# Getting the right smartphone for international lifestyle



## Emmawhite22

Hi everyone!

I've been living blissfully in Italy for a year with a dumbphone, but am finally facing the reality that due to my lifestyle, I have to update to a smartphone. Basically, I travel a lot back to the US and am sick of not having any phone or internet when I'm traveling there.

I'm looking for advice on the best phone I can get. Ideally it would be a smartphone with a pay as you go plan, that I can use for calls and internet, both in Italy and as cheaply as possible when I go back home to the US. Even though I'm a mac girl and would naturally lean towards an iphone, my dad mentioned that android phones have a sim situation where I could perhaps have an Italian pay as you go sim card, and an American pay as you go sim to use when I'm back home. 

Hopefully there is some tech wizard out there, who, despite wincing through the ignorance evident in my email, can help advise me on what I should do.

Grazie!

Emma


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## BBCWatcher

Yes, those are called "dual SIM" smartphones, meaning they hold more than one SIM card at the same time. Some of those phones allow you to switch the phone between SIMs (without physically changing the SIM), and others are "dual standby," meaning that the phone monitors both lines simultaneously.

In terms of affordable Android smartphones which are dual SIM my current favorite is the LG E455. You should be able to buy one unlocked for roughly US$170 without a contract if you shop around. That's just a good all-around Android phone. Nothing spectacular, but if you're coming from a "dumb phone" it's a great step up. And you won't be too afraid to have it damaged since it doesn't cost a lot. About the only thing that isn't so great is that it doesn't have a front-facing camera, so if you use Skype or some other video conferencing application you'll have to use the back camera, and that means you can't see the other person at the same time they see you. I could certainly live with that, but perhaps others feel differently. The E455 does not monitor both phone lines simultaneously, but you can switch between SIMs using the menu any time you wish.

If you want to find other dual SIM smartphones you can visit this site. Select "At Least Dual SIM" in the Multiple SIM box, select Android (or All Smartphones) in the Operating System box, tick all the 2G Network Bands (800, 900, 1800, and 1900), and tick at least the 2100 3G Network Band (so the phone will work in Korea and Japan). You may also wish to tick the 1700 3G Network Band if you want the phone to work well on T-Mobile in the U.S. and 3G 850 and 1900 if you want good AT&T coverage. The Sony Xperia M Model C2004 would be an example of a smartphone that currently meets all those parameters, but it costs a bit more. (Maybe around US$250 if you shop around.)


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## Emmawhite22

Wow! Thanks for your reply. This does sound like an intriguing idea. After hunting around on the internet to try to find more information, I have a few concerns. The first, was that I found this in an article:

"Unfortunately, it will be a long time before a U.S carrier sells a dual-SIM phone, if it happens at all. Carriers, after all, would prefer that you use a handset locked to their services. At home, they'd rather you not swap in different provider's SIM. And while this last part is changing to some degree, carriers would prefer that you use one of their roaming partners when you take your phone overseas (they get some money that way)."

I know this is about selling the phones in the US (I live in Italy now) but I'm worried that the US may not make SIM cards with pay as you go options for the dual sim phone. Maybe you don't know anything about this 

Also, I am worried about incurring large costs on both SIMs if they are both active all the time. Essentially, when I am in Italy I'm not too concerned with using the US SIM to communicate with people in the US, and vice versa. I can do that through email, skype, and texting apps. I'm mostly interested in having a phone that I can use cheaply in Italy, and then when I'm in the US, switch to a pay as you go US SIM that I can use without roaming fees in the US. Having fancy specs or a top of the line phone is not important to me, just something I can use for calling, internet surfing, and some basic apps. I'm also a teacher, so I don't have to use my phone for business or anything like that.

Thanks again, and if you have any more advice, that would be great!

Emma


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## NickZ

Honestly no point getting a dual sim phone for traveling. Dual sim phones are aimed at people wanting one phone for business/personal or other uses. Paying extra for dual sim feature when you can just remove the sim at any time doesn't make a great deal of sense.

The Nexus 4 has been on sale at many Italian shops lately. It's still a bit more expensive in comparison with getting it from Amazon.uk but you'll get an Italian USB charger if that's an issue for you. You'll get the normal EU frequencies with it. Including 2100 . Being a Nexus it gets all the OS upgrades quickly. It's a 4.7inch screen so not tiny but not the biggest either.

Wind is offering 300minutes/300SMS/2GB of data for €7 a month.

Other then that watch the flyers. Different models are on sale every week. Ranging from basic phones (Currently the local Conad is offering a low end Samsung Galaxy for €70) on up the latest greatest phablets. 

If you want size the new Note should be announced in a couple of weeks. That means the current Note 2 is going to see more sales/price drops.


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## bellakem

You mention being a Mac girl, so l would suggest getting an iPhone . Next time you are in the U.S , l would pick one up ( you can get it cheaper on ebay there, better still, get a used unlocked one..). Then you can just switch out the SIM card wherever you go. I got a 4gs for 200 dollars plus an extra 20 to unlock it. When l am in the U.S, l use a t- mobile sim pay as you go. When l visit family in Africa, Rome, London, l switch to a local sim, and here in Malta, l have the lock Melita sim.


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## BBCWatcher

Dual SIM mobile phones aren't actually more expensive. It's simply a convenience factor. The LG E455 dual SIM phone mentioned requires using a menu to switch between SIMs: "Use SIM #1 / Use SIM #2" basically. While you're in Italy you use the Italian SIM, while in the U.S. the U.S. SIM, etc. Sure, U.S. mobile carriers may not like that, but that's their problem, not yours. Dual SIM mobile phones are widely available for purchase -- just not from the carriers directly in the U.S. And that's the point.

However, if you don't travel much, a single SIM phone is fine as long as it's unlocked and as long as you don't mind swapping SIM cards when you do travel. Here's a list of single SIM or dual SIM smartphones which would likely be good, affordable candidates. In no particular order:

Sony Xperia L C2104
Sony Xperia M C1904 or C2004
HTC One S
Samsung Galaxy Exhibit T599

They need to be unlocked, of course. I've picked those 4 because I assume you'd like a model that works well with both T-Mobile and AT&T in the U.S. T-Mobile uses a somewhat unusual frequency band called AWS (1700 MHz) for its 3G service in many parts of the U.S., and all four of those models support AWS in at least certain submodel variants.

If you don't need AWS coverage then there are many more phone models available. AWS is optional -- your phone will still work with T-Mobile while in the U.S. -- but if you're not going to be a hardcore T-Mobile user any time soon you don't have to worry about it.

In terms of iPhones, Apple is currently selling their iPhone 4 unlocked for $450 with a T-Mobile SIM. (You don't have to use that SIM, but the SIM is free when you order the phone.) If you log into ShopDiscover and use a Discover card to buy the phone you get a 5% rebate. The iPhone 4 is Apple's entry level iPhone right now, but it's still quite a bit more expensive than most of the Android phones listed above. Apple is likely to be introducing new iPhone models next month (September, 2013). The iPhones are great.

On edit: I would add that the Nokia Lumia 520 and Lumia 521 are quite excellent values. Those are Windows Mobile phones. Microsoft is not having much success with Windows on smartphones, and consequently the prices reflect that. It's priced about the same as the LG E455. Personally I prefer the E455 -- I think it's a heck of a value as a step-up to a smartphone -- but I'm illustrating lots of options for you.


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## BBCWatcher

This LG Optimus L7 looks very good at about $160 including shipping, to pick another example. Just a good all-around smartphone. And here's another seller at about the same price. Also in black.


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## BBCWatcher

OK, here's another LG L7 under $160 (white model). It seems pretty widely available at that price or a bit lower.


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## Emmawhite22

You guys are all the best!! Thank you so much for taking the time to help me on this issue; it's becoming a lot clearer for me now. As much as I do love the iphone, I'm thinking about getting something cheaper just in the event I lose/break it/it gets stolen.

Now, does anyone have any advice on a good plan/network in Italy? I'm currently on Vodafone with my dumbphone with a great pay as you go plan. I don't call much, but text often. I would like to stay on a pay as you go system. As for internet, it's really just surfing and maybe getting a few texting apps, no streaming or video or anything like that.

Grazie!

Emma


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## Emmawhite22

Hey BBC,

I'm wary about buying from that site in China so am thinking of buying a phone here in Italy. . . what do you think of the LG L5? I'm not gonna use it for much, basically surf the internet, text and call, and maybe use some simple texting apps. The L5 seems cheaper in Italy. Then when I go back home for xmas I may get the iphone and have the LG as a back up phone, if I don't like it.

Thoughts?


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