07-07-2020 09:10 PM - edited 01-05-2022 12:00 PM
I am looking to upgrade my Samsung Galaxy S4 to Note10 lite or S10 lite. When searching to buy online, I see sold from a USA, China, International etc. Will I be able to use these in Canada and if so will I be needing to clean out or stop any weird apps that may already be on them? I want to buy one that is already unlocked.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
07-08-2020 12:41 AM
@computergeek541 wow that's too much for me. if I were to use a Samsung phone I would definitely have to use a modded ROM
07-07-2020 10:54 PM
@BearFBI wrote:
@gpixel wrote:@computergeek541 you're right, virgin actually did this. but it was only an app and I was able to delete it. I'm not sure how Samsung works maybe it's more aggressive on its carrier integration?
Yes a lot more aggressive. When I was with Rogers i just got my S10 and that was the first SIM inserted into it. When i inserted the SIM it did a Factory Reset and it basically flashed Rogers firmware onto it. My phone gets software updates from Rogers. The My Rogers apps were undeletable. Samsung Calls it CSC codes, Each carrier has their own CSC code. Public Mobile actually has one and im pretty sure it doesn't have any bloatware on it. I have the option to change codes by punching in a few numbers on the phone dialer. It re-flashes the firmware and wipes my data so i have to backup my phone first. Its kinda annoying that Samsung does this but it can optimize your phone to that carriers features like Wifi-Calling, etc
I gets even funnier than that with Samsung phones. How many of us play with the phone first to see if we like it before inserting our sim cards? Fiddling around with the new devices sometimes involves installing all apps and configuring everything the way we like it, meanwhile seeing if we're happy with the speed/performance/features of the new phone before even inserting the sim card. Put your sim card in and you realize that you wasted your time because of the factory reset that happens without any warning. FRP also kicks in rendering the phone unsuable until logging back into your Google account.
07-07-2020 10:04 PM
@gpixel I bought my samsung from China as it was cheaper there, and I didn't face any issues with using it for PM service.
07-07-2020 09:53 PM - edited 07-07-2020 09:57 PM
@gpixel wrote:@computergeek541 you're right, virgin actually did this. but it was only an app and I was able to delete it. I'm not sure how Samsung works maybe it's more aggressive on its carrier integration?
Yes a lot more aggressive. When I was with Rogers i just got my S10 and that was the first SIM inserted into it. When i inserted the SIM it did a Factory Reset and it basically flashed Rogers firmware onto it. My phone gets software updates from Rogers. The My Rogers apps were undeletable. Samsung Calls it CSC codes, Each carrier has their own CSC code. Public Mobile actually has one and im pretty sure it doesn't have any bloatware on it. I have the option to change codes by punching in a few numbers on the phone dialer. It re-flashes the firmware and wipes my data so i have to backup my phone first. Its kinda annoying that Samsung does this but it can optimize your phone to that carriers features like Wifi-Calling, etc
07-07-2020 09:33 PM
@iCruise they both have the required 3g and 4g LTE bands and are compatible with PM. The S10 has a longer survival life. I would go with the global version of either one. The price seems to be about the same. Came out the same time. Get the one that currently has the better deal. Stay safe
07-07-2020 09:20 PM - edited 07-07-2020 09:21 PM
@computergeek541 you're right, virgin actually did this. but it was only an app and I was able to delete it. I'm not sure how Samsung works maybe it's more aggressive on its carrier integration?
07-07-2020 09:17 PM
As long as the phone has Public Mobile frequency bands and is unlocked you will be good to go regardless of where you get it from.
Public Mobile uses the following frequency bands:
07-07-2020 09:16 PM
For your safest bet, I would purchase from samsung.ca or from somewhere like factorydirect or Canadian Computers. Samsung phones have a huge variety of regional versions so beware of purchasing online (make sure you read specifications clearly and read through PM's compatibility information).
07-07-2020 09:16 PM - edited 07-07-2020 09:16 PM
Purchasing directly from Samsung Canada does not ensure no bloatware/carriers. These devices are the same as the ones sold by carrier apps. The devices purchased directly from Samsung will still go through the same carrier software customization procedure after the first sim card has been inserted and the device started up.
07-07-2020 09:12 PM - edited 07-07-2020 09:16 PM
@iCruise I think you can purchase the phone from samsung.ca to ensure that it will work in Canada. you shouldn't have to delete any carrier apps if you purchase from their store directly and the phone will also be unlocked
if you're looking through amazon.ca purchase the USA north american version
https://www.samsung.com/ca/smartphones/all-smartphones/?galaxy-note