Hey,
I am thinking of buying this phone, but I want to know whats the difference between the AT&T version and the international version or UK version?
There are so many versions, I want to know what is the difference and which one is the best one to buy?
Please let me know as I am confused.
Thanks.
UK version is the same as the international version.
The at&t version is the same as the international version but with 4 buttons rather than 3 on the international version.
The tmobile USA version is totally different soc and almost a totally different phone.
Sprint sgs2 is also different as it has a cdma radio.
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I guess I am going to get the Internation version/UK, good decision?
With the ISGS2 you get:
- No carrier-added bloatware
- Unrestricted tethering
- Updates directly from Samsung
- No carrier mandated s/w & h/w changes
- Two year warranty if bought in the UK or from Expansys-USA
- You can use the data for non-Smartphones plan and get fake-4G for $10 a month
With the ASGS2 you get:
- Insurance and warranty support from AT&T
- Hobbled tethering
- NFC (but nothing to do with it)
- Four capacitive buttons vs. the Samsung multi-function hardware home key
- Screen display mode has been removed
- Dive (phone tracking) has been removed
- No FM radio
- Dependency on AT&T for updates if you don't root and they've been known to suck
If you're buying the phone outright they're almost the same price now. The only reason to get one from AT&T is if you're concerned about insurance and/or warranty service. If the ISGS2 breaks you'll be without for a few weeks while it's repaired overseas.
I wont be using the phone in USA, I will be using it in Canada. So I guess International version is better?
I dont need NFC, and looks like AT&T removed alot of features/softwares and made the phone limited....?
Can someone tell me is this SGS2 exact same as International version: http://www.bell.ca/shopping/Samsung...MOB_shophmpg_BAN_GalaxySII_mass_071911_TM_ALL ?
Thanks.
awaisuk said:
I wont be using the phone in USA, I will be using it in Canada. So I guess International version is better?
I dont need NFC, and looks like AT&T removed alot of features/softwares and made the phone limited....?
Can someone tell me is this SGS2 exact same as International version: http://www.bell.ca/shopping/Samsung...MOB_shophmpg_BAN_GalaxySII_mass_071911_TM_ALL ?
Thanks.
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Any carrier phone is going to have modifications made to it by the carrier. Although, the Canadian carriers don't seem to molest them as much as the U.S. carriers. A phone purchased from a carrier is locked to that carrier. Some provide unlock codes for phones purchased outright, others don't. You can also get an unlock code from an online service - do a search. I don't know if Bell provides warranty support for phones purchased from them and used on other carriers. It's something you should investigate.
nexus prime is coming in a couple of days from now
Related
Hey guys. After researching many possible smartphones in the market right now, I am going to go with my first smartphone ever and possibly the best one right now (in my opinion): the Samsung Galaxy S2.
However, I live in the U.S. in which I do not think the SIM-capable unnerfed galaxy S2 will ever be coming out here.
Anyhow, I was hoping people who have bought the unlocked version of the S2 would be able to help me. My questions are as follows:
1) Which online vendor is the best place to buy an unlocked version of the S2? I have been researching many possible sites for the past few months. It seems NewEgg.com, Amazon.com, and Expansys-usa.com are most mentioned contenders. The question then becomes… which one to buy from? Who to trust? Anyone have experience in this arena?
2) From several reviews online, it seems people worldwide have been getting unlocked S2s with different starting languages/manuals. Are they all the same? Are there any fundamental differences in hardware or settings? If so, which one is best? It seems there are different versions with various configurations, such as with/without NFC. Hmm...
3) My main carrier in the U.S. is AT&T. What would I need to do to experience compatibility with this network? I would like to get HSPA+ (~ 4G speeds as claimed by AT&T, so to speak). Is there a special SIM from AT&T or tweaking within the phone I need to do to achieve this? Do I have to tell notify AT&T as well? What do I need to do to ensure compatibility with that network & the speeds I would like to achieve?
Phew. That is all. Thank you!!!!
As far as I know, the international version of i9100 is quad-brand 3G which matches AT&T. You can get 1 on amazon for around $700 USD
OR
you can get a LOCKED i9100m from Bell or Virgin Canada, then unlock it. This phone is 599.99 in Canada.
Isn't the Bell version CDMA-only? Does it offer SIM?
Anyhow, I'll try my hands on an international unlocked version. Now, the question still remains... which one to buy from? Amazon.com has many resellers. NewEgg and Expansys-USA are single resellers, but I would probably have to ask where they get theirs from.
Are there any differences in getting it via from the UK, Korea, India, etc? I would also need an adapter that can be plugged in the US.
Ok there lots of information if you used search feature
Cheapest place to buy currently is www.expansys-usa.com, you get it for 658.99 and you get additional $10 off with lsjuly10 voucher.
You get hspa+ speeds with att and you can also use $15 unlimited non smartphone plan with sgs2.
Search around and you can find lots of info on this. Hope this helps
Edit : just to answer your other question, you get us adapter along with the phone from expansys, amazon. You might mostly get a phone with uk firmware but it shouldn't really matter. Once you get the phone you can flash whatever firmware you want thru odin.
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Thank you very much for the coupon!!!
Searching around, it seems like Expansys-USA might be the best bang for the buck to purchase the unlocked version.
I also tried e-mailing NewEgg.com and some Amazon.com vendors. NewEgg.com said their S2 was "made in China." Hmm. I am unsure if it means it is a Chinese version. One vendor from Amazon.com said it was "unsure of where the device came from."
I'm assuming since there's an Expansys-UK, the Expansys-USA may be coming from UK. Is the UK version good? I guess UK (since it's in English) would be best for me...
I've also heard some versions do not have NFC. Does the UK version have NFC or working NFC in the states?
Just get the bell one from canada and save yourself some money, its full hspa+ , meaning it will work with att 3g in the states. If you buy the european ones you'll likely pay upwards of 800$ I'm thinking...
Are the Bell ones unlocked? Where would I be able to find one? Any online resellers that are selling them? I thought the Bell ones were CDMA-only? Or do they also have SIM-card capabilities?
Driving up to Canada and purchasing one is not too feasible for me.
Alazarin said:
Are the Bell ones unlocked? Where would I be able to find one? Any online resellers that are selling them? I thought the Bell ones were CDMA-only? Or do they also have SIM-card capabilities?
Driving up to Canada and purchasing one is not too feasible for me.
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The bell ones are locked. Can be easly unlocked. They are sim ones. I using the one i bought with bell on telus
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Alazarin said:
Are the Bell ones unlocked? Where would I be able to find one? Any online resellers that are selling them? I thought the Bell ones were CDMA-only? Or do they also have SIM-card capabilities?
Driving up to Canada and purchasing one is not too feasible for me.
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Nope, bell has been ditching its CDMA network for well over a year... All their new phones are gsm. Well not just driving up I'm saying ordering online from canada would probably even be cheaper than buying a european phone, and they are the same phone, no nfc, same model.
I`m living in UK and I bought my SGS2 1 month ago from ebay. was sealed and is factory unlocked. It`s 100% original, not a fake. As far as I now if is factory unlocked it`s working in USA on At&t H+ speed, and you don`t need to unlock. If you want you can order from UK or wait when will be release in USA. Hope this help. Good luck!
unleashed12 said:
Nope, bell has been ditching its CDMA network for well over a year... All their new phones are gsm. Well not just driving up I'm saying ordering online from canada would probably even be cheaper than buying a european phone, and they are the same phone, no nfc, same model.
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Do you have any recommendations to reliable online Canadian resellers?
The hard part is that I'm still deciding whether to buy from Expansys-USA (cheaper), Clove (great reviews + most reliable), or from an online Canadian reseller (could be even cheaper + more reliable since I live in the U.S.?). My main criteria is that:
I would like to buy the phone that was made in Korea, but for the UK/CA market (thus, factory sealed) and comes with a US adapter (not add-on). That seems to be the best one, but I am unsure which one would provide that.
I saw this phone at the ATT store.
This is a nice phone! Very premium feel.
I know its only at ATT at the moment. When is it coming to T-mobile? I hate this type of exclusive thing!
When a carrier publicly touts a device is exclusive to itself, typically it means the other competing carriers will never have it. Even more likely so since the alpha isn't as popular as flagship devices.
You can always bring it to T-mobile yourself. I just bought one from swappa (should be here tomorrow) and purchased an unlock code. Based on the current selection, $460 (430 for phone, 30 for unlock code) and you could do the same.
Isnt Samsung silly to be shut out of more buyers buying this phone? I will never do ATT and Verizon.
Will the unlocked Att model work on all of T-Mobile's bands?
I am from Norway and got my Gear S as a gift at the Samsung Developer Conference. It was locked to AT&T. I unlocked mine using cellunlocker.net. I received the network lock code less than an hour after submitting the order and it worked like a charm.
However, here in Norway we have GSM 900/1800 and the AT&T device is only GSM 850/1900 from what I can find on the net. Which matches my end result of not being able to connect to my network even after unlocking.
I should probably have thought of this before spending 29USD on an unlock code, but anything less than Quad-band on a phone just seems so '90s. As I do not have a compatible Samsung Phone either, the device is pretty much useless for me without GSM. I have Sony Z1 Compact (great), iPhone 5s (meh), Lumia 920 and 1020 (great), so buying a new phone is not an option at the moment.
Is the GSM-bands controlled by firmware or are there hardware differences between the US and European versions?
Does anybody know if it could be possible to load a European FW and get GSM 900/1800?
I'm fairly sure that's hardware controlled. Sorry
I also wish these were quadband.
You could try to sell yours on Ebay.com (I see they are currently going above suggested retail price), and buy one in Europe. They are, however, a bit more expensive there, EURO 390 in Germany including tax, for instance, but they also don't have SIM lock there.
jonstenerud said:
I am from Norway and got my Gear S as a gift at the Samsung Developer Conference. It was locked to AT&T. I unlocked mine using cellunlocker.net. I received the network lock code less than an hour after submitting the order and it worked like a charm.
However, here in Norway we have GSM 900/1800 and the AT&T device is only GSM 850/1900 from what I can find on the net. Which matches my end result of not being able to connect to my network even after unlocking.
I should probably have thought of this before spending 29USD on an unlock code, but anything less than Quad-band on a phone just seems so '90s. As I do not have a compatible Samsung Phone either, the device is pretty much useless for me without GSM. I have Sony Z1 Compact (great), iPhone 5s (meh), Lumia 920 and 1020 (great), so buying a new phone is not an option at the moment.
Is the GSM-bands controlled by firmware or are there hardware differences between the US and European versions?
Does anybody know if it could be possible to load a European FW and get GSM 900/1800?
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Have you tried contacting your local Samsung Developers on Google+? Samsung Developers US are very responsive on there.
I can't believe they didn't think about that!
sbrownla said:
Have you tried contacting your local Samsung Developers on Google+? Samsung Developers US are very responsive on there.
I can't believe they didn't think about that!
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Yes, but no luck. Says there are differences in the hardware and that it cannot be changed in software.
jonstenerud said:
Yes, but no luck. Says there are differences in the hardware and that it cannot be changed in software.
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I mean contact them to find out if they can replace it with one that actually works where you live.
I have been buying the AT&T versions for years now, extending my contract term and trying the NEXT plan. But with the bigger carriers locking the software down I want to buy an international version, but I'm unsure where to get one.
interesting, I was looking at us version of Samsung site and realize they do not sell latest smartphones provider free and unlocked;
you have to try the Canada site, looks like up north here, we can buy Samsung phones unlocked, even the newest ones
There are a number of sites that deal with overseas international phones. You can also find them on Amazon.com quite easily. Here is one http://welectronics.com/gsm/SAMSUNGSMPHONES.shtml take note they are selling a 32GB & 64GB only version, not sure if they can't get the 128GB option, or it will come later.
Order Directly from Samsung or Use eBay Amazon Walmart Best buy or this super place swappa.com
Buying an international version sounds like a good idea.
biggstkk said:
I have been buying the AT&T versions for years now, extending my contract term and trying the NEXT plan. But with the bigger carriers locking the software down I want to buy an international version, but I'm unsure where to get one.
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I'm in the same boat. Just need to make sure the international version will support AT&T's LTE bands. If they do, I'll be going this route as well.
Try GSM Nation. Thet have the unlocked and at&t compatible version. Pre-Ordered mine.
Do not even try Canada. Yes we have stuff that work on pretty much all GSM carriers, but never can you buy an unlocked phone unless it's Google, Chinese made or bought overpriced on Sony's website. Samsung Nevers sells unlocked here. Got to use typical methods
Canada is not really international per se, Its networks are set up almost if not identical to those in the US, hence almost all devices are identical to those available in the US market.
There are however, few retailers that sells international versions of devices here in Canada. NCIX.com and Expansys Canada are the first 2 that come to mind. Its just a little more tougher to find as some retailers either don't post the complete information or don't even know their own inventory as some may carry the international versions without even knowing it.
Any other suggestions?
Buy an unbranded one off eBay.
Hey! This is my first post on the forums, so correct me if this is in the wrong section or anything of that nature. Anyway, I've been interested in purchasing a Galaxy S6 Edge for a while now. I currently use a Nexus 4 on the daily, and I love the Edge's similarly beautiful design. I am going to buy the phone unlocked, as I have never been and will never be locked into a service contract. Right now I use Cricket Wireless in the United States. (which operates on At&t's towers). Cricket only sells the not-so-edgy galaxy s6, but I should be able to use any gsm model on the carrier. I was wondering if there are any reasons to pick one variant over another? Could the non carrier specific ones will receive updates quicker? Or maybe US specific models will operate better in the US (reception wise)? Do some get more developer support from the community for rooting and rom development? Is there even a difference (perhaps not)? These are all just random examples that come to mind. I just want to make sure I'm not hit with any curve ball when making such a large purchase. In any case, it's sure to be an upgrade from 2012. Thanks in advance
GreatValueCereal said:
Hey! This is my first post on the forums, so correct me if this is in the wrong section or anything of that nature. Anyway, I've been interested in purchasing a Galaxy S6 Edge for a while now. I currently use a Nexus 4 on the daily, and I love the Edge's similarly beautiful design. I am going to buy the phone unlocked, as I have never been and will never be locked into a service contract. Right now I use Cricket Wireless in the United States. (which operates on At&t's towers). Cricket only sells the not-so-edgy galaxy s6, but I should be able to use any gsm model on the carrier. I was wondering if there are any reasons to pick one variant over another? Could the non carrier specific ones will receive updates quicker? Or maybe US specific models will operate better in the US (reception wise)? Do some get more developer support from the community for rooting and rom development? Is there even a difference (perhaps not)? These are all just random examples that come to mind. I just want to make sure I'm not hit with any curve ball when making such a large purchase. In any case, it's sure to be an upgrade from 2012. Thanks in advance
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The unlocked, unbranded international edition will get you the fastest updates.
Although I have not personally researched it, I have heard from other users that it gets LTE connectivity on AT&T's network, so you are good there.
If you buy any other Variant, updates will be slower.
I would discourage the purchase of the AT&T variant because it is the only one that has not been updated to 5.1
Just make sure you are very careful with where you are buying.
I have heard plenty of stories of people buying the Galaxy S6 online and either it is counterfeit, was stolen, or KNOX had been tripped.
Snowby123 said:
The unlocked, unbranded international edition will get you the fastest updates.
Although I have not personally researched it, I have heard from other users that it gets LTE connectivity on AT&T's network, so you are good there.
If you buy any other Variant, updates will be slower.
I would discourage the purchase of the AT&T variant because it is the only one that has not been updated to 5.1
Just make sure you are very careful with where you are buying.
I have heard plenty of stories of people buying the Galaxy S6 online and either it is counterfeit, was stolen, or KNOX had been tripped.
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Oh thanks a lot. I didn't even think about counterfeit or stolen devices. But it sounds like international is the way to go
In India, 99% of mobile phones fall into the "unlocked" and "international" version. Carrier based phones are extremely rare.
Since you are from a different country, I suggest you email and ask Samsung about it, because like the others said, could be counterfeit, stolen or KNOX tripped.
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