Alternative phone and carrier help

[Jak]

So there's a company that offers a great price for phone service with decent coverage. In order to find out if your phone is compatible, you have to enter your IMEI number.

I've been looking at a few different feature phones, because hey, the price is great.

My question is this: is there a way to check the compatibility of phones with carriers before you have them? I don't want to buy the phone before I know it will work.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Yes there is. I know because I've done it before with my current phone. A quick google reveals a couple of sites including this one (https://willmyphonework.net/).

Sometimes the answer these sites give is "we don't know", but usually they can give a useful answer.

[snowblizz]

Wait what?

You go buy a Samsung och iPhone and suddenly it won't work in some carriers networks?:smallconfused:

That's like buying a Ford that won't drive in Nevada. How does any of that makes sense.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Wait what?

You go buy a Samsung och iPhone and suddenly it won't work in some carriers networks?:smallconfused:

That's like buying a Ford that won't drive in Nevada. How does any of that makes sense.

Different standards. There are several different frequency bands used for each form of communication. Usually when you buy a phone in the same country where you bought your service you can sort of assume they work, especially with large brands like Apple and Samsung. Even if it wasn't standard they'll have a localized version on the shelf. But if you import say a phone from a smaller Chinese brand into any decidedly non-Chinese country it's worth checking.