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Hello,
I'm about to buy SGN but as i read , there in no NFC in EU models (its like an "option")
So..., I live in EU (Poland), using GSM/etc systems.
Is there ANY option to buy anywhere SGN that will work in my country with working NFC??
Eg. Does AT&T ones will work here? (i know its LTE, but its only data transfer?)
Or should I serach anywhere else?
Greest ! Thx for any answer
No there is no easy solution to get NFC on the note. And no, the ATT version wont be very useable in poland.
Errr.. damn it =/
I'ts verry sad info...
Naither any other world version? =]
Why do you need NFC? it's not like it is prevalent in Poland?
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2
Till now "only" for NFC Tokens and capable accesories.
I't usable Tested on SE Xperia, great thing, trust me :]
Since I got my HTC one various members of my family have been asking me if there is a program equivalent to the HTC Zoe highlights feature available on the PC. So far I haven't been able to find anything, the nearest I've come is the iPhone app vidify. No problem, most of them have iThings so I jsut suggested they get that instead. Only problem is it is no longer available and seems to have disappeared at the end of last year.
I can only think of two reasons for this
1. HTC bought the program/company to use for the Zoe highlights feature (although the app allowed more control over music and content)
2. Apple have bought them intend to add the feature into iOS (then sue HTC for Zoe highlights)
Does anyone know if its HTC, as I'd hate to loose one of the best features of my phone in another legal wrangle?
Also does anyone know if there is an equivalent for the PC?
I've had this Nexus 6 since it first came out and now it's giving me signs of stutter (especially with the camera app or snapchat), the battery also seems to be wearing out, barely lasts me half a day and I constantly have to charge it. I want to upgrade this device to something much better, but I would like to point out that I am on Verizon so CDMA devices only, (I wanted to get the OnePlus 3T).
So instead I started contemplating on upgrading to the S8+ especially with that $100 off deal at best buy, not really interested in the Pixel XL though or iphone lineup (had an iphone for 4 years, its boring). I had a Galaxy S5 before for about a month or so and it had a defect in the camera so I got a refund on that and got a Nexus 6 instead and now here I am 2 years later. Would definitely love to give Samsung devices another try. Anyways, what do you guys think? Which device should I upgrade to or any suggestions?
Change your carrier. If you have Verizon, your options are pretty much what is available from Verizon, and all of them are going to have a locked bootloader, even the Pixel/Pixel XL. Switching to a GSM carrier like T-Mobile will allow you to get the device you truly want.
And, before you say "but I like Verizon", Verizon uses CDMA, and CDMA is a living fossil that doesn't know that it's supposed to be extinct.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
Change your carrier. If you have Verizon, your options are pretty much what is available from Verizon, and all of them are going to have a locked bootloader, even the Pixel/Pixel XL. Switching to a GSM carrier like T-Mobile will allow you to get the device you truly want.
And, before you say "but I like Verizon", Verizon uses CDMA, and CDMA is a living fossil that doesn't know that it's supposed to be extinct.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see where you're coming from but switching to T-MOBILE is not an option, where I work and live I used to get little to no reception with them, from there I switched to At&t and the service was even worse, they're also very bad in customer support whenever I had problems.
Hence me having to stick with Verizon.
Then your only real option is to head to Lenovorola's website and purchase an unlocked CDMA device from them. It's the only way to preserve your ability to modify the device, since it should not have a locked bootloader. Samsung isn't an option as they lock bootloaders on all US devices now, plus there's Touchwiz to consider. Most of the other manufacturers focus on GSM because of its worldwide reach.
Have you done a factory reset recently? That may improve both lag and battery. Also, someone mentioned that the April update improves lag.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
Then your only real option is to head to Lenovorola's website and purchase an unlocked CDMA device from them. It's the only way to preserve your ability to modify the device, since it should not have a locked bootloader. Samsung isn't an option as they lock bootloaders on all US devices now, plus there's Touchwiz to consider. Most of the other manufacturers focus on GSM because of its worldwide reach.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest, I don't care much for modifying my device anymore, I use it as is for calls, texts, web browsing etc. Maybe the occasional file transfer between my PC and that might be all. And regarding TouchWiz, that is true, but I'm hoping there will be some sort of pixel launcher available to flash for S8+ in the near future or can get something off of the play store.
runekock said:
Have you done a factory reset recently? That may improve both lag and battery. Also, someone mentioned that the April update improves lag.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right now I'm on Pure Nexus ROM and the functionality is great, the stutter is only evident when I multitask heavily which leads to fast battery drain as well as taking pictures. Can't tell you the number of times I missed those one in a million moments because the camera app took too long to load or take the picture.
Also I've done many clean installs, these sort of problems seem to stick.
Changing the launcher only hides Touchwiz. It doesn't stop the resource drain that has plagued Touchwiz since its inception. Hell, I could drop a copy of Nova Launcher on my roommate's unmodified SIII and hide most of the ugliness of Touchwiz, but I still would have to face the issue that Touchwiz is a resource hog.
If you're not here to mod your device then why are you here? After all, it's called XDA Developers for a reason.
Okay, that sure sounds like you need more ram. And considering that 64-bit is less ram-efficient, 4 GB may not be a noticeable improvement. If you can't get 6 GB, then (oh how I hate saying this) you may want to turn to Apple - they are rumoured to have better memory management.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
If you're not here to mod your device then why are you here? After all, it's called XDA Developers for a reason.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha you got me there, i myself am a programmer in C++ and C#, but aside that maybe I made an overstatement in not caring about modding. I'm still going to get root and have certain mods and tweaks like YouTube Ad Blockers and LSpeed for init.d changes, but I won't be as avid on it as I used to be.
I decided I'm going to get the S8+ and await root for it.
Since my phone has a corporate partition on it root is not an option for me... so I am waiting for Pixel 2. If I had to have a phone now it would be a Pixel. Touchwiz was so janky (and barely updated) on the last Samsung that I had I will not be going that route again.
aroy97 said:
To be honest, I don't care much for modifying my device anymore, I use it as is for calls, texts, web browsing etc. Maybe the occasional file transfer between my PC and that might be all. And regarding TouchWiz, that is true, but I'm hoping there will be some sort of pixel launcher available to flash for S8+ in the near future or can get something off of the play store.
Right now I'm on Pure Nexus ROM and the functionality is great, the stutter is only evident when I multitask heavily which leads to fast battery drain as well as taking pictures. Can't tell you the number of times I missed those one in a million moments because the camera app took too long to load or take the picture.
Also I've done many clean installs, these sort of problems seem to stick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're OK with not modifying and/or not rooting the best phone VZW has, and I'm in the same spot you are - except I need to root and modify, is the Droid Z Force. It's an awesome phone - or hold out and pray the Asus Zenfone AR comes to VZW and is affordable
I know it only works on tmo or ATT, but I sold my Pixel, and got this phone, and no doubt, its the best android device I have ever seen or tried..
no real dev for it, but I couldnt care less, since its incredible just stock; plus I still have my shamu if I want to play around, but frankly havent flashed anything in weeks, I like this phone so much..
http://consumer.huawei.com/en/mobile-phones/mate9pro/index.htm
Clearly and this time, there are limitations as per launching the device to certain countries like India and Japan on wait. Project SOLI requires a certain 60ish frequency in order to work. My question is can this be force enabled to countries that don't support it? I am planning to purchase it from US but my country is not on the list that supports it so apparently it'll become useless brick when I plan to use it here.
galangdj said:
Clearly and this time, there are limitations as per launching the device to certain countries like India and Japan on wait. Project SOLI requires a certain 60ish frequency in order to work. My question is can this be force enabled to countries that don't support it? I am planning to purchase it from US but my country is not on the list that supports it so apparently it'll become useless brick when I plan to use it here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I read correctly, no. Because it checks to see what carrier you are on and if you were not on the whitelist, then it won't work. I was actually talking to somebody from India the other day about that and I mentioned that. You could have one imported, but I don't believe it will work
Thanks mate. That's just sad. I was really looking forward on having this one. Bad move Google, really bad.
How I understand it is, it's not really Google's fault. India just won't allow the technology there. Hell, Google had to get permission from the FCC to test it, here. It is a radar after all, which is what I keep trying to tell people when they keep trying to compare it to the LG's air gestures or any other phone that had air gestures. This is a completely new animal. I feel your pain though. similar to how people felt about OnePlus only releasing the 7T in the states and not the T pro version. Not that I would have bought either, but it's a similar instance
I wouldn't write off the phone completely; some smart guys may figure out a way to bypass the checks. I'm in no way saying this will happen but somewhat similar feats have been accomplished before.
This is true as well
Any idea if FaceUnlock requires the Soli radar chip to function or would it work with MotionSense disabled?
Also, could someone please throw some light on cons of getting the phone from USA and using it in India? (Apart from the warranty and power adapter pins).?
1. Would / could it be geo blocked totally ??
2. Would FaceUnlock work without Soli?
3. Would it support Indian carrier frequencies ??
Etc
Thanks in advance
pai.pradeep said:
Any idea if FaceUnlock requires the Soli radar chip to function or would it work with MotionSense disabled?
Also, could someone please throw some light on cons of getting the phone from USA and using it in India? (Apart from the warranty and power adapter pins).?
1. Would / could it be geo blocked totally ??
2. Would FaceUnlock work without Soli?
3. Would it support Indian carrier frequencies ??
Etc
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's my understanding that face unlock is independent of soli. But at times it uses soli to make unlocking a little bit faster and easier, if that makes any sense. Face unlock is just a couple of IR sensors, the flood illuminator and the dot projector, that has nothing to do with soli radar, which currently is banned from India. So here's an example of it working. You lock it, then bring it to your face and double tap the screen and it will unlock. But you will not be able to use the soli side of the features that allow it to virtually unlock in a more fluid motion. Soli detects your hand approaching the device and activates the screen, then the face unlock kicks in. Without soli, you would have to manually wake the device first. So, IMO, it would not be worth importing a pixel to India, unless you were absolutely positive that you could unlock the soli feature. As far as it supporting Indian frequencies. That's basically a shot in the dark, since nobody in India has the device right now to test it. Or at least we haven't heard of anybody
All true but I'm not certain that there isn't other ways the phone may be woke because we know soli can be wholly disabled and it seems unlikely that the next step would be the physical power button. As an example it may be possible that the accelerometer will also wake up the phone, DTTW, etc. Certainly were I planning on importing it I'd want to know that because I agree that it would really ruin the ownership experience to have to hit the button to wake it up every time.
This is true, I forgot about raise to wake
ZeroKool76 said:
it's my understanding that face unlock is independent of soli. But at times it uses soli to make unlocking a little bit faster and easier, if that makes any sense. Face unlock is just a couple of IR sensors, the flood illuminator and the dot projector, that has nothing to do with soli radar, which currently is banned from India. So here's an example of it working. You lock it, then bring it to your face and double tap the screen and it will unlock. But you will not be able to use the soli side of the features that allow it to virtually unlock in a more fluid motion. Soli detects your hand approaching the device and activates the screen, then the face unlock kicks in. Without soli, you would have to manually wake the device first. So, IMO, it would not be worth importing a pixel to India, unless you were absolutely positive that you could unlock the soli feature. As far as it supporting Indian frequencies. That's basically a shot in the dark, since nobody in India has the device right now to test it. Or at least we haven't heard of anybody
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, so without Soli, it would be 'just like any other Face Unlock(read: FaceID, as Google tried to emphasize)', there shouldn't be issues with the carrier frequencies too but who know if they (can/could) Geo-block it? I also understand that the e-Sim wouldn't be enabled for Indian carriers either.
Looks like Google just doesn't want the phone to be used by anyone in India.
or, let's hope they launch a Pixel4a without Soli in India.
pai.pradeep said:
Yes, so without Soli, it would be 'just like any other Face Unlock(read: FaceID, as Google tried to emphasize)', there shouldn't be issues with the carrier frequencies too but who know if they (can/could) Geo-block it? I also understand that the e-Sim wouldn't be enabled for Indian carriers either.
Looks like Google just doesn't want the phone to be used by anyone in India.
or, let's hope they launch a Pixel4a without Soli in India.
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Click to collapse
As I stated in another thread, I don't believe that it was Google's decision, but rather, India's. India wont allow the soli tech because of the frequencies it uses. At least that's my understanding. In America, they had to get permission from the FCC just to test it. But that still doesn't detract from the face unlock feature which is still the first of it's kind on an android device. I am looking forward to unlocking in the dark, rather than being blinded by an in screen fingerprint sensor
To be honest Soli itself doesn't have a big use case right now, it's actually a little surprising to me how little it's utilized when it could do so much more. I wouldn't buy this phone because of it as it is and the lack of it does little to change the phone in my mind. That is based on my own use however and others may find the current features more valuable. Longer term I expect more to be added to it and those possibilities are more what I'm interested in that what it does now. An example: Why isn't it possible to be washing the dishes, get a call I want to take, and make a motion with my wet dish washing hands to take the call and send it to speakerphone? There are many similar things I can think of right off the bat and some of them or even all of them may come to pass if they allow us to start making our own gestures and assign them to functions. That's the Soli I'm interested in, the one that doesn't exist yet.
krabman said:
To be honest Soli itself doesn't have a big use case right now, it's actually a little surprising to me how little it's utilized when it could do so much more. I wouldn't buy this phone because of it as it is and the lack of it does little to change the phone in my mind. That is based on my own use however and others may find the current features more valuable. Longer term I expect more to be added to it and those possibilities are more what I'm interested in that what it does now. An example: Why isn't it possible to be washing the dishes, get a call I want to take, and make a motion with my wet dish washing hands to take the call and send it to speakerphone? There are many similar things I can think of right off the bat and some of them or even all of them may come to pass if they allow us to start making our own gestures and assign them to functions. That's the Soli I'm interested in, the one that doesn't exist yet.
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Click to collapse
I agree, it's certainly underwhelming at this point. But the tech is there, just need Google to stick the landing with upcoming software updates, implementing new features, including your scenario.
Forcing it in unsupported countries is very likely possible to do based on my analysis of the leaked Motion Sense APKs. However, I won't share what I know about it because you'll be broadcasting on unlicensed radio waves in your country. I'm sure someone else will figure out how it's done in no time, though.
MishaalRahman said:
Forcing it in unsupported countries is very likely possible to do based on my analysis of the leaked Motion Sense APKs. However, I won't share what I know about it because you'll be broadcasting on unlicensed radio waves in your country. I'm sure someone else will figure out how it's done in no time, though.
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Please let us know if you figured out if its at least possible on your unit! Is it a deal breaker though if it wouldn't work ? do you find yourself relying on it much or is it necessary and finally do the phone's other merits outweigh the lack of motion sense as i am considering pre-ordering it but really ambivalent
thanks
I've imported Pixel 4 XL to use in Indonesia and really really disappointed that I can't utilise this technology. Waiting for someone to create a utility, kernel, or anything, to force enable soli chip..
Allesa said:
I've imported Pixel 4 XL to use in Indonesia and really really disappointed that I can't utilise this technology. Waiting for someone to create a utility, kernel, or anything, to force enable soli chip..
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Click to collapse
What are you exactly disappointed? I am not so sure to the grave of annoyance but if face unlock works with waking up the phone, I'd be happy with that. The wave gestures sure is fun but for practical use and the frequency of using it is close to none in most situations. Thanks. I am considering the phone so if you could please share your experience with the phone with its limitation atm, or anything that I should be aware, that would be of great help and appreciated.
Allesa said:
I've imported Pixel 4 XL to use in Indonesia and really really disappointed that I can't utilise this technology. Waiting for someone to create a utility, kernel, or anything, to force enable soli chip..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are all the features relating to Soli disabled? Or just the music gestures?
It can be enabled with root by setting a property in the device, see the mods forum.
Hello here guys, I need some of your knowledge and those who have the S21 Ultra in their hands.
First thing I am a htc fan since 2010 with the htc .. After this I changed htc phone every 2 years until 2018.. My last samsung phone dates back to the samsung galaxy S I9000 model back to 2010 and I didn't like them, I didn't keep them for long. My actual phone is the last flagship is the HTC U12+ i liked this phone very much and still love it, it still works fine but it is getting a bit old. After this Unfortunately HTC is almost dead since the takeover by google, i only had one major updates from android since, and give us only android pie and security update July 2019 this is unacceptable for a flagship i have pay more than 1000 $ for it in 2018. I would ideally like to have a new phone with new technology this year. I wanted to wait to see the oneplus 9 pro but .. the 8 have so much problem and i have read on the forum, the update support is getting very bad like htc .. and google no longer make flagship... Not a lot of choice other than that .. and i never want an apple.
So I am looking for the S21 ultra but it is a tough decision for me! I need your experiences with this device and with samsung..
Are samsung phones is strong and durable?? I dropped my HTC several times with a case of course i always have a case on the phone and a screen protector and is never broken. One ui has become much more interesting i have see but i still need to make some debloat it with the root. I find that the fast charge is a little low for this phone, how long does it take you to charge it with a 25W? what more can you tell me about this? Also another thing that bothers me is the curved screen. I am really not convinced on this? but all the flagship are like that now. A Another problem for me is the root, I don't want a phone without root! I am in Canada, and I know that the galaxy variants canada, the bootloader is completely locked and still no possibility to unlock it on this i find samsung very stupid about this.. unless that has changed but it would surprise me I saw nothing of that.
So if I want the device I have to buy the global model ( i want snapdragon too ) ( china model i think ? )which is the SM-G9980, but as I have seen 5G will not be compatible in Canada with this model, can someone confirm that? for 5G and that this model the bootloader is unlockable please?? I don't care much for 5G either but I would prefer to have it compatible.. If i flash a canada firmware is will work or nothing will change ? and is even possible to change the firmware ? For several years now I have been buying my phones full price from some online stores that sell global devices in Canada and for a little less expensive too. I am with public mobile ( belong to Telus Canada ) i really like this company this will work for the 3G and 4G i have see right? not sure.
Thanks for reading me and your answers guys!
UP please ??
Max128 said:
Hello here guys, I need some of your knowledge and those who have the S21 Ultra in their hands.
First thing I am a htc fan since 2010 with the htc .. After this I changed htc phone every 2 years until 2018.. My last samsung phone dates back to the samsung galaxy S I9000 model back to 2010 and I didn't like them, I didn't keep them for long. My actual phone is the last flagship is the HTC U12+ i liked this phone very much and still love it, it still works fine but it is getting old. After this Unfortunately HTC is almost dead since the takeover by google, i only had one major updates from android since, i am stuck with android pie and security update July 2019 this is unacceptable for a flagship i have pay more than 1000 $ for it in 2018. I would ideally like to have a new phone with new technology this year. I wanted to wait to see the oneplus 9 pro but .. the 8 have so much problem and i have read on the forum, the update support is getting very bad like htc .. and google no longer make flagship... Not a lot of choice other than that .. and i never want an apple.
So I am looking for the S21 ultra but it is a tough decision for me! I need your experiences with this device and with samsung..
Are samsung phones is strong and durable?? I dropped my HTC several times with a case of course i always have a case on the phone and a screen protector and is never broken. One ui has become much more interesting i have see but i still need to make some debloat it with the root. I find that the fast charge is a little low for this phone, how long does it take you to charge it with a 25W? what more can you tell me about this? Also another thing that bothers me is the curved screen. I am really not convinced on this? but all the flagship are like that now. A Another problem for me is the root, I don't want a phone without root! I am in Canada, and I know that the galaxy variants canada, the bootloader is completely locked and still no possibility to unlock it on this i find samsung very stupid about this.. unless that has changed but it would surprise me I saw nothing of that.
So if I want the device I have to buy the global model ( i want snapdragon too ) ( china model i think ? )which is the SM-G9980, but as I have seen 5G will not be compatible in Canada with this model, can someone confirm that? for 5G and that this model the bootloader is unlockable please?? I don't care much for 5G either but I would prefer to have it compatible.. If i flash a canada firmware is will work or nothing will change ? and is even possible to change the firmware ? For several years now I have been buying my phones full price from some online stores that sell global devices in Canada and for a little less expensive too. I am with public mobile ( belong to Telus Canada ) i really like this company this will work for the 3G and 4G i have see right? not sure.
Thanks for reading me and your answers guys!
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Click to collapse
The phone is not worth it!
This is a gadget geek forum many of us waste money on shiny toys. You have a very old phone by the standards of tech enthusiast, but you don't seem like you feel you're missing anything accept software support. If that's the only thing that really concerns you, I would say save $600 and get the Galaxy FE. It will outperform your current phone in everyway. It has a plastic back cover that feels like premium material but is durable. It's 5G. It has android 10. Its got better cameras. It has an SD Slot. I think the only thing you may miss is the headphone jack, and just about all phones are loosing that. So I would say unless you plan to change the way you utilize your phone. Save your money and go Mid Range feature rich, your not going to miss flag ship features you've never used and will never use more than a few times just to test it out anyway.
mc_365 said:
The phone is not worth it!
This is a gadget geek forum many of us waste money on shiny toys. You have a very old phone by the standards of tech enthusiast, but you don't seem like you feel you're missing anything accept software support. If that's the only thing that really concerns you, I would say save $600 and get the Galaxy FE. It will outperform your current phone in everyway. It has a plastic back cover that feels like premium material but is durable. It's 5G. It has android 10. Its got better cameras. It has an SD Slot. I think the only thing you may miss is the headphone jack, and just about all phones are loosing that. So I would say unless you plan to change the way you utilize your phone. Save your money and go Mid Range feature rich, your not going to miss flag ship features you've never used and will never use more than a few times just to test it out anyway.
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Click to collapse
I agree with you. Those flagships models are not worth the money the vendors are asking for. Sure they are really good like Samsung S21 Ultra which is my daily driver now, but typically you get all you need either with new midrange phones or 1-3 years old flagship models.
Hi, I pretty love the flagship but yeah I find it expensive this phone... Will see what I will do. In the meanwhile if someone have the information I want for the model is will be great!
Max128 said:
Hi, I pretty love the flagship but yeah I find it expensive this phone... Will see what I will do. In the meanwhile if someone have the information I want for the model is will be great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Ultra has the least aggressive curve of all curved Galaxy models. The viewable area doesn't really cascade over the side like my s10+.
The phone takes maybe 100 minutes to charge but I haven't really done a controlled test. I'm just going off the avg time it says when I plug it in to my QC 3.0 charger.
US / Canadian Galaxy 21s will likely never get a real root. Root would most likely trip the security fuse if ever possible. So at that point you could no longer use NFC payments. I could be wrong on this since I haven't been rooted or unlocked since HTC M8 days.
As far as durability goes, this phone is made from the most durable Corning gorilla glass on the front and I think the back is one step down. The phone has a metal frame and the camera housing is integrated into the metal frame. So I'd say it as durable as a glass phone can be.
I can offer no insight on Chinese market phones and their radios compatibility. I'm not brave enough to spend $1000+ ordering a device on the net unseen, with no warranty, and questionable compatibility. I need my device to work out the box, root is not that important to me anymore.
@mc_365 So you have the phone with what I have understand? Well I know is since the s7 I think the us and Canada having a locked bootloader and I find it stupid from Samsung really. For the NFC payment , my last three phone having it I think and I am still not using it.. Still not really interested by this. Well the root for me is still pretty important , I am using it for some reasons...
Well my last two HTC devices I have buy the global version and everything work.. and the phone work great too, and warranty on this. Is for Samsung phones I am a bit lost.. for the global version ( because the bootloader is can be unlock and also global version phone is always less expensive I buy my phones full price) what is working in Canada and what not...
Max128 said:
@mc_365 So you have the phone with what I have understand? Well I know is since the s7 I think the us and Canada having a locked bootloader and I find it stupid from Samsung really. For the NFC payment , my last three phone having it I think and I am still not using it.. Still not really interested by this. Well the root for me is still pretty important , I am using it for some reasons...
Well my last two HTC devices I have buy the global version and everything work.. and the phone work great too, and warranty on this. Is for Samsung phones I am a bit lost.. for the global version ( because the bootloader is can be unlock and also global version phone is always less expensive I buy my phones full price) what is working in Canada and what not...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I own the Phone.
I bought the phone outright as I do most of the time.
The non US/CAD phones are unlockable because from my understanding the law requires it in Europe. In the US the I think the carriers are concerned with subsidized phones being hacked for use without paying the phone off. That in combination with the US credit card companies concerns about fraudulent payments from hacked devices. These 2 major industries (Telecom and Banking) force the manufactures to adhere to these demands. So US/CAD and EU being the 2 major regions with strong governing laws force companies to comply or not be allowed to sell direct to consumers. Samsung has decided to just make it easy and keep everything coming to the US and CAD locked down tight. Europe must have their phones unlockable and the Chinese probably have some rules, and that's why they have Snapdragon chips and the rest of Asia has Exynos. There's probably some back door built into the Chinese variant for the CCP to monitor or to enforce the firewall etc.
Global version is less expensive because it has Samsung's Exynos processor which was somewhat inferior to Qualcoms Snapdragon in the past. Also in my experience you only save on the Global models after the phone has been on the market for a while. When it is relatively new you pay a premium to get that device from an importer. And again you get no warranty or support.
mc_365 said:
Yes I own the Phone.
I bought the phone outright as I do most of the time.
Global version is less expensive because it has Samsung's Exynos processor which was somewhat inferior to Qualcoms Snapdragon in the past. Also in my experience you only save on the Global models after the phone has been on the market for a while. When it is relatively new you pay a premium to get that device from an importer. And again you get no warranty or support.
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Click to collapse
How do you like the phone?
Not exactly , the global version I am talking about is the SM-G9980 and is the Snapdragon model ( Hong Kong ) is unlockable. I have buy my last two phones at launch day and is 200-300$ less like the s21 ultra right now... And I have got a support and normally a warranty.
However, not very precise for the bands network here. I am looking for that is will be the same for all Samsung phone I guess.
Max128 said:
How do you like the phone?
Not exactly , the global version I am talking about is the SM-G9980 and is the Snapdragon model ( Hong Kong ) is unlockable. I have buy my last two phones at launch day and is 200-300$ less like the s21 ultra right now... And I have got a support and normally a warranty.
However, not very precise for the bands network here. I am looking for that is will be the same for all Samsung phone I guess.
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Well as far as I have ever know, Samsung does not offer any warranty or servicing on devices purchased outside the region it was intended to operate.
Maybe the specific vendor your buying through is willing to warranty the device. But according to everything I've read and every place I considered buying from its always been stated up front,"Intl version NO Warranty" and the Exynos versions were cheaper but the Chinese version were just as expensive and more in a lot of cases. I've also heard of people receiving the phone and the language be set to Chinese and they could not operate the phone, LOL.
If my S10+ had 5G or 120hz screen I would have stuck with it. S21 Ultra is a great phone but in reality overkill for me. But I got $700 worth of trade in credit 500 for the phone and 200 worth of new accessories. So for ~$750 tax included and my old phone, I got s21 Ultra 512GB, Buds Pro, Soft touch Silicon + Spen case, Soft touch Silicon case, Clear TPU case, Rugged Hard Shell case with Kickstand, and a tracker tag thingy.
the s21 ultra is FAST and smooth.
i going to keep it for a few years unless the newer phones are a lot better.
Max128 said:
Hello here guys, I need some of your knowledge and those who have the S21 Ultra in their hands.
First thing I am a htc fan since 2010 with the htc .. After this I changed htc phone every 2 years until 2018.. My last samsung phone dates back to the samsung galaxy S I9000 model back to 2010 and I didn't like them, I didn't keep them for long. My actual phone is the last flagship is the HTC U12+ i liked this phone very much and still love it, it still works fine but it is getting old. After this Unfortunately HTC is almost dead since the takeover by google, i only had one major updates from android since, i am stuck with android pie and security update July 2019 this is unacceptable for a flagship i have pay more than 1000 $ for it in 2018. I would ideally like to have a new phone with new technology this year. I wanted to wait to see the oneplus 9 pro but .. the 8 have so much problem and i have read on the forum, the update support is getting very bad like htc .. and google no longer make flagship... Not a lot of choice other than that .. and i never want an apple.
So I am looking for the S21 ultra but it is a tough decision for me! I need your experiences with this device and with samsung..
Are samsung phones is strong and durable?? I dropped my HTC several times with a case of course i always have a case on the phone and a screen protector and is never broken. One ui has become much more interesting i have see but i still need to make some debloat it with the root. I find that the fast charge is a little low for this phone, how long does it take you to charge it with a 25W? what more can you tell me about this? Also another thing that bothers me is the curved screen. I am really not convinced on this? but all the flagship are like that now. A Another problem for me is the root, I don't want a phone without root! I am in Canada, and I know that the galaxy variants canada, the bootloader is completely locked and still no possibility to unlock it on this i find samsung very stupid about this.. unless that has changed but it would surprise me I saw nothing of that.
So if I want the device I have to buy the global model ( i want snapdragon too ) ( china model i think ? )which is the SM-G9980, but as I have seen 5G will not be compatible in Canada with this model, can someone confirm that? for 5G and that this model the bootloader is unlockable please?? I don't care much for 5G either but I would prefer to have it compatible.. If i flash a canada firmware is will work or nothing will change ? and is even possible to change the firmware ? For several years now I have been buying my phones full price from some online stores that sell global devices in Canada and for a little less expensive too. I am with public mobile ( belong to Telus Canada ) i really like this company this will work for the 3G and 4G i have see right? not sure.
Thanks for reading me and your answers guys!
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I have the 988B/DS and I love it. I had a note 20 Ultra and I traded it for the s21 Ultra and I don't regret it.
Durability: Phone has Gorilla Glass Victus (latest one) on the screen and on the back as well, really premium look (love the phantom black color). I don't plan on dropping the phone to test it lol, but videos show quite a lot of durability in drops up to 10feet. I will get a case to protect it just in case.
Storage: I don't miss the SD card (havent used one in over 7 years). I have the 256GB model one (12GB ram) and with cloud storage I don't think i will ever get close to filling the phone.
Cameras: I love the cameras, but it does get a bit to get used to the different options and mastering it for pro photos. It really is something else.
Processor: i have the Exynos version and I can't find any lag or issues with it. no overheating (this seems to have been fixed with an update), no issues at all with the phone.
Battery Life: With the 25W charger, from 0 to 100 in about 100 minutes give or take. It does charge fast, keep in mind that the battery is 5,000 mah so I don't think it's bad charging time.
Honestly? It is worth it... Not sure if changing from HTC will mean a lot of getting used to, but it's a nice experience.
I don't think flashing firmware to other models will result in 5G band compatibility, you can enable other market dependent services, but I believe network bands are more of a hardware thing.
About rooting, I used to root all my samsung phones and play around (and brick some phones) along the way, but I don't know why, but tripping knox and messing up banking capabilities is not of my interest. I'm happy with the phone as is and don't intend on rooting (disappointing I know).
Hope these comments help a bit on your decision making process
Thanks for your answers! When I have buy my HTC phone global version I had always every languages even the French ( the French is my principal language ) but with what you are saying the global of Samsung do not have this, China language? Can you flash firmware of another country on it like Canada? I do not much how Odin works... Yeah I am still not sure about the network bands compatibility and if is a software things or hardware? I saw posts that said it was one or the others things... Not really specific!
Disappointing? Yeah? Haha! Well in your place i wouldn't stop myself if the device you can unlock it !l Also in the reviews I have see is take approximately 1h11so 70 minutes to charge completely the phone with a 25w charger , why a big time difference here?
Max128 said:
Thanks for your answers! When I have buy my HTC phone global version I had always every languages even the French ( the French is my principal language ) but with what you are saying the global of Samsung do not have this, China language? Can you flash firmware of another country on it like Canada? I do not much how Odin works... Yeah I am still not sure about the network bands compatibility and if is a software things or hardware? I saw posts that said it was one or the others things... Not really specific!
Disappointing? Yeah? Haha! Well in your place i wouldn't stop myself if the device you can unlock it !l Also in the reviews I have see is take approximately 1h11so 70 minutes to charge completely the phone with a 25w charger , why a big time difference here?
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I used to root all my samsung devices (I stopped in Note 8). About the battery charge time.. I haven't let it go to zero lowest I have gone is like 35% and then charge so my calculation was based on the time to charge from that point, so 70 minutes is NOT bad at all...
My version has French language as an option in intitial setup (it has a bunch of languages - pretty sure it covers all needs).
Also, reading further in the forum, 5G bands are more software related (enabled), so it seems flashing firmware will enable/disable bands.
There are many posts in the forum on how to flash different firmware or change CSC codes so youmight want to take a look there. Odin is pretty safe to use if you follow the instructions. I haven't used with recent samsung devices, so I'm not sure what considerations you need to take.
I love the phone, but then again, I do not get to deeply play with it (unlocking the bootloader, rooting, flashing) as I did with other devices but I'm ok with it (for now). Given it's a pretty new device, it's kinda hard to find stuff for it yet.
Max128 said:
Thanks for your answers! When I have buy my HTC phone global version I had always every languages even the French ( the French is my principal language ) but with what you are saying the global of Samsung do not have this, China language? Can you flash firmware of another country on it like Canada? I do not much how Odin works... Yeah I am still not sure about the network bands compatibility and if is a software things or hardware? I saw posts that said it was one or the others things... Not really specific!
Disappointing? Yeah? Haha! Well in your place i wouldn't stop myself if the device you can unlock it !l Also in the reviews I have see is take approximately 1h11so 70 minutes to charge completely the phone with a 25w charger , why a big time difference here?
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I think the time difference is because we are not testing the battery with stop watches we are just telling you what it says on the screen when we plug it in and giving you an ball park estimate. It always says a longer time to full charge but ends up being faster as the battery calibrates during the charge process. Its like when you down
load a large file from the net it first starts off saying 20 minutes but then only takes 5.
If they don't fix the camera, especially taking photos at night (Exynos2100 version), Do NOT buy this phone
@mc_365 I understand now what you are saying... Thanks!
@oae08 What is the problem exactly with the camera? I do not see that on the reviews , good to know if you have a problem! Do you know if is Snapdragon too ? Or only exynos
joancolmenares said:
My version has French language as an option in intitial setup (it has a bunch of languages - pretty sure it covers all needs).
Also, reading further in the forum, 5G bands are more software related (enabled), so it seems flashing firmware will enable/disable bands.
There are many posts in the forum on how to flash different firmware or change CSC codes so youmight want to take a look there. Odin is pretty safe to use if you follow the instructions. I haven't used with recent samsung devices, so I'm not sure what considerations you need to take.
I love the phone, but then again, I do not get to deeply play with it (unlocking the bootloader, rooting, flashing) as I did with other devices but I'm ok with it (for now). Given it's a pretty new device, it's kinda hard to find stuff for it yet.
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So your 988B/DS is the global version ( china and global is the same thing as a know ) on Exynos if I understand? And you have French on it and many others languages!
Do you have some links near for what you are talking? About the 5 bands and the software flash? No need for how to flash a firmware of CSC codes I know is easy to find this, but it is quite possible to do it, to flash the firmware of the country you want right? No problem on the device after this? Also you only need the bootloader unlocked for flashing a firmware on a another country I Guess ?
Well I know magisk is not working yet on the s21 but is will be soon.
Max128 said:
@mc_365 I understand now what you are saying... Thanks!
@oae08 What is the problem exactly with the camera? I do not see that on the reviews , good to know if you have a problem! Do you know if is Snapdragon too ? Or only exynos
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The camera is really disappointing. I have bought this phone for just over almost 1600$, which is above my budget actually) but I was really anticipating to buy a phone that has a monster camera that I can use to get decent photos point to click. However, this is not the case. The night time photos especially, are bad quality and there is too much flare. I have tried it in many different scenarios and cleaning the lenses in every possible way but still the flare is way over the acceptable. I even compared with iphone 11 photos taking the same photos back to back and the older iphone 11 results in much cleaner and better photos.
Please note that i HATE the iphone, but this is the truth unfortunately. So until samsung releases an update to fix this (if its even possible), the phone is not up to standard.
EDIT: I have the exynos version
oae08 said:
The camera is really disappointing. I have bought this phone for just over almost 1600$, which is above my budget actually) but I was really anticipating to buy a phone that has a monster camera that I can use to get decent photos point to click. However, this is not the case. The night time photos especially, are bad quality and there is too much flare. I have tried it in many different scenarios and cleaning the lenses in every possible way but still the flare is way over the acceptable. I even compared with iphone 11 photos taking the same photos back to back and the older iphone 11 results in much cleaner and better photos.
Please note that i HATE the iphone, but this is the truth unfortunately. So until samsung releases an update to fix this (if its even possible), the phone is not up to standard.
EDIT: I have the exynos version
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Odd, I have the Exynos version and haven't had any issues with the camera in the many modes even night mode and it's awesome. I don 't know if the latest software update had something to do with it, but when I bought the phone and turned it on it updated and the update said camera fixes, so that might have been the case.