Cheap(ish) dual sim LTE phone for tethering and hotspot

[puuchaibaa]

​Looking for a cheap dual sim LTE android phone mainly for tethering to my router, and occasionally for a hotspot. I've seen the other recent dual sim thread but the OP there is looking for a top spec phone.

At first I was looking at mifi's like the TP-Link M7350 for THB 3.4k, but then I figured for a little more I could get a phone that has dual sim and also be a backup phone. With dual sim I can switch networks to suit various locations in Thailand as well as take advantage of different promotions.

Min specs required:
- dual sim, multi band LTE and 3G (on both sim slots) for use in Thailand and Canada/US
- decent batt life
- THB 8k or less

My search thus far has revealed a couple of brands I'd never heard of before, like this Doogee Turbo F1 Mini for an amazing price of THB 3.7k, and this Jiayu S3 (nice specs and root privileges out of the box) for about THB 8k. Can anyone comment on the long-term quality of these brands?

Of the mainstream brands, there's the Asus Zenfone 2 with great specs for a little over THB 8K, and the Acer Talk S (large but good batt life) for a reasonable price of under THB 7k. Any experience with any of these? Any other suggestions?

I know, I know, the mid range phones I mention are overkill for just tethering, but I'll probably talk sense to myself when I have enough info.

In case anyone's interested, tethering android phones (as well as usb dongles) to certain routers is made possible by installing firmware from here http://ofmodemsandmen.com/

[Bpuumike]

Bought the wife a Samsung Prime this week for Thb4,800. Can't confirm whether the second SIM supports 3G but assume it would.

Good phone for the money IMHO.

[casualbiker]

Lenovo k910 LTE.. Single sim but excellent value.

http://www.shopat7.com/mobile/lenovo/lenovo-vibe-z-k910l-titanium.html

[casualbiker]

Another decent phone at a very reasonable price.

http://www.shopat7.com/index.php?lay=show&ac=search_vela_product&search=%20benq%20f5&&pparamCount=0&searchvela=dosearch

[puuchaibaa]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Bought the wife a Samsung Prime this week for Thb4,800. Can't confirm whether the second SIM supports 3G but assume it would. Good phone for the money IMHO.

Lenovo k910 LTE.. Single sim but excellent value.

http://www.shopat7.com/mobile/lenovo/lenovo-vibe-z-k910l-titanium.html

Sorry for the late reply -- I've been trying to fix my wifi over the last couple of days. Thanks for the interesting suggestions. Good values for sure. The K910 at that price is especially compelling for someone looking for a near top spec single sim phone.

I have to think a little more carefully about this though. I've been reading about LTE networks in N America and it seems that the more common bands there are 1700 and 2600 (and maybe 700). The mobile expo is next month and hopefully there are good deals on phones with broad LTE support.

[rijit]

motorola have a duel sim that imo is reasonbly priced circa 7/8000 bht, its also had some decent reviews , sori the model no's on my laptop, but its got a 5 inch screen quad core 1.2 proc and i believe 2 gb of ram as 4 the 2nd sim being a 3 g or not tbh i just assumed they both would be as its not been mentioned.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[rijit]

its called ' moto g'

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[casualbiker]

its called ' moto g'

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Only 1 gig ram

[NanLaew]

The new ASUS Zenfone 2 mentioned by the OP (not to confused with the current range of Zenfones) is on the cusp or release in Thailand, maybe in May?

Thus the price of the existing dual-SIM Zenfone 4 (and 4.5) is less than 3000 baht and falling as long as some shops still have them in stock. That's my recommendation.

[dddave]

I have a Zenphone-5, like it and will probably replace it with a Zenphone-2 at some point once early bugs settle out...Asus seems to have thought it out very well...except for moving the power button to the top which I find inconvenient on another phone I have.

I have bought several DOOGEE phones online as gifts for GF's family members (not the "Turbo") and have been very impressed by them considering their price. I used one for a few weeks on a daily basis and could find no faults. After six months use, no problems.

The JaiYu S-3 is one of the hottest china phones just now with an Antutu benchmark score of 43,000, beating almost every top line phone on the market. Check out "Colonel Zap's" You Tube review for a good look at it. There is some question about "Play Store" availability.

[Muzarella]

Best phone, best price, ASUS dual sim under 4000thb Fonepad 7.

Better phone in the market now the ASUS Zenphone 2, under 10000thb

In any shop, and also in Lazada, pay cash on delivery.

[casualbiker]

Lenovo have just released the

A7000 (5,295b and A5000.. 3,999b and the P70 with a 4000mah battery.

http://m.gsmarena.com/lenovo_a7000-7088.php

Also i-mobile have released the "Big " with a 5000 mah battery.

All dual Sim LTE PHONES

Edited May 18, 2015 by casualbiker