Google Nexus 4 17,900 Baht?

[britgent]

I have been waiting for this phone to be released in Thailand and have just been informed that it is available from airport plaza in Chiang Mai with a 2 week wait but at 17,900 baht?

This phone is available at 280 pounds in uk so why the jump in price to around 360 pounds in Thailand? I wasn't expecting it cheaper but I surely wasn't expecting it to be more expensive.

I wanted this phone due to it being a direct competitor to the Samsung s3 and Iphone 5 but at a drastically reduced price.

[lomatopo]

It looks like this model is becoming generally available, finally. It now shows on the Play Store with a 1 - 2 weeks ESD, at $299 plus any requisite tax and shipping.

It sort of looks like LG Thailand has localized the product. I guess they've priced it such that it "fits" into their existing line-up here in Thailand?

At this point I might be tempted to wait for the N5?

http://www.thaimobilecenter.com/spec/LG_Nexus_4.asp

[OxfordWill]

I got mine mail forwarded from USA for 11 000 baht all included. Its better than I hoped- really liking it.

Edited February 23, 2013 by OxfordWill

[Shurup]

In Canada it cost me almost $400 CAD for 16 gb version including shipping and 5% tax, I ordered one for my bro. I was told 2 to 3 weeks wait time during check out but a few days after I receiver a confirmation that if was shipped already. Thai price is about 2000 baht more expensive.

[Shurup]

Oops, bad math. Thai price is about 6000 more expensive.

[lomatopo]

I was in the U.S this week and did see (In stock - forgot to take a picture) branded, subsidized (requires a 2-year contract) N4's in T-Mo for $199. They did not have any un-subsidized units for sale. No un-subsidized units in Staples or Best Buy, although those stores did have N7's and N10's.

Edited February 24, 2013 by lomatopo

[britgent]

11,000 baht from USA that sounds really good. Could you PM me the details please of who you bought it from.

Currently considering just giving up and trying out a IQ6A which is a new brand to me and a bit 'cheap' but anything is better than the Galaxy Y I bought for a stand in when my Galaxy I was stolen.

[Langsuan Man]

11,000 baht from USA that sounds really good. Could you PM me the details please of who you bought it from.

Currently considering just giving up and trying out a IQ6A which is a new brand to me and a bit 'cheap' but anything is better than the Galaxy Y I bought for a stand in when my Galaxy I was stolen.

It is available from the Google Play Store for $299 (US) or $349 but you will have to use a US proxy to get to it from Thailand, otherwise you will get the not available in your country error message

[Shurup]

Yes, either US or Canada proxy. Or you could try and put your US or Canadian SIM card and try checking the play store again, this trick works for getting apps in Thailand which aren't available to Thais.

[lomatopo]

^ ^ I am not certain that the Play Store will ship products direct to Thailand, so in addition to using a proxy to view/order you'd likely have to use a re-shipper like shipitto, or ship to a friend to hand-carry. And then not sure about local warranty service issues. I suspect LG/Thailand might re-direct you back to Google or LG/U.S.A., but maybe best to review the warranty details first? U.S. state sales tax, local (U.S.) shipping, re-shipping, potential VAT/Duty/Excise would have to be factored in to any comparative pricing.

Edited February 26, 2013 by lomatopo

[Phil Conners]

The US list price is $299 for the 8G model and $349 for the 16G model. The reason they sell for much more in Thailand and on Ebay is the shortage of stock. Google and LG (the OEM) obviously got caught by more demand than they expected and it has simply been impossible to get one. This is probably the same reason that some US carriers get away with offering the N4 at full list price with a subscription.

At this time Google Play does not sell the phone to Thailand. I think the only markets are US and UK, possibly AU. You could buy one directly from LG but again, at a huge markup compared to the US list price.

You will not even be able to see the phone in Google Play unless you use a proxy server in US. The only way to pay is with Google Wallet, and to have that you'd need not only a US issued credit card, it has to be issued with a US address too. Yes I tried. I think the only way to get one is by having a US friend buy it and ship to you, that's what I intend to do.

I had both the N1, NS (N2) and now the N Galaxy (N3) and love the purebread Nexus series, but I think I'll pass on the N4 and go directly to N5 which is rumored to be released later this year at the same price as the N4 but with larger screen (5+").

[lomatopo]

Google executives have publicly acknowledged that LG f*cked up massively on the N4. LG made one small initial order, in November of last year which sold out in a few hours, then no more units for months and months; some speculate that LG re-directed displays to their own products. So now, finally, LG seems to be building more units. FWIW, I think Sony will build the N5, even though LG may have asked for a second (fat )chance.

T-Mobile, in the U.S., is selling the N4/16 GB subsidized for $199 (Google MSRP is $349) - which requires 2-year contract with data. As I said, T-Mo had units in stock in the U.S. when I was there last week.

I was in a Jaymart shop today (basement level, Seacon) and they have N4's in stock for 17,900 THB. Not sure but these may be the 8 GB version.

Edited February 26, 2013 by lomatopo

[Shurup]

Phil, as I mentioned earlier, I got one ordered already to my Canadian address and paid with Canadian credit card so it's not US only privilege. There was actually an option during check out to ship it to a different address and so I did ship it directly to my bro, different address but still in Canada. Wondering if I try to ship it to Thai instead, what will happen... worse case they say they can't do that.

He got it by the way about a week after the order was placed, it was shipped only days after the order so they aren't that short on stock.

[OxfordWill]

My friend had a mail forwarding setup so anything delivered to his address gets forwarded out here. Ill try and ask what service but I think theyre fairly commonplace stateside

[lomatopo]

^ shipito http://www.shipito.com/

https://www.google.com/search?q=shipito+site%3Athaivisa.com&aq=f&oq=shipito+site%3Athaivisa.com&aqs=chrome.0.57.8414&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/371313-buying-computers-from-usa-using-shipito/

[Phil Conners]

Using a US proxy server I was able to go to Google Play and make an order. I already have an account with Google Play for buying apps, with my Thai address, but it came up with a notice "Unable to ship to this address". I then entered the address for a friend in US, but that now caused my credit card to be marked "Unsupported payment method". As I've paid apps with this card before I know it's ok, so it's probably something to do with me trying to send it to another address than the cards listed address. And Google notoriously have zero support links. If if you have a problem, that's just tough.<br />

[Langsuan Man]

Using a US proxy server I was able to go to Google Play and make an order. I already have an account with Google Play for buying apps, with my Thai address, but it came up with a notice "Unable to ship to this address". I then entered the address for a friend in US, but that now caused my credit card to be marked "Unsupported payment method". As I've paid apps with this card before I know it's ok, so it's probably something to do with me trying to send it to another address than the cards listed address. And Google notoriously have zero support links. If if you have a problem, that's just tough.<br />

I tried the same thing but when I try and log into Google Play (using my Google account credentials) I get this error message on all three browsers ( FF, IE9, Chrome)

Your browser's cookie functionality is turned off. Please turn it on. [?]

[OxfordWill]

Proxies often do not store cookies in conventional ways (for good reasons). Why not get a family member or friend to make the purchase?

[Langsuan Man]

Proxies often do not store cookies in conventional ways (for good reasons). Why not get a family member or friend to make the purchase?

Thanks for the suggestion but I did find a VPN mentioned here at TV that does not have the " cookie problem "

http://www.tunnelbear.com/

So I ordered the 16GB Nexus 4. Ordered it on March 3rd and it was shipped to Shipito on March 5th and Shipito received and has forwarded it to my Thai address on March 7th

A couple of gotchas though:

The $349 base price rose to $ 388.29 due to $13.99 two day shipping (California to California) and $23.50 CA state tax. Fee and postage for Shipito added another $53.14 so prior to even dealing with Thai Customs the cost as of now is $441.43, add in another 7% for Thai VAT for a grand total of $472.33 and I will be up to 14,169 THB if I don't get banged for Thai Customs duty in addition to VAT

[lomatopo]

The $349 base price rose to $ 388.29 due to $13.99 two day shipping (California to California) and $23.50 CA state tax. Fee and postage for Shipito added another $53.14 so prior to even dealing with Thai Customs the cost as of now is $441.43, add in another 7% for Thai VAT for a grand total of $472.33 and I will be up to 14,169 THB if I don't get banged for Thai Customs duty in addition to VAT

Still a decent savings, ~ 4,000 baht over buying locally.

Thanks for the detail, esp. on the shipping dates; it looks like they have plenty in stock. I plan to order mine for pick-up during my next trip back in early April.

Once you have it here maybe let us know how it is working for you.

[Phil Conners]

I just had a look at the shipito website. I'm surprised there's so little price difference between USPS and the couriers. How did you choose to have your parcel shipped here?

[Langsuan Man]

I just had a look at the shipito website. I'm surprised there's so little price difference between USPS and the couriers. How did you choose to have your parcel shipped here?

Once the parcel arrives in their warehouse you get an email notification and you are then required to go to your account and fill out your own customs form and pick your shipping method

I was given many choices from a high of $80 to a low of $24 and I chose United States Postal Service Priority for $44.64 because it was the cheapest to give me both insurance and a tracking number. (in the past have had very good luck tracking my packages using USPS, even after they arrive in Thailand)

Stayed away from any of the private couriers (UPS, FEDEX, DHL, etc) due their customs proceedures

[cheesyd]

Got my Nexus 4 a couple of weeks ago. Ordered through Ebay, sent direct to Thai address. Total cost just under 12,600 Baht. Phone was US$400. Postage was US$23.95 for USPS Priority Mail International Flat Rate Envelope . Took 12 days to get here from US. No customs duty or VAT to pay. :-)

Excellent phone.

[Langsuan Man]

Got my Nexus 4 a couple of weeks ago. Ordered through Ebay, sent direct to Thai address. Total cost just under 12,600 Baht. Phone was US$400. Postage was US$23.95 for USPS Priority Mail International Flat Rate Envelope . Took 12 days to get here from US. No customs duty or VAT to pay. :-)

Excellent phone.

8 or 16 Gigabyte model for $400 ?

[lomatopo]

For those that have this phone, how is the battery performance? 2100 mAh is a pretty good size, but I'm a little leery of a (user) non-replaceable battery.

What case are you using? Any recommendations?

[nikster]

Got my Nexus 4 a couple of weeks ago. Ordered through Ebay, sent direct to Thai address. Total cost just under 12,600 Baht. Phone was US$400. Postage was US$23.95 for USPS Priority Mail International Flat Rate Envelope . Took 12 days to get here from US. No customs duty or VAT to pay. :-)

Excellent phone.

8 or 16 Gigabyte model for $400 ?

Just ordered an 8gb version for $300.... used google play store via vpn with us credit card... will ship on the 22nd and then arrive here via shipito. That LG wants 18k for this phone is baffling.

[lomatopo]

I ordered an N4/16 GB last night via VPN - I have a Google Play account, a U.S. credit card and an associated U.S. shipping address - so the process was very easy - order was confirmed with an ESD of March 29. Got an email 8 hours later saying the phone had shipped already, to be delivered on March 20!

I was considering an 8 GB model but I've had 16 GB on both my SGS1 and SGS2, and once I do a CWM back-up (or two) and a Titanium Back-up I am over 8 GB.

I paid $349 + $13.99 for shipping + $21.81 for MA state sales tax for $384.80 all in.

I also ordered Diztronic TPU case and a Zagg shield.

I'll pick this up on my next trip back in the beginning of April.

[nikster]

If you're really planning to use this as your day to day phone, the wireless charger is recommended. I am going to use this as a second phone so a bit on the fence on that for now.

Also read about a rumored Nexus 5 to be introduced in 1 or 2 months. But it's supposed to have a 5" screen which I find too big anyway.

Mine has not shipped yet, I guess the 8GB is in short supply.

[PS: Another advantage of Shipito - the Oregon mailing address; no sales tax! ]

Edited March 19, 2013 by nikster

[Langsuan Man]

Proxies often do not store cookies in conventional ways (for good reasons). Why not get a family member or friend to make the purchase?

Thanks for the suggestion but I did find a VPN mentioned here at TV that does not have the " cookie problem "

http://www.tunnelbear.com/

So I ordered the 16GB Nexus 4. Ordered it on March 3rd and it was shipped to Shipito on March 5th and Shipito received and has forwarded it to my Thai address on March 7th

A couple of gotchas though:

The $349 base price rose to $ 388.29 due to $13.99 two day shipping (California to California) and $23.50 CA state tax. Fee and postage for Shipito added another $53.14 so prior to even dealing with Thai Customs the cost as of now is $441.43, add in another 7% for Thai VAT for a grand total of $472.33 and I will be up to 14,169 THB if I don't get banged for Thai Customs duty in addition to VAT

Follow Up:

Nexus 4 received today no customs fees or VAT. Was able to track package thru departure in California using USPS tracking and to destination here in Thailand using EMS tracking, so the total cost was $441.43

[lomatopo]

FWIW, the N4 can be tweaked to support LTE band 4 (AWS: 2100/1700). T-Mo in the U.S. is about to launch LTE/4G on band 4 ~ 26 March in seven locations: Houston, TX, Las Vegas NV, Phoenix, AZ, Kansas City, MO, San Jose, CA, Baltimore, MD and Washington DC. Unfortunately not Boston , but I'll be in DC in July so will try it.