What Does the “Carrier” Field Indicate for Samsung and Other Android Devices?
Samsung and other Android devices are built with carrier-specific configurations, encompassing both hardware elements such as the modem, and pre-loaded software. These configurations are tailored for optimum performance with the intended carrier/network. Data in the "Carrier" field for Samsung and other android devices represents the network that the device was originally manufactured for. This variance in configurations can adversely impact compatibility and performance when the device is used on a network other than the one for which it was originally configured. This is more common with lower-end, network exclusive or region-specific variants. When the Carrier field returns ‘Unlocked’, this indicates that the device was not manufactured for and sold through a network, but was sold by Samsung as unbranded and unconfigured for a specific network. As such, these devices typically have broader modem capabilities which increases the likelihood of ideal performance across various networks.