Shopping for a new Smartphone - Best place in Bangkok?

[Turkleton]

After being terribly pestered (more than usual!) at Tukcom Pattaya, I decided to shop for a new smart phone in Bangkok.

Also, the small stalls at Tukcom seem to sell almost only Samsung stuff (and off course multiple Samsung copies).

 

So, what's the best (or at least the less annoying) place in Bangkok to shop for a smart phone?

I don't want a Samsung or Apple, I'm more interested in Chinese brands like Asus, Oppo, Xiaomi, Lenovo, etc.

I know, I could possibly order from China, but some times (especially for smart phones) I just like the old fashioned, offline shopping.

 

I know MBK, but my last visit there was in the "pre smart-phone era" hence no idea about now.

I have been at Zeer and Panthip before, but only for Computer parts and therefore I can't remember their smart phone range (if any)

 

Every suggestions are welcome.

 

[casualbiker]

Lazada.com

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[muratremix]

Aobmobile.net in MBK

Check website for prices

[build6]

I got a good deal at the mobile expo. If you can wait, I think its not a bad idea to wait for the promotions at the expo (I'm sure there'll be another next year?). I bought an LG at a good price with lots of useful freebies (power bank!) and the vendor was actually jaymart.

If you can't wait and aren't desperate for "rock bottom prices" why not just get from the stores in the malls? TG Fone, etc

[TobiasML]

Mbk 4th floor has a lot of vendors. Otherwise fortune tower. But most of them sell the "normal" stuff. Htc, iPhone, Samsung, etc. Seacon Square in the basement has a few shops. As well a brand new oppo shop. If you do not want to travel that far you could check out Robinson in Sriracha. 2nd floor has a lot of mobile shops. If you are looking for the brand shops - Mega Bagna got some, Central World - most bigger shopping malls.


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[Bpuumike]

The shops in Fortune IT are generally more reliable than MBK if you want to avoid a copy.

[Turkleton]

Mbk 4th floor has a lot of vendors. Otherwise fortune tower. But most of them sell the "normal" stuff. Htc, iPhone, Samsung, etc. Seacon Square in the basement has a few shops. As well a brand new oppo shop. If you do not want to travel that far you could check out Robinson in Sriracha. 2nd floor has a lot of mobile shops. If you are looking for the brand shops - Mega Bagna got some, Central World - most bigger shopping malls.


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Sriracha is a very good idea, I will go today and look what they have.

But it seems, if you're looking for "non mainstream" phones, MBK is the place to go.

Edited June 21, 2014 by Turkleton

[sfokevin]

I would go to Siam Paragon where you can window shop all the different phones and touch and feel them without a store owner bothering you... The Paragon Dept store carries most models and just outside their in the mall is a number of other stores... They show the prices so you can gauge the relative price... Then once you have a model in mind head over to MBK 4th floor... I would start by going to your cell providers store and see if they carry your preferred model... If not walk around and barter with vendors a little.... I generally find with new models there is little if any price difference... But you can ask for a case or ear phone to be thrown in free...

[YipYipYa123]

cenntral rama 9 has a wide range of oppo phones if your in that area 

probably not as cheap as ordering online from either china or thailand 

but you got the advanatges of a real shop to brig it back to if any problems 

[jamestip2013]

I just bought an i-phone 4G for 9999b. (16gig) .....Plus  a samsung Galaxy glove for 3500bt (8 gig) and upgraded it to 16 gig for a total of 4300.bt .. All came with a screen protection worth about 100 bt and a cover worth around 2000bt.. At  RAMA2 CENTRAL PLAZA the 2nd

level near the overhead walkway from BigC is full of phone shops just like most big shopping centers.. The shop was called "cha Bar ... helpfull staff.. Quite frankly the Galaxy Glove is pocket size is better than my 2 and a half  year old i-phone 3  .... The price is for the i-phone 4 is the same price as every shop..If you want an i-phone 4is it is about 5000bt more and most people I speek to say there is no benefit for that extra baht.As you now know there is plenty of places and plenty of choice. Happy shopping.

[dddave]

Jay-Marts in many of the larger malls (5th floor Siam Paragon) have a wide selection of mainstream brands as well as several Chinese (Huawei, Oppo, Lenovo, ZTE) and even a Filipino brand (Cherry Mobile). Their prices are quite low with many promotional specials.

I have a Lenovo P780 that I like a lot, mainly because of it's 4000 mAh battery good for 3 days normal use. It's a bit heavy and short on internal memory (4GB) but is a solid performer.  About B7000.

 

[Turkleton]

I looked at Robinsons, Sri Racha yesterday

More or less only Samsung and I-Mobile, a very few Lenovo, HTC and Oppo.

Shop owners are (slightly) less annoying, compared to Tukcom Pattaya .

Prices everywhere similar (as expected).

But I couldn't find any Asus Zenfone6, Asus Fonepad6 Note or Chinese phones like Xiamoi Redmi which I would like to check out.

 

TIP: Almost all phones including Oppo, HTC, etc., sold by the small shops, can be found at "Powerbuy", where you can test them in a much calmer atmosphere.

 

PS: Has anyone seen the Asus Zenfone 6 for sale somewhere in a shop (not online)?

 

[bartender100]

Tukcom is a nightmare at the moment while its quiet, I was recently shopping for a Tab, even while you are browsing one stall others are calling out to you, and its very rare that anything shows a price.I walked round once and walked out

 

Thing is the price is axcatly the same as Samsung store in Festival, thats where I brought mine, not from any old stall that might not be there in 6 months

[dddave]

I often wonder what the real deal is at Tukcom.  Every kiosk seems to sell the same merchandise and they all seem to display in similar fashion.  It almost appears that they all buy from the same wholesaler. 

I suspect one person controls the space and rents out concessions, the holders of which must buy their merchandise from him and then try to make a profit from it.   There are probably strict display and pricing rules in effect. Most items that have price tags say a vague B3XXX or something like that.

90% of the customers now appear Russian...they seem to love the place.

[Turkleton]

I often wonder what the real deal is at Tukcom.  Every kiosk seems to sell the same merchandise and they all seem to display in similar fashion.

 

I've discussed that with a friend recently.

If somebody (with a clear brain) wants to buy a relatively expensive phone/tablet, lets say a Samsung Galaxy S4/5/Note, Apple IPhone or a HTC, he would buy them at official brand stores and not from a, annoying small stall, which may disappear the next day?

Or am I missing something?

 

90% of the customers now appear Russian...they seem to love the place.

 

Yes, but unfortunately there are only a very few Russians shopping at Tukcom currently.

So it's like "vultures fighting over the spoils".

A very unpleasant, annoying atmosphere....

 

[Globalist]

Xiaomi has some impressive ones if you can get one here, probably better spec than the others for the same price.

(BTW Asus is Taiwanese, not Chinese.)

[puuchaibaa]

The small shops at MBK are your best bet.  The competition there keeps prices more or less in check.  Also, MBK has repair centres where you can double check warranty info for certain brands.

 

For those who don't know, there are generally 3 tiers of phones sold here -- 1) official Thai phones sold through authorised retailers (Jaymart, True, etc), 2) official Thai phones sold through unauthorised retailers (small shops), and 3) unofficially imported 'grey-market' phones.  So the relatively cheap price you find at a small shop does not necessarily mean it's a fake or an unofficial import.  It could still be an official Thai phone with a full Thai warranty.  You can easily check by taking a snapshot of the barcode label and showing it to the authorised service centre.  See my reply in the 'Selling 2nd hand as new...' forum for more info on that.

 

Before you throw yourself at the wolves, be sure to arm yourself with research on prices at sites such as aobmobile.net, as posted earlier, and www.facebook.com/nasaphone (look for the pdf link with daily updated prices).

 

(Another good thing about MBK is that there are a few wholesalers running retail shops there.  Obviously they are there to charge retail prices, as well as to service the retailers, so getting the wholesale price may be difficult.  A couple of months ago I was able to get the wholesale price on a Note 3 perhaps because of my sob story of having just lost a brand new Note 3 within a week ... and maybe also because of my smile   Saved almost 1k off the retail price.  Who knows, if they are having a slow day you just might get lucky too.)

[Bpuumike]

The small shops at MBK are your best bet.  The competition there keeps prices more or less in check.  Also, MBK has repair centres where you can double check warranty info for certain brands.
 
For those who don't know, there are generally 3 tiers of phones sold here -- 1) official Thai phones sold through authorised retailers (Jaymart, True, etc), 2) official Thai phones sold through unauthorised retailers (small shops), and 3) unofficially imported 'grey-market' phones.  So the relatively cheap price you find at a small shop does not necessarily mean it's a fake or an unofficial import.  It could still be an official Thai phone with a full Thai warranty.  You can easily check by taking a snapshot of the barcode label and showing it to the authorised service centre.  See my reply in the 'Selling 2nd hand as new...' forum for more info on that.
 
Before you throw yourself at the wolves, be sure to arm yourself with research on prices at sites such as aobmobile.net, as posted earlier, and www.facebook.com/nasaphone (look for the pdf link with daily updated prices).
 
(Another good thing about MBK is that there are a few wholesalers running retail shops there.  Obviously they are there to charge retail prices, as well as to service the retailers, so getting the wholesale price may be difficult.  A couple of months ago I was able to get the wholesale price on a Note 3 perhaps because of my sob story of having just lost a brand new Note 3 within a week ... and maybe also because of my smile   Saved almost 1k off the retail price.  Who knows, if they are having a slow day you just might get lucky too.)

You know to take care when you get offered a phone at less than half the regular price, even if it is plastic wrapped in a new box.

[ig888]

I love my Samsung S3 - would never switch it for iPhone (my wife has iPhone 5).

And you can get it from USA for $170-200 (see my profile). Don’t think Chinese copies could deliver the same quality.

[casualbiker]

I love my Samsung S3 - would never switch it for iPhone (my wife has iPhone 5).
And you can get it from USA for $170-200 (see my profile). Don’t think Chinese copies could deliver the same quality.

Chinese copies couldn't but SOME Chinese phones could!

And presumably if you're advertising you are going to sponsor TV!

Sent from my XT1032 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app Edited August 7, 2014 by casualbiker

[2008bangkok]

I just bought an i-phone 4G for 9999b. (16gig) .....Plus  a samsung Galaxy glove for 3500bt (8 gig) and upgraded it to 16 gig for a total of 4300.bt .. All came with a screen protection worth about 100 bt and a cover worth around 2000bt.. At  RAMA2 CENTRAL PLAZA the 2nd
level near the overhead walkway from BigC is full of phone shops just like most big shopping centers.. The shop was called "cha Bar ... helpfull staff.. Quite frankly the Galaxy Glove is pocket size is better than my 2 and a half  year old i-phone 3  .... The price is for the i-phone 4 is the same price as every shop..If you want an i-phone 4is it is about 5000bt more and most people I speek to say there is no benefit for that extra baht.As you now know there is plenty of places and plenty of choice. Happy shopping.

The benefit is that it's slight better processor and camera but the main benefit will be that the 4s will be able to upgrade to iOS 8 but the iPhone 4 won't

[muratremix]

Yesterday I bought an iPad Mini Retina from Link Mobile

https://www.facebook.com/linkmobile

 

Price was not only lower than any other shop, but they also sold film and cases much cheaper compared to AOB.

 

I only paid 12,200 baht for Thailand model (iStudio) iPad Air Retina 16gb WiFi while expecting a Hong Kong import. Amazing.

They sell several mobile phones so ask them before buy anything.

[tw25rw]

 

I love my Samsung S3 - would never switch it for iPhone (my wife has iPhone 5).

 

And you can get it from USA for $170-200 (see my profile). Don’t think Chinese copies could deliver the same quality.

 

I just replaced the gf's S3 with an S5.. The difference in performance is huge and well worth the upgrade. Plus the screen is easier to read. When I first got my S3, I wondered how they could ever better it, but the S5 is so much better.