PH CELLPHONES BROUGHT TO US

[Jojo_Jess 8]

Does anybody know if the cellphones bought in the Pinas work here in the US? Could we just swap out the PH simcard for a US one? Thanks for all the replies!

[apple21 953]

Most smartphones work provided they are openline (carrier un-locked).

[yannix 24]

 

Does anybody know if the cellphones bought in the Pinas work here in the US? Could we just swap out the PH simcard for a US one? Thanks for all the replies!

If you plan on using it on Verizon/Sprint, it won't work.

For ATT/T-mobile, it would depend on various factors (carried locked/unlocked, 2G/3G/4G bands supported). Most modern unlocked phones sold in Pinas (quad/penta band) would generally work for text/calls and potentially 2G data in the US. It gets tricky if you plan to use it for 3G/4G access.

[Jojo_Jess 8]

hmmmm...not sure if it's unlocked...I bought a Samsung Galaxy S5 direct from Globe. How can I tell?

[apple21 953]

hmmmm...not sure if it's unlocked...I bought a Samsung Galaxy S5 direct from Globe. How can I tell?

Usually if its from Globe there's a sticker that says it's "Globe locked". Otherwise, there's a chance its unlocked. Try it with a non-Globe sim.

[dythan2005 12]

Unlocking a samsung s5 will cost you between 30 to 40 usd through ebay unlock codes. It should work on att and t-mobile though im not sure if the lte will be compatible. Check xda.com for more info

[Happy in love 1]

hmmmm...not sure if it's unlocked...I bought a Samsung Galaxy S5 direct from Globe. How can I tell?

Get a Smart sim card from a friend and but it in your phone to see if it works. If not you will need to get an unlock code

[020871 2]

if it is a smartphone and unlocked, 100% it will work. tried and tested with two phones coming from PI brought by a friend

[dvc 11]

Not quite. Phones sold in the RP market are typically asian-market models. US frequency bands are unfortunately very much the odd man out as far as the international norms go.

Your typical inexpensive RP smartphone (i.e. what you get from Lenovo/Acatel/Cherry Mobile/etc. in the P6000-10,000 range) will be GSM 900/1900 (maybe quadband if you're lucky) and UMTS-2100, none of which will work in the US.

An unlocked Galaxy S5 will work to some extent in the US, but will probably not work as well as the version for the local market.

[yannix 24]

 

Your typical inexpensive RP smartphone (i.e. what you get from Lenovo/Acatel/Cherry Mobile/etc. in the P6000-10,000 range) will be GSM 900/1900 (maybe quadband if you're lucky) and UMTS-2100, none of which will work in the US.

An unlocked Galaxy S5 will work to some extent in the US, but will probably not work as well as the version for the local market.

900/1900 will work with T-mobile but only voice/text plus maybe GPRS/EDGE. Definitely no 3G.

The issue is there are many versions of Galaxy S5 sold worldwide and they all are marketed under the name S5. Look at the back of the phone under the battery for the exact model number(should start with an 'i'). Do a search for it to find out which bands it uses.

[dvc 11]

 

900/1900 will work with T-mobile but only voice/text plus maybe GPRS/EDGE. Definitely no 3G.

The issue is there are many versions of Galaxy S5 sold worldwide and they all are marketed under the name S5. Look at the back of the phone under the battery for the exact model number(should start with an 'i'). Do a search for it to find out which bands it uses.

I mistyped, meant 900/1800, which has no overlap with anything in the US. In any case, the point I'm making is sell it in RP and buy something new in the US.

[Jojo_Jess 8]

Thank you, everybody, for all the good information. Gonna ask my fiancee to check her Galaxy S5 specs.

[vsmithorama 1]

Does anybody know if the cellphones bought in the Pinas work here in the US? Could we just swap out the PH simcard for a US one? Thanks for all the replies!

My fiance gave me her galaxy Y after we unlocked it at local place in ph, it worked fine here in US. since then I bought her an HTC unlocked and gave it to her on my last trip over. Works great. Certain models made after a certain date cant be unlocked with codes anymore you have to go through the carrier

[SennaBrigante 92]

I used my ph phone in the us with an att prepaid sim and didn't encounter any problems. Just make sure your phone is not locked to a network. A quick trip to greenhills and 500 pesos can get any phone unlocked.

[Wyatt Cox 16]

My wife sent me a Lenovo from the Philippines. Works like a charm with the AT&T mvno's (Straight Talk, H2O Wireless, Red Pocket) but your mileage may vary. For sure I would make sure the phone was unlocked for use in the US.