Which Samsung S-5 for Claro cell service in the DR

Bigocean

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Nov 25, 2010
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I am in USA this week and when I go home I want to bring a Samsung Galaxy S5 back with me that will be used with Claro cell service.

There seems to be two unlocked models available on Amazon and I am not sure which is the best for the Claro network. They have the model Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G900F with the Snapdragon processor and LTE and also the model Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G900H with Octa-core processor.

Given the realities of cell service on the DR on the Claro network, which would be the preferable model to use with Claro? This will be a gift so I do not want to have to exchange it and I don?t know enough about cell phones to make a intelligent choice and would be grateful for any insights. Thanks for any help.
 
Feb 7, 2007
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They have basically the same specs, but G900F has LTE.
G900F is European model, and according to GSMarena has 3G of Claro (850 Mhz UMTS)
Samsung Galaxy S5 - Full phone specifications
It probably will not work at LTE in Claro, as it uses 1700/2100 MHz according to this website
Dudas e inquietudes sobre el 4G LTE de Claro Dominicana | iPhoneandoRD ? Tu Web Tecnol?gica
and the phone in question (G900F) does not offer that frequency. But the other (octacore) does not offer any LTE at all.

But G900F will work on 4G LTE on Orange and Tricom (aka Orange 2) according to this website
Bandas de Orange, Claro, Tricom y Viva | Linkeado
 

AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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make sure you do not buy a fake galaxy s5 on ebay or craigslist. the ones which come with a new box, all accessories and says, "factory unlocked to work on all networks" are usually the fake chinese copy. they look very much like the original samsung but inside you have crappy hardware.
I use AT&T phones on claro network.
AZB
 

SKY

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Apr 11, 2004
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Buy the International version. I bought one on Ebay and it works fine here. It is on Claro.
 

AZB

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Buy the International version. I bought one on Ebay and it works fine here. It is on Claro.

this is where you have to be careful. international versions on ebay are fake (many of them). there are apps that will tell you the hardware of the phone and compare it to the real specs of s5 international. this is one of the ways to confirm if you have a real or fake phone.
AZB
 

AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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i only stick to network brand name samsung phones. example: at&t phone which will boot up with at&t logo and with att apps. this is a good indication that the phone is real. The international version phones are mostly copied because they are unbranded phones and they do boot up with samsung animations. very easy to copy and fake.
My note 3 is AT&T version, came with all att box and att logos and att boot animation. i was able to root it and then install an international version rom +custom features. now my phone is totally divorced from ATT and their crappy apps. My phone is international version and works on all networks. I am using it on claro.
AZB
 

SKY

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I have used the S5, and the Nexus 5. For my taste their is no comparison. Nexus 5 is my choice. No crappy software, just the barebones latest Android Kit Kat. No lag of any kind. The S5 feels really cheap to me. Also a lot less money and they come completely unlocked and work fine in the DR.
 

Bigocean

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Nov 25, 2010
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Thanks to everyone for their responses. This is for my wife and she has an older Samsung and has been wanting a S-5 so now I know what I need to buy for her. I also looked at the Nexus 5 and that looks perfect for me as I like a more simple device. Maybe I will put that on my list for Santa Claus:)
Seriously though, thank all of you very much for your information.
 

SKY

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Nexus 6 should be out before XMAS. I would wait for that one. It will be called Nexus X from what I understand.