I have deliberately chosen a non-EU version of "Samsung Galaxy A6" (you can find "Samsung Galaxy A6 EU" option on digitec.ch as well), because I want to use it outside of Europe. There is no information about region lock on this phone description page, it says "Import: No".

But when the phone arrived it had a label "EUROPEAN SIM CARD ONLY" on the box.

1) Is it a mistake and EU version (instead of non-EU version) was shipped to me?

2) Is it a regionally blocked phone? Can I unlock it here in Switzerland (by calling with CH sim card for 5 minutes) and then use outside of Europe without problems?

Question

I have deliberately chosen a non-EU version of "Samsung Galaxy A6" (you can find "Samsung Galaxy A6 EU" option on digitec.ch as well), because I want to use it outside of Europe. There is no information about region lock on this phone description page, it says "Import: No".

But when the phone arrived it had a label "EUROPEAN SIM CARD ONLY" on the box. 

1) Is it a mistake and EU version (instead of non-EU version) was shipped to me?

2) Is it a regionally blocked phone? Can I unlock it here in Switzerland (by calling with CH sim card for 5 minutes) and then use outside of Europe without problems?

Accepted Answer

1) The same sticker can be found on any european or swiss model like this. Any Samsung phone has to be activated in their respective region to avoid having the phone wrongfully imported or bought cheaper in some other region.

2) Yes, exactly. 5-10 minutes and you can use it anywhere, with any SIM card. You are still limited by the following frequencies though that have to be supported in the country you wish to travel to: 

2G GSM
GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900
3G UMTS
B1(2100), B2(1900), B5(850), B8(900)
4G FDD LTE
B1(2100), B3(1800), B5(850), B7(2600), B8(900), B20(800)
4G TDD LTE
B38(2600), B40(2300)

Your data. Your choice.

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Question about Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018)