Hello guys, I'm planning to buy a US carrier locked Samsung Galaxy SIII from US (New Jersey)
Locked phones comes with 2years of contract in carriers like AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, etc.
As these phones cost cheaper than unlocked phone,
if I buy these phones, it is possible to use in Indian Carriers like Airtel 3G. By unlocking or any other procedure to make it work in India.. help mee..
abhishek89 said:
Hello guys, I'm planning to buy a US carrier locked Samsung Galaxy SIII from US (New Jersey)
Locked phones comes with 2years of contract in carriers like AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, etc.
As these phones cost cheaper than unlocked phone,
if I buy these phones, it is possible to use in Indian Carriers like Airtel 3G. By unlocking or any other procedure to make it work in India.. help mee..
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You would have to check your carrier's frequencies. But I believe the US version has all the same 2g/3g frequencies as the international has(plus LTE)
graffixnyc said:
You would have to check your carrier's frequencies. But I believe the US version has all the same 2g/3g frequencies as the international has(plus LTE)
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can you help me out how to check carriers frequency, I really have no idea
What is the procedure for unlocking SIII from US carrier to work in Indian 3G network?
abhishek89 said:
can you help me out how to check carriers frequency, I really have no idea
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Check with the carrier you intend to use .
Dont buy a locked phone .
You should also understand that a USA phone has no Samsung warranty outside of the USA .
jje
JJEgan said:
Check with the carrier you intend to use .
Dont buy a locked phone .
You should also understand that a USA phone has no Samsung warranty outside of the USA .
jje
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I don't want warranty.. as soon as I get the phone, I'll root it..
You cannot actually get the phone for the low price, as you will also have to factor in the price of the contract that you will have to get to along with the phone. If you plan buying just the phone from the carriers, it might be cheaper to buy em in India itself. Besides, the international I9300 is better than the NA variants in my opinion..
sidthegreatest said:
You cannot actually get the phone for the low price, as you will also have to factor in the price of the contract that you will have to get to along with the phone. If you plan buying just the phone from the carriers, it might be cheaper to buy em in India itself. Besides, the international I9300 is better than the NA variants in my opinion..
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I have relative there who is using AT&T. They can help me out buying a contract phone which is only $199.99
Reply guys
Related
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.
I am planing to buy samsung galaxy S2 4GLTE version. I already have non us variant which supports only 3G. But when I insert any local US sim card it uses only GPRS no 3G nor 4G data support. So I would like to buy a new fone. If any one could clear me before I go for the right one. I am interested to go for either Galaxy s2(T-mobile or ATT) or Note.
My Queries are :
Can I Buy any of above one's from amazon.... & buy prepaid sim card & use it as long as I am here ?
I dont want those annual contracts & stuff. As I am a frequent flyer I would like to have a prepaid one.
Can I unlock that fone & use it in the country I visit ?
AjaYrUlUez said:
I am planing to buy samsung galaxy S2 4GLTE version. I already have non us variant which supports only 3G. But when I insert any local US sim card it uses only GPRS no 3G nor 4G data support. So I would like to buy a new fone. If any one could clear me before I go for the right one. I am interested to go for either Galaxy s2(T-mobile or ATT) or Note.
My Queries are :
Can I Buy any of above one's from amazon.... & buy prepaid sim card & use it as long as I am here ?
I dont want those annual contracts & stuff. As I am a frequent flyer I would like to have a prepaid one.
Can I unlock that fone & use it in the country I visit ?
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To get T-Mobile 3G service, you must purchase a T-Mobile phone.
Also, offtopic for these forums, which are for the AT&T I777 which is almost identical to the I9100 especially in terms of band support. Just like the I9100, the 777 doesn't do AWS.
Yes I have planned to purchase a new fone But I have a query that can I buy it on amazon & use prepaid sim card?
Like for ex : I but note on amazon for $249 & buy t-mobile/ATT sim card for 10 -$15.
Can I use all 3g/4G/LTE services ? with recharging it monthly as i go?
Apart from that Can i unlock the note & use it in other countries ?
Most retailers only sell the phone with new or upgraded contracts. You might have to buy direct from AT&T at full retail price if you don't want a contract.
Note is around $620 on Amazon, not $250. If you're seeing a Note for $250, that is the price with a 2-year contract with AT&T for the inferior AT&T version of the device.
AT&T and international devices will not get 3G service on T-Mobile USA. (The one exception is the Skyrocket, and that requires flashing a different radio firmware.)
Basically, if you want a phone that gets 3G on T-Mobile, you need to buy a phone from T-Mobile or a Galaxy Nexus. If you want a phone that gets 3G elsewhere including AT&T - well if you have an I9100 that should work as-is.
If you're paying full off-contract price for a device, your best bet is the GSM Galaxy Nexus - being pentaband HSPA, it is the only device that will get 3G on AT&T, T-Mobile, and almost any other provider out of the box. There's no point to the Skyrocket if you aren't getting a contract subsidy.
okay Thanks for the reply. So i guess i have these options :
1. Use att sim my galaxy s2 which i dont want to.
2. Go for G nexus sounds good to me. (where shall i buy it from in LA/online)
Finally once i get nexus where do i buy a prepaid sim card ?
AjaYrUlUez said:
okay Thanks for the reply. So i guess i have these options :
1. Use att sim my galaxy s2 which i dont want to.
2. Go for G nexus sounds good to me. (where shall i buy it from in LA/online)
Finally once i get nexus where do i buy a prepaid sim card ?
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Don't people get paid to shop for other people in LA? Just sayin..
Sent from my SGH-I777 using XDA App
AjaYrUlUez said:
okay Thanks for the reply. So i guess i have these options :
1. Use att sim my galaxy s2 which i dont want to.
2. Go for G nexus sounds good to me. (where shall i buy it from in LA/online)
Finally once i get nexus where do i buy a prepaid sim card ?
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As far as prepaid SIMs - this is not the right forum to ask. If you're wanting to get 3G service with a T-Mobile SIM, you need to look elsewhere. These forums are specific only to the SGH-I777, which is the AT&T variant of the phone you already have.
Dear all,
I'm brazilian and my girlfriend is going to Los Angeles and New York next month, I want to know if she can get a Galaxy S III international model in any physical store in these two cities, or if I'll have to order online in some store and ask to ship to her hotel?
Thanks in advance, and sorry if I posted something wrong or in a wrong place.
I doubt it, I'm not a US resident but from what I know all brand new smart phones are locked by some sort of carrier and most of the phone sales are the north american version (snapdragon qualcomm dual core/ 4g LTE).
I believe that the only way to get the Samsung Galaxy S III International Model will be through ebay otherwise any online store. Could somebody tell me how did you get your international model living in USA?
Thanks
I am in NYC and I have them in both colors, as many as you need (I import and resell cell phones). Contact me.
staylon said:
Could somebody tell me how did you get your international model living in USA?
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I don't understand this part, please elaborate? thanks.
Wants to know how one goes about getting the GT-I9300 while living in the US. He knows people have them, he doesn't know where they buy them from.
Itadakiimasu said:
I don't understand this part, please elaborate? thanks.
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If this model doesn't is sold in USA stores, because in carriers (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, ... ) you only have the american models. how did you get it? Ebay, some store that import it, someone who sells, did you understand?...
So, I see Best Buy are going to be selling this for $600 SIM-free, a good £100 cheaper than the UK.
What sort of issues will I see using the device in the UK if I buy it in the US? Will HSPA+ work? What about LTE?
Careful there: if it's the AT&T model, full price doesn't mean it's unlocked; it's just the price without the 2 year contract.
It is still alot cheaper buying it this way if you want a SIM free phone, the only issue is whether it will be possible to unlock it. I have found 1 site where they 'claim' to be able to unlock it for $79.99!!!
Im considering this as I really really want the cyan version, how likely do you think it will be that there will be a hack to unlock this?
psalmu said:
Careful there: if it's the AT&T model, full price doesn't mean it's unlocked; it's just the price without the 2 year contract.
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Well, that's just terrible.
Oh well, back to the drawing board.
edgedemon said:
It is still alot cheaper buying it this way if you want a SIM free phone, the only issue is whether it will be possible to unlock it. I have found 1 site where they 'claim' to be able to unlock it for $79.99!!!
Im considering this as I really really want the cyan version, how likely do you think it will be that there will be a hack to unlock this?
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If it is like Lumia 900 of AT&T, you will have to wait 6 to 8 months to get any unlock code from anyone, regardless how much you paid.
Also, AT&T itself is selling 920 for $449 without contract. 3rd party retailer will always sell for higher prices than AT&T because they don't get paid otherwise for contract free phones. But there is a slight chance that Best Buy can price match AT&T price for you.
On the other hand, Rogers version of 920 from Canada is selling for not much more and is known to be unlocked.
Both probably won't work with EU's LTE bands.
foxbat121 said:
If it is like Lumia 900 of AT&T, you will have to wait 6 to 8 months to get any unlock code from anyone, regardless how much you paid.
Also, AT&T itself is selling 920 for $449 without contract. 3rd party retailer will always sell for higher prices than AT&T because they don't get paid otherwise for contract free phones. But there is a slight chance that Best Buy can price match AT&T price for you.
On the other hand, Rogers version of 920 from Canada is selling for not much more and is known to be unlocked.
Both probably won't work with EU's LTE bands.
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So you are saying it will not support LTE 1800Mhz?
Tsury said:
So you are saying it will not support LTE 1800Mhz?
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Att here only uses 700Mhz for lte. Att phones typically come with 700Mhz and 1700Mhz bands. Even my dev version of 920 which supports more bands than att version only has 700/850/1700/2100 lte bands.
The RM820 (North American model) also has support for LTE 1900 (doesn't help anyone in Europe though).
so... is unlocking a cell phone tough?
the price is really very low.
pay extra 79.99$ is still cheaper than buying one in Europe. (but i hate the logo ._. )
but as edgedemon said, they just CLAIM that they can.
unlocking a phone must do this way?
or can jb the phone and install something to unlock?
or.. flashing the ROM?
Any idea how I'd go about getting a Rogers phone when I'm in the US? They're Canadian, right?
I'm not so concerned about LTE if it does HSPA+ on European frequencies.
What about flashing a US Device with a EU's Rom ?
I'm a real noobie in that domain !
In France LTE bands are 800 and 2600 ...
thx for advices !
Well, the rumour goes that all the 920s have all the bands available, but only the certain ones for that region are activated in software.
If that's true, then some day someone might work out how to flash the Radio ROM. But I doubt flashing the software ROM (which you can do just now) will make any changes to the radio ROM, so we'll need to wait until/if someone cracks it.
That goes for the 3G bands... I don't know if the phones come with all LTE bands available (and it's still a rumour that they even have all 3G bands)
elyl said:
Well, the rumour goes that all the 920s have all the bands available, but only the certain ones for that region are activated in software.
If that's true, then some day someone might work out how to flash the Radio ROM. But I doubt flashing the software ROM (which you can do just now) will make any changes to the radio ROM, so we'll need to wait until/if someone cracks it.
That goes for the 3G bands... I don't know if the phones come with all LTE bands available (and it's still a rumour that they even have all 3G bands)
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Many thanks for your answer... I think I'm gonna buy it into my country ...
Slaybz said:
What about flashing a US Device with a EU's Rom ?
I'm a real noobie in that domain !
In France LTE bands are 800 and 2600
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AT&T device (a) can't be unlocked, so you can't use it with anything other than an AT&T SIM and (b) won't have European LTE frequencies.
I am pretty sure this will not work on ATT LTE, but will it work on att hspa? This is the perfect phone for me. Im so tired of huge phones. And when they make a smaller or "mini" phone here in the US, they neuter it with lowered specs.
shaxs said:
I am pretty sure this will not work on ATT LTE, but will it work on att hspa? This is the perfect phone for me. Im so tired of huge phones. And when they make a smaller or "mini" phone here in the US, they neuter it with lowered specs.
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It will. But don't buy the European model, go for China PLK-UL00 or better PLK-AL10. With the last one you can get even LTE in big cities if you spare some money for Sprint's or any of provides roaming on its network prepaid sim (it is a dual sim phone).
You can find fair accurate information on: http://www.willmyphonework.net/
You can buy it either from Chinese supplier, (Amazon, Oppomart) or one of European suppliers (Grossoshop, Topresellerstore). Buying from China should be the cheapest option but you don't have any real warranty. Make sure that european warranty is offered if you choose an european seller.
piskr said:
It will. But don't buy the European model, go for China PLK-UL00 or better PLK-AL10. With the last one you can get even LTE in big cities if you spare some money for Sprint's or any of provides roaming on its network prepaid sim (it is a dual sim phone).
You can find fair accurate information on: http://www.willmyphonework.net/
You can buy it either from Chinese supplier, (Amazon, Oppomart) or one of European suppliers (Grossoshop, Topresellerstore). Buying from China should be the cheapest option but you don't have any real warranty. Make sure that european warranty is offered if you choose an european seller.
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Thanks so much for your feedback. Im trying to decide between this and the ZTE Axon Mini or maybe the Xiaomi Mi4C.
Any clue what model number this is? http://www.geekbuying.com/item/HUAW...a-Core-20-0-MP-OTG-Touch-ID--Gray-348511.html
Chinese PLK-UL00. It supports 3g in the USA.