Buying mobile phone in Singapore or Bangkok?
 

Hello,

Three questions for the experts:
1) Is it better (i.e. cheaper) to buy a mobile phone in Singapore or Bangkok?
2) Where is a good location to do so? (Note: I'm not a good haggler)
3) What is a recommended model for someone looking for only basic functionality (although small form factor will be appreciated)?

Thanks.

1) As opposed to bying it where? Some models are cheaper in Asia, but not all.

2) Bangkok - Pantip plaza or MBK complex.

3) It depends on what you are going to use this phone for and in what country. And obviously, how much you are willing to spend - can be from $20 to $1000 in MBK.

Sorry for the ambiguous phrasing. I meant the two choices were: a) Singapore or b) Bangkok.

Use only in SIN and BKK. Need only the most basic of functionality.

If you are looking for a basic cell phone, I think Bangkok will probably run a bit cheaper. You will find the best prices on used phones - there's a lot of swapping of barely-used phones for newer models with more complex features. I'm not sure that you really need to seek out Panthip or MBK - any shopping mall in the city has a cellphone center with several vendors and all sorts of prices. Nokia seems to be the most popular brand, but all the major manufacturers are well-represented. As for SIM cards, the best deal I found was for 40-baht at a temple fair.:)

If you want only a dual band, no frills phone, Bkk shopping malls is your best bet. Used or barely used phones can be had for well under $100.

I recommend 1-2 Call prepaid sim card .

At the "Mall" in Bangkapi area (which is out of town - but you can find comparable in town), downstairs in department store, you can get 1-2 Call, pick your own number and I think about B120 with B100 minutes. In same Mall, I think level 4, there are tons of mobile phone kiosks.

is language support is a concern? i'd imagine that thai phone will support thai and probably english (guessing here). singapore phones should support english, chinese, malay at least and maybe tamil too.

Good point. Most if not all phones will have both English and other languages.

If not wanting to haggle also means you want to buy from a more reputable vendor, then you are probably better of in Singapore. For a cheap phone though I don't think it will make much difference between the two and would personally buy from the more convenient city.

You have answers for Bangkok. I'd buy from Sim Lim Square in Singapore - but not from the ground floor.

Last time a friend wanted a cheap and cheerful phone in Singapore we just asked about the cheapest nokia in 2-3 shops in Sim Lim to make sure we had a rough sense of price. Worked out at about $60USD I think, and there was very little (though some) haggling.

On a recent trip to Singapore, I was surprised to find that the prices in Singapore aren't as cheap as I'd expect. Mind you, I was comparing it to prices in Hong Kong. Here are some prices on Palm devices (Sing dollars). I didn't keep any of the papers so I can't provide any prices on cell phones.

Treo 750 $998
Treo 500v $698
Treo 680 $699-$728
TX $499
T E2 $348

Taken from a promotional flyer. I found prices to be much better in HK. Since I didn't go to Bangkok, I can't say about prices there.

Make sure it is set to English
 

Just a quick tip to those buying in HKG, or BKK.

Have the store guy set the phone to English for you. It is not easy when the instructions come up in Chinese or Thai and you are trying to figure it out.

Usually not a problem in Singapore, but I have a friend who still can't use the phone she bought in HKG because of the language settings.

It is a two second job for someone that reads the other language, impossible for the rest of us.

I have purchased several in Singapore, although it is quite possible that depending on model some can be had cheaper in BKK. Places that I shop for phones are:

Sim Lim Square, as mentioned by a prior poster.
Funan IT Mall
Lucky Plaza
Mustafa (little/no haggling here, IME)

You also might want to check Ebay, especially if you are not looking for anything more than basic functionality.

I just looked and there are 12,000 phones available without contracts and unlocked starting at $1 plus shipping.

Just make sure the phone you buy is unlocked.

I researched this exact subject a few months ago and Bangkok was cheaper than Singapore in 'ordinary' stores. I didn't check market prices with haggling.

Regarding the language, in my (limited) experience, Nokias are set with the language as "Automatic" out of the box so it picks it up from the SIM card. If you're using an overseas SIM, it would switch to English but a Thai SIM may switch to Thai. When you buy a phone in Bangkok, they usually ask you to put your SIM card in to check it works before leaving the store so if it shows up in Thai then, the guy in the store could change it for you.

I researched this exact subject a few months ago and Bangkok was cheaper than Singapore in 'ordinary' stores. I didn't check market prices with haggling.

Regarding the language, in my (limited) experience, Nokias are set with the language as "Automatic" out of the box so it picks it up from the SIM card. If you're using an overseas SIM, it would switch to English but a Thai SIM may switch to Thai. When you buy a phone in Bangkok, they usually ask you to put your SIM card in to check it works before leaving the store so if it shows up in Thai then, the guy in the store could change it for you.

I will be travelling to Bangkok and Hongkong and thought that rather than starting a new thread I'll bring this one back for updates. So, how would Hongkong compare to Singapore and Bangkok, and where would one go to get an unlocked phone that will work well in North America (Canada)?