buying my first smart phone - samsung galaxy v?

[samsensam]

i'm thinking of getting a smart phone mainly (well really only) because everyone seems to use LINE these days - and my good old nokia doesnt

so i just want something user friendly, small, functional and cheap

at 2600 baht the samsung galaxy v plus looks like it might do the job

any advice about this phone or a better option would be appreciated

thanks

[thrilled]

I had A galaxy Ace 2 A few years ago.It drove me crazy.It turned me to Apple.I went with an IPhone.I'm not A fan of Apple but

No problems with the iPhone.Before you purchase A Samsung maybe talk to some people who own them.See what they have to say.

[Chicog]

Don't touch an iphone with a pooey stick. Overpriced pretty looking junk.

Maybe this will help.

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/test-centre/mobile-phone/20-best-budget-smartphones-2015-2016-uk-3473395/

But use it as a guide only; you want to buy one here that works with local networks (there are different frequencies).

And do go and look at them and try them out (and consider battery life).

[Roger Lee]

I've had a Samsung and an iPhone, preferring the iPhone and I'm not an Apple fan either.

The Samsung seemed so clunky and not very intuitive when compared to the iPhone. Once you get an iPhone dialed in it's so easy to use.

The Samsung's do have pretty screens though.

[ikbenhet]

I had A galaxy Ace 2 A few years ago.It drove me crazy.It turned me to Apple.I went with an IPhone.I'm not A fan of Apple but

No problems with the iPhone.Before you purchase A Samsung maybe talk to some people who own them.See what they have to say.

Comparing a Galaxy Ace with a iPhone is a bit silly don't you think?

The iPhone costs about three times at much as an Galaxy Ace.

[craigt3365]

I got a cheap Samsung several years ago. Hated it. Spend the extra money and get a better model. In the end, it will last you longer and work better. It also had a small screen. Hard to read!

[duanebigsby]

AIS had a promotion a while back for 3G. trade in your old phone and get an entry level smartphone for 880 baht.

Not sure the model but it was a Lava that went for $240 on Amazon. See if you can get that deal. I love mine!

[BuddhistVirus]

It will all depend on how much you want to spend.

Add a few thousand baht to your 2600 and get the likes of Asus Zenfone5 (or Zenfone 2), vivo, imobile (android one), xiaomi...etc. all in the region of 4000-6000 baht?

Remember to go for one with at least 1 gb of ram, falling short of which will really frustrate your user exprrience.Android is a memory hungry os. Or you can go for older iphones...the likes of iphone 4/4s/5.

Good luck.

[schietkop]

If you buy a smartphone my guess is you will use it A LOT more then your Nokia. Read some news, make pics/movies, Line indeed, maybe check an address if you get lost and hell yes.... even make a call! So my advise would be dont go for the cheapest one as you might be VERY dissapointed in smartphones as the user experience from a 2500THB smartphone is not up to standards. If I may recommend a phone:

http://www.lazada.co.th/asus-zenfone5-dual-sim-cherry-red-1350890.html

Why:

- Still cheap

- Reasanably fast CPU

- Big easy to read screen

- Good 8MP camera

- If you break the display, many repair shops have this display (something to think about as well)

- You can find cases and screenprotectors for it! (note that a smartphone is not as forgivving for drops as your old Nokia)

If you are tied to a budget, OK that Samsung will do but I would spend just a bit more and get some decent performance. Other OK options are Samsung Galaxy Win: http://www.lazada.co.th/samsung-galaxy-win-grey-1656757.html

ANyway, any smartphone is better then a Nokia

[jesimps]

I have the Galaxy V, also my first smart phone, and I love it. I'm trying to be objective, but can't think of anything to fault it.

[Tidybeard]

Hi

Just one thought .... think about what SIM card(s) you want to use. For about the same money I got a Samsung Duos which has two SIM's in it. That means I kept my old number for all of my contacts, but could also put a data SIM in it which gave me unlimited use of Apps, Line, and my favourite .. google maps and the GPS. With the push of a couple of buttons you can also make your phone a WIFI hotspot, so you can use the Data SIM card to access the internet pretty much anywhere in Thailand. When I am travelling, I take my Surface Pro with me and link it to the phone ... it works really well.

I buy my Satellite TV / Internet through True and they gave me a data SIM card for pennies as part of the deal....

So check out your data access before you decide...

[gandalf12]

Had iPhone and Samsung Galaxy. Personally I wouldnt have an iPhone too restrictive, excessively priced and limited functionality. I would suggest the Samsung having had the Galaxy S3 and S4 and never had a problem with either. Next upgrade will be to the Galaxy Edge.

Before deciding look at the specifications and then decide. I did, but it does help being in the Telecom industry, and for my money there was no decision to be made. Samsung won hands own. So why did I have an iPhone? Simple it was the company phone but would never buy one

[RedQualia]

I hate shopping for phones. So many. All look alike. But all are not alike. And new makers come and go every year, and all the models of phone change every week. I hate investing the time it takes to determine what's crap and what's not in the smartphone arena. I mean, a phone is not so far removed from a toaster, no? But really, you do need to invest the time...

My first, and current, smartphone was a Lenovo A516. I think I paid like 3,990 Baht for it. It was a good enough first smartphone, but it's a bit old now. It's fairly slow, doesn't have enough memory for the applications I want to run (line, Cygic map program, etc.).

There is an Indian website -- www.nirmaltv.com -- that offers reviews of a wide variety of phones, most of which should be available in SE Asia, but not all in Thailand. Too, some Thai brands are not reviewed there either. Regardless, it seems a good site to get a feel for smartphone things.

After looking at that site, I determined the phone that would most meet my needs was the Xaiomi Redmi 2 Prime. (Xaiomi has been said to be the "Chinese Apple.") One of the Thai websites informed me that the current going rate for that phone was 3,410 Baht. Seemed like a deal! So I went to MBK yesterday to get one. Very, very few of the vendors at the back of the fourth floor carried Xiaomi phones, and only one seemed to think they could get me a Redmi 2 Prime, for which I would be charged 7,500 Baht. A few vendors did have the Xiaomi Note 3 and 4 phones, but I hadn't researched those. Once I had the internet handy again, I found that while both apparently come with a semi-decent amount of memory, none supported the addition of a MicroSD card (the Redmi 2 Prime does).

I am currently unsure of what kind of phone I will get. I will reconsider/re-research the Xiaomi phones, at least. But the next best option appears to be the Lenovo A6000, for a bit less than 5,000 Baht. Read about it on the website mentioned. Decent amount of memory, quad-core processor, 8MP rear camera with dual flash, dual sims, MicroSD support, yada, yada, yada. The nirmaltv website says that 3,000,000 of these were sold in the first month in India. Must be a reason for that, I'm guessing. This phone sells for about 5,000 Baht, as I recall, at Tesco Lotus. Might be able to bargain a bit at MBK if paying cash.

The nirmaltv site also has a review of the Samsung J2 phone. Gave it decent marks, but said you can do better. Have a look. The Samsung J2 review there is where I was referred to the Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime.

Lazada sells the Redmi 2 Prime. But, without going into the details, I was strongly advised NOT to buy a phone from that site.

A final thought -- The older versions of Android do not support installing apps onto MicroSD cards very much. My A516 can't do that. But newer versions can, and that's quite helpful. I think starting with Android Kitkat, version 4.4.x or something like that, was when the support for moving apps to MicroSD cards was added. Look for that. You'll want it if your phone has less memory than it might. Trust me. The current version of Android is "Lollipop 5.x.x" I believe. Probably a good idea to get the most current version, since you're buying.

Have fun looking for your own new toaster...

Edited November 3, 2015 by RedQualia

[CrummyJuggler]

I took a look at the phone specs as I am also in the market for a <$100 android and see many things not to like about this phone. AFter communications, the camera is probably the thing I use most and this one has a fixed focus, 3 MP camera. You definitely want auto focus if you think you will ever take photos to share or keep for yourself. This phone also has very little memory so it will be slow and frustrating when you do try to use it. You can do much better than this one without spending much more. Try the Samsung Galaxy S3...

[malcoml]

I was a big Samsung fan but had way too many quality problems. One phone lasted just over 12 months and the other died just shy of two years. These were flagship phones....

I switched to Apple and yes there are a few things on it I don't like but build quality is far superior.

You however are after a phone for 2600 baht and truthfully for that price you will probably get very little.

[roath]

Check out Huawei...better specs and build than Samsung imo at same price point. Seem to be promoting more in Thailand now. I got one for me and GF

[thailanddogerator]

samsung galaxy j7 is so cheap and so good, the best phone available since June 2015.

I hate samsung but still the best choice for cheap price.

Don't listen to people who know nothing and will tell you that Opoo Huawei and more chinese shiiite are better, this is wrong and mostly because of the software that they add to Android.

Only 1 time i found a chinese without addon shiiite software and it was imobile, all other brands have poor addon like HTC SENSE, oppor myaxx etc...

Edited November 3, 2015 by thailanddogerator

[craigt3365]

I took a look at the phone specs as I am also in the market for a <$100 android and see many things not to like about this phone. AFter communications, the camera is probably the thing I use most and this one has a fixed focus, 3 MP camera. You definitely want auto focus if you think you will ever take photos to share or keep for yourself. This phone also has very little memory so it will be slow and frustrating when you do try to use it. You can do much better than this one without spending much more. Try the Samsung Galaxy S3...

I've got my wife's old S3. Love it.

[Daniel Boon]

samsung galaxy j7 is so cheap and so good, the best phone available since June 2015.

I hate samsung but still the best choice for cheap price.

Don't listen to people who know nothing and will tell you that Opoo Huawei and more chinese shiiite are better, this is wrong and mostly because of the software that they add to Android.

Only 1 time i found a chinese without addon shiiite software and it was imobile, all other brands have poor addon like HTC SENSE, oppor myaxx etc...

[Daniel Boon]

My wife had Samsung, had problems; I have 3 HTC over the last six years, never a problem. Have my first one to a mate in Cuba, he said it's still going strong

[BadBouy]

Had iPhone and Samsung Galaxy. Personally I wouldnt have an iPhone too restrictive, excessively priced and limited functionality. I would suggest the Samsung having had the Galaxy S3 and S4 and never had a problem with either. Next upgrade will be to the Galaxy Edge.

Before deciding look at the specifications and then decide. I did, but it does help being in the Telecom industry, and for my money there was no decision to be made. Samsung won hands own. So why did I have an iPhone? Simple it was the company phone but would never buy one

I bought an edge a month ago. Two of the edge features were important to me otherwise I would have just bought the S6. The phone is an incredible upgrade from my old HTC one-x. Now that I live the life of a vagabond I got the 64G so I could store music and pictures.

Iphones basic offering is only 12 or 16G which I believe is too small for a smart phone now.

[thrilled]

Getting back to the post the guy said comparing an Ace 2 to an iPhone.I'm talking about an iPhone 3.Around the same time the

Ace came out.You can do A comparison of phones using Google.

[misterphil]

If you buy anything less than an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy S you will wonder what all the rave is about smart phones. A basic smart phone will be slow, unresponsive, freezes all the time and will drive you nuts.

[mercman24]

i agree with poster 16, i bought 2 HUAWEI HONOR 4X for me and my lady, big 5.5 screen, does everything we want paid 7000 each,i have had 3 Samsungs and every one has suffered with key problems, different models

[mercman24]

update, well the silly mare did have one, got pissed up and went to the loo, left her handbag behind, result no handbag no phone,gone back to her old Samsung and hates it, i said if i had bought you a 25,000 Samsung you would still have lost it,!! so she can sweat a bit now.lol !!

[Shiver]

I've been Samsung for that last ... 5 phones I think it is now. I used to always buy the flagship model (once a year, as that is when the battery went to sh1t, and got paranoid about it being a built in feature until I did a quick google on the number of charge/discharge cycles various battery types were good for), but I wasn't trying to follow fashion, just wanted something that was quick. The last phone I got was about 10K and I can say nothing bad about it. It is slim, light, fast, reasonable size to put in your pocket if you're not a handbag fan, and perfectly functional, and if only used as a phone then a full charge (30 mins) will last for 7-10 days. If taking photos or watching videos then it won't get anywhere close to that. Cheaper phones have poor cameras and are annoyingly slow, but these days you don't have to go flagship model to get immediate and accurate responses from it.

Beware if it's your first smartphone though, because I have a couple of friends who have a very basic Nokia, and *also* a smartphone, and they spend some of the time on the nokia with a regular phone call, while at the same time being what I would call disrespectful to their company in messing about on Line and similar apps, where prior to that they used to mock people who did unsocial behaviour in company by being on the phone all the time. They are wasting my time by waiting for them, and I really don't like that.

Overall I wouldn't encourage it unless you are sure you won't get a phone addiction - and I do mean addiction it the fullest sense of the word. Personally I keep my laptop for that stuff, and the phone can go for days without being used apart from the odd short call, SMS or use of Thai dictionary.

I glanced at a television today with the scrolling news and had to do a double take as I saw that "Candy Crush" (a game used on phones) has just been sold for USD$5.9 Billion ... for a game that you could write in a month if you are skilled in the art. What the ....

[thailanddogerator]

Sorry no offense but you are obviously wrong !

I stopped buying the high end phones since cheaper ones are almost as good and will never spend more than 8000 for any phone anymore.

It's just ridiculous and only people who trust stupid marketing can think this way.

I am a marketer and I know how easy it is to cheat people to push them to buy something that costs twice the price of what is already enough and almost as good !

If you buy anything less than an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy S you will wonder what all the rave is about smart phones. A basic smart phone will be slow, unresponsive, freezes all the time and will drive you nuts.

[jacko45k]

Everyone will have different opinions.

You obviously do not need to be spending silly money on the latest IPhone or Top of the range Samsung.

Also beware of refurbished phones, many risks as I know too well, NOW!

True seem to be offering some very good units, I was playing with one a friend got for under 2000 baht and it seemed very capable.

[mercman24]

totally agree with poster 27, good marketing by Samsung, in Thailand, everyone i speak to has Samsung on the brain just go to MBK. mine wanted a Samsung, but i got her the Honor 4x (previous post) now she is back on her Samsung, not a happy bunny

[farangmick]

I consider my three year old, 850 baht Samsung to be a smartphone. It can remember over 100 phone numbers and I can remember 2.