Galaxy S6 Tmobile or International?

[krazyatom]

Hi guys,

I am an blackberry/IOS users mostly, but recently I saw a friend picked up a Samsung galaxy S6 and I thought phone was pretty decent.
I am on a fence to pick up one myself but I don't know if I should get tmobile version or international. I don't really like carrier phone because they push updates way too slow. I can pick up a international F model for around $500 in ebay but it does not offer any warranty I went to tmobile.com and S6 is around $650 + tax which is around $700 after tax. $200 difference is huge. Should I just pick up a international model? I know international model is missing tmobile LTE band 12, but I don't think it really matters that much because I am from Los Angeles area. Please give me some good advice. Thanks in advance!

 

[Fred Wilson2]

I have an international S6E (925F) on AT&T.
With the international ones you get no carrier bloatware and no carrier mod'd firmware, and, as you already know, faster updates.
Regarding warranty, most sellers of new ones on E-Bay and Amazon provide a 30 warranty. My experience has always been if something is wrong it will show up within that time.
I always get unlocked, now-carrier, international phones and never have had a problem

Fred

 

[darthhen]

If you want to utilize the Wifi calling feature with T-Mobile, then stick with T-Mobile purchased phone. Unlocked phone will not allow you to use Wifi calling.

 

[Almeuit]

If you want to utilize the Wifi calling feature with T-Mobile, then stick with T-Mobile purchased phone. Unlocked phone will not allow you to use Wifi calling.

This.

 

[krazyatom]

Thanks guys I just decided to get a international version because it's cheaper and I don't really need to tmobile wifi calling feature. I would prefer to get faster updates too without carrier app preinstalled.

 

[erasat]

With Unlocked versions where you don't have Wifi calling feature available, Hangouts and its Dialer add-on come very handy and at least helps you with the wifi voice calling part, not a full solution for making and receiving calls and Sms/mms, but something is better than nothing.

If you decide to root the device I've read that the wifi calling is available as a hidden option, just need to turn it on, haven't tried that because I'm not root, but for those that will be rooting anyway, it's an option.

One more thing, get the F version and not the I, both are Unlocked versions but it seems that what Samsung consider the International one is the F, it already has the 5.1.1 in basically all the regions but 1, and the I version has updated to 5.1.1 version just in India and maybe one or 2 more little regions.

Can't understand how carriers like T-Mobile already has the version for more than 1 month and others like Sprint and some others have been updating recently and the so called Unlocked versions are still left behind, Samsung needs to get better on this, it's simply stupid from them.

If you are on T-Mobile the I version is supposed to be the one to get but reading about it, the F has all the bands T-Mobile use and if I read correctly including their new band 12, check for yourself to corroborate that.