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I'm looking to purchase the Galaxy Nexus GSM, and I am located in the USA. A few different places have it for ~$450, and I am trying to find the best place to purchase it from.
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-I9250...F01A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335213120&sr=8-1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875176322
For anyone else that purchased it in the USA, what do you recommend? I have read of issues with fake ESNs, and I thought I read that there were different versions of the actual device (Japanese version, etc). Any major things to watch out for? Where did you purchase from, and did you have any issues?
Update - Responses from Amazon Sellers:
Global Mobiles:
the Samsung I9250 Nexus comes with a return policy of 30 days and 2 years manufacturers warranty in Europe. You can claim the warranty by yourself at Samsung Europe or ship the phone in case of a warranty to our office in Germany, where our technicians will handle the claim for you and send the phone back in the US after the repair.
And its EU stock. The warranty is valid in all EU countries, not limited to one.
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abe-123:
This is not the Japanese version. Warranty is available, you can return to Samsung directly to get warranty service.
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Got mine from Amazon with next day shipping. I have prime so it was only 4 bucks for next day.
I'd say Amazon is safe as long as you get the one fulfilled by amazon. If anything goes wrong with the phone when you first get it you'll atleast have amazons great customer support and be able to return it.
My first gnex was from daily steals and the phone had a defect within first 24 hours. It took nearly a month to resort things and get my money back although they refunded my money in its entirety I'm pretty positive amazon would've been a lot easier.
Other places with positive reviews are negri and expansys. People say these places offer some sort of warranty which you'd normally wouldn't get with a gray market phone. They essentially act as a middleman for you and samsung. You send the phone to them and they send the phone to country of origin (typically samsung UK) for warranty repair. A bit longer of a fix but pretty good for ease of mind.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
I got mine from Expansys-USA... last I saw a couple days ago it was $469. It's official yakju build as well. Worked out especially well for me as it shipped from the same state (Illinois) so I got it in like 48 hours from ordering.
pwiiiiiiiiiich said:
I got mine from Expansys-USA... last I saw a couple days ago it was $469. It's official yakju build as well. Worked out especially well for me as it shipped from the same state (Illinois) so I got it in like 48 hours from ordering.
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How do I tell which version my phone is after I get it, and what is the difference between the different versions?
Amazon for sure.. Next day shipping.. got it in the morning.. had to pay $26 for it tho -_-
Got mine from Negri Electronics. Been great.
xur17 said:
How do I tell which version my phone is after I get it, and what is the difference between the different versions?
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go to the Play Store and download GN Official update checker
The only difference is "One" is updated directly from Google while the other is updated by samsung.. correct me if im wrong
YoungAceAtlanta said:
go to the Play Store and download GN Official update checker
The only difference is "One" is updated directly from Google while the other is updated by samsung.. correct me if im wrong
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But isn't there a way to change the build of the device anyways? So the only difference is software based, not hardware based? I know the Nexus S had a LCD version, and an AMOLED version - I don't need to worry about that here, do I?
I sent a message to a few Amazon sellers, asking them what the warranty situation is, and what version theirs are (what country they import from). I'll try to report back when I hear back from them.
xur17 said:
But isn't there a way to change the build of the device anyways? So the only difference is software based, not hardware based? I know the Nexus S had a LCD version, and an AMOLED version - I don't need to worry about that here, do I?
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Yes the only difference is software, and you can change any i9250 or SC-04D to "yakju" and get Google OTA updates. It takes all of about 15min to do.
I sent a message to a few Amazon sellers, asking them what the warranty situation is, and what version theirs are (what country they import from). I'll try to report back when I hear back from them.
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I wouldn't expect much as far as warranties go with an Amazon seller. If you want a warranty I'd go with a reputable non-Amazon seller like Expansys or Negri (and even then its shady at best and you're trusting that they can take your phone and forward it to Samsung Europe). You're going to spend a bit more for it though so I'm not sure if its worth it for you.
I got the $450 Newegg phone. It turned out to be a Docomo SC-04D, made in Korea, 12/2011. I have had zero problems with it. I immediately flashed yajku IMM76D and went on my way. No problems with the IMEI, it matches the one printed on the box. If the NTT battery cover bugs you, there are stock battery doors available from any number of sources.
Expansys dropped the price down to $469.99. Good deal, especially with all the warranty and repair service they assist with.
Just bought one of Amazon for 452 seller was blue tek, I'll let you know how it goes should be here Wednesday
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2
BrianDigital said:
Just bought one of Amazon for 452 seller was blue tek, I'll let you know how it goes should be here Wednesday
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2
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That would be greatly appreciated - I'm kind of stalling at this point as I have a busy week of school to get through, and don't need a new toy to play with. I'm leaning towards Amazon as I have a bunch of gift cards that I need to spend.
martonikaj said:
Yes the only difference is software, and you can change any i9250 or SC-04D to "yakju" and get Google OTA updates. It takes all of about 15min to do.
I wouldn't expect much as far as warranties go with an Amazon seller. If you want a warranty I'd go with a reputable non-Amazon seller like Expansys or Negri (and even then its shady at best and you're trusting that they can take your phone and forward it to Samsung Europe). You're going to spend a bit more for it though so I'm not sure if its worth it for you.
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Correct no warranty but an order fulfilled by amazon should give you a window of being able to return a defective phone. In my case I believe it was 7 days.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
lazaro17 said:
Correct no warranty but an order fulfilled by amazon should give you a window of being able to return a defective phone. In my case I believe it was 7 days.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
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You have a lot of faith in your phone. My Nexus S screen went bad 6 months into owning it. If it wasn't for the warranty it would have been an expensive repair.
Also keep in mind that with a voided warranty (buying anywhere but Nergri or Expansys) Samsung will not fix your phone even if you pay them, because it is grey market. A few unfortunate people on XDA learned that the hard way.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
lazaro17 said:
Got mine from Amazon with next day shipping. I have prime so it was only 4 bucks for next day.
I'd say Amazon is safe as long as you get the one fulfilled by amazon. If anything goes wrong with the phone when you first get it you'll atleast have amazons great customer support and be able to return it.
My first gnex was from daily steals and the phone had a defect within first 24 hours. It took nearly a month to resort things and get my money back although they refunded my money in its entirety I'm pretty positive amazon would've been a lot easier.
Other places with positive reviews are negri and expansys. People say these places offer some sort of warranty which you'd normally wouldn't get with a gray market phone. They essentially act as a middleman for you and samsung. You send the phone to them and they send the phone to country of origin (typically samsung UK) for warranty repair. A bit longer of a fix but pretty good for ease of mind.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
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Which problem did you face?
I got mine on Thursday from amazon for 430 $ but I didn't realize it was from saxx mobile, now I'm super scared its a refurbished phone, 20 $ didnt sound like a huge difference so i didnt suspect at the time, I should have been smarter and should have not trusted that too good to be true price phone hasn't arrived yet
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
Haha. Not too much faith but enough faith. My first phone I acquired through Craigslist but had a small scratch on screen and banding that was driving my ocd insane. My second through daily steals samsung did actually offer warranty fix but I had to ship to country of origin which was in Poland. Luckily I had people I knew in Poland who id be able to ship to. But alas daily steals offered me a full refund since it was prior to 30 days. I figured after two faulty phones I was due for an alright one.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Chad_Petree said:
Which problem did you face?
I got mine on Thursday from amazon for 430 $ but I didn't realize it was from saxx mobile, now I'm super scared its a refurbished phone, I should have been smarter and should have not trusted that too good to be true price phone hasn't arrived yet
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
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You should be covered by the Amazon A-to-Z guarantee if it is refurbished or anything. If you have any problems, I recommend talking to Amazon customer service. They tend to be pretty good about stuff like this.
Would the warranty start working in the US if Samsung starts selling the gsm Galaxy Nexus here, or do they somehow know that it was imported and not allow people to send it in for warranty repairs?
lazaro17 said:
Haha. Not too much faith but enough faith. My first phone I acquired through Craigslist but had a small scratch on screen and banding that was driving my ocd insane. My second through daily steals samsung did actually offer warranty fix but I had to ship to country of origin which was in Poland. Luckily I had people I knew in Poland who id be able to ship to. But alas daily steals offered me a full refund since it was prior to 30 days. I figured after two faulty phones I was due for an alright one.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
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Did you have to give the phone back? The phone will be shipped to my country so its almost impossible for me to return it
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
I would get it from the Amazon link and make sure the one you buy is the one that is fulfilled by Amazon.
I purchased one from ebay and ended up getting the NTT Docomo version with a horrible screen with all kinds of banding.
I then purchased one from Amazon (same link) and got a regular (UK?) version, with a much better screen.
I will be returning the ebay one.
Both arrived with the Samsung seals broken (probably because they had to be unlocked)? But they were pretty much brand new in condition.
Good luck!
Not sure if anyone has seen this yet.
http://phandroid.com/2012/04/25/dea...-nexus-for-400-beats-google-play-with-no-tax/
Edit: Some quick bullet points
*From experience and from what I've heard, Expansys does help with warranty if an issue arises
*The phone already "features the YAKJU software build which means this device will receive updates direct from Google"
*Free shipping is in the USA, no tax outiside of Illinois, and they do ship internationally.
Not that it really affects me, but for in country warranty, I would pay the extra $50
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Yeah but do they still play middleman for two years should a warranty need arise? Otoh though $400 is a nice price for this phone and within many people's budget if you're a high mid or high end phone type of person.
sent with 3g courage. better recognize. 4g courage coming soon. stock up on diapers.
So... for sure this is the one with the international warranty?
No way I would buy this one over the one direct from google with a U.S.A. warranty if it is...
I ordered an MHL adapter from them back when the EVO 3D came out and it said it was in stock. Took about 6 weeks for it to arrive at my house. They said they sold out prior to my order. That's my experience with them.
Cool of them to lower their price to match the Google store. But I'd still have bought it from Google with the $30 sales tax and shipping anyway.
Hmmm... maybe this is the feeling all the Apple fanboys have when buying directly from the Apple store.
I live in Bloomington, which is where expansys-USA is located. Lucky for me I can save shipping when I order from them cause I can just pick it up. Unlucky for me cause I pay tax...
I didn't get my nexus from them two weeks ago when I ordered it because they were selling them for $569 and I got it from Amazon for $450. Darn, two weeks and would have saved 50 bones...plus I could just drop it off and pick it up if I need warranty work.
As it stands now the company I got it from said they will take care of sending off for warranty, but I have to mail to Chicago, they send to Samsung Canada, Samsung ships back to them, then them to me. Basically same process as expansys I guess but add a couple days and cost for shipping to and from Chicago. Oh well I guess. sometimes you make the right move, other times wrong. Sometimes you jump the gun and other times you miss the boat. Guess I made the right move but jumped the gun a little.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
Ravynmagi said:
Cool of them to lower their price to match the Google store. But I'd still have bought it from Google with the $30 sales tax and shipping anyway.
Hmmm... maybe this is the feeling all the Apple fanboys have when buying directly from the Apple store.
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you're correct. bought mine from dailysteals a month ago for $465 wish i would have waited so i could have bought the google phone from google. they need a nexus store.
also after helping a few people deal with international warranties for devices i wasn't really worried about buying my nexus was any retailer because samsung was helpful in all the situations (2 unlocked gs2 and 1 galaxy note).
Less than $50 is more than worth it for the direct warranty alone.
gosh, i bought my gnex at expansys for 569 1 week ago.
i have screen display issues, might as well get a refund and re-order it.
meh
ILLHYHL said:
gosh, i bought my gnex at expansys for 569 1 week ago.
i have screen display issues, might as well get a refund and re-order it.
meh
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Not sure why you payed so much. for several weeks now the phone has been sold by importers for about $450-$500...
ILLHYHL said:
gosh, i bought my gnex at expansys for 569 1 week ago.
i have screen display issues, might as well get a refund and re-order it.
meh
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Not sure what their policy is, but I'd do that ASAP.
martonikaj said:
Not sure why you payed so much. for several weeks now the phone has been sold by importers for about $450-$500...
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Not with well known/trusted warranty assistance like Expansys and Negri.
Hi,
I am ordering yet another gnex. Got the docomo version over a month ago from negri for 460. Has been great and gave it to my mom who lost her iphone
I want to order from google play but in terms of final price, due to taxes and shipping, its about 40$ more than the one on expansys and supposedly the expansys one is from the UK with yakju build. So I don't see why I would go with the google play version since its exactly the same basically and expansys supposedly is very good with warranty support.
Part of me wants to order from google to show support for the direct sales and also for US warranty though.
Anything I'm not thinking of?
dannypp said:
Hi,
I am ordering yet another gnex. Got the docomo version over a month ago from negri for 460. Has been great and gave it to my mom who lost her iphone
I want to order from google play but in terms of final price, due to taxes and shipping, its about 40$ more than the one on expansys and supposedly the expansys one is from the UK with yakju build. So I don't see why I would go with the google play version since its exactly the same basically and expansys supposedly is very good with warranty support.
Part of me wants to order from google to show support for the direct sales and also for US warranty though.
Anything I'm not thinking of?
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Click to collapse
In my opinion, I support direct store for US warranty. I have heard expansys sends warranty phones back to UK for repair. It is going to take weeks vs. 2 days shipping to U.S. repair center. In addition, it's going to be easier for you to claim extend warranty through various cards.
I went with google play just for the piece of mind of having the US warranty.
Plus like you said, I want to support direct sales of devices in the US, hopefully this will be a trend so we do not keep getting raped by our carriers.
Yeah, the mobile activist in me wants to get it from google play, but the businessman in me says get whats cheaper. In all honesty, I am not really worried about the warranty issue. Its more the idea of supporting the contract-free thing. But at the same time, it feels weird giving a "donation" to a corporation, haha.
dannypp said:
Yeah, the mobile activist in me wants to get it from google play, but the businessman in me says get whats cheaper. In all honesty, I am not really worried about the warranty issue. Its more the idea of supporting the contract-free thing. But at the same time, it feels weird giving a "donation" to a corporation, haha.
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Go with Google Play. They just got raped by XDA returning 10 million purple screen phones in 1 week.
If I had the choice I'd go with Google, that way you know you can guarantee it being a yakju build and (most likely) better customer support if the phone were to go bad for whatever reason.
Go w/ Google Play. If you actually do get a lemon / have problems down the line, you will be very thankful, trust me.
harveydent said:
Go with Google Play. They just got raped by XDA returning 10 million purple screen phones in 1 week.
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What do you mean purple screens? I saw something about that but does that have to do with a large percentage of the phones that google is selling directly in the US? Or is it just a few? And in any case, super amoleds just have wierd colors. You either love or hate it.
Thanks for everyone's opinions. I think I will just go with google, put my money where my mouth is.
dannypp said:
What do you mean purple screens? I saw something about that but does that have to do with a large percentage of the phones that google is selling directly in the US? Or is it just a few? And in any case, super amoleds just have wierd colors. You either love or hate it.
Thanks for everyone's opinions. I think I will just go with google, put my money where my mouth is.
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I meant that Google probably lost whatever margin they had on the Nexus by paying for overnight shipping on all those "defective" phones (not sure if they had to pay Samsung for returning all those opened units), so they probably need your donation.
That said, it also illustrates what that extra $45 will get you (excellent support, free shipping, etc.), especially if you plan on getting 3rd party insurance/warranty which can cost you up to $100-$200.
So that batch with screen issues has been resolved by now?
I would go with Google Play. You can get a SquareTrade or ZaggSafe or whatever 3rd party warranty service you want with it. You can't if you order from Expansys. I ordered mine from Expansys and I'm very happy with the phone, minus the lack of extended warranty, but I ordered my wife one from Google and her screen is a little better than mine. When comparing the two, mine has a very very slight yellow tint to it, it's very slight and not really an issue, but side by side, it is noticeable.
Or have a buddy from a state that doesn't have sales tax (i.e. Oregon) and have them buy through the Play store then ship it to you. saves about 40 bucks in tax.
But either way I don't mind paying the extra for the US warranty. I'll never know when it'll save my ass. Good luck.
Or you could order from Negri.
https://negrielectronics.com/samsung-i9250-google-galaxy-nexus-black-unlocked.html#.T6vt--tYt0o
$412.50, no tax, full warranty. This one isn't the Docomo version I don't think.
This thread makes me wonder now. I was about to pull the trigger on Google Play, but the white one on eBay can be purchased for $470 including shipping. Hmmm $440 for the gray, or $470 for the white?
aiwapro said:
This thread makes me wonder now. I was about to pull the trigger on Google Play, but the white one on eBay can be purchased for $470 including shipping. Hmmm $440 for the gray, or $470 for the white?
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If you like the OEM extended battery its only in gray . I have had both and the white definately stands out .
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
aiwapro said:
This thread makes me wonder now. I was about to pull the trigger on Google Play, but the white one on eBay can be purchased for $470 including shipping. Hmmm $440 for the gray, or $470 for the white?
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470?
https://negrielectronics.com/samsung-i9250-galaxy-nexus-16gb-unlocked-white.html#.T6wnVegSjfI
Definitely from the Play Store, can't beat the 2 day shipping from UPS. Also, direct sales from Google will definitely keep the unlocked phones coming, and tell the carriers to **** off with the BS rates/contract prices.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus running AOKP+Franco
theking_13 said:
Definitely from the Play Store, can't beat the 2 day shipping from UPS. Also, direct sales from Google will definitely keep the unlocked phones coming, and tell the carriers to **** off with the BS rates/contract prices.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus running AOKP+Franco
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can you buy it in white in the play store?
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using Tapatalk 2
Drzfr3shboialex said:
can you buy it in white in the play store?
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using Tapatalk 2
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no. titanium/silver only
awww :/ I really want the white one, and its 429 from negri
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using Tapatalk 2
Anyone know where to fix a cracked nexus 7 screen and digitizer?
The device just came out. Good luck
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Since you're in the N7 2013 area, you must have the new one, so the answer for now is Google or ASUS depending on where you bought it.
I haven't seen any listed anywhere yet.
If you have the 'old' N7, you're posting in the wrong area, but eBay should have the parts for DIY, otherwise the first sentence is still the answer.
Like calling either Google or Asus?
androidsavage23 said:
Like calling either Google or Asus?
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Asus
I talked to Asus and they told me to ship my product to them to see what they can do. Wish me luck.
If you bought it from the PlayStore, you'd want to deal with them.
Anywhere else is ASUS, unless, as I always advise, you'd purchased a 3rd party drop and spill warranty (like Square Trade).
For the $60 spent on the warranty, you'd have 2 years of coverage..... Much less than a non-covered broken screen....
Good luck.. :thumbup:
If you bought it with an American Express card, you'd be covered. They have 90 day coverage for theft and accidental damage on items you purchase up to $1,000(I think). You also get an extra year of warranty, and can return any item up to 90 days from the purchase date.
I'm currently in saudi arabia and I'm thinking of buying the new nexus 7 from amazon as it is available for international shipping..
It is avaiable through stores here but for an unreasonable price ($480 for the LTE version!)
I've been reading through the forums and found that many of the units had defects/issues and mainly those screen issues (dead pixels, ghost touches, dust under screen) so I'm worried about buying it since it will also be my first time to order something online.
Should I order it ? What should I do if it turned out to be defective ?
Dark Spark said:
I'm currently in saudi arabia and I'm thinking of buying the new nexus 7 from amazon as it is available for international shipping..
It is avaiable through stores here but for an unreasonable price ($480 for the LTE version!)
I've been reading through the forums and found that many of the units had defects/issues and mainly those screen issues (dead pixels, ghost touches, dust under screen) so I'm worried about buying it since it will also be my first time to order something online.
Should I order it ? What should I do if it turned out to be defective ?
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Amazon has a great return policy. If you notice something wrong with it in the first 30 days Amazon will swap it for a different one. I would assume most issues that you have would arise in the first month of owning the tablet.
yugendreams said:
Amazon has a great return policy. If you notice something wrong with it in the first 30 days Amazon will swap it for a different one. I would assume most issues that you have would arise in the first month of owning the tablet.
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This exactly. I'm an avid Amazon buyer because of this. I say go for it! :good:
yugendreams said:
Amazon has a great return policy. If you notice something wrong with it in the first 30 days Amazon will swap it for a different one. I would assume most issues that you have would arise in the first month of owning the tablet.
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Agreed. I ordered mine from amazon and have had no problems whatsoever
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy SIII using Tapatalk
Also ordered mine in the US on launch day via Amazon (no Int shipping) and used my US address to forward to Thailand. No problems till now.
Sent from my Nexus 7 (2013)
Your feedbacks encouraged to do it.. I'll probably place my order in a day or two.