US vs International S7

[bchreng]

I want to pick up an S7 and am debating between an unlocked AT&T model and the international model. The US variant has a Snapdragon 820 whereas the international model has an Exynos 8890. After searching, I've found that the 8890 is faster overall and comes paired with a better audio chip, but has a slower GPU.

The international model also doesn't support Samsung Pay. Is that a major feature that's very useful? Or is it another one of Samsung's experiments that will likely be dropped in the next generation or two? Does Google Pay work in the US on the international model?

Also, as far as updates are concerned, will they be released more frequently and in a more timely manner on the international model vs the AT&T variant?

Any extra input would be much appreciated. For the record, I don't like fiddling around with rooting or custom ROMs. I'm leaning towards the international model right now and understand that it doesn't come with a warranty.

 

[MRU]

Re: quicker updates. The 930F (international variant) can be easily flashed to the newest firmware via odin without upsetting your warranty by tripping knox. Because there are so many versions firmware wise of the 930F just because you have a 930F doesn't mean you will get the update any quicker than AT&T device, you would have to keep an eye on something like sammobile firmware and XDA to know which territory gets the update, and then download and flash that firmware via ODIN if you want it ASAP.

Re: cellular. I am unsure whether all the 4G LTE bands needed in the USA model are supported however, that will be something to look into. You will also lose carrier features such as voice over LTE calls and such.

The Exynos actually is better than the 820 variant in graphics, simply because it doesn't throttle the GPU like the sanapdragon variant does. So outside of first run benchmarks, the exynos will likely play your games better overall.

 

[5105973]

Samsung Pay is amazing. Samsung gives you lots of little rewards and incentives for using it. It also works many more places than Apple Pay or Android Pay in the US...but so many cashiers freak out when you try to use it or even use it successfully with the transaction going through that they pitch a tantrum insisting you pull out your credit card so they can see it that it kind of negates the purpose. I don't blame them, they have to watch for bad checks and all manner of fraudulent shenanigans. They need training to recognize the new payment methods and that's on upper management.
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Re: quicker updates. The 930F (international variant) can be easily flashed to the newest firmware via odin without upsetting your warranty by tripping knox. Because there are so many versions firmware wise of the 930F just because you have a 930F doesn't mean you will get the update any quicker than AT&T device, you would have to keep an eye on something like sammobile firmware and XDA to know which territory gets the update, and then download and flash that firmware via ODIN if you want it ASAP.

Re: cellular. I am unsure whether all the 4G LTE bands needed in the USA model are supported however, that will be something to look into. You will also lose carrier features such as voice over LTE calls and such.

The Exynos actually is better than the 820 variant in graphics, simply because it doesn't throttle the GPU like the sanapdragon variant does. So outside of first run benchmarks, the exynos will likely play your games better overall.

I think Snapdragon runs hotter, too, doesn't it? Goodness knows I had heating issues with mine.

 

[MRU]

I think Snapdragon runs hotter, too, doesn't it? Goodness knows I had heating issues with mine.

It does, but the exynos can get toasty too especially in gear VR. However your S7 was getting so warm it causing physical discomfort which was certainly not normal.

 

[ag29]

Last I heard, Samsung pay does work on international versions through an AT&T update.

https://www.reddit.com/r/GalaxyS7/comments/4i133n/samsung_pay_now_works_on_international_galaxy_s7/

The downside to the exynos is it has zero support for Sprint and Verizon, and it doesn't support band 12 for T-mobile so that makes AT&T the only ideal carrier for it.

Other than that, the exynos is better than the snapdragon in every way. It's faster, has better battery life, very little to no bloatware preinstalled, and you even get faster software updates on the international version, as well as rooting is so much easier.

 

[5105973]

It does, but the exynos can get toasty too especially in gear VR. However your S7 was getting so warm it causing physical discomfort which was certainly not normal.

Yeah I'm glad to hear it's not normal. I'm considering giving the S7 a second chance if my Note7 gets recalled. I haven't found out directly myself but someone has posted on Android Central that now AT&T has joined Sprint in agreeing to take back Note7's and let customers choose what they want in exchange.

My Note 7 was running pretty hot last night when I was taking videos of a birthday dinner but that happens on iPhone, too. I didn't know it would impose a 10 minute limit on some higher res video formats. Bummer. But I got some amazing battery life yesterday.