Differences between Samsung S22 models?

Forums › Android › Differences between Samsung S22 models?

sidefx

3776 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1296

Trusted

#302459 25-Nov-2022 08:56

Just wondering if anyone can tell the difference between:

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/MPHSAM0090810/Samsung-Galaxy-S22-Ultra-5G-Dual-SIM-Smartphone-12

and

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/MPHSAM7090810/Samsung-Galaxy-S22-Ultra-5G-Dual-SIM-Smartphone-12

and

https://www.noelleeming.co.nz/p/samsung-galaxy-s22-ultra-5g-256gb---black/N210604.html

Presumably the pbtech ones are parallel imported from different markets? But does anyone have access to a list of full Samsung MPNs? (Did a bit of googling but couldn't find much - admittedly my google-fu may have failed me because all retailers seem to use different ways of publishing or formatting the manufacturer part numbers...)

"I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there." | Octopus Energy | Sharesies
- Richard Feynman

Inphinity

2780 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1184

#3001182 25-Nov-2022 09:29

They're the same hardware - all are SM-S908E variants. It's not clear from PBTech's site, but I would imagine there is a default firmware difference - maybe one is a 2degrees-sourced model and some is Samsung-sourced, or something like that.

NikT

1710 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 730

Trusted

#3001208 25-Nov-2022 10:21

For clarity on this one:

All of PB's Galaxy S22 stock is NZ-new, local stock, 24 month local warranty
All NZ-new Galaxy S22 series have the same software and hardware regardless of source, e.g. an S22 Ultra from any of Spark/Vodafone/2degrees is identical inside and out - per-network customisation is performed based on the SIM inserted - this has been the case since the Galaxy S20 series, a very welcome change for everyone
PB has a multi-supplier sourcing model, hence multiple SKUs. Sometimes one supplier may have more stock available, or a unique promo, or a postpay offer, or et cetera. There is no user-facing difference between the 2x products linked :)

Cheers,

- Nik

Product Manager @ PB Tech

Smartphones @ PB Tech | Headphones @ PB Tech

sidefx

3776 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1296

Trusted

#3001210 25-Nov-2022 10:23

EDIT: @NikT: Ah thanks for the info! That is good to know... Hmm, might have to reconsider getting from pbtech in that case. (Sorry cross posted the stuff below)

OK cool, so as long as the first bit is the same it'll be the same hardware? (e.g. SM-S908E vs SM-S9080 etc might be slightly different hardware but beyond that it's all firmware?) What's involved with flashing it with local firmware?

TBH I might just go with Noel Leeming... as they have green :D

"I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there." | Octopus Energy | Sharesies
- Richard Feynman

NikT

1710 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 730

Trusted

#3001230 25-Nov-2022 10:52

sidefx:

OK cool, so as long as the first bit is the same it'll be the same hardware? (e.g. SM-S908E vs SM-S9080 etc might be slightly different hardware but beyond that it's all firmware?) What's involved with flashing it with local firmware?

TBH I might just go with Noel Leeming... as they have green :D

EDIT: @NikT: Ah thanks for the info! That is good to know... Hmm, might have to reconsider getting from pbtech in that case.

Bit of a can of worms if you're looking globally. :)

There are numerous different hardware variants around the world, although far fewer than there used to be in previous generations. The NZ hardware model for S22 Ultra is "SM-S908E/DS" - Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, Dual Nano SIM (+eSIM, "3-choose-2"), for all colours/storage variants.

NZ software is under the "XNZ" CSC, which falls into a larger bucket of global software, covering a number of countries/regions across APAC, South & Central Americas, SEA, MEA, et cetera. Different software buckets for different regions, exactly which markets are cross-compatible with NZ's software varies by year/series.

One of the reasons it's all so complex is that different regions have different regulations for features like call recording, some like to cross-flash to attempt unlocking features that aren't available on their local models, and the like.

You 'can' cross-flash any matching hardware from the same larger software bucket with NZ-specific software, but YMMV with how easy this is, how much homework/research needs doing, whether you actually get the hardware/software variant you thought you were getting shopping online/overseas, whether OTA updates come through after the flash or not, and of course there's the warranty factor on a spendy purchase.

Competitive pricing locally has made it more hassle than it's worth for most folks these days. Thankfully the whole model for software deployment and regular updates has transformed so significantly in the last 3-4 years that it's a much better end result for Galaxy S fans in NZ than ever before - long gone are the bad old days of 'oops, I got a Spark version instead of a 2degrees version, no WiFi calling for me, and I need to wait for Spark to sign off that juicy new feature-packed update before it lands on my handset' - at least for flagships.

Product Manager @ PB Tech

Smartphones @ PB Tech | Headphones @ PB Tech