fake iphone mini

[BANGLA ROAD]

are they for sale in thailand, they look ok ,has anyone got one yet and if so can they let us know what they think of it please.

[marc26]

Originally Posted by BANGLA ROAD

are they for sale in thailand, they look ok ,has anyone got one yet and if so can they let us know what they think of it please.

my wife has one called TV Phone
it looks good, and she doesnt use many of the applications
the sliding aspect is really slow and that is probably the coolest thing about an IPhone

[edje123]

The ex-gf had one, and said it was cr@p, didn't work very well
She gave it to her little sister who only uses it to play games.
I have seen many of them in shops in Thailand and I found that only the casing already was made from cheap materials

[africanw]

Saw plenty in MBK today.

[Nam Pla]

There was a thread on these phones on Thai Visa I believe. If I remember, most said they were basically crap. But I guess you get what you pay for.

iPhones are officially available in Thailand now through True Move, either with their monthly (one or two year) plan or unlocked. Not sure if the 3G S is available, but the (unlocked) 3G was ฿26,215.

[carrera-gt2]

I have one memory 16 GB very good sound for MP3 better than I phone
also 2 sim cards can use both.

[THAICAM]

For the most part, you get what you pay for. Many of the "fake" phones are lots of window dressing on an inexpensive base, although they often do have slots for two SIM cards.

If you're into something fancy, your choices include Windows Mobile, Symbian, Apple, Android, and a few others. If you're buying the thing outright, without a 2-year contract, you're probably going to be paying $400 or so at least. Go for the latest (Nokia N97 or HTC Pro2) and you're up over $800 US.

I'm guessing for a few hours, you'd be impressed with the "fake iphone mini" type stuff. Heck, if you never had a smart-phone before, it would probably seem pretty good. I've got some friends who bought them in Bangkok, and the more we played with them, the less impressive they seemed. Window Dressing.

[mjwx]

Originally Posted by THAICAM

For the most part, you get what you pay for. Many of the "fake" phones are lots of window dressing on an inexpensive base

So are many "legitimate" phones. The build price of an Iphone 3Gs is about US$175 according to Gizmodo. The Iphone 3Gs sells for A$1299 or US$1036 outright.

Considering the tax on electronics here is only 10%. Logistics cannot cost US$700 per unit, development doesn't make up for it either seeing as much of Apple's software is BSD licensed.

[MrDK]

I believe an unlocked iPhone G3s sells for $499 in the US.
That is (if $175 cost is correct) right in line with typical margins; 50% to the manufacturer and 30% to the retailer.

[mjwx]

Originally Posted by MrDK

I believe an unlocked iPhone G3s sells for $499 in the US.
That is (if $175 cost is correct) right in line with typical margins; 50% to the manufacturer and 30% to the retailer.

This was my point with logistics, it couldn't possibly cost US$500+ (US$300 to allow for currency fluctuations) just to ship one to Australia but prices are set by the supplier and they always seem to add on a little extra when selling to Australia, for the most part margins on phones are razor thin, they are supported by the sale of cheap accessories (A$60 for a fake leather case, A$30 for a cotton cover) or by bundling them with plans

Bad considering that I can get something that small Fed Exed to Australia for US$20 (probably costs more for insurance). Done it with video games before I discovered Play-Asia.com as the same price distortion field sets back game release dates by about 6 months. Only problem here is that many stores demand credit cards issued in the US.

[MrDK]

Though I am only speculating, I believe that part of the reason for the high price in Australia is that fact that your government has strong-armed the cell phone manufacturers and demanded all phones be unlocked.
The manufacturers return the favor as, in this case, Apple did.

[mjwx]

Originally Posted by MrDK

Though I am only speculating, I believe that part of the reason for the high price in Australia is that fact that your government has strong-armed the cell phone manufacturers and demanded all phones be unlocked.
The manufacturers return the favor as, in this case, Apple did.

Telco's in Australia are permitted to bundle phones. Telecom regulations don't prohibit bundling, carrier locking or subsidising. It was an EU nation Belgium I think, that forced apple to sell an unlocked phone before the iphone was released in Australia.

It's the telco's and/or manufacturers who manipulate the pricing of unlocked phones Fortunately Australia introduced grey import laws, so when the AUD is up (normally above US$0.75) it becomes cheaper to buy certain items like DVD'S, PC games and mobile phones from overseas and ship them over. The govt only asks for tax on big ticket items over$900 IIRC unless you plan to resell them in Australia.

[THAICAM]

Wait a year or so, until the novelty of something "brand new" wears off, and the price usually drops down to something far more realistic. If you want to be the first on your block with a brand new toy, it costs more. If you've got a bit of patience, not only do you pay less, but by then the "bugs" are worked out.


As I see it, ALL phones should be sold unlocked, and prices adjusted accordingly. When you're supposedly "saving" money by buying a discounted phone that's locked, the phone company gets their $$$ back even more in the inflated prices you have to pay monthly, for two years. I'd rather pay what a service requires for just that, phone service, and NOT pay them for the phone.

I've read where many phone companies ruin what was originally a full-featured phone, removing "free" stuff and forcing you to pay more for the same things.

Fortunately, most of the time ALL the high-tech features of a smart phone you buy overseas work just fine when you take it home, although sometimes the "high speed network" function is set to the foreign settings.


It's always good to do the price comparison between "pre-pay" and "post-pay" and see which is better for you.

My personal "gripe" with a lot of this is that so few places provide free WiFi. In Singapore it's available all over, and allows you to do a lot of things at no charge with a "smart phone". I wish this were more readily available in the rest of the world.

[edje123]

Originally Posted by mjwx

Telco's in Australia are permitted to bunbdle phones. Telecom regulations don't prohibit bundling. It eas an EU nation Belgium I think, that forced apple to sell an unlocked phone before the iphone was released in autralia.

It's the telco's and/or manufacturers who manipulate the pricing of unlocked phones Fortunately Australia introduced grey import laws, so when the AUD is up (normally above US$0.75) it becomes cheaper to buy certain items like DVD'S, PC games and mobile phones from overseas and ship them over. The govt only asks for tax on big ticket items over$900 IIRC unless you plan to resell them in Australia.

It is Belgium indeed, law prohibits to sell to separate products/services as one, and leaving the customer no option to buy the product/service separatly.
In Belgium not one mobile phone can be bought with a sim locked by the provider.
Drawback: the new Iphone 3GS costs about 800€ or more

That law is going to change though, or already has (thanks to the high price of the simlock free Iphone 3G actually)

[Captain]

Originally Posted by edje123

That law is going to change though, or already has (thanks to the high price of the simlock free Iphone 3G actually)

Thanks to the European Commission who doesn't defend buyers. As I am on Belgacom, no iPhone for me (Mobistar) or it has to be unlocked.

[Oz_Mike]

Originally Posted by mjwx

The Iphone 3Gs sells for A$1299 or US$1036 outright.

The iPhone 3GS is sold outright and unlocked at Apple retail stores and on their on-line store for AUD $879 (16 Gb) and AUD $1040 (32 Gb) Apple Store (Australia)