Hello bros. I'm looking to get a new cellphone and wanted to find one that I can also be able to use in HK. (I'm currently in US and w/verizon wireless). Anyone have suggestions?

I don't think Verizon works in Hong Kong as Verizon phone are not GSM. You can get a unlock phone in the US (Any GSM quad band will work) and buy a cheap sim card in HK, they are everywhere for about $75 HK dollars and I think that will give you about 200-400 minutes depends on the provider. I've done that and I even use it to call US.

CDMA phones won't work on the HK network. Everyone in Asia is on GSM.

well not everyone - Japan and South Korea are on their own types of networks.   But nevertheless, Verizon's CDMA network only works in the US.  You can get a GSM phone on Ebay, or when you're in HK just go to Fortress and buy one - they start at around $250HK (around $35 or so US)

i apologize for sounding so . . . tech un-savvy, but if i get a verizon phone that includes a sim card, and i buy a hk sim card to replace it, will it work?

you will need a phone that has many bandwith - UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz) signals that incorparates GSM and CDMA networks.. with those specs.  you can use your phone anywhere in the world that you can get a signal..

[ Last edited by  Jakpot at 15-3-2010 15:53 ]

ok, so i've checked ebay, and there seems to be some really good deals for unlocked gsm phones. theres a few touch screen phones for about $50USD. has anyone bought these before or heard anything about the quality and durability of these phones? theres one that even looks like an iphone! haha

No it won't work, you will have to have it 'unlocked'

Verizon is CDMA. Its sim cards are not really sim cards, because they only work on Verizon CDMA.

Your Verizon phone likely CAN roam in HK, as there IS CDMA service in HK. (Anyone who tells you there's no CDMA service outside of US/Korea/Japan is behind the times by about a decade.) However, Verizon will ream you up the ass harder than one of Tarte's boyfriends as far as the "roaming charges." Several US dollars per minute. So you can use the Verizon phone for emergencies or when you first land at the airport, but after that, buy a cheap GSM phone and a cheap HK sim card. It really doesn't matter which ones. The cheap phones you saw are all fine for occasional use. As long as you're not expecting them to be perfect, they'll be just fine. The only thing to be sure of is that your phone and your sim card have English menus -- most do, but some don't.

If you are genuinely into phones (as I am), go to the "Sincere Podium" mall, also known as "phone mall," subway stop Mongkok. You can find nice stuff, used and new, and sellers are generally honest. Otherwise, just buy the cheapest and first phone you find anywhere. (But not at the airport. Very high prices on phones there. But you can buy a sim card at the airport at a regular price.)

I feel like everyone is getting things a bit mixed up here.

CDMA is simply a different cellular technology that doesn't require a SIM card.  Having a CDMA phone doesn't mean you can't use it elsewhere.  Whether or not you can use it elsewhere depends on the frequencies the phone supports AND the kind of service you've signed on for w/ your provider, but as testlogin has mentioned, you will get raped on roaming charges.

SIM cards are SIM cards.  The reason why a Verizon GSM phone (i.e., a phone using a SIM card) doesn't work on another network after switching the SIM is b/c it's been locked at Verizon's request.  Unlocking the phone, at a cost (be it by Verizon or someone else), will solve that problem. Keep in mind that some service providers in North America simply refuse to unlock their phones.

A GSM phone is useable anywhere, assuming it supports the given network's frequencies.  A quad-band phone (or world phone) is not necessary for HK; tri-band phones usually do the trick.

I have a Blackberry Storm from Verizon which is GSM and will work in HK.

Before my last trip to HK I bought an unlocked phone on Amazon made by Motorola. It was about $50 US. Got to the HK airport and bought a prepaid SIM from 7-11 in the airport. Popped the card in. Activated it according to the instruction and I was talking to my friends within minutes.

You'd probably have to get a BlackBerry Tour and unlock it for use with a HK sim. That's the only Verizon "World" phone that I know of...

yes, i was seriously considering the blackberry tour. but then i read that they're coming out w/a new blackberry tour soon, that includes an optical pad and wifi. it was initially supposed to release in feb, but nothing yet, and i have been waiting ever since. if there's no news by the end of this month, i might have to resort to a motorola droid. i asked someone that works at verizon and they said the tour will work in hk, but they will charge roaming . . . and we all know what that means . . . billing up the arse! i forgot to ask about the droid.

question about unlocking the phone: once i unlock it in the us, do i have to get it activated or anything once in hk or anywhere else? or do i just pop in the sim card and it'll be fine?

The unlocked phone works with all SIM cards...providing that it is for the same band. If you have an unlocked quad band phone then you are good everywhere.

north american telecom is so inferior to that in asia it's not even funny.  if you feel like throwing down for a blackberry, i'd say just get it when you come to HK.  forget the motorola and what not.  then you won't have to deal w/ this locked phone bullshit.  i don't know about the tour, but the storm2 has been released in HK if i'm not mistaken.

Be aware of the unlocked phones, some carrier in the US might tied the sim card with your phone's IMEI number.

[quote]Originally posted by banger at 16-3-2010 12:47
north american telecom is so inferior to that in asia it's not even funny.  if you feel like throwing down for a blackberry, i'd say just get it when you come to HK.  forget the motorola and what not. ... [/quot

very true. i read an article somewhere how the US is so technologically behind asia, from internet to phones. its not even funny anymore how behind we are, its getting to the point where its sad.

Yes that would work, but few phones have sim cards.  I believe they will either be Blackberries (8830 World Edition, 9630 Tour, 9530 Storm, 9550 Storm 2) and some select Windows Mobile x.x phones.

I don't think it's worth it to switch to those phones unless you already have a smart phone.  Verizon will require you to have data plan just to activate that phone on your account.

As other bros have stated, you can get a cheapo phone off of eBay that would function in Asia if it has tri-quad band operability.  If you want to be able to use data, you'd need to find a phone that is compatible with UMTS 1900 I believe (or is it 2100?)  Regardless, you should be able to find this info in a Wiki page.

Warning to the original poster: there is a LOT of misinformation on this thread.

The shortest answer to your question: just get a separate cheapo GSM phone and HK sim card for HK. Don't involve your US Verizon phone in this.