Due to my current phone breaking down, I'm now searching for the cheapest phone available that is able to run a custom ROM, has a fingerprint scanner, and most importantly, is sold at a major store in my country (Costa Rica). The vast majority of phones I can find are either Huawei, which is notorious for being practically unhackable and therefore are a no-go, or Samsung, which is a 50/50 chance. From what I've gathered, the Samsung devices whose chipsets are compatible with modding (Exynos) are typically not available officially in Latin America (which usually carries the Snapdragon version instead) and so the Exynos versions must be imported from Europe, which might take months of shipping and end up overpriced. Despite of everything, however, after checking in several stores in my country, the Galaxy A10 seems to be the only phone I could find that lands in the sweetspot for capability and price - if only there was a way to mod it, that is. My question is, is it possible to know beforehand which models of the A10 are rootable and/or moddable in any way, and which ones are not? (Remember, my current phone is broken and so I must jot the compatible models down in order to compare before paying)
No 30-day money back guarantee? No CoD's? 1-800...
So basically not the us version a102u (the u is the start of the country code in the device f/w # ie.A102USQS5ATA7)
BUT I don't know if your internet shopping listing will provide you with that before purchasing. They may just say yes to get the sale. (Don't ask the barber if you need a haircut)
TLL
Get a unlocked LG k10 or Aristo series w/ the features
You require. Please wash your hands and disinfect all new phones and packages ?
Sent from my a10e using XDA Labs
ArkBlitz said:
Due to my current phone breaking down, I'm now searching for the cheapest phone available that is able to run a custom ROM, has a fingerprint scanner, and most importantly, is sold at a major store in my country (Costa Rica). The vast majority of phones I can find are either Huawei, which is notorious for being practically unhackable and therefore are a no-go, or Samsung, which is a 50/50 chance. From what I've gathered, the Samsung devices whose chipsets are compatible with modding (Exynos) are typically not available officially in Latin America (which usually carries the Snapdragon version instead) and so the Exynos versions must be imported from Europe, which might take months of shipping and end up overpriced. Despite of everything, however, after checking in several stores in my country, the Galaxy A10 seems to be the only phone I could find that lands in the sweetspot for capability and price - if only there was a way to mod it, that is. My question is, is it possible to know beforehand which models of the A10 are rootable and/or moddable in any way, and which ones are not? (Remember, my current phone is broken and so I must jot the compatible models down in order to compare before paying)
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buy an a20, the a10 is extremely useless for developers
unfortunately
usa variants are not unlockable. its simple. every other variantshould be bl unlockable
Related
Hi guys,This is my first post here, this is an excellent forum, keep up the good work2! I am living in the UAE where it looks like the SGS2 wont see the light of day till Q3 2011, I cant wait till then so I am looking at my options. I am not very comfortable with ordering it online from sites like Expansys or Handtec, so would prefer getting it from a physical store.
I will be visiting South Korea very soon and have heard that the SGS2 is already on sale there. My questions are:
1) Are the Korean models (sold exclusively through the carriers I hear) fully unlocked?
2) I will be going to study in Manchester for the next two years, so would like to use the SGS2 there. Seeing that S Korea, UK (and the UAE) use the same GSM and 3G bands - 900/1800 and 3G 2100, I understand its possible but are there any other problems that could crop up? I cant find any specs online for the Korean SGS2.
Thank you!
[EDIT]
Guess noone knows or must be thinking that I didnt search before starting a new thread. Thanks to those who did help! Found the answer from a variety of sources, just listing here in case anyone needs it:
The Korean SGS2 are not quad-band, and are physically thicker due to the inclusion of NFC and a TV tuner. Some carriers have different (non global) MMS standards as well. I have been informed that they are probably locked as well and available on contract to locals only. Also the Indian SGS2 has NFC and costs just 675$ to 700$, guess I will just get it from India!
I will tell you what i know.(it is not 100 sure.)
You are correct that there are three different models of SGS2 in korea.
If you want to use the phone in UK,
You should buy SHW-250K( from KT, one of the service provider)
it meets the mms standard of other countries.
Once again this information is not sure.
I need someone's confirmation for this.
Thanks.
If you're going in on a standard tourist visa then you will NOT be able to buy a phone, even outright. Phones are only available to locals and people on long term visas.
Yeah, get it from India.
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.
Hey! This is my first post on the forums, so correct me if this is in the wrong section or anything of that nature. Anyway, I've been interested in purchasing a Galaxy S6 Edge for a while now. I currently use a Nexus 4 on the daily, and I love the Edge's similarly beautiful design. I am going to buy the phone unlocked, as I have never been and will never be locked into a service contract. Right now I use Cricket Wireless in the United States. (which operates on At&t's towers). Cricket only sells the not-so-edgy galaxy s6, but I should be able to use any gsm model on the carrier. I was wondering if there are any reasons to pick one variant over another? Could the non carrier specific ones will receive updates quicker? Or maybe US specific models will operate better in the US (reception wise)? Do some get more developer support from the community for rooting and rom development? Is there even a difference (perhaps not)? These are all just random examples that come to mind. I just want to make sure I'm not hit with any curve ball when making such a large purchase. In any case, it's sure to be an upgrade from 2012. Thanks in advance
GreatValueCereal said:
Hey! This is my first post on the forums, so correct me if this is in the wrong section or anything of that nature. Anyway, I've been interested in purchasing a Galaxy S6 Edge for a while now. I currently use a Nexus 4 on the daily, and I love the Edge's similarly beautiful design. I am going to buy the phone unlocked, as I have never been and will never be locked into a service contract. Right now I use Cricket Wireless in the United States. (which operates on At&t's towers). Cricket only sells the not-so-edgy galaxy s6, but I should be able to use any gsm model on the carrier. I was wondering if there are any reasons to pick one variant over another? Could the non carrier specific ones will receive updates quicker? Or maybe US specific models will operate better in the US (reception wise)? Do some get more developer support from the community for rooting and rom development? Is there even a difference (perhaps not)? These are all just random examples that come to mind. I just want to make sure I'm not hit with any curve ball when making such a large purchase. In any case, it's sure to be an upgrade from 2012. Thanks in advance
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The unlocked, unbranded international edition will get you the fastest updates.
Although I have not personally researched it, I have heard from other users that it gets LTE connectivity on AT&T's network, so you are good there.
If you buy any other Variant, updates will be slower.
I would discourage the purchase of the AT&T variant because it is the only one that has not been updated to 5.1
Just make sure you are very careful with where you are buying.
I have heard plenty of stories of people buying the Galaxy S6 online and either it is counterfeit, was stolen, or KNOX had been tripped.
Snowby123 said:
The unlocked, unbranded international edition will get you the fastest updates.
Although I have not personally researched it, I have heard from other users that it gets LTE connectivity on AT&T's network, so you are good there.
If you buy any other Variant, updates will be slower.
I would discourage the purchase of the AT&T variant because it is the only one that has not been updated to 5.1
Just make sure you are very careful with where you are buying.
I have heard plenty of stories of people buying the Galaxy S6 online and either it is counterfeit, was stolen, or KNOX had been tripped.
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Oh thanks a lot. I didn't even think about counterfeit or stolen devices. But it sounds like international is the way to go
In India, 99% of mobile phones fall into the "unlocked" and "international" version. Carrier based phones are extremely rare.
Since you are from a different country, I suggest you email and ask Samsung about it, because like the others said, could be counterfeit, stolen or KNOX tripped.
Sent from my SM-G925I using XDA Free mobile app
Since there's noticeable quality and heating drawbacks for the Exynos version, and the US version is bootloader locked, and not having root = you don't own the device, I'm wondering if anyone from outside asia has any experience or recommendations for buying this phone from HK or China, to get the unlocked snapdragon version.
Has anyone done this? I looked on amazon.jp and it seems some s21s are listed as having snapdragons, but user comments say they ordered them and received exynos versions.
Cheers.
I assume china won't have google services but maybe HK does?
Solved.
Ok, so confirmed by users, there are a couple online shops that ship from hk to eu, even without extra VAT, and confirmed to ship with HK firmware. I don't know about all the codes, but seems at very least the G9980ZH****** ones are HK firmware. I won't paste shops here since it seems people aren't so it might be against the rules.
Definitely don't recommend buying from China as you'd then have to flash the HK firmware to replace the china one or else you won't have certain features, but the HK version has everything working (only thing is samsung pay may be locked to HK according to some reports but I don't care, also maybe you could flash an eu samsung pay app especialy with root, idk).
In Bangladesh, Galaxy S23 series is yet to be released for customer; don’t know in which country it is released. However, the phones are available in open/grey market (made in Vietnam). I’m confused how the phone is available? Is there any chance that the phones are defective and hence they are selling in comparatively low price.
I ordered mine last week.
Was supposed to come on feb 17th but I've got it on Friday.
Already selling it in some stores in Germany
i got mine 2 days after official presentation on 3th of february, it was available in mobile operators stores. Also see that other peoples get there devices too on early stages, but now almost every time they are out of stock. Probably on the beginning they are already manufactured some quantity of devices foreach markets that are completely original (made in Vietnam) i also check IMEIs and firmware versions, all looks legit. And don't forget the fact that they come with a full warranty as any other brand new device, so if there are some defects/problems it can be just replaced.
smurf4eto said:
i got mine 2 days after official presentation on 3th of february, it was available in mobile operators stores. Also see that other peoples get there devices too on early stages, but now almost every time they are out of stock. Probably on the beginning they are already manufactured some quantity of devices foreach markets that are completely original (made in Vietnam) i also check IMEIs and firmware versions, all looks legit. And don't forget the fact that they come with a full warranty as any other brand new device, so if there are some defects/problems it can be just replaced.
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How to check the S23 ultra is legitimate phone?
sameee781 said:
How to check the S23 ultra is legitimate phone?
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by IMEI check and also model code / firmware code. But for to be ensure just buy it from some certificated shop or distributor..
In countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, grey market one is real deal as they are imported from countries where it is cheaper to get and import. However, claiming warranty for defective item is difficult.
Moreover, IMEI checks are other genuine things should be checked to ensure its a legitimate phone.
One issue you can have is that some of the grey market people have access to tools that will allow them to pretty much put anything they want in the system files. They can change the model names, numbers, IMEI and all that. The nice thing is, the IMEI is going to be the one true way to tell if it's legit. If they steal IMEI's and put them on multiple devices, it will get blacklisted pretty quick.
So is this story about false S23U from Vietnam true? Or not?
Phones are made in Vietnam for quite a number of years now (have a S7Edge made there) so the manufacturing country is not an indication of the phone being a "fake".
Bought mine from Samsung (pre-order) and is made in Vietnam.