Is this a dev version of the Z Flip?

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sonofacpu

New member
Nov 29, 2010
1
0
Santiago
Hey! I recently bought a Galaxy Z Flip that was sold as open box. Considering what is on the back, this one seems to be for the Irish market (I'm from Chile, so this one was imported), and is the dual SIM model. However, upon further inspection I found a serial number printed both on the bottom of the screen and on the back of the phone (SLQ2199M). I haven't seen any other versions of the phone that come with this kind of number printed on the screen or the back, either online or in real life (I even went to a retail store to check).

To illustrate, here's pictures of the bottom of the screen and the back of the phone (sorry for the smudges).


Considering this, I thought about how I could tell if this was a prototype or dev phone. The hardware seems final, and the software it came with didn't have any differences with the normal retail one (though it was updated). My curiosity was peaked when I entered Download Mode and saw this:

It seems that the ENG Mode is set to Dev Device. So my suspicions are apparently correct.

Does anyone know more about dev phones? Is this a different phone than a normal retail version? Can it be used for something? Basically I'd just like more information, if possible!

Thanks!
 
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z0mbi3

Senior Member
Jun 6, 2004
181
0
They're used in a few scenarios. Mainly, I believe, for testing at Samsung and by operators. So like Vodafone would need to test the phone before it launches to be sure it doesn't screw up the network. They've also been known to be used at marketing events for demo purposes (i.e. given to those people who who need to talk up the phones).

It's probably same specs as retail, but I think the manufacturing process is different. Possibly a little more manually put together than the final thing would be.

I hope you got a good price on it. As you're at a little bit more of a risk of something going wrong than with a proper one. It'll probably be fine though, just look after it.

As for can it do anything special? I don't think so.
 

sonofacpu

New member
Nov 29, 2010
1
0
Santiago
They're used in a few scenarios. Mainly, I believe, for testing at Samsung and by operators. So like Vodafone would need to test the phone before it launches to be sure it doesn't screw up the network. They've also been known to be used at marketing events for demo purposes (i.e. given to those people who who need to talk up the phones).

It's probably same specs as retail, but I think the manufacturing process is different. Possibly a little more manually put together than the final thing would be.

I hope you got a good price on it. As you're at a little bit more of a risk of something going wrong than with a proper one. It'll probably be fine though, just look after it.

As for can it do anything special? I don't think so.

Thanks for the info! That's what I thought too. I did get a cheaper price for it, though not that much lower than a retail unit. I'm not sure if I'll keep it or sell it, but it's at least a conversation piece!

It seems to be a little slower than the normal Z Flip, but not that much. I wonder if there's a risk that it gets remotely deactivated, as obviously I'm not the intended user.

Oh well, we'll see. Thanks again!
 

z0mbi3

Senior Member
Jun 6, 2004
181
0
Thanks for the info! That's what I thought too. I did get a cheaper price for it, though not that much lower than a retail unit. I'm not sure if I'll keep it or sell it, but it's at least a conversation piece!

It seems to be a little slower than the normal Z Flip, but not that much. I wonder if there's a risk that it gets remotely deactivated, as obviously I'm not the intended user.

Oh well, we'll see. Thanks again!

It won't get deactivated, but you'd probably do well to remove the images from your original post just in case.
 

yacopsae

Senior Member
Jul 14, 2012
64
15
Fresno, CA
Definitely remove the images or even take down the post. I ended up with a dev note 20 ultra that was on its way to google and I posted on here about it. Not even 3 days later Samsung and the police were knocking on my door wanting the phone back. Be careful.