Related
Hi all
In the past I’ve had to buy international variants for the best possible coverage when traveling. Even the US unlocked did not cover as much as their international unlocked counterparts.
I spend a lot of my time overseas so I’m willing to have less then ideal coverage in the united states.
I’ve tried to look up information on the bands but so far have not had much look comparing to see if I should preorder the s20 ultra unlocked in the states or just wait until I go abroad and purchase the international version in a few months when I leave again. Even if I don’t get the deals on preorder.
Which would really be a downer if there isn’t a difference and I could buy it now with all the perks of the promos.
Can anyone enlighten me on if the unlocked US version or international unlocked variant would be more suited to travel outside the States?
Or is their a difference this time?
Thanks!
I have this same question, but here is my dilemma....
The US version work have a snapdragon and a $200 credit at samsung's website for pre-orders but the international version with have the ability to be rooted. Now i have the oneplus 7 pro, with root, i am able to force 90hz refresh rate on ALL apps. If i can root the s20 ultra, i can swap in a kernel that allows 120hz at qhd on alll apps, which is pure gold in itself.
the Kong kong and Latina american variants historically have been snapdragon AND rootable so you can have the better processor wnd root.
that said there has also not been a ton of development for those particular variants which i mever understood since your getting the best of both worlds
I'm in the same boat. My current GS8+ is international variant specifically because of dual sim and root.
I'm conflicted with all the international versions not getting things like 5G vs international. I pre-ordered, I still can cancel my order...
What's the likelihood that US Unlocked version can be rooted within few months? Anyone know if they're adding additional locks to it?
XtremeMaC said:
I'm in the same boat. My current GS8+ is international variant specifically because of dual sim and root.
I'm conflicted with all the international versions not getting things like 5G vs international. I pre-ordered, I still can cancel my order...
What's the likelihood that US Unlocked version can be rooted within few months? Anyone know if they're adding additional locks to it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is my understanding that traditionally, US unlocked version is SiM unlocked but bootloader locked. Therefore, the likelyhood that it will be rootable in a few months will be the same as with other recent phones, next to zero.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app
yeah, that's what I'm afraid of..
In thos age of hacking and malware. You couldnt pay me to have a rooted phone. The only advantage was titanium backup and that only half ass works when restoring data. Not worth it.
Sent from my SM-G975U1 using Tapatalk
johnwayne27 said:
In thos age of hacking and malware. You couldnt pay me to have a rooted phone. The only advantage was titanium backup and that only half ass works when restoring data. Not worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Viper4android!
very hard choice
- Snapdragon 865 is more power efficient and more powerful ( 10 % against exynos SOC)
but forget root
- Outside US 5G networks aver very very limited
- The exynos will receive more updates
- US version has only one card sim slot
johnwayne27 said:
In thos age of hacking and malware. You couldnt pay me to have a rooted phone. The only advantage was titanium backup and that only half ass works when restoring data. Not worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You couldn't be more wrong. But hey. Your choice.
Ricardo_G said:
very hard choice
- Snapdragon 865 is more power efficient and more powerful ( 10 % against exynos SOC)
but forget root
- Outside US 5G networks aver very very limited
- The exynos will receive more updates
- US version has only one card sim slot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
5G is all over Europe.
force70 said:
the Kong kong and Latina american variants historically have been snapdragon AND rootable so you can have the better processor wnd root.
that said there has also not been a ton of development for those particular variants which i mever understood since your getting the best of both worlds
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
suppp force
so i'm struggling with the choice too, either the SA (latin american snapdragon) or exynos .
I don't really care about development beyond TWRP and Root , not sure what to do
From what I have seen there are also various versions of the international unlocked, some are dual sim and some ha e different bands (with or without 5G).
masri1987 said:
suppp force
so i'm struggling with the choice too, either the SA (latin american snapdragon) or exynos .
I don't really care about development beyond TWRP and Root , not sure what to do
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
long time no talk bro, hope all is well?
the snap would be my choice,it will be rootable, could be already for all i know. plus the 865 is far superior to the exynos is pretty much every category.
for me the choice would be easy lol.
force70 said:
long time no talk bro, hope all is well?
the snap would be my choice,it will be rootable, could be already for all i know. plus the 865 is far superior to the exynos is pretty much every category.
for me the choice would be easy lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
which model #'s should i be trying to get?
I'm asuming SA is south american models with S865
When's the last time we crossed paths? It wasn't 3xl was it?
Hope you staying safe from teh cabrona virus
masri1987 said:
which model #'s should i be trying to get?
I'm asuming SA is south american models with S865
When's the last time we crossed paths? It wasn't 3xl was it?
Hope you staying safe from teh cabrona virus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the Hong kong and brazil model number is just SM-G9880. no N,W Or anything else. but they both would be 865s yep.
couldnt have been the 3XL cause i didnt get one, def been awhile though. Im not on as much as I used to be...too many snowflakes lol.
Corona virus has everything shut down here in Ontario, Canada. movies, restaurants, gyms (that one hits hard with me being a bodybuilder).
its crazy.
what about the "N" Korean version? is it rootable? im debating whether to get the international one or the korean version. I want to be rooted with viper4android
yes it should be its exynos.
Korean/ international basically the same thing hardware other than possibly being capable of different network frequencies.
you cannot cross flash Korean and international firmware however if that matters
ive had lots of both and never had issues with either.
Player04 said:
what about the "N" Korean version? is it rootable? im debating whether to get the international one or the korean version. I want to be rooted with viper4android
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This may help you decide.
https://sea.pcmag.com/smartphones/3...-americas-first-unlocked-all-carrier-5g-phone
Im on att. What i wont be able to use the 5g network if i get an international verion. I might get the us verison then
Hi guys,
I'm gonna buy a S20 Ultra in China and I would like to change the Chinese ROM with the South Korean ROM or if is not possible with the Hong Kong one.
I know that some Chinese, to save money, buy HK mobiles and change the ROM to Chinese so I think should be possible do the opposite, I think they share the same hardware.
In case is it possible I would prefer the South Korea ROM coz probably it will have faster updates..
Do you know if South Korean and Chinese S20 have exactly the same hardware? To install the Korean ROM hiw can I do? Is it simple and I can do by myself? Do you have any tips?
Many thanks..
Hi,
I don't know about the S20, but I did exactly that with the S10+ (which had a Snapdragon 855 and identical specs across both HK and Chinese version).
It worked better with HK since it didn't have as much bloatware or google restrictions...and english can be made to be default.
I just got my S20+ and will probably be trying this soon as well. Stay tuned.
A.C.
I'm interested too if it is possible to flash a HK ROM on another snapdragon s20+ (SM-G986N). The problem is that the Korean version has bloatware from KT. I did manage to disable most of them, but I would be happier if can come without bloatware out of the box
Great!! Thanks AloxeCorton.. Will be the first time I will do it. So if you have any link to follow the procedure will be really appreciated.
Mishufac I would like install an unlocked ROM so shouldn't have many bloatware. Do you think the SK ROM will have more than HK one?
Davide Shanghai said:
Great!! Thanks AloxeCorton.. Will be the first time I will do it. So if you have any link to follow the procedure will be really appreciated.
Mishufac I would like install an unlocked ROM so shouldn't have many bloatware. Do you think the SK ROM will have more than HK one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine is KT branded and I know it has more bloatware than HK version. I think if you manage to get KOR national CSC it will be better. Mine is KTC and I haven't managed to change the CSC by flashing KOR version with Odin
Davide Shanghai said:
Hi guys,
I'm gonna buy a S20 Ultra in China and I would like to change the Chinese ROM with the South Korean ROM or if is not possible with the Hong Kong one.
I know that some Chinese, to save money, buy HK mobiles and change the ROM to Chinese so I think should be possible do the opposite, I think they share the same hardware.
In case is it possible I would prefer the South Korea ROM coz probably it will have faster updates..
Do you know if South Korean and Chinese S20 have exactly the same hardware? To install the Korean ROM hiw can I do? Is it simple and I can do by myself? Do you have any tips?
Many thanks..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can Switch between China, HK and Taiwan with no problems but not to Korea since it has a different model number.
lovers74 said:
You can Switch between China, HK and Taiwan with no problems but not to Korea since it has a different model number.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know, I didn't think about Taiwan, If I'm not wrong also there should have no problem with Google apps.. Thanks!!
Can you switch to china CSC?
pafc66 said:
Can you switch to china CSC?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you can but there is no google services and there are a lot of bloatware but one benefit is you get the call recorder.
lovers74 said:
Yes you can but there is no google services and there are a lot of bloatware but one benefit is you get the call recorder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the camera much better?
pafc66 said:
Is the camera much better?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, its the same
lovers74 said:
No, its the same
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw many Weibo Chinese S20 users say that the camera has improved in many places, including the well-known ice universe
There is also a big change in the algorithm of fingerprint recording, which can be quickly entered like S9 / Note9.
Fingerprint unlock speed is more agile and transition animation is adjusted better
ATD1 compared to ATCT version number
lovers74 said:
No, its the same
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Test it properly. It's reported there's huge differences
pafc66 said:
Test it properly. It's reported there's huge differences
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there can't be any differences at all because both TGY and CHC firmwares are LITERALLY the same bit to bit
which is the best firmware between china, TW and HK?
I have the s20+ and I have the "open china" one, but 5g works only with the second SIM slot. That's very strange.
Hi all,
I live in Europe and am planning to buy a Snapdragon S20+ from HongKong.
I've checked which network bands the HK phone supports and all bands I need are there.
Before placing the order I want to check with you guys if I have a clear picture of all limitations that come with buying a HK S20+ in Europe.
The list I compiled so far:
- No Samsung Pay (I don't care, won't use it)
- VOLTE may or may not work depending on your carrier (I don't care, I barely call and if I call I don't care about the quality)
- No warranty in Europe .
- Difference in timing of updates
Anything else I should take into account?
YH93 said:
Hi all,
I live in Europe and am planning to buy a Snapdragon S20+ from HongKong.
I've checked which network bands the HK phone supports and all bands I need are there.
Before placing the order I want to check with you guys if I have a clear picture of all limitations that come with buying a HK S20+ in Europe.
The list I compiled so far:
- No Samsung Pay (I don't care, won't use it)
- VOLTE may or may not work depending on your carrier (I don't care, I barely call and if I call I don't care about the quality)
- No warranty in Europe .
- Difference in timing of updates
Anything else I should take into account?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Carrier Aggregation may suffer, which will reduce download speeds. I have a Hong Kong variant, VoLTE, WiFi Calling and Samsung Pay work however I'm in the US, your results may vary as you mentioned depending on the carrier. Don't expect you can modify the CSC, you can't change it. Samkey doesn't support HK variants and OXM, which allows Preconfiguration changes for different European CSC's isn't embedded in the software. Updates have come in a timely fashion every month and there's no Carrier Branded Bloatware. Even though the device has some limitations I've been pleased with the HK variant, anything but Exynos!
varcor said:
Carrier Aggregation may suffer, which will reduce download speeds. I have a Hong Kong variant, VoLTE, WiFi Calling and Samsung Pay work however I'm in the US, your results may vary as you mentioned depending on the carrier. Don't expect you can modify the CSC, you can't change it. Samkey doesn't support HK variants and OXM, which allows Preconfiguration changes for different European CSC's isn't embedded in the software. Updates have come in a timely fashion every month and there's no Carrier Branded Bloatware. Even though the device has some limitations I've been pleased with the HK variant, anything but Exynos!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for sharing your experiences.
I'll go for the HK version then. Don't see any reason why I shouldn't.
Actually Samsung Pay should work in Europe flawlessly, only thing that won't work is rewards. To be more precise, rewards do work, but the rewards shown are the ones of the phone's original country...
As for the Samkey CSC change limitation, I remember reading a post here about a user that changed CSC from Taiwan to Hong Kong using Samkey...
Rulsar_Tec said:
Actually Samsung Pay should work in Europe flawlessly, only thing that won't work is rewards. To be more precise, rewards do work, but the rewards shown are the ones of the phone's original country...
As for the Samkey CSC change limitation, I remember reading a post here about a user that changed CSC from Taiwan to Hong Kong using Samkey...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know. I'm currently not using or planning to use Samsung Pay but that might change in the future.
Regarding the CSC limations, I don't see any reason why I would need to change the CSC.
Reason why you may want to think twice is that in the event if you get unit with poor uniformity seller may not be willing to replace it as easily
How do you plan on buying it?
Sharpshooterrr said:
How do you plan on buying it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought mine from T-Dimension. Just be sure to order from their .de or .co.uk site and you don't have to pay any customs. Cheeper then the Exynos version here in Sweden. Took about 2 weeks to get the phone. First they ship it from HK to their warehouse in UK then from there to me.
Skickat från min SM-G9860 via Tapatalk
I have ordered the phone from WondaMobile.
They have the HongKong Snapdragon version for the same price as the Exynos in my country.
Also no customs are being charged as they will ship it from/via the UK.
I have ordered S20 ultra also from WondaMobile. I was on 6th of May and I'm hopping the delivery will not take to much time. I also hope I don't have to send it back because of broken camera glass or other issues which s20 ultra suffers...
Hello
My S20 Ultra comes to WondaMobile and is amazing (model 512/16GB)
Samsung Pay and Volte work perfectly.
Photos are fantastic.
I also have the Snapdragon version
Get it. I had the Exynos and it had a poor battery life plus other disadvantages
Could someone check for me ?: Dutch (the Netherlands) language included in the HK version? Mi
is the hongkong version better than the chinese version ??? any differnce
and what about 5g my country supports sub 6 which is 3.5 bandwith
ChromeFR said:
Could someone check for me : Dutch (the Netherlands) language included in the HK version? Mi
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it is.
dr.memo1o said:
is the hongkong version better than the chinese version ??? any differnce
and what about 5g my country supports sub 6 which is 3.5 bandwith
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung pay and Google services work.
5g is ok for France
Hello, what is the CSC, what is the use of it and why someone would change it? Are the european languages supported in this version?
I need help understanding all the differences between the various S20 Plus 5G versions. I live in Italy and I want to buy the Snapdragon international unlocked but I miss some points in using an international version here where we can only find the Exynos one.
Speaking about the various names, so far I understood
Snapdragon 865 – 12GB RAM:
SM-G986U - Factory Unlocked from US
SM-G986N - South Korea (?)a lot of bloatware and a custom intro animation, so not the original and "pure" Android version(?)
SM-G9860, SM-G9868 - China, Hong Kong, Japan, Brazil
I've found a good price for the SM-G986N in a European store but I'm missing some details:
My phone will update as soon as the update is rolled out in Korea? And then about the bloatware, easily removable to make the phone lighter and snappier? Regarding this I was wondering if I can flash the US firmware or is it impossible due to hardware differences between the SM-G986N and the SM-G986U? I really miss this point, if there only are software-related differences between devices with the same CPU or also hardware ones.
I've found sometimes the US version in some stores but there were crazy prices or very limited availability.
Which version would you guys suggest me to go for? Thanks in advance for any answer.
EDIT #1 after chieco's answer: rootable phone isn't a priority
you need to get this model SM-G9860 because it has the least bloatware, SnapDragon aaaaaand most important, it can be rooted! Also since your warranty is handled thru the seller and not Samsung you don't need to worry about knox effecting your warranty.
chieco said:
you need to get this model SM-G9860 because it has the least bloatware, SnapDragon aaaaaand most important, it can be rooted! Also since your warranty is handled thru the seller and not Samsung you don't need to worry about knox effecting your warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the suggestion, I wasn't actually thinking aboutroot, but knowing I can do that if I want is certainly an added value!
ianeze46 said:
Thanks for the suggestion, I wasn't actually thinking aboutroot, but knowing I can do that if I want is certainly an added value!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SM-G9860 will get OTA Updates regardless of your Service Provider, it's Dual-SIM unlike South Korean Variant, it's less expensive than the SM-G986N or SM-G986U and it's as close as you'll get to a pure Android Device when compared to any other Samsung offerings. The only real disadvantages are it may not be 5G Compatible depending on your Service Provider and Warrant Repairs typically aren't handled by the seller unless you buy it directly from Samsung.
SM-GM9860 is the one you need.
I'm using it in the Netherlands and everything works like a charm.
Please do check beforehand whether the device supports all network bands that your telecom provider is operating on.
Forget about the SM-986N. It is single SIM and has a lot of Korean bloatware.
YH93 said:
SM-GM9860 is the one you need.
I'm using it in the Netherlands and everything works like a charm.
Please do check beforehand whether the device supports all network bands that your telecom provider is operating on.
Forget about the SM-986N. It is single SIM and has a lot of Korean bloatware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've only heard about Samsung Pay, it's the only feature that won't work here in Europe with the SM-GM9860 right? (There's Google Pay, so no problems with that)
All the other "Samsung's" ones like Knox, Pass etc. should work normally as far as I know. Can you confirm?
I checked the bands here in Italy and all should work normally. Thanks for sharing your opinion!
YH93 said:
SM-GM9860 is the one you need.
I'm using it in the Netherlands and everything works like a charm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you get it in a Dutch (online) shop (if so, where?) or did you import it?
ianeze46 said:
I've only heard about Samsung Pay, it's the only feature that won't work here in Europe with the SM-GM9860 right? (There's Google Pay, so no problems with that)
All the other "Samsung's" ones like Knox, Pass etc. should work normally as far as I know. Can you confirm?
I checked the bands here in Italy and all should work normally. Thanks for sharing your opinion!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure about Samsung Pay.
I've read some stories (can't recall on which forum) from European users who confirmed that Samsung Pay works fine on their Snapdragon S20.
I'm not using it myself so cannot confirm.
I can confirm though that the other features that you're mentioning work perfectly.
---------- Post added at 01:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:39 PM ----------
anandus said:
Did you get it in a Dutch (online) shop (if so, where?) or did you import it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I imported from HongKong via Wondamobile.com.
I can recommend this shop. They're very fast in shipping out the phone (took about a week to arrive), you don't pay any customs fees and they are very helpful in answering any questions you have.
The only thing I recommend to buy yourself if you order from Hongkong is a wallcharger that is compatible with the powersockets in your country.
Samsung Pay does work, you're only getting Hong Hong ads.
I know the S22 variant made for the US market does not have an unlockable bootloader. But is it possible to buy a rootable S22 that will work with a Verizon SIM? Order it from overseas maybe?
yeah you can get a Korean 908N version on eBay with a very reasonable price. I got mine several days ago.
52yt said:
yeah you can get a Korean 908N version on eBay with a very reasonable price. I got mine several days ago.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome, thanks. I wasn't sure which country to look for. I prefer a pocket-sized phone and it looks like SM-SS901N is the small one and it's readily available.
I'm still running SABS on my old S9 (installed before Samsung killed it) and I was afraid I'd have to switch to a Pixel to get root, but the smallest Pixel 6 is bigger than I want. The small S22 from South Korea seems like a perfect choice.
aurny said:
Awesome, thanks. I wasn't sure which country to look for. I prefer a pocket-sized phone and it looks like SM-SS901N is the small one and it's readily available.
I'm still running SABS on my old S9 (installed before Samsung killed it) and I was afraid I'd have to switch to a Pixel to get root, but the smallest Pixel 6 is bigger than I want. The small S22 from South Korea seems like a perfect choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem at all. I always got the Korean Variant instead of US one. Works for me all the time. I just didn't understand why they didn't provide an option of unlockinh BL on US variant. I feel like it's not even necessary.
are you looking for exynos or snapdragon? there is a large performance and compatability difference. Hong Kong and Singapore are where I got my last two phones from, bootloader unlockable snapdragons.
I'd have to say Snapdragon, which is also the South Korea variant (I'm guessing this is why it's popular for US buyers). Would there be any reason to consider an Exynos for use in the US? According to the reviews I've read, performance & battery life on the Exynos vary between meh and unusably awful.
52yt said:
No problem at all. I always got the Korean Variant instead of US one. Works for me all the time. I just didn't understand why they didn't provide an option of unlockinh BL on US variant. I feel like it's not even necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello, may I ask what carrier you're using this with in the US? On Ebay, it says that it doesn't work with Verizon (due to CDMA).
I'm aware that Verizon does a little bit more than CDMA these days, but their base is still CDMA from what I understand. Thanks in advance.