moondog

low end phones start at around y300. ....and, if you really want to cut costs, you could always pick up a used phone at an electronics market like the one on women's street in beijing.

but, a good phone might not be a bad investment if you are a frequent traveler. many of the current top end nokia and sony-ericsson phones work pretty much everywhere, including japan/korea.

it's true that hk is a better place to buy phones than the prc because they get the new models sooner and prices are a bit cheaper. that said, china isn't that bad.

phones purchased in the us/uk/etc are much cheaper, of course, because their prices are subsidized by subscription agreements. furthermore, unlocking a phone (whether done by cingular et al or a private party) is pretty easy these days. the only downsides i can think of going this route are: 1) us cell providers rarely offer the latest models; and 2) you're unlikely to get asian language support. software upgrades can often address #2