Buying a new smartphone

[Watchman]

I've been trying to send 5 "used" phones with boxes from USA with a friend of mine who came with business visa, so far as per him there will be problems with customs.. Anyone has any idea? Since these are used phones its not worth to pay right?

One phone in a box (even if you claim it's used) can come off as personal use. Two is a stretch, but still might fly with some sob-story, but when you bring in 5 it's fairly obvious you're bringing it for non-personal use. So it's not unreasonable for the customs to ask your friend to pay up taxes.

[kmeeg]

One phone in a box (even if you claim it's used) can come off as personal use. Two is a stretch, but still might fly with some sob-story, but when you bring in 5 it's fairly obvious you're bringing it for non-personal use. So it's not unreasonable for the customs to ask your friend to pay up taxes.

Ya that's true from their point of view. But honestly i was trying to send me and my wife's old phones to my parents and to in-law's.. I guess in that case if i remove the boxes and try to send also they might suspect its for sale i guess..

[Sierra Charlie]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="Watchman" data-cid="268302" data-time="1414601191"><p>

<br />

One phone in a box (even if you claim it's used) can come off as personal use. Two is a stretch, but still might fly with some sob-story, but when you bring in 5 it's fairly obvious you're bringing it for non-personal use. So it's not unreasonable for the customs to ask your friend to pay up taxes. </p></blockquote>

One of my friends, a Sri Lankan by birth, brought down three Nexus 4s, two macbook airs (one from work, one for his brother) and a macbook (personal) from Australia. Guy was travelling on an Aussie Passport. No issues. Plain sailed through customs.

Next time, which was only a couple of months back, brought a nitro car and a spare engine, two MBAs and an MB, no issues again.

So, it seems you need quite a bit of luck and a convincing attitude.

[The Don]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="Watchman" data-cid="268302" data-time="1414601191"><p>

<br />

One phone in a box (even if you claim it's used) can come off as personal use. Two is a stretch, but still might fly with some sob-story, but when you bring in 5 it's fairly obvious you're bringing it for non-personal use. So it's not unreasonable for the customs to ask your friend to pay up taxes. </p></blockquote>

One of my friends, a Sri Lankan by birth, brought down three Nexus 4s, two macbook airs (one from work, one for his brother) and a macbook (personal) from Australia. Guy was travelling on an Aussie Passport. No issues. Plain sailed through customs.

Next time, which was only a couple of months back, brought a nitro car and a spare engine, two MBAs and an MB, no issues again.

So, it seems you need quite a bit of luck and a convincing attitude.

SC if you don't get stopped by customs its not much of an issue. Most of the time they don't stop people from Europe and USA but they do do random checks. The issue starts if you are stopped and they find the loot.

I think customs will probably buy a sob story of how they are presents for family if they convincing enough that you are not trying to make a profit out of them. But this will depend on the attitude of the official. But your personal allowance is only $250 or something like that so they can obviously tax anything above that limit.

The nationality on your passport will matter a little bit here as well, in convincing the customs that they are presents and not for sale.

Also with phones in particular there is this issue of TRCSL approval which they might pull.

So my advice is if you are carrying phones home, do not have more than 2 boxed with stickers on because if you are stopped and searched it will be a lot of hassle. I usually take mine out of the boxes and carry them separately, so at least I can say they are used.

When I've asked friends to carry stuff for me, I've never given more than one, because I don't want him hassled on my account.

[zebra]

I was under the impression that the duty on mobiles is very low!

[Sierra Charlie]

SC if you don't get stopped by customs its not much of an issue. Most of the time they don't stop people from Europe and USA but they do do random checks. The issue starts if you are stopped and they find the loot.

I think customs will probably buy a sob story of how they are presents for family if they convincing enough that you are not trying to make a profit out of them. But this will depend on the attitude of the official. But your personal allowance is only $250 or something like that so they can obviously tax anything above that limit.

The nationality on your passport will matter a little bit here as well, in convincing the customs that they are presents and not for sale.

Also with phones in particular there is this issue of TRCSL approval which they might pull.

So my advice is if you are carrying phones home, do not have more than 2 boxed with stickers on because if you are stopped and searched it will be a lot of hassle. I usually take mine out of the boxes and carry them separately, so at least I can say they are used.

When I've asked friends to carry stuff for me, I've never given more than one, because I don't want him hassled on my account.

That is very sound advice and in any case, he was bringing down the lot for several people. But next time I'll ask him to be cautious with what he carries over. Don't want him to get into hot water over something like this and tarnish the friendship.

[lkars]

Somewhat OT but can anyone recommend a good car holder for a phone and or 7 inch tab? Not the type that attach to the windscreen with a suction cup. I have seen some on amazon that attach to the CD slot (http://amzn.com/B004G1L52Q)? I don't mind covering the cd player. Anything like this available locally?

[kmeeg]

Somewhat OT but can anyone recommend a good car holder for a phone and or 7 inch tab? Not the type that attach to the windscreen with a suction cup. I have seen some on amazon that attach to the CD slot (http://amzn.com/B004G1L52Q)? I don't mind covering the cd player. Anything like this available locally?

So far i have tried few types of holders and none worked for me. The one with suction cup was the top of all what i have tried but after 1 or 2 months the suction power was lost. Second best was the one attached to cup holders. but it did not fit properly even with lot of force and when you try to take the phone with out pressing the release button even if the phone is not too tight the whole thing comes out. The ones which fits to vents are so weak and make scratches. So ended up just keeping the phone in cup holder.

But there might be good phone holder products out there but i could not find them which fits my budget. I don't want to spend a huge amount to a phone holder. Also i feel it doesn't look good too in my op.

This is just my thought. Also note that these experience is on using smartphones (Little bigger ones like Galaxy). But wait and see if any one has a good experience and know of any good product.

[Magnum]

Im thinking of going for Blackberry Z10 from iPhone 5, anyone here uses a Z10 or have used one?

[kmeeg]

Im thinking of going for Blackberry Z10 from iPhone 5, anyone here uses a Z10 or have used one?

Wouldn't it be safer to limit the options to common models like iPhone 6 / plus, Galaxy note 4 or s5, HTC M8, etc..? I think blackberry is loosing the market. But if you ask me I'd prefer the Note 4 over 6 plus. Sorry i couldn't answer your question but just thought of giving my opinion about buying a blackberry since I haven't seen many using them..

But let's see if anyone using Z10 would reply and if they are satisfied with it.

[Magnum]

Im thinking of going for Blackberry Z10 from iPhone 5, anyone here uses a Z10 or have used one?

Wouldn't it be safer to limit the options to common models like iPhone 6 / plus, Galaxy note 4 or s5, HTC M8, etc..? I think blackberry is loosing the market. But if you ask me I'd prefer the Note 4 over 6 plus. Sorry i couldn't answer your question but just thought of giving my opinion about buying a blackberry since I haven't seen many using them..

But let's see if anyone using Z10 would reply and if they are satisfied with it.

Actually i wouldn't sell my iPhone 5, im rather gonna sell my Xperia S which is just lying around and now the Z10 has depreciated quite a lot too.

I watched couple of videos of it on Youtube, the O/S seems to be really nice plus now it surpports Android apps too

[Hoonigan]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="Magnum" data-cid="269733" data-time="1418550861"><p>

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Actually i wouldn't sell my iPhone 5, im rather gonna sell my Xperia S which is just lying around and now the Z10 has depreciated quite a lot too. <br />

I watched couple of videos of it on Youtube, the O/S seems to be really nice plus now it surpports Android apps too</p></blockquote>

BlackBerry makes awesome phones but the lack of apps was the biggest downside. If they now support android apps, I think you're good to go.

[Magnum]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="Magnum" data-cid="269733" data-time="1418550861"><p>

<br />

Actually i wouldn't sell my iPhone 5, im rather gonna sell my Xperia S which is just lying around and now the Z10 has depreciated quite a lot too. <br />

I watched couple of videos of it on Youtube, the O/S seems to be really nice plus now it surpports Android apps too</p></blockquote>

BlackBerry makes awesome phones but the lack of apps was the biggest downside. If they now support android apps, I think you're good to go.

You cant directly get the apps from Google Play, but you can download the APK file and install them.

I had Bold 9000 around 4 years back I loved it, it was a damn solid phone, went through many tortures still survived

[Magnum]

So I bought a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge yesterday

First impression:

• The design, unlike the previous models this doesnt have any plastic bits, the phone feels really high end on the hand
• The night clock that comes on on the edge screen looks cool.
• The gold color, the gorilla glass on top of the gold housing at the back looks really cool , the glossiness makes the gold look more like a real gold brick and the color itself is slightly different from Apple's gold
• Then theres the quad HD Super Amoled display is stunning
• The camera is dope too and I noticed i takes 16:9 ratio pics even at full resolution(16MP), I have noticed most phones take full resolution pics at 4:3 ration. 16:9 ration pics cover the entire screen when you view them in gallery mode so you dont get black bits on both sides
• Music sound quality is amazing, I dont know if its cuz of the earphones or the phone itself.
• Like all Samsung phones the battery life is dope. I was meddling with it since morning from 6am and it lasted till 7pm and this was heavy usage
• Although its big, it doesnt feel that big in your pocket but you need to be carefull that it doesnt slide of your pocket.
• Its more of a phone which you use with two hands rather than one.
• The finger print scanner is spot on!
• Fast charging, as the name suggest it actually is really fast
• I dont know why people hate touchwiz but I love it, I know the earlier versions looked rubbish bit the latest one looks much better.

[asrock]

Magnum you lucky bugger! I’m eyeing on a Galaxy A7 these days, S6 edge is just a dream for me.

[kmeeg]

So I bought a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge yesterday

First impression:

• The design, unlike the previous models this doesnt have any plastic bits, the phone feels really high end on the hand
• The night clock that comes on on the edge screen looks cool.
• The gold color, the gorilla glass on top of the gold housing at the back looks really cool , the glossiness makes the gold look more like a real gold brick and the color itself is slightly different from Apple's gold
• Then theres the quad HD Super Amoled display is stunning
• The camera is dope too and I noticed i takes 16:9 ratio pics even at full resolution(16MP), I have noticed most phones take full resolution pics at 4:3 ration. 16:9 ration pics cover the entire screen when you view them in gallery mode so you dont get black bits on both sides
• Music sound quality is amazing, I dont know if its cuz of the earphones or the phone itself.
• Like all Samsung phones the battery life is dope. I was meddling with it since morning from 6am and it lasted till 7pm and this was heavy usage
• Although its big, it doesnt feel that big in your pocket but you need to be carefull that it doesnt slide of your pocket.
• Its more of a phone which you use with two hands rather than one.
• The finger print scanner is spot on!
• Fast charging, as the name suggest it actually is really fast
• I dont know why people hate touchwiz but I love it, I know the earlier versions looked rubbish bit the latest one looks much better.

Great info and very tempting..!! Few questions from me..

1. How does the display perform when you are outside on a sunny day. Basically with old Samsungs I find little difficult to view the screen when its too sunny vs iPhone display performs better.

2. What do you feel about the stability of the phone. I had few issues of crashing the apps and about 2 or 3 times i had to restart the phone bcos I could not answer the phone as the swipe was not responding to answer the call. Vs iPhones seems to be a little more stable but Facebook, Youtube, Camera+ crashes sometimes. And same as Samsung about 2 times I missed calls because the phone got stuck and not responding to answer the calls.

3. I think its too early to ask about the build quality but please share if you have any experience. As I told you on FB I don't like the build quality of iPhone especially with the display where its very fragile. My wifes phone just dropped from car seat on to the road and the display has a small chip at bottom and minor damage to metal. Good thing it had a leather cover but bottom has an opening for speaker, headset & charging. If it was not there I think the entire display will be gone.

My daughter multiple time throw my old S3 when she gets angry on hardwood floor multiple times and the display piece goes one direction and battery and the back cover goes the other, believe me only scratches..!! No cracks and everything works fine.

4. It would be great I you could compare the battery life vs a iPhone 6 / 6plus, Bcos according to ratings (Eg. - gsmarena) the s6 and edge seems to have less battery life when compared to S5 and Note 4. But as you said if it survives a day with heavy use I think that's great.

5. You have tested the sound quality with the headset came with the phone right? If so that's great news too.. Is the sound played via Bluetooth also good?

6. Does the Edge fit on your car's cup holder?

• I wish it would be great to have a default video call app for Android like iPhone face time. Other wise have to use skype or something right?
• Also I wish I can disable cellular data by app. Ex- Disable cellular data for Youtube, so it will work only on WiFi. Right?

Thanks in advance,

KMeeg.

[Magnum]

Great info and very tempting..!! Few questions from me..

1. How does the display perform when you are outside on a sunny day. Basically with old Samsungs I find little difficult to view the screen when its too sunny vs iPhone display performs better.

2. What do you feel about the stability of the phone. I had few issues of crashing the apps and about 2 or 3 times i had to restart the phone bcos I could not answer the phone as the swipe was not responding to answer the call. Vs iPhones seems to be a little more stable but Facebook, Youtube, Camera+ crashes sometimes. And same as Samsung about 2 times I missed calls because the phone got stuck and not responding to answer the calls.

3. I think its too early to ask about the build quality but please share if you have any experience. As I told you on FB I don't like the build quality of iPhone especially with the display where its very fragile. My wifes phone just dropped from car seat on to the road and the display has a small chip at bottom and minor damage to metal. Good thing it had a leather cover but bottom has an opening for speaker, headset & charging. If it was not there I think the entire display will be gone.

My daughter multiple time throw my old S3 when she gets angry on hardwood floor multiple times and the display piece goes one direction and battery and the back cover goes the other, believe me only scratches..!! No cracks and everything works fine.

4. It would be great I you could compare the battery life vs a iPhone 6 / 6plus, Bcos according to ratings (Eg. - gsmarena) the s6 and edge seems to have less battery life when compared to S5 and Note 4. But as you said if it survives a day with heavy use I think that's great.

5. You have tested the sound quality with the headset came with the phone right? If so that's great news too.. Is the sound played via Bluetooth also good?

6. Does the Edge fit on your car's cup holder?

• I wish it would be great to have a default video call app for Android like iPhone face time. Other wise have to use skype or something right?
• Also I wish I can disable cellular data by app. Ex- Disable cellular data for Youtube, so it will work only on WiFi. Right?

Thanks in advance,

KMeeg.

1. Yes older Samsung LEDs had an issue when outdoors but in this it works flawlessly, I used it yesterday even when wearing sunglasses.

2. Again the crashing issue was there in older Android versions but now its fine with Lollipop, I remember someone else also mentioned here that they arent having crashing issues with Android anymore.

3. S6 Edge has a metal, although metal/glass body looks better I think metal body is more prone to get scratched and dented than plastic body, plus Samsung used some kinda special plastic on their previous models.

4. I think S6/Edge has a smaller battery than S5 and against Iphone 6/Plus, different reviews give different readings but from what I have heard I think both are pretty similar.

5. Do you bluetooth audio via car speakers?

6. Hahaha I dont keep my phone's on cup holders. Back at home I have a sticky mat on the center console of my Hiace, I keep the phone on that

Yeah I dont understand why Android doesnt have a video calling feature, maybe cuz most people dont need it. To be hoenst i have never used facetime on my iPhone

iPhone has a setting to restrict data usage for each app, in Android theres an option to restrict background activity but then again with Android theres many walkarounds

Note: I can increase the battery life even more if I turn off sync, GPS and NFC( Im not sure if NFS take too battery but other 2 does)

Edited July 24, 2015 by Magnum

[kmeeg]

5. Do you bluetooth audio via car speakers?

Yes, Bluetooth audio with car stereo.. MP3s and Youtube mostly..

[Magnum]

Yes, Bluetooth audio with car stereo.. MP3s and Youtube mostly..

I havent tried, I dont think there'll be a difference from phone to phone

[asrock]

So what's the deference between S6 and S6 Edge? Price of the S6 seems to be about 20k less than the Edge.

[Magnum]

So what's the deference between S6 and S6 Edge? Price of the S6 seems to be about 20k less than the Edge.

Read this:

http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/samsung-galaxy-s6-vs-s6-edge

[Devinda_Z]

Anyone here have any first hand experience with the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact ?

[Magnum]

Anyone here have any first hand experience with the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact ?

I haven't used it but according to reviews its a good phone and it has a battery life than its bigger brother, but the problem with Sony is their UI, the theme they apply on top of stock Android is kinda laggy.

[NPP]

Anyone here have any first hand experience with the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact ?

Nothing to beat its battery life. Decent display and resolution although not up to other flagships but that's what helps the battery too. Just about the right size.

[Magnum]

Those who dont understand how RAM management works in Android should read this!

http://www.androidcentral.com/ram-what-it-how-its-used-and-why-you-shouldnt-care

Its different to Windows which confuses many people