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demonrocks
Joined: 11 Aug 2011
Location: England, UK.
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 Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 7:44 pm Post subject: Galaxy S4 |
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So the Galaxy S4 is getting released in the next couple of weeks. I'd like to buy the phone unlocked and sim free when it becomes available.. Is this possible in Korea?
If so, where would be the best place to go for the best deal? I'm in Seoul. |
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wishfullthinkng
Joined: 05 Mar 2010
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| Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 9:33 pm Post subject: |
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| i'm fairly sure it will be unlocked for SK and KT. you could buy it with no contract but i bet it will cost a pretty penny. we're talking 1million+ |
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demonrocks
Joined: 11 Aug 2011
Location: England, UK.
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| Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 2:07 am Post subject: |
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I'm not looking to be locked into a 24 month contract and I'll want to take the phone home if/when I leave before then. It will work out cheaper in the long run to just buy the phone.
So where is the best place to buy new phones outright from? |
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Michlerish
Joined: 08 Jan 2013
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| Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 5:10 am Post subject: |
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How do you figure it would work out cheaper in the long run?
I'm planning to get the S4, also not staying for the full 24 months, but was going to sign contract and just pay to get out of it when I leave to take the phone with me.
Why would this cost more than buying the phone outright? |
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demonrocks
Joined: 11 Aug 2011
Location: England, UK.
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| Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 8:08 am Post subject: |
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| Because you will have to pay the cost of the phone anyway, plus the remainder of your contract right? |
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wishfullthinkng
Joined: 05 Mar 2010
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| Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 6:51 pm Post subject: |
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| you might be able to get a one year contract. either way, you will need to pay for service so if you can get a contract even for a year i don't see why you wouldn't. just like phones in the states, the ones here are fairly heavily subsidized if you get a contract (but not as much as in the states because the monthly rates here are much cheaper). |
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demonrocks
Joined: 11 Aug 2011
Location: England, UK.
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| Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 7:20 pm Post subject: |
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| If I have a phone I can just get a monthly plan from KT/Olleh without any contract, which I can cancel at anytime. So it should work out cheaper if I leave before the contract period is up. |
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nick70100
Joined: 09 Sep 2005
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| Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 10:58 pm Post subject: |
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| demonrocks wrote: |
| If I have a phone I can just get a monthly plan from KT/Olleh without any contract, which I can cancel at anytime. So it should work out cheaper if I leave before the contract period is up. |
I'm not so sure that it would be cheaper, but it really depends on several factors.
In Korea the cost of the monthly plan and the phone are separate, and the plans are the same price whether or not you are on a contract. The only potential upside to buying the phone in this regard is if you are a very light user you can sign up for some of the really cheap, low-minute, low-data plans that aren't available when you get the subsidized phone.
When you cancel your contract early there are two things you will pay. One is the remaining unpaid price of the phone, without any discounts. For example, if the original unsubsidized price of the phone was a million won and you cancelled after 6 months you would owe 750,000. The second is a contract cancellation fee, which is fairly low (80,000 won for the last contract I signed) and this decreases with each month. For example, if you used the phone for 6 months on a 2 year contract and then cancelled you would owe 75% of the fee, after one year 50%, etc...
So to get an accurate picture you're going to need to know the specifics of the contract, know when you will cancel it, and do a little bit of math, but generally speaking, you're probably better off taking the contract and paying the cancellation fee unless you're planning on leaving Korea really soon, as in 2 or 3 months soon. You're going to pay for the phone either way, whether up front or when you cancel your contract. And the cancellation fee is small enough that after just a few months the monthly phone subsidies will likely surpass it. |
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Michlerish
Joined: 08 Jan 2013
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| Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 3:31 pm Post subject: |
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| Has anyone seen if the S4 is out yet? The guy at SK mobile told me it would be released on the 26th, so I'm just trying to plan when I should go over to Technomart to get one (from whichever carrier has the best deal for me). |
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wishfullthinkng
Joined: 05 Mar 2010
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| Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 6:14 pm Post subject: |
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| yeah it's out now. even the underground cell phone kiosk guys seem to have them in stock. |
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FMPJ
Joined: 03 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 9:46 pm Post subject: |
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Got one. It's pretty cool. Display is awesome, processor is very fast. I have no need for the bells & whistles and have deleted a ton of bloatware, but some of course can only be disabled.
With no HTC One coming to Korea, this looks like the best phone available. I'm pleased. |
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ed1980
Joined: 04 Feb 2003
Location: Goyang
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| Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 6:41 pm Post subject: |
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| what deal did you get please ? |
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FMPJ
Joined: 03 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Tue May 07, 2013 10:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Dunno, my wife did it all for me. I generally pay no attention to things like that. It's a failing, I know. |
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ed1980
Joined: 04 Feb 2003
Location: Goyang
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| Posted: Wed May 08, 2013 12:52 am Post subject: |
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| Fair play to ya, the system works |
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furtakk
Joined: 02 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Sat May 11, 2013 8:12 am Post subject: |
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I picked one up today. I kept passing on a new phone for so long. Since the S3 (yes that long) came out last Spring I've been on the verge of upgrading. Feels good to finally have a new toy.
Anyhow, I checked with SK and KT. Ended up going with KT since I have my internet with them and they were able to give me a bit of a discount on that. They also have a 150K discount on the phone running at the moment. So if you plan on buying it outright, it's about 750K. If you pay through the contract it'll still be a little cheaper in the end.
I got the lowest talk/message/data plan with an unlimited data upgrade (9k extra a month). Will run around 70K a month.
Overall pretty happy with the phone. It's so much quicker than my old Optimus Black. The thing that blew me away most was the camera. I can't believe how far along phone cameras have come. |
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