What is a good smartphone for Thailand?

[charlesd]

I have an American Verizon Iphone 5.  I tried to have it unlocked and jailbroken in Thailand, but they were not able to do it.  So instead I bought a cheap Nokia phone for Thailand.  I use the iPhone when I have wifi, and occasionally I turn it off of airplane mode and use it paying international data rates.

 

How do others get good smartphones in Thailand?  I was thinking of perhaps buying a good-priced phone on Amazon or Ebay, and then buying a SIM card for it in each country I visit, as needed.  I just want to be sure to buy something that would work in Thailand.

 

Thanks!

 

[Phats]

If you are looking to buy an apple based phone, either make sure that the phone is truly unlocked for any network already or that it can be jailbroken/unlocked by yourself or someone at Tukcom (iclarified.com is as good a place as any to check if this can be done and which models/firmware/serial etc).  It's also worth noting if you are planing to buy a second hand phone you should check with the carriers that the IMEI number of the phone has not been registered lost/stolen as there are a great number of phones available on the likes of ebay which have already been barred because they have been obtained illegally, insurance scam and such.

 

I'm sure the same info probably applies to the android phones except a different website to check the jailbreak and unlock status of the various models.

[BigVenz]

If you have been a Verizon customer in good standing for a while, you can call their customer service and they will unlock it for you for free.

Only once or maybe twice a year.

I just recently left them because of their lack of choices of GSM capable phones to go to a GSM carrier.

But they did unlock the last global phone I had.

[jennings]

Contact Verizon and have them unlock the phone before your next trip.  Then just get a sims card at the airport or Tukcom. I had my Iphone 4 unlocked with no problem.

 

Fwiw if you get a monthly plan with AIS,DTAC etc. it'll cost 700-800 bht for unlimited data.

[charlesd]

Thanks!  I had no idea that it was that simple.

[FROST MEDIC999]

Seems to me the best one is something like this below, that if lost, can find its' way back to you

 

 

 

Ghosty

[hamlek]

Just got a Nexus 4 that I'm very very happy with, sim cards are available in every 7-11/family mart and both the big operators have good data packages if you need.

[fostraswift]

samsung is very popular in thailand!!

[bdw]

Verizon is a CDMA provider, unlocking their phone would do you no good, as all new PRLs would need to be loaded to get the phone onto another CDMA system.

There are no SIM cards in CDMA phones, so they are virtually useless outside North America.

 

If I were shopping for a phone and wanted value for money, I'd go to the 4th floor of MBK - Mah Boon Krong, in BKK. There are many many used phones you can check out.

[Hockeydude]

Verizon is a CDMA provider, unlocking their phone would do you no good, as all new PRLs would need to be loaded to get the phone onto another CDMA system.

There are no SIM cards in CDMA phones, so they are virtually useless outside North America.

 

If I were shopping for a phone and wanted value for money, I'd go to the 4th floor of MBK - Mah Boon Krong, in BKK. There are many many used phones you can check out.

Wait, so if I unlock an iPhone from Verizon in the states, a thai SIM card won't work?

[Okamoto 004]

Verizon phones do not work in Thailand. I know for a fact this is correct. The simple bottom line is it has nothing to do with being "locked". It is a cellphone network compatablty issue.  You can use the wifi network, but no cellphone network. 

 

You can buy a used ATT iPhone 4 for $200 bucks on ebay or craigslist, load all your apps and then get a SIM card in Thailand. Get a Otter case for it and leave your expensive iPhone 5 home.  

[Diabolic]

iPhone 5... Paid someone in eBay to unlock before i went to thailand for $5. Works on Verizon AT&T etc. phone worked fine in thailand and was a lifesaver for a noob who had no idea how to get around

[Woofiee]

Verizon is a CDMA provider, unlocking their phone would do you no good, as all new PRLs would need to be loaded to get the phone onto another CDMA system.

There are no SIM cards in CDMA phones, so they are virtually useless outside North America.

 

If I were shopping for a phone and wanted value for money, I'd go to the 4th floor of MBK - Mah Boon Krong, in BKK. There are many many used phones you can check out.

 

This is correct. 

 

Wait, so if I unlock an iPhone from Verizon in the states, a thai SIM card won't work?

 

This is also correct - CDMA is an older standard that is primarily used in North America and Japan (there are other countries, but I believe these are the most populous) and CDMA usage is decreasing. 

 

The "worldwide" wireless standard is GSM, so your phone would need to be able to run on GSM networks, and I believe BDW is correct - it doesn't. The wrong circuitry, the wrong antenna...basically, the wrong network. AT&T's iPhones, as much as I hate them as a company, would at least work worldwide, as would many, many other iPhones from other vendors. 

 

The problem is Verizon. 

[Bionic]

Just google a bit, unlocking phones is kinda easy, really, and if you want to get a new phone anyway, the biggest question is how much are you willing to spend? Samsung S3/S4 is always a good choice but if you intend to spend less, just go for the S3 mini or something even cheaper, doesn't have to be a samsung indeed. Or well if you want to stay with apple, just buy an Iphone4? Should be fairly cheap by now.

 

Bionic

[ChuckWow!]

Either learn how to unlock it yourself or like others said best to have Verizon do it for you. Jailbreaking is a different matter, Verizon won't do that for you. And I wouldn't trust anyone in Thailand doing it for me.

 

Someone mentioned Nexus 4 and I think that would be a perfect smartphone for Thailand since there's no 4g LTE bands available yet, and the Nexus 4 mostly used with wifi or 3g so its a perfect marriage.

 

Personally I use a iPhone 4 from AT&T in Thailand and its perfect. Just need something that I can type fast on for text messaging since I text much more in Thailand. But I've got a new Galaxy S4 now that's completely unlocked so I might use that next time and not carry a camera anymore.

[BigVenz]

A select few of the Verizon phones are considered global, working on both CDMA and GSM.

After Verizon completes their pending purchase of Vodafone, which is one of the largest GSM carriers in Europe, it will be interesting to see which direction they go.

[gandalfsvl]

For me sony´s waterproof ZR no need to worry when it rain and I like songkran  

Just curios can’t you buy a phone off the shelf not connected to a carrier then chose witch carrier you want in the states?

[Hockeydude]

This is correct.

 

 

This is also correct - CDMA is an older standard that is primarily used in North America and Japan (there are other countries, but I believe these are the most populous) and CDMA usage is decreasing.

 

The "worldwide" wireless standard is GSM, so your phone would need to be able to run on GSM networks, and I believe BDW is correct - it doesn't. The wrong circuitry, the wrong antenna...basically, the wrong network. AT&T's iPhones, as much as I hate them as a company, would at least work worldwide, as would many, many other iPhones from other vendors.

 

The problem is Verizon.

I just talked to Verizon and they said that the iPhone 4S is actually both CDMA and GSM compatible. They also unlocked the phone for me so I could use it internationally, and they said there should be no problem with using a Thailand some card. I guess the iPhones prior to the 4 S are not GSM compatible.

[BigVenz]

I just talked to Verizon and they said that the iPhone 4S is actually both CDMA and GSM compatible. They also unlocked the phone for me so I could use it internationally, and they said there should be no problem with using a Thailand some card. I guess the iPhones prior to the 4 S are not GSM compatible.

 

In addition, at home you should also be able to get a local Sim then have 2 numbers on your phone, switching back and forth between GSM only or CDMA only.

I used to do that with my HTC Touchpro 2 before leaving Verizon.

I don't know why dual sim phones have not gained in popularity here like overseas.

[Woofiee]

I just talked to Verizon and they said that the iPhone 4S is actually both CDMA and GSM compatible. They also unlocked the phone for me so I could use it internationally, and they said there should be no problem with using a Thailand some card. I guess the iPhones prior to the 4 S are not GSM compatible.

Lucky you! Then you're golden - just go have fun now!

[Ru4Real]

For me sony´s waterproof ZR no need to worry when it rain and I like songkran 

 

I've got the Xperia; the mamasan at the bar I hang out almost had a heart attack when she saw me holding it under the running tap when explaining to a girl it was waterproof so no big deal she spilt her drink on it. Never got round to trying it out in the shower ... will have to try that out on the next trip 

[Luv2Phuket]

I just talked to Verizon and they said that the iPhone 4S is actually both CDMA and GSM compatible. They also unlocked the phone for me so I could use it internationally, and they said there should be no problem with using a Thailand some card. I guess the iPhones prior to the 4 S are not GSM compatible.

 

I had the exact same experience/conversation.

 

I was told by Verizon that they will unlock 1 phone a year for you, and they unlocked my iPhone 4s late last year (apparently, prior to my trip, but I guess I forgot to try a Thai SIM card in it -- I just used my cheap Thai Nokia!  555555).  I dug out an old Blackberry World Edition that I was going to charge and take with me this fall, but (a) it hasn't been long enough since the iPhone was unlocked, so Verizon could/would not unlock it and (b) they assured me the iPhone would work just fine.

 

I'm just about as tech-illiterate as you can get, but I would be very hesitant to have someone "jailbreak" your new iPhone -- if they f*ck it up, you're outta luck.

 

The Verizon rep that i spoke with assured me that plugging a Thai SIM card in will work great, will not void the warranty and will not effect any of the apps that I have on my iPhone.

 

Now....take that with a grain of salt -- when I traveled to Thailand before, I was assured that my Blackberry World Edition would work great by switching to some over-priced "global plan."  It didn't work at all, nor did my business partner's phone in Taiwan after he was assured the same thing by Verizon.

 

The only question remaining for me is whether I take care of the getting the new card at the airport OR if I wait until I hit Pattaya -- plan lands at around noon and I have a buddy who'll be waiting for me in Pattaya, so I may be making a mad dash as soon as I get my bag!  55555555

[JABL]

been using my old blackberry 9870 phone on all my trips...pity I can't seem to use skype on it but it still works great....I keep my samsung s3 for office mails since I only need to have internet access for that....j

[Woofiee]

...

The Verizon rep that i spoke with assured me that plugging a Thai SIM card in will work great, will not void the warranty and will not effect any of the apps that I have on my iPhone.

 

Now....take that with a grain of salt -- when I traveled to Thailand before, I was assured that my Blackberry World Edition would work great by switching to some over-priced "global plan."  It didn't work at all, nor did my business partner's phone in Taiwan after he was assured the same thing by Verizon.

 

I've used a first-gen AT&T iPhone (db'd), an iPhone 3GS and 5 (unlocked) there and haven't had any trouble at all getting a thai sim to work. Just have them set it up and make sure you have a lot of internet bandwidth for the time you're in country - and make sure it's seperate from any call/sms plan. Smartphones like iPhones and Android drink down bandwidth like a cheap-charlie at an open bar; I tend to get unlimited internet for a 2 week period and a standard call plan. 

 

The only question remaining for me is whether I take care of the getting the new card at the airport OR if I wait until I hit Pattaya -- plan lands at around noon and I have a buddy who'll be waiting for me in Pattaya, so I may be making a mad dash as soon as I get my bag!  55555555

 

My favourite plans have been from True - AIG seems to have cost me the most. Not sure what the current options are, but check True out. 

[Luv2Phuket]

I've used a first-gen AT&T iPhone (db'd), an iPhone 3GS and 5 (unlocked) there and haven't had any trouble at all getting a thai sim to work. Just have them set it up and make sure you have a lot of internet bandwidth for the time you're in country - and make sure it's seperate from any call/sms plan. Smartphones like iPhones and Android drink down bandwidth like a cheap-charlie at an open bar; I tend to get unlimited internet for a 2 week period and a standard call plan. 

 

 

My favourite plans have been from True - AIG seems to have cost me the most. Not sure what the current options are, but check True out. 

 

Thanks for the tip....AND an analogy that made me laugh out loud this a.m.!