Buying mobile handsets from China?

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skuzzb

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#138441 4-Jan-2014 15:23

so im playing with the idea of buying one of the better known brand mobiles from China,what should i be looking for ie: cell frequencies for the carriers in NZ,unlocked phone?etc,any advice would be appreciated,
thanks

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BDFL - Memuneh
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#961129 4-Jan-2014 15:49

I'd look at some other sources people are using around here instead - e.g. something like http://www.mobicity.com/.

Once you decide which handset you'd like ask around the appropriate forum for other users' experiences.

kiwigeek1

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#961150 4-Jan-2014 16:20

I wouldnt buy a chinese tablet or mobile again even the top brands arent so good.

but I guess an samsung from china might be ok.. if cheaper but you have to pay gst if over $400
if buying online. inc postage price.

perhaps theres some chinese who bought mobile and brought it with them on forum who can answer better

tdgeek

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#961154 4-Jan-2014 16:27

kiwigeek1: perhaps theres some chinese who bought mobile and brought it with them on forum who can answer better

Excellent suggestion. Local knowledge. But OTOH what are the benefits? I assume cost, but you then take the risk of a problem, and the support which may be quite minimal.

jeffnz

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#961159 4-Jan-2014 16:35

kiwigeek1: I wouldnt buy a chinese tablet or mobile again even the top brands arent so good.

but I guess an samsung from china might be ok.. if cheaper but you have to pay gst if over $400
if buying online. inc postage price.

perhaps theres some chinese who bought mobile and brought it with them on forum who can answer better

if you are talking about knock offs of top brands I would agree however the major brands that manufacture there are fine or are you suggesting that Samsung, Apple and all the other ones aren't so good because they are made in China?.

As with anything from overseas be careful not only of the manufacturer but also whom you buy off, I've used a couple like Aliexpress and they were fine but it was cheaper products that didn't matter much.

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kiwigeek1

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#961161 4-Jan-2014 16:40

dx.com have pretty good support.. I never had problem with returns.(but I get maybe 1/4 fail or broken in post lol). just it takes longer then locally
to get support but sometimes their english not so good but they always refund inc postage
or replace item with free shipping again..

pros and cons.. so if under $400 to bring in a device and risk of not trying before you buy..
and hope its not bashed about in the post during delivery.. *I swear they throw and jump on my parcels :)

my mom got locally (before xmas) a samsung note 2 for $745nz from vodafone... works great and really its more like a mini tablet
with phone 3g/4g added.

I guess the newer note 3 came out and so they clearing old stock

kiwigeek1

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#961164 4-Jan-2014 16:46

im mean the top chinese brands.. which are mostly good (tablets can have firmware issues or weak wifis)

but if samsung then should be ok

some of us cant afford the expensive stuff and settle for 2nd best.. so chinese knock offs arent so bad

but with the issues of tablet Im put off getting one of those again.. 10 inch one at least.. but just have read
of reviews from customers before buying id best if any.. normally they steer you right

alas I took a risk with tablet no reviews and was latest dual core 10 inch at the time.

pros and cons

if got $400 I rather save up $300 MORE and try for a local tablet or phone is what im saying.

HowickDota

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#961175 4-Jan-2014 16:51

Find the model you want to buy first from reviews from actual users (not stores) and then go on aliexpress to compare prices and sellers.

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vexxxboy

4245 posts

Uber Geek

#961181 4-Jan-2014 17:24

read this forum , some good advice and reviews

http://www.gpforums.co.nz/threads/467425-2013-Best-China-Phones-and-Built-in-3g-Tablets

Common sense is not as common as you think.

sonyxperiageek

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#961266 4-Jan-2014 20:13

If you are going to buy a well known brand mobile phone from China, you might as well buy a parallel imported phone that is also as cheap from say MobiCityNZ, Expert Infotech, Mobile Station etc.. as you still get a warranty when you buy it, and unless you are actually going to China and you buy the phone in person, you wouldn't know if it was a genuine phone or a dud one.

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#961287 4-Jan-2014 21:20

sonyxperiageek: If you are going to buy a well known brand mobile phone from China, you might as well buy a parallel imported phone that is also as cheap from say MobiCityNZ, Expert Infotech, Mobile Station etc.. as you still get a warranty when you buy it, and unless you are actually going to China and you buy the phone in person, you wouldn't know if it was a genuine phone or a dud one.

Exactly. Buying online from China exposes you to the risk of getting fake products. Buying from a local paralell importer or from a known source such as the listed ones gives you a bit of peace of mind.

Cheap Chinese Android tablets/smartphones also sometimes don't have access to Google Play market, or have the same IMEI in all handsets, and some of these are already blocked in New Zealand so you risk getting a handset that can't be used.

tukapa1

725 posts

Ultimate Geek

#961379 5-Jan-2014 09:21

I have some experience after buying two cellphones direct from China.

I would not buy a NZ new phone again after buying these two phones - both have been excellent and far, far cheaper than anything you could purchase locally for the features received.

I did a lot of research and bought a brand called THL - they are a large Chinese company with over 300 stores throughout China.

I bought this phone and it came in under the GST threshold so no extra to pay. I bought it from antelife which is why I linked to this page. You may be able to find it cheaper elsewhere and THL have their own online store.

I have had it for over 6 months now and have had no problems.

From memory you have to ensure it has 3G 850/2100 to work on the Telecom network and GSM 900/1800 to work on Vodafone/2 degrees.

The screen on the W8S is excellent, battery life with average use is 2 days, I'm running mine on the XT network and have full use for calling, 3G internet and the play store.

This is just my experience for your information, to balance out all the naysayers.

freitasm

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#961384 5-Jan-2014 09:28

tukapa1: From memory you have to ensure it has 3G 850/2100 to work on the Telecom network and GSM 900/1800 to work on Vodafone/2 degrees.

Forget about GSM. That's 2G and it's basically the same in all handsets. What YOU NEED to remember is 850/2100 WCDMA for Telecom and 900/2100 WCDMA for Vodafone/2degrees.

GSM (2G) is not the same as WCDMA (3G).

old3eyes

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#961449 5-Jan-2014 12:03

tukapa1: I have some experience after buying two cellphones direct from China.

I would not buy a NZ new phone again after buying these two phones - both have been excellent and far, far cheaper than anything you could purchase locally for the features received.

I did a lot of research and bought a brand called THL - they are a large Chinese company with over 300 stores throughout China.

I bought this phone and it came in under the GST threshold so no extra to pay. I bought it from antelife which is why I linked to this page. You may be able to find it cheaper elsewhere and THL have their own online store.

I have had it for over 6 months now and have had no problems.

From memory you have to ensure it has 3G 850/2100 to work on the Telecom network and GSM 900/1800 to work on Vodafone/2 degrees.

The screen on the W8S is excellent, battery life with average use is 2 days, I'm running mine on the XT network and have full use for calling, 3G internet and the play store.

This is just my experience for your information, to balance out all the naysayers.

It says that it has two SIMs. Do they both work on 3G or only the first SIM??

Regards,

Old3eyes

NZtechfreak

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#961464 5-Jan-2014 12:09

It can be OK to buy from China, in fact for some actually quite worthwhile handsets (Huawei/Oppo/Xiaomi/Meizu) it is the only way to go. I got the Huawei D Quad XL from Ali Express, got the seller recommendation from Paul Obrien of Modaco, who quite regularly buys handsets from there. Had no troubles with that transaction, even though it felt a lot more fraught with danger than other online purchases I've made.

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HowickDota

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#961473 5-Jan-2014 12:22

old3eyes:
tukapa1: I have some experience after buying two cellphones direct from China.

I would not buy a NZ new phone again after buying these two phones - both have been excellent and far, far cheaper than anything you could purchase locally for the features received.

I did a lot of research and bought a brand called THL - they are a large Chinese company with over 300 stores throughout China.

I bought this phone and it came in under the GST threshold so no extra to pay. I bought it from antelife which is why I linked to this page. You may be able to find it cheaper elsewhere and THL have their own online store.

I have had it for over 6 months now and have had no problems.

From memory you have to ensure it has 3G 850/2100 to work on the Telecom network and GSM 900/1800 to work on Vodafone/2 degrees.

The screen on the W8S is excellent, battery life with average use is 2 days, I'm running mine on the XT network and have full use for calling, 3G internet and the play store.

This is just my experience for your information, to balance out all the naysayers.

It says that it has two SIMs. Do they both work on 3G or only the first SIM??

My Jiayu G4 is dual sim and when I had 2deg and Telecom only one would work with 3G. It's probably the same case on this phone given it's using the same chip.

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