Samsung A52 compatible?

[10x10x10]

Hi all, I am considering buying a Samsung A52 from a Canadian 3rd party seller on Best Buy. The full model number is SM-A525M/DS. I'm not sure if it's a North American model or not. Would the phone be compatible with Public Mobile? Thanks in advance!

[computergeek541]

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@softech wrote:

Yes, I agree that the selling might not provide IMEI , but that was exactly the issue last time on the Walrmart Marketplace sell.  The seller seller said IMEI mismatch when the phone was returned.  The IMEI was not on the invoice or so or package slip  So, there was no way to say who is the liar.  In the end for some reason the seller was willing to exchange.   The seller said he got the phone from Samsung and Samsung willing to do someting. 

And yes, I am like you, I will NEVER buy from marketplace or Ebay or Kijiji.  The risk is high.  i still don't understand how much Walmart or Bestbuy  or Ebay will stand behind the buyer if dispute like that occur.  Seller can just "fold" the marketplace business and come back next day with another account and do the dirty selling again.  

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eBay always sides with the buyer if the buyer reponds with specific scenarios. The risk is just as high for sellers.

[softech]

Yes, I agree that the selling might not provide IMEI , but that was exactly the issue last time on the Walrmart Marketplace sell.  The seller seller said IMEI mismatch when the phone was returned.  The IMEI was not on the invoice or so or package slip  So, there was no way to say who is the liar.  In the end for some reason the seller was willing to exchange.   The seller said he got the phone from Samsung and Samsung willing to do someting. 

And yes, I am like you, I will NEVER buy from marketplace or Ebay or Kijiji.  The risk is high.  i still don't understand how much Walmart or Bestbuy  or Ebay will stand behind the buyer if dispute like that occur.  Seller can just "fold" the marketplace business and come back next day with another account and do the dirty selling again.  

[computergeek541]

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@softech wrote:

@10x10x10 

yes, the IMEI is important.  There was another post here about received a blacklist phone from Walmart Marketplace. 

The initial reply was that the seller said the IMEI  did not match and refuse to exchange .  It was all sorted out in the end.  Not sure if Walmart stepped in or why the seller changed the mind, but still, it was a rough ride for the buyer. 

Be extra alert when you buy from any marketplace or Kijiji.  Maybe most are good and honest, but you don't want to the be unlucky one that got linked up with the bad one  🙂

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Unfortunately, when it comes to checking the status of the IMEI, this isn't a guarantee that it won't be reported as stolen in the future.  A clean IMEI onl means that is has not be blocked as of the time of checking.  Also, a seller could simply give a clean IMEI and send something else.  If I were selling a device, I would never provide the IMEI to a potential buyer.  If that means that I lose the sale, so be it.

[computergeek541]

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@10x10x10 wrote:

The model number is SM-A525M/DS. Good idea to a sk for IMEI. Thanks for your help!

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answered above/just before yoru recent response

It's compatible but not ideal.

[softech]

@10x10x10 

yes, the IMEI is important.  There was another post here about received a blacklist phone from Walmart Marketplace. 

The initial reply was that the seller said the IMEI  did not match and refuse to exchange .  It was all sorted out in the end.  Not sure if Walmart stepped in or why the seller changed the mind, but still, it was a rough ride for the buyer. 

Be extra alert when you buy from any marketplace or Kijiji.  Maybe most are good and honest, but you don't want to the be unlucky one that got linked up with the bad one  🙂

[10x10x10]

The model number is SM-A525M/DS. Good idea to a sk for IMEI. Thanks for your help!

[computergeek541]

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@10x10x10 wrote:

The model number is SM-A525M/DS. Thanks for looking into this!

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As you suspected, this defiinitely isn't a Canadian model.  When a third party seller at bestbuy.ca sells something, this seller could be a small business, large business, or even some selling out of the home.  Unfortunatley, Samsung Canada will not help with device and warranty issues for imported models.  From what I see, this model will work at Public Mobile as it support HSPA on band 2 and band 5.  Howver, it appears to lack LTE on band 4.  Unless it's super inexpensive, I would avoid this at all cost.

[10x10x10]

The model number is SM-A525M/DS. Thanks for looking into this!

[softech]

@10x10x10   

is this your Latin American model: SM-A525MZKEARO ?

if so, these are the bands on this phone  BOLD are the compatible bands with PM

3G UMTS:  B1(2100), B2(1900), B4 (AWS), B5(850), B8(900)

4G FDD LTE  :   B1(2100), B2(1900), B3(1800), B4(AWS), B5(850), B7(2600), B8(900), B12(700), B13(700), B17(700), B20(800), B26(850), B28(700), B66(AWS-3)

Looking at this, the phone should work well.

But again, please be careful when you buy in these marketplaces ,even though it is a Best Buy Marketplace.  if possible, ask them buying to send yo the IMEI  before they ship.  You can then check it against the blacklist or you can confirm the IMEI when the phone arrives

https://www.devicecheck.ca/check-status-device-canada/

[dust2dust]

Why would a seller sell a phone that wouldn't work on all networks? The phone will work fine. I had other things I was looking for from an international phone but if it's being sold in this country then it will work in this country. Just maybe not all features that you might like to have. But it'll work.

[softech]

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@10x10x10 wrote:

I did some more digging, and it seems to be a Latin American model.

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Do you have the exact model number?  I can tell you how compatible it is with PM

Some phones while it can be used here in PM, it has less compatible band and hence it might have dropped calls or Mobile data might not be that stable or might not work everywhere.

give us the model number if you have it

[10x10x10]

I did some more digging, and it seems to be a Latin American model.

[JL9]

It does. I actually tested my sim in one a couple months back and it worked fine. Welcome to PM!

[LeePublic]

It's generally recommended you buy the Canadian models for the maximum compatibility of Canadian networks. I see the DS in the model number which is dualSIM. DualSIM is not a very common feature in North American models.  However, it should work with PM.

[HALIMACS]

@10x10x10 

It's displaying this as specs, so yes,  it's compatible!!!

Primary 3G network	UMTS 850/900/1700/1900/2100
Primary 4G network	LTE Cat12 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 20, 26, 28, 66) TD-LTE (38, 40, 41) VoLTE

[softech · Accepted solution]

@10x10x10 yes it will work on PM

but make sure Bestbuy has good refund policy.  There were reports that people got phones from those marketplaces but the phones were blacklisted.   So, make sure you are covered if that happens