I need some ideas and opinions on a new mobile phone. I've been using Sprint for 5 years and am very happy with them, but they are miserably failing in the CDMA/GSM Dual-Mode arena. With all my travelling, I desperately need GSM coverage. The only offering they have is the dual-mode Samsung A790, a miserable piece of crap and lousy excuse for a phone.
There are a few WCDMA/GSM Dual-Band phones out there, but naturally those do not work on US-based CDMA networks. I'm not having a lot of luck finding CDMA/GSM phones otherwise.
If I switch away from Sprint, my intent is to get an unlocked GSM phone so I can get prepaid local-national GSM SIM cards to avoid international calling rates to the country I'm visiting.
So, here are my choices:
- Stay with Sprint and buy a high-end CDMA Phone. Buy a cheapie GSM phone for international use. I lose all the features of my high-end phone when I travel, but at least I have a GSM phone.
- Switch to someone (probably Cingular). Buy a high-end GSM phone for all use, switching SIM card to a local prepaid when I want to reduce local-calling costs when international.
My preference is to switch to Cingular and say goodbye to Sprint. I'm tired of Sprint's half-assed support of international GSM service - a monthly fee to have a SIM card, high rates, manual switching modes, inability to use US-national GSM.
That said, I also want suggestions on a new phone. I really like the slider phones, would like expandable memory and the ability to play MP3 (at least) and AAC (big bonus). The phone really needs to be quad-band GSM, and I'd prefer EDGE support as well. I also want speakerphone. The phone must be unlocked/unlockable.
I have found a couple phones I really like:
Samsung SGH-D600 - available today for $500, only international (not a problem). The D600 is quad-band, has speakerphone, supports AAC, has expandable memory (transflash). I don't care about the camera (2mp) or video capabilities. Samsung SGH-D600 Information
(This phone is available in the MidEast so I can get one with Arabic on the keys; to me, that's cool. )
Samsung SGH-D820 - Coming Q4'05, no price yet. Only available in Europe (not a problem). The D820 is quad-band, speakerphone, AAC, memory expansion (microSD), quad-band, EDGE. I don't care about the camera (1.3mp) or video capabilities. Samsung SGH-D820 Press Release
I'm open to other suggestions and appreciate anyone's input.
if you plan to use a sim card in a foreign country make sure your phone is unlocked, otherwise the sim card is useless. cingular will give you an unlock code if you have a contract with them for 90 days. or you can find someone on the net that will do it for a nominal fee.
i have cingular and i'm very happy with their service. i'd go with a gsm phone for all around use.
Kal, can't comment on the phones you mentioned and I'm by no means well versed in this subject matter. This site has a ton of good information in you're willing to invest some time in research:
BTW, I've been with T-Mobile for 4 years now and I'm very happy with my service. Got a RAZR recently and renewed my contract for another year and they still gave me the new customer rebate on the phone. $40 a month for 600 daytime minutes (which is more than enough for me) is a pretty good deal in my book.
Spoken like a true wireless neophyte. Verizon uses CDMA, just like Sprint, and is of no use to me. I'm not going to trade Sprint for Verizon, I'll never do business with Verizon if I don't have to.
I've currently got a Sony Erricsson s710a with Cingular and have been happy with it. Can't say the same of my i860 work phone, one of the better Nextel phones but its still Nextel.
I haven't really liked any of the current/past Samsung phones that I've seen. They all felt rather cheap and easily damaged.
Motorola's non-Nextel phones are pretty nice if you don't go bottom of the price barrel.
Howard Chui's site doesn't seem to cover much outside the US, at least from what I could tell. what I really need is a site that has a 100% database of phones with options and features where I can pick what I want from a feature list and get every phone that supports it of all the phones available worldwide.
I've heard a lot of people talk about Samsung just as Phelan did. I had a Samsung mobile as my first Sprint phone, it worked pretty well and I never broke or damaged it in the 2 years I used it. My wife had a Samsung as well, it looked brand new when I replaced it after 3 years.
I replaced my phone with a Sanyo but I bought my wife another Samsung, the N400. That phone was very badly rated from a reliability standpoint but we had zero problems with it and it works fine to this day (aside from battery life, 2 years has taken its toll).
I'm comfortable getting a Samsung, but I can certainly appreciate the concerns about their reliability.
I looked at the Sony phones, and aside from the fact I can't find a design I like they are solid phones. My first preference is slider, second is flip; most of the Sony/Erricson phones with the features I want are standard phones - non-flip non-slider.
Nokia has a slider phone, but lacks the features I want.
Looks like I'm going to get a Samsung, but just need to know when the D820 will be out and how much it'll cost.
I will never buy a Nextel phone. I've yet to see one that has reliability and functionality I want. Besides, they are Sprint, and that's just a sideways step.
Verizon has the best performance. i got rid of them tho because of other bullshit - plus they have the WORST phones.
i went to Cingular for the black Moto raZor --- i love it and have had ZERO problems!
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