Importing Samsung A73 into Canada

[HeliJoe]

As the title suggests I am looking to use the A73 that has only released in Asia over here in Canada via eBay.

Ignoring the eBay risks, is there anything I should be watching for? I have only ever bought my phones through Telus and their current selection doesn't meet my needs. Of the four lower frequency 4G bands, the A73 can use 3 of them, and it matches Telus' 5G band.

[Nighthawk]

The big unknown is that there is never a 100% guarantee it'll work at all or at least work correctly. In theory if you're just looking at supported frequencies, the phone should work. A number of imported phones have issues with some features like VoLTE and wifi calling not working. Software updates can also be an issue depending on if the phone if from another carrier or if it's straight from Samsung. 

The 4G bands are going to very specifically depend in where you are in Canada. Telus uses a list of 4G bands. Some of the 4G frequencies are used primarily in rural settings (bands 12/13/17/29/71) and of those, the frequency found in any region can vary depending on what was installed and when. AWS is one of the primary band used in most areas (Bands 4+66 or 1.7/2.1 GHz). That's a combined pair of bands used together. Some urban areas are using bands 2+25 (combined) also which wouldn't work with the A73 since it lacks band 25.

5G is going to really depend on where you are. The original 5G uses band n66, which is the most common. Telus has  also recently been deploying a second higher frequency 5G technology, which the A73 does not support, band n78 or 3.5GHz.

[PenelopiG]

Personally I wouldn't suggest it. I bought a Samsung US model and it's the little things that get to you. First of all even aside from Telus. Samsung Canada can't help me with any of the issues I've faced. They simply can't view or access my imei number. So I have to login to Samsung US for any support from Samsung. Then you will go into the constant battle as with every phone where carrier and manufacturer blame the other for the downfalls. Like visual voicemail.
Unless you are a developer, customize your OS type of person I don't suggest getting anything other than a Canadian phone. Having said that...my US model just received the dual Sim update I had been striving for from the beginning. Canadian phones will probably be 2 years behind as this was originally. So dual Sim for the sake of visual voicemail? Only you can judge. But do all the homework. Samsung will give you updates based on your phone imei but you only have support for some Canadian settings...

[Nighthawk]

Good points. Adding to this, I forgot warranty issues. Samsung Canada will not warranty the phone. Depending on which country the A73 was originally sold in, you may have to deal with Samsung in that country for any warranty issues and pay for the overseas shipping, possibly both directions.