SGS2 Should i buy from ebay for NZ.

Forums › Android › SGS2 Should i buy from ebay for NZ.

menac3

16 posts

Geek

#123367 5-Jul-2013 00:41

Hi everybody, it is my first post here, so hi to all again.

I joined because I need to finally upgrade to a smart phone in order to answer work emails during the day. And need to get advise from kiwis on this one. Although now I am here it looks like a pretty solid community and it will be nice actually to discuss this type of stuff with kiwis on top of the usual international/American forums I use.

Anyway on with my question, I decided an SGS2 looks like a good economical way to get into a smart phone. And I guess there should be plenty of folk about who know the ins and outs with this model. I found this one on ebay and it looks like a pretty good deal compared to what I see in NZ. The seller has sold quiet a few of them, always a good thing.

1, Will this be fine for use in NZ?
2, Is this the right/good model of SGS2 to get?
3, In case I missed something, does anybody know of an as good or nearly as good deal in NZ?

Please note I am totally new to smart phones as I am too much of an internet addict as it is and have held out for this reason. But now it looks like I have to bite the bullet for business purpose's.... I use Ubuntu as I like things "light", efficiant and effective. So there is no doubt I will be doing rooting and roms quick smart when I learn the ins and outs.

Here is the ebay link to the auction I am looking at. Well to auctions actually.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/370710791259?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

http://www.ebay.com/itm/370785236156?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Thanks for taking the time to read my post and any advice will be received with gratitude.

Cheers
Menac3

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618 posts

Ultimate Geek

#849456 5-Jul-2013 01:23

The SGS2 will suit you well as a first smartphone. For 2 year old hardware, it still runs most things well. I got mine a couple of weeks after the initial UK launch and only stopped using it about a month ago when I got an S4. That's 2 years of solid use and abuse and it still runs ok. I'd offer to sell you mine cheap, but it's pretty beat up (several drops, no case) and I don't have a proper charger for it.

If you're thinking of buying one through eBay, be careful which model you get. The ones to look for are the I9100 and the I9100T, as these are the models sold by Voda and Telecom. Other models, particularly the ones made for the US networks, may not support the frequencies used here.

Don't worry too much about which software comes on the phone. The process for flashing a generic English firmware onto a Hong Kong-sourced model is pretty easy and there are plenty of folks here who can give advice or help.

Of the two eBay links you posted, the first one is the right one. The price isn't too bad, because the lowest price I can find locally is about $370 plus shipping. You shouldn't need to pay GST on it either.

HamiltonJack

41 posts

Geek

#854929 13-Jul-2013 12:46

Hi

I would recommend the S3 at least, over the S2.
I bought a SGS3 from these guys:
http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/Mobile-Phones-/9355/i.html?item=180909524738&pt=AU_Digital_Cameras&_ssn=oz_digital_online

It was all good and purchased for about $200 cheaper than available in NZ.
Unfortunately, customs grabbed it on its way into NZ and I had to pay an additional $90 in GST etc - so overall, I saved about $100 - the phone has been great so far - though in hindsight, I actually think next time I will buy locally - simply for the piece of mind of being able to take it into the store if it goes fubar - sending back to HK for a replacement or warranty issue does not fill me with joy.

That said it has bee totally fine so far.

Also - check out pricespy to see if you can't find the product in NZ for a decent price...
http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=1172708#rparams=ss=galaxy%20s2

menac3

16 posts

Geek

#861783 18-Jul-2013 18:25

Thanks for the replies guys. Greatly appreiciated.

So an s2 i9100 should arrive any day now. Time to learn how to root. Can't help my self with that one lol

jeffnz

2870 posts

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#861811 18-Jul-2013 18:59

menac3: Thanks for the replies guys. Greatly appreiciated.

So an s2 i9100 should arrive any day now. Time to learn how to root. Can't help my self with that one lol

have fun its not as bad as it looks or sounds

Noob guides

Galaxy S10

Garmin Fenix 5

menac3

16 posts

Geek

#874311 9-Aug-2013 01:06

Hi guys, thought I would fill you in on how things went for me. It arrived a couple of days after I last posted, let it charge for ages while I finished reading up on rooting etc. Turned it on and flicked around gingerbread for about ten minutes before installing AOKP. AOKP defiantly seemed way cooler although it was all a little too much so I changed over to Cyanogenmod, which I am still using. I'd say I will be back to AOKP when I'm am totally familiar with a much more standard ROM. And loving the smart phone experiance! Just need to learn about the privacy issues around this new platform. Certainly I am cautious about what apps I install and like to read up on certain things before i install them. Viber seems to have too higher price tag for my liking, anyway that's nearly ranting.... In any case it is doing for very well what I brought it for. Can't wait for Ubuntu touch to happen for this phone!

BUT, after about a week of using it I noticed something about the screen. Down the right hand side of the screen I guess about 7.5% of the pixels are all brighter with less contrast. Most people would take a while to notice it. But once you have its clearly there on most colours. Although not to the point that I notice while I’m using it generally. So I emailed the seller about this and with the click of a finger was able to get 70usd back from him. I will be happy to take a gamble at this point and just use it as its really not that noticeable in general use. The fact that the seller did not ask any question and just refunded certainly indicates IMO that the phones they sell are not purely brand new of the standard Samsung shelf and are some form of factory faulty units or coming out of the factory in slightly different ways(as I have now heard from some others when I have talked about this with them).

There we have it, that’s how my buying my phone of ebay turned it. All in all Im happy with what i have for the price.

kiwijunglist

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#874313 9-Aug-2013 01:45

Yes can't expect a phone that is 2 generations old and hasn't been manufactured for a long time to be brand new. It just wouldn't be economical to retain stock for over a year before selling it. I would guess that 0% of the S2 that guy is selling are brand new, unless he somehow discovered a misplaced box of unsold S2 that had been sitting in a warehouse for a couple of years. $130USD for a 2nd hand faulty S2 is probably not too bad as long as the screen doesn't get any worse.

HTPC / Home automation (home assistant) enthusiast.

menac3

16 posts

Geek

#874314 9-Aug-2013 02:06

Sure didn't look very second hand.

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

stevenz

2802 posts

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#874593 9-Aug-2013 14:21

How does Viber have a "high price tag"? It's a free app.

The fault you describe sounds like light-bleed which is not entirely uncommon. Given that they were released over 2 years ago, and production of them would've ceased well over 1 year ago, I wouldn't expect it to be "brand new".

Good phones though, mine served me well for quite a while.

@KnightNZ

menac3

16 posts

Geek

#874748 9-Aug-2013 19:43

stevenz: How does Viber have a "high price tag"? It's a free app.

The amount of personal information you have to give to god knows who in order to use the service.

blakamin

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#874773 9-Aug-2013 20:24

kiwijunglist: Yes can't expect a phone that is 2 generations old and hasn't been manufactured for a long time to be brand new.

They still sell them brand new in Aussie. Some are even 4g.

http://www.telstra.com.au/latest-offers/samsung-galaxy-sii-4g/

http://shop.vodafone.com.au/mobile-specs/samsung-galaxy-s-II?cmp=sem_Shop_google_SG2_SYSWD_DR_samsung+galaxy+s2&mkwid=s0lAWLVHi&pdv=c&pcrid=35916296132&pkw=samsung%20galaxy%20s2&pmt=b

kiwijunglist

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#874783 9-Aug-2013 20:34

Interesting, thanks for the links :) It looks like that is technically a different phone/model to the ones that were linked as "brand new" on ebay. It has faster CPU larger 4.5" screen and 4G radio. But I'm surprised that it looks like vodafone au is selling the old version, unless they made a mistake in their listing and it is actually the newer model.

HTPC / Home automation (home assistant) enthusiast.

blakamin

4431 posts

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#874785 9-Aug-2013 20:38

kiwijunglist: Interesting, thanks for the links :) It looks like the 4G version is technically a different model with faster CPU and 4G radio. But I'm surprised that it looks like vodafone au is selling the old version, unless they made a mistake in their listing and it is actually the newer model with 1.5ghz dual core.

It's probably the old one... vodafone over here has a really bad reputation! ;P
And being a free phone on a $30 plan, I'd nearly put money on it!

You'd be amazed at the android phones we get here... cheap!

stevenz

2802 posts

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#874788 9-Aug-2013 20:41

menac3:
stevenz: How does Viber have a "high price tag"? It's a free app.

The amount of personal information you have to give to god knows who in order to use the service.

I gave them my name and cellphone number, that was all.

@KnightNZ

menac3

16 posts

Geek

#874830 9-Aug-2013 21:08

stevenz:
menac3:
stevenz: How does Viber have a "high price tag"? It's a free app.

The amount of personal information you have to give to god knows who in order to use the service.

I gave them my name and cellphone number, that was all.

If your saying you signed up to viber then as far as I understand they take your whole address book, and monitor your call logs and share your information with people they trust.

According to what i have read. I always look carefully into these privacy issues when considering signing up to new popular communication/social networking site/program.

bradstewart

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#874864 9-Aug-2013 22:01

Viber uploads your contacts to match to other users. Without that you wouldn't know which of your contacts was using Viber.

As for custom software on the SGS2, hardware acceleration is still not working. Probably better off with a stock 4.1.2 tbh.

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