Im about to buy the Samsung Galaxy S2 Unlocked from Expansys USA for 656
http://www.expansys-usa.com/samsung-galaxy-s-ii-android-smartphone-unlocked-16gb-209554/#unlocked
But I have a couple questions.
First of all:
Is there any difference in this phone model i9100BKEU that any other? Like as far as flashing ROMs, and flashing back to stock?
Secondly:
Have any of y'all ordered from Expansys, any reviews?
Thanks! Hopefully If I order this I can make my DlevROM for the Galaxy S2
There's tons of posts on purchasing the phone for use in the U.S. Expansys-USA provides warranty support so by buying it from them you retain the two-year global warranty and they'll ship it back to the UK for you if necessary. EU means it's a European phone I don't know what specific country that code references. You can flash any ROM you want once you get the phone and they all provide U.S. English support. Most Expansys phones are UK but some have come from Poland and Chile too.
Related
Has any one ordered from Amazon UK recently? I want to know what region they are getting. Is it the Generic EU (XEU?) version or something else. I've read that retailers are sourcing stock from all over the place to meet demand and that some sold in the UK have CSC codes from different regions, e.g someone buying from Handtec got a one with a Portuguese CSC code.
sunseaker said:
Has any one ordered from Amazon UK recently? I want to know what region they are getting. Is it the Generic EU (XEU?) version or something else. I've read that retailers are sourcing stock from all over the place to meet demand and that some sold in the UK have CSC codes from different regions, e.g someone buying from Handtec got a one with a Portuguese CSC code.
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Where did you hear that nonsense from? Amazon UK would be the Generic EU/UK, they won't risk getting them from other sources besides Samsung themselves. Unless you are buying from Amazon's third-party marketplace of course, frankly speaking, they are unreliable for buying an expensive and faulty prone item like this.
Thanks, I assume you mean the Amazon 3rd party sellers are not reliable for such an expensive item or did you mean Amazon themselves?
It was actually someone on this forum that mentioned that they had bought a SGs2 from Handtec and that the CSC code was for Portugal and not the Generic UK one. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1102438
Like you say, the GS2 seems quite fault prone so I'm looking for an online retailer that's going to give me the best service when it comes to returns. I don't live in the UK so cannot walk into a store to check one over the counter before I buy and there is no mention of a release date here yet.
sunseaker said:
It was actually someone on this forum that mentioned that they had bought a SGs2 from Handtec and that the CSC code was for Portugal and not the Generic UK one. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1102438
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yes i'm the one who got a Portuguese S 2 from handtec, would you please guys reply to my thread here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1102438
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.
Hello all Im about to buy a Samsung Galaxy S2 from Expansys USA for 656 us dollars but I have a couple questions if you dont mind helping out.
1. Is that model number above any different than any other i9100? Can it still flash the same ROMs, and flash back to stock method?
2. Have any of you bought from Expansys USA? How are they? And how was the experience.
3. For USA users, hows cell reception, im on AT&T.
Thanks! From hopefully a future i9100 developer.
This phone is sold for 400 is it worth buying guys? Can I use it with AT&T in English language...Anything I should worry about? I need as many responses as I can get before I head out to get it!
Just got the Spain version from the eBay Daily Deal/Buy.com seller yesterday.
For $400 I guess it's a good deal used.
how do i know if it's GT i9100 or 9100T, the international version vs the US version?
Ask to the seller. You can find model behind the battery.
Regards.
I have been buying the AT&T versions for years now, extending my contract term and trying the NEXT plan. But with the bigger carriers locking the software down I want to buy an international version, but I'm unsure where to get one.
interesting, I was looking at us version of Samsung site and realize they do not sell latest smartphones provider free and unlocked;
you have to try the Canada site, looks like up north here, we can buy Samsung phones unlocked, even the newest ones
There are a number of sites that deal with overseas international phones. You can also find them on Amazon.com quite easily. Here is one http://welectronics.com/gsm/SAMSUNGSMPHONES.shtml take note they are selling a 32GB & 64GB only version, not sure if they can't get the 128GB option, or it will come later.
Order Directly from Samsung or Use eBay Amazon Walmart Best buy or this super place swappa.com
Buying an international version sounds like a good idea.
biggstkk said:
I have been buying the AT&T versions for years now, extending my contract term and trying the NEXT plan. But with the bigger carriers locking the software down I want to buy an international version, but I'm unsure where to get one.
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I'm in the same boat. Just need to make sure the international version will support AT&T's LTE bands. If they do, I'll be going this route as well.
Try GSM Nation. Thet have the unlocked and at&t compatible version. Pre-Ordered mine.
Do not even try Canada. Yes we have stuff that work on pretty much all GSM carriers, but never can you buy an unlocked phone unless it's Google, Chinese made or bought overpriced on Sony's website. Samsung Nevers sells unlocked here. Got to use typical methods
Canada is not really international per se, Its networks are set up almost if not identical to those in the US, hence almost all devices are identical to those available in the US market.
There are however, few retailers that sells international versions of devices here in Canada. NCIX.com and Expansys Canada are the first 2 that come to mind. Its just a little more tougher to find as some retailers either don't post the complete information or don't even know their own inventory as some may carry the international versions without even knowing it.
Any other suggestions?
Buy an unbranded one off eBay.