The folks at Clove have recently announced they have received their initial inventory for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. And while the announcement could have been left at just that, it appears as if there are some points that potential buyers may want to know upfront. This is in regards to the model number SM-N9005 which ships with a European SIM card. Basically, this model is not going to be good for those who travel the world.
Device limitations while traveling are not entirely new, however this particular model does have a special sticker on the box with a warning. An image of the sticker can be seen below, but in short, what this means is that you will not be able to use this model Galaxy Note 3 outside of Europe. Or in other words, you will not be able to travel to the US and use a local GSM SIM card for voice and data.
In this case, the handset (even with an active SIM) will not work with voice or data. The user would be limited to WiFi only in terms of connectivity and the only exception would be for an emergency call. Anyway, as such, Clove has also said they will not be accepting any orders for this particular model from anyone outside of Europe.
Otherwise, looking away from Clove and outside of Europe and we are expecting the Galaxy Note 3 availability to begin in the US shortly. The release dates vary from carrier to carrier, however the handset will be arriving with specs to include a 5.7-inch Full HD display, quad-core processor, 3GB of RAM, 3200 mAh battery and 13 megapixel rear-facing camera with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.
VIA: Clove
Who cares ..as long as they don’t mess with the T-Mobile model
everyody else who is not buying a t mobile model
Anyone who travels will care.
This is a very unfortunate situation. Is this a Samsung problem or a phone company problem? I have been loyal to Samsung for a number. However, if I can’t travel with a phone, I think I will have to look at something different. 🙁 It won’t be apple who kills their phone business. It will die from within.
I have Note 1 & 2. I would like to buy Note 3 but I’m living French and travel to …. Seoul … My phone cannot work with Korean SIM … I’m staying with my Note 2 …
I am out United European 2 or 3 month by year … And especially in Asia …
Good news! This new info is from the Verge:
“Update: GigaOm has received a new statement from Samsung that clarifies the Note 3’s region locking policy. Though Samsung’s own text and initial statements seemed to confirm that both the European and American models of the Note 3 would be barred from using SIM cards from other regions, Samsung is now saying that this only applies to the very first SIM card used to set up the phone. Insertion of a foreign SIM during the Note 3’s setup process will lock up the device, ostensibly as a way to stop distributors from sending phone models to areas they weren’t meant for. However, if the Note 3 is set up using a local SIM card, it will be able to use any other card from that point forward — foreign ones included. GigaOm reports that this policy is in place on units of the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S4 mini, Galaxy Note II and Galaxy S III that were produced after July as well.”