Reliable Basic Touchscreen Android Phone ?

[freedomnow]

Hi, can anyone suggest a reliable basic touchscreen android phone to buy from ebay ?

I just find contract-free iPhones extortionate and into the bargain stuff like that can vanish through carelessness.

I just want to install Viber and Skype on it and then use it prepay. I'm new to all the smartphone stuff.

I had looked at HTC Wildfire on Amazon but it got mixed reviews.

http://www.amazon.co...29890592&sr=8-7

Most important is it does not die on me after a month,so I think I'd avoid unknown branded stuff from Hong Kong and that it is unlocked so I can choose a provider in Thailand.

Edited February 22, 2012 by freedomnow

[lomatopo]

Can you share any details? Especially your location, are you in Thailand, and budget.

Why do you have to buy on eBay?

If in Thailand do you expect to use 3G? If so, which provider.

[freedomnow]

Hi, I will be coming to Thailand soon and I just imagined ebay would be cheaper than Thai prices.

3G ? I'm not sure, as long as I can get access to the android shop and just enough bandwidth to receive and make Viber and Skype calls.

I'd just choose any old prepay package when I arrive.

Budget around 100-150 UK pounds ?

Edited February 22, 2012 by freedomnow

[lomatopo]

Are you staying in Thailand or visiting for a certain period of time?

Do you know where in Thailand you will spend time?

Any HTC, LG, Samsung, etc. model in your budget range will be fine. You just need to make sure it supports the 3G frequency of the provider you plan to use here.

You can view pricing here: http://www.thaimobilecenter.com/catalog/HTC.asp

The HTC Wildfire would work with AIS/One-2-Call here on 900 Mhz 3G, and they have pretty good national 3G coverage. The Samsung Cooper is a decent mid-range phone which also supports 900 Mhz3G

There is a newer version: HTC Wildefire S available here which supports 850 Mhz 3G so would work with TrueMove H and/or DTAC/Happy.

Edited February 22, 2012 by lomatopo

[freedomnow]

Can you buy the HTC Wildefire S without a contract ? I'm there a year in Chiang Mai, but will be a low user. Just like having the phone around for family emergency inbound calls.

Any ballpark figure on the Wildfire's in Baht new/used ?

Edited February 22, 2012 by freedomnow

[lomatopo]

All phones here are purchased unlocked, without a contract.

So yes, you can buy any phone including the Wildfire S without a contract and use it with any service provider, prepaid or postpaid.

New phone prices can be perused at the link I provided. Used prices vary basically by the age of the product, measured approximately from the date of first availability here.

A Wildfire S looks to be ~ 8,000 baht while a Wildfire closer to 7,000 baht.

Several members have extolled the virtues of the ZTE Blade/Orange San Francisco, which, if I remember, was available for 100 GBP or less in the U.K. YMMV.

[thaicbr]

All phones here are purchased unlocked, without a contract.

So yes, you can buy any phone including the Wildfire S without a contract and use it with any service provider, prepaid or postpaid.

New phone prices can be perused at the link I provided. Used prices vary basically by the age of the product, measured approximately from the date of first availability here.

A Wildfire S looks to be ~ 8,000 baht while a Wildfire closer to 7,000 baht.

Several members have extolled the virtues of the ZTE Blade/Orange San Francisco, which, if I remember, was available for 100 GBP or less in the U.K. YMMV.

or for the bargain price of 2,800b you can buy my 1 year old Zte Blade aka san francisco. Pm me if interested

[MJo]

Check out Samsung Galaxy Gio. Prices starting 6k+. Good basic phone.

[innerspace]

Another vote for the gio. Pretty cheap and does all it needs to. Would buy new not second hand though.

Posted with Thaivisa App http://apps.thaivisa.com

[freedomnow]

Liking the look of the ZTE San Francisco. Was 100 pounds (4750 Baht) on UK eBay in white . I have a Mac and it has Windows 7 so I guess I can backup the phone contents in Windows at least ?

[freedomnow]

If you could choose between :-

HTC San Francisco,

HTC Wildfire S,

or

Samsung Galaxy Ace which one do you think is best ?

Anyone know what Samsung Galaxy Ace would set you back unlocked with no contract ?

Edited February 29, 2012 by freedomnow

[lomatopo]

You need to consider which 3G service provider you think you might want to use.

I think the HTC San Francisco and the Ace/Cooper are 900 Mhz/2100 Mhz 3G so AIS/One-2-Call

I think the Wildfire S is 850/2100 Mhs so DTAC/Happy, TrueMove H.

The Ace/Cooper looks to be ~ 8,500 Baht here in Thailand.

[thaicbr]

my zte at 2.800b . fully unlocked running gingerbread 2.3 (moldovan mile high mountain pie). I only changed because I got a cheap phone to use 850mhz 3g.

or spend a bit more on the Samsung Cooper (about 8.900b)

[thaicbr]

You need to consider which 3G service provider you think you might want to use.

I think the HTC San Francisco and the Ace/Cooper are 900 Mhz/2100 Mhz 3G so AIS/One-2-Call

I think the Wildfire S is 850/2100 Mhs so DTAC/Happy, TrueMove H.

The Ace/Cooper looks to be ~ 8,500 Baht here in Thailand.

you can get the Cooper in 850/2100 flavour as well.

[lomatopo]

You need to consider which 3G service provider you think you might want to use.

I think the HTC San Francisco and the Ace/Cooper are 900 Mhz/2100 Mhz 3G so AIS/One-2-Call

I think the Wildfire S is 850/2100 Mhs so DTAC/Happy, TrueMove H.

The Ace/Cooper looks to be ~ 8,500 Baht here in Thailand.

you can get the Cooper in 850/2100 flavour as well.

It does look like there is a GT-S5830L version (The 900 Mhz 3G version is a GT-5830) which support 850 Mhz 3G although I'm not sure if you can buy that version here in Thailand?

It also looks like there is a GT-S5830T version with 850 Mhz 3G which may be available here in Thailand in limited supplies?

Hopefully the OP is getting a feel for the 3G landscape here and the need to really research which phone might be best suited for his application.

Also note there is a 2nd generation called the Ace Plus/Cooper Plus

[freedomnow]

Thanks for the feedback.I'm a low, low user that just needs Skype in and Viber/Kakao talk. Will just be looking for a pre-pay service that has some kind of basic net services for IP telephony.

I held on to my good old Moto RAZR for years....hahah. When it came out I remember thinking it was "cutting edge".

I'm a tech fanatic, but when it comes to phones I'm back in 2006 with know-how !

Think I'll wait to Thailand to buy in a few weeks as they will have warranty there but a phone from UK eBay will have no international warranty I'd bet.

Edited February 29, 2012 by freedomnow

[Litlos]

Have a look at http://www.invadeit.co.th/category/smartphones/ (should be ok on the URL as they are sponsors). Gives all the info on the various phones available and the prices are about market.

I recently bought the Samsung Cooper from Samsung in Fortune Town for the TGF to replace her worn out Samsung, paid same price as Invadeit. Was not the cheapest, but a great sized screen, and the 5MP camera takes great photo's. Just realised my Samsung is almost 2 years old, hmmm time to replace maybe.

Cheers

[freedomnow]

Have a look at http://www.invadeit....ry/smartphones/ (should be ok on the URL as they are sponsors). Gives all the info on the various phones available and the prices are about market.

I recently bought the Samsung Cooper from Samsung in Fortune Town for the TGF to replace her worn out Samsung, paid same price as Invadeit. Was not the cheapest, but a great sized screen, and the 5MP camera takes great photo's. Just realised my Samsung is almost 2 years old, hmmm time to replace maybe.

Cheers

Thanks ! Samsung Galaxy Y is looking good at 4790 Baht !

Edited February 29, 2012 by freedomnow

[Litlos]

As mentioned before there are different service providers and they run on two different frequencies for 3g (see post #4) so you have to be careful that the phone is compatible with the service provider. If you are staying in Chiang Mai city all should be good. If going out into countryside the AIS is best, closely followed by DTAC and then True,( I bet that gets a response LOL). All of these providers have prepaid plans and coverage maps on their websites. I am pretty sure there is a Samsung dealer in Chiang Mai, so if you buy from there and have problems should be OK. If you wish to buy in Bangkok on the way through there is MBK, Pantip Plaza or Fortune Town as main areas for selling phones. My preference is for Fortune Town as the prices are for the locals and not the tourists. If going to purchase take your passport or copy with you. If staying for a year and have the correct visa have a look at post paid plans as they are probably cheaper, the pre paid has limited days associated with recharges.

Cheers

[freedomnow]

Yes, Litlos Chiang Mai. I guess there will be some seller who can give it just a notch below 4790 Baht there for the Samsung Y. There must be the equivalent of Fortune Town / Pantip Plaza up there !

Edited February 29, 2012 by freedomnow

[freedomnow]

Ahhhhhhh I'm now reading that HTC Wildfire S and Samsung Galaxy Y are very choppy with Skype which is my number 1 reason to buy a smartphone. Do any of you use Skype with the above phones ? Choppy, bad connections in Chiang Mai ?

Edited March 1, 2012 by freedomnow

[thaicbr]

how are you using skype. video or just audio?

[lomatopo]

Maybe it would be better if you just told us what it is you're trying to do? Then we can make specific recommendations.

If international voice calls then tell us which countries you plan to call, receive calls from.

Are you currently using Skype on a mobile phone over a 3G connection? Which Skype plan would you use?

Skype audio calls require/use between 30 and 100 Kbps of bandwidth symmetrically, and ~ 0.5 Mega-bytes per min.

Performance over 3G, especially when moving, may be less than ideal. A WiFi connection (not shared with the public) may be better suited for the application.

You could potentially chew through a mobile broadband data plan pretty quickly; you pay for both transmitted data and received data.

You can use international calling cards: 1 baht/min to the UK (fixed line, 7 baht/min to a mobile) for cost-effective calling.

Edited March 1, 2012 by lomatopo

[freedomnow]

Maybe it would be better if you just told us what it is you're trying to do? Then we can make specific recommendations.

If international voice calls then tell us which countries you plan to call, receive calls from.

Are you currently using Skype on a mobile phone over a 3G connection? Which Skype plan would you use?

Skype audio calls require/use between 30 and 100 Kbps of bandwidth symmetrically, and ~ 0.5 Mega-bytes per min.

Performance over 3G, especially when moving, may be less than ideal. A WiFi connection (not shared with the public) may be better suited for the application.

You could potentially chew through a mobile broadband data plan pretty quickly; you pay for both transmitted data and received data.

You can use international calling cards: 1 baht/min to the UK (fixed line, 7 baht/min to a mobile) for cost-effective calling.

Hi LOMATOPO, most of the day over WIFI at home, then on to 3G while out and about in Chiang Mai.

Purpose is Inbound calls from UK from elderly family member skype-to-skype and if no joy on that connection, then international calls over the phone network as a last resort.

Edited March 1, 2012 by freedomnow

[Gary A]

Here's something that may surprise you;

The link if you are interested;

http://www.theandroidphone.com/what-manufacturer-makes-the-most-reliable-android-smartphone-96806/

[wana]

Here's something that may surprise you;

The link if you are interested;

http://www.theandroi...artphone-96806/

the category / brand of phone most likely to fail is " other phones "

that means they could be unbranded chinese phones in there ,unlike apple ,samsung ,htc etc who rely on quality handsets

also the study reads like its jointly funded by corning and motorola

i had a gs2 which is alledgedly gorila glass fall and shatter from the dizzying height of 1 meter

i was impressed by the scratch resistance of it ,but in making gorila glass hard,they have also made it brittle

[Gary A]

I googled for smart phone reliability and found that link. I did find another similar link that also had Apple number one followed by Motorola and HTC. The other web site gave Samsung very bad marks as far as being reliable. If I remember correctly, LG was number four.

Don't shoot the messenger, Google it yourself.

[lannarebirth]

What exacty is 3 G and why is it better than a normal phone ?

[flying]

What exacty is 3 G and why is it better than a normal phone ?

Not that it is better LB just different

3G is literally 3rd generation but I think most use it to describe

being able to use a 3G network on your phone.

Or more precisely to have internet access on your phone & all that goes with that technology...(streaming data while away from a wifi/hotspot)

Of course it will also have wifi capability so you can switch to that if your home or near a free wifi

like Starbucks etc.

Because 3G is sometimes sold by how much you use it...Folks will be careful to use the free wifi when available.

Anyway that is the short answer I am sure others will add more.

Here is a little dictionary of G's

http://cellphones.ab...tp/1g2g3g4g.htm

Edited March 1, 2012 by flying

[lomatopo]

Interesting report. Square Trade typically offers one year replacement warranties on eBay purchases which might not be covered by original manufacturers' warranties owing to the essential re-sale of the product. One could argue that the sample size is pretty small, and the provenance of many items purchased on eBay may be 'questionable'?

What I found most interesting was the failure rate for Smartphones was so low compared to other devices including laptops, netbooks, and even basic feature phones.

And without repeatable drop tests, and other damage tests, it is very challenging to interpret failure rates owing to accidents as I;m sure every drop is different and unique?