Wifey is in the market for a budget smartphone so today we went into Kanchanaburi to check out a few shops and models.

Out of six shops every single one insisted she buy before they would demonstrate the models she was interested in.

I find this bizarre to be honest as these were mostly already out of the box and on display although wrapped in clingfilm.

Result no sale. We're visiting BKK soon so she'll be buying there I guess where I've never had a problem getting a demo.

But suspect they were new and being sold as new - if they allowed use they would no longer be new. In Bangkok shops can afford to have a demonstration model available and sell as such at a later date - but small shops with one of a kind items can not afford to do this.

Tesco lotus have them on display. You can play to your hearts content AND if after purchase your not happy with it 7 days return refund/ exchange plan!

Tesco lotus have them on display. You can play to your hearts content AND if after purchase your not happy with it 7 days return refund/ exchange plan!

We went into Tesco and asked about one of the phones.

How much inbuilt memory does it have I asked.

16gb the asst replied.

Dubious I went into settings and storage and total internal memory was listed at 2gb.

Showed that to the asst and he just wandered off never to return.

Ed. you do need to do your own research the plums working at the likes of Lotus and Big C are shelf stackers.. To be honest I find that with most sales staff here!

Tesco lotus have them on display. You can play to your hearts content AND if after purchase your not happy with it 7 days return refund/ exchange plan!

We went into Tesco and asked about one of the phones.

How much inbuilt memory does it have I asked.

16gb the asst replied.

Dubious I went into settings and storage and total internal memory was listed at 2gb.

Showed that to the asst and he just wandered off never to return.

I don't think the assistant was wrong.

There are different type of memory on mobile phones. RAM / ROM / SD

Tesco usually has the little description signs next to each device that will tell you model number/version, radio specs, OS type and version, screen size, screen resolution, memory specs and sometimes CPU.

So, if a smartphone,

CPU RAM can be 256/384/512/768/1024MB or higher on better models.

ROM is a catch-all because it's partitioned into Read-Only FIRMWARE (for system reset), and then the active system partition, app, and user memory.

SD Device memory can include portions of the ROM but called "Internal SD", or can indicate the physically removable SD Card.

Some devices may have a 16GB Memory package, but only have 2GB reserved for as the Internal System memory, and the balance used/reserved for something else.

Tesco lotus have them on display. You can play to your hearts content AND if after purchase your not happy with it 7 days return refund/ exchange plan!

Go some large shop that have demo ! Forget the small shop if you want to check the phone !

Do some research online and make a list of which phones in your price range appeal to you. Search "You Tube" for those models and you will find dozens of "Un-boxing" and demonstration reviews for most generally available models.

No, most stores do not allow a "Test drive" of a new phone; way too many risks allowing just anybody to install a SIM. In most stores, they will turn a model on and you can go into "SETTINGS", then scroll down to MEMORY or sometimes STORAGE and read the memory specs. Scrolling down further to "ABOUT PHONE" will give you the Android version installed.

The only store in Bangkok that keeps their display models shrinkwrapped is Advice in Phantip. Every other store has demo models that you can demo to your heart's content. The stingiest storage that I've seen recently is 1GB ROM and 4GB RAM. Many will be 2GB ROM and 8GB RAM. For adequate storage you want 2 GB plus 8 or 16 GB. There are lots of videos on Youtube but there's nothing like playing with the phone in person to see if you like all of its aspects. Good luck.

....The stingiest storage that I've seen recently is 1GB ROM and 4GB RAM. Many will be 2GB ROM and 8GB RAM.....

I guess you mean "1GB RAM and 4GB ROM. Many will be 2GB RAM and 8GB ROM."

Some devices may have a 16GB Memory package, but only have 2GB reserved for as the Internal System memory, and the balance used/reserved for something else.

Exactly.

What IMO you need to look at is 'ram' thats what makes the phone fast and cant really be significantly improved. storage can generally v v simply be expanded by adding card either 2 32 gb or 62 gb depending on the phone for relatively little money.

Edited May 16, 201511 yr by rijit

....The stingiest storage that I've seen recently is 1GB ROM and 4GB RAM. Many will be 2GB ROM and 8GB RAM.....

I guess you mean "1GB RAM and 4GB ROM. Many will be 2GB RAM and 8GB ROM."

Some devices may have a 16GB Memory package, but only have 2GB reserved for as the Internal System memory, and the balance used/reserved for something else.

Exactly.

Asos bossman reckons all mid range and up phones will have 4gb ram by the end of the year

Most phones in retail stores selling for less than B4000 have 512K Ram though in the last few months some low price phones with 1gb have been appearing.

If your wife just wants a basic phone for calls, messaging and social media, then 512 works ok, even with simple games like Candy Crush. However, if she browses the web and makes online purchases from retail websites, then 1gb ram will be much faster and smoother.

For all low ram phones, it's a good idea to periodically download a cleaning Ap such as "CLEANMASTER" that easily clears out junk files and free's up ram and phone memory. It also has the ability to identify duplicate files such as very similar photos, giving you the option to delete them and free up more memory. CleanMaster itself takes up a fair amount of memory so not a bad idea to delete it when finished, then download it again when needed...it's free.