Hi Group.
I'm in a geographical predicament and thought your suggestions would be useful in purchasing my new phone... I am going to buy the Pixel XL, but don't know if I should buy it in the USA when I go or buy it in London where I live. I am Canadian and go back and forth quite often, but my homebase and Home is in London. Knowing that there are always two versions, North America and International, I was wondering which one I should buy... When in Canada I use Bell, and when in London (where I am 90% of the time) I am with 3 (Three.co.uk).
Which should I get/where should I buy it, seeing that I heard that sometimes the different versions burn battery life differently.
Thanks!
I'd say the main thing to consider (which I'm concerned about as well) is the Carrier Aggregation for LTE, I placed a preorder for the XL, but I won't be using it in the states. My carrier supports LTE Band 1 and 3, however if you look at the CA combinations in the technical specs, the US model won't support B1+B3 aggregation, only the international model will. You might be in a different boat though, so check your carrier's LTE Band support and see if the US model supports those for CA. US model is cheaper after all.
yeah it all comes down to the bands, as a rule the international always has more available bands, but there are still a handful that are exclusive to the US or International version, so all you can do is research what the networks you use work on and then go from there picking the version that has all the bands you need.
Where can the Note 10+ Global Exynos variant be purchased? Can it be purchased on the Samsung website like the US variants can?
Trying to grab the Exynos variant since it’s going to have the development potential.
TheForceUnleashed said:
Where can the Note 10+ Global Exynos variant be purchased? Can it be purchased on the Samsung website like the US variants can?
Trying to grab the Exynos variant since it’s going to have the development potential.
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I have purchased Exynos Variants for a bunch of different Samsung phones over the years. the "F" variant, N975F will work on ATT and or TMobile with no issues. (or N975F/DS)
If you want to buy, I have used two different places to buy in the past - both offer the Note 10 now -
Clove UK
or EBAY
Clove is an excellent source, fast shipping - good customer service and the major sellers on EBAY are also very good. I have used "Never MSRP" and I have heard that there are several others that I have heard are very good and reliable.
Whatever you choose, good luck
What version of the Note 10+ w/ an unlocked bootloader would be the best choice to use for Verizon?
igemon said:
What version of the Note 10+ w/ an unlocked bootloader would be the best choice to use for Verizon?
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Verizon is cdma and the exynos variants are usually gsm only (AT&T and T-Mobile).
I doubt you'll be able to find what you're looking for.
yeah if you wan't an international version they will always be GSM where some of the US still uses CDMA. so whatever you bought you would need to check it supports the signal on network you want to use it on. also using an international phone you generally need to use a SIM from the local market for a set amount of time, my UK unlocked Note 9 actually has a disclaimer on the box it needed 5 minutes of calls with a european SIM before it would accept an international one, so that is also something you will have to watch out for or you end up having to pay to get an international sim and a several minute call at international rates to unlock the device for a US SIM.
I also use dual sim (F/DS) varieties of Samsung phones, they generally work fine on ATT in the US but they do miss some bands, specifically band30 which means that sometimes I have low speed or no data at all. Also, you won't get VoLTE unless enabled by your carrier. It's a trade-off. Of course you also won't get 5G until there's a dual SIM 5G variant.
enginuity2 said:
Verizon is cdma and the exynos variants are usually gsm only (AT&T and T-Mobile).
I doubt you'll be able to find what you're looking for.
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Verizon is ending CDMA support at end of this year. So it doesn't matter with Verizon anymore.
It should be noted that with Exynos F models, USA Carrier Aggregation does not work properly.
While the phone will function properly, it will not have the same network speeds as an equivalent USA model.
For example, I had in my possession a N960F and did a speed test next to a N920T (Note 5) and I was getting like 70-90Mbps down on the Note 5 and was only getting 15-30Mbps on the N960F in the exact same spots.
I've tested this many times and actually also with the N950F before that.
I'm only posting about this just to make people aware. I'm, sure there are some that will take the trade-off of slower speeds to gain the ability of root and development, but there are also some out there that prefer that their speeds not be gimped.
This has been discussed on many XDA threads in the Note 8, S9, Note 9, S10 forums for a couple of years now and can be duplicated exactly as mentioned.
If anyone has figured out a way to get proper USA CA on F model phones I'm one of the first that would love to hear about it.
I'm sure @iunlock would also.
DeeXii said:
It should be noted that with Exynos F models, USA Carrier Aggregation does not work properly.
While the phone will function properly, it will not have the same network speeds as an equivalent USA model.
For example, I had in my possession a N960F and did a speed test next to a N920T (Note 5) and I was getting like 70-90Mbps down on the Note 5 and was only getting 15-30Mbps on the N960F in the exact same spots.
I've tested this many times and actually also with the N950F before that.
I'm only posting about this just to make people aware. I'm, sure there are some that will take the trade-off of slower speeds to gain the ability of root and development, but there are also some out there that prefer that their speeds not be gimped.
This has been discussed on many XDA threads in the Note 8, S9, Note 9, S10 forums for a couple of years now and can be duplicated exactly as mentioned.
If anyone has figured out a way to get proper USA CA on F model phones I'm one of the first that would love to hear about it.
I'm sure @iunlock would also.
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Yes indeed.
Along with @DeeXii around the same time I had the F variant of the Note 8 along side my T-Mobile Note 8 and ran numerous tests.
TL;DR, in areas with a lot of cell towers (in the city etc...) you won't notice a big difference (IF) your within a strong range (close) from a tower. When this happens you're connected to a single strong frequency.
While travelling on the road with both devices at the time it was very apparent that the F model was not handing off well (tower to tower), while the TM variant as expected did just fine.
It is in my opinion that those who have claimed that CA works on international variants are being tricked by getting real good speeds due to being connected to a strong signal from a near by tower / area. It's convincing I know...
We're convinced unless proven otherwise that CA is an issue with the international Exynos variants, whether it's the F or Korean N models. Yes, I'm aware of some N models showing icons that may say otherwise, however, it is yet to be seen if the CA is truly working as most people who have the international variants, often don't have the US variants handy to be able to compare them side by side under different conditions.
Believe me... I want to see CA to work lol.... I really really do, because I'd rather have an Exynos variant 100% over a locked down US variant.
As I wait for my Note 10+ to arrive tomorrow, as excited as I am for a new device, since it can not be rooted there's still an uncertainty in the back of my mind that doesn't bring me much assurance that I'll be 100% sold rocking a non rooted phone due to my apps that require root, tweaks that I do etc...
Engineering leak, oh if you're out there please show yourself.... :silly:
iunlock said:
Yes indeed.
Along with @DeeXii around the same time I had the F variant of the Note 8 along side my T-Mobile Note 8 and ran numerous tests.
TL;DR, in areas with a lot of cell towers (in the city etc...) you won't notice a big difference (IF) your within a strong range (close) from a tower. When this happens you're connected to a single strong frequency.
While travelling on the road with both devices at the time it was very apparent that the F model was not handing off well (tower to tower), while the TM variant as expected did just fine.
It is in my opinion that those who have claimed that CA works on international variants are being tricked by getting real good speeds due to being connected to a strong signal from a near by tower / area. It's convincing I know...
We're convinced unless proven otherwise that CA is an issue with the international Exynos variants, whether it's the F or Korean N models. Yes, I'm aware of some N models showing icons that may say otherwise, however, it is yet to be seen if the CA is truly working as most people who have the international variants, often don't have the US variants handy to be able to compare them side by side under different conditions.
Believe me... I want to see CA to work lol.... I really really do, because I'd rather have an Exynos variant 100% over a locked down US variant.
As I wait for my Note 10+ to arrive tomorrow, as excited as I am for a new device, since it can not be rooted there's still an uncertainty in the back of my mind that doesn't bring me much assurance that I'll be 100% sold rocking a non rooted phone due to my apps that require root, tweaks that I do etc...
Engineering leak, oh if you're out there please show yourself.... :silly:
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That's not accurate at all.
The Galaxy S10+ F model did 100% work with at least 2 bands carrier aggregation when used on T-Mobile and AT&T. Bands 4+2 on T-Mobile and 12/17+2 on At&t were aggregated. SOME models that were running a European CSC code from European countries did NO indeed have CA enabled in the US. Phones with Asias CSC codes had 2 band CA enabled in the US. It never supported more other bands CA in the US.
I experimented with this myself by flashing the main OXM ROM and then using a local country SIM immediately after flashing to change the CSC code of the firmware to one that SIM region. Every time it was a European CSC, CA would not longer work.
It's important to note that Wifi calling and VOLTE both worked on T-Mobile with the F model out of the box. This started with the S10 and i expect the same to be with the note 10.
clubtech said:
That's not accurate at all.
The Galaxy S10+ F model did 100% work with at least 2 bands carrier aggregation when used on T-Mobile and AT&T. Bands 4+2 on T-Mobile and 12/17+2 on At&t were aggregated. SOME models that were running a European CSC code from European countries did NO indeed have CA enabled in the US. Phones with Asias CSC codes had 2 band CA enabled in the US. It never supported more other bands CA in the US.
I experimented with this myself by flashing the main OXM ROM and then using a local country SIM immediately after flashing to change the CSC code of the firmware to one that SIM region. Every time it was a European CSC, CA would not longer work.
It's important to note that Wifi calling and VOLTE both worked on T-Mobile with the F model out of the box. This started with the S10 and i expect the same to be with the note 10.
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Excellent. Please provide us some more info then showing your claims.
What I have stated is indeed accurate as it was based on my own tests with the Note 8 lol...many have done the same as well. This issue regarding CA has been hashed to pieces in several threads with a lot of folks involved in showing concrete proof that it did not work with the phones we've tested it with at the time.
Show us with screen shots, detailed description where the phones were tested etc... that CA works on the F variant and we'll throw a party....
You have to remember that there are several of us that really want CA to work... it's not like we're against it.
Again, we've seen this claim before and it was due to the user not factoring in that they were in a "good signal area near a tower," where they were connected to a strong signal that made it seem like CA was working in respect to the bands the international phone supported... I'm not saying this is the case with what you have experienced, but until we can see proof.... with this situation it's all heresay unless proven otherwise... therefore...
What you've said is not accurate at all, because we have no proof... so please provide proof.
@DeeXii I'll tag you as I'm sure you're just as curious...
Looking forward to hearing back... :highfive:
Well, just received the N975FD Dual SIM model and i'm testing it with AT&T and Project FI in the US (which uses T-Mobile).
This unit rung the Singapore firmware. As i stated in my last reply, Carrier aggregation DOES work with BOTH networks.
Here are some observations for those are interested in getting the international version and use it in the US:
AT&T:
Surprisingly, VOLTE works out of the box with AT&T. This is a first for the international unlocked model. My AT&T SIM already had this feature provisioned on my account and it just worked when I placed the SIM into the Note 10+.
HD calling works as well (tested a call to another AT&T customer and a Verizon customer).
The device can do 2xCA with bands 2 + 12 and bands 2 + 4.
Speed is almost the same as the US model when using these frequencies.
No WiFi calling
Project Fi (T-Mobile).
VOLTE works.
HD calling just between T-Mobile customers.
The device can do 2xCA with bands 2 + 4. I have not seen it do 4+12 or 2+12 yet.
No WiFi calling (but that's normal to any phone that's not a pixel with Fi).
Verizon:
To be tested still
Like I mentioned before, if your international version comes from a European country, for some reason carrier aggregation no longer works. If you then flash an Asian firmware, have an Asian country SIM inside the phone when you flash the firmware and do a factory reset after you flash, carrier aggregation will start working with a US SIM afterward.
DeeXii said:
It should be noted that with Exynos F models, USA Carrier Aggregation does not work properly.
While the phone will function properly, it will not have the same network speeds as an equivalent USA model.
For example, I had in my possession a N960F and did a speed test next to a N920T (Note 5) and I was getting like 70-90Mbps down on the Note 5 and was only getting 15-30Mbps on the N960F in the exact same spots.
I've tested this many times and actually also with the N950F before that.
I'm only posting about this just to make people aware. I'm, sure there are some that will take the trade-off of slower speeds to gain the ability of root and development, but there are also some out there that prefer that their speeds not be gimped.
This has been discussed on many XDA threads in the Note 8, S9, Note 9, S10 forums for a couple of years now and can be duplicated exactly as mentioned.
If anyone has figured out a way to get proper USA CA on F model phones I'm one of the first that would love to hear about it.
I'm sure @iunlock would also.
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Click to collapse
It's not the model that causes this - it's your lack of the correct CSC. If it has a compatible CSC, it works just fine.
I'm currently debating rooting my new Note 10+ 5g to port over the T-Mobile CSC from a T-Mobile model like I did with the Note 8.
Kalm_Traveler said:
It's not the model that causes this - it's your lack of the correct CSC. If it has a compatible CSC, it works just fine.
I'm currently debating rooting my new Note 10+ 5g to port over the T-Mobile CSC from a T-Mobile model like I did with the Note 8.
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That is 100% incorrect.
While flashing the CSC is a must on any locked or F model Samsung phone to enable all carrier features like video calling and VoLTE. It does not give the CA tables that are in the snap dragon's baseband to an Exynos device.
There for if you are on a US carrier and have a N975U/U1 next to a N975F, the speeds on the N975F will be significantly less than the N975U/U1. I'm surprised you have entered this debate again with these views considering your experience in the matter. Once again we have obtained an F model and tested against US variants and have concluded that as of now, simply flashing the CSC from T-Mobile or any US variant does not enable USA Carrier Aggregation on Exynos models. I am not trying to be mean or agumentitive here, but when you have people ordering from overseas potentially running into situations where they cannot return a device, it is very important to have 100% accurate information.
It should be noted that while on 5G it may be different because I do not think 5G uses the MIMO type actions of carrier aggregation. But also with that said. 5G phones do not use 5G 100% of the time. (See how 5G works for more info)
TLR - Yes unlocked international models "work" on US carriers. However their speeds will be much slower than on a US variant because international variants cannot do the Carrier Aggregation that US carriers need for full data speeds.
DeeXii said:
That is 100% incorrect.
While flashing the CSC is a must on any locked or F model Samsung phone to enable all carrier features like video calling and VoLTE. It does not give the CA tables that are in the snap dragon's baseband to an Exynos device.
There for if you are on a US carrier and have a N975U/U1 next to a N975F, the speeds on the N975F will be significantly less than the N975U/U1. I'm surprised you have entered this debate again with these views considering your experience in the matter. Once again we have obtained an F model and tested against US variants and have concluded that as of now, simply flashing the CSC from T-Mobile or any US variant does not enable USA Carrier Aggregation on Exynos models. I am not trying to be mean or agumentitive here, but when you have people ordering from overseas potentially running into situations where they cannot return a device, it is very important to have 100% accurate information.
It should be noted that while on 5G it may be different because I do not think 5G uses the MIMO type actions of carrier aggregation. But also with that said. 5G phones do not use 5G 100% of the time. (See how 5G works for more info)
TLR - Yes unlocked international models "work" on US carriers. However their speeds will be much slower than on a US variant because international variants cannot do the Carrier Aggregation that US carriers need for full data speeds.
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I'm not sure where you got that information, but quite a few of us posted screenshots in the Note 8 days showing the CA tables on our N and F variants. I believe the CA combo info is within the keystrings.dat file but don't quote me on that.
Also - nobody should root their phone (needed to flash USA CSCs on N and F variant Samsung phones) and expect to be able to return the device afterwards. We are taking the risk anyway by ordering an overseas model phone.
Kalm_Traveler said:
I'm not sure where you got that information, but quite a few of us posted screenshots in the Note 8 days showing the CA tables on our N and F variants. I believe the CA combo info is within the keystrings.dat file but don't quote me on that.
Also - nobody should root their phone (needed to flash USA CSCs on N and F variant Samsung phones) and expect to be able to return the device afterward. We are taking the risk anyway by ordering an overseas model phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm getting my info from several tests done by myself and several others.
The tests on our Note 10 devices match exactly the tests we have done on Note8 and Note 9 international Exynos F models that people have been testing for years that simply do not do US Carrier Aggregation, even with the US CSC.
We have had two Note 10 F models, an unlocked US model, and a T-Mobile US Model. At the same exact location, my old Note 5 N920T pulls higher download speeds (because of Carrier Aggregation) than my brother in law's N975F.
Go find a T-Mobile N975U and see for yourself, however, I am not sure where you are located. I am sure there are some places in the country that might produce the same speeds on their phones simply because the towers in that area are older and do not have all of the bands some major markets have.
In those locations, you will probably see average download speeds anyways. In this situation, an Exynos model is acceptable as the speeds will be the same. However, when traveling the data will still be gimped obviously.
Bottom line is that if a person in a major market gets an N975F and flashes the T-Mobile CSC they will still have gimped data speeds when compared to a US snapdragon variant, period.
Believe me, there is no one more than myself and @iunlock that want CA to work 100% 1:1 with the N975U model but it's just not the case. It is what it is.
Also, it should be noted that CA does not just affect download speeds. It can also affect signal reliability in certain situations.
DeeXii said:
I'm getting my info from several tests done by myself and several others.
The tests on our Note 10 devices match exactly the tests we have done on Note8 and Note 9 international Exynos F models that people have been testing for years that simply do not do US Carrier Aggregation, even with the US CSC.
We have had two Note 10 F models, an unlocked US model, and a T-Mobile US Model. At the same exact location, my old Note 5 N920T pulls higher download speeds (because of Carrier Aggregation) than my brother in law's N975F.
Go find a T-Mobile N975U and see for yourself, however, I am not sure where you are located. I am sure there are some places in the country that might produce the same speeds on their phones simply because the towers in that area are older and do not have all of the bands some major markets have.
In those locations, you will probably see average download speeds anyways. In this situation, an Exynos model is acceptable as the speeds will be the same. However, when traveling the data will still be gimped obviously.
Bottom line is that if a person in a major market gets an N975F and flashes the T-Mobile CSC they will still have gimped data speeds when compared to a US snapdragon variant, period.
Believe me, there is no one more than myself and @iunlock that want CA to work 100% 1:1 with the N975U model but it's just not the case. It is what it is.
Also, it should be noted that CA does not just affect download speeds. It can also affect signal reliability in certain situations.
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Click to collapse
I take this as a challenge, my friend
Hold my beer...
Would flashing a different CSC get rid of the current carrier boot and shutdown animation? And, to flash a Tmo CSC on a rooted sm-n975f be as simple as flashing the new CSC in Odin?
Kalm_Traveler said:
. . . . port over the T-Mobile CSC from a T-Mobile model like I did with the Note 8.
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Hey Kalm_Traveler. Long time no chat.
Please do that. I just picked up a SM-N975F/DS and would love to see that happen. I remember your old N8 thread well.
To update my earlier reply, just tested the FD model with Verizon.
VOLTE works out of the box.
HD voice works.
I've seen 2 x CA with bands 4 and 2 and then 5 and 2.
So while we are both going to see 3 x CA or 4 x CA, it can def do 2 x CA on the 3 carriers I tested.
What surprised me that VOLTE works out of the box for all 3 carriers.View attachment 4819270
Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk
Question is the same as the title, are there other users on XDA who have considered upgrading or buying the Snapdragon Dual Sim Note 10+ over the N975F?. I am aware of the general uniqueness of the Hong Kong/Latin American/Brazilian Snapdragon devices as they have unlocked bootloaders compared to their US and Canadian counterparts. I've been doing research on these phones ever since I knew of the existence of the HK Note 8.
Development wise these N9xx0 devices don't see much development due to the rarity/relative uniqueness of these versions, but I was curious if anyone was checking for this to use instead of the Exynos Note 10+ in the US, Canada, UK, Australia and the rest of the world. I'm particularly interested in hearing from people on AT&T, T-Mobile and their respective MVNOs as I am considering getting this one to use on MetroPCS. In terms of bands I wonder if it will work out of the box similar to a user who had his Hong Kong S10+ work on T-Mobile with Wi-Fi calling/VoLTE even with the TGY CSC.
If they have an oem Bootloader Unlock like the S10's did I will definitely be getting that model over the F. There is still a shocking distance between the two chips in benchmarks, the snapdragon versions performing 20% better than the exynos versions. I will hold out for some extended use testing to come out, but it seems unlikely to change the data much. I need as much performance as I can get from my chip, and I don't really need custom roms to achieve a smooth workflow or customized experience.
---------- Post added at 11:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:06 PM ----------
BTW I don't worry much about bands with any of the new flagships coming out. You can verify on frequency checker, but most phones these days come with the same modems in all models. My last phone was a Chinese model Mate 20 X and it had no problem with international roaming on Google fi and got 4g on any chip I threw at it.
Idont know where you plan to use your device, but in many forums of other samsung devices, people getting devices from other countries, have sometimes problems regarding bands, carrier services, software updates, and most important no way to claim warranty
Mainland China = SG chip / 5G / 256gb / dual sim / limited bands
Hong Kong = SG chip / LTE only / 512gb / dual sim / limited bands
US unlocked = SG chip / LTE only / 512gb / single sim / full bands
In my case, I want dual sim but HK version doesn’t have LTE 66 and 71 which T-Mobile uses. So I am still debating.
NoteSeriesEnthusiast27 said:
Question is the same as the title, are there other users on XDA who have considered upgrading or buying the Snapdragon Dual Sim Note 10+ over the N975F?. I am aware of the general uniqueness of the Hong Kong/Latin American/Brazilian Snapdragon devices as they have unlocked bootloaders compared to their US and Canadian counterparts. I've been doing research on these phones ever since I knew of the existence of the HK Note 8.
Development wise these N9xx0 devices don't see much development due to the rarity/relative uniqueness of these versions, but I was curious if anyone was checking for this to use instead of the Exynos Note 10+ in the US, Canada, UK, Australia and the rest of the world. I'm particularly interested in hearing from people on AT&T, T-Mobile and their respective MVNOs as I am considering getting this one to use on MetroPCS. In terms of bands I wonder if it will work out of the box similar to a user who had his Hong Kong S10+ work on T-Mobile with Wi-Fi calling/VoLTE even with the TGY CSC.
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Click to collapse
I'm using N975F and it has dual sim
I am considering purchasing the OnePlus 9 or 9 Pro. As a longtime T-Mobile customer I want to know if the International version of the phone is 100% compatible with T-Mobile. I have read on some web sites that there are frequency bands missing on the International version that are supported on the T-Mobile version. I would prefer to buy the International version because updates would come sooner. Does anyone have any information on this? Thanks!
Yes, my last 2 Global OnePlus's works great with tmobile usa including 5g...
I used 3T, 5, 6T, 7Pro and 8Pro international version with TMO sim and no issues. All works great (in my area) including 5G. (not sure about the SA band on OnePlus though, only recently updated my sim card and 5G SA works on my international S21 Ultra).
You'll have to make sure you get a model with the right bands when it comes out.
I always buy from the manufacture. The mobile cell providers always have to add their crummy annoying software tweaks.
I do not case which one as long as custom recovery and custom rom are available
I'm also a long time T-Mobile customer, and I will always buy from the manufacturer going forward. T-Mobile puts too much crapware on the phones. I also like to root and mod my device, and it's a real pain to do that on a T-Mobile device.
Been on TMo for ages. Still will alway sbuy the unlocked international version.