Taking a smartphone overseas

[desura]

So, what is needed to take a smartphone overseas? Is it GSM only, or does CDMA also work? Also, the iphone 5 doesn't appear to have a visible SIM slot AFAIKT. How could that work out?

But with the right GSM phone, it should just be a matter of switching out GSM cards, right? How are plan prices? I assume that overseas it's going to be mostly prepaid.

 

[ImDonly1]

So, what is needed to take a smartphone overseas? Is it GSM only, or does CDMA also work? Also, the iphone 5 doesn't appear to have a visible SIM slot AFAIKT. How could that work out?

But with the right GSM phone, it should just be a matter of switching out GSM cards, right? How are plan prices? I assume that overseas it's going to be mostly prepaid.

iPhone 5 does have a SIM slot (all iPhone 5's do). You need a paper clip to take it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mvQlUBGDaM

Make sure phone is unlocked and you have the right SIM card size.

 

[notposting]

I think most of Verizon's phones now are global (GSM in addition to CDMA).

Only question for any GSM phone from the US is whether it is SIM unlocked.

 

[desura]

So I'd like to get a Virgin Mobile iPhone 5.

Virgin Mobile, compared to like Verizon, is something like 1.5k cheaper over 2 years. It's almost half the cost of Verizon.

But...it appears that the phone is locked so that it won't work with overseas carriers. What are some tips for getting a phone to work overseas? It probably has to be unlocked...I assume that mostly you want to rely on prepaid cards, and to get that to work you probably have to install some app from the carrier?

 

[kbp]

Daughter just came back. ATT seems to be the best. Thats what most all military are using.

 

[Crono]

So I'd like to get a Virgin Mobile iPhone 5.

Virgin Mobile, compared to like Verizon, is something like 1.5k cheaper over 2 years. It's almost half the cost of Verizon.

But...it appears that the phone is locked so that it won't work with overseas carriers. What are some tips for getting a phone to work overseas? It probably has to be unlocked...I assume that mostly you want to rely on prepaid cards, and to get that to work you probably have to install some app from the carrier?

Call your carrier, tell them you want to take the phone overseas, and they'll (usually) unlock your phone so you can just put a SIM in there.
Cheap, factory unlocked GSM phones are perfect for this. Less hassle.

 

[Michael]

AT&T has the most "universal" standard for overseas use. The LTE bands do vary a little, for 3G an AT&T phone (unlocked if you want to use a local SIM) I best. For LTE, you need to do a little detective work and look at the frequencies used and how they match up with the USA carriers compared to the country you will be going to.

Using data while roaming is hellish expensive. If you have a locked phone and you want to use it away from wifi, I serious suggest looking into a mobile hotspot that works in the country you are going to.

Michael

 

[Indus]

I bought a factory unlocked iphone4s ($649) for taking overseas.

Worked without any hitches in Europe, Asia, Australia.

And no contract! Hence no early termination fees.

 

[desura]

Yeah, I've thought about a mobile hotspot...seems like too much trouble honestly. I'd definitely forget to keep the thing charged. Also, it's relatively niche, and mobile hotspots I've seen in the USA don't seem to have much in way of savings.

So I've been looking at like ebay and stuff for this. How to tell, shortly after purchase, if a phone is indeed unlocked? Or should I just stick with the (pretty high) official prices? I wonder what the early termination fee for an ATT iphone 5 is...like 1 mo after purchase?

edit: well, it's $325. Which, compared to full retail prices for an unlocked iphone 5, is actually very reasonable. Total paid for the device at least (not sure about activation fees + various other fees, plus probably 1 mo of service) is around $550.

 

[bearxor]

my advice right now, if you want an iPhone 5, is to wait. iPhone 5's will be all over the place by the end of next month from people upgrading.

Ideally, I'd suggest a Verizon iPhone 5, as it supports all the standard HSPA frequencies (except AWS) and is SIM unlocked from the factory.

Any other device you'll need to get unlocked, but it's not terribly difficult. I've used unlockfusion.net three times. They charge $2 for an unlock and it's worked every time. Two on an iPhone 5, one on a 4S.

 

[desura]

I also wonder if any wireless providers in the USA would ever "temporarily suspend" a contract while the user is overseas.

 

[desura]

Also, what are some good apps for use overseas? Language actually probably won't be too bad of a problem...

Is there a good Yelp-like app? What about something to help with public transit? currency convertor? Anything else?

This is to be used in Asia.

 

[bearxor]

I also wonder if any wireless providers in the USA would ever "temporarily suspend" a contract while the user is overseas.

I believe all the providers have some sort of stipulation for suspending service for those in the armed forces. Other than that, I'm unsure.