Database Develop

Is Oreo update for Unlocked Note 8 Snapdragon Out?

Basically the title! I know the Snapdragon variant for Oreo is out and we can flash via Odin, but as far as I know all those builds get you bloatware and boot animations. I'm wondering if Oreo build is out for the unlocked version, one where you get the pure Samsung firmware without any carrier third parties.

not yet

blane3298 said:
not yet
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Sad. Thank you

You figure the unlocked phones would be the first ones to get it since there is no extra crap in the ROM, but it's not the case.

KryogenikX said:
You figure the unlocked phones would be the first ones to get it since there is no extra crap in the ROM, but it's not the case.
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It used to be that way, certainly in Europe. I expect that providers in USA have made deal with Sammy to wait with the FW updates for the unbranded/ unlocked until the providers have pushed out their updates, this to lure customers to buy phones and services from the big providers.

OnnoJ said:
It used to be that way, certainly in Europe. I expect that providers in USA have made deal with Sammy to wait with the FW updates for the unbranded/ unlocked until the providers have pushed out their updates, this to lure customers to buy phones and services from the big providers.
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Yea, does make sense.

ptheguy said:
Basically the title! I know the Snapdragon variant for Oreo is out and we can flash via Odin, but as far as I know all those builds get you bloatware and boot animations. I'm wondering if Oreo build is out for the unlocked version, one where you get the pure Samsung firmware without any carrier third parties.
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Oreo for the Snapdragon is not out yet. Just the Exynos. The Oreo builds for the Snapdragon all come from leaked OTA zips. It has not been officially released so no Oreo ODIN files exist for the N8.

Mr. Orange 645 said:
Oreo for the Snapdragon is not out yet. Just the Exynos. The Oreo builds for the Snapdragon all come from leaked OTA zips. It has not been officially released so no Oreo ODIN files exist for the N8.
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Well I wouldn't say they don't exist at all. There's an xda thread on how to flash N8 to Oreo. Issue is the build is carrier build so you get bloatware and boot animations even on an unlocked phone. But if you meant the unlocked version, then yeah I don't think there's a build out yet.

ptheguy said:
Well I wouldn't say they don't exist at all. There's an xda thread on how to flash N8 to Oreo. Issue is the build is carrier build so you get bloatware and boot animations even on an unlocked phone. But if you meant the unlocked version, then yeah I don't think there's a build out yet.
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I would say that. The thread for flashing Oreo involved using ODIN to flash a specific version of NOUGAT. Then, as I stated, you use a leaked OTA zip to update to Oreo.
So no, ODIN files for OREO are NOT available.

KryogenikX said:
You figure the unlocked phones would be the first ones to get it since there is no extra crap in the ROM, but it's not the case.
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OnnoJ said:
It used to be that way, certainly in Europe. I expect that providers in USA have made deal with Sammy to wait with the FW updates for the unbranded/ unlocked until the providers have pushed out their updates, this to lure customers to buy phones and services from the big providers.
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ptheguy said:
Basically the title! I know the Snapdragon variant for Oreo is out and we can flash via Odin, but as far as I know all those builds get you bloatware and boot animations. I'm wondering if Oreo build is out for the unlocked version, one where you get the pure Samsung firmware without any carrier third parties.
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This is actually pretty upsetting. I went out of my way, avoiding all the carriers great buy one get one deals, to buy direct from Samsung thinking I was going to get priority updates. I really honestly would have bet money on getting Oreo before the carrier Note 8's did.
Naivety at its best I guess. Meanwhile I've been running Android P on my Pixel 2 XL for almost a month now. My Note 8 will never see Android P, at least not while I own it. Kinda sad.

I wouldn't expect Oreo until near when the Note 9 comes out (in the US)

supergear said:
I wouldn't expect Oreo until near when the Note 9 comes out (in the US)
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No, that's months away, and Oreo is already rolling out for Note 8. Definitely won't be that long.

OnnoJ said:
It used to be that way, certainly in Europe. I expect that providers in USA have made deal with Sammy to wait with the FW updates for the unbranded/ unlocked until the providers have pushed out their updates, this to lure customers to buy phones and services from the big providers.
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Yeah, I agree. The sufferings of capitalism and putting money before costumers.
Anyhow, I don't get why S8 and S8+ are getting updates and Note 8 isn't. Like I haven't even heard of carriers actually releasing Note 8 OTA for Oreo yet. On the one hand, I want to be optimistic and think that's because they're implementing newer features in N8 version, or perhaps releasing Oreo 8.1. On the other, I think that's not true and they just wanna piss us off. N8 is the latest Note flagship, they gotta take care of it!

ptheguy said:
Yeah, I agree. The sufferings of capitalism and putting money before costumers.
Anyhow, I don't get why S8 and S8+ are getting updates and Note 8 isn't. Like I haven't even heard of carriers actually releasing Note 8 OTA for Oreo yet. On the one hand, I want to be optimistic and think that's because they're implementing newer features in N8 version, or perhaps releasing Oreo 8.1. On the other, I think that's not true and they just wanna piss us off. N8 is the latest Note flagship, they gotta take care of it!
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If you took a moment to search the forums before commenting that Samsung is not taking care of note8 users it would be awesome. Just because it's a flagship does not mean it will get updates first.
Note8 series is not the best selling popular Samsung phone. S series is the main bread and butter for Samsung.
Past couple of years I have been following Samsung and it's update cycle, it's always S series first and then N series.
Just have patience and again learn to use the search function sometimes. This discussion has happened multiple times and answer always is if you need immediate updates get Apple/pixel phone. If you can live with decent delayed updates, go for s series.
If you care for good hardware and build but ok update speed (updates will come for sure) note series helps .

myechophone said:
If you took a moment to search the forums before commenting that Samsung is not taking care of note8 users it would be awesome. Just because it's a flagship does not mean it will get updates first.
Note8 series is not the best selling popular Samsung phone. S series is the main bread and butter for Samsung.
Past couple of years I have been following Samsung and it's update cycle, it's always S series first and then N series.
Just have patience and again learn to use the search function sometimes. This discussion has happened multiple times and answer always is if you need immediate updates get Apple/pixel phone. If you can live with decent delayed updates, go for s series.
If you care for good hardware and build but ok update speed (updates will come for sure) note series helps .
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I know you probably think you were being helpful, but it was peppered with such an absolute undertone of condescension I don't care to read anything you ever write again.
Maybe try reading it out loud before posting next time?

Namolas said:
I know you probably think you were being helpful, but it was peppered with such an absolute undertone of condescension I don't care to read anything you ever write again.
Maybe try reading it out loud before posting next time?
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I am just making a point that people need to search the forums before posting any comments. Also no one should feel entitled that since its a flagship or they paid big bucks, that the manufacturer should drop everything and cater to their needs. Samsung never promised faster updates than s series. It has always been like that.
None the less everyone is entitled to their opinion. You can read it or choose to ignore it and move on.

Got Oreo (OTA) to my unlocked Note 8 (SM-N950F) yesterday - so at least in Europe it is out and deliveries started.

I could be wrong but.. I think this at 1st was about a PHONE. I guess life is a slap in the face to some.. they express it to all..
I manually put it on my phone. Securty update is March 1st. Never had one problem. Runs great...

Zeblade said:
I could be wrong but.. I think this at 1st was about a PHONE. I guess life is a slap in the face to some.. they express it to all..
I manually put it on my phone. Securty update is March 1st. Never had one problem. Runs great...
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I doubt you have the unlocked version one. Is it bloatware free and boot animations free?

myechophone said:
I am just making a point that people need to search the forums before posting any comments. Also no one should feel entitled that since its a flagship or they paid big bucks, that the manufacturer should drop everything and cater to their needs. Samsung never promised faster updates than s series. It has always been like that.
None the less everyone is entitled to their opinion. You can read it or choose to ignore it and move on.
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I know I know, some people will be ok even samsung releases the OREO next year. Because they never promised right... I wonder what they have promised. OMG...some people just....

Do people even work on the locked up US Snapdragon variants?

All I read is negative on the topic of the US Snapdragon Galaxy S10 receiving root/an unlocked bootloader as I understand Samsung has kept these variants locked since the S7 series.
But is it not true that anything that can be locked can be unlocked? It's impossible to have a truly unbreakable lock, hardware or software, no?
And if it is completely impossible, why is this? Are people actively working on it/is there any potential we will receive root in a way similar to the SamFails exploit for the S8 series?
Of course, I'm just a consumer. I'm not exactly sure what goes into this. It would be helpful to gain some insight on what is and is not possible for my S10.
Kind of disappointed I'm unable to afford a Canadian or other foreign variant because I do payment plans. But I really would love the feeling of having root again. I really do miss it.

CrackyRaps said:
. I really do miss it.
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But why?

CrackyRaps said:
All I read is negative on the topic of the US Snapdragon Galaxy S10 receiving root/an unlocked bootloader as I understand Samsung has kept these variants locked since the S7 series.
But is it not true that anything that can be locked can be unlocked? It's impossible to have a truly unbreakable lock, hardware or software, no?
And if it is completely impossible, why is this? Are people actively working on it/is there any potential we will receive root in a way similar to the SamFails exploit for the S8 series?
Of course, I'm just a consumer. I'm not exactly sure what goes into this. It would be helpful to gain some insight on what is and is not possible for my S10.
Kind of disappointed I'm unable to afford a Canadian or other foreign variant because I do payment plans. But I really would love the feeling of having root again. I really do miss it.
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You should have purchased another phone, because it's not going to happen on this one.

raduque said:
But why?
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Because I enjoyed the extra features associated with it?
Superuser, flashing a ROM, even just getting rid of certain bloatware or using a PS3 controller with bluetooth.
There's just a bunch of small things that I miss being able to do, but Samsung has been progressively locking their **** up more and more.
Why does it matter why I want it?

raduque said:
But why?
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Tel864 said:
You should have purchased another phone, because it's not going to happen on this one.
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This is the sort of thing I'm talking about. I don't know how you can definitively say this other than for the fact that nobody seems to even be giving a ****.
And that's how it goes, nobody gives a **** until it's figured out.
I'm sure a lot of people had the same exact mindset when the S8 got root without tripping Knox, but it got it eventually.
Maybe if more people had been working on it, it would've come about much earlier than it did.
So what is your reasoning other than "well Samsung made it hard to do so nobody attempts it?"
Nothing is impossible to break into.

CrackyRaps said:
This is the sort of thing I'm talking about. I don't know how you can definitively say this other than for the fact that nobody seems to even be giving a ****.
And that's how it goes, nobody gives a **** until it's figured out.
I'm sure a lot of people had the same exact mindset when the S8 got root without tripping Knox, but it got it eventually.
Maybe if more people had been working on it, it would've come about much earlier than it did.
So what is your reasoning other than "well Samsung made it hard to do so nobody attempts it?"
Nothing is impossible to break into.
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Wait wait wait lets clear this up. the s8 got root within a month or two of it being out. However, this was NOT because "people worked on it hard enough" It was because an engineering boot/build got leaked. This was not matter of working to root the thing then they had a magic breakthrough due to hard work. It was rooted because of the leaked engineering build.
I hope that they end up having the same thing happen there too, I really do. However, I would not keep your hopes up. Samsung is very good about locking their devices down when they want to. The level of dedication and work that a team would have to put in would have to be the equivalent or bigger than the team samsung has working to lock these things down. The problem with that? any team that has that time and money is not going to be working to root a samsung device. they are going to be taking paid jobs and if they did find a security flaw to exploit, they would probably turn it into samsung for a payout.

CrackyRaps said:
So what is your reasoning other than "well Samsung made it hard to do so nobody attempts it?"
Nothing is impossible to break into.
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LOL, welcome to the real world, because things can be made impossible to break into. I'm still amazed at people buying a phone they know can't be rooted, get buy it anyway.

Hey guys I agree with the OP of this thread. I am by no means a dev but want to try and help where I can. I posted a thread on galaxy s10+ forum regarding the eng bootloader from Pakfirmware. If you are interested check it out https://forum.xda-developers.com/s10-plus/how-to/eng-bootloader-t3914050

ait1071 said:
Hey guys I agree with the OP of this thread. I am by no means a dev but want to try and help where I can. I posted a thread on galaxy s10+ forum regarding the eng bootloader from Pakfirmware. If you are interested check it out https://forum.xda-developers.com/s10-plus/how-to/eng-bootloader-t3914050
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Good dialog here. One question, is the Exynos version the same in every way as the Snapdragon, especially the having the same 3G/4G LTE Bands?
If so, why not just buy the Exynos version Unlocked from an overseas website?
The only disadvantage would be if they fail to include the newer bands like 23, 66,71,14....etc...
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

CrackyRaps said:
But is it not true that anything that can be locked can be unlocked? It's impossible to have a truly unbreakable lock, hardware or software, no?
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That locked down phone is a selling point. They'll sell far more phones to people that don't care about rooting... and that's before the corporate and government sales.
Can it be unlocked? It's possible. It could happen today, or it could take two years like the Verizon Note4 and require such a convoluted process that many people will screw their phones up in the attempt. In the case of the Note4, it took so long that many developers had long moved on to newer devices.
Are there people working on the unlock? Undoubtedly. But I've found that this work goes on quietly, less the unwashed masses try incomplete methods and end up making their phones useless. (I hesitate to use the term "bricked," because that implies a phone that cannot be fixed by anyone. It is an overused term on these forums.)
I used to flash two or three ROMs a day back when I first got an Android phone in the Droid Incredible days. Perhaps it's my age, but most of the ROMs I flashed had issues I don't want to mess with anymore. While the One UI isn't a perfect experience, the only possible enticement I could see to root my phone would be a full nandroid backup.
And if they do find a way to root, I'll be in the thread laughing my ass off at the idiots who don't know what they're doing and can't follow directions "brick" their phones. A word of wisdom: don't try to be the first. Let others screw up and get the process refined.

CrackyRaps said:
Because I enjoyed the extra features associated with it?
Superuser, flashing a ROM, even just getting rid of certain bloatware or using a PS3 controller with bluetooth.
There's just a bunch of small things that I miss being able to do, but Samsung has been progressively locking their **** up more and more.
Why does it matter why I want it?
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It doesn't matter. I was genuinely curious. You might gain a few little things, but you break everything that uses Knox. Samsung Pay, S-Health, Secure Folder, apps like Adhell and Disconnect Pro. Oh, and you NEVER get those back even after un-rooting, so you have to sell it for a significantly lower price because the device is crippled.
Samsung is locking their devices down so they can provide a secure environment for US Government and company use. 97% of the consumer market appreciates the lock down as well, because it's more difficult for malware to use an exploit to gain root and use that to steal passwords, pins, numbers and so on.
If you want to be able to unlock a devices bootloader, add root access and flash community roms, you need to get another device. If you still want to root a Samsung, you need an Exynos device. But again, see my first paragraph.

If you really want to have root then probably the best thing is not to buy a phone till root has been made available. For certain type of phones this is unlikely to ever materialize. The situation is not unique to Samsung, particularly Samsung phones with Snapdragon; as also Huawei phones have become increasingly difficult/impossible to unlock and root.

Will the North American/Snapdragon variants ever get an unlocked boot loader?

Really want to install a custom ROM on this phone...
Thank you for your help XDA.

Nope
SM-N950U Extreme Syndicate Root

jkim204 said:
Really want to install a custom ROM on this phone...
Thank you for your help XDA.
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For everyone reading NO. the bootloader is locked and will remain locked on higher end snapdragon (US) models for one reason and one reason only. Enterprise (business) sales. Companies need secure devices that users can't tamper with. It's the same reason apple strives to be un-jailbreakable. It's really about those Enterprise contracts where they are selling possibly tens of thousands of devices under contracts to companies in return for a secure platform that can't pose a security threat.

No

Frick_trump said:
For everyone reading NO. the bootloader is locked and will remain locked on higher end snapdragon (US) models for one reason and one reason only. Enterprise (business) sales. Companies need secure devices that users can't tamper with. It's the same reason apple strives to be un-jailbreakable. It's really about those Enterprise contracts where they are selling possibly tens of thousands of devices under contracts to companies in return for a secure platform that can't pose a security threat.
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using my root you can at least flash gsis now.. most custom itll probably get lol

elliwigy said:
using my root you can at least flash gsis now.. most custom itll probably get lol
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Yeah I saw. It's awesome you were able to make some progress. Not for me though.
Only reason I used to root was to install cynogenmod, my favorite Android fork ever, (also always had Superior battery life when done right) and they killed that off and changed to linageos, which doesn't really support any new devices anymore. Lack of AOSP ROMs with all the usage tracking and garbage removed has seriously dented my need for root.
Not to say others don't have reasons to root, just giving my 0.02 why rooting isn't even worth it for me personally anymore

Frick_trump said:
Yeah I saw. It's awesome you were able to make some progress. Not for me though.
Only reason I used to root was to install cynogenmod, my favorite Android fork ever, (also always had Superior battery life when done right) and they killed that off and changed to linageos, which doesn't really support any new devices anymore. Lack of AOSP ROMs with all the usage tracking and garbage removed has seriously dented my need for root.
Not to say others don't have reasons to root, just giving my 0.02 why rooting isn't even worth it for me personally anymore
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i mean los has a gsi u can use but i dunno wat all is working or broke

elliwigy said:
i mean los has a gsi u can use but i dunno wat all is working or broke
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im not sure what a gsi is, but note 9 isnt supported for lineage os officially. there might be an unnofical build but i need a phone not a broken toy lol.

Frick_trump said:
For everyone reading NO. the bootloader is locked and will remain locked on higher end snapdragon (US) models for one reason and one reason only. Enterprise (business) sales. Companies need secure devices that users can't tamper with. It's the same reason apple strives to be un-jailbreakable. It's really about those Enterprise contracts where they are selling possibly tens of thousands of devices under contracts to companies in return for a secure platform that can't pose a security threat.
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I have been telling people this for years but no one listens.

That is because people dont read
Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

Any developers developing a ROM for this?

any eta to something like lineage?
This seems so much better than a pixel 4a/OP 7t and within 100 dollars used....I am returning my pixel 4a due to the poor battery life compared to my gs8 that its replacing.
This phone seemsl like better value than the pixel 4a

zetsui said:
any eta to something like lineage?
This seems so much better than a pixel 4a/OP 7t and within 100 dollars used....I am returning my pixel 4a due to the poor battery life compared to my gs8 that its replacing.
This phone seemsl like better value than the pixel 4a
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Not gonna lie, I don't understand the ongoing interest in rooting/customs ROMs. The last time I rooted a phone was a Galaxy Note 2 - and then only because it had stopped receiving updates, and the custom ROM used a newer version of Android. With a new phone like the S20 FE, it just seems you stand to lose much more than you could possibly gain (e.g., Samsung pay, monthly security updates, full Android updates) - I just don't get it.

jtOttawa said:
Not gonna lie, I don't understand the ongoing interest in rooting/customs ROMs. The last time I rooted a phone was a Galaxy Note 2 - and then only because it had stopped receiving updates, and the custom ROM used a newer version of Android. With a new phone like the S20 FE, it just seems you stand to lose much more than you could possibly gain (e.g., Samsung pay, monthly security updates, full Android updates) - I just don't get it.
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I was gonna reply yesterday that I wouldn't put a custom rom like lineage on a new phone that's still getting support. that would be moving from 99% functionality to maybe 75 - 80%.
that said I would root for things like adaway, v4a and minminguard and if the support was there I would replace the stock rom with a stripped down version with extra features like GCam. if the support was there the monthly security updates and continuing Sammy releases could be flashed just as easily as update zips. after the first 3 years all bets would be off, AOSP all the way.
I will never care about Knox, if an employer wants me to have a secure phone for work they can provide one. this phone is mine.

jtOttawa said:
Not gonna lie, I don't understand the ongoing interest in rooting/customs ROMs. The last time I rooted a phone was a Galaxy Note 2 - and then only because it had stopped receiving updates, and the custom ROM used a newer version of Android. With a new phone like the S20 FE, it just seems you stand to lose much more than you could possibly gain (e.g., Samsung pay, monthly security updates, full Android updates) - I just don't get it.
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1. they can security patch your ****t AFTER you root, from what I understand, correct me if I'm wrong
2. Some of us like security for a number of reasons (ie travelign to autocratic countries where there is no personal privacy)
3. Far easier to have hard backups and restores of phones. I get a new phone? I just titanium restore it. Some of us don't like sharing data with the govt.
4. you ever try to pixelize and de-bloat a samsung stock phone? It's a nightmare.

a couple of days ago I saw that the FE 5G was just about to go on-sale in India, hopefully that means a few more devs may come to this forum.

I'm excited for development on this device and I thoroughly enjoy vanilla Android and custom ROMs.
I have more resources to play with typically and I can overclock or underclock my CPU/GPU for best performance and battery. Everything can be customized.
Maybe I could have gotten another device that isn't bloated but this was my only option.
If I had a test FE 5G I would start baking some things up. This is my only phone and I would be out of work without it so, no go testing on my own.

the GSI roms must be pretty close to making workable, I'm sure there'd be many happy testers available.
EDIT: a reddit user has claimed to have flashed the Havoc rom GSI. I've asked for him to share the procedure he followed. if he does that's 2 or 3 GSI roms we can use if nothing else.
EDIT2: seems he just followed guidance from the thread itself and was able to just flash the GSI via TWRP. unlocked bootloaders are a must and there are bugs, being fingerprint reader not working and no video capture @60fps
anyone here that's desperate to try another rom can flash TWRP and backup and try out any of the A/B phh Treble GSI roms. there's even phh magisk. for now it looks like this is as good as we're gonna get.

Question Should I Unlock the bootloader?

First off, yes i have searched thru the forums for an answer but none of those that I found are direct to my questions...
I just placed an order for S21 Ultra Exynos. Should be arriving within the next 2 days or so..
My questions are: (this will be my first Samsung phone)
1) Is one UI good enough? or is it worth it to flash a custom from (previously I used to flash custom from for better battery life and also advance customization.
2) If I unlock the bootloader, will I still receive firmware updates?
I'm basically buying this particular phone for its excellent battery life, camera, and performance.
And also because Samsung promised 3-4 years for firmware updates. I believe this phone will last for at least 3 years.
And I'm thinking of unlocking the bootloader on day 1 itself before even setting up anything. That way I would save my time from losing stuff by resetting after unlocking BL.
3) and also, did anyone get the Samsung care+ extended warranty? Is it worth it?
I have never broken a phone before in my life thus far. But since this is gonna be the most expensive phone I have ever bought, I would prefer to secure my investment. (another reason why I'm considering not to unlock bootloader/root as of yet).
Thank you soo much.
Have not done rooting for a long time. Lost touch will all this stuff.
Hence the noobie questions.

1. One UI is quite good. There aren't a ton of custom ROMs out there for this phone. Even the most popular ones that exist are still based on one UI.
2. and 3. contradict each other. If you're bothered about warranty AT ALL, don't unlock your bootloader. You can never return to 100% stock on Samsung. Knox will remain tripped so bye bye warranty. Unless of course your country has laws allowing this and you can fight Samsung. They tend to deny warranty if you've modified your phone software. YMMV. I don't have Samsung Care so I don't know about that.
Since you asked for suggestions, mine would be not to be hasty and play around with the device to see if you need to unlock/root/flash etc.
Rooting on day 1 just so you can avoid having to set up phone again is pretty lazy and dangerous. Especially since you've been out of the game for a while.
Baby steps buddy. Better safe than sorry.

enigmaamit said:
1. One UI is quite good. There aren't a ton of custom ROMs out there for this phone. Even the most popular ones that exist are still based on one UI.
2. and 3. contradict each other. If you're bothered about warranty AT ALL, don't unlock your bootloader. You can never return to 100% stock on Samsung. Knox will remain tripped so bye bye warranty. Unless of course your country has laws allowing this and you can fight Samsung. They tend to deny warranty if you've modified your phone software. YMMV. I don't have Samsung Care so I don't know about that.
Since you asked for suggestions, mine would be not to be hasty and play around with the device to see if you need to unlock/root/flash etc.
Rooting on day 1 just so you can avoid having to set up phone again is pretty lazy and dangerous. Especially since you've been out of the game for a while.
Baby steps buddy. Better safe than sorry.
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Isn´t it sad, that we spent more than 1000 bucks on a device, that in the end, we will never truly own?
I´ve been thinking about this issue since i got my Note 9 (3 years ago)...
The balance between, what we want the device to do for, and what we are allowed to do in the device, without losing support in case of hardware failure...
I, mainly, used to root for 3 reasons: 1 - Ads removal from software; 2 - Control/modification of the system files and 3 - Easy backup and restore with TWRP
And as we all are aware, a few changes in a system file, can avoid the installation of a third party software (e.g. Call Recording) so it seems to be more efficient to root... but then come the brands claming that we can´t do it because that would ruin the user experience that they planned for the device...
The Knox feature as been buffed up to a point that is increasingly harder to install a custom recovery. Something that a few years ago was a solution for a big number of users, now its just a work for those "geeks" that live for the challenge... The risks of brincking a VERY EXPENSIVE device are becaming bigger than the advantages that we would get with root... I guess we are playing into brands plans...
To be fair, brands also understood that they would have to give what users wanted if they wanted to avoid software alterations (except maybe Apple, who just gives what Apple consideres users should have)...
Customizations and bigger control of the software are trends that are growing up in Android skins (like OneUi).
I got my S21 Ultra a few weeks ago, and normally it would rooted and with a custom recovery by now, but the problems i faced with that in my Note 9, are still present in my mind... and i don´t want to face them again...
I manage to get my basic needs with some non-root software, and with GoodLock and Bixby Routines and can do almost everything i would do with the root... Still can´t avoid to have to install a third party software to record calls, something that could be done better with the native system, but that´s it...
In the end, you do you...
Just keep in mind the risks, and be ready to take responsability when something goes wrong... and the possibility of that happen is getting bigger every time they launch a new device...
RSGI

RSGI said:
Isn´t it sad, that we spent more than 1000 bucks on a device, that in the end, we will never truly own?
I´ve been thinking about this issue since i got my Note 9 (3 years ago)...
The balance between, what we want the device to do for, and what we are allowed to do in the device, without losing support in case of hardware failure...
I, mainly, used to root for 3 reasons: 1 - Ads removal from software; 2 - Control/modification of the system files and 3 - Easy backup and restore with TWRP
And as we all are aware, a few changes in a system file, can avoid the installation of a third party software (e.g. Call Recording) so it seems to be more efficient to root... but then come the brands claming that we can´t do it because that would ruin the user experience that they planned for the device...
The Knox feature as been buffed up to a point that is increasingly harder to install a custom recovery. Something that a few years ago was a solution for a big number of users, now its just a work for those "geeks" that live for the challenge... The risks of brincking a VERY EXPENSIVE device are becaming bigger than the advantages that we would get with root... I guess we are playing into brands plans...
To be fair, brands also understood that they would have to give what users wanted if they wanted to avoid software alterations (except maybe Apple, who just gives what Apple consideres users should have)...
Customizations and bigger control of the software are trends that are growing up in Android skins (like OneUi).
I got my S21 Ultra a few weeks ago, and normally it would rooted and with a custom recovery by now, but the problems i faced with that in my Note 9, are still present in my mind... and i don´t want to face them again...
I manage to get my basic needs with some non-root software, and with GoodLock and Bixby Routines and can do almost everything i would do with the root... Still can´t avoid to have to install a third party software to record calls, something that could be done better with the native system, but that´s it...
In the end, you do you...
Just keep in mind the risks, and be ready to take responsability when something goes wrong... and the possibility of that happen is getting bigger every time they launch a new device...
RSGI
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Agree. The trend for Android devices aping the Apple philosophy is disturbing. But for lack of good alternatives, we are left without too many choices. OnePlus seemed to be doing well on this front but lately they've also gone rogue. So we have to live with what we have, whether we like it or not...

guyderam said:
I'm basically buying this particular phone for its excellent battery life
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Okay so who's gonna tell him?
To be perfectly honest, the battery life is the only gripe I have with this phone. It's quite mediocre for a 5000mAh battery. Of course everyone's usage is different, but I expected better battery life. If you're not a "heavy" user you should be fine though!!
As for bootloader unlocking: I've had 2 S21 Ultras. I had the first one unlocked for a dumb reason, wanted to flash some magisk module to enable all lenses in Google Camera ports basically. Which is kinda funny because now with OneUI 4.0 all the lenses are available in GCam
back to the actual topic, now that I have my second S21U, I don't see a reason to unlock the bootloader. From what I've seen there's only one or two Exynos custom ROMs that are regularly updated. That's the first thing. The 2nd thing is, I just don't wanna trip Knox again and void my warranty.
For me unlocking the BL is not worth it (at the moment). You should consider the pros and the cons of unlocking and hopefully it'll be easier to decide then.
With that being said, enjoy your S21 Ultra, man.

jericho246 said:
Okay so who's gonna tell him?
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Thank you so much for the feedback guys.... got my questions answered. Doubt ill be doing anything for now. Gonna use it as it is and see how it goes.
Sadly yes, androids used to be fully customizable and this was the main reason people used to buy them. Unfortunately, phone companies seem to be making it harder and harder for us to do anything to our phones anymore these days.
Oh well....

guyderam said:
Thank you so much for the feedback guys.... got my questions answered. Doubt ill be doing anything for now. Gonna use it as it is and see how it goes.
Sadly yes, androids used to be fully customizable and this was the main reason people used to buy them. Unfortunately, phone companies seem to be making it harder and harder for us to do anything to our phones anymore these days.
Oh well....
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But really, what do you want to do with your phone that's not already in-built. I was thinking the same but over the years Android (and it's custom OEMs) have gotten a lot better with companies baking a lot of the magisk modules (their versions) into their ROMs...I didn't root my OnePlus 7Pro, neither the S21U..don't see the need to (at least for the time being)...

A few things, updates are forfeited after root and also be aware Android 12, One UI 4.0 is far from stable. If it hasn't been preinstalled you should consider ignoring the update until the numerous bugs are addressed. I've had a number of S Series devices, only the S8+ was a Exynos variant, all others had the Snapdragon SoC's and never had a warranty issue. I wouldn't buy the Samsung Care+ but it's like any other insurance, you hate paying for it but happy you did if you ever need it. Unless you're a power user battery life shouldn't be an issue but if it is you can review numerous posts for corrective solutions. Based on what you've shared it's probably best you hold off on unlocking the bootloader, to me there aren't many compelling reasons when one considers all the consequences. I think you'll be OK with the stock device.

I consider myself as a relatively advanced user and was always playing rooted with all of the S devices I had. There were always workarounds for root detection by apps and samsung itself BUT now things have changed and I regret having rooted my S21.
As samsung is enforcing its restrictions against root, I find myself (while being rooted) unable to connect my GW4, unable to use latest Samsung Health app, unable to use Samsung Pay and lately even the samsung account keeps disconnecting for "security reasons" several times a day... What a mess !
As previously said, returning to stock with locked bootloader won't give a 100% functional device as the tripped Knox will still be there preventing you from using some samsung apps and features !
If it gets more complicated, I only have 2 choices : get a "virgin" S21 or say goodbye to Samsung.
With that said, you now know where you're going if you choose to go that way