Vodafone 903SH
If you have been reading my blog since the b2 days, you would know that I own a Vodafone 903SH (the SH is for Sharp). At the time I got it, the phone was the latest 3G offering from Vodafone Japan and it’s equipped with a 3.2mp camera and all that jazz. I had to send mine to Japan for repairs some time ago and now I finally got it back today! Joy~~ I feel complete as a person once more. :P
Anyway, some people have been wondering about how to import Japanese phones for use in their own countries. Here are some things you should know first…
Japanese phones are dirt cheap. But only if you are living in Japan. Just take a look at Vodafone’s online store and you will see that most of their latest 3G offerings sell for less than 100 USD, with cameras ranging from ~2mp to 3.2mp. The most expensive phone available is 905SH, which is selling for ï¿¥22,800 (about 200 USD), but that’s because it has a built-in TV tuner…
Cheap as they may be, if you going to import the phones, prepare to pay for 4 to 6 times the list price. Here’s why…
Firstly, Japanese phones are all SIM locked to their service providers. Their telecommunication laws are pretty strict about this. As Japanese firmwares are not designed to be unlockable, unlocking generally means that you have to get someone to reflash it with a hacked firmware or an unlocked firmware for that model from a different region. Very few phones are unlockable thus they are in great demand.
Secondly, most Japanese phones do not support GSM. They just have something against GSM. Don’t even try getting Japanese 2G phones because none of them can be used outside of Japan even if you somehow trick them into accepting a foreign SIM card (assuming they have a SIM card slot in the first place!) For 3G, Japan uses the W-CDMA standard, which is compatible with the UMTS 3G network used in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, UK and a whole bunch of other places. Good stuff. Some 3G phones also support GSM so that Japanese who travel can roam in foreign countries.
Thirdly, the only way to get a phone in Japan is to sign up for a new line. There is no retail market for mobile phones in Japan because they are all locked to providers anyway. Breaking a contract in order to keep the phone incurs fees, paperwork and sometimes getting blacklisted by the provider.
Fourthly, there are usually at least two to three middlemen when you import a phone, perhaps more. The person in Japan who obtained the locked phone from Vodafone, the person who imported it to your country and perhaps another person who did the firmware hacking. They all want to make money off this.
Lastly, a lot of people want those phones. Consistent demand keeps prices sky-high because the supply is very limited.
So…
What do you get for all that trouble and money spent?
Well, for one thing, you get a damn COOL phone. Japanese phones all have beautiful exterior designs that make foreigners green with envy. You also get Japanese input and display support. They also come with very nice cameras and have some of the most amazingly clear and bright LCD displays ever used in mobile phones.
You can also scan and decode QR codes, which is quite useful if you often read Japanese websites and magazines. :P Here’s my URL encoded in QR code:
An example of QR code
Despite the numerous fees required, an unlocked Japanese phone is usually still cheaper than a locally-sold phone of similar capabilities (normal retail price and not contract price). Not to mention the fact that there are often no phones of similar capabilities available locally.
Unlocked Japanese phones also have very high resale values because of high demand and low supply. My 903SH actually resells for more than when I first purchased it, something which is unheard of for locally-purchased sets. This is because Japanese providers are constantly introducing new measures to prevent their phones from being exported and unlocked, thus limiting the supply.
On the flipside, you lose T9 input for English unless you flash the phone to UK or HK firmware (if available). Japanese firmwares are also laden with DRM protection for MP3 files and generally have very, very soft ringtones (which is fine for Japanese subway trains where no one talks aloud but probably not enough for less civilized environments). Hacks used to unlock the firmware may also introduce new bugs or result in unstable software behaviours. All in all, you need to make various compromises and be somewhat tech-savvy (with regards to DRM protections, video encoding and GPRS/WAP configuration) if you want to use your import phone to its fullest potential.
Generally, I notice three common reasons for getting a Japanese phone: the camera, the superior LCD screen and the Japanese input/display support. If none of those categories apply for you, you should probably avoid the trouble…
Where to start
Once you’ve decided that you want a Japanese phone, it’s time to decide which one. Not that there’s much of a choice since most Japanese phones cannot be unlocked. Forget DoCoMo (including the FOMA P900iV that Cloud used in Advent Children), forget KDDI. Only some Vodafone 3G models are unlockable.
Vodafone is your only choice. The ones by Sharp are mostly all unlockable; some of the Toshiba ones are too. Just look for the models that end with SH or T on Vodafone Japan.
902SH, 903SH and 904SH are some popular choices. BTW Sousuke used a black 902SH in Second Raid (my old 902SH pictured on the right :P).
In order to make your decision, you need to do some research. Most of the information related to import phones can only be found in online forums. The best forum for Singaporeans is the mobile phone section of Hardware Zone. And even if you’re not in Singapore, it’s still a great source of information. (Just ignore the idiots) You need to read up on the pros and cons of the various firmwares and the various models. For example, hacked Japanese firmware for 903SH is quite unstable and cannot receive MMS. Hong Kong firmware has Chinese and English T9 but loses Japanese display support. Etc etc.
Choosing the right importer is VERY important. If something goes wrong with your phone, Vodafone isn’t going to help you. You need to make sure the person you are buying from is reliable. Ebay and online retailers are generally overpriced. The best bet is to visit your local tech/mobile phone forums and look for a reputable private dealer. For Singaporeans, look for “kuro” on HWZ forums. He’s pretty much the person to go to for import phones.
The payoff
This is what I got for all my troubles…
Vodafone 903SH
Vodafone 903SH
“Camera” mode
Standby screen
My current ringtone
Gmail in Opera Mini
Wikipedia in Opera Mini
This blog in Opera Mini
Refer to my old post for picture quality. It’s pretty good for a 3.2mp phone, but certainly not as good as a 3mp digicam. :P
I am using the UK firmware now, which is actually pretty good except for the lack of Japanese input. That said, I’m planning to switch back to Japanese once a more stable version of the hacked firmware is released. After living without English T9 input for so long, I realized that I am not used to it any more… lol.
I want to unlock the Softbank 920SH
Can anyone help me?
does it have a sim slot??????!!!!
Yes it does.
yes it does… it’s 3G GSM/CDMA (it has a USIM)
what do i need to do to unlock it? fully?
Softbank 920SH
At best the phone is only being analyzed, and has no unlock availble. It could be a little while for one to come out.
Stumbled here while going through exotic phones. Do you know where I can get your model? Or perhaps the older Vodafone ones, not Softbank ones? I believe they are only available in the second hand market ad rare for them to be brand new.
i from the philippines and i have a toshiba 903.. i wanted to swap it with sharp 903 because 903ts are too bulky compared to 903shs.
plus 903sh got a 3.2mp cam.. i love the macro mode XD
All the links you listed above were broken or something… Could you give me a link to a japanese cell phones selling store thingy? I would be greatly appreciated..
there’s this phone that claims to be unlocked from japan on this website
http://www.alibaba.com/catalog/11128276/Brand_New_Panasonic_X800.html
but i don’t know if cingular can have a plan for it does anyone know?
the cell phone is called Panasonic X800
hi!
can a 920sc phone from japan be used in the philippines?
do you know where i can convert it to open line so it can used here in the philippines?
i really need your help…
hope you can advice me with this. thank you very much!
Anybody know where to or how to unlock japanese GSM cellphones?
hi minori.. i have question also about the samsung 920SC.. my wife bought that for me yesterday in japan. but i don’t have any idea if i can use it here in philippines…? nagamit mo ba siya dito..? thanks in advance.
I really really want a japanese cell phone. But 1) i don’t know which kind works in the United states (if any do) and 2) unlocking the japanese phone is confusing. could you please help me figure it out. I doubt i will be able to get one right away but i still want to know in advanced. can you please help me, the japanese phones seem really cool.
Thanks alot,
Summer
Hello, I am from Holland and seeking for a way to get an au sony ericsson W44S…
Can it be unlocked and even if it can’t is there a way to get it without being stuck to a contract since I will be moving to japan in a year.
Loved reading your article, I’ve been busy reading all day but never got past ”its impossible to get, stop looking” XD
Just like someone who posted before me said your article has given me hope ^^
Hello, I am from Maldives and seeking for a way to get an au sony ericsson W44S…
Can it be unlocked and even if it can pls send me a mail to sixteeneleven_1611@hotmail.com
i got a softbank 9202h im wondering if it works here in the philippines, if not anybody can help me where can i unlock my fon? i don’t know which kind of 3g softbank model works in pinas, i really love japanese phones cool and high tech.. pls send me email to levi_nice@yahoo.com
pls someone help to open my softbank 920SH, i really badly your help , tnx!!!
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(I want some accessories of this model phone, help me pleas!!!!
Hey if your up to it, do you think you could list the phones that you know are able to be hacked to my email adress. I would greatly appreciate it and would save me a couple of hours of searching the web for them lol. Also thanks for In-depth information, probably the best I’ve seen on the web about this topic.
yea I’ve been wanting a keitai for a while now and just drooling at the screen at the new FOMA F906i and that old Softbank 920SH.
I’ve been trying to find some prices that are well within my budget or trustworthy sites that i could purchase them from.
I really enjoyed reading your blog and yes i QR reader function is wonderful for getting information quick. I have many magazines that come from japan and frequently buy books and etc from Kinokuniya in SF.
Thanks for having such a great resource for iPhones. I\’ve been searching all over for this. http://www.iphonehub.com/iPhone/Chinese-iPhones
hi..my name is putri..i have the same problem about samsung 920SC, i want to use it in indonesia using Telkomsel as a provider..plizzz…help me!!onegai…
hi i have a problem with my japanese fone 811T softbank i cant use it here in philippines…do it have the unlocking codes alreadyu?can you help me through this? email me pls…
simple_chris69@yahoo.com
hi, may i know do you still buy and import phones from Jap? Where do you find the person who is willing to import the phone from overseas to you? Are you from SG?
Mail me yeah?
(:
who cares , the japs are fuked in the head anyways they make all thier people be ruled by buisnesses, in usa its vise versa, thus making it fair for the common people. stick to your american phones like htc. and besides thiers an LG phone that does the same thing rofl. WASTE OF MONEY!
hey i know some friends of mine who managed to get thier hands onto some Sharp phones from japan though. E.g 905i. isn’t that a NTT DOCOMO product? they can use it here in Australia just fine as well. mail me yeah? :)
Looking for a Japanese phone and I am so lost. I live in the US and I really have no idea where to start. Any idea where I would be able to get one in the US?
Hi, can i check with you how do i see that the Jap phones i see is able to be used in S’pore(with a hypersim) & how does the hypersim works? Thanks
how much is the phone?
hello,
i need to know if i have to discard this fone i have from japan
it’s a sony ericsson w41s (au by kddi).
i will be greatfull if you can advise me on this phone.i have it and cannot use it maybe i need to throw it in to the sea and fotget owning a japanese fone
edward
i’m from the philippines, are there people selling it in the country?(for thise filipinos who commented and has one)
hi can i noe whether u wiling to sell ur v903sh to me?kindly email me =)
well….you CAN use KDDI because they have an American branch and you don’t even have to go thru all the unlocking crap. just visit this site, order your phone and tada! ^^
https://store.kddimobile.com/Store/WebObjects/PostPaidStore?language=English
sorry if this was covered already but where did you get your Vodafone 903SH
So…on your unlocked phone…you CAN use the internet?? how??
hi
love u all babyyyyyyyy i wanna fuckkkkkkkkk u plz help mee about this
i can unlock any mobiphone,call me 01685476679 i will help you!!
Um.. I really want to find a nice japanese phone and find the cheapest one ^.^;;;
that i know is impossible but do you know any sites that are helpful?
@tammy: The Sanyo Eclipse seems to be good.
You can get through Sprint directly or through KDDI America (see link posted by yamato).
Although I think you can only get them in certain zip codes (through KDDI). For example, where I live right now you can only get an LG english model, but in, say, Kansas City or Chicago, you can get them. I live in a very small town, so my town is not a good reference for availability. You can also transfer your current number.
darkmirage, thanks for giving me hope (^^)
is there any japanese phone which will work in uk
anybody please helpppppp!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know you said forget Kiddi, but I brought back a SIM AU phone from my trip in Japan. I have used other people’s SIM cards in it, but that was in Japan (and come to think of it, AU…). Do you know if there is an unlock for this phone because its got a SIM card slot?
Wholesaling has turned into a dangerous business with sites like dhgate being flooded withswindlers pillaging peoples’ bank accountsand never be heard from again. When web surfers start looking into wholesale, they’re often the first resource discovered. Awesome read though.
Importing and exporting has become a risky business with sites like alibaba being chalked full of scheisters pillaging peoples’ money stackand never be heard from again. When web surfers start researching importing and exporting, they’re usually the top resource discovered. Awesome read though.
I have a bit of a problem here. I would like to purchase myself a new unlocked phone and cannot make up my mind on which phone to pick. First of all, i am considering the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD 8GB, which my buddy has. It appears quite tough, and all seemed good, but then i started looking at others. Now my largest dilemma is choosing between the Nokia E71 and the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD 8GB. All suggestions are welcome
Hey! I’m At and I really need help to unlock my Samsung 706SC mobile phone! Right now it is locked to Softbank. Please email me: hotlimit13@yahoo.co.jp thank you!!
Hi there,
I am wondering about SHARP SH906i… My op is Singtel and I do see some hypersim unlock ones out in the ebay… Is it advisable to purchase one at the moment? Seems that there is not much of an info at the moment.
Wow that’s sad… I live in america and I wonder if some cellphones can work in here, in my country we use 3G system, but I don’t know if it’s gonna be compatible.. thanks
hi im from the philippines, can anyone help me unlock my softbank 705p?
Saved as a favorite, I really like your blog!
my blog post 人気 ランニングシューズ
Hi.. I do like to import a brnded cell phone from Japan….
I like japanies phones very much,
would you assist me sending any contact details