Always wondered.

Are Thai Smartphones different from Smartphones sold in other markets, or is it simply an App or programme change which allows Text and Settings functions to be displayed in the Thai Alphabet?

Many thanks.

Phones sold in Asia region have Thai as an option.

They come preinstalled with a selection of languages for the region.

I am quite sure there are experts who can tell you how to change (I am not into it).

Just checked for my Samsung Android thing.

13 languages

3 English variations).

And languages for:

Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thai, Lao, ?1, ?2, Korean, ?3

?1, ?2: could be Burmese (Myanmar) and Khmer (Cambodia)

?3: some Chinese variation

There is no variation for the hardware although the firmware could be country specific

Sent from my SM-J700F using Tapatalk

Firmware is region specific so probably caters to the language requirements of the reion. You can load apps to add other languages to the soft keyboard such as Thai for my "Aussie" Samsung.

There is no variation for the hardware although the firmware could be country specific

Not quite true. Due to the different RF bands used in different countries (e.g. 850Mhz heavily used for rural 3G in Asia and not at all in Europe where it's 900Mhz) there could be slight differences in the RF (often called "modem") part of the electronics.

Sometimes this difference is not really in the hardware itself but rather in the internal microcode of the chips that control RF communication. In general it's not alterable by mere mortals so "hardware differences" is a valid approximation IMO.

Also, some manufacturers make it extremely difficult to re-flash a firmware for a different region, in a way to protect their pricing policies and minimize grey market.

Thanks to all.

So basically I'd need to by an Asia market phone for use by a Thai.

How do you guard against ending up with a copy smartphone?

I understand the Samsung S5 copy is so good it's difficult to tell from a genuine unit.

The main differences being not waterproof no thumb print recognition, 4 MP camera, no software updates.

Thanks to all.

So basically I'd need to by an Asia market phone for use by a Thai.

How do you guard against ending up with a copy smartphone?

I understand the Samsung S5 copy is so good it's difficult to tell from a genuine unit.

The main differences being not waterproof no thumb print recognition, 4 MP camera, no software updates.

Buy it from any one of the reputable phone retailers.. And NOT from Somchai Dodgyphone at MBK!