I am looking to buy another Note 4 and was wondering what the pros and cons of each where. Also will the international work on T-mobile without issue? I tried searching for the answers before I made this post (I may just do a poor job searching) and only found speculation post before the phones were released. I know with my T-Mobile Note 4 it seems it overheats from time to time if I am downloading a torrent and I found an article about Samsung dropping the 810 because of "overheating fears".
Thanks for any advice or information in advance.
910U taiwan is awesome. no issues.
Im on the tmober and am actually overclocked to the max.. zero problems...
Using n910c on tmobile works fine had n910p on sprint that model had overheating problems
Sent from my SM-N910C using XDA Free mobile app
Buy the T-Mobile variant if you live in the states and use T-Mobile or any of its affiliate MNVO's.
Buy the T-Mobile variant if you live in the states and want the warranty via T-Mobile / Samsung.
Buy the T-Mobile variant if you live in the states or live abroad and want true GSM bands and or want to root.
Don't Buy the T-Mobile variant if you're concerned with overheating (Common byproduct of Snapdragon SoC's)
Buy the SM-910C instead, and be aware, of its CAT4 LTE Modem, Lack of Warranty (if buying and living in the States), and Exynos Chipset (Some say performs a tad bit better), but lesser ROM Development; still caries most of the bands the T-Mobile Snapdragon variant and is GSM-ready.
Get Tmo, it has an insane amount of dev going on for it.
Excatly! :good:
tal123 said:
Get Tmo, it has an insane amount of dev going on for it.
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Thank you all so much, I got another T-Mobile one.
I'm considering buying the note 8 but in terms of community support which version (if any) is better supported or is it to early to tell?
My last phone was the S5 - SM G900i and while it was good most roms were generally made for the f variant. the f variant roms worked ok but always caused issues with nfc which i could work around generally by disabling nfc. I'd like to avoid that situation this time around and I plan on keeping this phone for a few years.
Gialandon said:
I'm considering buying the note 8 but in terms of community support which version (if any) is better supported or is it to early to tell?
My last phone was the S5 - SM G900i and while it was good most roms were generally made for the f variant. the f variant roms worked ok but always caused issues with nfc which i could work around generally by disabling nfc. I'd like to avoid that situation this time around and I plan on keeping this phone for a few years.
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Exynos single sim in general gets the most... but can you disclose where do you live? As that would be major factor.... if Europe then UK unlocked model brings theglory in general...aka exynos single sim.
The 950F and 950N are identical hardware, but all the ROMs are being developed with the F firmware base, which seems to be set up as dual SIM at the software level (F contains the dual SIM RIL libraries while the N does not).
Right now the only real consideration between those two is internal storage since I think the 256gb model is only available as N variant.
The HK 256gb is Snapdragon.
Hunteres said:
Exynos single sim in general gets the most... but can you disclose where do you live? As that would be major factor.... if Europe then UK unlocked model brings theglory in general...aka exynos single sim.
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I live in New Zealand. The most common variants ive seen are the sm-g9500, sm-g950f and the sm-g950fd. There are also some usa sm-g950u available through eBay.
Of these the fd variant is the cheapest and fairly easy to import. Local version seem to the f and 9500 but the local versions are generally about $400 more expensive.
I am not to worried about importing and the warranty issues. I've never had hardware issues with Samsung phones and even if I did I'd get it repaired locally and it would still be cheaper.
For the US versions, does the unlocked version and carrier versions all have the same amount of support for bands as I heard the hardware was all the same and it's just the software that is different on the carrier variants. Basically, if one uses Verizon Wireless, can one purchase the T-Mobile or the unlocked model or even the Verizon Wireless model of the Note8 and have the same bands enabled on the phone so it works well when traveling using a pre-paid SIM or is the unlocked model going to offer more band support as it seems Samsung doesn't list the actual band support on the models.
Where can I find one that'll work with tmobile?
You'd have to purchase an international unlocked version from a website like clove.co.uk
When you check out there is an option for them to open the box and insert a local sim card to unlock the device for use in other markets.
Looking for the same thing. Is there a reliable online US source for the 512gb black Note 9? Also what will we be losing by getting an unlocked version, I guess besides video calling on TMobile? TMobile Tuesday..?
dominick_7 said:
Looking for the same thing. Is there a reliable online US source for the 512gb black Note 9? Also what will we be losing by getting an unlocked version, I guess besides video calling on TMobile? TMobile Tuesday..?
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You can download the T-Mobile Tuesdays app from the Google Play Store.
It works on any phone,provided you have a T-Mobile account.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tmobile.tuesdays&hl=en_US
Same goes for T-Mobile DIGITS,just grab the app from the Play Store,log-in & set-up.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tmobile.digits&hl=en_US
As for what you'll be losing?
LTE Band71
Not sure how well an international version works as far as signal strength/WI-FI Calling/VoLTE,but,my guess would be to go with a dual SIM version that has the QUALCOMM Snapdragon chip vs the Samsung Exynos Chip:
Qualcomm SnapDragon 845 8GB RAM/256GB ROM:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-Ga...2a:m:mFp3KmUg-oF2jvLgEK2Vr_A&var=521930713601
Qualcomm SnapDragon 845 6GB RAM/128GB ROM:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-Ga...57:m:mFp3KmUg-oF2jvLgEK2Vr_A&var=521918316706
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Samsung EXYNOS 8 GB RAM/256GB ROM:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-Ga...15:m:mFp3KmUg-oF2jvLgEK2Vr_A&var=521930711183
Samsung EXYNOS 6 GB RAM/128GB ROM:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-Ga...ff:m:mFp3KmUg-oF2jvLgEK2Vr_A&var=502408235508
KOLIOSIS said:
You can download the T-Mobile Tuesdays app from the Google Play Store.
It works on any phone,provided you have a T-Mobile account.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tmobile.tuesdays&hl=en_US
Same goes for T-Mobile DIGITS,just grab the app from the Play sSore,log-in & set-up.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tmobile.digits&hl=en_US
As for what you'll be losing?
LTE Band71
Not sure how well an international version works as far as signal strength/WI-FI Calling/VoLTE,but,my guess would be to go with a dual SIM version that has the QUALCOMM Snapdragon chip vs the Samsung Exynos Chip:
Qualcomm SnapDragon 845 8GB RAM/256GB ROM:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-Ga...2a:m:mFp3KmUg-oF2jvLgEK2Vr_A&var=521930713601
Qualcomm SnapDragon 845 6GB RAM/128GB ROM:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-Ga...57:m:mFp3KmUg-oF2jvLgEK2Vr_A&var=521918316706
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Samsung EXYNOS 8 GB RAM/256GB ROM:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-Ga...15:m:mFp3KmUg-oF2jvLgEK2Vr_A&var=521930711183
Samsung EXYNOS 6 GB RAM/128GB ROM:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-Ga...ff:m:mFp3KmUg-oF2jvLgEK2Vr_A&var=502408235508
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Cool, thank you for clarifying. About the band, are you sure, people are reporting it has LTE band71? Also do we know which is better, the Snapdragon for the 8gb version or Exynos for 6gb? I guess there's only root for the exynos, but I haven't rooted in years and not sure I'll mess with it.
dominick_7 said:
Cool, thank you for clarifying. About the band, are you sure, people are reporting it has LTE band71? Also do we know which is better, the Snapdragon for the 8gb version or Exynos for 6gb? I guess there's only root for the exynos, but I haven't rooted in years and not sure I'll mess with it.
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I know the US Qualcomm has Band 71,but,every site,including Samsung's sites in overseas Qualcomm markets,do not show Band 71.
Perhaps once the T-Mobile US SIM Card is installed,it's activated,if that's even possible,with or without flashing T-Mobile US Firmware...... & IDK if T-Mobile US Firmware can be flashed on an international Qualcomm model.
It's still early in the game, surely someone will post here @ XDA in the coming days.
I'd like to know myself, so that I'm armed with the information for next year's Note 10.
Canada has an unlocked black model that uses the same bands as the US. Not sure about band 71, but probably the closest you'd get compatibility wise.
KOLIOSIS said:
I know the US Qualcomm has Band 71,but,every site,including Samsung's sites in overseas Qualcomm markets,do not show Band 71.
Perhaps once the T-Mobile US SIM Card is installed,it's activated,if that's even possible,with or without flashing T-Mobile US Firmware...... & IDK if T-Mobile US Firmware can be flashed on an international Qualcomm model.
It's still early in the game, surely someone will post here @ XDA in the coming days.
I'd like to know myself, so that I'm armed with the information for next year's Note 10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah k. So does that mean even if I buy the 8gb 512gb unlocked version from say Best Buy in the US it won't have band 71? Otherwise it sounds like the ideal situation would be if the TMobile firmware can be flashed to the international model? I guess Im wondering, are all 512gb unlocked versions lacking that band or just ones not bought in the US like from Best Buy? I know I want the 8gb 512gb version, in black if possible, but if Im without band 71 I can deal with the stupid blue colored one as long as I have the 8gb/512gb version. They seem to be saying VoLTE and wifi calling works on the unlocked version.. does that mean it has band 71? https://forums.androidcentral.com/s...208-carrier-vs-unlocked-note-9-questions.html.
dominick_7 said:
Ah k. So does that mean even if I buy the 8gb 512gb unlocked version from say Best Buy in the US it won't have band 71? Otherwise it sounds like the ideal situation would be if the TMobile firmware can be flashed to the international model? I guess Im wondering, are all 512gb unlocked versions lacking that band or just ones not bought in the US like from Best Buy? I know I want the 8gb 512gb version, in black if possible, but if Im without band 71 I can deal with the stupid blue colored one as long as I have the 8gb/512gb version.
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I'm pretty sure the US Unlocked version has Band 71,it's just not available in Black,at least for now.
Sent from my SM-N960U using XDA Labs
Edit:
@dominick_7
Band 71 is not listed on Best Buy's specs.
Looks like your best bet is to wait for others to post their experiences, or,contact Samsung/check their site.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-galaxy-note9-128gb-unlocked-ocean-blue/6278210.p?skuId=6278210
EDIT #2
@dominick_7
Here's another site stating the US Unlocked version does indeed have Band 71,so you'll definitely have to do your homework before buying:
https://www.techwalls.com/samsung-galaxy-note-9-sm-n960-model-number-differences/
KOLIOSIS said:
I'm pretty sure the US Unlocked version has Band 71,it's just not available in Black,st least for now.
Sent from my SM-N960U using XDA Labs
Edit:
@Dominick
Band 71 is not listed on Best Buy's specs.
Looks like your beet bet is to wait for others to post their experiences, or,contact Samsung/check their site.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-galaxy-note9-128gb-unlocked-ocean-blue/6278210.p?skuId=6278210
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Ah k. So safest bet for the 512gb variant is either the US carrier/tmobile for quickest updates but stupid colors and bloatware or thee US unlocked for slower updates but less bloatware..? What's the argument to get an unlocked version over carrier otherwise? I guess the price for getting it in black is no 71 band. Still looking at the canadian one to see if it has 71. https://www.techwalls.com/samsung-galaxy-note-9-sm-n960-model-number-differences/.
Edit.. crap. wait if these people are reporting the US unlocked has VoLTE and wifi calling doesnt that mean it has band 71 or..? https://forums.androidcentral.com/s...208-carrier-vs-unlocked-note-9-questions.html
---------- Post added at 10:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:25 PM ----------
Guyinlaca said:
Canada has an unlocked black model that uses the same bands as the US. Not sure about band 71, but probably the closest you'd get compatibility wise.
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Cool, do you know what the model number is? And why go with unlocked, just for the black color and less bloat even though it may have slower updates?
KOLIOSIS said:
I know the US Qualcomm has Band 71,but,every site,including Samsung's sites in overseas Qualcomm markets,do not show Band 71.
Perhaps once the T-Mobile US SIM Card is installed,it's activated,if that's even possible,with or without flashing T-Mobile US Firmware...... & IDK if T-Mobile US Firmware can be flashed on an international Qualcomm model.
It's still early in the game, surely someone will post here @ XDA in the coming days.
I'd like to know myself, so that I'm armed with the information for next year's Note 10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
International models are exynos not Qualcomm
dominick_7 said:
Cool, do you know what the model number is? And why go with unlocked, just for the black color and less bloat even though it may have slower updates?
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SM-N960WZKAXAC
https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product...12854642.aspx?
TechOut said:
International models are exynos not Qualcomm
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There's Qualcomm powered phones in China,Japan,Latin America & North America.
The rest have Exynos.
Sent from my SM-N960U using XDA Labs
Guyinlaca said:
SM-N960WZKAXAC
https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product...12854642.aspx?
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Thats not listed here, https://www.techwalls.com/samsung-galaxy-note-9-sm-n960-model-number-differences/ yet, and it seems thats the 128gb model though right?
The Canadian model probably has band 71. I don't know if anything has changed since T-Mobile's acquisition of band 71.
So annoying ghat the USA has odd bands compared to everyone else right?
mikey_sk said:
So annoying ghat the USA has odd bands compared to everyone else right?
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Agreed, I wish I could have purchased a black one without having to jump through all the hoops and risk it not working as well.
I've got the exynos 512/8 midnight black and I will be working in the USA for a few months. Wondering what network over there will be the best fit. Usually it's either T Mobile or ATT as they are GSM... But his band 71 gig means that I am effectively unable to use tmo 4g?
mikey_sk said:
I've got the exynos 512/8 midnight black and I will be working in the USA for a few months. Wondering what network over there will be the best fit. Usually it's either T Mobile or ATT as they are GSM... But his band 71 gig means that I am effectively unable to use tmo 4g?
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Click to collapse
No,T-Mobile has Bands 2/4/5/12/66/71
Band 71 deployment is sparse at best ATM.
Most of T-Mobile users are covered in the rest.
Depending on where you plan to use your phone the most is going to dictate who works best for you.
There is a lot of overlap in most densely populated markets,if you're going to be in the sparsely populated areas AT&T is probably your best bet.
Try out this site,it should give you a good indication of which carriers are best for you:
https://www.cellmapper.net/map
EDIT:
@mikey_sk
I've since edited to remove the VZW recommendation for rural areas,or,just in general,with your phone.
AT&T still likely has a slight advantage in rural areas,check the link I posted for a good indicator on which works best for you.
If you have the D/S version,then,of course you have the luxury of using both T-Mobile & AT&T,if you choose to do so.
Another BTW:
If you're going to be using a fair amount of data & are considering saving some $$$ by using pre-paid MVNOs of AT&T or T-Mobile,be aware all of them are subject to,if not outright,slower speeds vs the main carrier itself.
This is particularly true of any pre-paid option on AT&T & the MVNO's that use their network,read the fine print on any pre-paid service you choose,some have really slow speeds/throttling.
As for MVNO's/prepaid,your best bet is likely MetroPCS,which is actually part of T-Mobile US & most customers are genuinely pleased with the service/speeds & ovearll value.
KOLIOSIS said:
No,T-Mobile has Bands 2/4/5/12/66/71
Band 71 deployment is sparse at best ATM.
Most of T-Mobile users are covered in the rest.
Depending on where you plan to use your phone the most is going to dictate who works best for you.
There is a lot of overlap in most densely populated markets,if you're going to be in the sparsely populated areas AT&T is probably your best bet.
Try out this site,it should give you a good indication of which carriers are best for you:
https://www.cellmapper.net/map
EDIT:
@mikey_sk
I've since edited to remove the VZW recommendation for rural areas,or,just in general,with your phone.
AT&T still likely has a slight advantage in rural areas,check the link I posted for a good indicator on which works best for you.
If you have the D/S version,then,of course you have the luxury of using both T-Mobile & AT&T,if you choose to do so.
Another BTW:
If you're going to be using a fair amount of data & are considering saving some $$$ by using pre-paid MVNOs of AT&T or T-Mobile,be aware all of them are subject to,if not outright,slower speeds vs the main carrier itself.
This is particularly true of any pre-paid option on AT&T & the MVNO's that use their network,read the fine print on any pre-paid service you choose,some have really slow speeds/throttling.
As for MVNO's/prepaid,your best bet is likely MetroPCS,which is actually part of T-Mobile US & most customers are genuinely pleased with the service/speeds & ovearll value.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Yes I know they provide slower speeds to MVNOs over there. In Europe they dont really do this so pre paid is as quick as a contract sim. I am on Three UK and I can use my data (I have 100gb allowance per month) in the USA for free so will only be using the pre paid for receiving calls. I am therefore able to pick either T Mobile or ATT when I am over there depending which one is best etc.
Just wondering if there is a downside to using the 960F model in the U.S. I want root, so that's why i'm asking. By the way, i'm with T-Mobile. Thanks.
grunt0300 said:
Just wondering if there is a downside to using the 960F model in the U.S. I want root, so that's why i'm asking. By the way, i'm with T-Mobile. Thanks.
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You'll be missing some frequencies so that you won't have service in some areas where the US Tmobile phones would. But you'll never really know for sure, in some cases, if spotty service is due to phone incompatibility or just poor service, unless you can compare to a compatible phone. Also, you won't be able to change to a Tmobile CSC designed for the US, because there isn't one for the Exynos variant, which means you won't have Tmobile features like wifi calling, VoLTE, etc.
But you'll have root.
The reason I say all that is because I used the Exynos variant of the S7 on Tmobile for three years, and went through all those exact issues and more, such as missing calls, that went straight to voicemail, even while at home where I had LTE that would just drop off at times, and I pulled my hair out trying to fix the problem with better apn settings.
But I bought the Exynos for the 8 processors. That was dumb.
These days, the Note9 has 8 processors for both Exynos and Snapdragon, but the Snapdragon variant has a better GPU and better battery efficiency.
The Note9 SM-N960U1 (Snapdragon) US unbranded version is the nicest phone for the US market, and you get wifi-calling and VoLTE on Tmobile.
But you don't get root.
And this is the first phone with an OS so good, I don't want root.
Good luck!
gruuvin said:
You'll be missing some frequencies so that you won't have service in some areas where the US Tmobile phones would. But you'll never really know for sure, in some cases, if spotty service is due to phone incompatibility or just poor service, unless you can compare to a compatible phone. Also, you won't be able to change to a Tmobile CSC designed for the US, because there isn't one for the Exynos variant, which means you won't have Tmobile features like wifi calling, VoLTE, etc.
But you'll have root.
The reason I say all that is because I used the Exynos variant of the S7 on Tmobile for three years, and went through all those exact issues and more, such as missing calls, that went straight to voicemail, even while at home where I had LTE that would just drop off at times, and I pulled my hair out trying to fix the problem with better apn settings.
But I bought the Exynos for the 8 processors. That was dumb.
These days, the Note9 has 8 processors for both Exynos and Snapdragon, but the Snapdragon variant has a better GPU and better battery efficiency.
The Note9 SM-N960U1 (Snapdragon) US unbranded version is the nicest phone for the US market, and you get wifi-calling and VoLTE on Tmobile.
But you don't get root.
And this is the first phone with an OS so good, I don't want root.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I think the downside outweighs the upside. For me, rooting is fun, but not that much fun. Maybe the OnePlus 6 would be a better buy, with less downside.
I'd like to know what are all the differences between all of the Note 9 variants, in terms of what's BL locked and what's rootable.
First of all, I'm under the impression that the Exynos phones are unlockable/rootable. It is also not available in the United States, as I understand, correct? Does that mean it won't work with US Carriers at all?
Also, the Snapdragon version. Now, I don't know what are all of the Snapdragon variants, as I can only speak for my phone and the various posts I've seen about it. I'm on the SM-N960U. Is it fair to say that having a GN9 with a Snapdragon processor mean that your phone cannot be BL Unlocked/Rooted? If any Snapdragon phones can be Unlocked/Rooted, which ones are these and are they compatible with US Carriers?
I don't plan on replacing my Note 9 yet, but maybe next year with another Samsung. I read that the Note line might be going away, in space of the S-line "Ultra". But anyways, my point being when I get a new Samsung Phone, is it possible to get one that is BL Unlockable and Rootable, AND fully compatible with my US Carrier, Tmobile?
afaik, you have the Note 9's US version already (snapdragon chip version) so its certainly compatible with US carriers in the 1st place.
rooting/bootloader unlocking is another story, irrelevant to what you are concerned.
I think only US sd version is unlockable.
N960F compatability https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-9/help/note-9-model-sm-n960f-ds-dual-sim-t3903528
It's funny you'd ask this today.... I own an international version (unlocked) Snapdragon variant that *is* rootable... the SM-N9600 (not to be mistaken for the N960u and so on which are NOT rootable). But though my phone is *technically* rootable, there's a very messy issue with it not allowing flashing TWRP / rooting even after the OEM unlock switch is thrown. I oughta know... just again spent hours in vain trying to get it to root. It's a long story and you can find it just by googling "N9600 prenormal" or some such. Anyway, at least on paper there is a Snapdragon Note 9 that is rootable.