Develop Bugs

Purchasing Galaxy Nexus GSM in Korea

I have a friend visiting Korea next month, and I was wondering if anyone is from there that have purchased the Galaxy Nexus. I would assume given that it's Samsung, they would sell their flagship Nexus phone there, too, correct?
I know it's a world phone with pentaband, so regardless of where it comes from, it should still run on Tmobile's network and 3G data, even if it's one from Korea, correct?
My other concern is whether the phone will offer an English (USA) option. Does anyone know?
And in general, are there other reasons/concerns I should consider before I have a friend purchase it from Korea to bring back to the US for me? I'm hoping this will be a cheaper method... possibly?

Probably need a connection to get one in korea. No official release in korea that is known. On the other hand, if you have a samsung connection you should go for thenexus gold and try to get a 32gb galaxy nexus gsm version.
Sent from my samsung gt i9250 which is in the wrong country.

Its not for sale anywhere but the UK right now.
To answer your other question, yes, it will work on T-mobile US just fine.

Thanks for the replies. Interesting that it's not sold yet even in Samsung's home country...
Well, if my friend misses the release, it's not a biggie.
Would anyone know about the language? The device will have an option to have it all in English, correct? Or any other concerns, like whether I will be use apps from the US, etc?
EDIT: I also found this link: http://www.wirelessgoodness.com/2011/11/22/the-samsung-galaxy-nexus-for-korea-hits-the-fcc/

onthecouchagain said:
Thanks for the replies. Interesting that it's not sold yet even in Samsung's home country...
Well, if my friend misses the release, it's not a biggie.
Would anyone know about the language? The device will have an option to have it all in English, correct? Or any other concerns, like whether I will be use apps from the US, etc?
EDIT: I also found this link: http://www.wirelessgoodness.com/2011/11/22/the-samsung-galaxy-nexus-for-korea-hits-the-fcc/
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selling phones has nothing to do with where the manufactures headquarters is located. And to answer your question about English being an option, pretty much all Android ROMS offer English as an option for the main language

The problem might be getting to the english option though.
Sent from my samsung gt i9250 which is in the wrong country.

The Galaxy Nexus in Korea actually went on sale 11/28 along with the LTE Galaxy Note. The English option should not be a problem since on stock android you have the option of setting your default language from Korean to English or vice versa. The only problem is that by default it would come with Korean and you need to navigate to the Language/Text Input options. I can help you with that if you'd like.

Thanks for the responses, everyone.
and932 said:
The Galaxy Nexus in Korea actually went on sale 11/28 along with the LTE Galaxy Note. The English option should not be a problem since on stock android you have the option of setting your default language from Korean to English or vice versa. The only problem is that by default it would come with Korean and you need to navigate to the Language/Text Input options. I can help you with that if you'd like.
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Do you happen to know how much the Galaxy Nexus is going for in Korea? I would only ask my friend to bring me back one if the price was significantly cheaper than say importing it through expansy or handtec.
Also, if and when the time comes, I may take you up on your offer of help for navigating the menus to switch to English. =D

+ 1, a friend is there until mid December. Check this article out: http://phandroid.com/2011/11/29/gal...ah-extended-battery-and-cover-in-south-korea/
Who wouldn't want to get it from there..

I am in South Korea for a couple more days, thinking of looking for one tomorrow. Just so i dont screw myself and can double check, can anyone confirm which GSM freq's i need to make sure it has, to work with T-Mobile 3G+
Thanks,
Dave

Vandalet said:
I am in South Korea for a couple more days, thinking of looking for one tomorrow. Just so i dont screw myself and can double check, can anyone confirm which GSM freq's i need to make sure it has, to work with T-Mobile 3G+
Thanks,
Dave
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-Mobile US..?

Vandalet said:
I am in South Korea for a couple more days, thinking of looking for one tomorrow. Just so i dont screw myself and can double check, can anyone confirm which GSM freq's i need to make sure it has, to work with T-Mobile 3G+
Thanks,
Dave
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1700/2100 for T-mobile 3G
How much is the phone selling in S.Korea???
I want to get one if they come with extra battery!!

Vandalet said:
I am in South Korea for a couple more days, thinking of looking for one tomorrow. Just so i dont screw myself and can double check, can anyone confirm which GSM freq's i need to make sure it has, to work with T-Mobile 3G+
Thanks,
Dave
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-mobile US uses 1700/2100 (AWS) for 3G. The Galaxy Nexus is pentaband and works on pretty much any GSM network in the world.

Perfect, thanks. I'll see if i can find them. Hoping for under $700 UDS

Vandalet said:
Perfect, thanks. I'll see if i can find them. Hoping for under $700 UDS
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Please keep us posted!!

Vandalet said:
Perfect, thanks. I'll see if i can find them. Hoping for under $700 UDS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, please share the price.

I am living in Seoul and have been using my GSM Galaxy Nexus for a few days (shipped from UK). It works fine.
I wouldn't recommend buying a Korean Galaxy Nexus though because:
a) I am not sure there are GSM models available for sale here
b) A Korean GSM model (if available) may not work outside Korea for things like SMS and MMS
c) Bloody expensive here. It's a captive market so the koreans get screwed.
It is best to buy an unlocked Galaxy Nexus from abroad and bring it here. Even then, it's a right pain to get a simcard. I know, I've been through it.
---------- Post added at 07:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:37 AM ----------
The SK Telecom WCDMA uses 2100MGHz.

Not to be off topic but has your friend considered a Galaxy S II HD?
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium

I'm curious, too. Except for the vanilla android experience, I would seriously consider the Galaxy S II HD LTE in Korea.
Carne_Asada_Fries said:
Not to be off topic but has your friend considered a Galaxy S II HD?
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium
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samizad said:
I am living in Seoul and have been using my GSM Galaxy Nexus for a few days (shipped from UK). It works fine.
I wouldn't recommend buying a Korean Galaxy Nexus though because:
a) I am not sure there are GSM models available for sale here
b) A Korean GSM model (if available) may not work outside Korea for things like SMS and MMS
c) Bloody expensive here. It's a captive market so the koreans get screwed.
It is best to buy an unlocked Galaxy Nexus from abroad and bring it here. Even then, it's a right pain to get a simcard. I know, I've been through it.
---------- Post added at 07:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:37 AM ----------
The SK Telecom WCDMA uses 2100MGHz.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you tell us how much it is in Korea?

[Q] Spanish users, can you guys help me?

Hello there!
I'm really sorry for opening this thread, but I didn't found any way of asking that for a Spanish
I'm in Madrid and I will take advantage of my trip to buy the Galaxy Nexus. I know it will be sold exclusively by Vodafone, but I wanted you to know how do I buy a SIM-free? I'm not sure if they sell without a contract.
So I'm here asking for your help, do you have any tips on how I can buy the Galaxy Nexus?
Sorry for my English!
Thankfully, Lucas.

there are a lot of Vodafone stores around Sol. if they have the phone & do not have it "unlocked", you can ask them to unlock it or have it unlocked elsewhere yourself. there are lot's of websites that will unlock phones for around $20
[edit] sorry i lived in Madrid for awhile but i don't really speak spanish. lol

look mate,i already buy mi Galaxy Nexus in a vodafone shop in Goya street.But you can't buy it there cause you will need to stablish a contract with the carrier.So i will say you ,to go to the phone house shop,which should have the galaxy nexus sim free to adquire it directly paying 650 Euro.
Hope you find one,cheers.

Basically, carriers in Spain don't sell sim-free phones. Only a few stores sell sim-free versions and in this case you'll need to find a "The Phone House" store which might stock it. Considering it was just released in Spain you might not find it in stock.

Thanks for the replies!
As I understand, no carriers sells the unlocked Galaxy nexus? What other option I have because I will not use it in Spain.
And why the price of the Galaxy Nexus here in Spain is much higher than the rest of europe?
I think what i really want to know is what would you do if you were in my place? What is my best option

lucasmalaguti said:
Thanks for the replies!
As I understand, no carriers sells the unlocked Galaxy nexus? What other option I have because I will not use it in Spain.
And why the price of the Galaxy Nexus here in Spain is much higher than the rest of europe?
I think what i really want to know is what would you do if you were in my place? What is my best option
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you can't find it for a good price there then just wait until you are somewhere that has it for a good price(or order online)....
but as i said, for unlocking, you can also do that online. just google "cell phone unlocking" and there's a bunch of sites that will do it for you.... so it doesn't matter if you buy it locked or unlocked.

voxigenboy said:
if you can't find it for a good price there then just wait until you are somewhere that has it for a good price(or order online)....
but as i said, for unlocking, you can also do that online. just google "cell phone unlocking" and there's a bunch of sites that will do it for you.... so it doesn't matter if you buy it locked or unlocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I matters because I don't want to pay for the 6 months plan, and I'm leaving Spain after 12/24/2011, so I can't wait that long..

What do you think, is it better if I buy from this site (http://www.clove.co.uk/samsung-galaxy-nexus-16gb) and not on Vodafone?
I'm really confused here, please help me

lucasmalaguti said:
What do you think, is it better if I buy from this site (http://www.clove.co.uk/samsung-galaxy-nexus-16gb) and not on Vodafone?
I'm really confused here, please help me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you are going to "unlock" the phone anyway, then it doesn't matter if you get if from the UK or from Spain... just as long as it is GSM(uses a sim card).
since you are going to unlock it anyway you'll then be able to use it on your own carrier.
for instance, i've had blackberry phones from vodafone before and unlocked them & used them here in the US.

voxigenboy said:
if you are going to "unlock" the phone anyway, then it doesn't matter if you get if from the UK or from Spain... just as long as it is GSM(uses a sim card).
since you are going to unlock it anyway you'll then be able to use it on your own carrier.
for instance, i've had blackberry phones from vodafone before and unlocked them & used them here in the US.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My problem isn't the fact that it is locked. My problems is getting charged for a service that i won't use.

As I said, find a store called "The Phone House", its a chain of stores that sell unlocked phones. They will sell you an unlocked Galaxy Nexus, if they have it.
There is no other way of getting it in Spain.

Spybreak said:
As I said, find a store called "The Phone House", its a chain of stores that sell unlocked phones. They will sell you an unlocked Galaxy Nexus, if they have it.
There is no other way of getting it in Spain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you
But 650 euros isn't a little expensive?
On clove.co.uk i can find it for 598 euros, isn't better that way?

Thank you guys for all the help!!
Got it on Phone House (launched today)!! It arrives in 2 days.

[Q] Galaxy Nexus from the play store able to be used outside the US?

Hello guys, I am currently located in the Caribbean (Dominican Republic) and will be traveling next month to the US. I plan to order a Galaxy Nexus while I am there and take it back with me to the Dominican Republic. I would like to know if this phone will be able to be used outside the US without an issue (My provider uses the same GSM band as ATT USA)?
Oscar

Yes, it will work for you. You can use it on any GSM carrier in the world.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2

Thanks for the fast reply! It's a relief to know :victory:

Bring some of those Dominican women back to the states also :good:

Its (in all practicality) the exact same as all other i9250 unlocked GNexes.

A Galaxy Nexus in Venezuela.
Hi you all, I hope someone reads this or something. I'm new around here. Even though I don't think so, I hope not to be breaking any rule by posting in this particular thread.
I'm about to buy a Nexus and have it shipped to Venezuela, let's see how that goes.
wceoscar said:
Hello guys, I am currently located in the Caribbean (Dominican Republic) and will be traveling next month to the US. I plan to order a Galaxy Nexus while I am there and take it back with me to the Dominican Republic. I would like to know if this phone will be able to be used outside the US without an issue (My provider uses the same GSM band as ATT USA)?
Oscar
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oscar, I travel every year to the DR and this year it would be for christmas.
This time I want to be able to use a SIM Card and have data over there.
I have looked for them on the web, but with no success, so I found this and I was wondering if you could provide me with the bands of the carriers operating in the country: Orange, Viva and Claro.
And some additional information about the quality in the service of each one of them.
You can PM me if you want to.
Well, hopefully you'll reply jajajajaja :fingers-crossed:
Bye everyone.

I Have a Questions =)

Hello, I have a question
I'm from chile and buy a phone from another country with sprint company, can be unlocked to use the companies of my country (Chile)?
is a galaxy s3 sprint ... thanks =)

Dieguistop said:
Hello, I have a question
I'm from chile and buy a phone from another country with sprint company, can be unlocked to use the companies of my country (Chile)?
is a galaxy s3 sprint ... thanks =)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it can happen, look at this thread. As far as how to unlock if you need to google it read read or find someone that knows how.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2195607

Which model for use in the USA?

Hello,
I am quite interested in purchasing this device! I live in Washington D.C. and I was curious which model of the phone is best suited for use in America? I ask because I assume there are probably different model numbers depending on what region the phone is purchased from.
Thanks

cms062407 said:
Hello,
I am quite interested in purchasing this device! I live in Washington D.C. and I was curious which model of the phone is best suited for use in America? I ask because I assume there are probably different model numbers depending on what region the phone is purchased from.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SM-705MN or SM-705W
DO NOT BUY SM-705FN

JaY_III said:
SM-705MN or SM-705W
DO NOT BUY SM-705FN
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about SM-705GM?

omnomsky said:
How about SM-705GM?
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Click to collapse
Link to where you see it please.
I cant find an FCC cert for that model and only see it listed on Samsung India's site:
https://www.samsung.com/in/smartphones/galaxy-a70-a705g/SM-A705GZWHINS/#specs
And from what I can see, that will not work in North America
good news is I found another version that should work so that brings us to
SM-705MN
SM-A705YN
SM-705W*
* for the SM-705W I have not seen the cert myself, but going off information another posted listed on XDA

Try this website https://sim-usa.mobi/phone-compatibility-check/
Sent from my SM-A705FN using Tapatalk

Will Samsung pay work on any of these?

Yes And No..
badrsj said:
Will Samsung pay work on any of these?
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Click to collapse
Yes Samsung Pay Works On The A70..
But... Samsung Pay is : "Region Specific" depending on Model in a given Region. . So, choose your model carefully.

RaiderWill said:
Yes Samsung Pay Works On The A70..
But... Samsung Pay is : "Region Specific" depending on Model in a given Region. . So, choose your model carefully.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the SM-705MN and i can confirm that samsung pay WILL NOT WORK here in the USA.
I was wondering if anybody had the M or W and if it worked on theirs?
And if so could we swap firmware?
or even possibly change the CSC with out flashing the firmware?

Devilmonkey27 said:
I have the SM-705MN and i can confirm that samsung pay WILL NOT WORK here in the USA.
I was wondering if anybody had the M or W and if it worked on theirs?
And if so could we swap firmware?
or even possibly change the CSC with out flashing the firmware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simply Put..
There is NO WAY, NO FIRMWARE SWAP, NADA... ZIP.. That Samsung Pay will work on ANY A70 in the United States Of America.
Period..
If Google Pay does not cut if for you.. time to return / sell your device and get a S6, S7, S8, S9, S10, Note 5, Note 8, Note 9, or wait for the Note 10.. if S-Pay means that much to you.
You can buy the A50 through Sprint.. and have a working Samsung Pay MINI in the U.S.A. as an alternative..
Until I found out Google Pay works in 99% of the place I personally shop.. I was going to return my A70 and go for one of the mentioned device listed above.
I still might... there is something just not feeling right about this purchase.. Great Battery, Fingerprint is Ok for me, Face Unlock is very fast.. even in the dark, 6.7 inch screen seems to be where screens are headed, Amoled is... Amoled the best. You can't root and trip knox, and use Samsung Pay on any device.. even though there appears to be a workaround for using Google Pay.. But I'm fine not rooting with Developer's not having any interest in this device and TWRP seems like a distant dream at this point..
So, why am I just not feeling this device?.. It seems perfect on so many fronts.. but.... with Prime Day coming in a couple of weeks.. and also having thoughts of spending $270.00 more and getting the One Plus 7 Pro.. I just don't know what it is about the A70 for me.. but something is missing at this price point..
Maybe the rumored A507 and A707 ( A50 and A70 ) updated models which are due out later this year will get sold through U.S. carriers or get offered by Samsung directly in the U.S.A. but I'm sure those will be Late 2019 releases. But if they do get released in the U.S. at least the A70 would have Samsung Pay support out of the box.

Sorry to bump an old thread, but just to be clear, the best model for use in the USA would be the SM-A705W (the Canadian model)?

leotakacs said:
Sorry to bump an old thread, but just to be clear, the best model for use in the USA would be the SM-A705W (the Canadian model)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The SM-A705MN/DS is the best for use in the US.