Why Are There Different Versions Of A Mobile Phone For Different Countries

[Ahsaniqbalkmc 0]

So a few days back I bought a new mobile (LG Optimus G). Usually when I am to buy something new, I do some research on the internet about that device so that the chances of being robbed (by the shopkeepers) are minimized. So this time when I was doing some research I found that there are different versions of this phone for different locations (as with most other phones) but all of them had the same hardware..

 

Now the thing that I don't understand is why make different versions of the same phone if you are not to change the hardware inside. For instance, Samsung galaxy S3 has different versions but some of them have different hardware (korean version has 2 gigs of ram as compared to international which has 1 gig). So this is quite understandable that if there is some specific demand for something in some specific country, you make different version of the phone for that country.

 

But if their is no change in the hardware, why make different versions. I wouldn't have much to say if only the model number was different because I don't care about that. However, because of different versions, the software side of things become complex. I mean the most of the custom roms available for the International version of LG optimus G won't work on the Korean version of the phone. And if tried on it, may even brick the phone.

 

So the thing that I want to understand is why there are different versions of the phone and why is the software side of these phones different from one another when hardware is the same? Is it some commercial monopoly or some kind of need that I am unable to see ?

[yordan 10]

From the software point of view, some things can be understood.

People hating Windows 8 tiling things could prefer having the same hardware with Android, if available.

Or course, I have no smartphone, so my opinion is not very important here.

[manuleka 0]

I think one of the factors would be to do with the Network available. Different regions/countries have different types of network systems. I think here in New Zealand we don't have CDMA networks anymore, closed last year.

 

Another could be just a marketing scheme allowing variant options for customers to choose from, and also some phones are a revised version of the previous release adding on few more hardware enhancements/down-grades. Example LTE availability in different versions of the Galaxy lines of devices...

[yordan 10]

[sigh] dreaming of a universal phone, working on all networks, and free in each country!

Let's wait and see if google is able to cover everywhere with the balloon-lifted antennas project!

[Ahsaniqbalkmc 0]

marketing appears to be the real culprit... Networking can also be a reason but the differences are a bit too significant (apparantly) for networking reason to be true.. For instance, the Samsung Galaxy S III has an internation version with quad core processor and and 1 gig of ram and there was another version (don't remember exactly which one) with a dual core processor and 2 gigs of ram... To add to this idea, there are often differences like Camera Megapixels (which are not likely to be related to the network differences)...

What annoys me most is that most often, the custome ROMs (like those on XDA) are not available for some versions of the same phone (for instance International LG optimus G has a lot of support from the XDA developers but the Korean version is left like an orphan)... So if you have a non-international version of a phone, it is very likely that you wouldn't be able to enjoy all the Custom stuff that makes android so awesome...