The new Samsung Galaxy Note 3 went on sale in 58 countries worldwide, including Europe and North America, but there's a catch: the phablet is region-locked.

This means that customers who have purchased their device from abroad may have a rather unpleasant surprise. Both the European and the American versions of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 are region-locked. In other words, the European version of the handset will not work with SIM cards outside of Europe, while the U.S. version will not accept SIMs outside of the Americas.

"This product is only compatible with a SIM-card issued from a mobile operator within UK/Europe (as defined EU/EEA, Switzerland and the following Non-EEA countries Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M.), Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, Serbia and Vatican City)," reads a warning sign posted both on stickers on the boxes of the unlocked Galaxy Note 3 sold in Europe and on the websites of UK retailers Clove and Handtek.

In the U.S., i.e. North, South, and Central Americas and the Caribbean, the Galaxy note 3 comes with a similar warning label, according to XDA Developers. The same sticker can also be seen in Pocketnow's unboxing video for the Galaxy Note 3, purchased from retailer Negri Electronics.

"American Model: This product is only compatible with a SIM-card issued from a mobile operator within the Americas (the North, South and Central Americas and the Caribbean)," reads the sticker on the American Galaxy Note 3.

Simply put, this restriction means that the unlocked models of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 are only unlocked in their respective regions, not globally unlocked.You can't use an European SIM card on an American Galaxy Note 3 and vice versa. At the same time, this also means that travelers will be obliged to use their home SIM, this having to support roaming costs.

To avoid complaints regarding this restriction, Clove UK is no longer shipping the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 outside the EU and a few other European countries.

Samsung has yet to comment on this issue and the company has given no reason for this regional restriction.