Gear and equipment forum

What is the most versatile mobile phone to use in Asia?

  • gregoreye

    This fall and winter I'll be travelling through southern Europe (Spain, Portugal, France) then to India, Thailand, Vietnam and Hong Kong. What mobile phone is best to use for all of these regions? I like the IPhone's features, but all of the ones sold in Canada are locked and I want a phone that allows a change of sim cards. Is it best to wait until I arrive in Europe to purchase a phone? Is EBay a good resource for buying unlocked smart phones which are quad-band? All suggestions/advice appreciated.

    #1 Posted: 3/6/2009 - 01:12


  • BruceMoon

    gregoreye

    Generally, all SE Asian countries use the GSM network (though 3G is being slowly introduced).

    Clearly, any phone that is unlocked will accept any sim card.

    Call costs in SE Asia are - by international standards - very cheap.

    Personally, if I didn't have an unlocked GSM network phone, I'd acquire any phone that uses the GSM network: it doesn't have to be new as long as it's smallish and reliable.

    Cheers

    #2 Posted: 28/6/2009 - 20:01

  • BruceMoon

    ps. I should have said, any GSM phone that is unlocked...

    In Australia (where I'm at) we can buy phones that use both GSM and 3G. That way, we can choose which network at pleasure. Maybe that's the sort of phone you might explore.

    Cheers

    #3 Posted: 28/6/2009 - 20:04

  • dezztroyer

    Buy one over there.
    At the moment in HCMC, you can get a phone with a sim card for 55,000 dong. $3usd. includes 145,000 dong worth of credit. Uses the Mobiphone network.

    #4 Posted: 24/10/2009 - 15:03

  • shalimar

    hi,
    i'm a business traveller and travel a lot , so i have an unlocked verion of blackberry phone and i unlocked it through unlock codes provided by http://www.unlocking4u.com/

    #5 Posted: 5/12/2009 - 14:17

Have questions? Jump to our menu of forum quicklinks

Add your reply

Photos from Asia

Click on any image below to see larger version of the photo and to browse our photo gallery.

Forum quicklinks

Possibly related threads

The following thread(s) may also be of use

  1. MOBILE PHONE
  2. Mobile phone while traveling?
  3. Buying a mobile phone - Thailand or Malaysia?
  4. Making cheap phone calls on mobile in Laos to UK
  5. Has anyone taken an I-phone to SE Asia?
  6. Phone North America from Thailand and Other SE asia Countries
  7. Cell phone during 4.5 month trip through SE Asia, East China, Japan

Newsletter signup

Sign up for Travelfish Burp! — you won't regret it!