Will SM-A546E/DS receive USA software updates?

[BigDad51]

I have the opportunity to purchase a Samsung SM-A546E/DS International model of the A54. The seller recommends I check with Verizon to see if it will indeed receive US-based software updates and will have full network capabilities.

Can Verizon let me know if this is supported?

Thank You

[vzw_customer_support]

Great question BigDad51! We can check to make sure your SM-A546E/DS international model can be activated on the Verizon network. Go to this website to check the BYOD (Bring your own device) eligibility. 

https://www.verizon.com/sales/digital/byod/enterDeviceIMEI.html

Let us know if you have questions after checking the IMEI eligibility!

-Deb

[BigDad51]

Deb,

Thank you for this info. I followed the link and do not see any place to provide an IMEI number. It seems to want to sign me up for a new plan. I'm happy with my current plan and would just like to upgrade my phone. Am I missing something?

BigDad51

[SynthpopAddict]

@BigDad51, out of curiosity I played around with the link Deb sent you earlier, and you have to "drill down" in the menus for a bit before it gives you the screen where you can enter the IMEI.  I picked "smartphone", then entered my ZIP code, then entered the phone's make/model and whether it's unlocked, then it gave me the screen for the IMEI.

You would have had to buy the phone in question before there is an IMEI to check.  It also needs to be unlocked, or it will not work on Verizon.  But per my earlier post, you might have a problem with the international version of a phone, because it is most likely not built to support CDMA, which Verizon used to use and may still be lurking somewhere in their network infrastructure.

[BigDad51]

@SynthpopAddict, I followed the link a few times and got a couple of different dialogs, eventually leading to "What plan do you want?" before asking for IMEI. And you are absolutely correct in that I would need to purchase the phone before getting its IMEI. I'll stick with domestic phones for now and wait for a Black Friday deal.

Thanks again!

[SynthpopAddict]

International versions of phones usually do not have CDMA compatibility built into them, while US versions do.  Verizon's network was (historically) CDMA-based, so whether or not an international version of the Samsung A54 will work on Verizon, no telling.