Best place to buy a cheap smartphone?

[BadCash]

My phone has broken down completely, I doubt it will be worth the money to have it fixed (it doesn't recognize the SIM card and keeps rebooting even after factory reset).

 

I'm going back to my home country in two weeks and had already planned on buying a phone there (no fakes, easier to find the best deal, better warranty, etc, etc.). So now I just need a phone so I can use Google Maps, Facebook Messenger and Line for two weeks, and preferably one that will work on the mobile network in Sweden. The cheaper, the better. Where would be the best place to look for one? Someone suggested that True shops have cheap deals, but then the phone would be locked to True, right? Is MBK worth looking in, or are they all dodgy? I think I might have seen some cheap Huawei's in a small stall in Tesco - are those stalls any better/worse than MBK? I've had a quick look at classifieds, but found no good deals really...

 

I will of course check what it would cost to fix my existing phone first anyway - where would be the best place to do so? Is it MBK or Phantip, or are there other (better? cheaper?) places to go for that?

 

 

[guzzi850m2]

I think shopping centers as BigC and Lotus sell phones. I am also vary of those small stalls selling phones, no warranty and some phones (even Chinese) are cheap Chinese knock-offs. If buying from those shopping centers you should get full warranty and 1 week where you can give it back and get a new one right away if any problems.   

 

Just check which network bands are supported compared to Sweden.

[Techno Viking]

7-11 sell some cheapy phones.

[Get Real]

Yep, I guess 7-11 will be one of your best options. When you look for a cheap phone.
One problem, though, might be that they are locked to True Sim. That is unfortunately very common.

Big C have some good prices, and there you can find a samsung that is usually not locked.
On the other hand many small mobile phone shops have good prices. I would recommend a cheap Samsung Tab 3 for about 2900 to 3900 Bath. That one will not be locked anymore, and have all the functions you need and a big 7 inch screen. If you want smaller look at Samsung 4,5 and 5 inches.

Edited June 24, 2017 by Get Real

[oldcarguy]

do you have the model numbers of the 3000-4000baht  Samsungs ?

 

will most Big Cs have them ?

 

thanks

[dotpoom]

7 hours ago, oldcarguy said:

do you have the model numbers of the 3000-4000baht  Samsungs ?

 

will most Big Cs have them ?

 

thanks

Tab 3 he says.......don't personally know what that means.

[Get Real]

22 hours ago, oldcarguy said:

do you have the model numbers of the 3000-4000baht  Samsungs ?

 

will most Big Cs have them ?

 

thanks

Big C will probably have stopped selling thoose models, but usually the small mobile phone shops i Big C area will have them.
You will also find a lot of shops on the streets or in market areas in other department store complexes that have them.
The one I mentioned was Samsung Galaxy Tab3. 
Other ones are just Samsung Galaxy 3 and 4, and then we are talking the ones with about a 4,5-5 inch screen.
Checked the prices and they go between 3500-5000 Bath.

[dddave]

Worth checking Lazada.com.  You can filter results by price...lots of phones under B3000 with delivery within 7 days.

For retail and if close to Bangkok, Fortune Tower has a wide variety on display at many vendors, mostly 2nd floor, some on 3rd.

 

[pilou]

I just bought a very basic 4 inches no-brand android for 1299 bahts on Chilindo ( delivered home in a few days ), for the sole purpose of listening audio books. It will never be upgraded from its 4.4 Kitkat version, but it does the job. I never tried it as a phone, but I'm sure it would work just fine.

 

Phil

[sandyf]

22 hours ago, dddave said:

Worth checking Lazada.com.  You can filter results by price...lots of phones under B3000 with delivery within 7 days.

For retail and if close to Bangkok, Fortune Tower has a wide variety on display at many vendors, mostly 2nd floor, some on 3rd.

 

Lazada is certainly a good bet, wide choice and delivery is normally less than 3 days. I have had some items come the next day. I got a phone from them a few weeks back, about 20% cheaper than in the stores.

[Gary A]

My wife is a Facebook addict. She was using a Samsung S5 and when it died I bought her a cheap Samsung J1. It certainly wasn't any good for Facebook. I still have it and it is a decent Hello, Goodbye phone. It simply doesn't have the grunt needed for the Internet and the camera is worthless. I then bought her a Xiaomi Mi5. She loves that phone. It cost about 10,000  baht so it wasn't a really cheap phone. When I got the S5 back from the repair shop, she wanted nothing to do with it and I am now using it. The S5 has good call qualities and a good camera. Somehow it has lost 4G Internet, tethering and the hotspot functions. When it dies again, it will go in the trash. It cost me 6,000 baht for the repair. Money basically wasted.

 

I also have a Huawei Mediapad M3. I use it when travelling rather than lug around the heavy laptop. With the non working 4G, the S5 is not that good for the Internet. The Mediapad is much faster than my old laptop and much handier to use.

 

Maybe I just have uncommonly bad luck with Samsung phones. I had two S4 phones die from mainboard failure and now the S5. If I had it to do over again, I would have never wasted the money to repair the S5.

 

My next new phone will be either a Xiaomi or Huawei. 

[mrwebb8825]

pop into the nearest AIS shop and let them have a look at your phone. You can also buy an internet capable replacement there for 2,000-10,000 baht.

[JohnJay]

I would just buy a Samsung for 4,000 baht, that can do pretty much everything you need. I never understood people buying the latest iPhone for 30,000 baht or whatever.

 

You can buy basic smartphones from AIS or True for around 1,000 baht but they will be locked to the network and won't work back home. The cheapest TrueMove smart phone is garbage for anyone thinking about it, filled with adverts and software you can't delete, AIS's cheapest model is OK though.

[Gary A]

14 minutes ago, JohnJay said:

I would just buy a Samsung for 4,000 baht, that can do pretty much everything you need. I never understood people buying the latest iPhone for 30,000 baht or whatever.

 

You can buy basic smartphones from AIS or True for around 1,000 baht but they will be locked to the network and won't work back home. The cheapest TrueMove smart phone is garbage for anyone thinking about it, filled with adverts and software you can't delete, AIS's cheapest model is OK though.

I think I paid 3,600 baht for the Samsung J1. the call quality is decent but it is good for nothing else. Would you be interested in buying a lightly used J1 for a couple thousand baht? It looks like a new one included with a decent case.

[tutsiwarrior]

14 hours ago, sandyf said:

Lazada is certainly a good bet, wide choice and delivery is normally less than 3 days. I have had some items come the next day. I got a phone from them a few weeks back, about 20% cheaper than in the stores.

 

+1...lazada has got everything ye need in the way of cheap smartphones...I'm a firsttimer and got an ASUS, didn't like that and then got a Huawei that I'm happy with...together less than thb11000...

 

gave the ASUS to my big, healthy 19  y.o.niece which was a good move as I broke my leg later and she ended up lookin' after me during my early convalescence, quite pleased with her 'new' smartphone and with special affection for the benefactor...

 

 

[mogandave]

Spending 3-5k now to find a cheaper phone later does not seem to make economic sense.


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[chris455]

When i was in Pattaya the Central Festival Mall seemed like a good place. They were selling Samsung J3 primes' for about 4,000 Baht or so, and they are 5 inch, 8mp, 8gb phones , decent enough for most, if i remember correctly. There are similar good makes from other companies. All unlocked. Just check the frequencies about back home compatability.

[bander]

When i was in Pattaya the Central Festival Mall seemed like a good place. They were selling Samsung J3 primes' for about 4,000 Baht or so, and they are 5 inch, 8mp, 8gb phones , decent enough for most, if i remember correctly. There are similar good makes from other companies. All unlocked. Just check the frequencies about back home compatability.

Lazada.com have all kind of phones with free delivery

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[MuntyC0re]

aliexpress, but i doubt about the quality

[Xaos]

Banana IT best deal on my s8+
Got lots of gadgets

And if i drop phone they change cracked screen 1 time for free.

That screen cost like 10k

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