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Phone for USA

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  • 22-05-2014 10:36am
    #1
    pat_cork
    Closed Accounts Posts: 81 ✭✭


    Good morning, I'm going on a j1 next week and I'm wondering whether I should buy a phone here or over there? Where would it be cheaper and if I buy a phone over there will it work back here? I'd be willing to spend €400 on the phone I'm not pushed on the make. A few people told me to just buy a cheap phone over there but I'd like to be able to contact people back home on Viber or whatever.

    Thanks


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    #2
    McSween
    Registered Users Posts: 1,271 ✭✭✭McSween


    pat_cork wrote: »
    Good morning, I'm going on a j1 next week and I'm wondering whether I should buy a phone here or over there? Where would it be cheaper and if I buy a phone over there will it work back here? I'd be willing to spend €400 on the phone I'm not pushed on the make. A few people told me to just buy a cheap phone over there but I'd like to be able to contact people back home on Viber or whatever.

    Thanks

    I bought a tracfone. Make was Samsung. Cost 7.50 and pay as you go. You need to ensure that if you buy an expensive phone that it is unlocked for when you come back.


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    #3
    pat_cork
    Closed Accounts Posts: 81 ✭✭pat_cork


    Cool thanks for reply


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    #4
    él statutorio
    Registered Users Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭él statutorio


    Get your Irish phone unlocked and just lob a US SIM card into it when you get there.

    AT&T and T-Mobile are your options.

    I find T-Mobile have better pay as you go options but their coverage isn't as good as AT&T outside of the cities.


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    #5
    pat_cork
    Closed Accounts Posts: 81 ✭✭pat_cork


    él statutorio wrote: »
    Get your Irish phone unlocked and just lob a US SIM card into it when you get there.

    AT&T and T-Mobile are your options.

    I find T-Mobile have better pay as you go options but their coverage isn't as good as AT&T outside of the cities.

    Would it be cheaper to buy a phone out there though then get it unlocked out there? I only have a very basic phone atm.


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    #6
    él statutorio
    Registered Users Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭él statutorio


    Not really, most of the phones over there are the same price as here.

    If you have your heart set on a new phone, buy one on SIM free and then you can do what you like with it.

    Motorola Moto G's are under €200 as far as I know and that's a cracking phone. Would be grand for a J1 too, a broken €200 phone is easier to take than a broken €400 phone. (Presuming you'll be on the beer and messing about)


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    #7
    pat_cork
    Closed Accounts Posts: 81 ✭✭pat_cork


    OK cool thanks. That Motorola looks nice alright. Yes there'll be an awful lot of messing about. Thanks for your help :D


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    #8
    él statutorio
    Registered Users Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭él statutorio


    Enjoy yourself!


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    #9
    spideog7
    Registered Users Posts: 1,230 ✭✭✭spideog7


    Even AT&T and TMobile have systems that aren't fully compatible with Europe and not every phone will work. The same phone out there might have different hardware in it. Better to buy it in Ireland and at least you know it will work here when you come back.

    To be fair there are a few threads about this on here recently, do a search.


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    #10
    Mars Bar
    Registered Users Posts: 31,887 ✭✭✭✭Mars Bar


    Sorry for hijacking the thread but I've got something similar to ask. However, I already have my new phone. I got the M8 with Vodafone so it's locked. I was told something about the imei number so I could go to T-Mobile or AT&T. Anyone know how that works? I'll be in the U.S for 8 weeks.


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    #11
    hfallada
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,180 ✭✭✭hfallada


    Mars Bar wrote: »
    Sorry for hijacking the thread but I've got something similar to ask. However, I already have my new phone. I got the M8 with Vodafone so it's locked. I was told something about the imei number so I could go to T-Mobile or AT&T. Anyone know how that works? I'll be in the U.S for 8 weeks.

    No. Vodafone need to unlock it or you can buy aunlocking cover off eBay. If you don't unlock it, another sim won't wotk. When the phone is unlocked, you just put in a us sim and its good to go.


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    #12
    JackF1
    Registered Users Posts: 73 ✭✭JackF1


    Watch out for AT&T and there absurd pricing systems

    I travel a lot to the US and use my Irish phone cause I ain't paying but I did do a j1 and remember getting charged by em for texts received - even when they sent them!


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    #13
    Mars Bar
    Registered Users Posts: 31,887 ✭✭✭✭Mars Bar


    hfallada wrote: »
    No. Vodafone need to unlock it or you can buy aunlocking cover off eBay. If you don't unlock it, another sim won't wotk. When the phone is unlocked, you just put in a us sim and its good to go.

    I know it'll have to be unlocked. Would Vodafone do it for me?
    When I put in the U.S. sim card, will it still be unlocked so I can just use my Vodafone sim when I come back?
    JackF1 wrote: »
    Watch out for AT&T and there absurd pricing systems

    I travel a lot to the US and use my Irish phone cause I ain't paying but I did do a j1 and remember getting charged by em for texts received - even when they sent them!

    We're supposed to go with T-Mobile anyway I think.


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    #14
    spideog7
    Registered Users Posts: 1,230 ✭✭✭spideog7


    JackF1 wrote: »
    Watch out for AT&T and there absurd pricing systems

    I travel a lot to the US and use my Irish phone cause I ain't paying but I did do a j1 and remember getting charged by em for texts received - even when they sent them!

    Every company in the US charges for texts and calls received. They don't have mobile only numbers over here (you get your local area code when you get a new mobile phone number) so they can't charge extra for calls made to mobile, instead they charge the receiver. Of course that billing system is totally redundant in this day and age but they're making money from it. In general the US public and big corporations are very slow to adapt new technology. Mobile phone plans in general are a lot more expensive than home too.


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    #15
    él statutorio
    Registered Users Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭él statutorio


    spideog7 wrote: »
    Even AT&T and TMobile have systems that aren't fully compatible with Europe and not every phone will work. The same phone out there might have different hardware in it. Better to buy it in Ireland and at least you know it will work here when you come back.

    To be fair there are a few threads about this on here recently, do a search.

    In my experience this has never been an issue. Almost all smart phones are tri band and will work on the 2 frequencies over here and the two used in the US. (one frequency is common to both iirc).

    If it's a phone made recently you'll be fine.


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    #16
    él statutorio
    Registered Users Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭él statutorio


    Mars Bar wrote: »
    Sorry for hijacking the thread but I've got something similar to ask. However, I already have my new phone. I got the M8 with Vodafone so it's locked. I was told something about the imei number so I could go to T-Mobile or AT&T. Anyone know how that works? I'll be in the U.S for 8 weeks.

    Double check that it is in fact actually locked. I've had a few Vodafone HTC phones and while they are branded (Vodafone boot screen) none of them have been SIM locked.
    It's worth lashing in a non Vodafone SIM over here to check.


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    #17
    spideog7
    Registered Users Posts: 1,230 ✭✭✭spideog7


    él statutorio wrote: »
    In my experience this has never been an issue. Almost all smart phones are tri band and will work on the 2 frequencies over here and the two used in the US. (one frequency is common to both iirc).

    If it's a phone made recently you'll be fine.

    For voice yes but not if you want to use the highest speed data, that uses different frequencies again from the voice channels.


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    #18
    él statutorio
    Registered Users Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭él statutorio


    spideog7 wrote: »
    For voice yes but not if you want to use the highest speed data, that uses different frequencies again from the voice channels.

    You are quite correct. But, I have a HTC one (m7) and I get 4g speeds on t-mobile with it. Maybe it's less of an issue with newer devices?


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    #19
    spideog7
    Registered Users Posts: 1,230 ✭✭✭spideog7


    él statutorio wrote: »
    You are quite correct. But, I have a HTC one (m7) and I get 4g speeds on t-mobile with it. Maybe it's less of an issue with newer devices?

    Honestly I don't know, I stopped looking into it when I got my most recent phone because it seemed unlikely I'd be heading home in its lifetime. That being said this one works fine in both markets. But since the question was posed I figured it was best to inform people that it may be an issue, it was an issue with my last phone and that was only a year and a half ago or so.


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