first of all, where is the most safe internet store to buy a galaxy s2 in the US?
well, im looking at ebay for the galaxy s2 and after searching i got a lot of results from top rated sellers. here are some descriptions of their items:
s2 factory unlocked
s2 unlocked and rooted (jailbreak)
s2 skyrocket at&t
s2 titanium t989
s2 epic 4g touch d710 mint clear esn
s2 epic 4g touch bad esn
so this is very confusing...
i simply want the galaxy s2 standard 4.3" or the galaxy s2 LTE 4.5" version. whichever is better. I guess that the 4.5" is better right? if so, then i want that version. the 4.5" have better battery life?
what should i look for at ebay in order to buy the galaxy s2? also... what is the price for the s2 4.3" and what is the price for the s2 4.5"?
also i guess that "factory unlocked" means that this is a brand new phone while a "unlocked and rooted (jailbreak)" means that this is a phone that was bought from an operator like AT&T or Sprint and then manually unlocked right? if so, then if the phone has been unlocked it means that it have a cloned IMEI?
what protection steps should i take to prevent myself getting a s2 with cloned IMEI? i believe that a phone with a cloned IMEI could get me in troubles with the police right?
also, if i buy a s2 that is locked to Sprint then can i unlock it manually to work with any other operator WITHOUT changing the IMEI which is illegal? IMEI and ESN is the same?
please guys help me im newbie thanks
imthebest said:
first of all, where is the most safe internet store to buy a galaxy s2 in the US?
well, im looking at ebay for the galaxy s2 and after searching i got a lot of results from top rated sellers. here are some descriptions of their items:
s2 factory unlocked
Just means its sim free
s2 unlocked and rooted (jailbreak)
second hand phone no Samsung warranty
also i guess that "factory unlocked" means that this is a brand new phone
No just means its not locked to a carrier new or used
, then if the phone has been unlocked it means that it have a cloned IMEI?
NO
what protection steps should i take to prevent myself getting a s2 with cloned IMEI? i believe that a phone with a cloned IMEI could get me in troubles with the police right?
Buy from a legitimate known source not from an ebay private seller
jje
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Click to collapse
even top rated ebay sellers could sell me a s2 with a cloned IMEI?
if so, then what are the legitimate places to buy my s2 online within the US? i do not want to buy from an operator i want to buy an unlocked s2.
imthebest said:
even top rated ebay sellers could sell me a s2 with a cloned IMEI?
if so, then what are the legitimate places to buy my s2 online within the US? i do not want to buy from an operator i want to buy an unlocked s2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got mine (an unlocked international gt-i9100) from expansys usa, and I'm using it fully functional on AT&T.
Another thing to note is if you're in the US, to make sure you get one that is compatible with your network.
AT&T:
GT-I9100 (international GS2, usually unlocked, but not always)
SGH-I777 (ATT branded GS2)
SGH-I727 (ATT branded LTE GS2; aka the Skyrocket - be careful, there's also the SGH-I727R, which I believe DOES work on ATT, but I'm not positive about that. The SGH-I727R is also Rogers branded)
T-Mobile USA:
SGH-T989 (T-Mobile USA branded GS2)
Sprint:
SPH-D710 (Sprint branded GS2)
The T-Mobile and AT&T versions will work on each other's networks for voice, but not for 3g/"4g". If you try to use data on the wrong network, best data speeds you will get for mobile is Edge.
Neither T-Mob or ATT will work on Sprint, and Sprint will only work on Sprint, but I believe the Sprint version can be flashed to work on Cricket. I don't think any will work on Verizon.
---------- Post added at 11:33 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:23 AM ----------
imthebest said:
i simply want the galaxy s2 standard 4.3" or the galaxy s2 LTE 4.5" version. whichever is better. I guess that the 4.5" is better right? if so, then i want that version. the 4.5" have better battery life?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See my post above. The LTE version will only work on AT&T. If you're on Sprint, for example, and you don't want to leave Sprint, then getting the LTE version won't do you any good. It won't work on Sprint. If you don't care about network, get whichever one you want, and go to that network. If you DO care about network, your choices are more limited.
The 4.5" isn't necessarily better. There are many differences. The international one (GT-I9100) has a better processor, (Exynos) but this processor is not compatible with LTE. So the LTE one has a different (IMO, inferior) processor which is clocked at a higher speed to try to compensate. It really depends on what you are interested in.
imthebest said:
what should i look for at ebay in order to buy the galaxy s2? also... what is the price for the s2 4.3" and what is the price for the s2 4.5"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally wouldn't look on ebay for this phone. The first time I tried to buy this phone, I DID look on ebay. Turned up a scam, got my money back, and went to expansys.
Hi all,
I am from India and I am planning to buy a Samsung galaxy s2 model from Pune, India.
I have recently read on internet that in India, the Samsung galaxy s2 model available is the i9100G instead of i9100 [ which is the original and better one]. So I am confused, what to do? Should I go with the G variant or not?
What I have heard is that the G variant is not much supported and comparatively less in performance than the i9100 model. I may be wrong and that's why I am here asking for your help.
Please let me know what to do? Plus, if anyone on this forum is from Pune and knows where I can get the SGS2 i9100 model, please let me know.
Thanks in advance for your answers...
Well I think the i9100G comes with NFC unlike the i9100.
But if you're more interested in software flashing or development you're better with i9100 since it has more support.
aaitken98 said:
Well I think the i9100G comes with NFC unlike the i9100.
But if you're more interested in software flashing or development you're better with i9100 since it has more support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where the heck do you get your info?
In another thread, you said LPQ was a later build than LP7. (which is not right)
As far as I know, I9100G does NOT have NFC out of the box. I9100G is similar to the I9100, but has different SoC/chipset. (I9100G has OMAP4430 CPU, and PowerVR SGX 540 GPU.... whereas I9100 has Exynos CPU, with Mali GPU. This is why firmwares are not compatible between the two)
I9100P has NFC added out of the box, but is otherwise the same as the I9100 in terms of CPU/GPU.
aaitken98 said:
Well I think the i9100G comes with NFC unlike the i9100.
But if you're more interested in software flashing or development you're better with i9100 since it has more support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No its the P that has NFC. The G has a different GPU and chipset to the regular 9100, making all the standard i9100 roms incompatible.
Buy the IG9100... Will have better support and you can find more help here for any issues encountered..
Thanks a lot guys for your replies. Even I want to buy the i9100 model, but seems that in India that model is not available. And the pathetic things is that Samsung is selling i9100G models in the i9100 box. This case has happened with 2 of my friends and even there is no replacement guarantee at the moment for them.
Here is a website for that reference which shows the i9100 box and i9100G model inside: knowmydroid.com/blog/samsung-galaxy-s2-i9100-vs-i9100g-difference
I really need to check the piece thoroughly before buying it. Anyone know any store or place in Pune where I can buy the original version i9100 ?
Thanks in advance
Mate i m from india too
Don't listen to the fools who say i9100G is better
its total money waste(some games not working,camera problems,no ice cream sandwich,no development,not sgs2 really just a phone looking like sgs2 and i9100G is weaker)
Buy a second hand i9100 or new Galaxy Note(only 1k difference on ebay.in)
Thanks for the reply man. So is it like a brand new model of Samsung galaxy s2 i9100 is NOT AVAILABLE in India at the moment? Even in official Samsung stores?
That would be really bad if that's the case...
goldest said:
Thanks for the reply man. So is it like a brand new model of Samsung galaxy s2 i9100 is NOT AVAILABLE in India at the moment? Even in official Samsung stores?
That would be really bad if that's the case...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes and believe me note is much better than i9100G
as its having same processor,etc as i9100
Big problem with G is very little development for it compared to i9100 .
I would try and source an i9100 .
jje
JJEgan said:
Big problem with G is very little development for it compared to i9100 .
I would try and source an i9100 .
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the reason for this is that G is sold in India only or few parts of the world while the international versions are already in around 20-M units...
UnwiredDroid said:
I think the reason for this is that G is sold in India only or few parts of the world while the international versions are already in around 20-M units...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly! And that's the reason why the people in India are finding it much more difficult to buy the original version of S2 which is i9100.
The shop/mall owners in India are saying that the Samsung has stopped the production of i9100 piece and that's the reason why we are selling i9100G nowadays.
Is it the truth that Samsung has stopped production of i9100 model? Or is it only for Indian market and in the rest of the places there are still new i9100 models available?
dude buy a i9100 model, you can find more support and devs here on xda.
goldest said:
Is it the truth that Samsung has stopped production of i9100 model? Or is it only for Indian market and in the rest of the places there are still new i9100 models available?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wtf?? jajaja indians do anything to sell
no samsung didnt stoped production, its just that samsung india is allowed or whatever reason is selling 9100G officially.
you have to buy used or one that is imported. im sure one of the stores must have newimported international i9100. you might not get the warrenty though.
Yeah, I am planning for that only. One more thing is that I visited a local mobile store yesterday. And amazingly, they have the i9100 model available, at least the box says so and I have seen the product code as well and it ends with AINU instead of GINU [for i9100G model].
But the thing I found a bit weird is that the manufacturer was said to be from China? That's new for me. I have heard that SGS2 has been manufactured majorly in Korea or Vietnam, but not sure about china? Is is fine to buy the Galaxy S2 manufactured in china?
Please advice...!!!
goldest said:
Yeah, I am planning for that only. One more thing is that I visited a local mobile store yesterday. And amazingly, they have the i9100 model available, at least the box says so and I have seen the product code as well and it ends with AINU instead of GINU [for i9100G model].
But the thing I found a bit weird is that the manufacturer was said to be from China? That's new for me. I have heard that SGS2 has been manufactured majorly in Korea or Vietnam, but not sure about china? Is is fine to buy the Galaxy S2 manufactured in china?
Please advice...!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If its i9100 then go for it
Can be manufactured all over the world
sahibunlimited said:
If its i9100 then go for it
Can be manufactured all over the world
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah buddy. At least the box says that it's i9100 manufactured and imported by China. The manufactured date is also of August 2011. So may be there is a possibility that this one is from the old stock and not the new production. But that shouldn't be any problem, Isn't it?
Any idea, which Android version I will be getting if its manufactured and imported in August 2011? Just curios...
goldest said:
Yeah buddy. At least the box says that it's i9100 manufactured and imported by China. The manufactured date is also of August 2011. So may be there is a possibility that this one is from the old stock and not the new production. But that shouldn't be any problem, Isn't it?
Any idea, which Android version I will be getting if its manufactured and imported in August 2011? Just curios...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
U can install 4.0 from here if its i9100
sahibunlimited said:
U can install 4.0 from here if its i9100
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Click to collapse
But is it fine to install the ICS right away after buying it? Or should I spend some time playing with the device as I am not pretty much used to android devices as such.
What would you suggest? Should I go for the ICS update right away? Or I should wait for sometime and then get to it slowly and steadily?
19100 even comes with black ink .
jje
Ok here is the deal , my phone got hardbricked by this stupid 4.0.4 thing , so i gave to samsung and i was out of warranty , after 3 days they called me and told me it will cost about half of the phone to replace the motherboard
Now what should i do , get a new gs2 or get my old made in korea samsung repaired
Or just wait for the gs3 to get cheaper then buy it
Sucks man. How much is the repair? Maybe get a Galaxy Nexus. They are pretty cheap now and you will get the latest updates fast, no more rooting BS. I'm thinking of trading my S2 for the nexus. Brickbug has scared me too much
666fff said:
Sucks man. How much is the repair? Maybe get a Galaxy Nexus. They are pretty cheap now and you will get the latest updates fast, no more rooting BS. I'm thinking of trading my S2 for the nexus. Brickbug has scared me too much
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Click to collapse
If you know what you are doing or can even read, then the brick bug can never affect you.
And even if you have galaxy nexus, you will still eventually root the device.
Unmodified Aosp ICS Android build has it's own obvious limitations too.
Swyped from my Galaxy SII
---------- Post added at 01:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:35 AM ----------
Tefanym said:
Ok here is the deal , my phone got hardbricked by this stupid 4.0.4 thing , so i gave to samsung and i was out of warranty , after 3 days they called me and told me it will cost about half of the phone to replace the motherboard
Now what should i do , get a new gs2 or get my old made in korea samsung repaired
Or just wait for the gs3 to get cheaper then buy it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Motherboard is the most expensive part of almost any electronic device.
Getting it via official source will even be more expensive.
My advise:
1. Change your motherboard via unofficial route. It's will be cheaper
2. Buy used Galaxy SII or nexus while you wait for the price of galaxy Siii to drop significantly.
Swyped from my Galaxy SII
Well, right now i have a SGS i9000. but im planning to buy a SGS II i9100 which someone sells it for 290$(converted already to our rate which is actually 12,000PHP on us).. i sell my SGS to my classmate for 240$ (which is 10,000PHP for us).
**what i want to know is how will i know if the device(that im going to buy) was not repaired or changed its hardware before? and i see that there are some Fake android phones out there. but the original ones have samsung sticker and NTC seal on the back of the phone and the NTC is around where the battery is.***
when im gonna buy it, ill make sure that it can be connect to Google Play, and has similarly with my phone, and connects to pc, and if the phone is properly working with Odin3.
It's just odd that it's quite cheap. because most people sells their SGSII 2nd hand for like 360~480$(converted on our rate).
thanks a lot for the help!
help plox?? TIA
Hi,
I was wondering if there are different versions of S3's like for S2's (ie, Singapore differ from US etc), because i want to buy an S3 online from a reseller in which the title goes by Samsung Galaxy S3 Unlocked WHITE/BLUE. Is there anyway to tell or how to check which version the seller is selling?
Thanks!
Was there a model model number?
I typed this by hand.
SGiZac said:
Hi,
I was wondering if there are different versions of S3's like for S2's (ie, Singapore differ from US etc), because i want to buy an S3 online from a reseller in which the title goes by Samsung Galaxy S3 Unlocked WHITE/BLUE. Is there anyway to tell or how to check which version the seller is selling?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If its being sold online it is most likely to be the GT-I9300 international version. However be sure of the credibility of the online re seller. There have been cases where people reported to have received fake S3's..
Yes, there is:
this app:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.alxdroiddev.gs3identity
it will not only tell if it is a genuine S III, but it will also tell what specific model it is.