Is it a good idea to buy cell phones outside of the US?

[kap]

http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_6610i-pictures-742.php
http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_6230-pictures-566.php

[kap]

[quote kap]http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_6610i-pictures-742.php
http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_6230-pictures-566.php[/quote

their features and functions should be the same except for the regional network technologies, no?

[davester]

..oops, duplicate post.

[davester]

Phone geeks do it all the time. Check howardforums. Seems like too much trouble for too little reward to me. Also, bear in mind that if you don't get one with both the right technology (GSM, CDMA, iDEN, etc) AND the right frequencies, your phone won't work with a U.S. carrier. For example, GSM in Europe uses different frequencies than here, and only some phones operate on both European and U.S. frequencies.

However, the reverse may be true. Much of the world is standardized on European GSM frequencies. Therefore, if you buy a U.S. GSM quad band phone that operates on both US and European frequencies (and you can get it unlocked), then your phone will work throughout much of the world.

[samintx]

Wouldn't you be paying a premium buying outside the US? but if you wanted it hacked for diff countries it might be worth it. For US...I don't like grey market stuff.

[Cary]

People buy phones from overseas because there are many models that are not available here, and they think it's cool...

There is no such thing as US quad-band. Quad-band refers to a phone's capability to operate on all available frequencies (US - 800MHz, 1.9GHz, Most of rest of world - 900MHz, 1.8GHz). There are also a bunch of tri-band phones around.

For the greatest compatibility, get a quad-band. This all refers to GSM, by the way. In countries with CDMA, they all use US frequency mapping (800MHz only, or 800MHz/1.9GHz).

As long as the GSM phone is unlocked (not the SIM, the phone), you can put in any SIM and use it.

Cary

[OWC Jamie]

the girl at the mall kiosk that would rather be filing her nails says it's not necesarily a bad idea.

[MGS_forgot_password]

I had a Nokia 6230, it's a great little phone, but it does not support AT&T's 850 mhz band. I had a lot of difficulties getting a signal because AT&T doesn't have 1900 mhz everywhere.

I wouldn't pay too much for these phones:

1. They don''t have 850mhz
2. They were released four years ago.

There was a US version of the 6230 out there, but I doubt you'd be able to find it overseas.

[kap]

[quote billb]the girl at the mall kiosk that would rather be filing her nails says it's not necesarily a bad idea.
Am I supposed to take her 'rather filing her nails" flying by the seat of her pants' notion seriously?

[BigGuynRusty]

http://www.phonescoop.com/

BGnR