Advice on Samsung ?

[MimiCT]

Hi.

I haven't explored the Droids yet but am about to. Our daughter, who lives in France, is interested in this:

Samsung GALAXY Tab

Will this work in Europe? I'm concerned it will get fried when she goes to recharge it.

Any info you can offer is much appreciated.

 

[Thefoodman52]

As far as charging goes, no biggie. They have converter stuff so you can charge American stuff.

 

[Martimus]

They will also be releasing a European version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab...

Samsung Galaxy Tab reported to retail at ?699 and ?799 in Europe (update: O2 Germany pricing) -- Engadget

 

[NunyaBidnez]

Most standard wall chargers for mobile devices are capable of using 110v-220v at 50/60hz which will work anywhere in the world. I expect that the charger provided with the Galaxy Tab will be be a standard plug with the proprietary Galaxy Tab connector. If not, your daughter can easily purchase a European Galaxy Tab charger or a power converter.

The thing you should be most concerned with is whether or not the device you purchase will have the 3G frequencies for both the US and Europe. Your only option is T-Mobile or AT&T branded devices because Verizon and Spint devices utilize a technology that is not compatible with European cellular services (unless they offer a "global" version). T-Mobile usually includes European 3G frequencies (Band I UMTS 2100mhz and Band VIII UMTS 900mhz for rural areas and Asia) in most of their devices with a few exceptions. AT&T is hit or miss. Some AT&T devices have European 3G and some don't.

In addition, you will also need to have the device SIM unlocked so it will accept a SIM card from a European service provider. Roaming charges for data service are extremely expensive, so it is best to utilize a local service provider.

 

[duncanb]

I've got a UK Galaxy Tab.

There are three parts to the Galaxy Tab charger: there's the cable which doubles as a USB data cable but has a custom connector into the Tab, there's the power adapter itself which is the same for every country, and there's a country specific plug which clicks into the main charger.

There will be no problem using a US charger in a European socket provided you either use a US to European adaptor, it will handle the different voltage automatically. If you want to do it long term it must be possible to get replacement plugs to fit on the adaptor.

Alternatively any generic USB charger should work (though with some phones these charge slower if they aren't recognised): I'll try to check my Tab with a generic charger and see if it notices the difference.

I don't know about the US models, but so far as I can tell none of the Tabs sold in the UK are SIM locked. Best to check though as I expect the US phone providers will do things differently.

Edit: I just did some checking. The Tab won't charge when plugged into a USB port on a computer, and it also won't charge when plugged into a generic USB charger. So rather nastily it looks like it only charges on the supplied charger.

 

[NunyaBidnez]

Edit: I just did some checking. The Tab won't charge when plugged into a USB port on a computer, and it also won't charge when plugged into a generic USB charger. So rather nastily it looks like it only charges on the supplied charger.

The iPad requires a 10v charger as opposed to 5v for the iPhone and other smartphones. I imagine the Galaxy Tab has similar power requirements as the iPad, therefore it probably needs a special charger as well.

 

[dbpaddler]

I'd imagine you just need to match voltage and amperage output and you're good to go. Shouldn't be difficult or costly to just pick up the appropriate charger. Once it's been out for a bit, you'll see generics pop up on ebay and other websites, even ones like deal extreme and focal price.

 

[duncanb]

The Galaxy Tab is 5 Volt, 2 Amps, but as I said above simply plugging the cable into a generic USB charger doesn't work. A standard USB socket can of course only do 500mA, and other mains chargers may only be 1A so it isn't too surprising that Samsung have put in some protection. What is surprising though is it doesn't seem to act like other devices in and fall back to charge slower when it doesn't recognise the charger.

Many Android phones will distinguish Charging (AC) from Charging (USB) on the battery status screen and from experience, a Nexus One running Google Navigation will soon go flat on a generic car adapter (which shows as charging from USB) but will charge on a genuine HTC car adapter (which shows as charging from AC).

I imagine that Samsung are doing much the same as other manufacturers and putting a resistor across the data lines to indicate that an appropriate charger is connected. See Hacker reveals how Apple artificially restricts iPhone chargers (video) -- Engadget for an article about how the iPhone chargers are recognised.

I'd love to believe that there will be cheap clone chargers for the Tab, but my experience is that most cheap clones don't bother working out how to mimic the real charger.

 

[socfan12]

Hi There,

I know this is a relatively old thread but I stumbled upon it when looking to see if I could use 'any us usb charger' for my new unlocked (read international) galaxy tab. To duncanb above, I couldn't use any old us usb charger. However, my wife has a samsung fascinate which came with a samsung travel charger. I took the usb cable from the tab and charged it using the fascinate's travel charger, and it worked! I guess there is something in the adaptors that the phone/tabs are looking for.

Anyway, thought I post this because that should mean you can go out and buy a US samsung travel adaptor and use that to charge your unlocked galaxy tab. YMMV, but it worked for me.

cheers
socfan12

 

[Jackie.]

You can use the Galaxy Tab in Europe but can only access the Internet via WiFi, not 3G. I bought a foreign travel voltage converter called "Enercell" which enables you to use electronic and motorized devices as well as non-electronic heathing appliances worldwide so I will use it to charge my Galaxy tab. I bought it at Radio Shack for about $50.

 

[dbpaddler]

Any usb charger with decent amperage should charge the tab. A microUSb cable plugged into your tab will charge it. A microUSB cable plugged into a usb charger should charge the tab. You're most likely better off with a minimum of 1amp. And it should charge quicker if it's powered off.