Samsung has region locked its latest Samsung Galaxy Note 3 smartphone, meaning only UK and certain European SIMs will work in the device.
Those users who like to travel and simply pop a foreign PAYG SIM into their existing smartphone, won’t be able to do so with the Galaxy Note 3, as Samsung has made it region locked.
Usually a smartphone will be locked to the network it is on rather than a specific region, but it seems Samsung isn’t favouring network providers here.
Instead, Samsung has put the kibosh on anyone wishing to save on roaming charges by making it impossible to use a SIM from anywhere outside the EU or other European countries.
As revealed by stickers adorning the Galaxy Note 3 box, the smartphone is “only compatible with a SIM-card issued from a mobile operator within Europe.” A SIM from any of the EU countries, Switzerland, Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, Serbia and the Vatican City will work, but forget about one from the US or Australia for example.
Samsung has responded to the issue, stating that there is only an initial regionaly SIM-lock for the Galaxy Note 3, but as soon as a European SIM has been inserted, you can then use others thereafter.
“The [Galaxy Note 3] is only compatible with a SIM-card issued from a mobile operator within the region identified on the sticker of the product package,” said a Samsung spokesperson. “When teh device is activated with a SIM card issued from the other region, the device maybe automatically locked until it is released at the dedicated service centre.”
“Once a device is activated normally, the regional SIM lock is automatically released. users can enjoy the roaming service as usual and can use other region’s SIM card when travelling.”
It seems that Samsung has also applied this regional SIM lock to the Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S4 via a software update “in selected markets”.
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Features
The Galaxy Note 3 is the most powerful of Samsung’s latest smartphone with a quad-core 2.3GHz Qulacomm Snapdragon 800 processor with an unprecedented 3GB of RAM.
It packs a 5.7-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display compatible with the new Samsung S-Pen stylus and offers an image density of 266ppi.
In the rear, the Galaxy Note 3 has a 13-megapixel camera capable of recording 4k resolution videos, coupled with a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
With a hearty 3,200mAh battery, the Galaxy Note 3 also offers 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, NFC and Infrared connectivity.
Next, read our Samsung Note 3 vs Samsung Galaxy S4 comparison.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
