Why can't Samsung release one penta-band UMTS version of each GSM phone?
Releasing an international version and several U.S. versions segments the market, slowing down 3rd party ROM development particularly for the U.S. versions. Carrier ROMs are bloated, non-standard android environments, and lag behind the latest version. That situation is unacceptable; no new Samsung Galaxy phones for me.
"Why can't Samsung release one penta-band UMTS version of each GSM phone?"
Presumably lack of demand.
"slowing down 3rd party ROM development particularly for the U.S. versions"
Not Samsung's problem.
"Carrier ROMs are bloated, non-standard android environments, and lag behind the latest version."
And there's a distinct class of devices that run stock Android. And in all likelihood this class will continue to be outsold by an order of magnitude by this device and its non-standard carrier ROM that lags behind the latest version.
Samsung's processors are not powerful enough for LTE, at least that has been the reasoning in the past. I'm guessing the new lower power Octa cant push LTE, and being that LTE is still pretty much a US thing we get different SoC.
Releasing an international version and several U.S. versions segments the market, slowing down 3rd party ROM development particularly for the U.S. versions. Carrier ROMs are bloated, non-standard android environments, and lag behind the latest version. That situation is unacceptable; no new Samsung Galaxy phones for me.