I Need Cell Phone Advice...

[D.B. Cooper]

Hello fellow expats...

I'm currently in NYC. I need to get a new cell phone to use in BA.
I need some advice since i know very little about cell phones.
Basically I want to get a phone with a really good camera.
In BA I have an account with Claro linked to my Blackberry that needs to go.
Right now it's a toss up between Apple I phone or Samsung Galaxy.
Would love to know what questions I need to ask before purchasing one of these.

Many thanks to all.
Very cold here in NYC.
Around 32 degrees but very sunny.

 

[syngirl]

Right now it's a toss up between Apple I phone or Samsung Galaxy.
Would love to know what questions I need to ask before purchasing one of these.

Don't get either.

I got one of these and love it:

http://www.amazon.co...0?ie=UTF8&psc=1

HTC S728e One X+ 4G Quad-Band GSM Phone with Android 4.1, Beats Audio, 4.7-Inch Touchscreen, 64 GB Memory and Bluetooth

There is a Samsung with 13MP out there I believe. But the HTC was only $425, and i don't think I will ever go back to an iProduct. Actually I bought my husband a Nexus 7 for his birthday, and since then the old iPhone and even the iPad have really lost popularity (edit: in our household I mean).

The one thing I recommend is to get yourself an HDMI cable for the phone -- USB to HDMI, then you can watch your netflix on your TV etc. I got one for the tablet, but the HTC phones take a slightly different cable so unfortunately for the moment can't use that potential.

There are some other HTC models out there, my one complaint with this one is short battery life when gaming, but it seems fine for normal use. You need the int'l version for here

HTC comes to Argentina this November, the phone will probably cost at least 2-3x as much here. They're making really nice phones, they just aren't as well known as Samsung or Apple

Here's iphone 5S vs HTC One vs Galaxy breakdown:
http://www.techradar...s-lg-g2-1179824

 

[scotttswan]

make sure it does the argy frequencies.

http://www.gsmarena.com/network-bands.php3?sCountry=ARGENTINA

and that it is unlocked.

I would personally be more inclined to go for a quad core android from china.

www.merimobiles.com/huawei-u9508-honor-glory-ii-quad-core-1-4ghz-4-5-inch-ips-retina-screen-2g-ram-android-4-0-ics-8-0mp-gorilla-glass-white_p/meri7377.htm

was the one i picked up but its almost a year old now and there is a new model that is apparently water proof to 1 meter, although i'm not sure if the new model has all 3g frequencies.

i'd also check out http://www.aliexpress.com/ for phones.

32 degrees! That's crazy hot its only 25 here in sunny BA.

 

[Arnebartelsman]

I assume he's talking fahrenheit, so like -1 in celcius

 

[Gringoboy]

Maybe buy one locally by changing your dollars in blue?
I got a galaxy S3 at Fravega for around $5000, unlocked international version (better than USA version) and popped in my Movistar prepago sim.
Happy as a dog with two dicks!

 

[Alicia karr]

Maybe the above mentioned dog isn't happy at all--just doubly frustrated. Wouldn't that be a problem? Which of his owners legs does he go for? And unless he meets a genetically compatible bitch, he'll NEVER be satisfied!
I still love my iPhone 4. And with the HD option on it has taken some great photos. Just make sure it is unlocked. Then you can use whatever carrier you want or have. And actually you can unlock it yourself or have someone do that for you, but I believe you are then limited in upgrading apps in the future. If it comes unlocked I don't think you need to worry.

 

[Rich One]

Maybe buy one locally by changing your dollars in blue?
I got a galaxy S3 at Fravega for around $5000, unlocked international version (better than USA version) and popped in my Movistar prepago sim.
Happy as a dog with two dicks!

Also local purchases have warranty form Fravega for whatever it's worth . Dumm question the phone keypad will have Ñ also the virtual keypad...?

 

[Alicia karr]

Also local purchases have warranty form Fravega for whatever it's worth . Dumm question the phone keypad will have Ñ also the virtual keypad...?

My iPhone 4 keypad has a built in Spanish keyboard option. I think all the apple products do...

 

[scotttswan]

Also local purchases have warranty form Fravega for whatever it's worth . Dumm question the phone keypad will have Ñ also the virtual keypad...?

You can install and use any keyboard you want on android, personally i really like Swiftkey.

 

[syngirl]

My iPhone 4 keypad has a built in Spanish keyboard option. I think all the apple products do...

I hope you have an iphone 4S and not a 4, otherwise you're phone is going to be killed off by Apple in the next 6 mos. That's why I got sick of Apple, you pay almost 1000 bucks for an unlocked version and they phase it out within 2 years -- when contracts in Canada were all 3 years a lot of people were getting to the end of their contract and their phone was already off the market. It means no app updates for you, so you may want to sell that thing while it's worth some cash still and move on!

Speaking of which... I have an iPhone 3GS I'd like to unload, any offers, wahahahaha...