S9+ Unlocked vs T-Mobile Variant - Samsung Galaxy S9+ Questions & Answers

Does anyone know what differences there might be between the Unlocked version and the T-Mobile variant? I'm wondering if there are any features missing from the Unlocked version while on the T-Mobile network (like how on the VZW version Wifi calling is apparently not usable on the Unlocked version).
Any info would be great, thanks.

The unlocked one has the mobile data toogle while Tmobile dont have it. Wifi calling running fine on the unlocked ones with Tmobile services. Hope that could help you.

AS I understand there aren't many differences between them.

Related

Would ordering s9+ unlocked version from samsung work ok on ATT without any issues?

Pros/Cons?
Pro: No AT&T preinstalled bloat
I'm using an Essential PH-1 unlocked with AT&T. No problems.
Used a Mate 9 unlocked on ATT with no problem. Most US unlocked phones should work without any problems on ATT
VoLTE or HD calling as AT&T calls it might work on an unlocked phone if they will provision your line for the service. They did it for my Pixel 2 and it worked after I got a new sim. I don't think wifi calling will work on any phone except an AT&T device. I would make good use of this service so I'm opting for the AT&T version. If I find wifi calling works on an unlocked model I may switch but I don't think it will. We do some vacationing at a place with wifi but no cell service. My wife's AT&T iphone has it and it's pretty cool.
If the unlocked version is snapdragon then it will work just fine and lock to USA AT&T. With the S8 phones they were unlocked until you put a SIM in it and then it locks to that carrier. I'm curious is the unlocked version the exynos or the Snapdragon?
highaltitude said:
If the unlocked version is snapdragon then it will work just fine and lock to USA AT&T. With the S8 phones they were unlocked until you put a SIM in it and then it locks to that carrier. I'm curious is the unlocked version the exynos or the Snapdragon?
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The snapdragon is the only processor sold in the usa whether you are unlocked or carrier specific.
Having issues with SM-G965F on AT&T LTE
I just activated my SM-G965F and I'm only getting 3G and 3.5G (H+). No LTE. If I change the mobile networks settings to nxtgenphone, it connects to LTE, then drops and I get no data. I can only use the 'phone' version. My AT&T account has a grayed out device for my account. Checking compatibility with the IMEI checker for AT&T says it cannot determine if it is compatible. the 2nd SIM slot IMEI number is considered invalid!
Heading to the AT&T store at the mall later... not expecting much help.
I have the Note 8 and it was a PITA to get it full working on AT&T. Only thing that interest me was the Volte for talking on the phone and data at the same time, never got it working 100%. Had AT&T provision with new chip still not working good, so I sold the unlocked and got an AT&T model and had it unlocked and all is working well.
Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
[Resolved] Having issues with SM-G965F on AT&T LTE
poodull said:
I just activated my SM-G965F and I'm only getting 3G and 3.5G (H+). No LTE. If I change the mobile networks settings to nxtgenphone, it connects to LTE, then drops and I get no data. I can only use the 'phone' version. My AT&T account has a grayed out device for my account. Checking compatibility with the IMEI checker for AT&T says it cannot determine if it is compatible. the 2nd SIM slot IMEI number is considered invalid!
Heading to the AT&T store at the mall later... not expecting much help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was not the APN settings, entirely. It was that myAT&T would not recognize my IMEI number as a 9+. So, working with a store clerk at the local mall, she suggested to punch in a fake(last number altered) IMEI number using the in-store SM-G965U models. Since this has nothing to do with actually logging in or SIM verification, it worked. The SIM does its job and my account has an S9 (not a plus) on it, so when I changed to the 'nxtgenphone' APN settings, it is 'allowed' to log in (that's my best guess, anyway).
There is no other reason why the SM-G965F would NOT work on AT&T LTE since it has 3 of the 4 LTE bands (band30 is not included, but is only used in new, dense environments to alleviate network congestion -- my understanding).
dmb219 said:
The snapdragon is the only processor sold in the usa whether you are unlocked or carrier specific.
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Click to collapse
So if I buy and ship an unlocked Galaxy S9 from Samsung website, it will have Snapdragon and not Exynos? I'm in a US territory.
I'm getting a good deal off their website with accessories and whatnot buying unlocked but I prefer Exynos
I'd rather not post and make a new thread. If someone else can confirm, I'd be much obliged
Yep it does. Just make sure it's on Snapdragon.

Att version unlocked ( fully paid) on T-Mobile?

USA snapdragon.
Any frequency issues? Can they be fixed?
Any T-Mobile features not useable?
As far as I know (saw on other threads) T-Mobile supports all versions. Or better said, T-Mobile won't block any features if you use another phone on their network.
hometech99 said:
USA snapdragon.
Any frequency issues? Can they be fixed?
Any T-Mobile features not useable?
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Click to collapse
Hi can you tell me how you unlocked att s9 plus, i'm not able to unlock with att or third party unlock site, thanks in advance.
Mine is bought outright.
Then requested unlock code on at&t site.
An independent dealer told me her att phone wouldn't do hotspot when on tmobile.
Maybe that varies per phone model and/or android version.
Would have to try to be sure.
Hi,
Have an unlocked ATT phone on Tmobile, wifi calling doesn't work.
That's why I'm staying on att...plus asking around, tmobile still needs better coverage here.

[email protected] unlocked S9+ No VOLTE on T-Mobile

Wondering if anyone has had the issue where unlocked ATT S9+ can not access T-Mobile's VOLTE? data works flawlessly. T-Mobile has no Edge or wcdma in my areas calls fail. Never seen this issue on an unlocked att device before they always have worked on tmobilesVOLTE
since yesterday I've had my at&t s9+ on tmobiles network, and have full functionality. Advanced messaging, VoLTE, wifi calling and video calling all work fine. Started with at&t, unlocked, flashed g965u1 firmware, flashed back to g965u stock tmobile with home_csc and omitted userdata. haven't tried at&t on tmo before, and I guess my process was a bit convoluted but I also wanted to debloat and unbrand.
imgur.com/a/fffT7DH for screenshots of phone info showing tmb/tmb/att and radioinfo showing volte provisioned

Carrier Unlocking the U.S. S9/S9+

My question remains, when carrier unlocking an s9 or s9+, is there any way to make it available on different network types like say if the phone started out using a carrier that uses CDMA, is their any way to flash it to utilize t-mobile's frequency bands?
I unlocked two galaxy s9+'s that were on xfinity, which uses verizon towers. The two phones did unlock, but only for carriers utilizing CDMA. I was hoping they would be able to be used on t-mobile after unlocking, but they can't. Only messaging and data works using a t-mobile SIM card. Verizon works fine. SO my question still remains, is there a way to make it work?
I used itekimei .com to have the phones unlocked, as I found they were suggested here on XDA. And they weren't really able to answer my question either. They said it should work with t-mobile, but the conversation ended with "t-mobile is having problems with unlocked phones." This is super frustrating trying to get an answer.
Edit: I found this forum https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s9-plus/help/sim-unlocking-sprint-samsung-galaxy-s9-t3783571 which debates whether it will work or not. Also this one specifically about Xfinity https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s9-plus/help/xfinity-mobile-unlock-service-t3796349. But mine didn't work. I don't think U.S. S9's are cross compatible from CDMA to GSM. I have been searching and searching and can't find a way.
Yes, the US unit hardware is cross compatible. Heck, Verizon itself isn't all CDMA. They are phasing out CDMA soon and most of their network is LTE.
I have a US unlocked S9+ and can use any carrier in the US. You could too, all you need to do is flash the US Unlocked firmware to the device using Odin.
Your problem may be the Xfinity firmware restricting certain bands is all. Or possibly the device isn't really unlocked.
Regards,

Unlocked AT&T Model on T-Mobile get VoLTE?

I tried the unlocked Sprint one and no VoLTE and no VoWifi. Does anyone have the unlocked ATT version LM-G850U on TMobile and if so, do VoLTE and VoWifi work?
Got one today.
No go. No VoLTE, no VoWifi.
I have a sprint version .someone find tricks to unlock
This VoLTE method probably does not work for Sprint version, but maybe someone can try it on AT&T version?
https://www.91mobiles.com/questions/how-to-enable-volte-on-lg-g8x-thinq
acefr said:
This VoLTE method probably does not work for Sprint version, but maybe someone can try it on AT&T version?
https://www.91mobiles.com/questions/how-to-enable-volte-on-lg-g8x-thinq
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Those switches are greyed out on mine, which is (unintentionally) the Canadian version. But I have been told it is greyed out because VoLTE/Wifi Calling aren't enabled on the carrier side. In my case Ting says that my phone has LTE Band 12 and therefore VoLTE, but that will only work on ATT. A bit confusing because (like I said) the particular rom on my phone is Canadian (LMG850UM20e), so why ATT? The explanation for that, it seems is that ATT, (Sprint), and the unlocked Canadian version have the same sub-model (of the G8X - LMG850): LMG850UM. The USA unlocked version a different sub-model (LMG850QM), the rest of the world has yet another sub-model (LMQ850EMW). See this reddit post on the different models: https://www.reddit.com/r/LGG8X/comments/hvqdy4/hey_g8x_owner_what_is_the_submodel_number_and/
As far as I know all models (LMG850......) have the same hardware, the only difference are the roms, which artificially disable certain capabilities of the phone. I am pretty sure my phone would do VoLTE just fine on Ting (or most other carriers). The thing wrong here, I think, is that the IMEI and other specific identifiers of the phone artificially show that the phone does not have the functionality.
With all that said, I am still trying to find my around this problem. I'm considering flashing a different rom, tho not sure if that'll change what the IMEI and the other specific identifiers tell the cell carrier about compatibility. There is one report of T-Mobile supposedly fixing the same problem for a customer, see u/Veshtarii's comments on this reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/LGG8X/comments/irm2as/lg_g8x_unlocked_models_having_issues_with_us/
I also plan to keep updating this XDA forum post https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g8X/help/unable-to-enable-volte-wifi-calling-t4185809 with what I find out about this problem, potential solutions, and hopefully what solves it. Hopefully my post will be useful to those with the same problem.
I have concluded it's not possible on any TMO towers. See my forum post for more details: https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g8X/help/unable-to-enable-volte-wifi-calling-t4185809
Odd since t-mobile now owns Sprint. You would think t-mobile would allow or update the sprint version to use wifi/volte etc..
Perhaps future t-mobile firmware/security updates will patch the sprint to use these services.. Certainly NOT customer friendly for those who migrated from sprint to t-mobile.
I can understand the att version not working w t-mobile but not the sprint version
foxxyman said:
I have concluded it's not possible on any TMO towers. See my forum post for more details: https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g8X/help/unable-to-enable-volte-wifi-calling-t4185809
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As far as I know, only the official US unlocked version LMG850QM has support for TMO VoLTE. None of other variants will work.
acefr said:
As far as I know, only the official US unlocked version LMG850QM has support for TMO VoLTE. None of other variants will work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe, I'm not sure still, even after all the research I've done. But I don't know everything of course. Also, after looking on ebay, the LMG850QM is like 450$ at the cheapest, compared to the 250$ of the LMG850UM ATT or Sprint versions, (the Canadian unlocked version is like 200$).
---------- Post added at 01:16 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:12 AM ----------
wogeboy said:
Odd since t-mobile now owns Sprint. You would think t-mobile would allow or update the sprint version to use wifi/volte etc..
Perhaps future t-mobile firmware/security updates will patch the sprint to use these services.. Certainly NOT customer friendly for those who migrated from sprint to t-mobile.
I can understand the att version not working w t-mobile but not the sprint version
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Click to collapse
If you look in my forum post I referenced to in the previous comment of this post, I reference a reddit post where there is one person on sprint that got it working with a TMO tech person. That's the time I've heard about getting it working on T-Mobile.
This MAY HELP
I have a Sprint unlocked version, runs on T-Mobile. No wifi-calling menu.
BUT I downloaded and installed an app from Play Store called Wifi Calling written by Widget7 (get the right one), This simple app appeared to turn on the wifi-calling feature in the hidden menu. Long story short, I got wifi- calling on T-Mobile.
reachforthesky said:
This MAY HELP
I have a Sprint unlocked version, runs on T-Mobile. No wifi-calling menu.
BUT I downloaded and installed an app from Play Store called Wifi Calling written by Widget7 (get the right one), This simple app appeared to turn on the wifi-calling feature in the hidden menu. Long story short, I got wifi- calling on T-Mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what about volte?
doctorman said:
what about volte?
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The WiFi Calling app only reveals the hidden menu, nothing more.
T-Mobile have VoLTE on by default. You can disable it by selecting different types of mobile networks such as Automatic 3G/2G, LTE/3G, or 2G only. I have no experience on this.
I have confirmed this by dialing *#*#4636#*#* Both data and voice are over LTE. And the VoLTE on/off button is grayed out (based on the type of mobile network selected).
reachforthesky said:
The WiFi Calling app only reveals the hidden menu, nothing more.
T-Mobile have VoLTE on by default. You can disable it by selecting different types of mobile networks such as Automatic 3G/2G, LTE/3G, or 2G only. I have no experience on this.
I have confirmed this by dialing *#*#4636#*#* Both data and voice are over LTE. And the VoLTE on/off button is grayed out (based on the type of mobile network selected).
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I mean does it matter which variety of the phone I have?
if I have a sprint model, will it work fully on tmobile with volte and wifi calling?

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