Bands - Samsung Galaxy S9 Guides, News, & Discussion

I'm thinking about buying this phone today before the Costco deal ends but nobody seems to know the answer, any explanation would be appreciated. Need to know if:
Do all S9 models in the US contain all bands, and the firmware restricts which ones it uses?
Or is it that each carrier model only contains the hardware for those specific bands needed?

Related

[Q] Intl version. Will it work on all US networks? + more silly questions

Hey !
I am thinking of buying HTC One when it is on sale here (India). I am not sure that HTC is gonna roll-out the LTE enabled version of the One or just the 'normal' 3G one. I am mostly moving to the US for grad studies and I was thinking whether to buy the LTE enabled version or the normal (I'll call it that) version when I do. Should I buy the phone from India itself or from US? I don't think they would ask for residential proof or something to buy a sim-free unlocked phone.
I am kinda confused about the whole LTE thing as I feel it is..well a luxury item i guess?
And the main question, if I buy the phone from here........I think it would work only on limited GSM networks, right ?
The different phone specs have been posted in this forum by me and others.
There are US carrier specific versions because US carriers use different technologies and frequencies.
Mixed support, be careful. International models will have no 4G in the US. Your best bet is grabbing an asian model (also shipping in australia) as this has the correct 3G bands for AT&T, the euro model does NOT. T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon all need their own specific models.
mattman83 said:
Mixed support, be careful. International models will have no 4G in the US. Your best bet is grabbing an asian model (also shipping in australia) as this has the correct 3G bands for AT&T, the euro model does NOT. T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon all need their own specific models.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, Thanx. Will keep that in mind before I buy. I guess going with the asian model (also ships in India) would be safe

Which US variant to use in Brazil?

Does anyone know which US variant would be best for use in Brazil? From what I can see the ATT version has band 7 LTE and the TMO version does not, and LTE bands page (below) shows that most carriers there are band 7. This would seem pretty conclusive but wanted to see if there was anything I wasn't thinking of.
Thoughts?
Thanks,
BH
PS - Side question. If I pay full price/not-subsidized for the ATT model, does it still come with a subsidy/SIM lock? I asked Moto cust svc and they say it's locked, but wanted to verify.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moto_X
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LTE_networks

The Ulimate Note 5 Band Guide

Greetings!
I see that there are many different threads asking about what bands are on each model. I have made a basic spreadsheet that has the various bands by model type. I have noted the resource that I have used for this. I'm still missing the SM920c model. If there are any mistakes or additional items please let me know and I will adjust accordingly.
http://1drv.ms/1L0LImY
I hope this is helpful for those importing and ordering for their specific needs.
Thanks for the time and effort
Nice job! This is what i've been looking for. I can't believe these devices are so different.
You are welcome! If someone has the SM-920C model and send me a picture from the back of the box this would be helpful!
I have a SM-N920C but unfortunately nothing is mentioned on the box about supported bands.
Will see next week if European bands are supported by this model
Check *#2263# under Band Selection
Already checked that and it looks promising. Though not sure if all those bands are supported...
djdurance said:
I hope this is helpful for those importing and ordering for their specific needs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, thank you for your efforts on this.
Unfortunately, I'm not a tech person at all and don't really understand how to determine an answer to my question. I'm wondering if you can answer this for me:
I have a Note 5 that's the n920w8 model. It works with my Canadian carrier, Wind, which is AWS 1700/2100 to which they say, "20 megahertz AWS-1" (whatever that means). But they don't offer LTE yet (though they're working on it).
However, it's only 32gb. I've been looking to importing an international version that's unlocked and has dual sim. Its model number is N9208. However, I can't find a definite answer online of whether the imported version will work with my provider and I can't afford that $1000 gamble.
If I'm reading your chart correctly, the difference between the two is that the W model has 1700 and 2100 but the 920 only has the 2100. You've noted on the right that Wind uses that 1700. Since you didn't note on it, is the 2100 in your chart also Wind?
In short, should I import this phone?
Thank you very much.
Thanks for your work on that
No GN5 is compatible with 2600mhz 4G?
Best choice to import in France is choosing a N9208 ?
I can already confirm band 20 is supported by the SM-N920C.
And band 3 as well.
Can someone please confirm... According to this spreadsheet. The hongkong version N9200 and the N9208 will get LTE on the Canadian Rogers network?
I picked up a Silver Titanium Duo Sim version and it definitely works with Fido's LTE.
I am using n9208 on Rogers with lte
Sent from my SM-N9208 using XDA Free mobile app
Has anyone got the N9200 (dual sim) in the UK? I have seen it being advertised as supporting bands 20/26 for LTE.
@aez and @Deliximus, can I ask where you guys got your phones? And are either of you able to confirm they work on Wind? Is there a Wind shop near you you could pop into and check by having the drop a sim in? I'd really appreciate it. Thank you.
Hmmm. I'm a bit confused as my T-Mobile Note has many more bands than what is on the website... See attachment. I wondering if the *#2263# is actually accurate?
djdurance said:
Hmmm. I'm a bit confused as my T-Mobile Note has many more bands than what is on the website... See attachment. I wondering if the *#2263# is actually accurate?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the exact same bands on my N920C. I don't think those are all the supported ones, beacuse I believe the N920I has exactly the same displayed, but band 20 isn't working on that model...
Alta1r said:
I have the exact same bands on my N920C. I don't think those are all the supported ones, beacuse I believe the N920I has exactly the same displayed, but band 20 isn't working on that model...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah... That's what I thought. I believe the original list is indeed correct.
will a sprint note 5 work on ATT. I entered the serial number in on att website and it said it would work? would I still get lte

Flash N. American ROM to European Model for 4G in the U.S.?

I live in Europe most of the time but am periodically back in the U.S. for months at a time. The different OnePlus 3T models support different 4G bands.
I'm wondering if anyone knows whether it is possible to flash a ROM for the N. American model to a European model in order to get 4G support in the U.S.? In other words, are the 4G bands a matter of hardware or software?
There are no different ROMs for American, Chinese and European OxygenOS. Only difference is in the factory bundled encrypted modem partitions which contains the IMEI and regional band frequencies lock-down as to not anger military or other organizations that may be using those bands in those countries.
Network support is mediated by a mix of hardware and software. Unfortunately, flashing a ROM will not be able to enable greater comparability. It supposedly is possible to flash radio images, which typically isn't changed during ROM updates, though it is a bit sketchy and can only unlock a few bands. You can read up on it here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-3/how-to/guide-unlock-additional-lte-bands-t3519563
Some bands are in both. Maybe it's enough for you.

Cons Of Using Exynos In USA?

Never imported a phone before, but I really want the s10, and I dont want to give up my custom roms.
What should I expect with using the international S10 here in the states? Will the network coverage change? I use tmobile, will that make a difference? Is wifi calling disabled?
If someone could at least steer me in the right direction, because I'm a bit confused on how these things work.
Thanks!
You'll have to compare band support (no clue what Exynos has). US model contains ALL bands for T-Mobile. B2, 4, 5, 12, LAA/46, 66, and 71. Carrier aggregation for these bands may vary between the Snap and Exy.
Now, the main reason I wouldn't import is due to warranty coverage (or lack of). You can walk into a Samsung center in the States, and they'll repair your phone. Free repairs for burn in, batteries, etc.
Historically, Exynos models of S8 and S9 don't support T-Mobile bands 66 and 71. It's not yet clear if that's the case with Exynos S10. I wouldn't get a new, expensive phone to be used on Tmo if it doesn't support these bands, but if your area is not served by those bands and you'll never travel to B66, B71 areas, you might be fine without.
You might have to wait for developers CSC hack for Tmo VoLTE and wifi calling support if they're not supported out of the box like Exynos S8/S9. Not having VoLTE/wifi calling would suck for me, but it would also suck to not have root because of locked bootloader (US S8/S9). It's a tough choice for some people, myself included.
I've never seen any situation where my T-Mobile S7 got reception where my rooted Exynos S7 did not, nor any other connectivity differences. As mentioned, you may live in an area where this could be an issue, but for me in the Bay Area and LA areas of California, I've never seen any difference. It's a 3 year old phone, so there may be some differences at this point with the bands an S10 supports, but having an unlocked bootloader trumps losing a few bands, to me.
Ace42 said:
You'll have to compare band support (no clue what Exynos has). US model contains ALL bands for T-Mobile. B2, 4, 5, 12, LAA/46, 66, and 71. Carrier aggregation for these bands may vary between the Snap and Exy.
Now, the main reason I wouldn't import is due to warranty coverage (or lack of). You can walk into a Samsung center in the States, and they'll repair your phone. Free repairs for burn in, batteries, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I import, the UK version, will it be region locked? Where I have to have a 5-10 min call in the purchasing country before I can use it in the USA?
gullyous said:
If I import, the UK version, will it be region locked? Where I have to have a 5-10 min call in the purchasing country before I can use it in the USA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe so, clove.co.uk opens the phone and makes the call for you before they call. Not sure if I really trust them however. Most people dont have a problem but I have heard horror stories.
gullyous said:
If I import, the UK version, will it be region locked? Where I have to have a 5-10 min call in the purchasing country before I can use it in the USA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To add, I also found this seller on ebay claiming this model will not region lock, and comes in a sealed box
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-Ga...rentrq:2c3f6f451690ad4a688677f9ffe7ef69|iid:1
Ace42 said:
You'll have to compare band support (no clue what Exynos has)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's all there, follow the link in that post:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s10/how-to/s10-model-differences-lte-bands-regions-t3904592

Categories

Resources