T-Mo user--carrier version or unlocked?

[Adam Frix]

I can't refuse the $550 trade in for my not quite a year old, mint condition S9+. I paid only $648 for it new back in June, so it cost me $100 to use a flagship Sammy phone for a year. Nice.

My only question is, unlocked or T-Mobile version?

I've had unlocked stuff in the past; most recently, a Blackberry KEYone. It was built such that it had everything T-Mo had to offer in it from a hardware standpoint, plus once I put the T-Mo SIM card in it automatically installed all the T-Mo visual voicemail and whatnot apps, and became functionally identical to a carrier-branded phone with ALL carrier features.

I thoroughly like this idea. The question is, does Sammy do the same thing? Will an unlocked S10+ have all the hardware for all the T-Mo specific frequencies and bands, such as band 71? Or must I buy the T-Mobile variant from Samsung?

And at that point, is the carrier-specific version lacking what one might need to use it fully on AT&T or Verizon, for example, once it's unlocked?

Updates are also a consideration. How does carrier-specific differ from unlocked in this respect, if at all?

Apple sells complete and unlocked phones all day long, with every feature available for every carrier. If you're buying an iPhone, it's a no brainer to just buy it directly from Apple. It's fully functional anytime for whatever carrier's SIM is installed, plus it gets timely updates directly from Apple without carrier interference. Am I getting the same thing from Sammy?

I wasn't going to jump to S10+, because S9+ is so good. But S10+ is no bigger, and is lighter, and that $550 trade-in...boy. Swappa shows them going for only $419 or so.

 

[Rukbat]

does Sammy do the same thing? Will an unlocked S10+ have all the hardware for all the T-Mo specific frequencies and bands, such as band 71?

The US version has Band 71.

Whether it loads all the TMO software when you put the SIM in is a good question - my Note 3 ddn't. But you can install it all from Play.

And at that point, is the carrier-specific version lacking what one might need to use it fully on AT&T or Verizon, for example, once it's unlocked?

Yes, you can't use any SIM but a TMO SIM or a SIM from one of their MVNOs.

Updates are also a consideration. How does carrier-specific differ from unlocked in this respect, if at all?

Carrier=branded phones get updates from the carrier. Factory-unlocked phones get updates from Samsung.

Apple sells complete and unlocked phones all day long, with every feature available for every carrier.

Because the only place you can get an iPhone is from Apple, so if you're a carrier, you can't dictate terms - either you carry the iPhone Apple sells or you don't. With Android it's different - if manufacturer A doesn't want to go along with your terms, you can still sell Android phones from carriers B, C, D, etc. (and there are a lot of them).

If you're buying an iPhone, it's a no brainer to just buy it directly from Apple. It's fully functional anytime for whatever carrier's SIM is installed, plus it gets timely updates directly from Apple without carrier interference. Am I getting the same thing from Sammy?

With the S10+, yes. Not with all Samsung phones. Not with all LG phones. You have to check the specs.

Swappa shows them going for only $419 or so.

Look at where they're coming from. If it's a refurber (and Swappa has started carrying phones from many refurbers), you have no idea what you're getting - a badly misused battery that isn't showing how badly it was misused yet (but will fail in a couple of months), a badly scratched screen with a screen protector on it for the picture, a water-damaged phone that hasn't started to corrode all over - but will soon. If TMO wants to give you $550, and you really just have to get the S10, it sounds like a good deal.

 

[bhatech]

If you want updates in the US, unfortunately carrier versions are the way to go since US unlocked models only receive updates after all the carrier models receive theirs. Samsung has this wonderful process (/s) so if you care about updates go with carrier version.
If you don't care about it and just want a sim unlocked, carrier bloat free experience then go with US unlocked model. Though most carrier bloat can be disabled.

Understand pro and cons, and choose what you prefer.

 

[Adam Frix]

Yeah, that's what I'm trying to understand.

T-Mobile doesn't put carrier bloat on. They have their account app, and their visual voicemail app, and their Name ID app. That's it.

On my T-Mobile branded S9+, I was even able to REMOVE the Facebook app. Not just disable it--remove it entirely. That's a very customer friendly setup if you ask me.