If I wanted to get a phone that works in India + California, what would I get?

[Ns1]

Might get another phone if it's feasible for an upcoming trip. What kind of phones should I be looking at? New or used, looking for both recs...

If it's a new phone then I need to be able to take pictures (so gNexus is borderline out). If it's an older phone then only requirement is decent web browsing (or something that I can turn into a hotspot...)

 

[vshah]

could get an international gs2, it would work fine on at&t in the US. that's the only phone that has a substantially better camera than the gnex that won't be super expensive or slow as crap. (at least that I can think of)

gnex is a bargain at $350 though, and cheaper used.

 

[ArJuN]

In today's world you can use almost every phone (GSM is easier) overseas. That being said, I've successfully used an iPhone 4, 4s, and GS3 in India. I've been told the iPhone 5 and Galaxy Note 2 work great too. What's your price range and OS preference?

 

[Ns1]

Thanks.

 

[Ns1]

Anyone know what (if any) variants of the Note 2 would work on ATT + anything in India?

 

[s44]

International or AT&T or (probably -- if, as all all recent flagships, it includes AT&T 3G bands also) T-Mo should all work. Of these, I think only the actual AT&T model will run LTE on AT&T.

 

[Ns1]

International or AT&T or (probably -- if, as all all recent flagships, it includes AT&T 3G bands also) T-Mo should all work. Of these, I think only the actual AT&T model will run LTE on AT&T.

Thanks. Reviews so far look pretty promising and I use the phone function so rarely that I think I'd be willing to put a slate to my ear.

 

[ImDonly1]

Afaik any unlocked Gsm or AT&T branded phone that's unlocked will work in India and on AT&T.

Seems they use 2100 MHz for 3G which almost any phone supports. Tmobile phones too?

 

[Ns1]

Afaik any unlocked Gsm or AT&T branded phone that's unlocked will work in India and on AT&T.

Green for you, thanks.

 

[Strk]

Tmobile phones too

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Tmobile phones too

Tmobile uses 1700 AWS though. I would think most of their phones have 2100, but you need to check. AWS uses like 1700 down, 2100 up, but that doesn't automatically mean you're compatible with UMTS Band 1, which is 2100 which is used for both up and down.

 

[kaerflog]

All T-mobile phones are good in Asia.
All the latest ones have the 2100mhz 3G band thats used in Asia.

 

[ponyo]

Don't you have an iPhone on AT&T? Why not use that in India? If AT&T won't unlock it, you can use unlocking service from Ebay and get it unlocked for ~$6.

 

[lothar]

Might get another phone if it's feasible for an upcoming trip. What kind of phones should I be looking at? New or used, looking for both recs...

If it's a new phone then I need to be able to take pictures (so gNexus is borderline out). If it's an older phone then only requirement is decent web browsing (or something that I can turn into a hotspot...)

Going to swim in the ganges and also see the elephant baba?

 

[Ns1]

Going to swim in the ganges and also see the elephant baba?

I'm actually far, far away from the Ganges

Don't you have an iPhone on AT&T? Why not use that in India? If AT&T won't unlock it, you can use unlocking service from Ebay and get it unlocked for ~$6.

I'm on contract so if I did that I'd have to pay the ETF. If that's the case, I'd rather just buy a Note2 and sell my 4s.

 

[ponyo]

I'm on contract so if I did that I'd have to pay the ETF. If that's the case, I'd rather just buy a Note2 and sell my 4s.

Why would you have to pay the ETF to unlock the 4s? The companies that offer unlocking service on Ebay will cancel your AT&T account by unlocking it?

This company will unlock your AT&T iPhone 4S for $5 and says it's no problem if it's still under contract

 

[Ns1]

Why would you have to pay the ETF to unlock the 4s? The companies that offer unlocking service on Ebay will cancel your AT&T account by unlocking it?

This company will unlock your AT&T iPhone 4S for $5 and says it's no problem if it's still under contract

I've never heard of this so I'll have to read up a bit.

The ETF is to unlock directly from ATT. Thanks for the info.

 

[Ns1]

@Ponyo

it all seems very promising thanks. Can't seem to find any "negatives" for using an eBay unlocking service. The only negative so far is being forced to upgrade to iOS6.

 

[kaerflog]

These new fusion unlock I heard about are legit.
It goes through iTunes of some sort and is permanent.

 

[zerogear]

@Ponyo

it all seems very promising thanks. Can't seem to find any "negatives" for using an eBay unlocking service. The only negative so far is being forced to upgrade to iOS6.

Might be a problem if you need GPS/Maps in India

 

[ImDonly1]

Anyone know how these eBay sellers are offering iPhone unlocks?
You would need a current or past ATT account and even then they only allow 5 unlocks.

How are they unlocking 100s of iPhones through ATT?

@Ponyo

it all seems very promising thanks. Can't seem to find any "negatives" for using an eBay unlocking service. The only negative so far is being forced to upgrade to iOS6.

I read you don't have to backup and restore. I read you can just go to settings and press reset network settings and it will work. Then, you can stay on your current version.

You don't need to pay to have it unlocked. If you are a current or former customer, request an unlock from ATT here
http://slickdeals.net/f/5161736-AT-T-iPhone-Unlock-via-Online-Form?

I just unlocked mine via ATT (former customer) and checked the IMEI on a website. It says unlocked so I guess it worked.

Edit: Just saw you are under contract. Try the ebay method then. People are selling unlocks for $5-8 at the lowest.

 

[lothar]

I'm actually far, far away from the Ganges

But a visit to India is not complete until you swim in the Ganges and drink the water.
Make sure you visit the Elephant Baba.
Don't forget to buy some cow souvenirs while you're there too.

 

[dagamer34]

Anyone know how these eBay sellers are offering iPhone unlocks?
You would need a current or past ATT account and even then they only allow 5 unlocks.

How are they unlocking 100s of iPhones through ATT?



I read you don't have to backup and restore. I read you can just go to settings and press reset network settings and it will work. Then, you can stay on your current version.

You don't need to pay to have it unlocked. If you are a current or former customer, request an unlock from ATT here
http://slickdeals.net/f/5161736-AT-T-iPhone-Unlock-via-Online-Form?

I just unlocked mine via ATT (former customer) and checked the IMEI on a website. It says unlocked so I guess it worked.

Edit: Just saw you are under contract. Try the ebay method then. People are selling unlocks for $5-8 at the lowest.

I used www.imzdl.com It's $30, but it works in 24 hours. I tested it with my AT&T iPhone 5 and was able to connect to a local T-Mobile HSPA+ 1900Mhz tower and got some rather good speeds: http://cl.ly/Jzpc