Mobile phone from overseas websites ?

[Vrindavan]

Did you buy your mobile phone from overseas websites ?
Is it better in terms of price, options and suitable for Hong Kong uses?

Thanks for reply.

[Pauljoecoe]

I bought mine in Hong Kong -it was cheaper than UK. That was a Xiaomi phone though. Not sure about the bigger players such as Apple/Samsung. I would expect them to be cheaper than countries like UK that have VAT added to cost, however costs tend to be higher in HK due to more expensive overheads.

Guess you just need to look around and compare.

Not sure about options/HK uses differences.

[RMDNC]

One diferentiating factor you may wish to consider is some handsets sold in HK have a dual SIM option. This is not normally available in the US. Not sure about other Western countries.

Most handsets sold in the US are subsidized by the carrier assuming you sigh a post paid K. As that is no an option for you, some of the unlocked phones sold on Amazon are actually from foreign countries.

For an unlocked handset that is not an imported product, I think prices are roughly equivalent after factoring in US sales taxes. IMO just get it here. You will also not have to face warranty validation issues if you purchase here as some phones may not have a global warranty.

[Pauljoecoe]

One diferentiating factor you may wish to consider is some handsets sold in HK have a dual SIM option. This is not normally available in the US. Not sure about other Western countries.

Never knew single simple SIM only was a thing. UK phones tend to be dual sim. Single SIM would have been a pain for me as I use a UK SIM and a Hong Kong SIM.

[shri]

Did you buy your mobile phone from overseas websites ?
Is it better in terms of price, options and suitable for Hong Kong uses?

Thanks for reply.

There used to be some compatibility issues - my old Nexus 5 bought from the US Google website was not fully compatible with HK 4G bands or something to that effect. The newer Google 4A bought from Amazon works fine.
@Pauljoecoe - the new Google 4A we purchased recently is 1 physical sim + 1 eSIM. We did manage to find a UK service provider which supports PAYG eSIM and quite happy with it once I figured out how to set it up - trivial / easy.

[Vrindavan]

First heard about eSIM.

[bdw]

Here in Australia, I buy mobile phones from tobydealsau.com, which is actually a HK company based in Mongkok but they only ship to Australia and New Zealand. They probably have other companies/websites that ship to US, UK, etc. I don't know how they do it, but their prices are amazing, even lower than you guys can get in Hong Kong even when including the free fast shipping from HK to Aus/NZ.

For example, Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite (6gb + 128gb) on tobydealsau with free shipping to Aus or NZ is AU$433 (HK$2419). But you guys in HK go to the Xiaomi store and pick it up for $2499. Unbelievably that here in Australia I can get all the Xiaomi stuff you guys can, free shipping from Mongkok to my door in Australia, for cheaper than you guys

They do all sorts of shit, not just Xiaomi. For example a Samsung A51 normally around $549 here in Aus (HK$3000). Order from Tobydealsau, shipped from Mongkok, I can get it for $379 (HK$2100).

The downside, not sure about their warranty and after service. Need to ship back to HK for any repairs, etc. Also all this stuff comes with big fat Hong Kong power plugs. They include an Aus adaptor in the box for free, but I though moving to Aus I could get rid of those ugly UK/HK style plugs for good. I stripped the ends off most of my appliances and fitted them with AU plugs after moving from HK to Aus. Now I'm getting more shit from HK with these plugs so I still cant get rid of these damn things

[vmlinuz]

For example, Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite (6gb + 128gb) on tobydealsau with free shipping to Aus or NZ is AU$433 (HK$2419). But you guys in HK go to the Xiaomi store and pick it up for $2499. Unbelievably that here in Australia I can get all the Xiaomi stuff you guys can, free shipping from Mongkok to my door in Australia, for cheaper than you guys

They do all sorts of shit, not just Xiaomi. For example a Samsung A51 normally around $549 here in Aus (HK$3000). Order from Tobydealsau, shipped from Mongkok, I can get it for $379 (HK$2100).

The downside, not sure about their warranty and after service.

They're not selling Hong Kong models - they're selling imported grey market models, probably from China, but maybe from India? A very quick look online suggests I could get a Xiaomi Note 10 Lite for $2220, or an A51 (6+128) for $1860...

[Pauljoecoe]

First heard about eSIM.

me too. looks a good development.