Is Lazada a good place to buy an android phone (google pixel)

[recom273]

27 minutes ago, wadman said:

The grapheneOS website says about the pixel 4a (non 5G version) :

 

The following devices are end-of-life, no longer receive full security updates and are supported via extended support releases of GrapheneOS:

• Pixel 4a (sunfish)
• Pixel 4 XL (coral)
• Pixel 4 (flame)

We provide extended support releases as a stopgap for users to transition to the far more secure current generation devices.

 

That really doesn't sound like you can squeeze another 1-2 years out if it. 

 

 

Low to mid range Android phones used to get only 3 years of software support and security updates. That is starting to change now for mid range phones, many are getting 4 years now. The high end, flagship phones get a lot more. 

 

As to whether it's "bad", it depends on how you look at it. My current phone is a xiaomi 11 lite 5g ne. It was released in August 2021, I bought it in May 2022. Last security update slated for Aug 2025. So I can probably safely use in until around Feb 2026. That's 3 years and 9 months. I'm not sure I will even keep it that long. 

 

I got my for 8700 baht (on a sale) = 250 usd.  My strategy is to buy a mid range phone for around 250 usd, and use it for around 2.5 years. Which works out to 100 usd per year.  If you buy a new iPhone, it will be around 1000 usd, and you'll need to use it for 10 years to get the same 100 usd per year rate.

 

Then there is the possibilities of you losing the phone, it getting stolen, dropping it and cracking the screen, battery degrading after some years. Which will hurt a lot more for an expensive phone. 

 

My phone has a snapdragon 778G chip, 8 gb memory, 256 gb storage. While a new iPhone is theoretically superior in performance, I don't feel like I'm missing out at all. And once an iPhone hits the 3 year mark, you'll feel that you are missing out on new features that the phone industry has come up with in the that time. 

Cheers. The P5 5G (Bramble) is still on the supported list. This the one I was thinking about, but this might be another reason with the price difference, I will need to check.

 

I still might take a punt, like I say, it's more of an experiment. Im quite keen to give the OS a whirl, and its just a stop gap, when im back at my desk and not bouncing phones on the concrete then I will buy an iPhone.

 

With regard to iPhone, my whole house is setup around the whole ecosphere, so inevitably buy another, price per month isnt really too much concern - The biggest thing stopping me from going to a privacy based android OS for a mobile phone is CarPlay, I hate android car, my navidrome streaming app is perfect for my needs, im reluctant to change - My first phone was a 3GS and the second one an iPhone 11. So cant grumble at that, the 3GS served its purpose although was unsupported towards the end.

Edited September 2, 2023 by recom273

[wadman]

8 minutes ago, recom273 said:

Cheers. The P5 5G (Bramble) is still on the supported list. This the one I was thinking about, but this might be another reason with the price difference, I will need to check, cheers.

 

I still might take a punt, like I say, it's more of an experiment. Im quite keen to give the OS a whirl, and its just a stop gap, when im back at my desk and not bouncing phones on the concrete then I will buy an iPhone.

 

With regard to iPhone, my whole house is setup around the whole ecosphere, so inevitably buy another, price per month isnt really too much concern - The biggest thing stopping me from going to a privacy based android OS for a mobile phone is CarPlay, I hate android car, my navidrome streaming app is perfect for my needs, im reluctant to change - My first phone was a 3GS and the second one an iPhone 11. So cant grumble at that, the 3GS served its purpose although was unsupported towards the end.

This bring back memories. I had a iphone 3G waaaaaay back. Bought it used for around 100 usd. It was a good phone, but cannot imagine using it for 8 (!) years. 

 

I moved onto a Samsung Note 2 a couple years later, because I needed to keep 2 sims active, and that phone was one of the few higher end phones that did that then. Paid a whopping 930 usd for it, kept it for 5 years, until I sat on it and the screen bent and cracked. 

[recom273]

2 minutes ago, wadman said:

This bring back memories. I had a iphone 3G waaaaaay back. Bought it used for around 100 usd. It was a good phone, but cannot imagine using it for 8 (!) years. 

 

I moved onto a Samsung Note 2 a couple years later, because I needed to keep 2 sims active, and that phone was one of the few higher end phones that did that then. Paid a whopping 930 usd for it, kept it for 5 years, until I sat on it and the screen bent and cracked. 

lol .. I look after my apple products, I have a powerbook G3 in a box somewhere. My life was pretty easy then, and still is, the 3GS was OK on LINE, keynote remote and currency converter. This is one of the reasons I want to give other things a spin, its just Apple home and CarPlay stopping me, and the other reason is, if I only use a mobile to be contactable for lazada drivers, K+ payments, LINE messenger and discord, what's the point in spending 1000$ on a phone and worry about dropping it on cement.

[topt]

On 8/31/2023 at 6:09 PM, recom273 said:

Does anyone else have a pixel phone?

I don't but was wondering if you saw this earlier thread which may help -

There are also some Graphene variants on XDA forums for certain phone/s. here is one I bookmarked -

https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/rom-unofficial-custom-lockedbl-q-a10-hotdog-e-os-for-oneplus-7t-pro-bye-google-hello-privacy-and-security-lock-your-bootloader.4290485/

[recom273]

14 minutes ago, topt said:

I don't but was wondering if you saw this earlier thread which may help -

There are also some Graphene variants on XDA forums for certain phone/s. here is one I bookmarked -

https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/rom-unofficial-custom-lockedbl-q-a10-hotdog-e-os-for-oneplus-7t-pro-bye-google-hello-privacy-and-security-lock-your-bootloader.4290485/

   Thanks, just what I was looking for, a reliable Thai supplier in that thread. Super!

[Shop mak]

2 hours ago, Iamloki said:

If you decide to buy the phone (any phone), if it is shipping from overseas, I strongly suggest you check with The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) and confirm that it has already been approved for import. Also, your life will be much easier if it is insured, registered and shipped via the Post/mail... not Fedex, UPS etc. etc.

If buy on Lazada, final prize is set. Customs never intervene.

[LALes]

Make sure its a reputable seller with lots of reviews.  I got scammed last year on a Lazada phone purchase.  Lost 10,000 baht.  Lazada will NOT back you up if you get scammed on their website unless it says Laz Mall Shop.

[wadman]

1 hour ago, LALes said:

Make sure its a reputable seller with lots of reviews.  I got scammed last year on a Lazada phone purchase.  Lost 10,000 baht.  Lazada will NOT back you up if you get scammed on their website unless it says Laz Mall Shop.

Yes, the issue with lazada isn't so much the platform itself. It's the individual sellers. There are scammers on lazada. For a high value item, I would only buy from a well known, well established, well reviewed Lazmall shop. 

[khunPer]

On 8/31/2023 at 1:09 PM, recom273 said:

I have never bought a google phone, but my iPhone is dying and I am keen to try out Graphene OS. 

 

I see some Pixel 4a on Lazada for around 5K, from overseas. The sellers have good reviews, so no reason to believe I will be ripped off. 

 

Does anyone else have a pixel phone? What prices should I be looking to pay? A Pixel 4 is the last supported model.

 

 

I bought an Oppo phone from Lazada, no problems. As you mention yourself, you can check the reliability of the seller and check if there are any reviews.

 

My Oppo phone came with a screen protection, so I didn't need to buy that extra. However, some resellers might give you a lot of freebees – including Blue Tooth speaker and headphones – so, if you value those, a reseller might be a better option than Lazada. I did that when I changed to a newer model, but I had to buy a screen protection, and now I have some free stuff that I actually don't need...????