yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Galaxy Note 3 General] krooksrocks:
I do understand that, my question was , doesn't it look weird that the demo piece is N9005 (snapdragon) and the actual sold piece is N9000, customers would get the first feel on the demo piece , so all the naked eye and sensory touch perceptions get created there.

So if the device is fast or hot it is the demo that I am holding not the actual (Exynos 5 octa core)

Also the indian thread here : http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2438431&page=44

states that the N9000 lags on WhatsApp and SlowMo feature.

If you do a basic conversion of currencies you can figure out that Euro rates for Snapdragon version(550-600 EURO) is similar to an Indian/HK version (50k INR/5500-5700 HKD)

So why is Asia getting an inferior processor than Europe/US at almost a similar price(+- few based on regional taxes) ? Also why is the Europe/US Region locked? (So that Asians can't purchase it there and use in their own countries)

I travel around the world, I don't care about 4G but this kind of price skimming really makes me cynical about the real motives of Samsung
[Galaxy Note 3 General] mathieulh:
We can easily confirm that there is no such thing as an "activation" process and that peole that successfully "Activated" are simply using SIM cards that aren't the in the MCC lock list.

Basically you need the unfreeze or the NCK to properly unlock the device without rooting it (and losing warranty)
[Galaxy Note 3 General] DEPUIS 60:
And I think that after entering the unlock code, the system stops check address to the black list. However, there is the no fact that after the OTA update will need to enter this code againfor example.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] RbbCHan:
I called Samsung Korea and got this info

1) the sim restriction is only and only for the FIRST SIM Card and registering.

2) Once the note 3 is registered ONE TIME in the area which is shown on the sticker on the box, it can freely be used in ANY country with ANY simcard (of course only if the frequency for that card in that country is supported).

3) ALL Samsung Service Centers can and will unlock your note 3 if there is a problem.

that's what they told me. And the guy I talked to was a channel manager, he seemed to be well informed. So global usage on your vacation or business trip should not be a problem if you want to use local SIMCARDS

Still I can't guarantee for it.

greetings

From Sichuan, China
[Galaxy Note 3 General] mathieulh:
That's Samsung's PR talk, that's also proven not to be true.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Dumbo53:
They keep repeating that story because they want the controversy to go away. The sim lock however is intentional and will not go away without a true unlock.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317
[Galaxy Note 3 General] RbbCHan:
hm

for me this is vital.

I will try to fix that issue....before I buy........... I am still on note1, so I can wait some weaks until the dust has cleared on this.

thx for your reply
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Chiron43:
Thanks for your input.

Since some customers seem to experience problem on point 2) then they need to go to step 3) and the problem is as we can see on previous reports in this thread that when they go in Samsung Service Centers they got a lot of different replies including some saying "no we won't unlock it for you!" or "what unlock feature are you talking about?".

It's nice to see here and there people/blogs/journalists reporting that they have been in contact with some Samsung Marketing/PR managers and received from them this similar reply but WHEN IS SAMSUNG GING TO RELEASE AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT THAT EVERYBODY CAN READ FROM FIRST HAND?

And then customers in need can print it if necessary so that they can bring the document to the Service Center and claim to be in their right to ask for help to unlock their Note 3.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] RbbCHan:
summary

the posts in this thr are not so unisono.........

can s.b. summarize in two lines what's now the situation?

How and when is the note 3 blocked?

How can they dare to restrict my travel in a world of globalisation?

I am German, live in China at the moment and have to travel to Singapore, Australia and Europe several times a year. I have 4 different SIMCARDS!!!

this is a real no go for me.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dxzh:
Much appreciated. My concern though is that I find myself hundreds of miles from a local "samsung service centre" on vacation or a work trip and "there is a problem" with a new Note 3 (or in future my current SGS3 upgraded to Kitkat) as a result of the regional lock. I then face a possibly time-consuming and expensive journey to a local samsung service centre (if any) to try and explain the issue in the local language and have the problem corrected there and then.

I assume that Samsung Global is not going to commit, by putting something in writing to the world, that their service centres worldwide will unlock and as importantly reimburse a locked-out SIM user for that user's time-cost, roaming costs, travel costs and unlock costs while on a trip abroad trying to sort the unlock out - which seems to put the risk, and potentially serious inconvenience and cost, of a region lock squarely on the phone user.

Samsung is allocating the risk to the purchasers of its phone who are having to hang on the words of PR firms and individual channel managers against whom there is no come-back. A clear Samsung Global statement in writing available to all customers providing plain reassurance would go a long way to sorting this.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] RbbCHan:
Samsung answered me again

Guys

I got really nervous about this issue so I called a friend, who is working for Samsung Korea.

And I called Samsung Germany.

Here the result: BOTH Korea and Germany confirm that this is OFFICIAL:

http://allaboutsamsung.de/2013/09/s...ndische-sim-karten-sind-benutzbar/#more-22806

it is in German, but: for the the English speaking world I can state that the content of my first post is the description of the situation:

means: one has to UNBLOCK and register the phone in a country which is on the sticker. Then it will work world wide.

they say also: some only some phone may block in some regions. But they said again. Once your phone has been unlocked in a region, the Samsung service worldwide CAN and WILL unlock your phone again if it blocks in another region. But this should happen only with some phones (also some S3 S4.....)

Hope this is true now ..................

---------- Post added at 05:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:24 PM ----------

as I said it is vital for me to know about the simlock of the note3.

So I asked my friend in Hong Kong to buy my new note3 ( I always buy HK models as the Chinese models do have restrictions for Google services, and the HK models worked for me fine since many years) . He did so, put in his HK SIMCard (I only have Chinese, German, Singapore and Australia) unlocked the phone for me. After that I used my German SIMCARD and it worked as well as my other Chinese SIMCARD.

So, it seems to me....problem solved.....
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dxzh:
I have just been speaking to Samsung UK customer service (+44 330 726 7864) again. Samsung UK say they will send me a statement direct about the use of SIMs following activation. If they do, then at least I personally can rely on it which is a start.

At the moment I draw less comfort from a local German PR firm statement sent to various blogs. It is not in writing on any official Samsung website as far as I am aware. This is slightly worrying as an earlier forthright written statement by Samsung Switzerland last week playing down the region lock issue seemed to have been disowned and withdrawn from Facebook over the weekend.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] mathieulh:
The HK model isn't region locked to begin with, end of story. Only "Unlocked" models sold in continental Europe, middle east, and South America are region locked so far.

P.S. The only variant sold in HK right now is the 16GB version so it might not be such a good idea to purchase a note 3 there.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] RbbCHan:
thx

thx for advise, but my data are all in the cloud (Box,Dropbox +BoxCryptor; +Wuala, Tresorit and MEGA together 300 GB).

16GB plus 64 GB is enough for me on the divice.

anyway, I am fine now as it works for me.

have fun
[Galaxy Note 3 General] AcostaJA:
Ok Sammy, You didt . This is over I was purchasing every single Galaxy from S1 (except s2 and note 1); now I'm officially holding my plans to get another galaxy until this $hit is officially removed or Samsung officially provides us a tool to doit by our self w/o tricks (as activating on some zone ) .
[Galaxy Note 3 General] samaliset:
I can notice in this post that there are 2 key words ( UNBLOCK and registe). Is that means there are 2 actions need to be accomplished in order to get the device worldwide unblocked? One, activate the Sim card and two, register at Sumsung's web site. Is this the case and you people who get the device, did you do that? may be this a silly comment but in case if....
[Galaxy Note 3 General] exileh:
I've bought the european version (sticker was on the box) on friday. Samsung stated that it wouldnt block any simcard if activated once.

I used it for the last days with my german simcard. I also have a Thai simcard at home, as I have to travel to Thailand for business purposes a lot. When I get home, I will insert my Thai simcard and report.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] senectus:
Pretty sure the Australian model isn't locked, won't know till Thursday night when i pick up my pre order.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] springer.music:
To those of you who are still prompted to unlock the phone after having correctly activated their GN3: have you tried using an unlock code from FastGSM (or another similar service)?

In a previous post I've read of a Russian site where you could buy unlock codes for the GN3 but that site does't seem to be accessible from all countries.

I've used FastGSM in the past and they've always been very reliable:

LTE version:

http://www.fastgsm.com/en/samsung/galaxy-note-3-lte/unlocking/network-unlock

Non-LTE version:

http://www.fastgsm.com/en/samsung/galaxy-note-3/unlocking/network-unlock
[Galaxy Note 3 General] exileh:
i can confirm this. my with a german simcard activated european version does NOT work with a thai simcard.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Onweel2:
I know they can do that. and it also being prove by many people here in this thread that buy the code from them it working.

I also do not mine to pay just 15-20 Euro for that. But now i just fight for that The Samsung say is not truth. and it seem many website move on with out proving anything.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dxzh:
Can you confirm the name of the CSC file in your Note 3? Typing *#1234# in your stock telephone dialler should reveal its name. Perhaps not all European region Note 3s have quite the same CSC file.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] exileh:
there you go:
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Huxflux:
When you get it, can you please take a photo of it and put it here for us to see :good:
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Onweel2:
So when you calling to them what they say ?

and please do not buy the code from any website yet. Please make some film and post it on youtube. for let the world see who is lieing and who is beining play

---------- Post added at 02:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:13 PM ----------

This is a video. it is long video. Because i edit nothing. And it long too sorry for that.

If some one have the same problem i have. please help me by spread this video out. You do have to give me credit for make a video. Just try to spread it out.

Thank you

http://youtu.be/ri_tz6HlsKo
[Galaxy Note 3 General] arjanr1973:
I have the same issue, my N9005 note 3 (local purchase in NL) works fine with KPN Netherlands bu tmy Thai (Tuemove) sim cards request me to enter a SIM Network unlock PIN. going back to KPN NL sim works fine.

Having called Samsung in the Netherlands have confirmed me that the phone is NOT going to work with SIMS from outside europe! I hope these guys are not yet properly informed :(

CSC: N9005PHNBMI2
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dxzh:
Problematic German CSC

From that CSC file name which is shown in the thumbnail you sent as N9005DBTBMI1, this apparently problematic CSC could be parsed as follows:

* DBT - Germany

* B - [I do not know what this signifies here]

* M - 2013

* I - September

* 1 - version 1
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Onweel2:
You are the same like me. And if you calling one more 1 time they would give you a different answer. If you go to Samsung Service Center. They can not help you.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dxzh:
Problematic Dutch CSC

This problematic Dutch CSC could be parsed as follows:

* PHN - Netherlands

* B - [I do not know what this signifies here]

* M - 2013

* I - September

* 2 - version 2
[Galaxy Note 3 General] basilbaby:
Waiting no See N900 Custom firmware from you..:(:(:(:(:(:(
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dxzh:
Have you checked that you have exactly the same CSC - i.e. N9005PHNBMI2. Dial *#1234# in telephone stock dialler to find out.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] wfire:
Not unlocked - region locked - and retroactivity...

It appears that we guessed correctly. The activation process is a lie, or a mistranslation. Phones are locked to a region, whether based on master region designations and/or the CSC blacklist, the effect is the same. These phones - and the others that will be "updated" by KitKat, I'd guess - are no longer "globally unlocked" - they are simply locked to a region, the same way US phones are locked to a carrier. Activation is not relevant. Looks like you have to unlock your phone to get global access.

Hmm. I wonder how Samsung will deal with this.

Interestingly, I have a Note 2 N7100, which I bought "Unlocked." While at the moment I notice that I can use any SIM from anywhere, I also notice that the "Personal SHA256" settings are ENABLED. This means that my "unlocked" phone really isn't "unlocked", it's just "permitted" on all sites globally. So later on, when Samsung pushes their KitKat update to it, it will retroactively lock down to a region quite nicely, and lock me out of my own phone.

UGH!
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dionysos77:
Hi eveyone

I have a very basic question.

I live in Turkey.

as you may know Turkey is NOT a member of Eurpean Union (EU)

but a member of European Economical alliance(EEA).

So here is the question, if I buy one N9005 from Spain, will I be able to use it in turkey with a local carrier sim card.

Do I need to "activate" the phone in Spain first ?

Is there a risk of getting "re-locked" after a while ?

Thanks in advance.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] tech0815:
Turkey is in Samsung´s EU-Blocklist

http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=46018692&postcount=584

And as we learned from a lot of users here, pre-activation with a valid region SIM is a fake.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dxzh:
FYI, I believe Turkey is outside the EU and EEA (European Economic Area) albeit it is a candidate to be a member of the EEA - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Economic_Area.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dionysos77:
thank you for your answers

I'm very upset about what I learned : (

I'll wait N 9005 to be sold in TURKEY
[Galaxy Note 3 General] CZroe:
Quoted for shame.

First of all, WE ARE the buyers who import. They simply don't sell the unbranded unlocked phones we need here and in many of the places we live.

Second, how are we not "authentic" buyers? Third, even if we did buy them from official retailers for use in the country it was intended, the second-hand market is a big deal for unsubsidized phones and they ruined my resale value when they did this.

Third, it's been demonstrated repeatedly that certain SIMs still don't work even after the phone has been activated in the correct region, which screws over any owner who travels to those places, "authentic" or not. Just because the region restriction was removed and I can travel between US/EU doesn't make the problem with Asian SIMs go away.

The market has an expectation for how an unlocked, unsubsidized phone operates and they violated our trust.

Purchasing a phone out-right is supposed to solidly assert our ownership of the device to use how we see fit, which is why some manufacturers let you unlock bootloaders (Sony) and all let you use freely without SIMlock. This is an affront to everything consumers deserve from their own property. It may just be a SIM blacklist instead of a SIMlock, but who are they to tell us what SIMs we can use or not once we fully own an unlocked phone?
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dionysos77:
I have one more question. If I buy n9000 from.Turkey, Will I be able to use it in EU or USA with local SIM cards
[Galaxy Note 3 General] wfire:
And quoting this for GLORY.

Exactly. I'm in the U.S. I go to amazon.com. I see many entries for devices that I want that I cannot get in the US - the most notable examples of which are the Galaxy Note Tablets in 4G, with phone capabilities. Those are simply not sold by carriers or retailers here - we can only get Wifi-only versions.

So I go on amazon, and I see the item. I see it's available from 33 sellers. I pick my seller of choice (FGS Trading, usually), and I pay with my credit card and I buy the device. They're in the U.S. They send it to me. Done deal!

Nowhere during this process do I see anything like "Warning: Grey Market seller. We are not allowed to sell this phone." Nowhere on Samsung's website do I see, "Warning, if your seller isn't listed on this page, don't buy this device!" or even "We won't support your device if you don't buy it from a legitimate seller in your country." Samsung makes it, my seller sells it, Amazon enables it, my Amex pays for it. It's all in my country, it's all, as far as I can tell, totally legitimate.

Oh, sure I know it's an import, I know there's no warranty, but it's open market. I assume US customs and duties have been paid, I make no attempt to be anonymous or hide my identity, I have a legitimate right to purchase this device, as a citizen of my country, being sold inside my country.

Samsung violated our trust. THIS IS EXACTLY IT! I am - or rather, was, a huge Samsung fanboy. I loved their products, their designs, whatever. As do many people out there. Samsung has lost a fan today. I've started ripping out their software, installing custom ROMs, and dropping the Samsung experience. I'm preparing amost all of my devices to be donated to schools or otherwise given away. I'm purging myself of Samsung, and I will never buy another Samsung device. Why? Because I feel violated by this. As stated perfectly in the quote...

And this is just one step. If they're willing to do this, What else are they willing to do? What else are they already doing? What have we not yet discovered?

If I could requote that post a thousand times, I totally would. Excellent summation. Samsung violated us, and lied about it to the world. And they will continue doing so, and could well lead other manufacturers to do the same. It's an eroding of our rights as consumers.

That is why this is all so important!

---------- Post added at 09:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:55 AM ----------

Hmm... I wonder if this could have something to do with it...

Full story here: http://money.cnn.com/2013/09/25/technology/mobile/smartphone-trade-in/
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Onepagebook:
confirmed

I purchased 2 x 9005 from clove.uk,

both device boxes have stickers say the regional lock

however, I plug in my at&t sim, NO LOCK at all
[Galaxy Note 3 General] tech0815:
US are not in blacklist of EU-N9005. Blocked countries are:

China, Hong Kong, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Singapore, Vietnam, Australia, Thailand, Philipines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Morocco, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Trinidad and Tobago, El Salvador, Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Urugay, Bolivia, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Belarus
[Galaxy Note 3 General] gavinfabl:
This all gets too confusing. It we buy an unlocked sim free phone, we shouldnt need to be thinking which country is blocked, will it do this or that or not.

Not that I travel overseas a lot so problem isnt a problem for me really, as it wouldnt be for most people unless business travellers.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Dumbo53:
Most of the users here have focused (rightly) on how it affects individual users, on vacation etc, but I think there is another side to this which is interesting and potentially damaging to Samsung.

The other side of the coin is how it will affect businesses. Samsung is making a big play for enterprise use with their Knox security (which most of us here hate and will remove as soon as the devs give us a chance).

Individual business users will be racking up amazing roaming charges when they travel and won't care but at some point their bosses will and go whoa! And the word will get around to corporate IT departments.

This is not really a global business friendly decision (only telecom friendly). I'm wondering if they have really thought it through? Everything they can potentially gain with the Knox initiative can be undone by the region locking one.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317
[Galaxy Note 3 General] redpill2016:
I'm sure their intention was not to prevent people from using foreign local SIMs, it's probably an issue of their region-lock software not correctly working, I can't believe that they would intentionally lose the business from international travelers. But they are definitely two steps behind on the communication front with this issue.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] remedya:
All this confusion has put me off buying a Note 3 as I will be traveling to India and Vietnam in the next three months and I use local SIMs. I'll get the Nexus 5 when it is launched in October.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] omeryounos:
+10000000

I think Samsung was flying too high & it's time for them to fall down. Ridiculous that I pay full price for an unlocked genuine phone manufactured by Samsung and they control the SIM.

I bet it's a big time for Sony, LG and HTC to come up and capitalise on the stupid mistake Samsung has made.

I had every flagship from galaxy s1 to note 2. Never going to buy Samsung again.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] bogdan1980:
Sammy, you will gonna down big time. Htc, Huawei, Sony, LG, here we came. Adio Sammy.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dionysos77:
I have one question. If I buy n9000 from.Turkey, Will I be able to use it in EU or USA with local SIM cards
[Galaxy Note 3 General] musa3d:
bye bye samsung

What if i install rom from another regions.....do i need to activate again

Bye bye samsung , nice 4years

its time to for me to try another brand ,htc ,sony ,lg
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Onweel2:
Please spend more time to read more post please. USA Sim card with EU phone or EU Sim in USA phone is not a problem now. This been prove already for first 5-10 page in the thread.

Now what are we try to fight for or try to prove that Samsung is lie and all thier PR is know nothing is. You can use Sim Card from Thailand or Vitenam or more in the phone.

You can say it is not your problem. I agree with you but I just hope you never go to travelling in other region in the world (Thailand, Vitenam). Or you could can pay for the Roaming when you are in Asia.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] CekMTL:
So... To recap... We paid full price for an unsubsidized phone that is region locked right?

Big brother us showing from behind the curtain.

Well in my case, from the moment I confirmed with my own eyes that sticker I knew this was the last samsung "anything" that I will buy ever.

I have totally lost trust in this brand and it is now in my blacklist, and I will use all means necessary to let all my circles know about this and to steer away from evil samsung.

Enviado desde mi SM-N9005 usando Tapatalk 2
[Galaxy Note 3 General] josch2k:
Here's another proof for all who want to see it in a hands-on

/youtu.be/ri_tz6HlsKo