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Hi,
I'm really keen on getting a Flyer for various reasons. I've got an opportunity to potentially source one via our Hong Kong office.
Can anyone advise whether there are any differences between the Hong Kong and UK/EU version of the device?
Is there perhaps a firmware difference?
From a support angle, I'm guessing the warranty would only be good in Hong Kong, or does HTC do an international warranty?
Thanks
Iain
Bump.
Anyone any thoughts on the subject? Perhaps a different way of looking at is, is there any differences between the EU vs US vs ASIA versions (other than the inclusion of the Pen and Case)?
Thanks
Iain
ICHAPMAN said:
Bump.
Anyone any thoughts on the subject? Perhaps a different way of looking at is, is there any differences between the EU vs US vs ASIA versions (other than the inclusion of the Pen and Case)?
Thanks
Iain
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The easy way to find out any possible differences is to check HTC sites. Here are the links that will allow you to do your own comparisons:
US HTC Flyer
HK HTC Flyer
EU HTC Flyer
For customer support, you can check here.
Thanks rlydiard.
I'd already read these, on paper the EU and ASIA versions seem to be the same item (and in that case probably are at a hardware level).
When I'm unsure of is at the firmware level. Whether EU and ASIA share a firmware or does the HK version perhaps not include any English language components (for example).
Iain.
ICHAPMAN said:
Thanks rlydiard.
I'd already read these, on paper the EU and ASIA versions seem to be the same item (and in that case probably are at a hardware level).
When I'm unsure of is at the firmware level. Whether EU and ASIA share a firmware or does the HK version perhaps not include any English language components (for example).
Iain.
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Since the HTC Flyer is using Android, at least on OS level, you should be able to switch between various languages, just as with Android phones. I am not totally sure if that is the case with HTC's Sense that comes with the Flyer, but if it is not the case, I am quite sure that you would have a choice of English or Chinese in Hong Kong.
Perhaps someone in Asia who already has a Flyer can respond to this thread and clarify this issue for you.
I don't know about the different between the UK version and the HK one. I have the HK one and this is what I can tell you. Its has both Chinese and English Interface. Actually, I am using English interface all the time. It has Chinese Pen Input for Chinese user. It has some local Chinese Web site but I never use it. I don't see any problem if you are just using English only.
Thanks cychan.
So it would seem that that there are difference versions of the firmware.
I've just purchased one in Malaysia - which has a English/Thai/Chinese/Vietnamese (with Malaysian/Singapore English options) - doesn't have US/UK/AU English
Thanks all.
In addition to asking the question here I did also email HTC UK with a similar question. I thought some of you may be interested in HTC's response:
"Concerning your questions about using a Hong Kong Flyer in the UK I can help you with that.
If the HTC Flyer is SIM free and unbranded it will work in the UK and can be repair under warranty at the nearest international repair centre (the UK)."
So, the only disadvantage it seems of having a non-UK/EU model is that potentially firmware updates may take a little longer to arrive depending on HTC's release schedule. However, even that would only seem to be a delay of a couple of days, rather than weeks/months.
Thanks again
Iain
Changes (that i have found):
OK ... as stated only 3 languages (1 English)
When using with no SIM the operator is shown in Chinese characters on the lock screen REGARDLESS of language selected
Youtube most popular videos are China's most popular videos
Watch doesn't let you buy / rent movies on the Chinese version
Kris
I bought the WiFi only version from the official UK HTC flyer store (expansys) last Thursday and is currently being shipped to me in Australia. I was not aware of the different versions at the time and when they told me over the phone that it will be shipped from Hong Kong I thought nothing of it.
Now I am worried it will be an inferior version to the UK version I assumed I would be getting.
Does anyone know if the pen and case come with the HK version?
And should I be worried, or am I worrying for no reason? :-s
**update**
I Called Expansys and they confirmed that the one on its way to me was shipped from HK and box contents includes pen and case. Also that it should not be any different just because it was shipped from HK, they just have a warehouse out there to supply that part of the world. If this turns out to be untrue I'll update my post again. Feeling a bit better now
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA Premium App
Hey guys. After researching many possible smartphones in the market right now, I am going to go with my first smartphone ever and possibly the best one right now (in my opinion): the Samsung Galaxy S2.
However, I live in the U.S. in which I do not think the SIM-capable unnerfed galaxy S2 will ever be coming out here.
Anyhow, I was hoping people who have bought the unlocked version of the S2 would be able to help me. My questions are as follows:
1) Which online vendor is the best place to buy an unlocked version of the S2? I have been researching many possible sites for the past few months. It seems NewEgg.com, Amazon.com, and Expansys-usa.com are most mentioned contenders. The question then becomes… which one to buy from? Who to trust? Anyone have experience in this arena?
2) From several reviews online, it seems people worldwide have been getting unlocked S2s with different starting languages/manuals. Are they all the same? Are there any fundamental differences in hardware or settings? If so, which one is best? It seems there are different versions with various configurations, such as with/without NFC. Hmm...
3) My main carrier in the U.S. is AT&T. What would I need to do to experience compatibility with this network? I would like to get HSPA+ (~ 4G speeds as claimed by AT&T, so to speak). Is there a special SIM from AT&T or tweaking within the phone I need to do to achieve this? Do I have to tell notify AT&T as well? What do I need to do to ensure compatibility with that network & the speeds I would like to achieve?
Phew. That is all. Thank you!!!!
As far as I know, the international version of i9100 is quad-brand 3G which matches AT&T. You can get 1 on amazon for around $700 USD
OR
you can get a LOCKED i9100m from Bell or Virgin Canada, then unlock it. This phone is 599.99 in Canada.
Isn't the Bell version CDMA-only? Does it offer SIM?
Anyhow, I'll try my hands on an international unlocked version. Now, the question still remains... which one to buy from? Amazon.com has many resellers. NewEgg and Expansys-USA are single resellers, but I would probably have to ask where they get theirs from.
Are there any differences in getting it via from the UK, Korea, India, etc? I would also need an adapter that can be plugged in the US.
Ok there lots of information if you used search feature
Cheapest place to buy currently is www.expansys-usa.com, you get it for 658.99 and you get additional $10 off with lsjuly10 voucher.
You get hspa+ speeds with att and you can also use $15 unlimited non smartphone plan with sgs2.
Search around and you can find lots of info on this. Hope this helps
Edit : just to answer your other question, you get us adapter along with the phone from expansys, amazon. You might mostly get a phone with uk firmware but it shouldn't really matter. Once you get the phone you can flash whatever firmware you want thru odin.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
Thank you very much for the coupon!!!
Searching around, it seems like Expansys-USA might be the best bang for the buck to purchase the unlocked version.
I also tried e-mailing NewEgg.com and some Amazon.com vendors. NewEgg.com said their S2 was "made in China." Hmm. I am unsure if it means it is a Chinese version. One vendor from Amazon.com said it was "unsure of where the device came from."
I'm assuming since there's an Expansys-UK, the Expansys-USA may be coming from UK. Is the UK version good? I guess UK (since it's in English) would be best for me...
I've also heard some versions do not have NFC. Does the UK version have NFC or working NFC in the states?
Just get the bell one from canada and save yourself some money, its full hspa+ , meaning it will work with att 3g in the states. If you buy the european ones you'll likely pay upwards of 800$ I'm thinking...
Are the Bell ones unlocked? Where would I be able to find one? Any online resellers that are selling them? I thought the Bell ones were CDMA-only? Or do they also have SIM-card capabilities?
Driving up to Canada and purchasing one is not too feasible for me.
Alazarin said:
Are the Bell ones unlocked? Where would I be able to find one? Any online resellers that are selling them? I thought the Bell ones were CDMA-only? Or do they also have SIM-card capabilities?
Driving up to Canada and purchasing one is not too feasible for me.
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The bell ones are locked. Can be easly unlocked. They are sim ones. I using the one i bought with bell on telus
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
Alazarin said:
Are the Bell ones unlocked? Where would I be able to find one? Any online resellers that are selling them? I thought the Bell ones were CDMA-only? Or do they also have SIM-card capabilities?
Driving up to Canada and purchasing one is not too feasible for me.
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Nope, bell has been ditching its CDMA network for well over a year... All their new phones are gsm. Well not just driving up I'm saying ordering online from canada would probably even be cheaper than buying a european phone, and they are the same phone, no nfc, same model.
I`m living in UK and I bought my SGS2 1 month ago from ebay. was sealed and is factory unlocked. It`s 100% original, not a fake. As far as I now if is factory unlocked it`s working in USA on At&t H+ speed, and you don`t need to unlock. If you want you can order from UK or wait when will be release in USA. Hope this help. Good luck!
unleashed12 said:
Nope, bell has been ditching its CDMA network for well over a year... All their new phones are gsm. Well not just driving up I'm saying ordering online from canada would probably even be cheaper than buying a european phone, and they are the same phone, no nfc, same model.
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Do you have any recommendations to reliable online Canadian resellers?
The hard part is that I'm still deciding whether to buy from Expansys-USA (cheaper), Clove (great reviews + most reliable), or from an online Canadian reseller (could be even cheaper + more reliable since I live in the U.S.?). My main criteria is that:
I would like to buy the phone that was made in Korea, but for the UK/CA market (thus, factory sealed) and comes with a US adapter (not add-on). That seems to be the best one, but I am unsure which one would provide that.
Hey there,
I am currently considering buying a Galaxy S II off eBay here in Australia and i was wondering what I should and shouldn't be looking for.
My main concern is that if I get Hong Kong/International stock then it may have differences (OS or Hardware) to the ones you can buy locally. Is there a way I could check to see where the handsets come from based on a model number or anything? and is anyone using an eBay bought SII to list the differences to local stock?
Thanks in advance,
DarkRyoushii
I bought mine off ebay ages ago, was listed as Australian stock...so if you are worried about overseas models just use the advanced search and choose only located in AU...then if it is not stated in the description just ask the seller if its aussie stock...though in most cases ones from overseas work just fine and I don't believe there are any differences (both local and overseas stock are international versions, besides the I9100T for telstra)
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
Thanks, there's a massive price difference between Australian ($700) and Unmentioned ($550) stock though so if possible I'd just love to make sure it won't turn up in some unheard of language with no way to change it, the wrong bands, restrictions (I know NTT Docomo limit text messages to 160 characters) on the OS or something like that.
so the I9100 stock is all the same with no variations? I thought there were different letters at the end to signify which region they were made for..
Thanks again,
DarkRyoushii
hmm well I got mine for $600...I'm pretty certain they are the international version...as long as it states I9100 and nothing else, it should be fine...also some sellers (eBay shops usually), provide 1 year warranties as well..
EDIT: there is an Australian stock on eBay now for 600 + 15 postage...if you're really that worried I'd recommend you just save yourself the worrying... I'm sure you could message the seller and negotiate for free shipping or something...
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
That's true Thanks for your help! +1 Thanks to you!
Your biggest concern with ebay is getting scammed, rather than getting a weirdo off-spec unit. As others say make sure it says I9100, and specs make sense (eg. 1.2 dual exynos, 4.3" screen, etc.) If you ended up with a qualcomm unit by accident (and wanted exynos...or vice versa) and your seller is legit they would have to accept return for product not as advertised.
I plan to visit Italy in mid-November (Rome, and a few other places I haven't decided on), so I just thought I might use that trip to get myself an 800. So I would appreciate if our Italian fellow XDAers or people who know could answer a few questions about shopping for phones in Italy.
First of all, are there multibrand phone stores that sell unbranded SIM-free phones? If yes, what are they called?
If not, do operators sell SIM-free phones like in some other countries?
Are there chains like MediaMarkt or BestBuy? Are they good for phone shopping?
Molte grazie!
vangrieg said:
I plan to visit Italy in mid-November (Rome, and a few other places I haven't decided on), so I just thought I might use that trip to get myself an 800. So I would appreciate if our Italian fellow XDAers or people who know could answer a few questions about shopping for phones in Italy.
First of all, are there multibrand phone stores that sell unbranded SIM-free phones? If yes, what are they called?
If not, do operators sell SIM-free phones like in some other countries?
Are there chains like MediaMarkt or BestBuy? Are they good for phone shopping?
Molte grazie!
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Hi vangrieg, in Italy most of stores sell a lot of unbranded phones and smartphones. The only problem seems that, at the moment, Nokia Lumia 800 is not present in many stores.
In fact some stores accept Lumia 800 preorders, but the release date is set for 20 November.
There are lot of chains. I am not from Rome but they are more or less the same in all country: Mediaworld, Euronics, Trony, Unieuro are just some good known.
e.g. Euronics (Lumia preorder)
Enjoy your visit to Rome!
n1ghtm4r said:
Hi vangrieg, in Italy most of stores sell a lot of unbranded phones and smartphones. The only problem seems that, at the moment, Nokia Lumia 800 is not present in many stores.
In fact some stores accept Lumia 800 preorders, but the release date is set for 20 November.
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Ouch, I plan to leave on 19th. Is that date certain?
n1ghtm4r said:
There are lot of chains. I am not from Rome but they are more or less the same in all country: Mediaworld, Euronics, Trony, Unieuro are just some good known.
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Thanks for the names! I've seen their websites but wasn't sure if they had brick and mortar stores, most seem like online only. Will check these out.
n1ghtm4r said:
Enjoy your visit to Rome!
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I'm sure I will. Not yet decided whether to go up North to Firenze/Venezia/Genova/Milano or South to Napoli/Palermo. The North has more familiar names, the South is warmer. Tough choice!
I'm thinking of buying the sim free S3 in either amazon.fr or amazon.de because it's cheaper than in my country and that way I wont have to buy a charger like I would if ordering from UK (Portugal doesn't have an official price yet but if the unlocked HOX costs about 699 € S3 will be at least that much).
It will be my first samsung and from what i've been reading there's a lot of firmware versions (In my htc desire I just had to search for a "world wide english" version) will I have to stick with the firmware from france or germany when updating or can I just flash any firmware from "Portugal" or "Open Europe" later? Will the original firmware have any problems working in other countrys?
Thanks
I always try buying from Amazon.de if it is possible, and i have also bought many times from UK Amazon as well, so I would recommend German one, the delivery is quicker, the prices are better.
camspy said:
I always try buying from Amazon.de if it is possible, and i have also bought many times from UK Amazon as well, so I would recommend German one, the delivery is quicker, the prices are better.
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good call mate your spot on it is cheaper on the German Amazon and Google translate does the job when ordering so no language barrier, how long for delivery though to the rest of Europe and i assume no excess is paid like if you order a product from USA,etc?
I've ordered mine from the German Amazon. Had it pre ordered from Expansys, but they are selling the S3 at a much higher price, so I ended up canceling the order.
Cheers
Yeah ill definily be ordering from the German Amazon website, the UK one is much higher and don't get me started on the likes on Play.com and expansys they are about €90 dearer than Amazon.de
---------- Post added at 10:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:33 PM ----------
Wont make any difference at all but emailed expansys
I notice on your website you are charging €664.99 for the Samsung Galaxy S3 but on the German Amazon website it is available for €588.80 plus €7 postage with a delivery time of between 2 to 9 days but having uses Amazon.de before they usually deliver within 5 days or less so im wondering what incentive it would give me to spend an extra €70 odd quid with Expansys?
http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=463375173&pf_rd_i=301128
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They'll offer you a 16Gb micro sd for that extra money.... now that's a great deal!! xD
jonny68 said:
good call mate your spot on it is cheaper on the German Amazon and Google translate does the job when ordering so no language barrier, how long for delivery though to the rest of Europe and i assume no excess is paid like if you order a product from USA,etc?
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People from different countries have different delivery methods available
Hello guys !
Anyone have a good feedback from the amazon.de ?? never bought there anything from them before and im also interested in buying from them also !!
Some feedback would be nice, especially from portuguese people !!
Regards
Limaspt
What can i say, they are Amazon, so they follow the same standards. Good service, good customer support
Can anyone help with the original post questions?
Hello,
If i understand your question you want to know if the software will work in our language, if this is the case you can be rested, since the moment you turn on your phone for the first time you can put the base language in portuguese, english, french and some others.
The only thing that wont work in portuguese its the Svoice, there are no suport in our beloved language.
Hope it helps !!
Regards
Limas
Also, just be aware that, if you order from Amazon.de or .fr, their website price will be at their VAT, eg 19% for Germany, but you will be charged at the VAT rate for the delivery country, 23% I believe in Portugal. So the price from German Amazon would be about 608,59€ plus postage for delivery to Portugal. It only shows up after you have inserted your delivery address. That may still be good value for you but you should be aware of it.
EDIT: Though having just looked at the price on French Amazon, I am sure you won't want to buy from there. 649€!
Thanks for the answers. I should be able to change the firmware to a diferent official one or do i have to stick with the stock one (from germany for example)?
javelar said:
Thanks for the answers. I should be able to change the firmware to a diferent official one or do i have to stick with the stock one (from germany for example)?
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Let's say that after the phone is out for sale you will be able to change almost anything in the soft/firmware, the guys here in the XDA are magicians, they can do almost everything... so no need for worrys.
There is only one "but", its our country itself, the things here usualy go on a slow pace, im almost 100% sure that we will need about 2 or 3 months to have a official portuguese rom, but, trust me, if you are in the android wave the las thing you will want its a official portuguese rom.... im talking for the experience i have with android devices.
The SIII will be the third android device i will have, and i really hope that i dont have to stuck with our roms, they are heavy and full of "crap".
When i buy a phone i like to costumise it at my own taste, and not be obliged to have software that i dont want it.... that its what our phone companys do, they make you use what you dont want.....
Best regards
Limaspt
Limaspt said:
Let's say that after the phone is out for sale you will be able to change almost anything in the soft/firmware, the guys here in the XDA are magicians, they can do almost everything... so no need for worrys.
There is only one "but", its our country itself, the things here usualy go on a slow pace, im almost 100% sure that we will need about 2 or 3 months to have a official portuguese rom, but, trust me, if you are in the android wave the las thing you will want its a official portuguese rom.... im talking for the experience i have with android devices.
The SIII will be the third android device i will have, and i really hope that i dont have to stuck with our roms, they are heavy and full of "crap".
When i buy a phone i like to costumise it at my own taste, and not be obliged to have software that i dont want it.... that its what our phone companys do, they make you use what you dont want.....
Best regards
Limaspt
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Joining this discussion a little late, after having ordered my SIII from amazon.de and having it delivered to Italy, I can say that the portuguese (TPH) ROM is preferable to the original German ROM. The bloatware included in the German version is absent in the Portuguese one. Unfortunately, SVoice still doesn't support Portuguese.
Another complete mess is samsung apps, I created my account with a Belgium SIM and now it won't let me install anything unless I have that or another Belgium SIM; if I have an Italian or Portuguese SIM in the phone it will ***** and moan that my samsung account is for Belgium only.