Smartphone: European model - what does that mean?

If the smartphone pack says "European model", it can quickly get annoying abroad. In the worst case, you can only use European networks. We will show you what exactly is behind it.

Smartphone: European model - that is behind it

• As with televisions, smartphones sometimes have "EU models". This is noted on the packaging and online on the order page.
• You can find such a region code on the Samsung Galaxy S5, for example. At first glance, the smartphone therefore only seems to work with a European SIM card and only in European networks.
• However, the lock is automatically removed as soon as you have made a call for more than five minutes. As several users reported, SIM cards outside the EU also work without any problems in the S5-EU model.
• If you still have problems, you can contact Samsung customer service, who will unlock the smartphone for free.
• Conclusion: Whether EU model or non-EU model - that makes no difference with the Galaxy S5. In our price comparison you can also access cheaper non-European models.

In the following article you can read how to set up the fingerprint scanner on the Galaxy S5.