Cell Phones

Different Versions of the Same Cell Phone Model, Frequency Support and Carrier Compatibility

  • Last Updated:
  • Oct 3rd, 2017 12:20 am
Newbie
Mar 14, 2008
99 posts
37 upvotes
Montreal

Different Versions of the Same Cell Phone Model, Frequency Support and Carrier Compatibility

Since the mobile carriers are now requiring subscription to expensive plans, I am now looking to acquire my phone separately and go for uncommitted services. However, it turns out buying a cell phone off the network carrier is more complicated than I thought.

Suppose I am on Fido (same network as Rogers) and I want to buy a Samsung Note 5. There are indeed numerous versions of this phone: SM-N920K, SM-N920V, SM-N920A, SM-N920G, SM-N920I, SM-N920C, SM-N920CD, SM-N9208, SM-N920W8, SM-N920R4, SM-N920F, SM-N920S, SM-N920P, SM-N9200 etc.! Different versions do not support the same frequencies. The website www.frequencycheck.com apparently does a good job of specifying which version covers which frequencies/bandwidths. It even does it based on which wireless carrier is under question. According to this website, certain versions of Note 5 do not support all frequency bandwidths that Fido uses in its LTE network. For example SM-N920P, SM-N920V, SM-N920T and SM-N920L do not cover all Fido's LTE frequencies while SM-N920I, SM-N920A, SM-N9208 and SM-N920W8 cover all frequencies used by Fido.

Now, I see (for example) the version SM-N920P sold in Canada by some third party online vendors who claim this version support Fido network %100; one being the Toronto.Cellular Ebay seller.

Even more confusing, the above mentioned website's disclaimer says: "A matching frequency band does not guarantee coverage. There may be additional network or device software restrictions that prevent a device from connecting on a certain frequency. Additionally, certain bands may only be available regionally within a country. "

Am I correctly understanding this? Or, am I missing something here and the vendor claims is to be trusted. Does for example, the SM-N920P version of Note 5 fully supports Fido's LTE network?

I appreciate if knowledgeable people may share their knowledge.
1 reply
Sr. Member
Sep 29, 2009
706 posts
325 upvotes
Toronto
The P is from Sprint. But it does appear to support the vast majority of what you'll ever need on Fido. I think it's missing Band 12 (700 A band) although it has Band 17 (700 B/C) so there may be edge cases where you don't get a signal that another unit could get. I wouldn't fret about it. Considering the phone is over 2 years old you'll still get a pretty good experience with it.

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