Hi

My old Samsung Note II is soon going on retirement..

I was thinking to try a non-Samsung Android smartphone so....

Are the Oppo, Lava, Huawai, ZTE, ASUS  any good and can anybody recommend/warn about any of these brands ??

Many of the mobile phone of these brands have been targeting the Thai market, so...
Are there any problems using the mobile phones outside Thailand ?

 
 

Oppo or Huawai


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

All I can say is that my friends with 11K Oppoes and the like take the piss out my Apple,then minutes later there muttering Bloody Thing at Mr Oppo ,up to You but go Apple if you can


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

By the way Lazarda don refurbished Apple


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Asus Zenphones have a lot of fans on this forum. They have a huge number of model variations so best to read up on them before shopping. Huawai's get a lot of good press and are known for reliability.

"Fortune City" above the Rama-9 MRT is a good place to shop, 2nd floor.  Most models with prices on display.

I would check out Xiaomi phones, they get great reviews and cost about half of what comparable Samsung and Apple phones cost. Oppo and Huawei phones are not that cheap. 

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/review/android-smartphones/xiaomi-mi-5-review-extraordinary-value-android-phone-rivals-galaxy-s7-3637966/

 

I bought a 1200 Baht Lava smartphone for friends to use when they visit. It's okay, but doesn't impress me enough to buy a higher end model and the battery life sucks. 

 

Any newer GSM phone should work well outside of Thailand as long as the operating frequency of your phone is compatible with mobile provider frequencies in the countries you plan on going to, most are. 

On 01/01/2017 at 8:23 AM, BEngBKK said:

My old Samsung Note II is soon going on retirement..

I was thinking to try a non-Samsung Android smartphone so....

 

Perhaps you have a reason for going from what was a high end phone to a low end? I recently swapped my Note 2 that was giving hardware faults after 4 years for a Huawei Mate 9. Both cost about the same when new. Transition took very little time and very pleased so far.

1 minute ago, Digitalbanana said:

Perhaps you have a reason for going from what was a high end phone to a low end? I recently swapped my Note 2 that was giving hardware faults after 4 years for a Huawei Mate 9. Both cost about the same when new. Transition took very little time and very pleased so far.

I'm considering buying a low-end smartphone in addition to my high end smart phone because I'm sick of swapping my US SIM card in and out of the one phone I've got every time my bank back home wants to send me a One Time Password when I transact with them

I bought a 5" Lava smartphone, good deal from AIS as my old 2G phone had to be replaced...

 

1 year on, is OK does all I need, my Partner [always had for year a Samsung] now has a new Samsung J2 is easier to use than the Lava

 

 

46 minutes ago, SaintLouisBlues said:

I'm considering buying a low-end smartphone in addition to my high end smart phone because I'm sick of swapping my US SIM card in and out of the one phone I've got every time my bank back home wants to send me a One Time Password when I transact with them

Buy a two sim card phone?

I advise Huawei P9 Lite.Good value for your money.Look on google to compare P9 and P9 Lite.

23 minutes ago, Emster23 said:

Buy a two sim card phone?

Sadly Apple don't make them (yet)

I use a Zenphone and it's ok, but my wife's new Vivo V3

is much faster and the pictures are amazingly clear.

Just got a Huawei Y6II for 4800 baht. Really enjoying it and the camera is a massive improvement on my old Samsung Grand 2.

Want the 6S but thailand doesn't have


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Bought a Redmi note 3 from Hong Kong.. Absolutely 5 star! And gear best actually included an invoice for only $50 instead of the $150 I paid so no duties!

One plus 3 has been getting raving reviews all over as best bang for your buck phone. It's not really low end but I find that usually in the end you get what you pay for though Apple is somewhat pushing the limit of that theory hehehe. 

Try a Cubot s108 at the cheaper end or the newer X 17.  Brilliant and compare favourably with latest iphones, but at a fraction of the price !

You can buy cheaper sumsung like A or J model's. Only S and note are expensive.

True phone 1990b...had mine 3 years not one bit of trouble and i used it in OZ and i worked just fine...

Have a Wiko, I don't think there is better value for money at around 5000B. Only complaint is the battery life, lasts a day.

 

A U Feel cost me 6990B in August I think.

11 minutes ago, naboo said:

Have a Wiko, I don't think there is better value for money at around 5000B. Only complaint is the battery life, lasts a day.

 

A U Feel cost me 6990B in August I think.

 

 

WIKO is a French brand and VERY popular in Europe as they offer fantastic value for money, the latest android, plus have a very friendly update-policy. And a very clean android version, no stupid bloatware and pre-installed rubbish that is eating your internal 16GB before you even start downloading apps. They are rapidly growing their market share in Thailand for a reason.

The RONNY (2016 model) costs just 3.690 Baht and comes with a 5.5" screen and android 6.0. 16 GB internal. camera not highest class but hey, it costs 3.690 Baht only! Highly recommended

 

 

Just to add another brand to the bunch: UMI

 

I am very impressed with my UMI Super, expect the finger print scanner, everything else is pretty much super considered the 200$ I paid for it last year at gearbest.

 

 

Here is a cheap phone on Amazon.com if you have someone with Amazon Prime to buy it for you  ,

this is the USA model , not sure if the LTE bands will work  well in Thailand

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H2E0J5M/ref=twister_B01G7TG6SW?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

maybe there is a Euro version on Amazon UK

 

its 50% less because it has lock screen ads , which do not bother me on my Amazon Fire

5 hours ago, siam2007 said:

WIKO is a French brand and VERY popular in Europe as they offer fantastic value for money, the latest android, plus have a very friendly update-policy. And a very clean android version, no stupid bloatware and pre-installed rubbish that is eating your internal 16GB before you even start downloading apps. They are rapidly growing their market share in Thailand for a reason.

The RONNY (2016 model) costs just 3.690 Baht and comes with a 5.5" screen and android 6.0. 16 GB internal. camera not highest class but hey, it costs 3.690 Baht only! Highly recommended

 

where do they sell them ?  and do you have a link for the Specs ?

its not on Amazon

thanks

10 hours ago, oldcarguy said:

 

where do they sell them ?  and do you have a link for the Specs ?

its not on Amazon

thanks

 

15 hours ago, naboo said:

U Feel

 

The Wiko website.

 

Sold everywhere.

I do not appreciate the large format phones (Trump small hands I guess) and was just given a ZTE Blade L110 to get me to switch to 3G from my old Nokia 2G.  Must say it has been a much more pleasant experience than my attempt with a more expensive/larger smart phone and seems to work well.  

13 hours ago, oldcarguy said:

 

where do they sell them ?  and do you have a link for the Specs ?

its not on Amazon

thanks

 

lazada has many local Thai vendors selling them, just search the lazada website for WIKO and then the model you r interested in, such as UFEEL or ROBBY. The specifications can be found with every offer.

Wiko Thailand does not have an English version of their website, but the Malaysian website is in English and lists all models:  http://my-en.wikomobile.com/f-wiko-all-products

www.numchai.com sells them in their stores too, a small reputable chain in Chonburi province, but they don't have all WIKO models listed on their website

 

 

A few weeks back, my new (2016) Huawei froze for the hundredth time so I spent 5990 baht on an ASUS Zenphone selfie with about the same specs.  I'm astounded at the difference a decent OS makes.  Loving the ASUS.  The Huawei has been relegated to a 4G tethering router.  (Both of them are dual SIM, BTW)

 

Both of them run circles around the 16,000 baht Samsung S2 I retired because I couldn't get 8 hours out of the battery.  I didn't realize what a dinosaur it had become that a newer, low end phone costing a lot less less than half the money would be so much better.

 

Something may come out that changes my mind later, but I don't ever see myself buying a high end (>10,000 baht) phone again.  The marginal improvement in the specs is dwarfed by the difference in the price.  In fairness, I don't use my phones for heavy duty computing- just communication and entertainment.

I paid 7500 for a xiaomi mi max , 6.44 screen, 1.8 GHz hexa core, 3gb ram, 32 storage, 16mp +5mp, and a massive 4850 mah battery meaning that I get 10 hours of Screen on Time, so I agree completely, never buying a 10k+ phone again