On 3/10/2018 6:30 PM, Jeff Layman wrote:


Is it usual for equipment with identical model numbers to be so
different in different parts of the world?


Unfortunately, yes, especially if you use the term "identical
model numbers" loosely, in which case there are often numerous
variants of the same basic model even in the same country.

IMO the worst offenders are laptop and cellphone manufacturers.
When I wanted to buy a high mid-range laptop for my
architecture-student son a few years ago, it was a real PITA to
choose from, not only different models but also from the numerous
sub-variants of each model with slightly different suffixes. One
Samsung model alone had about twenty variants!!