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Should I Buy a New Device While Abroad?

d6riffiths

d6riffiths

Lurker
Hi all.
I'm an Australian currently in Europe and will be going to the USA and Canada soon. I am curious if now it's a good time, generally speaking, to pick up a new device on the cheap. Some of the prices I've seen so far have been pretty good. Perhaps I am being frivolous because I don't really need a new phone, nor do I have much use for a tablet. I could use a new smartwatch though (I'm still rocking The classic Pebble). And I wouldn't mind an eReader.
My wife and I are about to fly out of Prague and into Düsseldorf, then off to Amsterdam. Then we hit up the USA and Canada, then we have a few nights in Honolulu before going home.
I am aware of the different radio signals which will effectivity make this potential new device useless back home in Australia, but is that always the case, or are there exceptions? Like a wifi only tablet wouldn't have this factor to worry about, right?
Any advice, thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
 
I would never buy a phone that's not from my region.
Just sayin....
 
If you want to buy a cheap unlocked phone while in the US, right now the Moto E4 is probably your best option. Retail price is $129. Has many bands and works on all 4 main carriers plus most MVNOs.

I think there's also an international version of the Moto E4, not sure which version has the best bands for Australia though.
 
For frequency bands, it depends on what carrier you are on and what handset you were interested in. It's not that there is complete incompatibility, but some combinations will work better together than others.

A WiFi-only tablet or e-reader wouldn't have a problem.

Warranty may be more complicated if the manufacturer isn't offering a worldwide warranty (something to check at purchase time I guess).
 
Sounds a bit hit-and-miss, unless you have done research on the device you want to buy, and can be sure it'll work with the network providers in your country. But if the intention is to use the device only for Wifi, then I certainly don't see any problem with that.
 
Dannydet said:
I would never buy a phone that's not from my region.
Just sayin....
Click to expand...

Might be ok with an iPhone, because AFAIK Apple is the only one that offers a truly global warranty. I know Samsung certainly don't, for example an Asian dual SIM Galaxy bought in say Hong Kong, Samsung Europe will NOT touch it. And updates might be a problem as well. And if it's an Oppo or Vivo or something, forget any kind of service and support outside of China, Malaysia, Thailand, etc.
 
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