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Using USA Note 9 in Europe (to be specific in Romania)

Hello!
I've been interested in buying a Galaxy Note 9 for some time, but I'd like a Snapdragon version (from what I can tell by reviews and tests it's better than the Exynos in performance, heat and battery and I don't really want to install custom ROMs, so no problem about the locked bootloader). Today I happened to stumble across an offer on a retail website where a seller just 20 km away from me is offering a Galaxy Note 9 which he says is new and bought from Samsung store in the USA (so I'm assuming it's the N960U carrier unlocked USA version), but he's also stating that it needs to be region unlocked. I've been searching online and I don't really understand what that's all about. I know the first step in purchasing a phone from retail is asking for the IMEI, but what can I exactly do with it? Does it provide the phone's exact model? And what does region unlocking imply?
I'd be glad if anyone could help me with this situation, as it's quite a rare chance and I'd be extremely happy to buy it, but I firstly want to be sure I can use it.
Provided it's not CDMA, the GSM bands should be comaptible with my carrier (Orange), or so I think. Any information is much appreciated.
Thanks and have a great day!

Tmobile variant on ATT

Hi all,
Going to be purchasing a Tmobile Galaxy s10 for my girlfriend and wondering what, if any, drawbacks there are to buying a TMO variant but activating it on ATT? I'm pretty sure wifi calling won't work, but what about updates? The splash screen will still be TMO I would assume and then would it still be on the TMO update schedule? Has anyone done this? Thanks.

First of all, I never buy from the carriers anymore. Bloated software, ads, etc. & LOCKED BOOTLOADERS, drive me nuts.
I would buy the International Unlocked Model. If you are looking for the S10, the SM-G973F is the international version. AND the local USA carriers will not sell you this model because they want you LOCKED on to their carrier!
But you can buy from SWAPPA or Ebay or AMAZON. I have the international S10E with the fingerprint unlock in the Power button (no problems with installing a glass screen saver).

xgerryx said:
Hi all,
Going to be purchasing a Tmobile Galaxy s10 for my girlfriend and wondering what, if any, drawbacks there are to buying a TMO variant but activating it on ATT? I'm pretty sure wifi calling won't work, but what about updates? The splash screen will still be TMO I would assume and then would it still be on the TMO update schedule? Has anyone done this? Thanks.
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I'm curious as to why you're not just buying an unlocked model if wifi calling doesn't matter. In reference to another rant posted, I doubt she will need to unlock the bootloader so I see no need for the international version off Ebay depending on what country she'll be using it in. On what you're asking, yes someone has done it I believe.

Question S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

Will there be a forum like S21, S21+, S21 Ultra with sub forums like Cross device development?

Blubber120 said:
Will there be a forum like S21, S21+, S21 Ultra with sub forums like Cross device development?
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No plans for that at the present time. Sorry mate.

Badger50 said:
No plans for that at the present time. Sorry mate.
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Ok, may I ask why?

Blubber120 said:
Ok, may I ask why?
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Best explanation I can give is due to the new forum design. At least for the foreseeable future, forums will be based on the "prefix" system without all the sub-forums that we have all been accustomed to. Of course, things can change, so we'll just have to wait and see my friend.

Hello, can an expert helping me. I have a sm-G998U1 s21 ultra I paid via Rakuten site.
My concern is that I am not able to get 5G signal, only LTE, knowing that my operator is FREE with 5G in France. My SIM card has no problem because when I install it on an other mobile phone I receive the 5G.
Questions to the expert:
- Is this s21 ultra model compatible with 5G European bands and if yes, how can I customize my phone to receive 5G?
- Taking into account that this model is an US phone, do you think it's possible that I change the firmware via ODIN by replacing the current version SMG998U1 (US) by a SMG998B (European) and will this solve my 5G problem?
Or this is impossible even with different firmware because it is due to the mobile hardware, the antenna is different on US models.
Thank you for your help.

Buying a phone destined for another region comes with a price. Back and forth there are compatibility issues. G988B (Exynos) will not operate 5G in USA and G998U/G998U1 (Snapdragon) will not in Europe. This has to do with different bands and modem settings.
Whatever you do, do not try to flash firmware of a different type of phone! It will brick your phone.

Thank you very much. The fault is due to the vendor Rakuten, it was mentioned that this model was compatible with french mobile providers. In fact it is true and not, it is working but only with 4G+ and not 5G!
I ordered this phone on Rakuten in order to get a better price but in the end this was really not a good idea!!!

MICHEL75012 said:
Thank you very much. The fault is due to the vendor Rakuten, it was mentioned that this model was compatible with french mobile providers. In fact it is true and not, it is working but only with 4G+ and not 5G!
I ordered this phone on Rakuten in order to get a better price but in the end this was really not a good idea!!!
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4G and 5G spectrums are different in certain regions too. So a phone can support 4G but not 5G as the 4G spec may match the provider but the 5G may not be compatible.

Question Question on unlocked S21 Ultra 5g bought from Samsung

So here's my question. I was waiting for the T-Mobile version of the s21 ultra to be in stock in the 256gig version, but it seems like that is taking too long so I had purchased the unlocked version. Yesterday when I went into the T-Mobile store, I was told that it wouldn't be able to pick up 5g and a lot of the phone itself wouldn't be compatible. Does anyone know if this is true? Sorry I know I sound like a Noob because I am, but I'm just a bit worried. If that's the case I see about people flashing stuff. Would it be possible to flash say the T-Mobile stuff to the unlocked phone so it would work? Sorry for writing a book, just wanted to be thorough. Appreciate any feed back or answers.
Filmore

They either lied to try and sell you a T-mobile version or they don't know what they are talking about. The US unlocked model works well with all the US carriers and has no issues picking up 5G and even supports WiFi calling.

beserker15 said:
They either lied to try and sell you a T-mobile version or they don't know what they are talking about. The US unlocked model works well with all the US carriers and has no issues picking up 5G and even supports WiFi calling.
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Thanks a lot for responding with that info. I appreciate it.

I have TMobile and an unlocked s21 ultra. They work perfectly together. No issues whatsoever with 5g.

chetly968 said:
I have TMobile and an unlocked s21 ultra. They work perfectly together. No issues whatsoever with 5g.
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Dude that's awesome, I'm feeling way better about my purchase. Thank you for replying and letting me know. I appreciate it.

I have a S21 Ultra unlocked and carrier is TMobile, no problem so far.

T-Mobile has the least number of issues if you bring-your-own-device. It's Verizon that's a real PITA.

I'm grateful for everyone posting and sharing their experiences and uses. Thank you to everyone. Appreciate it.

Go to a different store. They lied to you. I bought mine from Amazon, it's the unlocked 128gb version, (the 256gb wasn't in stock during the sale. They both priced the same) and it works without a problem. T Mobile 5G works really good on it.

I'm getting 5G via T-Mobile on my unlocked S21 Ultra direct from Samsung. That shady store or salesperson straight up lied to you, they are ignorant about unlocked devices, or both.

I want to change IMEI of Samsung galaxy s21 ultra 5g

Changing of imei is illegal in most countries (if not all). You will not get any help with that on XDA...

As others have said, this isnt true.
One thing that is (ior certainly was a couple of years ago) was that Three didnt allow non three branded handsets to connect to their 800MHz supervoice service, which IME made a huge difference in the LTE days

Question Regarding CSC change on S21 Ultra [G9980] in India

Hi everyone!
I recently found that Amazon India is now selling the Snapdragon 888 variant of the S21 Ultra, planning to buy the same but I wanted to inqure here first if anyone has the snapdragon variant and has tried to change their CSC to INS? Also if all the services like VoLTE, WiFi calling work with the same or not?

Dev Jaskirat said:
Hi everyone!
I recently found that Amazon India is now selling the Snapdragon 888 variant of the S21 Ultra, planning to buy the same but I wanted to inqure here first if anyone has the snapdragon variant and has tried to change their CSC to INS? Also if all the services like VoLTE, WiFi calling work with the same or not?
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There are only 3 CSC's which can be enabled on the SM-G9980. CHC China, BRI Taiwan and TGY Hong Kong. If the device you referenced has it's Primary CSC as CHC China some content and certain apps are restricted. The TGY Hong Kong Primary CSC is best suited for international users. It isn't a Multi-CSC Device so any changes require flashing different firmware. The post you highlighted is misleading, it states Tmobile is the carrier but Tmobile doesn't sell a Branded SM-G9980. I have the same device in the US and have VoLTE, Wi-Fi Calling and timely Updates. In India YMMV. If Call Features and 5G are a priority your Service Provider's device is the best option.

Thanks for your reply!
You mentioned that you have the same model, which CSC are you on?
Yes, the Amazon Page says tmobile but it is an unlocked device that the seller is selling. In India we only get the exynos variant and this is the only Snapdragon variant that is available to us. The reviews say that Indian carriers are working fine my main concern is CSC related features like in-built call recording, does your device have that? I have it on my Note 20 (CSC = INS).
Also I'm curious when you say that it only supports those 3 CSC, does that mean it won't even change to INS if I tried? OR does it change but bricks the device or some other limitation happens (like Knox tripping)?

I'm on the TGY Hong Kong CSC, I wouldn't consider the CHC or BRI variants. Some users have reported the TGY and BRI have identical software but I'm not sure that's correct. The SM-G9980 TGY CSC is available on ebay or online from a number of retailers in Hong Kong, I purchased mine online from Hong Kong since most on ebay don't offer the 512GB option. The device doesn't offer native call recording however a number of apps can enable this function. At this time it's impossible to flash any Exynos Global Firmware on any Snapdragon variants and that's not likely to change going forward. You can't make a general rule that this or that feature will work in India, all service providers aren't using identical metrics. If your concern is maximizing call features acquiring your service provider's device is the best bet.

varcor said:
I'm on the TGY Hong Kong CSC, I wouldn't consider the CHC or BRI variants. Some users have reported the TGY and BRI have identical software but I'm not sure that's correct. The SM-G9980 TGY CSC is available on ebay or online from a number of retailers in Hong Kong, I purchased mine online from Hong Kong since most on ebay don't offer the 512GB option. The device doesn't offer native call recording however a number of apps can enable this function. At this time it's impossible to flash any Exynos Global Firmware on any Snapdragon variants and that's not likely to change going forward. If your concern is call features acquiring your service provider's device is the best bet.
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Thanks again for your help! Just one last thing, does your device support VoLTE and WiFi calling?

Dev Jaskirat said:
Thanks again for your help! Just one last thing, does your device support VoLTE and WiFi calling?
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Yes, as I mentioned previously.

Dev Jaskirat said:
Hi everyone!
I recently found that Amazon India is now selling the Snapdragon 888 variant of the S21 Ultra, planning to buy the same but I wanted to inqure here first if anyone has the snapdragon variant and has tried to change their CSC to INS? Also if all the services like VoLTE, WiFi calling work with the same or not?
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oh man ive broken my head on this, bottom line, now warranty ! and no repair in india as far as i know! they wont have the parts and if anything happens, expect delays of 1+month for repair!
also, do you really think its a good idea to purchase this off of amazon? its freaking one lakh rupees man ! i said eff it and bought the exynos from local samsung store ! sure its exynos, still amazing for what it offers!
id suggest asking a friend whos in the USA to buy it for you and get it while coming down to india! thats the only safe way my friend

shriom_manerker said:
oh man ive broken my head on this, bottom line, now warranty ! and no repair in india as far as i know! they wont have the parts and if anything happens, expect delays of 1+month for repair!
also, do you really think its a good idea to purchase this off of amazon? its freaking one lakh rupees man ! i said eff it and bought the exynos from local samsung store ! sure its exynos, still amazing for what it offers!
id suggest asking a friend whos in the USA to buy it for you and get it while coming down to india! thats the only safe way my friend
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No friends coming anytime soon! Also that doesn't really solve the lack of warranty and delays in repair issues ...

Dev Jaskirat said:
No friends coming anytime soon! Also that doesn't really solve the lack of warranty and delays in repair issues ...
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yes but at least you are getting a bill and a sale receipt to ship it back and get it repaired under warranty. sure its a long shot, but i bet itll still be cheaper than buying a new s21 ultra

Did you ever get it to move to a different country firmware?
I have the same device, and the lack of timely updates and the control of carriers of what get released and what not is scare to say the least.. especially when u are holding a hongkong/china variant..
Let us know if u figured any way out or experimented with it..

shriom_manerker said:
yes but at least you are getting a bill and a sale receipt to ship it back and get it repaired under warranty. sure its a long shot, but i bet itll still be cheaper than buying a new s21 ultra
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My advice. Get your local version. Exynos this year wasn't bad. I got this 9980 for 16/512gb SD and am desperate to get other regions updates but so far haven't found a satisfactory way to do that. Either you figure that out or get the local version. That way your local carriers will be in charge not other country's.

kamirza said:
My advice. Get your local version. Exynos this year wasn't bad. I got this 9980 for 16/512gb SD and am desperate to get other regions updates but so far haven't found a satisfactory way to do that. Either you figure that out or get the local version. That way your local carriers will be in charge not other country's.
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Samsung has paused Android 12 Updates on the SM-G9980 at least until sometime this month. So far they’ve released 3 updates of Android 12 for the S21 and it still isn't stable. I'm not in any rush to receive A12, will wait a few weeks after it's available and see if they've finally fixed all the bugs. It's not so much Samsung's fault, blame Google, it causing problems on many different brands.