Smart phone recommendations

[ginnjuice]

Hello, I haven't been to these forums in awhile since being back in the US, but I am going back to China for the first time after x-mas and am also planning on getting a new smart phone this month before I leave for China.  Unfortunately, I am really not caught up with cell-phone terminology and how it works, so I was hoping someone more informed could give me some recommendations on what smartphone I should buy here in the US that would also work well in China for a couple weeks?

 

Here are some things about my current status:

- Verizon customer (because of my family plan, I will keep Verizon coverage, however, I am eligible to upgrade to a new phone with a new 2yr contract)

- Currently have an iPhone 4s (not a big apple fan, so don't mind switching to another manufacturer)

 

Some things that I want to do:

- Use the phone here in the US obviously (voice, text, data)

- I like the size of the iPhone (I don't like the big Samsung Note phones)

- I want to use the phone in China for voice and text, with SIM card access where I can just buy the SIM in China and put it in my phone. (I don't need a data plan for China as I plan to use wi-fi for internet based stuff, but am open to having data capabilities in China if cheap enough)

 

Other random questions:

- Do I need to get an "unlocked" phone or are all phones sold at Verizon stores these days unlocked?

- Does GSM/CDMA capabilities matter between these 2 countries?

- Do they sell micro-SIM cards in China, because it seems most of the smartphones these days only use micro-SIM?

 

I went to the Verizon store last week briefly, and have my eye on 2 potential phones: Droid Ultra by Motorola and Galaxy S4 by Samsung.  Could I simply buy any of these 2 phones as it is at Verizon, travel to China, buy a SIM card, put it in my phone, and call/text people in China?

 

Sorry for the long post and thanks for any help.

[Touchstone57]

From what I have read on the net Verizon phones use CDMA so they cannot be used on different networks. If you buy a Verizon phone then you are stuck on their network. I may be wrong about this however...

 

GSM seems like the better option as you can use local SIM cards and you won't have to pay additional roaming charges that you would with CDMA. A lot of GSM phones are prelocked by the carrier however. My phone was locked by O2 in the UK, so I rooted the phone and unlocked before I came out so that I could use my phone in China. This is a good option if you don't want to spend money, though it will often void you warranty so be careful. 

 

I have a Galaxy S2, which worked fine when I tried a Chinese SIM. I had no problem calling people and using data, it is quite cheap as well. 

[abcdefg]

I'm no expert on this, but I can answer two of your main questions.

 

First, your phone should be "unlocked." 

Second, micro SIM cards are readily available here.

[gato]

Verizon phones generally are locked to Verizon and cannot use a local Chinese carrier SIM card.

If T-Mobile is usable in your area, switching to T-Mobile is an option. T-Mobile phone can be unlocked upon customer request after the phone has been used in the US for a month or so. T-Mobile contracts are also all month-to-month rather than long-term like Verizon.

[Ruben von Zwack]

I really like my Samsung Galaxy. It's smaller than the normal Galaxies, but still larger than a Motorola or Blackberry: 6 cm x 11 cm (2,4 in x 4,4 in). These pocket sized Samsungs seem special editions, but apparently, Samsung makes those editions quite frequently, and they are always named something like "Galaxy soandso Music" for example.

I'm sure there is some other difference to the normal, big ones, because these pocket sized ones like mine aren't too expensive either.

It's my first smart phone, so I cannot compare. But I am chuffed that two friends who have an Iphone played around with my phone and then said, "next time I want a Samsung, too".

I bought a Unicom (orange Lucky Knot logo) micro SIM card in Beijing. Staff in the Unicom shops were always helpful those 3, 4 times I needed something.

[skylee]

I like Samsung, too.  I am using a Galaxy Note 2 (I am determined not to replace it before it is two years old).  Before that I used a Galaxy S2, and before that a Samsung Omnia. 

 

Galaxy S4 seems to be a good choice.  I think android phones are more flexible. But I have no idea about contracts etc in the US.