Hello everyone, I am in the process (from all the great information on this board) of purchasing an unlocked GSM phone for both of my sons. On e-bay, I have come across a Razr V3 that says it is a "V3 Sil Retail Euro Simple Pkg" according to the photo supplied from the seller. My questions I want to ask are: 1. What exactly differentiates a European phone from one of our domestic models? 2. Should I avoid such phones and why? I emailed the seller but have not received a response as of yet. Thanks in advance for your time and replies.
Typically the difference will be in the firmware and content of the phone, as well as minor setting difference. No carrier customization (or different carrier's customization). Need to configure data settings (GPRS/MMS) separately. Possibly problems with voicemail. These vary by brand/model. Some are easier (Motorolas) to get the finer settings tweaked, some are easier (Nokias) to configure for data services. Most importantly, some phones (tri-band and dual-band) will be missing the 850MHz GSM band. In case of V3 it's not true as it's a quad-band phone, but may be true with other models.
It's also worth noting that handset purchased from Europe may only be covered by a European warranty. In other words, if you needed to claim under warranty Motorola in the U.S. may not help you; you might have to deal with Motorola in whichever European country the handset was purchased.
scotsboyuk Very good point! I hadn't thought that through. I did have concerns after further reading that the phone comes wiht a 220V conversion kit charger. Any thoughts pertaining to this?
The charger issue is fairly straightforward, you just need to buy an adapter. However, the warranty issue is something you may want to think about. As mentioned before there is also the issue of firmware. If the handset has been branded with a European network's firmware it might have certain features altered. It might also be in a different language unless it is from the UK or Ireland. Of course you could probably have the handset flashed with new firmware. Since the Razr is available in the U.S. I think you would be best purchasing an American version, it would simply be less hassle.
