Risks of an Unlocked, International version smartphone

[st_7]

To OP & others: I don't think other area specific models will get warranty support from manufacturers, unless they sell it directly. What I'm saying is that, if I buy a phone from UK/Europe, which is normally the targeted markets for International version of any flagship phone, I don't get the warranty support in my country, even though it is an international version. To put it simply, every manufacturer only gives warranty support to the phones in a country in which the phone is supposed to be bought. Me(the people from my country, India, in general) buy phones from US and some times U.K/Europe(mostly get them from their families in case the phone is from U.K), those phones will never get any warranty support in my country(even if you show original bill). And usually, here we get international version of flagship phones(in Samung Galaxy models case, the Exynos versions), but still if I buy an international version of the phone from U.K or other country they don't even hear what the problem is if you go to Manufacturer showroom/outlet.

So, Warranty Support is another thing that to be considered when buying these unlocked international versions or other area specific models. I don't know how it works in U.S though. It may be completely different.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

To OP & others: I don't think other area specific models will get warranty support from manufacturers, unless they sell it directly. What I'm saying is that, if I buy a phone from UK/Europe, which is normally the targeted markets for International version of any flagship phone, I don't get the warranty support in my country, even though it is an international version. To put it simply, every manufacturer only gives warranty support to the phones in a country in which the phone is supposed to be bought. Me(the people from my country, India, in general) buy phones from US and some times U.K/Europe(mostly get them from their families in case the phone is from U.K), those phones will never get any warranty support in my country(even if you show original bill). And usually, here we get international version of flagship phones(in Samung Galaxy models case, the Exynos versions), but still if I buy an international version of the phone from U.K or other country they don't even hear what the problem is if you go to Manufacturer showroom/outlet.

So, Warranty Support is another thing that to be considered when buying these unlocked international versions or other area specific models. I don't know how it works in U.S though. It may be completely different.

If you buy it from reputable websites like Expansys and Negrielectronics, they can act as a middleman when dealing with manufacturer warranties. My GS2 was sent to France to repair. My expense? Shipping to Expansys.

 

[st_7]

If you buy it from reputable websites like Expansys and Negrielectronics, they can act as a middleman when dealing with manufacturer warranties. My GS2 was sent to France to repair. My expense? Shipping to Expansys.

That's why I said, it may be different in U.S, but in my country there is no such thing, if the newly bought phone, say for $650 and it ended up with manufacturing defect, we got to ship back to U.S and after it got repaired get it shipped back to my country(mostly through a frieght forwarding service) and dumb custom people charge same amount as they charged on the new phone. So, many times the warranty service would be free(by shipping to US) but shipping & custom charges would become almost half the cost of the phone itself.

 

[apathy_next2]

Locked to what? Did kies just pick a random carrier to lock you to?

I've updated a few phones through kies and OTA. Locked ones stayed locked (barring some CSC voodoo) and unlocked ones stayed unlocked (unless they were shoddily hacked to be unlocked).

This was the phone :
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i9000_galaxy_s-3115.php


It did not have any carrier markings on it. From doing google search I saw that others were having the same issue. It became network(to what I don't know) locked. I had to root it and use galaxunlock to unlock it.

 

[WelshBloke]

This was the phone :
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i9000_galaxy_s-3115.php


It did not have any carrier markings on it. From doing google search I saw that others were having the same issue. It became network(to what I don't know) locked. I had to root it and use galaxunlock to unlock it.

Was it bought new and carrier free or was it bought from someone who had unlocked it in a shonky manner previously?

 

[apathy_next2]

Was it bought new and carrier free or was it bought from someone who had unlocked it in a shonky manner previously?

IT was bought new from a local cell phone dealer shop at full price, no plan. So maybe it was messed around with prior and then resealed?