have 2 unlocked S7 Edge (one G935F and one G935FD). Both unlocked. Both using AT&T sims. Identical software on both. On the FD, things work better than I was expecting: Samsung Pay works. I can add cards and use it to pay. I can also change the Call Forwarding settings (in particular CF All). But the 935F can't add a card to Samsung Pay (server connection error) and I can't change the CF settings. There are a number of online references complaining about server connection error and many seem related to device encryption (can't add cards to encrypted devices). I also have an S6 that's working with SPay and was encrypted with Lollipop. With Marshmallow, the Lock Screen settings have changed and it's no longer encrypt/decrypt device, only Require screen lock to decrypt data when device turned on. There doesn't seem to be an obvious way to decrypt a Marshmallow device. But even with this set, I can add cards to me S6 and S7E (FD), but not my S7E (F).
I suppose I should be grateful that SP works at all on one of my unlocked S7Es. But it's frustrating to have them behave differently.