Samsung Focus I917 Unlocked Phone with Windows 7 OS, 5 MP Camera, and Wi-Fi--No Warranty (Black)

Straight from the vendor the phone is, in fact, unlocked (we use it on T-Mobile, but it should work with any GSM network with a SIM card, but NOT Verizon or Sprint or CDMA networks). This is our second Samsung Focus (the first was directly through Amazonwireless) and we love this phone! AT&T has dropped the ball big-time on updates, however, and you can only upgrade it to WP 7.5 Mango. There are several security/bug fix updates in between WP 7.5 and 7.8 that AT&T will not allow Microsoft to push to your phone, but overall this is a great entry-level smart phone and you simply cannot beat the price now that it has been out a couple of years. Since the phone is branded to AT&T (even though it is unlocked and can be used on any GSM network) you will simply not be able to get any updates on this phone until AT&T decides to bless you with them (which in all likelihood based on their history, is NEVER).Also, the box that the phone came in was sealed, but did not have "Samsung" or "AT&T" anywhere on the box except a printed out sticker. The original Focus I got from Amazonwireless directly, had a normal flashy orange AT&T box with Samsung written all over it. The product manual inside of this new unlocked phone's box also suspiciously does not say Samsung or AT&T on it. To make matters worse, the little info sticker with the serial numbers on it below the battery does NOT say Samsung on it (unlike our first Samsung Focus directly from Amazonwireless did). When I first got the package, it screamed COUNTERFEIT to me. ***see update below*** But upon opening it, the phone appears to be constructed the same. I powered on and set up the phone and then installed a Benchmark app on it, and it performs the same as my original Focus does. To top it off, I called Samsung directly and told them about my concerns. After describing everything to them and even giving them my phone's IMEI number (serial number), they assured me that it was a genuine Samsung product (but the representative had no explanation for why the packaging looked so suspicious).In any event, the phone itself is a solid 5 stars. AT&T gets 1 star for neglecting their customers by not allowing security and bug fixes on phones they offer (which is partially why we switched carriers in the first place). But because of the update issue and the unusual packaging, I dinged the phone down to 4 stars. But like I said, for an entry-level smart phone WITHOUT extending your contract, you simply cannot beat the price, and the whole Windows Phone system is a wonderfully refreshing alternative to Android and Apple (IMHO).***update*** I received the Focus and it appeared to work perfectly at the time I wrote the original review, but then when we tried to take a picture with the phone a week into owning it, there was a large yellow-discolored area in the center of the screen as if someone tried to take a picture of the sun or something insane like that and burned out the image sensor. That got me thinking that perhaps the phone was refurbished rather than brand new (which might also explain the knock-off looking non-Samsung box). I did some reasearch and have come to the conclusion that I almost certainly received a refurbished phone (an internet search on how to spot refurbished phones was VERY helpful). The seller had good customer service though and sent us a label to send back the defective phone and sent another "new" one at no charge. This "new" phone was actually in the factory Samsung box this time. However, the box was scratched and the phone itself also had other tell-tale signs of being refurbished (although if I hadn't researched the topic it would have appeared brand new to me). This time around, however, I ran diagnostics on the phone the moment I opened the box and set up the OS and everything seems to be working perfectly. A final follow-up question to the seller about whether they might be getting supplied with refurbished phones instead of "new" phones from their supplier has so far gone unanswered, but I'm almost positive that's what is happening here. I can't be too mad because the price we paid for the supposedly "new" phone was actually less than other sellers were charging for a refurbished phone, but a little bit of honesty here would be nice. In any event, I encourage you to research how to spot a refurbished phone on the interet for more information. In my non-expert opinion, in retrospect, I highly doubt any carrier-branded phone (i.e. with AT&T logo on the front) can come factory unlocked. So if you see a listing for "unlocked" and "new" in the same sentence, I personally doubt the accuracy of that listing and urge you to contact the seller in advance to double check. When phones come back from the factory after service work, or they get refurbished to be resold, it is a well-documented fact that they are usually unlocked at THAT point. So be forewarned, if a carrier-branded phone is "new" it is most likely locked, and if a carrier-branded phone is unlocked, it is most likely not new. I have lowered the rating down to 3 stars due to what I think is likely inaccurate marketing.

If you are wanting to give a Windows smart phone a try this phone I highly recommend it. It's a nice solid phone. I've had mine for 4 months and I'm still pretty happy with it. The back is plastic with good looking pinstripes and some might complain that adding a certain cheapness to it but I disagree. It still looks great and very easy to remove if necessary and if made from metal would only increase overall weight and probably be a little trickier to remove having to line up slots just right. As it is it snaps off and on with ease. The overall feel is good and solid with nice curved edges making it a good looking phone as well. The 5 mega-pixel camera takes good pics too. The Super-Amoled touchscreen is great and easy to see in almost all light conditions even under a bright sun.The Windows os; as far as I can tell I like it. I can't comment on the Android or ios as I haven't used them. I can only say that what I've read is that Android is a mess. It is by far the most popular and looks like it will be for sometime. It appears that Google has very low if any standards in place for phone manufactures. Many of them with the hardware needed to fully run Android. Windows has placed standards on how Windows phones should be made so they run smoothly with little or no issues and at the same time keeping requirements at a level to keep accessible to most consumers. Most comments I've read about I phones is that while at one time cutting edge are not anymore as their platform is getting stale, have run out of ideas, running on brand only. Windows was designed with the user in mind to have an interface easy and intuitive to use and customizable enough for almost everyone and have become the one with the ideas now.There are some caveats I'd like to point out. The button placement could be better. The lock-screen button is directly opposite of the volume and too easy to press when trying to adjust volume. The light sensor works and locks the screen when making a phone call but not when putting it in a pocket or purse. It won't automatically lock itself leading to pocket calls, pictures of your pocket and voice commands. The only way to prevent this is to remember to press the lock-screen button. One of my fears is this button wearing out fast from having to use it so much. Most of these phones will be AT&T phones so be prepared. They have Windows 7.5 and no plan or talk to release any update. There are several work-arounds to this. One being to plug phone in to computer, start the Zune software, click on phone update under the settings then unplug the internet connection from the computer after 2 or 3 seconds. It's real tricky to say the least and one that I couldn't ever get to work. There is a cab file to download on your computer and do it that way. The easiest is an application called seveneighter that will do the whole thing for you. I used that method a month ago without any problems.I recommend going to the windowsphone subreddit for any help you might need. Samsung has a user manual available on their website with many tips and information not available anywhere else. Windowsphonehacker.com has the seveneighter file that I mentioned to update your phone with great help articles as well.