s21 deals

[Jgp55555]

Am thinking about getting s20 plus, can get 150 for my phone and 400 off through verizon. Might wait for s21. Was wondering if Samsung typically has deals on the new S series phones right when they come out. Thanks.

 

[worldspy99]

Yes, Samsung has amazing deals for pre-orders.
Depending on the Phone you trade in you can get up to half off. I traded my S9 in for S10+ for about 550 off and additional freebies like Samsung Buds and a free case.

With the S20 FE I got $500 off with the trade-in and $70 which I redeemed for a Gear Fit 2.

Best to wait for a month and a half at this point in time instead of the S20 plus IMO.

 

[KPMcClave]

I saw it reported that the S21 line is going to be less expensive than the S20 line. I'm sure that's only speculation at this point (and how much less is anyone's guess), but so close to release of the S21s it's another reason to wait a bit and compare.

 

[Adam Frix]

Yes, Samsung has amazing deals for pre-orders.
Depending on the Phone you trade in you can get up to half off. I traded my S9 in for S10+ for about 550 off and additional freebies like Samsung Buds and a free case.

Same here.

Unfortunately, I found out just a few weeks ago that phones NOT bought directly from T-Mobile, even though they may be T-Mobile branded phones like the one I bought at a great price from Samsung, are not eligible to roam in parts of the country.

So, if a T-Mobile user wants to maximize his use of his hardware as he travels, having service in the maximum number of places, he would want to buy his phone not from Samsung or anyone else, but from T-Mobile.

And that means foregoing those wonderful Samsung trade-in deals, and hoping for good deals from T-Mobile.

And that sucks.

 

[bkdodger2]

Same here.

Unfortunately, I found out just a few weeks ago that phones NOT bought directly from T-Mobile, even though they may be T-Mobile branded phones like the one I bought at a great price from Samsung, are not eligible to roam in parts of the country.

So, if a T-Mobile user wants to maximize his use of his hardware as he travels, having service in the maximum number of places, he would want to buy his phone not from Samsung or anyone else, but from T-Mobile.

And that means foregoing those wonderful Samsung trade-in deals, and hoping for good deals from T-Mobile.

And that sucks.

So unlocked variant from Samsung will not work everywhere?

 

[Nakrohtap]

Same here.

Unfortunately, I found out just a few weeks ago that phones NOT bought directly from T-Mobile, even though they may be T-Mobile branded phones like the one I bought at a great price from Samsung, are not eligible to roam in parts of the country.

So, if a T-Mobile user wants to maximize his use of his hardware as he travels, having service in the maximum number of places, he would want to buy his phone not from Samsung or anyone else, but from T-Mobile.

And that means foregoing those wonderful Samsung trade-in deals, and hoping for good deals from T-Mobile.

And that sucks.

This isn't correct. A T-mobile branded phone bought from Samsung or T-mobile is the same exact phone. You are confusing this with the unlocked variant, which works on AT&T, Sprint and T-mobile, but may lack a feature or two from the T-mobile variant.

 

[Adam Frix]

So unlocked variant from Samsung will not work everywhere?

On T-Mobile? Correct.

Like I said, even a T-Mobile branded unit that is identical to what T-Mobile sells won't work everywhere. It's an administrative/database issue between T-Mobile and US Cellular. Unless your phone is in T-Mo's database in a certain way, US Cellular will deny it roaming privileges. Period.

And the only way to get the phone into T-Mo's database in the correct way is for it to have come to you from T-Mobile's sales organization. In other words, only phones that they take into inventory will pass the test with US Cellular's system.

Apparently this dirty little secret has been known for some time, although not well known.

If you never travel in those areas where this is an issue, then otherwise you have a complete T-Mobile-branded phone. Oh--except for unlocking. Again, T-Mo's unlock system needs to see a phone that came from T-Mo's inventory system. If you take that Samsung-sold T-Mobile phone, put it on T-Mo's postpaid network for 40 days, and try to unlock it--it will fail. Now, THIS is solvable--but it takes a phone call to T-Mobile to do this. They'll take your phone info and do something, and in a couple of days the phone's built-in unlock process will work.

Why this same "call customer support" mechanism doesn't also work for making the phone available for roaming with US Cellular, I don't know. But T-Mobile has acknowledged this to me at the very highest levels, in a way that makes me believe them absolutely and completely.

So if you really, truly want unquestioned and complete capability in all of T-Mo's footprint, the answer is to buy your phone from T-Mobile.

BTW, this also makes buying used--even from Swappa--difficult. There's no distinction on a T-Mobile-branded phone as to whether or not it came from T-Mobile or from Samsung, and yet it's an important distinction. If you buy used, even if Swappa identifies it as a T-Mobile-branded phone, you roll the dice on this roaming capability.

 

[Adam Frix]

This isn't correct. A T-mobile branded phone bought from Samsung or T-mobile is the same exact phone. You are confusing this with the unlocked variant, which works on AT&T, Sprint and T-mobile, but may lack a feature or two from the T-mobile variant.

I am not. I discovered this about a month ago, and did very extensive research on it.

This is a known issue, but it's a dirty little secret that doesn't get much play. But once you hear it and start digging around, you discover that it's absolutely true.

The issue is not physical. To your point, a T-Mobile-branded phone bought from Samsung is 100% the exact same phone. I agree. But the issue is an administrative one. If it didn't pass through T-Mo's inventory system, it's not been administratively blessed in a way that passes muster with US Cellular. USC checks TMo's database to validate the phone; if it doesn't pass that weird administrative validation, then it doesn't get access to USC's system.

So while the phone is 100% identical, its behavior in the wild most certainly is not.

I will tell you, after I dug into it rather extensively I had it confirmed to me by T-Mobile at the highest levels, in an undisputable way. I won't go into it, but this is absolutely how it works.

 

[bkdodger2]

On T-Mobile? Correct.

Like I said, even a T-Mobile branded unit that is identical to what T-Mobile sells won't work everywhere. It's an administrative/database issue between T-Mobile and US Cellular. Unless your phone is in T-Mo's database in a certain way, US Cellular will deny it roaming privileges. Period.

And the only way to get the phone into T-Mo's database in the correct way is for it to have come to you from T-Mobile's sales organization. In other words, only phones that they take into inventory will pass the test with US Cellular's system.

Apparently this dirty little secret has been known for some time, although not well known.

If you never travel in those areas where this is an issue, then otherwise you have a complete T-Mobile-branded phone. Oh--except for unlocking. Again, T-Mo's unlock system needs to see a phone that came from T-Mo's inventory system. If you take that Samsung-sold T-Mobile phone, put it on T-Mo's postpaid network for 40 days, and try to unlock it--it will fail. Now, THIS is solvable--but it takes a phone call to T-Mobile to do this. They'll take your phone info and do something, and in a couple of days the phone's built-in unlock process will work.

Why this same "call customer support" mechanism doesn't also work for making the phone available for roaming with US Cellular, I don't know. But T-Mobile has acknowledged this to me at the very highest levels, in a way that makes me believe them absolutely and completely.

So if you really, truly want unquestioned and complete capability in all of T-Mo's footprint, the answer is to buy your phone from T-Mobile.

BTW, this also makes buying used--even from Swappa--difficult. There's no distinction on a T-Mobile-branded phone as to whether or not it came from T-Mobile or from Samsung, and yet it's an important distinction. If you buy used, even if Swappa identifies it as a T-Mobile-branded phone, you roll the dice on this roaming capability.

Interesting and good info..I’ve no experience with US Cellular..I’ve only used unlocked phones on TMO but never needed to get them unlocked obviously since it’s already there for other carriers..

 

[Adam Frix]

Interesting and good info..I’ve no experience with US Cellular..I’ve only used unlocked phones on TMO but never needed to get them unlocked obviously since it’s already there for other carriers..

I would imagine a T-Mobile-bought phone will work everywhere with a TMo SIM in it even when unlocked (I'm going to find out soon). And of course it will take any SIM card.

But I would think a factory unlocked phone with a TMo SIM card in it is questionable until further notice.

I think getting a T-Mo-bought phone, unlocking it, and then flashing it with carrier-specific software as you move carriers would be the ultimate in flexibility.

 

[bkdodger2]

I would imagine a T-Mobile-bought phone will work everywhere with a TMo SIM in it even when unlocked (I'm going to find out soon). And of course it will take any SIM card.

But I would think a factory unlocked phone with a TMo SIM card in it is questionable until further notice.

I think getting a T-Mo-bought phone, unlocking it, and then flashing it with carrier-specific software as you move carriers would be the ultimate in flexibility.

I'd be interested in findings... I'm on Verizon now but had great experience with Tmobile though I never bought from them...

 

[X1tymez]

I am not. I discovered this about a month ago, and did very extensive research on it.

This is a known issue, but it's a dirty little secret that doesn't get much play. But once you hear it and start digging around, you discover that it's absolutely true.

The issue is not physical. To your point, a T-Mobile-branded phone bought from Samsung is 100% the exact same phone. I agree. But the issue is an administrative one. If it didn't pass through T-Mo's inventory system, it's not been administratively blessed in a way that passes muster with US Cellular. USC checks TMo's database to validate the phone; if it doesn't pass that weird administrative validation, then it doesn't get access to USC's system.

So while the phone is 100% identical, its behavior in the wild most certainly is not.

I will tell you, after I dug into it rather extensively I had it confirmed to me by T-Mobile at the highest levels, in an undisputable way. I won't go into it, but this is absolutely how it works.

You forgot to mention NA SA 5G only available for t-mobile branded phone. I'm waiting for it on unlocked for months. Both Samsung and t-mobile pointing fingers.

T-mobile played the nicest with unlocked device, but if anyone want take full advantage of its network.

Buy unlocked samsung and flash carrier firmware lol.

 

[Adam Frix]

You forgot to mention NA SA 5G only available for t-mobile branded phone. I'm waiting for it on unlocked for months. Both Samsung and t-mobile pointing fingers.

T-mobile played the nicest with unlocked device, but if anyone want take full advantage of its network.

Buy unlocked samsung and flash carrier firmware lol.

I didn't know that about SA 5G. (My area doesn't have much 5G, and my neighborhood has virtually no TMo service, so I haven't really been following it.)

But again, if you want to take full advantage of everything T-Mobile has to offer, simply buying unlocked from Samsung and flashing TMo carrier firmware isn't enough. The device itself has to have come through TMo's inventory system and been sold to you from them.

You can fix the SA 5G, like you said, by flashing carrier firmware. But you can't fix the administrative issues that define the roaming capabilities. That can be done only with a TMo-sourced phone.

UPDATE: I'm reading that the Android 11 update to the unlocked S20 family will allow TMo SA 5G. True?

This is interesting:

https://www.reddit.com/r/samsung/comments/k40rqx/is_a_s20fe_unlocked_compatible_with_tmobile_5g/

The only things you'll miss out on by going with an unlocked model are:

Standalone 5G - This would have to be enabled by a firmware update, and I don't believe it's come down to the S20FEs yet. All this does is allow the phone to connect to 5G networks that aren't piggybacking off of a LTE connection. This has little to no impact on your data speeds.

US Cellular roaming - Only Android phones sold through T-Mobile are able to roam on US Cellular's network.

Video calling in the dialer app - This only works on T-Mobile's firmware.

RCS in Samsung messages - Once again, only works in T-Mobile's firmware.

So it is somewhat general knowledge about US Cellular roaming. I had forgotten about video calling, but that, standalone 5G, and RCS are all solvable by flashing TMo firmware.

What remains unsolvable is US Cellular roaming. That requires a phone sold by TMo.

 

[mustang7757]

I saw it reported that the S21 line is going to be less expensive than the S20 line. I'm sure that's only specualtion at this point (and how much less is anyone's gess), but so close to release of the S21s it's another reason to wait a bit and compare.

Yeah I heard the same

 

[mustang7757]

I didn't know that about SA 5G. (My area doesn't have much 5G, and my neighborhood has virtually no TMo service, so I haven't really been following it.)

But again, if you want to take full advantage of everything T-Mobile has to offer, simply buying unlocked from Samsung and flashing TMo carrier firmware isn't enough. The device itself has to have come through TMo's inventory system and been sold to you from them.

You can fix the SA 5G, like you said, by flashing carrier firmware. But you can't fix the administrative issues that define the roaming capabilities. That can be done only with a TMo-sourced phone.

UPDATE: I'm reading that the Android 11 update to the unlocked S20 family will allow TMo SA 5G. True?

This is interesting:

https://www.reddit.com/r/samsung/comments/k40rqx/is_a_s20fe_unlocked_compatible_with_tmobile_5g/



So it is somewhat general knowledge about US Cellular roaming. I had forgotten about video calling, but that, standalone 5G, and RCS are all solvable by flashing TMo firmware.

What remains unsolvable is US Cellular roaming. That requires a phone sold by TMo.

Thats false

I've flashed my unlocked version to Tmobile firmware and had everything (done this countless times )
Wifi calling
Rcs messages
Video call in dialer
Download booster at the time when they included it which they don't anymore
IMS registered (look that up. Settings>about>status information >sim card status


I've had unlocked version from Samsung with Tmobile sim and no issue , only don't get rcs in stock Samsung message app and video call in dialer But I got a mod to make that work from xda forums on Tmobile unlocked, I have a thread on that .

 

[mustang7757]

Oh by the way you can look this up through S8,s9,note9,note 10 Forums ...I've made lot of post about this .

 

[Adam Frix]

Thats false

I said: "So it is somewhat general knowledge about US Cellular roaming. I had forgotten about video calling, but that, standalone 5G, and RCS are all solvable by flashing TMo firmware."

Go back and re-read it.

So none of what I wrote is false, as you yourself have shown. You and I are in violent agreement here. Factory unlocked, you don't get video calling, RCS, etc. But if you flash to the TMo firmware, you will have TMo features. No one disputed that.

What you will never get from a factory unlocked unit, or any unit not purchased from TMo, is full compatibility with respect to US Cellular roaming. Even if you flash it to TMo firmware, you won't get that. That is not disputable.

 

[Adam Frix]

Oh by the way you can look this up through S8,s9,note9,note 10 Forums ...I've made lot of post about this .

Good for you. How does that change the fact that you and I are in violent agreement here?

Again, I wrote: "So it is somewhat general knowledge about US Cellular roaming. I had forgotten about video calling, but that, standalone 5G, and RCS are all solvable by flashing TMo firmware."

And you came in and said "that's false, you can flash TMo firmware and get everything"????? [language removed]

 

[mustang7757]

Go back and re-read it. None of that is false, as you yourself have shown. Factory unlocked, you don't get video calling, RCS, etc. But if you flash to the TMo firmware, you will have TMo features. No one disputed that.

What you will never get from a factory unlocked unit, or any unit not purchased from TMo, is full compatibility with respect to US Cellular roaming. Even if you flash it to TMo firmware, you won't get that.

I have explained already you flash a unlocked Samsung to Tmobile firmware , you'll have everything look up my many threads ,helps on this topic

I just giving more information whith Tmobile on unlocked as a added bonus in this conversation

Done this many many times especially with Tmobile...

I can also explain for Att but we stay on Tmobile since that's what we referring to

 

[mustang7757]

Good for you. How does that change the fact that you and I are in violent agreement here?

Again, I wrote: "So it is somewhat general knowledge about US Cellular roaming. I had forgotten about video calling, but that, standalone 5G, and RCS are all solvable by flashing TMo firmware."

And you came in and said "that's false, you can flash TMo firmware and get everything"?????

It's not a violent agreement, your wrong on flashing unlocked Samsung to Tmobile firmware and I'm clarifying your very wrong