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Un locked Cel Phone


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2 hours ago, lakeside7 said:

My son in the USA has suggested I obtain a unlocked cel phone..I am a dummy in this area..it seems that I should know which carrier I would use...I would appreciate any recommendations for a phone that will be comparable with the services available at Lakeside.

Good advice. Unlocked most definitely!

 

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So the OP is asking how or where to get an unlocked phone. Not what to do after. Since I bought mine on Amazon, it was easy, but that means I can't recommend around here. However, I would try the phone store beside Alex's Pasta across from Plaza Bugambilias. Be aware, though, of what you want in a cell phone first. Your Son can help with that. Because just walking in and saying you need an unlocked phone opens a whole bag of kittens. (Also be aware that she can only deal with one customer at a time, she is always busy, and it can take quite a while.)

For example, is the camera important to you? Do you/will you like downloading apps? That means more storage space (8GB is pointless; 32 would be a minimum; 64 much better.) Note that quality of calls is almost never discussed, which I find absolutely ludicrous, but there you go.

TelCel is the service you want. AT&T is here now, but even after several years, their tower service is spotty, and I hear lots of complaints.

A second option is the big TelCel central office at CentroLaguna Mall. They have a ton of phones on display, but show little or no description. You take a number when you want to talk to a service rep, but it is difficult to find an English speaker. Again, prior research is a must.

Once you have a phone, you can buy a sim card and plan anywhere for the same low prices.

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26 minutes ago, ComputerGuy said:

For example, is the camera important to you? Do you/will you like downloading apps? That means more storage space (8MB is pointless; 32 would be a minimum; 64 much better.) Note that quality of calls is almost never discussed, which I find absolutely ludicrous, but there you go.

Don't you mean GB?

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7 minutes ago, lakeside7 said:

Many thanks for all the info and recommendations.....yes I need lots of storage space

To confuse things more, there is two types of storage. There is internal storage and the optional SD storage. If a SD card is added it can storage some software and a lot of data cheaper than internal storage. For example my cell has 8 GB internal storage and 64 GB SD card.  Like CG, I do not recommend 8 GB internal.  A lot of software must be loaded into internal storage.

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The crackerjack young man at the Telcel office at the Laguna Mall's who speaks English is named Valerio. Worth waiting for.

Ana, beside Alex's restaurant, also speaks English but not as well nor does she have the varieties of phones available at the Laguna Mall.

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I find great opposition at the front desk when I ask for a specific person... depending, I guess, who's shift it is and how little or how much they dislike what they consider to be demanding gringos who don't speak the language. Also, it doesn't matter which person you get: they have their preferences of what phones they would buy themselves, and I have never met one there who knows their own inventory beyond that level. That's why I recommend doing the research first.

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13 hours ago, lakeside7 said:

My son in the USA has suggested I obtain a unlocked cel phone..I am a dummy in this area..it seems that I should know which carrier I would use...I would appreciate any recommendations for a phone that will be comparable with the services available at Lakeside.

Sent you a PM.

 

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I agree. Always do the research first... I much prefer to let my fingers do the walking. It's easy to start at Amazon.com by searching for "unlocked cell phones". They even carry older models because the newest is the most expensive and untried. YMMV.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=unlocked+cell+phones&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Then, on the side bar on the left, there are clickable choices to narrow down your search... size of screen? (typing on a small screen is difficult) gigabytes of memory? resolution of camera? price? I find the reviews of buyers to be excellent.

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1 hour ago, Ferret said:

I agree. Always do the research first... I much prefer to let my fingers do the walking. It's easy to start at Amazon.com by searching for "unlocked cell phones". They even carry older models because the newest is the most expensive and untried. YMMV.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=unlocked+cell+phones&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Then, on the side bar on the left, there are clickable choices to narrow down your search... size of screen? (typing on a small screen is difficult) gigabytes of memory? resolution of camera? price? I find the reviews of buyers to be excellent.

https://m.gsmarena.com/reviews.php3

Excellent source of information. 

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I bought a iPhone SE (ok, old technology but I like the size) a number of years ago from Verizon. At that time I never considered that I'd need an unlocked phone. Life changes. 

I went to change my carrier to Cricket (which uses the AT&T backbone) and thought - "Oh great, another $$ to switch". Turns out that most(many) Verizon phones are unlocked these days. Cricket plans allow me to do no-roaming calling/data in Mexico. I can also swap out SIM cards (unlocked) if I'm going to be in MX for long periods of time (like years).

Do a bit of research - your phone may already be unlocked - before buying another.

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Surprising as Verizon phones use CDMA “technology” and not GSM which is required by Telcel and AT&T in Mexico. Changing SIM cards to NOT change the basic technology of the phone. I guess that they are roaming on GSM/UTMS/LTE. 

P.S.  Cricket is wholly owned by AT&T 

 

 

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If you are getting a phone because he is worried about your safety, that is excellent advice, and you should be proud of the boy. Make sure then that you get a "smartphone" with GPS. It could be Android. We have gone through many phones since moving here, the best so far is the Samsung Galaxy line. They have good hearing. There are about 50 "apps" which will make your life safer. One tracks where you parked your car, or the way back home. Others operate like panic buttons, and you can signal up to five people, including paramedics, who will know your location within ten feet round. It is easy to get lost here, especially in Guadalajara in places like the central tianquis.

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11 minutes ago, RickS said:

Surprising as Verizon phones use CDMA “technology” and not GSM...

 

That is no longer the case. I have a Samsung s5 Verizon branded GSM. The other fact is they do not lock their GSM phones.

The good news is that all of Verizon's 4G LTE phones come unlocked out of the box. And because the rest of the world uses GSM for voice rather than CDMA, new smartphones made for Verizon already include CDMA and GSM radios, which means the phone can be taken to a carrier like AT&T or T-Mobile in the US as well as to other GSM operators overseas and it will work.  https://www.cnet.com/news/bringing-your-own-smartphone-to-verizon-what-do-i-need-to-worry-about/

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