Iphone 3gs

[Abrak]

As far as I understand there are now factory unlocked not jailbroken iphone 3GS in MBK but the price for a 32gb is 42000 baht

Not that I am particularly doubting you cos at that price they should be but 1) where did they come from 2) what makes you feel they are fully unlocked and 3) which shop if you happen to remember (simply on the basis that I would believe various and not others).

[saintofsilence]

As far as I understand there are now factory unlocked not jailbroken iphone 3GS in MBK but the price for a 32gb is 42000 baht

Not that I am particularly doubting you cos at that price they should be but 1) where did they come from 2) what makes you feel they are fully unlocked and 3) which shop if you happen to remember (simply on the basis that I would believe various and not others).

Its not unusual for MBK to have factory unlocked iphones they are grey market , If you walk around MBK where all the phones are and the opposite end to power mall you will see some shops showing the 3Gs I asked a couple and was told they were available but i did not go any further after they told me the price.

Each time I asked the shop owners got on there cell phone to check somewhere I am sorry I dont remember the shops name but also a lot of shops never had them.

As I said earlier a unlocked 3GS in Australia is 27500 baht from vodaphone I will wait till i get one from there and save 15000 baht

[pimmy5]

As far as I understand there are now factory unlocked not jailbroken iphone 3GS in MBK but the price for a 32gb is 42000 baht

Not that I am particularly doubting you cos at that price they should be but 1) where did they come from 2) what makes you feel they are fully unlocked and 3) which shop if you happen to remember (simply on the basis that I would believe various and not others).

Its not unusual for MBK to have factory unlocked iphones they are grey market , If you walk around MBK where all the phones are and the opposite end to power mall you will see some shops showing the 3Gs I asked a couple and was told they were available but i did not go any further after they told me the price.

Each time I asked the shop owners got on there cell phone to check somewhere I am sorry I dont remember the shops name but also a lot of shops never had them.

As I said earlier a unlocked 3GS in Australia is 27500 baht from vodaphone I will wait till i get one from there and save 15000 baht

My dad went to True ( at Paragon... i think) they said 16GB is all sold out and they're not restocking untill 3GS comes out. Anyone has any idea how much 3GS will be?? sold by True not MBK?? more or less than Bt35,000 as sold officially by True. I would get it any where else but if any anything were to go wrong or it breaks then u can't fix it unless you send it back to the orginal country you got it from!

[nikster]

Ya it has always been like that here. They buy the Iphone for the price you listed (27k) then sell it to make a profit so jack the price way up. They are not buying it for cheaper and able to sell for 27k. They buy it like any customer. Once it is officially released by True the price will drop.

Well I think it's worth waiting a few weeks to get the true price .

Seconded. Let's see what True is charging, and if it's not a total rip-off I am going to get it here.

Apple store in Australia sells them unlocked too... from a friend... unlocked 3GS AUD 879 -- 16g, 1040 -- 32g but currently out of stock.

Makes no sense to pay silly prices now for a grey import, patience...

[saintofsilence]

Unlocked iPhones On Sale Through Apple Australia Site

By Angus Kidman on July 2, 2009 at 12:00 PM

Most carriers want to tie you in to a plan if you want to buy an iPhone, but if you don’t fancy signing up Apple has made the task somewhat simpler by offering unlocked iPhones via its online store.

At $719 for an 8GB 3G, $879 for the 16GB 3GS and $1040 for the 32GB model, the pricing is better than the outright buy deals on offer from carriers. Apart from the obvious advantage Nick at Gizmodo points out — you can buy a phone in your pyjamas (or even naked if that’s your thing) — it’s a useful option for the large swathes of the population who aren’t within reach of one of Apple’s five retail stores.

[Abrak]

As far as I understand there are now factory unlocked not jailbroken iphone 3GS in MBK but the price for a 32gb is 42000 baht

Not that I am particularly doubting you cos at that price they should be but 1) where did they come from 2) what makes you feel they are fully unlocked and 3) which shop if you happen to remember (simply on the basis that I would believe various and not others).

Its not unusual for MBK to have factory unlocked iphones they are grey market , If you walk around MBK where all the phones are and the opposite end to power mall you will see some shops showing the 3Gs I asked a couple and was told they were available but i did not go any further after they told me the price.

Each time I asked the shop owners got on there cell phone to check somewhere I am sorry I dont remember the shops name but also a lot of shops never had them.

As I said earlier a unlocked 3GS in Australia is 27500 baht from vodaphone I will wait till i get one from there and save 15000 baht

My dad went to True ( at Paragon... i think) they said 16GB is all sold out and they're not restocking untill 3GS comes out. Anyone has any idea how much 3GS will be?? sold by True not MBK?? more or less than Bt35,000 as sold officially by True. I would get it any where else but if any anything were to go wrong or it breaks then u can't fix it unless you send it back to the orginal country you got it from!

In that they are already distributing unlocked 3GS's it makes sense they are available at MBK. I just didnt realize that Australia had them. Of course the price is another matter.

To be honest I do not wish to do down True but some of the service from the sellers at MBK is very good. I had an overheating wifi chip in my iphone 3G (I found this out by putting the phone in the freezer). The shop I bought it from replaced the chip free of charge in less than a day. It was Winner Telecom.

Of course True might give you a refurbished iphone as a replacement on the spot which is even better. Unfortunately my experiences of True would be along the lines of when telling them I had an overheating wifi chip they would reply 'we dont sell ipods'. But I might add I have never bought an iphone from them.

[nikster]

At $719 for an 8GB 3G, $879 for the 16GB 3GS and $1040 for the 32GB model, the pricing is better than the outright buy deals on offer from carriers. Apart from the obvious advantage Nick at Gizmodo points out — you can buy a phone in your pyjamas (or even naked if that’s your thing) — it’s a useful option for the large swathes of the population who aren’t within reach of one of Apple’s five retail stores.

I wish they'd just get over themselves and just sell the dam_n thing unlocked everywhere. But this is a good start.

That's what they should do. I want to buy your phone. Can I please give you some money? Before it was like, no, you can't, you have to sign up with some other company on a 2 year plan and then get a locked phone....

[Abrak]

Well I spoke tp Winner Telecom today, they do charge couple of baht extra but they do give good service, trade ins and dont bullshit.

They have the 32GB GS fully unlocked (not software unlocked) for Bt45k (although they said they would give me a 'special price') so I assume the going rate is about Bt43k. I am sure that this will come down but I expect only BT8-10k when True starts selling.

They also say they have a 'jailbreak' for it. This I suspect is true even though there isnt a simple one button jailbreak available on the internet at this moment. Their software guys are pretty smart and we all know a jailbreak is only a mater of days away.

anyone have any particular bluetooth speakers or headsets capable of stereo audio streaming they recommend and are available here. The smaller the better.

[Abrak]

I went down to MBK today and checked on the 3GS. Winner (who I always use because of service rather than price) had them but only in white. And in fact they had very few but are expecting a shipemt of some 6,000 over the next week or so. Price Bt43k for 32GB fully unlocked and jailbroken. They were only happy to give me Bt15k for my old 3G 16 GB which they are selling new for Bt27,000 (partly because my phones get treated pretty roughly and is very scratched.)

BTW for anyone with a 3G or 3GS the stereo playback over bluetooth is great. I bought a bluetooth wireless stereo headset that I would recommend for Bt1800. The sound quality is great. There are some much smaller sets out there but they typically have playback times of 3-4 hours. Dell's with a rechargeable battery (either by usb) or direct from the mains has 10-14 hours. I also bought a small stereo blue tooth speaker system (4"*2"*1.5") called vevox (Bt2800). This is powered by the same cable as the headphones to a rechargeble battery. Sound isnt of course brilliant, it is very small, but good enough for a hotel room or something. Playback time on their battery isnt great - about 3 hours - but it is rare that you cant place a speaker next to a plug. The only time you really need the battery is if for instance you are sitting on the beach late at night and want some music for you and your mates to chill out to. Both the headphones and the little speaker system have a built in mike for answering calls etc...

[nikster]

Well the predicted price range for the 32GB 3GS will be exactly what it is in Australia, which is BHT 28,500. Considering that you get yours unlocked from any Apple store in Australia for that price, True can't charge much more than that.

[losworld]

Why not just get an unlocked 2G with upgraded software as Thailand does not have a functional 3G network? I'm back in Thailand this fall and already have friends asking me to bring them unlocked 2G and 3G iphones which I have done in the past.

[bubba]

Just happened to run across this at eBay. A Hong Kong seller has iPhone 3gs 16GB for about 30,500 THB. It's unlocked, but not clear whether it's factory unlocked.

Here is the eBay item number: 230354014490

[bubba]

Guess I should have checked the Thailand listings first. Here's an iPhone 3gs 16GB, factory unlocked for 30,200 THB. And the seller is in Nonthaburi. eBay item number 250463857328

And one on bid with no bids yet (opening bid US$488): 270424721602

[anotheruser]

I bought a 3GS unlocked with cydia today. The price for a 32 GB unit was 30,500. I asked about factory unlocked ones and 16 GB was was a little bit more. They didn't have the 32 GB factory unlocked available so didn't get a price on those. So far the 3GS does seem pretty fast as far as the interface goes. The video camera is pretty good. Would have held off until I could get the legit unlocked ones but wasn't willing to pay another 12,000 Baht or whatever for it even if it had been available. I am leaving Thailand tomorrow so it was basically buy it now or never sort of thing.

I wasn't going to buy a 3GS at all but my 3G was damaged so I decided to go for it.

[nikster]

Why not just get an unlocked 2G with upgraded software as Thailand does not have a functional 3G network? I'm back in Thailand this fall and already have friends asking me to bring them unlocked 2G and 3G iphones which I have done in the past.

The 3GS is way better than the 2G, that's why. It has a better camera, tethering (doesn't work on the 2G even though the software supports it), and a few other features.

That's why I am going to upgrade from my 2G once they come out on True... BTW True will for sure have normal, sane prices for a factory unlocked 3GS iPhone. E.g somewhere around 28.5K baht, same as they are in Australia, Hong Kong.

[losworld]

Why not just get an unlocked 2G with upgraded software as Thailand does not have a functional 3G network? I'm back in Thailand this fall and already have friends asking me to bring them unlocked 2G and 3G iphones which I have done in the past.

The 3GS is way better than the 2G, that's why. It has a better camera, tethering (doesn't work on the 2G even though the software supports it), and a few other features.

That's why I am going to upgrade from my 2G once they come out on True... BTW True will for sure have normal, sane prices for a factory unlocked 3GS iPhone. E.g somewhere around 28.5K baht, same as they are in Australia, Hong Kong.

Not so. One can unlock the 2G and install video software to shoot video, install PDA net for tethering or two other free services. If you update the software to 3.0 you have all the features of the 3g such as copy/paste, etc. except one or two minor things. Additionally, the 2G has better battery life. I've considered a 3G but don't see the reason at this point except for a better fit in the hand but not the pocketbook.

[anotheruser]

Why not just get an unlocked 2G with upgraded software as Thailand does not have a functional 3G network? I'm back in Thailand this fall and already have friends asking me to bring them unlocked 2G and 3G iphones which I have done in the past.

The 3GS is way better than the 2G, that's why. It has a better camera, tethering (doesn't work on the 2G even though the software supports it), and a few other features.

That's why I am going to upgrade from my 2G once they come out on True... BTW True will for sure have normal, sane prices for a factory unlocked 3GS iPhone. E.g somewhere around 28.5K baht, same as they are in Australia, Hong Kong.

Not so. One can unlock the 2G and install video software to shoot video, install PDA net for tethering or two other free services. If you update the software to 3.0 you have all the features of the 3g such as copy/paste, etc. except one or two minor things. Additionally, the 2G has better battery life. I've considered a 3G but don't see the reason at this point except for a better fit in the hand but not the pocketbook.

Cycorder doesn't compare to the 3GS camera and PDA is not as good as native tethering. Those programs are mediocre hack jobs at best.The software on the 3GS is much faster and smoother as well.This is because of a faster processor and additional RAM. I noticed it as soon as I turned the phone on in MBK. I will say that the voice commands option is pretty screwy though. The battery on the 3GS is supposed to give longer life then any previous version. Whether the claim is true I have to wait and see.

So far the reception has been good too, on my first gen it was abysmal. The common theory for this was the metal back was the problem.

You also can not use software to upgrade your phone to become 32 GB which is a nice little plus about the 3G.

If you don't feel it is worth the upgrade that's cool as well but I think Nikster is going to love it when he upgrades. I think he is correct when he said the upgrade is much more worth it if you come from a first gen and not so much if you have a 3G.

If the 3GS isn't that big of an improvement over the first gen than the next iPhone won't be much of one either as they can't do much to the exterior as it is almost all screen . It will just be more processor, memory and RAM bumps from here on out and software upgrades.

[bubba]

Why not just get an unlocked 2G with upgraded software as Thailand does not have a functional 3G network? I'm back in Thailand this fall and already have friends asking me to bring them unlocked 2G and 3G iphones which I have done in the past.

The 3GS is way better than the 2G, that's why. It has a better camera, tethering (doesn't work on the 2G even though the software supports it), and a few other features.

That's why I am going to upgrade from my 2G once they come out on True... BTW True will for sure have normal, sane prices for a factory unlocked 3GS iPhone. E.g somewhere around 28.5K baht, same as they are in Australia, Hong Kong.

Not so. One can unlock the 2G and install video software to shoot video, install PDA net for tethering or two other free services. If you update the software to 3.0 you have all the features of the 3g such as copy/paste, etc. except one or two minor things. Additionally, the 2G has better battery life. I've considered a 3G but don't see the reason at this point except for a better fit in the hand but not the pocketbook.

Cycorder doesn't compare to the 3GS camera and PDA is not as good as native tethering. Those programs are mediocre hack jobs at best.The software on the 3GS is much faster and smoother as well.This is because of a faster processor and additional RAM. I noticed it as soon as I turned the phone on in MBK. I will say that the voice commands option is pretty screwy though. The battery on the 3GS is supposed to give longer life then any previous version. Whether the claim is true I have to wait and see.

So far the reception has been good too, on my first gen it was abysmal. The common theory for this was the metal back was the problem.

You also can not use software to upgrade your phone to become 32 GB which is a nice little plus about the 3G.

If you don't feel it is worth the upgrade that's cool as well but I think Nikster is going to love it when he upgrades. I think he is correct when he said the upgrade is much more worth it if you come from a first gen and not so much if you have a 3G.

If the 3GS isn't that big of an improvement over the first gen than the next iPhone won't be much of one either as they can't do much to the exterior as it is almost all screen . It will just be more processor, memory and RAM bumps from here on out and software upgrades.

Just to clarify, the iPhone model prior to the 3gs (the current one presently sold in Thailand) does indeed support the native iPhone 3.0 tethering capability. And it is MUCH better than the Cydia jailbreak tethering hacks.

[anotheruser]

Yes the 3G does support it but not the original iPhone which is what they were talking about. Anyway one little nifty thing on the 3GS is the compass orientates your maps the way you are facing. Not that this is any make or break thing but it is sort of nice.

[sibeymai]

Wait a few month and buy a Sony Ericsson Satio. Blows the iPhone 3GS away.

[anotheruser]

I will wait a few months for your thread about it.

[basjke]

How about that new Lg phone that's supposed to be the real iphone killer.Not sure if it is released already.

[bubba]

Funny, but for the last year, I keep hearing about the "new iPhone killer that is going to blow the iPhone away".

Anyway, the real iPhone 3gs (not the killer) is on offer now at the Hong Kong online Apple Store for HK$5388 (about 23,500 baht) and it's factory unlocked. Ship date is 1 - 2 weeks. The 3G is just under 20,000 baht.

http://store.apple.com/hk/browse/home/shop...one?mco=MTE2OTU

[Aswin]

I jailbreak and unlocked my iPhone 3GS a week or so ago, too easy.

[anotheruser]

Just thought I would tell people that if you are unable to get a ipcc file for your particular carrier the help.benm.at/help.php site has an option to create custom ones. I noticed this because I am going to Laos and none of the carriers are in the standard list there. So if any of you want to tether when you travel to some other country around here this should work. It is in Beta now and I haven't tried it yet because I am still in Thailand one more day.

Not sure of it is of interest to anybody but thought I would put it out there.

[losworld]

Wait a few month and buy a Sony Ericsson Satio. Blows the iPhone 3GS away.

Checked it out online kind of neat but looks like a camera with a phone in it. Maybe the Japanese will love it. Now they can take calls as well as pics.

[namoo]

Blows the iPhone 3GS away.

Please expand

All Sony offerings in Smartphone have been hit and miss. The Sony Experia was slow, and bloated and overall bad.

[anotheruser]

It may in fact blow the 3GS away but if it isn't released for another few months it would be hard to give any opinion in an intelligent way. they have been saying this for a long time about every touch screen released and thus far it hasn't happened. I hope it does beat the iPhone a better phone would be great. I do not think that is likely though.

[Abrak]

People are confusing the Iphone 3Gs with the plural of the Iphone 3G (3G's). 3Gs is the new tech and much more expensive than the 3G.

Not right , I am talking about 3GS newest iphone that was realaesed this month

A 32gig in australia unlocked is 27500 baht

MBK Quotes have been given of 55000 49000 and the lowest I got was 42000 a huge difference from 27000 for the same item.

As you correctly say the price in MBK for a 32GB Iphone is Bt42k - that is what I paid exactly (so I like to think it is the price anyways.)

What I find a little hard to believe is that the price in Australia is Bt27500. I dont actually know the price in Australia but I did spend a couple of days on Ebay looking at offers from Australia (wasnt interested in 'factory unlocked from the US') and they always worked out at about Bt38,000 or so (inc packing). Given no software, no service, the risk of import duty etc, it clearly wasnt worth it. What I cant believe was that they were making Bt9,000 margin on the deal. Factory unlocked phones 32GB have to be about US$1000 a piece.

[jhs]

I was in Central World the other day and asked about the 3GS at the True store.

• When will it be available? She said "mid-August" but she couldn't confirm a date
  
• Is it unlocked? She said sure, no problem
  
• Expected price? She specifically told me it would be between 30k and 40k baht (maybe a tad over) depending on the capacity. Whether the sales clerk in the mall has reliable information is debatable but these numbers jibe with the forum.
  
• Will there be insane iPhone lines like in the US? She hadn't heard of that particular American tradition, so it's not as big of an issue here. On the other hand, she felt that very many people have come in asking about the 3GS recently so there is a chance they will be hard to find initially.
  
• Edit: I forgot to mention, she also had me--I guess I would call it "register"--to be notified when the phone arrived. She asked which model I wanted and had me write my name and number on a tiny, loose scrap of paper. I have no idea if she'll call but it's something. It seemed unofficial and that she was just doing me a courtesy. I find unlikely that she just wanted my number due to my svelte physique.
  

Everybody's situation is different, but given this feedback, I much prefer the peace of mind having legit, updatable equipment with a reliable warrantee. I usually buy all electronics from the U.S. (although this place Winner sounds interesting); however Apple is trustworthy, even in Thailand. (Indeed, the U.S. is the worst place in the world to get an iPhone if you ask me!)

Incidentally, does anybody know if an unlocked iPhone works well with T-Mobile in the US? I have been mercifully spared from learning the US wireless labyrinth, but once I get this phone I will want to use its data features with my el-cheapo prepaid T-Mobile SIM. I would appreciate any feedback from forum members who've done this. Thanks.