There is something abuzz among Samsung fans – it has been doing rounds on the net that Samsung will start locking down its devices according to regions i.e. you might no longer be able to source out handsets from abroad. All Samsung devices manufactured after July 2013 will come locked with too the region.
This practice was first noticed when Galaxy Note 3 owners saw region specific certification on their phone packages. This would mean that a device would only work in a specific region and not some place else, which kind of spells trouble for jetsetters and the likes.
Samsung Germany has also confirmed the new, stating that all Samsung Galaxy SII, Galaxy SIII, Galaxy S4 Mini, Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3 smartphones will be coming locked. The only option, right now, is to never activate the phone with a SIM from the region the device was intended for and go to an authorized Samsung service partner that will be able to unlock it for use in a different region. This basically limits its usage and you will have to pay an extra fee to unlock it. Also, it will not be easily crackable like a carrier lock and no one has come out with credible solutions to this, even amongst developers.