Importing smartphones is a common way to save money. Three Chinese manufacturers seem to want to put a stop to this and resort to regional locks. If you still choose to import, you have to live with restrictions.
Smartphones are often more expensive in Germany than abroad. Many a bargain hunter therefore imports the device they want directly from the home country of the manufacturer. At least for three manufacturers from the BBK Group, this could be associated with some restrictions in the future.
OnePlus, Oppo and Realme equip smartphones with region locks
OnePlus, Oppo and Realme According to media reports, they have started selling their equip Chinese variants with regional locks (AndroPlus). All three belong to the BBK Group. A smartphone with a region lock should be able to be started and apps can also be used. But the According to user reports, telephone function and other network services are blocked.
A corresponding system warning indicates the restricted services – including the recommendation to to contact customer service. It is not known whether and how customer service can then remove the region lock.
The regions that are region-locked include the current time India, Italy, Russia and Brazil. It is also unclear whether other regions will be added in the future.
Old smartphones don’t have to go in the trash:
Availability of additional reason for smartphone import
In addition to cheaper prices, there is another reason for importing smartphones: availability. Flagship smartphones from China in particular often only come onto the German market with a delay of a few months. If you don’t want to wait, you can go to one of the well-known importers such as TradingShenzen or Banggood.
OnePlus has been a special case for a few months. The manufacturer is banned from selling in Germany. Local buyers of the new OnePlus 11 are forced to import.
