Hong Kong and Macau - Where to buy a mobile phone

Hi all,
Traveling to Hong Kong next month and I want to take the opportunity to buy a Samsung Galaxy S II, unlocked, so I can use it in Australia.

Has anyone got any good ideas of where I should pick one up in Hong Kong. Are there any pitfalls for buying a mobile in HK for use in Australia?

Thanks heaps.

TKM

Wirelessly posted (iPhone 4: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

Just buy it from major electronic shops namely fortress or boardway.

I don't think any phones sold in HK are locked unless you are buying it second hand, but if you buy it new from any major electronic store as ChrisLi said you will be fine.

Even buying from Broadway/Forrtress make sure you pay by credit card and the unlocked phone with model and serial number is on the invoice, for your protection.

I was given a locked phone. Without getting anywhere and accumulating IDD cal to them I initiated a chargeback with all documentation. two days later I got a call from a manager who sent me steps and code to unlock the phone and gave me a 500HKD credit.

I was thinking of doing the same to get an iPhone to use back in the UK, but had/have no idea if that would work back in the UK, but, seeing the advice above, it may be an idea...

Are things really a lot cheaper in HK?

I was thinking of doing the same to get an iPhone to use back in the UK, but had/have no idea if that would work back in the UK, but, seeing the advice above, it may be an idea...

Are things really a lot cheaper in HK?

Apple products in HK are priced about the same as in the US, and significantly cheaper than in Europe.

Apple products in HK are priced about the same as in the US, and significantly cheaper than in Europe.

Only if you can get one. Getting an iPhone 4s is super annoying and troublesome as you have to fight with other mainlanders

I was thinking of doing the same to get an iPhone to use back in the UK, but had/have no idea if that would work back in the UK, but, seeing the advice above, it may be an idea...

Are things really a lot cheaper in HK?

Only if you check the price before hand but yes, normally cheaper than UK and EU

Hi all,
Traveling to Hong Kong next month and I want to take the opportunity to buy a Samsung Galaxy S II, unlocked, so I can use it in Australia.

Has anyone got any good ideas of where I should pick one up in Hong Kong. Are there any pitfalls for buying a mobile in HK for use in Australia?

Thanks heaps.

TKM

Price is generally "not negotiable" but the shop will throw in "free gifts" such as screen guard, adaptors, etc. Make sure you ask and compare shop. Bring your existing phone/SIM card with you to check out the new phone to make sure that it's unlocked.

Personally, I have better experience at Broadway than Fortress. Twice in recent months, Fortress sales rep. was trying to do a bait and switch with the free gifts on me, or claimed at check out that the gifts have all been given out and there was no substitute, so I walked out.

Thanks for the info.

Or try one of the many smaller vendors in Sin Tat if you're feeling adventurous.

Or try one of the many smaller vendors in Sin Tat if you're feeling adventurous.

The place where monthly police raids occur(to retrieve stolen goods). There is no better adventure destination for mobile phone shopping in HK.

You are pretty much guaranteed to receive a phone that comes with counterfeit battery/accessories, to start. The phone itself could be refurbished, re-manufactured - using salvage/stolen/counterfeit components - locally known as "ghost phone".

Unless of course you are buying a phone that is a very recent release and the factories in China haven't managed to produce the counterfeit accessories/packaging.

Probably the safest bet is to buy the phone from one of the major retailers, namely (as already mentioned) Fortress or Broadway. They are much the same and the retail price is pretty much the same across the board.

I've had luck in the past heading over to the Wanchai Computer Centre and getting a bit better discount, or better "freebies" thrown in then I would have got with Fortress / Broadway.

Goes without saying, make sure you double check everything, Hong Kong has really poor consumer protection laws and it is very much "buyer beware" here.

Even buying from one of the established chains, I once got a phone that is used, with time logged in the hidden, un-resettable lifetime odometer. 99% of the users would not know such stats exist as the other user-accessible odometer reads zero.

It is not illegal to sell returned goods as new in HK.

Even buying from one of the established chains, I once got a phone that is used, with time logged in the hidden, un-resettable lifetime odometer. 99% of the users would not know such stats exist as the other user-accessible odometer reads zero.

It is not illegal to sell returned goods as new in HK.

That last statement is totally unfounded. Can you please provide me with the legislation that says that its not illegal to sell returned goods as new in HK.

That last statement is totally unfounded. Can you please provide me with the legislation that says that its not illegal to sell returned goods as new in HK.

How about you "provide me with the legislation that says it's not illegal to sell <insert anything you find in a supermarket here>" ? See the problem?

So typically, no I cannot find anything in the law book that says it's not illegal to do XXX.

Rather I should be asking you sir, which HK legislation says it is illegal to sell returned goods as new.

Rather I should be asking you sir, which HK legislation says it is illegal to sell returned goods as new.

Selling goods not new as new may contravene the law in Hong Kong and in any case is actionable.

How about you "provide me with the legislation that says it's not illegal to sell <insert anything you find in a supermarket here>" ? See the problem?

So typically, no I cannot find anything in the law book that says it's not illegal to do XXX.

Rather I should be asking you sir, which HK legislation says it is illegal to sell returned goods as new.

Mate, you were the one that made the statement, now back it up.

Hint, do a search for "Sale of Goods Ordinance".

The place where monthly police raids occur(to retrieve stolen goods). There is no better adventure destination for mobile phone shopping in HK.

You are pretty much guaranteed to receive a phone that comes with counterfeit battery/accessories, to start. The phone itself could be refurbished, re-manufactured - using salvage/stolen/counterfeit components - locally known as "ghost phone".

Unless of course you are buying a phone that is a very recent release and the factories in China haven't managed to produce the counterfeit accessories/packaging.

OK, I did not know about the police raids. My sister's boyfriend is a local and recommended it to me, as did some HK-based people on a cellphone enthusiast forum I frequent. There are certain phones you can't find anywhere else in HK (many, many Japan-market phones can be purchased unlocked from there that you can only get in a locked state in Japan), and since post-purchase disasters at Gome HK (2009) and Fortress (2010) (probably related to your "It is not illegal to sell returned goods as new in HK." though I have no idea how to check on the particular phones I bought) I figure there's not that much of a difference in terms of after-sales support.

Just moved here, can someone recommend which cell service provider to choose from? Do I go buy a cel at one of those stores mentioned in that thread first and then figure out who offers cel phone service? Thanks for any suggestion

Wirelessly posted (iPhone 4: Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; Android 4.1.2; C6603 Build/10.1.A.1.434) AppleWebKit/537.31 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/26.0.1410.58 Mobile Safari/537.31)

If you are going to stay here long enough, get a 24 months plan and get a rebate. If not, then just go buy from those stores and get a prepaid SIM or no commitment service plan from those operators

Here's a couple of threads that might be helpful [from technology forum]:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hong-kong-macau/756950-best-prepaid-sim-card-hk.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-technology/1240308-hong-kong-sim-card-free-incoming-calls-hk.html

You might also do a search on this thread.