Hardware Variations - Galaxy S III Q&A, (US Carriers)

Alright, I've been reading like mad here. I'm getting basically two sets of stories to the same question.
Q: Is there ANY hardware difference in the US/CAN models?
I'm aware of the INT Version, and the KOR version. But, for CAN/US despite different modem software. I assume the hardware is in fact identical? I know for example that my t-999v has the same FCC number as the us TMO version. If this is in fact the case then any s3 should work on any US or Canadian Carrier with some sort of modem hack?
I'd love to get your takes on this guys. Thanks again.

Canadian version is same as ATT version. Sprint and other CDMA carriers have different radios.

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[Q] can I use the international version in the UK?

Hey,
A friend that's down from the UK wanted to buy a phone here in the US, but I was wondering: will the international version (or the tmobile version) work fine there? His carrier is specifically Orange. I couldn't find specific information on what frequencies they use, so I thought it'd be better to ask. Thanks
If it's International it will work
kennypu said:
Hey,
A friend that's down from the UK wanted to buy a phone here in the US, but I was wondering: will the international version (or the tmobile version) work fine there? His carrier is specifically Orange. I couldn't find specific information on what frequencies they use, so I thought it'd be better to ask. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your title says "can I use the international version in the UK?", but your question seems to ask "can I use the international version in the US?"
The answer to both questions is yes.
I have the international version (i9100), and live in the US and have been using it on AT&T for quite some time.
It can also work on T-Mobile USA's network, but will only get Edge data speeds on that network due to T-Mobile USA using the AWS band for high speed mobile data. (the AWS band requires a band the i9100 doesn't receive)
Edit to add: I just re-read the line that says "A friend that's down from the UK wanted to buy a phone here in the US, but I was wondering: will the international version (or the tmobile version) work fine there?"... Does this mean he wants to buy a T-Mobile USA phone and try to take it back to Europe? I don't think I'd recommend that for the reason I cited above for why the i9100 doesn't work for high speed data on T-Mobile USA's network. T-Mobile USA's Galaxy S II variant is the SGH-T989, which is a totally different phone, that works on different frequencies. So I guess; can you ask your question a bit more clearly?
ctomgee said:
Your title says "can I use the international version in the UK?", but your question seems to ask "can I use the international version in the US?"
The answer to both questions is yes.
I have the international version (i9100), and live in the US and have been using it on AT&T for quite some time.
It can also work on T-Mobile USA's network, but will only get Edge data speeds on that network due to T-Mobile USA using the AWS band for high speed mobile data. (the AWS band requires a band the i9100 doesn't receive)
Edit to add: I just re-read the line that says "A friend that's down from the UK wanted to buy a phone here in the US, but I was wondering: will the international version (or the tmobile version) work fine there?"... Does this mean he wants to buy a T-Mobile USA phone and try to take it back to Europe? I don't think I'd recommend that for the reason I cited above for why the i9100 doesn't work for high speed data on T-Mobile USA's network. T-Mobile USA's Galaxy S II variant is the SGH-T989, which is a totally different phone, that works on different frequencies. So I guess; can you ask your question a bit more clearly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry for the confusion, but yes your edit is correct: a friend wants to buy a phone here, and take it back to the UK for use.
kennypu said:
sorry for the confusion, but yes your edit is correct: a friend wants to buy a phone here, and take it back to the UK for use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm. Again, I wouldn't recommend it. From what I know, GSM carriers in the US tend to favor different frequencies (850/1900 on AT&T, 1700/2100 on T-mobile) than GSM carriers in Europe. (GSM 900/1800)
Some phones have enough band cross-over that they can be bought and used on the network he wants, but without doing extensive research into whatever model phone he is interested in, and also what band frequencies his carrier specifically uses, it would be a guessing game.
For example, I did about 2 weeks worth of heavy research before I bought an unlocked I9100 to use in the US on AT&T's network.
I've seen plenty of people buy the same phone to use on T-mobile USA, only to find out they can only get Edge data speed, and wonder why.
ctomgee said:
Hmm. Again, I wouldn't recommend it. From what I know, GSM carriers in the US tend to favor different frequencies (850/1900 on AT&T, 1700/2100 on T-mobile) than GSM carriers in Europe. (GSM 900/1800)
Some phones have enough band cross-over that they can be bought and used on the network he wants, but without doing extensive research into whatever model phone he is interested in, and also what band frequencies his carrier specifically uses, it would be a guessing game.
For example, I did about 2 weeks worth of heavy research before I bought an unlocked I9100 to use in the US on AT&T's network.
I've seen plenty of people buy the same phone to use on T-mobile USA, only to find out they can only get Edge data speed, and wonder why.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ironically, I did exactly did what you mentioned (tmo + international version). From what I gathered, It looks like europe does support GT-i9100, just the P varient, which seem to have the same exact hardware + NFC. So I think I can safely assume it will work, but I would rather get an answer from someone with more knowledge.
kennypu said:
ironically, I did exactly did what you mentioned (tmo + international version). From what I gathered, It looks like europe does support GT-i9100, just the P varient, which seem to have the same exact hardware + NFC. So I think I can safely assume it will work, but I would rather get an answer from someone with more knowledge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Um... I don't think you get it.
The I9100 is sold pretty much everywhere BUT the US. It's sold in the UK, in fact. Mine came from the UK.
The only difference between the I9100 and the I9100P is the I9100P has NFC hardware built into it, and the I9100 does not. Otherwise, the I9100 and I9100P operate on the same frequencies.
The US variants of the Galaxy S II are completely different hardware.
The AT&T variant is the SGH-I777.
The T-Mobile USA variant is the SGH-T989.
The Sprint variant is the SPH-D710.
The US Cellular variant is the SCH-R760.
(those last two are CDMA variants, and may not even work in Europe)
You can see nearly all the variants on the wikipedia page.
so it's safe to assume it will work, got it. thank you very much.
kennypu said:
so it's safe to assume it will work, got it. thank you very much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, if he buys an i9100, yes.
If he buys any of the US variants, not so much.

stupid telus note question

im just about to upgrade from my sgs2 i9100 to a telus note lte .. (the seller keeps calling it a note lte,, not just a note..)
just a stupid question but is there any difference between the telus, rogers, bell, at&t versions of the note???
i have been looking but i have not found any real answer if there is a difference in the hardware that will affect flashing various roms and rooting..
from what i have read the hardware is the same for all models (right?)
and i can use modems from tmobile...??????
thanks for any help
From what I know, the hardware is the same. The reason he calls it the "note lte" is because of the international version which has completely different hardware.
You should be able to use T-Mobile modems just fine. You could have him give you a screen shot of the "about phone" page in settings to verify its an i717x.
Sent from...

[Q] I have a Rogers One, which forum should I be on??

As stated above; I'm getting the Rogers HTC One, but I'm not sure which forum I should be following.
With my SGSIII it was simple, Rogers was listed with the AT&T version, and the international version is quite different from the North American, but the One doesn't really seem different between the regions. My biggest concern is the ROMs, want to make sure I'm getting the right ROM for my device.
Thanks
T-Mobile, ATT, Rogers and all GSM carriers are the same as the international version. You can follow either thread you want
Only difference is radio bands
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2

dumb question

wich one is the rooting section for canadian verson of m8 is it like samsung you use at & t section
Not really a dumb question. You are probably fine on the "international" or generic One M8 section. All ROMs for the GSM variants will work on your version. Also, many of the general and Q&A threads there (as well as this AT&T version section) will apply to your version. But you will have to use some judgement and discretion. While all M8's are identical in hardware, there are subtle network/radio differences between the carrier versions.
Also, depending on your carrier, lots of the info in the AT&T section can be handy. For instance, Rogers and Bell Canada (not sure about other Canadian carriers) share the same/similar network with AT&T, and the companies were all the same company (or partially owned by AT&T) at in one point.

Can I use any ROMs with the SM-T827?

I purchased a Tab S3 thinking it would be a WiFi model. Turns out it is a SM-T827 (US Cellular) version. I never plan on using a mobile plan with it. Are there any problems if I use ROMs for the 820 or 825 models?
It will not work, they use different roms as they have different internals and also has an imei being a celluar version.
That is too bad. I hate Samsung's UI and slow version of Android.
This isn't an answer to your question, but...
I'm curious how much bloatware they put on the US Cellular variant. I've seen where people flash Verizon firmware successfully onto the US Cellular version, but haven't discussed doing that in the other direction and am tempted to try it.
The Verizon version of Pie has a ton of junk on it.
Thanks

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