Mobile phone for Thailand

Malarkey on 13/01/2014 - 11:23

Hi guys,

I'm heading to Thailand in a few weeks with some mates and have already got some awesome advice from this thread I made a while ago: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/129275

But I was wondering if anyone has some suggestions on what to do about mobile phones. Currently I own a Nexus 4 but I'm half tempted to buy a cheap (~$100) android phone here before heading oversea. Or would I be better off purchasing one when I arrive over there?

Use will be mostly calling home + a tiny amount of data for email and booking somewhere in advance and the occasional local call to my travel friends in case we get split up etc.

So I was wondering if anyone has purchased a phone while over there and what was the experience like? Price wise would I be better waiting until I'm over there?

The other option is to bring my Nexus 4 but I think it's overkill and unnecessarily risky to take it with me. I have an old Telstra HTC desire but it's probably locked and I'm worried the frequencies wouldn't be right.

Thanks,
Malarkey

Travel

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 13/01/2014 - 11:45
    +1

    I've always taken the best mobile device with me, as it is my connection back home and I didn't want any issues with connectivity.

    Take the Nexus 4 - will give the best compatibility with international SIMS and allow you to easily jump around on Wifi networks.

    Recently took my Samsung Galaxy S4 to Phillipines for that exact reason, no problems -just keep it on you at all times.

  • cheapgeek on 13/01/2014 - 13:38

    Hi there

    I've travelled to Thailand quite a bit… I generally buy a local prepaid SIM when I arrive
    I have purchased a Samsung Galaxy Duos (S3 based) in Thailand about 12 months back… pretty similar experience to buying a phone here. Price-wise (I purchased retail store over there) was not drastically different to here.

    Dual SIM phones I find really useful for travel and personally have used the Samsung for this many times… obviously need to ensure that the 3G/4G frequencies supported by your phone match the carrier you're with… a bit like here Telstra uses some frequencies and Optus another…same situation in Thailand… i.e. some use 850MHz and some 900..

    hope it helps!

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