Database Users

[Q] Where to buy UNLOCK Galaxy Note 3 in US?

Can anyone tell me where I can buy an unlock GSM version of the Galaxy Note 3 in the US with good customer service and full warranty of the phone.
I don't like buying from sellers on Amazon as if the phone fails, it might be really difficult to get warranty or return.
Last time I was able to buy the HTC One Unlock from HTC directly. But doesn't seem that Samsung has anything similar.
Thanks in advance

checksum123 said:
Can anyone tell me where I can buy an unlock GSM version of the Galaxy Note 3 in the US with good customer service and full warranty of the phone.
I don't like buying from sellers on Amazon as if the phone fails, it might be really difficult to get warranty or return.
Last time I was able to buy the HTC One Unlock from HTC directly. But doesn't seem that Samsung has anything similar.
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are are a few places that I know have carried unlocked GSM phones in the past.Try www.negrielectronics.com or www.mobilecityonline.com or www.welectronics.com they should be able to get you what you want. I would also suggest getting a SquareTrade Warranty to cover it for damage since it will be pricey.

I can vouch for Negri Electronics, I've bought a GSM unlocked Galaxy S3 from them before. Does anyone know if there is a GSM unlocked version that works with AT&T LTE? Would really like to keep my unlimited data plan on AT&T. Thanks.

There will be options, but pretty much guaranteed that it will be an international version. Hence no LTE support..
ATT has been locking down the bootloader s recently and now the knox... No more development for ATT devices....

aalupatti said:
There will be options, but pretty much guaranteed that it will be an international version. Hence no LTE support..
ATT has been locking down the bootloader s recently and now the knox... No more development for ATT devices....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know, that's why I'm avoiding an AT&T branded device like the plague. I will even give up LTE if I have to. Much rather have a developer friendly device. Thanks.

aalupatti said:
There will be options, but pretty much guaranteed that it will be an international version. Hence no LTE support..
ATT has been locking down the bootloader s recently and now the knox... No more development for ATT devices....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are 2 international versions, a 3g (exynos chip) and a 4g (s800) version.
So they is LTE support.

Riimez said:
There are 2 international versions, a 3g (exynos chip) and a 4g (s800) version.
So they is LTE support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
R u sure it supports att late bands?
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk 2

aalupatti said:
R u sure it supports att late bands?
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://negrielectronics.com/samsung-galaxy-note-3-32gb-lte-at-t-unlocked-jet-black.html#.UjHPy8bvtr8
This is is unlocked and works with ATT LTE, is the bootloader also unlocked?
There is no waranty though as stated on their site.

checksum123 said:
http://negrielectronics.com/samsung-galaxy-note-3-32gb-lte-at-t-unlocked-jet-black.html#.UjHPy8bvtr8
This is is unlocked and works with ATT LTE, is the bootloader also unlocked?
There is no waranty though as stated on their site.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most prbly by unlocked they mean Sim unlocked-you can use it on another carrier. I highly doubt that the bootloader is unlocked that if its the At&t version.

hollywould said:
I know, that's why I'm avoiding an AT&T branded device like the plague. I will even give up LTE if I have to. Much rather have a developer friendly device. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree with you!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium

[REQUEST][MOD] Region lock removal tool

REQUEST][MOD] Region Lock Removal Tool
hello modders
I and others who travel a lot will need a tool which will remove region lock provided to all new galaxy phones since July 2013
Reference: http://gigaom.com/2013/09/26/seriously-samsung-sorry-european-roamers-but-the-new-galaxy-note-3-is-region-locked/

we need to find the code that was used to unlock the note 2 but now does not work on note 3 we can then acess secret menu and maybe unlock all regions hope we can find the engineer code.
This one below
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2037017

Yah, this is true and for me it doesn't make sense.
I can confirm that when i got the Galaxy note 3 yesterday it has a sticker on it, I checked the retailers here also S4 boxes have that sticker too.

okloub said:
Yah, this is true and for me it doesn't make sense.
I can confirm that when i got the Galaxy note 3 yesterday it has a sticker on it, I checked the retailers here also S4 boxes have that sticker too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just purchased mine in Hong Kong, No Sticker or warning of any kind.

No idea where this information comes from and which countries Note version/s it refers to, but I just got my N9000 (SM-N900) here in Bangkok, Thailand and tried it with European SIM cards (roaming, as I am still in Bangkok) and they all work just fine.
EDIT: Also no sticker or warning of any kind.

It is only for the first time you activate the phone. E.g. If you are in Europe with an European phone, activate using a European sim, you are OK to use other Sims when you travel.
But if u try using a say a American sim to activate the European ph on first boot then u are ****ed.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk 4

dcracks said:
It is only for the first time you activate the phone. E.g. If you are in Europe with an European phone, activate using a European sim, you are OK to use other Sims when you travel.
But if u try using a say a American sim to activate the European ph on first boot then u are ****ed.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not exactly ****ed. You can still unlock it via code or the service center.
Updated details here: http://www.sammobile.com/2013/09/27...cking-works-and-its-not-as-bad-as-we-thought/

Others have already shown that this is a software lock done via the CSC. I don't have a Note 3, but based on my experience with the Galaxy S4, this is something that would be very easy to remove.

Before buying Note 3 (3UK), advise pls

Hello there,
Need your advise guys before buying Note 3. (I own Note 2)
- I am thinking about getting this phone from buymobiles.net cos the deal is better than directly from 3 (£120 for handset + 24x£30) and also I need an unlocked phone.
3 says they start providing 4g next month. The phone is 4g ready - does it mean, I can use it with 3 now (3g only) and next month when they switch to 4g?
- I know there are 2 types of processor, which one is the most common on xda regarding cooking and how to check it if I order the phone by phone or website, please?
- any tips about buying this phone, is there anything I should know before buying pls?
Cheers

qwerty1q said:
Hello there,
Need your advise guys before buying Note 3. (I own Note 2)
- I am thinking about getting this phone from buymobiles.net cos the deal is better than directly from 3 (£120 for handset + 24x£30) and also I need an unlocked phone.
3 says they start providing 4g next month. The phone is 4g ready - does it mean, I can use it with 3 now (3g only) and next month when they switch to 4g?
- I know there are 2 types of processor, which one is the most common on xda regarding cooking and how to check it if I order the phone by phone or website, please?
- any tips about buying this phone, is there anything I should know before buying pls?
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi mate yes it works with 3g when 3 go 4g they will send you a new 4g sim and all N3 in uk are snapdragon 800

unlocked phone no! go to carphonewarehouse for unlocked phones
Sent from my SM-N9005 using xda premium

jowett69 said:
unlocked phone no! go to carphonewarehouse for unlocked phones
Sent from my SM-N9005 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
?
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

qwerty1q said:
?
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3 don't do unlocked phone if you want unlocked you have to go to Phones4u or carphone warehouse

Not really, I purchased my note 2 from buymobiles. Net on 3uk network, the phone was unlocked, I asked a few times before ordering
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

Phone 4 u don't deal with 3 anymorr and carphonewarehouse deals are expensive
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

You may be better off getting the carrier-locked phone from 3 and unlocking it, rather than going for a SIM-free phone from Carphone Warehouse or Phones 4u which are all regionally locked. This is because the network carrier unlock is better understood, can be unlocked by the carrier without involving Samsung and is less susceptible to unilateral change than Samsung's opaque regional lock. As it is, Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4u cannot unlock the regional lock on Samsung phones (ie Note 3, new S4s etc) which they sell and Samsung are refusing to do so.
An unofficial unlock of a regionally locked phone is always going to stand out if Samsung has never agreed and never will agree to release the regional lock associated with the sales code/IMEI of the regionally locked phone. The risk is that Samsung will have ways to reapply the regional lock on such a phone. I am not sure I would want to risk Samsung seeking to reapply its regional lock and would rather take my chances with a carrier lock and getting that unlocked instead.

Thank you for some useful information.
Can I easily unlock a phone locked to 3UK?
Is it expensive?
Are you sure that the locked phone from 3UK or any other provider doesn't have a regional lock?
Can the phone have both locks?
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

qwerty1q said:
Can I easily unlock a phone locked to 3UK?
Is it expensive?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not tried it but reports are of unofficial network unlocks costing around $20 and being quite easy to obtain. Whether 3 would do it for a long-standing customer I have not explored. 3 might well require its use for a period before 3 would consider unlocking it themselves.
qwerty1q said:
Are you sure that the locked phone from 3UK or any other provider doesn't have a regional lock?
Can the phone have both locks?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A determining factor for the inclusion of a regional lock seems to be the "sales code" of the phone. If you buy a phone from a 3 store then it is likely to be branded and have the sales code H3G. The sale code H3G has in the CSC a carrier NetworkLock for 23420 and 23594, both of which I believe are "3" networks in GB. There seem to be no other NetworkLocks in the H3G systems/csc/customer.xml file, either for network or regional lock.
If you buy the phone from a general retailer like Carphone Warehouse or Phones 4u and the phone is unbranded then the phone may well have the regional lock in it. This seems to be the case even if it is being bought with a contract to a network like Vodafone or 3. You would be able to see it has a CSC like N9005OXABMJ3 - dial *#1234# in stock dialler to see version of CSC.
Not yet seen any example where there is both a regional lock and a carrier lock in the same CSC.

Should I buy it from USA or the Middle East?

I live in The Middle East and will be going to the USA very soon for a few months. My cousin works at a mobile phone repair shop(USA) and said he could get me a good offer (new or used). With all the different model numbers I'm confused about where to buy it from. I want the all around the world option where it works on all carriers wherever I go, even if I have to pay more. I would prefer the 8-core one but not sure what exactly I'm trading off or even if it's better. Also the Continent lock and the Knox thing....ugh my noobish brain can't handle this. Btw I am upgrading from a Galaxy Ace which is one **** of a phone.

abukh86 said:
I live in The Middle East and will be going to the USA very soon for a few months. My cousin works at a mobile phone repair shop(USA) and said he could get me a good offer (new or used). With all the different model numbers I'm confused about where to buy it from. I want the all around the world option where it works on all carriers wherever I go, even if I have to pay more. I would prefer the 8-core one but not sure what exactly I'm trading off or even if it's better. Also the Continent lock and the Knox thing....ugh my noobish brain can't handle this. Btw I am upgrading from a Galaxy Ace which is one **** of a phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im in Dubai
& its best to buy from the city your living in cos of Warranty
if u buy here it will be unlocked phone & usa if u get from Att or T mobile or etc it will be locked phone
they say international warranty but its always a problem
get the 4g LTE quad core cos it better to have fast net than a 8core phone
USA models always have lot of built in company software which u wont need here
rest is up to you

ilordvader said:
Im in Dubai
& its best to buy from the city your living in cos of Warranty
if u buy here it will be unlocked phone & usa if u get from Att or T mobile or etc it will be locked phone
they say international warranty but its always a problem
get the 4g LTE quad core cos it better to have fast net than a 8core phone
USA models always have lot of built in company software which u wont need here
rest is up to you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. Just a few more quick questions please.
1) So when I go to buy the phone I actually have the option of 8-core/4-core? I was under the impression it was all 8-core since it's international.
2) In terms of rooting and Roms here on XDA, is one more XDA friendly than the other? Is there a model I should avoid?

abukh86 said:
Thanks for the reply. Just a few more quick questions please.
1) So when I go to buy the phone I actually have the option of 8-core/4-core? I was under the impression it was all 8-core since it's international.
2) In terms of rooting and Roms here on XDA, is one more XDA friendly than the other? Is there a model I should avoid?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
both can be rooted
4 cores is 4g LTE which I think is better cos aster net speed
8 cores is 3g only

the way Samsung 8 cores work ATM is, that you can only have 4 fast ones or 4 slow ones working, depending on load, but never all 8 at the same time. There was talk about software fix for this, but who knows how that will turn out. The risk of buying US phone are frequencies: for example T-mobile originated phone has some frequencies different than ATT etc, so you would really need to check to see if they match your home towers. I'm not sure if US phones are region locked, my T-Mobile Note 3 has 18 network lock entries, not 64 and they don't look anything like the codes posted on this forum by other users. Mine look like this "network lock 310200, 310210, 310310 etc. so I don't even know what they mean. US phones are usually carrier locked, but could be easily unlocked especially if paid COD. But if your cousin works in phone repair shop, not only he should know about frequencies, carrier/region locks and technical differences between Samsung and Qualcom CPU, he could probably get you great price. I would talk to him more.

Negri Electronics sell the N9005 and they told me it is not lock, not branded and will work everywhere.
http://negrielectronics.com/samsung-n9005-galaxy-note-3-32gb-lte-unlocked-black.html#.Uso7rkDQv4X
---------- Post added at 07:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:21 AM ----------
Negri Electronics sell the N9005 and they told me it is not lock, not branded and will work everywhere.
http://negrielectronics.com/samsung-n9005-galaxy-note-3-32gb-lte-unlocked-black.html#.Uso7rkDQv4X

i bought the 4g n9005 from Saudi Arabia cheaper than USA

abukh86 said:
I live in The Middle East and will be going to the USA very soon for a few months. My cousin works at a mobile phone repair shop(USA) and said he could get me a good offer (new or used). With all the different model numbers I'm confused about where to buy it from. I want the all around the world option where it works on all carriers wherever I go, even if I have to pay more. I would prefer the 8-core one but not sure what exactly I'm trading off or even if it's better. Also the Continent lock and the Knox thing....ugh my noobish brain can't handle this. Btw I am upgrading from a Galaxy Ace which is one **** of a phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should be able to find the N9005ZKEXSI which is the UAE version of the phone thats fully compatible with "My Number, My Identity" initiative. They are basically all the same except for basebands. I would stick to N9005 model due to developer support, snapdragon is better simply & exynos hasn't reached its potential & there is no word as of late on HMP to utilize all 8 cores.
Just remember, even though the N9005 is international there are still variants per country, which means the market they came from if you break it...is where it has to be repaired so buying a local N9005 model is the very best route to go which is the N9000ZKEXSG (Jordans version of Exynos) otherwise, you need to grab one from another closer market that does have the LTE model... aka UAE.

Get it from the country you spend the most time living in.

Isn't the USA one region locked?
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

refinition said:
Isn't the USA one region locked?
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most carriers release it if fully paid so its a yes/no answer.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

nxneko said:
You should be able to find the N9005ZKEXSI which is the UAE version of the phone thats fully compatible with "My Number, My Identity" initiative. They are basically all the same except for basebands. I would stick to N9005 model due to developer support, snapdragon is better simply & exynos hasn't reached its potential & there is no word as of late on HMP to utilize all 8 cores.
Just remember, even though the N9005 is international there are still variants per country, which means the market they came from if you break it...is where it has to be repaired so buying a local N9005 model is the very best route to go which is the N9000ZKEXSG (Jordans version of Exynos) otherwise, you need to grab one from another closer market that does have the LTE model... aka UAE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have same product code as you mention N9005ZKEXSI ,like to know more about "My Number, My Identity" What it mean, I am also from U.A.E.
Thanks

jdomadia said:
I have same product code as you mention N9005ZKEXSI ,like to know more about "My Number, My Identity" What it mean, I am also from U.A.E.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some special registration thing from TRA called TRA:ID each device has one if you look in about device with stock rom or KEXSI csc. There will be two codes I am guessing you end up registering somewhere.
I cant really say as im using the kexsi 9005 in the states, its just something I saw while looking to see which country my note came from.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

nxneko said:
Some special registration thing from TRA called TRA:ID each device has one if you look in about device with stock rom or KEXSI csc. There will be two codes I am guessing you end up registering somewhere.
I cant really say as im using the kexsi 9005 in the states, its just something I saw while looking to see which country my note came from.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh Okay TRA:ID & TA:00000 something like this is there, may u r saying about that, one more thing I notice is My mobile number is also appearing in status, I don't know for others also it's Same.

nxneko said:
Some special registration thing from TRA called TRA:ID each device has one if you look in about device with stock rom or KEXSI csc. There will be two codes I am guessing you end up registering somewhere.
I cant really say as im using the kexsi 9005 in the states, its just something I saw while looking to see which country my note came from.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mat One more question,you bought this phone in US & activate also in US? Its working after any modification in US or with stock rom without any problem, I am asking if I am traveling than I need to install custom ROM or it will work as it is with Stock ROM.
Thanks

jdomadia said:
Mat One more question,you bought this phone in US & activate also in US? Its working after any modification in US or with stock rom without any problem, I am asking if I am traveling than I need to install custom ROM or it will work as it is with Stock ROM.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its completely unlocked and has been working phone on 3G services on tmobile for me.

[Q] American Sim only-Working on GreecE?

Greetings they will bring me galaxy s5 from fujairah,my bro said me that inside the phone writes ''american sim only''.
The person who sell it to my bro told him that with an adapter works for all countries (europe and non europe)
my question is: will it work with an adapter? :/
I am on Greece..
PS.dont ask about shops etc..my bro is travellings with cargo ships..

Airboner said:
Greetings they will bring me galaxy s5 from fujairah,my bro said me that inside the phone writes ''american sim only''.
The person who sell it to my bro told him that with an adapter works for all countries (europe and non europe)
my question is: will it work with an adapter? :/
I am on Greece..
PS.dont ask about shops etc..my bro is travellings with cargo ships..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your brother will need to SIM Unlock the Galaxy S5 he is bringing to you for it to be able to work in your region.
Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk

SolarTrans said:
Your brother will need to SIM Unlock the Galaxy S5 he is bringing to you for it to be able to work in your region.
Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sim unlock how?
the seller told him that with an adapter will work..
but here i asked some friends and told me that will not work..
btw i will go tomorrow to cosmote and ask them..

Airboner said:
sim unlock how?
the seller told him that with an adapter will work..
but here i asked some friends and told me that will not work..
btw i will go tomorrow to cosmote and ask them..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no SIM "adapter" that will make a phone work in different regions.
Maybe he was talking about the outlet plug in the wall for power?
Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk

SolarTrans said:
There is no SIM "adapter" that will make a phone work in different regions.
Maybe he was talking about the outlet plug in the wall for power?
Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no he didnt tell to my bro about plug power..
he told him about sim adapter
i searched it and i find this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-in-1-Na...170?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item417f57de22
there is sim adapter..
but dude what do y mean with sim unlock?what i have to do?

Those SIM adapters change the physical size of the SIM card to fit in different devices, and have no effect on network compatibility.
Google SIM unlocking Galaxy S5, and you'll get much more information than what I can give you.
Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk

As far as I know, Samsung reacted to the outcry against region locking by not really region locking them - the just need to be first used (I guess activated, so to speak) with a sim from the original region. After doing that, you should be able to use them with any sim. At least that's what it says on the side of my box (this is an S5 bought in Germany though, US carriers may have locked their phones down)
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

cherrytontonne said:
As far as I know, Samsung reacted to the outcry against region locking by not really region locking them - the just need to be first used (I guess activated, so to speak) with a sim from the original region. After doing that, you should be able to use them with any sim. At least that's what it says on the side of my box (this is an S5 bought in Germany though, US carriers may have locked their phones down)
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and if you dont have a sim of original region?
SolarTrans said:
Those SIM adapters change the physical size of the SIM card to fit in different devices, and have no effect on network compatibility.
Google SIM unlocking Galaxy S5, and you'll get much more information than what I can give you.
Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok i will search it,meanwhile i will go to cosmote and ask them wtf is going with locks..

i asked on samsung hellas and they told me that it cant be unlock cauze is non europe..
and its has region lock..
so my question is..here in xda forum is there any app so we cant unlock facking phone on our region?

No. You'll have to activate the phone with a SIM card from the carrier it was purchased from, and make a 5 minute phone call. After that, it is ABLE to be region unlocked. You'll then need to contact the original carrier and request an unlock code.
There are some websites that will sell you unlock codes, but 1. They won't work unless you activate on the original carrier and make a 5 minute call
2. I have no idea of the legitimacy of some unlock websites.
I've heard good things about many of those sites, but I've never used one myself so I can't vouch for their validity.
Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk

Airboner said:
i asked on samsung hellas and they told me that it cant be unlock cauze is non europe..
and its has region lock..
so my question is..here in xda forum is there any app so we cant unlock facking phone on our region?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First off, where did your brother get the phone?
In he got it in the United States, then the phone is not region locked but it would probably be carrier locked (unless it is from Verizon).
If he got it from the European Economic group then it is region locked and it has to be activated first in the original region and then can be used anywhere.
Good luck to you

koyanishi said:
First off, where did your brother get the phone?
In he got it in the United States, then the phone is not region locked but it would probably be carrier locked (unless it is from Verizon).
If he got it from the European Economic group then it is region locked and it has to be activated first in the original region and then can be used anywhere.
Good luck to you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my bro works on cargo ships as 2nd captain.
he was on fujairah and he bought it but when he opened the device he saw that the back of the phone writes ''american sim only''
..
yesterday he told me that he put on galaxy s5 greek sim from iphone and it worked perfect..
so i guess that the seller he done all the job before he sell it
btw today i will have news cauze its returned his home