Some might have been awed by Samsung‘s quarterly financial report or Android market share, but there will definitely be those who will remember the rather bothersome feature the company has sneaked into the Galaxy Note 3. Samsung is now making yet another public statement in an attempt to pacify the public.
To be sure, Samsung isn’t changing its stance on the matter. It is, instead, satisfied to assure device owners that it is not really such a big of a deal. It says that the system is in place to deliver the best mobile experience adapted to the customer’s specific region. Users, of course, might say otherwise. The regional SIM lock basically means that a device, in this case the Galaxy Note 3, can only be used in the region it was purchased from. But the situation isn’t as straightforward or as hopeless.
Samsung’s statement uses a device bought in a Europe, from Germany to be exact, as an example, so we’re not sure if the same can be said of other regions and countries. The point is that the first SIM card used on the Galaxy Note 3 must be a SIM coming from the region of purchase. Once that has happened and after making or taking a phone call for five straight minutes, the regional lock is permanently disabled and the device can be used with a SIM card from any other European country. The owner, however, still has to go to a Samsung service center to get the phone unlocked if he or she wishes to use a SIM card from the US, for example.
What is quite interesting, if not troubling, to note in this announcement is that this regional SIM lock won’t be staying exclusive to the Galaxy Note 3 for long. Soon the Galaxy S 4, Galaxy S4 mini, and the Galaxy S III will be receiving this feature, if you may call it that, as well via the Android 4.3 update which, ironically, is something its owners are all probably excited for.
VIA: SamMobile
Fine. But Samsung should not be exploiting Android updates to disable functioning devices that customers have already successfully activated and are currently using, regardless of their current region and where the SIM card was first inserted.
What benefit is regional lock to Samsung? Surely the only benefit is to the ISPs?
Note3 was my preferred device until Regional Lock came into being – I have the SGI have now been put off samsung alltogether. HUAWEI will soon outstrip them
Well I waited for Samsung to reconsider its position and since this is not the case I will not be buying the Note 3 or any other Samsung device after having owned the Galaxy, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Tab 7.7 and currently having the Galaxy S3 in my pocket. Didn’t think of the S4 a smuch of an upgrade so decided to wait for the Note3 but I guess it will be the LG G2 after all…
I wanted to purchase Note 3, but after news about sim-lock I definitely won’t buy one.
So I started to think about SGS4, but Samsung said with new Android 4.3 sim-lock will arrive to SGS4 too. I really love Samsung, but I don’t remember another company trying so hard to deliberately scare away its loyal customers… And by loyal I mean purchasing about 5 phones for my family.
Bye bye Samsung.