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The Samsung Galaxy Note 3‘s region lock isn’t going anywhere, a new report suggests.
German site allaboutsamsung.de quotes the South Korean tech giant as stating, “The SIM-lock feature on the latest Samsung products will remain in place.”
Samsung reportedly says, however, that it is “examining” the situation, and is collecting customer feedback. I’ve contacted Samsung for confirmation, and to ask for an English-language version of the same statement.
The Note 3’s region-specific lock sees the 5.7-inch smart phone automatically lock itself if you try and activate it with a SIM-card issued from a region that the device itself didn’t come from.
So, for instance, if you imported the Note 3 from the US and tried to activate it using a Vodafone UK SIM-card, it would lock itself — and you’d have to take it to Samsung to get it unlocked again.
It’s likely that this is a move to crack down on smart phone importing, something that can seem tempting if another country is selling a mobile at a cut-down cost.
Region-locking ultimately gives Samsung more control over the prices it charges in each part of the world. There is a way around the lock however, as Samsung states that once unlocked with a SIM from the correct region, the Note 3 will thereafter accept SIM cards from anywhere. So you could use a UK Note 3 with a US SIM-card when you go travelling, for instance.
Is Samsung’s region-lock reasonable, or should it be lifted? Let me know your thoughts in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.
