5G Bands and E-SIM compatibility in Thailand for U.S. market mobiles?

[Pib]

This website shows the supported 5G bands for the Samsung S21 "International" version (model SM-G991B/DS Galaxy S21 5G Global Dual SIM TD-LTE 128GB) like they sell in Thailand.  I included a quote below of the 5G bands supported....and it includes the DTAC n28 band.

 

See weblink for full specifications.

https://phonedb.net/index.php?m=device&id=17965&c=samsung_sm-g991bds_galaxy_s21_5g_global_dual_sim_td-lte_128gb__samsung_unbound_m1

 

5G frequencies/bands supported....quoted from above weblink.

 NR2100 (N1) , NR1800 (N3) , NR850 (N5) , NR2600 (N7) , NR900 (N8) , NR800 (N20) , NR700 (N28) , TD-NR2300 (N40) , TD-NR3700 (N77) , TD-NR3500 (N78) bands

[Pib]

And if I'm reading above Samsung 21 Dual SIM (with e-SIM also) specs correctly the phone only operates in 5G mode for the primary SIM; the SIM in the second dual standby slot would not have 5G capability...just LTE/4G max capability.   

 

So, if a person wants to run more than one SIM with 5G capability it's not going to happen with a S21.   And maybe most other/all other current dual SIM 5G phones are that way....maybe because 5G radio chips cost more than LTE/4G radio chips....don't really know....just guessing.

[Pib]

Yeap...the more I research 5G technology and 5G capable phones I continue to find out little details/fine print that might disappoint some folks who buy current 5G phones.   Above I mentioned it didn't appear the Samsung S21 supports both SIMs operating in 5G mode at the same time.  

 

So, I did some googling regarding dual SIMs operating in 5G simultaneously and apparently it's called 5G+5G or dual-mode 5G capability which is not the same as Dual SIM 5G. 

 

See the two article below....they talk this issue.  Now the second article says the Samsung S21 has 5G+5G/Dual-mode 5G capability, but the detailed spec sheet a couple of posts up indicates to me it does not if I understand the sheet specs correctly.  Don't know which weblink is correct....but my gut is telling me the S21 is not 5G+5G/Dual-mode 5G capable.  That is, being able to have both SIMs operating in 5G mode at the same time...but hey, my gut has been wrong before. 

 

It also appears from info in the 2nd link below that your carrier's system must be designed for Dual-Mode 5G before a Dual-Mode 5G capable phone could have both SIMs operating in 5G mode.  

Dual SIM 5G phones: What’s the deal with "5G+5G" technology?
https://www.androidauthority.com/dual-sim-5g-phones-1136099/

 

"Dual-mode 5G" is not the same as "Dual SIM 5G"

https://www.smartprix.com/bytes/dual-mode-5g-phones/
 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 4/30/2021 at 8:27 PM, Pib said:

So, I did some googling regarding dual SIMs operating in 5G simultaneously and apparently it's called 5G+5G or dual-mode 5G capability which is not the same as Dual SIM 5G. 

 

I went thru exactly the same issue with ASUS Android mobile phones in the early days of LTE... On their dual SIM international phones, the first slot would support LTE but the 2nd slot would only run 3G/2G..... Didn't discover that until AFTER I'd purchased the phone!  Cheap bsterds... ????

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 4/30/2021 at 7:41 PM, Pib said:

This website shows the supported 5G bands for the Samsung S21 "International" version (model SM-G991B/DS Galaxy S21 5G Global Dual SIM TD-LTE 128GB) like they sell in Thailand.  I included a quote below of the 5G bands supported....and it includes the DTAC n28 band.

 

See weblink for full specifications.

https://phonedb.net/index.php?m=device&id=17965&c=samsung_sm-g991bds_galaxy_s21_5g_global_dual_sim_td-lte_128gb__samsung_unbound_m1

 

5G frequencies/bands supported....quoted from above weblink.

 NR2100 (N1) , NR1800 (N3) , NR850 (N5) , NR2600 (N7) , NR900 (N8) , NR800 (N20) , NR700 (N28) , TD-NR2300 (N40) , TD-NR3700 (N77) , TD-NR3500 (N78) bands

 

 

As I kinda suspected, NONE of those are band matches for T-Mobile's 5G in the U.S.

 

But on the other hand, the T-M compatible unlocked 5G phones in the U.S. oughta work on the AIS and TrueMove 5G networks here, as they both use 5G N41 2.5 GHz.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

So, I went back thru the Samsung Unlocked US website today, and as best as I can figure, here's the deal in terms of Thai compatibility:

 

Possibles:

--their A51 5G does come in unlocked and TMob versions with N41. But the website shows both as out of stock. Though I did find the unlocked new version available for sale direct from Amazon.

 

--their A71 5G comes in unlocked and T-Mobile versions with N41. The unlocked version is listed as out of stock, but the T-Mob version is in stock. Though I did find the unlocked new version available for sale direct from Amazon.

 

Less Possible:

--their A32 5G doesn't come in an unlocked version for the U.S. It does come in a T-Mobile version with N41 and N71. So the T-Mobile version could eventually be unlocked via TM and would work in Thailand on AIS and TrueMove.

 

Also, for the adventuresome, I did find a Brazil market dual SIM version of the A32 5G with N41 band compatibility. New phones, but no manufacturer warranty coverage in the U.S.

 

Not Possible:

--Their A52 5G comes in unlocked and T-Mob flavors. But the specs sheet says it doesn't have N41.

 

----------------------------------------------------

 

Then, as far as the expensive U.S. unlocked Galaxy 5G models are concerned, I couldn't find any 5G band info for them in their specs sections on the Samsung unlocked website. But the GSM Arena website did list that info for the following unlocked U.S. models, which would seem to be compatible with AIS and TrueMove 5G in Thailand:

 

--The S20 FE 5G DID have N41 (N2, 5, 41, 66, 71)

--The S21 5G DID have N41  (N2, 5, 25, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261), with the two following models showing exactly the same bands...

--The S21+ 5G did DID have N41. (N2, 5, 25, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261).

--The S21 Ultra 5G DID have N41. (N2, 5, 25, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261).