Getting an Android phone from overseas

[Orion#]

Hi mybb users, i need assistance in gaining insight/understanding on the topic from those who have bought their phones, set it up, etc from overseas or tech minded individuals.

Ive harboured the thought of getting the huawei honor 8 or honor 8 lite (also known as p8 lite 2017 here in Sa) Both the above phones are available in India, however importantly the honor 8 lite comes in a 64gb, 4gb ram variant compared to the 16gb, 3gb ram variant we get here and they similar in pricing. With the 64gb, at least it can be used as a dual sim and not have to worry about expanding the memory.

So my questions are:
1) if i had to get the lite version, will it work here and importantly be able to receive updates via ota or must it be manually done. I know this will be related to regioning but not sure of the technicality behind it.

2) Speaking of region/country, i have read online that changing countries on the play store can be done but it has had mixed results. How will i be able to change the playstore successfully to support Sa and not india? Has anyone had any problems when changing their playstore?

As its dual sim, i believe I'll be able to use both sim slots on our networks. I have been reading on mybb of other huawei phones having their 2nd sim locked but that was due to our network operators.

Is there any other technicalities that should be considered? Yes i know there wont be any warranty here however as its the same as the p8 lite 2017 here, im thinking I'll be able to get assistance from the huawei stores if needed.


Thanks in advance

 

[catharsis]

Can you not just get a dual SIM phone from here?

Some Xiaomi, Vodaphone and other low cost brands do have them.

 

[Dairyfarmer]

I buy all my phones from China and have had great success. Never had a problem with getting updates (except when using custom roms). I've never thought of buying from India though. Most hones are "international" but some are described as "Chinese only version" and need to be avoided. Have a look on dx, banggood, geekbuying,....

Read carefully about dual sim and specs. Many are not true dual sims. Some phones don't have 2 sim slots and a dedicated sd slot. When using a sd card you insert it in sim slot 2. Usually the Chinese phones have dedicated sd slots but they are changing over to the shared slot configuration. Depends on your memory needs. Most phones sold by the networks here are shared sim/sd models.

I personally like the Doogee phones, but Xiaomi are well reported on this forum. I recently purchased a Xiaomi Redmi 4A as a spare family phone. Ok but not a big wow.

 

[Orion#]

@ Sulaco Yeah I can, I'm just ask for informative basis. Its interesting to know how the other guys do it.

 

[Orion#]

@ dairyfarmer Thanks for the info. As you say, alot buy off the Chinese websites with success but not from India. I have seen some of the phones they have there, and the prices or discounts you find there are also really good.

On your phones you've purchased, you didnt have any issues with the playstore?

 

[Spizz]

Hi mybb users, i need assistance in gaining insight/understanding on the topic from those who have bought their phones, set it up, etc from overseas or tech minded individuals.

Ive harboured the thought of getting the huawei honor 8 or honor 8 lite (also known as p8 lite 2017 here in Sa) Both the above phones are available in India, however importantly the honor 8 lite comes in a 64gb, 4gb ram variant compared to the 16gb, 3gb ram variant we get here and they similar in pricing. With the 64gb, at least it can be used as a dual sim and not have to worry about expanding the memory.

So my questions are:
1) if i had to get the lite version, will it work here and importantly be able to receive updates via ota or must it be manually done. I know this will be related to regioning but not sure of the technicality behind it.

2) Speaking of region/country, i have read online that changing countries on the play store can be done but it has had mixed results. How will i be able to change the playstore successfully to support Sa and not india? Has anyone had any problems when changing their playstore?

As its dual sim, i believe I'll be able to use both sim slots on our networks. I have been reading on mybb of other huawei phones having their 2nd sim locked but that was due to our network operators.

Is there any other technicalities that should be considered? Yes i know there wont be any warranty here however as its the same as the p8 lite 2017 here, im thinking I'll be able to get assistance from the huawei stores if needed.


Thanks in advance

I've bought a few phones overseas and used them in SA with no problems. And it just so happens, I bought the P8 lite 2017 in Egypt a few weeks ago and am using it just now in England with a UK sim in slot 1 and my Vodacom SA sim in 2 with no problems at all. I used it when I was home last month in SA as well with no problems either.

So don't stress, it will work the same as if you bought it in SA and the play store is dictated by your sim card and Google account. I've got a UK sim in slot 1 and switch off my SA sim in slot 2 most of the time, and I'm still on the SA store all the time.

And it's a nice phone btw. Even though I just got the 16gb/3gb version, I'm still very happy with it.

 

[Spizz]

Screenshot taken now with sim 2 switched off since yesterday. Look at the prices and the cellphone provider.

 

[Dairyfarmer]

On your phones you've purchased, you didnt have any issues with the playstore?

Never. Don't know PlayStore is location sensitive other than what you put in the settings.