Buying eBay Phones from The USA?

uniqualz on 30/05/2017 - 14:24

Hi Guys,

I want to buy a new phone. I have my eye on a Lumia 950 (to replace my 1020). I don't want 2nd hand, and I can't afford new here in Aus. Can I buy a phone from the USA? They're only ~$200 there (unlocked AT&T things), but are ~$600 here. I know I need to buy one that's international-compatible, but the websites over there only ever use phone jargon that I don't understand, and don't say specifically if it's the same variant as I'd need here, as their specs only say what they need to for the USA market.

Warranty etc doesn't bother me if it only costs me $200 bucks, but I need to know what things it needs to have to be identical to the Aus released ones - the variant number perhaps? Can anyone pls lemme know what to make sure of specifically?

Thanks Very Much,
UniQualz

Mobile

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 30/05/2017 - 14:41
    +1

    make sure it has band 28
    other than that, you should be ok

    • uniqualz on 30/05/2017 - 15:39

      Band 28 - that's 700mhz? And other than that, is that the only substantial difference between Aus and US phones.. nothing else to consider?

      • Brianqpr on 30/05/2017 - 16:38

        Its not an issue for most people. I don't have it on my phone and its never been a problem.

  • Cabrinha on 30/05/2017 - 14:47

    The model number will be important as this will tell you if you are getting a 16gb or 32 gb phone for example as well as any other specs. The other thing with the model will be the bands or frequency the phone can use, some carriers use different bands and this also varies by country. The bands will determine if you can utilise 4g vs 3g network etc I good site to check if the phone model will be compatible in AUS is http://willmyphonework.net/ and fill in the details. The most obvious thing that will be missing is band 28 but in my experience on the phone I have now (LG G3 d850) it hasn't been a problem at all on Telstra.

    oh and be aware that the carrier branded phones AT&T, Tmobile etc will probably come with their bloatware ;)

    • uniqualz on 30/05/2017 - 15:54

      Thanks mate. Bloatware.. I'd have to flatten the phone and re-install the OS to get rid of that entirely, yes?

      • Cabrinha on 30/05/2017 - 16:07

        Hmm now that I understand its a windows phone I'm not entirely sure and I could be totally wrong with that statement. With my android AT&T branded phone you could just disable the apps but it still takes up storage space or flash a custom ROM to get rid of any traces entirely.

        You might be better off buying from here and pay a bit more but its up to you. https://www.techrific.com.au/index.php?route=product/product…

        • uniqualz on 30/05/2017 - 16:26

          Thanks for the advice.. I may have to do that.. :-/

  • tanksinatra on 30/05/2017 - 14:59

    make sure you get a phone with band 28. US phones probably won't have it.
    I noticed a big improvement in 4G availability when I got a phone with Band 28.

    • dasher86 on 30/05/2017 - 15:12
      +1

      it really depends where you are and whether or not you want or actually need 4g.
      i haven't noticed much difference when i transitioned from my nexus 5 on 3g to my s7 on 4g.

  • teacherer on 30/05/2017 - 15:07

    Check the bands as others have said
    What on earth makes you want a windows phone? Out of curiosity

    • TheGMan on 01/06/2017 - 07:54

      actually… Windows phone, apart from the app gap, is rather nice. Performance is really good even on crap hardware.

      I'm currently on the hunt for a lumia 930

  • tonyjzx on 30/05/2017 - 17:30
    +1

    usa is a minefield that i'm not interested in so i'd never look into a phone there

    i also do get the 'love' for windows. i've had 3 windows phones and they were universally well liked by me despite the store situation

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