Which phones not to buy in Asia?

[grilw]

Hey ya'll , I'm heading to Singapore and the region this January and plan to get a 5MP+ camera phone , either the Samsung Innov8, the Sony C905, Nokia N series of some sort, or one of the other cool newish phones on the scene.

My question is about frequencies / bands. I am with Rogers, so which band / frequency must the phone have in order for me to use it in Canada ? I do not intend on using the phone for surfing the web or doing video calls. Just call + SMS text + maybe use the WiFi on it.

Triband ? Quadband ? Which bands do I need to have? ?

Thanks!

[Kwirky]

I believe Rogers uses 1900MHz/850MHz for GSM, 850MHz for HSDPA (aka 3.5G). 1900MHz only will work in many areas, but coverage will be poor compared to a handset with 850MHz.

[brunes]

I believe Rogers uses 1900MHz/850MHz for GSM, 850MHz for HSDPA (aka 3.5G). 1900MHz only will work in many areas, but coverage will be poor compared to a handset with 850MHz.

Yep - make sure you get 850 Mhz.

Also make sure the UI is english :)

[Hairball]

If you want 3G in Canada, you'd need UMTS 850/1900 as well, but this is rare to find overseas.

A quad-band GSM (that has 850/1900) will be fine though.

[grilw]

So for talk and text I need 850 / 1900 GSM
For data plans and video calls I need 3G with UMTS ( not planning on using this )

And must make sure that it has english UI . Thanks !

[Hairball]

For data plans and video calls I need 3G with UMTS ( not planning on using this )

You don't necessarily need 3G/UMTS/HSPA (so many diff names) for data, if you have GPRS or EDGE in a phone that will work too.

This is like alphabet soup if you're not too familiar with phones, but hope it helps.

[grilw]

It sure does, thanks !

On a similar note ... is there any financial point in buying a phone in asia vs. here in Canada ? Are they actually significantly cheaper for the same phones , or are phones over there just much better , and proportionately more expensive ?

I am talking about the Sony Ericsson C902, W902, Nokia 6220 Classic, Nokia N82, etc.

[Hairball]

It sure does, thanks !

On a similar note ... is there any financial point in buying a phone in asia vs. here in Canada ? Are they actually significantly cheaper for the same phones , or are phones over there just much better , and proportionately more expensive ?

I am talking about the Sony Ericsson C902, W902, Nokia 6220 Classic, Nokia N82, etc.

I don't think it's any cheaper, but the selection is much more broad, and most phones in Asia are unlocked. It's easier to get them compared to over here.