I’m in the market for a smartphone. I’m in the USA for 9 months out of the year, but I’m in various places in Southeast Asia–the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, maybe Cambodia and Viet Nam–for the other 3.
I’ve never had a smartphone before. Whenever I traveled, I’d just suspend service on my usual, USA non-smart cell phone and get myself a cheap phone to be used within the country I’m visiting. I often had capability for voice only–or maybe voice and text.
On a trip to the Philippines last year, though, I found out just how useful having Google maps at your disposal can really be. I’d like to be able to do stuff like that this year.
I have no idea how stuff like this works, though. I’d really appreciate any info you could give me. Here are the questions that come to mind right now:
I’ve heard of people switching out the SIM card in their phones, but don’t you have to get an unlocked phone to begin with to do that? Or could I have someone unlock it once I’m in, say, Thailand? I really have zero idea of how this works.
Which smartphone should I buy now, in the US, such that taking it overseas would work well? How do you know which SIM cards are available in different countries, such that you know you can even buy a SIM card to fit into the phone you have?
In general, how would I pay for service? Would I need a new cell phone contract each time I change countries? If I switch the SIM card out, there’s no way that my service provider in the US would charge me for overseas roaming charges, right? Or do I have that wrong?
I get the feeling there are other questions I should be asking, but don’t even know to ask. What else should I know about taking a smartphone to Southeast Asia and making the most of it?
This year’s trip, late May through August, will be my first major trip to Southeast Asia. I got to go to the Philippines for 3 weeks last year, but I didn’t need a phone while I was there. This year, I do. And I’ll be going to at least 2 other countries as well, and I’ll need to be able to use a smartphone there, too.
I can’t really afford to spend time trying to figure things like this out while I’m there, either; I have to at least kind of know what I’m doing from the beginning.
Just to get the discussion started - who is your current mobile carrier? Are you open to switching? I’m asking because if you’re currently using a phone on a CDMA network you’re going to have a different set of actions than if you have a phone that operates on a GSM network.
Thanks for the link, scout1222! That was very informative.
I have Verizon service, but the phones I’m considering are capable of both CDMA and quad-band GSM. I looked up prices for unlocked versions of the phones I’m interested in, and, boy, are they pricey.
Is it possible for me to get a phone on a contract with Verizon, and have it unlocked privately? Or is that really a stupid idea?
IIRC, the FCC requires Verizon to sell the iPhone 5 with GSM unlocked as their standard phone ($200 or so on contract). Check the first link to see if the Vz model A1429 has the right GSM frequency support for where you travel.
Virtually the entire world supports one of the four GSM bands. If your phone is quad band GSM, you’ll be covered in most places.
Except parts of Asia. There are parts there that skipped GSM, and went straight to UMTS/WCDMA. There are a handful of UMTS bands available, and you’ll want to make sure you have the right ones.
How important is data speed to you? There are three (or four…) tiers of data. Without getting technical, you have
Don’t have much time to go into all your questions, but it looks like others are starting to handle that nicely.
But, in these sort of threads I (and others) have recently been highly recommending Google’s Nexus4. The only problem is that, up until now, one or both models have usually been sold out. I just checked, and they’re both currently available. I recommend springing for the slightly more expensive one with more memory, since that’s not upgradable later. (That, and the fact that the battery isn’t (easily) replaced/swapped are the only two minor cons about the phone.)
If you want a new, unsubsidized/uncontracted phone, it’s going to be hard to beat the price/quality ratio of the Nexus4. The only thing is you should check to see the estimated ship date when you put it in your cart, in case you’ll be needing the phone sooner than they are scheduled to ship it.