Database Users

Want to Buy--Is it Fake and other questions

My beloved Galaxy S is dead. The Samsung technician said it's the motherboard. I dread the thought of spending more money on a new phone, especially if it only lasts 2 years. However, there is a guy selling supposedly new Galaxy S phones on Yahoo's local Internet auction. I'm tempted because of the price and because I have an extra battery and a really nice case (not to mention I now have spare parts), but I don't know what I should be aware of. How can a 2-year-old phone still be around when the Galaxy S3 is out? Can this be legitimate leftover inventory? Are there known fakes out there? (A search of Ebay shows a lot of Galaxy S phones in Shenzhen, China, but I don't know if they're fake or not.)
What questions should I ask the seller? I want to know if there is an OEM battery and if it comes in an unopened box. What else should I ascertain?
Thanks.

Ask him to type *#1234# in the phone if the box is opened;
if he says like
Pda I9000....
Phone I9000
CSC I9000
the best way to know if it is fake or not.
if the box is not opened you should decide yourself.Want some picture from seller for the box etc..
I didnt see any fakes of galaxy s.But as you know galaxy s has some variants
I9000
I9000T
I9000B
Or korean version which's name is entirely different and so on
i recommend you to choose international one,I9000.Custom rom support is amazing for it!
GT-I9000 cihazımdan Tapatalk 2 ile gönderildi

LOL, I bought mine in January 2012 at Noel Leeming NZ
The guy said that i9000 stocks are still available in Vietnam

I haven't talked to the seller just yet, but I got a rough translation of some of the questions people have been asking him.
First off, he had 50 for sale, 41 are left. He says they were display models. They are not 100% new, but no one has asked him yet how much use they have had. He offers a 7-day exchange if something is wrong, and a 30-day warranty. It is the i9000 as that was all that was available here. He sells a lot of cell phone-related things and has pretty good feedback. He has some HTC Arias and Heros for sale, too, which may lend some legitimacy to his business.
I'll have to register an account to ask him more questions. If the phones have never been turned on, he may be reluctant to type in that code.
MrAndroid12, how much did you pay for yours?

I bought mine in january of this year to ;p, for €150 (idk how many dollars that is).
But it broke recently while flashing, and i'm experienced with flashin, but i could not fix it D:, so i got the sensation, thats a really good phone to, and if you know where to look, you can get it cheap
Sent from my HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio using xda premium

[Q] Where can I get ASAP I9505 LTE model+dutyfree

I need a I9505 Euro open S4 LTE model.
I frequently bought from UK phone store (Clove or handtec)
But, that sim-free provider all delayed until May 03 in UK. (thaty said that samsung UK make a delay)
I can't wait until may 03.
Could you let me know where is In stock of I9505 LTE device?
Seller must support intenational shipping and want to dutyfree or price not over $900 (inc, shipping cost)

Hi. As I know there is nowhere to be found the S4 I9505 until May 3. Also, without talking with a particular guy or something, will be impossible to get the duty declaration as "gift". I have looked every single website. Btw, why you want the I9505 when you guys have the Octa with even higher cpu frequency ? We are crying for Octa and you guys want Snapdragon LMAO

demlasjr said:
Hi. As I know there is nowhere to be found the S4 I9505 until May 3. Also, without talking with a particular guy or something, will be impossible to get the duty declaration as "gift". I have looked every single website. Btw, why you want the I9505 when you guys have the Octa with even higher cpu frequency ? We are crying for Octa and you guys want Snapdragon LMAO
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply!!!
This link is why i hate korean galaxy variants model. even though that have exynos octa chipset.
All galaxy korean version has following problems.
1. All operator too many customizing ==> it will cause unstable, because all known that they request too many modify frameworks also.
2. Too many have bloat apps.(operator apps, avg 10 + apps exist, some apps are not support uninstall, yeah rooting will delete that apps, but it make an another error)
3. UMTS band are only 1900/2100 (official), previous galaxy have only UMTS 2100 (SKT/KT model only, LGU+ model using CDMA 1800(that frequncy only exist in korea over the world)
4. LTE band are only 850/1800. (SKT 850/1800 , KT 1800 / LG U+ 850)
5. Maybe Firmare not compatible with Global version (I930X / N710X )
6. you may not use USSD code (korean all operator doesn't support USSD code, so korean localizing version remove USSD function)
I lived in korea, but i don't use our korean galaxy models. This time I also ordered galaxy s4 on UK. Because UK model is always Europe open model and it has nearly Samsung reference model. (Doesn't have or 1~2 bloat app exist)
i'm very hate too many localizing. it will always phone make unstable.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

I'm still between the i9500 and i9505. People having i9505 reports high temperature, probably because of the clock. Not sure what to choose.
I knew that Korean version have many limits, but I didn't know that was so horrible.
In your case, you will need to find somebody to buy and send the phone as gift in Korea, but the package can still be stopped in airport or border and if it's opened, they can still ask you for taxes (even if the chances are minimal). You may find somebody and talk to him to do it on a website like eBay, so you will pay him the money with PayPal, they will buy the phone and send to you. This way you have warranty that he will not steal your money and he will have the money to buy and ship it to you. Once I did something like this with a friend. Ebay have taxes, but depends on category and at least you have your money safe
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Hi,
I walked into the Samsung store in Westfield,Stratford today.
I bought a i9505 ,unlocked and and sim free.

demlasjr said:
I'm still between the i9500 and i9505. People having i9505 reports high temperature, probably because of the clock. Not sure what to choose.
I knew that Korean version have many limits, but I didn't know that was so horrible.
In your case, you will need to find somebody to buy and send the phone as gift in Korea, but the package can still be stopped in airport or border and if it's opened, they can still ask you for taxes (even if the chances are minimal). You may find somebody and talk to him to do it on a website like eBay, so you will pay him the money with PayPal, they will buy the phone and send to you. This way you have warranty that he will not steal your money and he will have the money to buy and ship it to you. Once I did something like this with a friend. Ebay have taxes, but depends on category and at least you have your money safe
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your detail information! :good::good:
If price is good, i will try it. but mostly New release cell phone is too expensive. :'(
In now, I consider keep order from handtec(UK) or make a new order from negri(US).
Importance is two seller have only "Expected date". and that expect days is everytime varilabe. :crying::crying::crying:

malybru said:
Hi,
I walked into the Samsung store in Westfield,Stratford today.
I bought a i9505 ,unlocked and and sim free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, really I envied you!
I hope, I request to you that buying I9505 on that store.
But, UK GBP have too high exchane rate. :'( My money is not enough.
(i ordered from handtec, you known that international customer get duty free)
Thanks for your information.

Any downsides to using G9006V (China version) in Europe?

Hello all,
I just bought a Galaxy S5 and did some authenticity checking on it. I expected the G900F version since I live in Europe (Romania). It seems that it is the G9006V version. I chatted with a Samsung representative and he told me based on the IMEI that this is the case. I also checked out the download mode and it said the same. Antutu gave it a score of 50483 and says it has a Qualcomm 801 chipset, so at least it seems to be genuine.
I have the option of getting a refund. My question is, do I have any reason to? Are there any downsides to the Chinese version? It does have Google Play, I've read that mentioned as missing. It also came with Android 5, or so it says in the device info screen, and cannot be upgraded to a later version. Does the European version get a newer one? Will mine be able to get updates too?
P.S. The About Device Screen / Model Number displays "SM-G900F" and under Build Number there is a section called "United Arab Emirates". When I went into an info screen in the S Health app I got a screen of text in Arabic... This is weird, does it have any bearing on the software on my phone and the possibility to upgrade it in the future?

Where did you buy it? Unfortunatly this appears to be another case of a falsely labeled G900F

justinxfan said:
Where did you buy it? Unfortunatly this appears to be another case of a falsely labeled G900F
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ordered it from evomag.ro, a fairly reputable local webshop. I'm not aware of the story with the falsely labeled phones, could you please fill me in? Especially regarding how it affects me as a user?

Buying brand new note 4 from eBay

Hey guys,
So last week I bought a note 4 off eBay. My last note 4 was lost on a night out in September (21st, never forget ) so I have been using my s4 ever since. I miss the size and display of the note 4, hence i bought a new one.
Here's the link:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282075151295
My last note 4 was the SM-N910F,which I also purchased from eBay (UK seller, it was an auction). The note 4 that i bought last week also claims to be an SM-N910F, the European/international version. The seller is Chinese and has sold a good few of these, he also has great feedback (see link). The phone is said to be brand new, in original box with all OEM accessories. I was feeling a bit iffy, I don't know why, in the days after I bought it so I messaged the seller asking about the authenticity etc. Part of the reply worried me:
". . . . . . . . . . I would like to remind you again, our Note 4 is 100% original from Samsung, but please note that our Note 4 is USA model + software unlocked(Rooted), as described in our item specific . . . . . . . . . ."
Now in the item description, the model number is SM-N910F, and not one of the American models, like SM-N910V or SM-N910A. But the seller says it an American version. So there's that. Also the seller says that the software is "unlocked(rooted)". This is my main concern. Is the seller simply trying to tell me that the phone is unlocked, or is he telling me that he has taken the phone out of the box, rooted it and flashed some kind of custom ROM on it? Just take a quick look at the link and have a look at it on ebay and tell me what you think.
Many thanks.

I do not trust these so called sellers selling "brand new" phones. The phone is brand new and already rooted? Its a US model claiming to be a European model?
Let me tell you what you bought...you bought a refurbished phone (refurbished in China) and because the US models are less wanted than the EU models (lack of Hotspot) they sell these as EU models to increase the price.
These refurbished phones are "brand new" but are in reality refurbished with cheap clone parts from China. Its big business in China. I bought a Note 2 like this...after 2 months I had touchscreen problems and the 3G is not working...
Download the app phone info, it will give you the manufacturing date (mainboard), model number and a lot more if your phone is rooted. It will also tell you if its a V, F, or A model...

You can simply go to download mode and check the real model of the device.. i also bought one the seller claimed it's N910F everything looked okay but when i went to download mode it was N910S (sprint) immediately i returned the device to the seller and received my refund..
Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

Bought an S8 with broken seal. Should I keep it?

I bought a s8 dual sim (on 6.9.2017), where the seal on the package was broken. The package looked suspicious, so I filmed the unboxing. Someone put a seal over the original one. The Samsung seal below was cut.
So I returned to the dealer and he told me it must have been the importer who checked the phone. Now Im trying to find out if the phone was used before. Used the "Phone INFO ★Samsung★" App to check
Congratulations!
Your phone is ORIGINAL.
NOTE: Manufacturing date does not match with the Serial Number.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The manufacturing date is: 2017.04.30
I checked the serial number on imei24.com and get following results:
Division: Mobile Phone (HHP)
Production location: Korea SEC
Manufacture line: 8-Line
Production month: May 2017
Factory warranty till: 31-07-2019
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the price was around 615 euro, thats 25 euro more than the cheapest new non dual sim s8 around. but 150 euro less than the average price for a s8 duos.
What do you think happened here. Is it a refurbished/used phone? Or did someone just check the package. What would you do? I really appreciate any help. Thanks in advance

For what you are getting at the price, I wouldn't really be worried about the Seal, If you are buying from a company like eglobal central which is a UK website but phone ships from Korea etc, the phones always come with the seal broken but the device itself is new, I have read somewhere also that although some models will work outside of their country of sale, but you need to make a 5 minutes call from the country of original release before it can be used from another country, I am not sure how true this is.
Read the comment on this link https://www.techwalls.com/samsung-galaxy-s8-sm-g950-g955-model-number-differences/
Most of these devices coming from outside of europe will probably arrive with the seal broken especially if buying from ebay so I wouldnt be worried really.
I am just about to buy a SM-G955 (Korea) 6GB/128GB on ebay UK, coming from ireland or Korea. I intend to flash with a Europe/Uk CSC once I receive it.

Yeah sounds reasonable. That's also the reason why I didn't return the phone immediately, because I remembered reading on a website from a legit dealer that they open the package to remove the region lock. But I got a little bit paranoid because the dealer seemed suspicious and after checking with the phone info app i got this weird warning that the manufacturing date does not match with the serial number, which is weird.
Thanks for your advice.