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I got a Samsung unlocked S22 Ultra and have the esim connected to my T-Mobile account, but it only shows 5G my wife right next to me has her tmobile zflip 3 that shows 5G UC. Is UC not available to unlocked devices?

Have you tried speed testing the devices?  In most cases, it’s just an icon difference.  This is also why we don’t judge signal based off of the bars displayed and actually use signal strength measured through db.  Each carrier and manufacturer have their own interpretation on how actual signal strength translates into how many bars are displayed.  Is your device a SIM unlocked version from another carrier or international model or is it the US non-carrier specific model purchased directly from Samsung?  

 


It's purchased unlocked directly from Samsung. It's a brand new device. I did do speed tests and the flip z 3 was slightly faster download but slower upload than my S22 Ultra


That sounds about right then. The only thing the non-carrier version is lacking, is the carrier aggregation tuning for the radio.  It literally makes very little difference in performance when you look at the trade-off's of an unlocked device, much less bloatware out of the box, and not being locked into a monthly EIP for the device.  


The carrier aggregation is there and UC is achievable, but the software just doesn't show the signal. I have an unlocked S22 Ultra and was also concerned that I was not getting the same 5G UC signal as I received on my old tmobile-branded S21 Ultra. My S21 Ultra showed the 5G UC logo when I was in coverage. My new S22 Ultra doesn't. I dialed *#0011# using the Samsung dialer, to go into the service mode. There you can see which band you're actually on. In the menu, my NR_Band shows "n41", meaning, I'm actually on 5G UC right now. The unlocked model's software just doesn't use the 5G UC logo (I'm assuming it will come in a future update). If your NR_Band says n41, n258, n260, or n261...you're actually on 5G UC. The speeds also validate this. Hope this helps. I was troubleshooting by switching between esim and physical sim, and was about to swap for the T-Mobile locked version. I'm all good now keeping the unlocked because it's technically grabbing 5G UC (just no logo).

That sounds about right then. The only thing the non-carrier version is lacking, is the carrier aggregation tuning for the radio.  It literally makes very little difference in performance when you look at the trade-off's of an unlocked device, much less bloatware out of the box, and not being locked into a monthly EIP for the device.  

 


I have a MIFI from tmobile. The MIFI used to be much slower than my locked S21 ULTRA phone. I purchased an unlocked S22 ULTRA  Samsung phone by accident and noticed that my 5G on my S22 ULTRA is 3 times much slower than my MIFI after my MIFI received a software update. 


They don't offer the same speed in some cases . I have both the  T-Mobile and the Unlocked version of the S22 Ultra and I can attest to the speed being different in some cases . When  I'm sitting on my back stoop I sometimes get the UC logo on the T-Mobile model and run a speed test I would get like 192 Mbps  and only 32Mbps on the Unlocked  model when the UC logo goes away the speed will be about the same 32Mbps and this always happens so there is some technological difference .


There are various unlocked S22 models.  Not all have n41 5g NSA AFAIK.  


5G UC is T-Mobile branding.  You will not see it on unlocked devices.  It works and speeds will always vary because of many factors.  Not seeing UC doesn’t mean you don’t have it.


I’ve been in the same boat.. Firmwares are interchangeable on SM-S908U and SM-S908U1 I flashed the TMB CSC firmware on unlocked SM-S908U1..

https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/s22-ultra-snapdragon-t-mobile-and-unlocked.4413183/#post-86549249


I put the unlocked firmware on my S22 Ultra that previously had t-mobile firmware and of course the 5G UC disappeared. Did a speed test and it slowly went past 150mbps to just a little over 200mbps.

 

Flashed it back to the t-mobile firmware to get the 5G UC back and sure enough after putting t-mobile firmware back on it was hitting the usual 450mbps. I just uninstall the bloatware so it's kind of like having a factory unlocked device. Get rid of all the sprint carrier apps and whatnot.


I got a Samsung unlocked S22 Ultra and have the esim connected to my T-Mobile account, but it only shows 5G my wife right next to me has her tmobile zflip 3 that shows 5G UC. Is UC not available to unlocked devices?

I have a unlocked s 22 ultra 1 tb phantom black the uc icon does not appear but rest assure you are getting the uc speeds I use the speed test app and I have gotten between 300 to 700 download and 100 to 300 upload speeds on t mobile, who needs the uc icon?? would be nice but im fine without it...


I have a MIFI from tmobile. The MIFI used to be much slower than my locked S21 ULTRA phone. I purchased an unlocked S22 ULTRA  Samsung phone by accident and noticed that my 5G on my S22 ULTRA is 3 times much slower than my MIFI after my MIFI received a software update. 

my mifi seems very slow and returned 3 of them and gave up my s 22 ultra unlocked on t mobile is way faster, there seems to be a issue the way the mifi is made or out dated I had the 300 dollar one in two weeks all 3 mifi were a joke and slow, buyer beware only 30 to 40 download speeds and 10 upload


I got a Samsung unlocked S22 Ultra and have the esim connected to my T-Mobile account, but it only shows 5G my wife right next to me has her tmobile zflip 3 that shows 5G UC. Is UC not available to unlocked devices?

I have a unlocked s 22 ultra 1 tb phantom black the uc icon does not appear but rest assure you are getting the uc speeds I use the speed test app and I have gotten between 300 to 700 download and 100 to 300 upload speeds on t mobile, who needs the uc icon?? would be nice but im fine without it...

The only way the 5G UC icon appears is if you have T-mobile firmware. That doesn't mean you aren't using the "Ultra Capacity" and the UC only means you have the other 5G channels. To check your can dial *#2263# on your keypad and then click SIM 1 and it's a bit messy but it will show the bands each network mode and the bands each mode is using. It'll show -LTE: 1 2 3 4 and so on then below that you can see the 5G Bands which will show -NR5G and the ones that are Ultra Capacity are 41, 71, 260, 261 they'll show as 41-SA-NSA. So as long as yours shows those bands you are using Ultra Capacity.

 

You can also run a s speed test by downloading the speedtest app in the play store and see if your phone has the same speeds as your wife's. To exit out of that service mode you can just click the app quick view pushing the left button on the bottom of the phone and close it or hit the three dots on the upper right and hit end. I should've checked the bands when I put the unlocked firmware on my phone. The phones should pick up all the same bands no matter what firmware is on it I'm not sure why my phone was slower when I had the unlocked firmware. You can always put T-mobile firmware on yours but I don't think I'm supposed to tell you that on this because if you don't know what you're doing you can brick your device.


I have to disagree with the T-Mobile branding theory. I switched from Metro by T-Mobile. I had 5G UC on my 256GB Factory unlocked S22 Ultra. This is something on T-Mobile's side. The speeds and coverage are not the same. I've tested the service with iPhone 13 Pro Max, Pixel 6 Pro. The S22 Ultra is the only phone that doesn't access the UC. I've verified the APN settings. Tech support couldn't figure it out. 


The 5G UC logo is live now on the US unlocked models. I'm on the 3rd beta ONEUI 5 update.


will s 22 ultra unlocked get the 5g uc icon on android 13 one ui 5.0 or will t mobile scrap this too


will s 22 ultra unlocked get the 5g uc icon on android 13 one ui 5.0 or will t mobile scrap this too

Yes. It's in the 3rd beta update so it should definitely be part of Android 13. I got the 3rd update last week and I've been having the 5G UC logo since.


I just the s23 ultra 1tb unlocked on samsung.com trade in  deal and I wonder if I will see the ic icon because that phone is unlocked 


I just the s23 ultra 1tb unlocked on samsung.com trade in  deal and I wonder if I will see the ic icon because that phone is unlocked 

You will see the UC icon where available.  It shows up on my girlfriend's U1 lime 1TB that she bought from Samsung.com.


If only I could get any network coverage at-home on my new S22 Ultra I'd be happy. T-Mobil compatability is excellent, Coverage map shows 5g coverage at my home yet nothing connects without wifi. New T-Mobil customer trying to figure this out.


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