Database Develop

which variant to buy?

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.

Difference between Redmi 4X Global & International Editions, & Where to Buy Global Ed

Difference between Redmi 4X Global & International Editions, & Where to Buy Global Ed
Hi,
I'm interested in buying the Redmi 4X Global Edition, not the International Edition or China Edition. Is there a way to tell them apart in terms of hardware and/or anything on the body of the phone? Is there an International version, or is the International version the Global version as well?
Secondly, where can I buy a Global version of the phone. I am in the USA. I have checked amazon.com, and they have the Global version, but it's sold by a third-party seller and I don't know if they are trustworthy (i.e. don't know if I can trust them that they are selling me a Global version).
Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks!

AxlRose77 said:
Hi,
I'm interested in buying the Redmi 4X Global Edition, not the International Edition or China Edition. Is there a way to tell them apart in terms of hardware and/or anything on the body of the phone? Is there an International version, or is the International version the Global version as well?
Secondly, where can I buy a Global version of the phone. I am in the USA. I have checked amazon.com, and they have the Global version, but it's sold by a third-party seller and I don't know if they are trustworthy (i.e. don't know if I can trust them that they are selling me a Global version).
Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks!
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Before buy see the processor
It's Snapdragon in all versions.
No way which one you buy ,you can change the roms to global stable , global developer , Chinese etc

Global has 32 gb rom, 3 gb ram and support of B20 (800 mhz) for LTE/4G.

Flash international Note 9

Hi,
I was given a Note 9, international, with dual SIM to test at work. It's quite different than the Pixel 2 I'm used to and although it's a great phone, I know updates are not great with samsung.
The current version I am on is N960FXXU1ARG5 and AIDA64 tells me this is an SM-960F with Exynos5 CPU.
When I look on sammobile, I don't see a region called Canada, United States, North America or even International.
Having multiple firmwares available is a bit more complex than with a Google Pixel and I'd like to make sure I don't mess up the Note 9.
Is there something I can do to be in a "region" that's perhaps more likely to get updates?
What "region" is considered the "international" region.
What firmwares would be safe to flash with Odin and that would be better than this stock firmware (if any)
Thank you

Thinking of getting one, but unsure which version is being listed here

I'm looking for a version that supports North American bands and from what I understand, the 12gb/512gb one should be the only one that does.
But I also stumbled upon this listing: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000182288484.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.2.24fcc18esuf2nD
Which supposedly is 8gb/128gb with North American bands. From what I understand this version shouldn't exist? It also mentions both 2x2 MIMO and 4x4 MIMO so I have no idea which it actually has.
In the description it says: "Tips: CN version, Officail Global Firmare,Mulit Language , Support Google Play and OTA upgrade"
Are they trying to say that it's the Tencent version but with global ROM? I thought OTA upgrades currently don't work on the global ROM?
They also write: " About package and firmware: we'll open the original box to check the phone and install Multi language ROM and Google paly store. Official ROM will be prefered. if custom translation may doesn't cover all the Menus. Not support OTA Update. we may update the ROM. So the OS version may different as the sreenshots."
But I think they have this as a disclaimer on all their phone product pages, whether it applies or not.
I'm trying to determine whether the listing is legit or not and whether to place an order. Did they make a mistake/ are they lying about the bands? Or is there an actual version like this/ did they manage to do something to the Tencent version? In terms of reputation, there's nothing particularly suspicious about the seller so I wouldn't imagine they would outright lie, but it's also a pretty big mistake to make, especially since they highlight the key specs (and bands) in red.
I'm leaning towards the "don't trust" side, with this one, but what do you think?

IMO, you would be better off waiting a few more days till the global version is released. That's a China version with global software, which has been nothing but trouble for most of the people i have heard about that converted.

They already told you.
This is china tencent edition. The phone is not is not brand new, we will open the box, we will turn on you phone, we will root it and unlock the bootloader, in order to replace CN ROM with WW ROM.
So, it will be 2x2, it will lack most bands, it will lack the cover and the cooling accessory included in Ww edition, which will be launched on 30th of September.
Of course, no warranty at all from ASUS and you may have trouble with NFC payments and banking apps. Some other apps may recognise your modified rom, too.
If you are ready, acknowledging all this, you can buy it asap.

Is asus rog 2 tencent variant with global ROM going to work in USA on AT&T?

So, I'm looking to buy ROG 2 but the variant in US is quite expensive. With taxes, it comes out to be close to $1000.
I'm looking on eBay and it seems like a lot of sellers are selling asus rog 2 tencent variant with global ROM.
Is this legit?
With global ROM, Chinese tencent variant works with all bands in US (on AT&T)?
According to all sellers, Chinese tencent variant works on GSM / AT&T and support play store and should get updates like a global variant from Asus. Is that true?
I thought Chinese tencent variant is missing some bands and it's a hardware limitation. How installing global ROM will start supporting all bands?
Just curious what variant were announced in Taiwan and India? Is it worth buying Taiwan variant? Some sellers are selling that too.
Basically I need some suggesting so I'm not mislead by sellers on eBay. I need to use it with AT&T. Will I be able to get 4G LTE? Will I be able to use AT&T hotspot?
Please advise.

I think it's true that band support is a hardware limitation. Even if it is a software change and you get the global bands, I still would only suggest buying the U.S. version (or whatever is local to your area) for two big reasons. Warranty, and customer service. Buying grey market versions off eBay will get you the phone cheaper, but you'll have no Asus warranty. You may have a warranty through the seller, but now you're dealing with someone overseas. That means you have to question the legitimacy of the seller, and there's a bigger hassle factor involved. If you have a tech support need you're unlikely to get it from Asus because you're using the phone in a way it wasn't approved for.
If you're willing to take those risks, then go for it. It's just not for me at any price.

Thank you @Mr_Mooncatt for sharing your thoughts, I appreciate it. I guess the price of a US variant is quite demotivating since it's almost double (including taxes and all) compared to a global variant. So one may question if paying double $$ justifies the value or not. That's all. Though I agree with all the points you mentioned.

Keep in mind that all the tencent versions with WW ROM is not official device from Asus.
Asus has put this as a warning on their forum, in the Asus Rog phone 2 section.
They are saying tencent version only comes with CN ROM and does not come with WW ROM and those tencent version with WW ROM is modified device and may not have valid warranty and no working FOTA.