Which Mobile Phone?

[usual suspect]

Going back to the O.P & which mobile phone..I am now very happy with this Samsung V-plus..all the usual functions, but it's a handy size. (They sell for about 2,900b)..

[VincentD]

Yes, people have lost sight of the useability of the phone as a phone. It's size.The preferred size today rivals that of a dinner plate which is a total nono for me.
I had a Galaxy Win which is a bit larger than what you have, and have traded it in for a Sony Xperia of about the same size but with more RAM (which makes things zip along a little faster) but do miss the dual SIM capability as I keep losing my overseas SIMs otherwise.
I am also not a fan of programs that insist on accessing the internet every twenty seconds or so for something you're not going to need at all unless you're at the North Pole. So like what you have done I turn these things off.

And I like the Sony Xperia because it gives me phenomenal battery life compared to the Samsung.

[huahin4ever]

Yes, people have lost sight of the useability of the phone as a phone. It's size.The preferred size today rivals that of a dinner plate which is a total nono for me.
I had a Galaxy Win which is a bit larger than what you have, and have traded it in for a Sony Xperia of about the same size but with more RAM (which makes things zip along a little faster) but do miss the dual SIM capability as I keep losing my overseas SIMs otherwise.
I am also not a fan of programs that insist on accessing the internet every twenty seconds or so for something you're not going to need at all unless you're at the North Pole. So like what you have done I turn these things off.

And I like the Sony Xperia because it gives me phenomenal battery life compared to the Samsung.

You could buy the Sony Xperia Z5 Dual. That one can be used with two sim cards. I bought one at MBK in Bangkok, and now I can use both my Thai sim and my overseas sim inside the same phone!

[VincentD]

I have the Z3 Compact which is a size I am comfortable with and can live without the dual SIM. Sometimes it can be good to be 'unreachable' as roaming charges can pile up if not careful.
I sometimes also carry a Samsung Hero dumb phone as a second phone - no camera, no emails no social apps and a good excuse not to be able to respond immediately except for a select few who would have the other number...
Though the main use is as a spare that sits in the glove compartment of the car. The battery can last for more than a month if not turned on and I have two SIM adapters for normal and micro so any SIM will fit in a pinch.

[Pleng]

Yes, people have lost sight of the useability of the phone as a phone. It's size.The preferred size today rivals that of a dinner plate which is a total nono for me.
I had a Galaxy Win which is a bit larger than what you have, and have traded it in for a Sony Xperia of about the same size but with more RAM (which makes things zip along a little faster) but do miss the dual SIM capability as I keep losing my overseas SIMs otherwise.
I am also not a fan of programs that insist on accessing the internet every twenty seconds or so for something you're not going to need at all unless you're at the North Pole. So like what you have done I turn these things off.

And I like the Sony Xperia because it gives me phenomenal battery life compared to the Samsung.

All these things are based around choice, though. There's plenty of small phones around for those that want them, as well as medium-sized ones and large ones.

Nobody's forcing you to install apps that check in online constantly. Though perhaps some carriers/manufacturers do this by default? I wouldn't really know because I haven't bought a brand name phone in probably over a decade!

[hhfarang]

How about a full decently spec'ed smart phone for about 128 baht?

"...$3.60 smartphone is now official: 4-inch qHD display, 1GB RAM, and Android 5.1"



http://www.androidcentral.com/indias-36 ... android-51

[oakdale160]

Given the chance to buy a phone either here or in the US, what are the advantages of buying in the US. To start with I think it wouldbe wonderful to have the chance to discus my choices with a helpful sales person. What about cost, what about being able to use the phone in Thai?? Thank you for any advice.

[Pleng]

Cost would be lower in the US
Can't speak for Apple or Windows phones (though I'm sure it's also not a problem) but certainly for Android there'd be no issues being able to use the phone in Thai. On the offchance that your particular handset doesn't have Thai locale installed, you can do so from the Play Store.

[hhfarang]

there'd be no issues being able to use the phone in Thai

... as long as you buy an unlocked one. Most phones sold in the U.S. are locked to a specific carrier.

[oakdale160]

Yes HHF, one American friend's advice is to buy here as most phones in the US are sold with a package attatched and locking attached and it can bea hassle to buy it free o f a package and locking--What is your opinion on that.

[hhinner]

Even if the phone is unlocked you need to make sure it works with the appropriate 3g and 4g frequencies/bands so that you can use it with your telco of choice.

[JamesWest]

Given the chance to buy a phone either here or in the US, what are the advantages of buying in the US. To start with I think it wouldbe wonderful to have the chance to discus my choices with a helpful sales person. What about cost, what about being able to use the phone in Thai?? Thank you for any advice.

as stated, a locked phone can be a drag to get unlocked. as long as that phone is tied to a contract it is locked, as you have to request premission from the carrier to unlock it. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. many scammers on the web and in Thailand will rip you off for a fee just to tell you "no can".

are you going to keep a USA cellphone number? might be necessary for banking transactions. then get the lowest priced phone/data package and a phone with dual SIM card.

A used expensive unlocked no contract phone bought in the USA on say ebay might be the way to go for iPhone or other high end hardware.

you can buy a new basic Samsung smart phone in Thailand starting at 2690 baht with no contract.
and a good Samsung phone for about 5000 baht. Phone and data costs are almost free compared to USA. I went from $110 a month on Verizon with iPhone to about $20 a month on AIS in Thailand.

make sure you buy your cables, chargers and all accessories like cases in the USA, as everything here is crap or very expensive for the real thing and very limited choices FOR QUALITY products.

[hhfarang]

Yes HHF, one American friend's advice is to buy here as most phones in the US are sold with a package attatched and locking attached and it can bea hassle to buy it free o f a package and locking--What is your opinion on that.

I bought my last one unlocked and with no package at Best Buy and got a pretty good deal. Walmart has a few unlocked but they were a little bit higher than Best Buy for mine. You can also get them unlocked on Amazon but you have to be careful as most of the ones on there that say "international version" come with no warranty. That's another consideration on the warranty. I'm not sure an American phone warranty would be valid there???

[hhfarang]

Yes HHF, one American friend's advice is to buy here as most phones in the US are sold with a package attatched and locking attached and it can bea hassle to buy it free o f a package and locking--What is your opinion on that.

I bought my last one unlocked and with no package at Best Buy and got a pretty good deal. Walmart has a few unlocked but they were a little bit higher than Best Buy for mine. You can also get them unlocked on Amazon but you have to be careful as most of the ones on there that say "international version" come with no warranty. That's another consideration on the warranty. I'm not sure an American phone warranty would be valid there???

Also, even though you get them unlocked they are manufactured here to work with certain carriers as all phones will not work with all carriers. All I know about that is that if you buy an unlocked phone intended for use on AT&T's network it will also work with Thai carriers as had 2 such phones while living there.

[PeteC]

This was published in The Nation yesterday. Pete

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Li ... 79695.html

...."Acer's new medium-priced phone is surprisingly powerful and fast
AN AFFORDABLE and compact 4G smartphone with good performance for its price range, the Acer Liquid Z530S is powered by the low-cost MediaTek MT6753 64-bit octa-core processor running at 1.3 GHz. Contributing to its good performance is its 3 gigabytes of RAM or working memory. It also comes with 32 GB of storage, which is surprising for this price range of smartphones and runs on the Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system."....."...retails for Bt7,990"