In which I reveal my ignorance about the cell phone landscape...
November 9, 2012 11:10 AM Subscribe
My husband has a phone I'd like to replace as a gift for him, and I want to be sure I understand what I'm getting into.
My husband has a fairly new (4 months old?) Samsung Galaxy III. Something horrid happened to it and I'd like to replace it for him. He bought it through Amazon Mobile and we added it to our Verizon account. Replacement is not covered, so I'd like to just order this for him. Is there any difference at all between the "bought it for a specific carrier" phone and the "international unlocked phone" besides price and unlocked-ness?
My husband has a fairly new (4 months old?) Samsung Galaxy III. Something horrid happened to it and I'd like to replace it for him. He bought it through Amazon Mobile and we added it to our Verizon account. Replacement is not covered, so I'd like to just order this for him. Is there any difference at all between the "bought it for a specific carrier" phone and the "international unlocked phone" besides price and unlocked-ness?
Best answer: The international version is a GSM phone. The one that is compatible with the Verizon network is a CDMA phone.
I don't see the CDMA one on Amazon, but you can get it for sure via Verizon without a contract. Just do a search for phones with month-to-month pricing and you'll find it.
posted by inturnaround at 11:25 AM on November 9, 2012
I don't see the CDMA one on Amazon, but you can get it for sure via Verizon without a contract. Just do a search for phones with month-to-month pricing and you'll find it.
posted by inturnaround at 11:25 AM on November 9, 2012
Best answer: Argh, just missed my edit window: Rather than "nationwide" I meant to say "worldwide." Nevertheless, the meat of "you need a Verizon-specific phone" stands.
posted by Tomorrowful at 11:26 AM on November 9, 2012
posted by Tomorrowful at 11:26 AM on November 9, 2012
Response by poster: You've both helped me - I'm very grateful - thanks!!
posted by ersatzkat at 11:47 AM on November 9, 2012
posted by ersatzkat at 11:47 AM on November 9, 2012
BTW, you can get a replacement for this phone on ebay. That's where I picked up my manufacturer refurbished (aka new as far as I can tell) Galaxy SIII for Verizon, for about $400.
posted by xiaolongbao at 12:53 PM on November 9, 2012
posted by xiaolongbao at 12:53 PM on November 9, 2012
Yup, you can get a CDMA phone and just tell Verizon that you have a new phone, and they'll need some numbers from the phone to add it to your account.
Also, the software on board will be mostly the same, but slightly different on a phone that isn't married to a carrier; the OS should be the same, but Verizon, like all carriers, will add its own suite of apps, crapware, branded stuff, etc., while the phone that never married a carrier will have a basic set of apps only.
Finally, if I hadn't just stuffed myself with thai food, I'd be combing the city for xiaolongbao right now, thankyousomuch!
posted by Sunburnt at 1:13 PM on November 9, 2012
Also, the software on board will be mostly the same, but slightly different on a phone that isn't married to a carrier; the OS should be the same, but Verizon, like all carriers, will add its own suite of apps, crapware, branded stuff, etc., while the phone that never married a carrier will have a basic set of apps only.
Finally, if I hadn't just stuffed myself with thai food, I'd be combing the city for xiaolongbao right now, thankyousomuch!
posted by Sunburnt at 1:13 PM on November 9, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
Verizon uses a totally different kind of network called CDMA.
That phone's unlocked, but it's GSM-only.
We're starting to see a few GSM+CDMA phones - like the new iPhone 5 - but they're still rare animals and certainly not the status quo. Long story short: You need to look for a phone that specifically says it'll play nice with Verizon.
posted by Tomorrowful at 11:21 AM on November 9, 2012