[Tony_Burke]

I am looking to buy a new phone. I like the Galaxy S3 but it is too expensive. On ebay there is an unbranded phone which has android 4.1 4.5in screen and a UK seller with almost 3000 sales and 100% feedback. The feedback seem to say the phone is good. Has anyone purchased one of these phones or similar and if so are they any good? They are £149.99 against £300-£400 for Samsung S3
. New Unlocked 4.5" ANDROID 4.1 Jelly Bean WIFI GPS 3G Dual Sim HD MOBILE PHONE UK
Dual Core CPU 1.2GHz +GPU 4GB 5Mpx Camera 24H DELIVERY

[Craig_Ferguson]

You can get the S3 for nothing, have a look at the carphone warehouse or phones4u. I just got the S3 paying £26 a month for 24 months, no charge for the phone (upfront anyway).

[Scotty2012]

Originally Posted by Craig_Ferguson

You can get the S3 for nothing, have a look at the carphone warehouse or phones4u. I just got the S3 paying £26 a month for 24 months, no charge for the phone (upfront anyway).

I think the OP wants a SIM free/pay as you go phone rather than a contract.

[Hugh_]

You can get the S3 for £15 a month as the phone is bassically obslete now.

It's hardly advertised has been superseded by about 6 different handsets. The S4 is due in he next 3-4 months the nexus 4 although a poor phone is a better choice and is very cheap direct from google.

I have a Nexus 4 an it's definately better than the S3 an at under £300 is a cheap phone. Infact a 8gb Nexus 4 is £230 so even with the awful depreciation of these phone you can't lose. I paid £270 for a 16gb.

[Scotty2012]

Originally Posted by Hugh_

You can get the S3 for £15 a month as the phone is bassically obslete now.

It's hardly advertised has been superseded by about 6 different handsets. The S4 is due in he next 3-4 months the nexus 4 although a poor phone is a better choice and is very cheap direct from google.

I have a Nexus 4 an it's definately better than the S3 an at under £300 is a cheap phone.

The Nexus 4 is not a poor phone. What makes you say that it is?

[Hugh_]

Originally Posted by Scotty2012

The Nexus 4 is not a poor phone. What makes you say that it is?

Honestly,

It feel very cheaply made, the screen should be better, battery life is pathetic.

[Scotty2012]

Originally Posted by Hugh_

Honestly,

It feel very cheaply made, the screen should be better, battery life is pathetic.

Build quality is fantastic, the screen is beautiful and the battery life is very good.

[carguy143]

I love the screen on my nexus 4 and I came from a Galaxy Nexus which had a great screen but sadly suffered from the banding issues when used at low brightness levels. The nexus 4 feels solid too.

[Tony_Burke]

Originally Posted by Scotty2012

I think the OP wants a SIM free/pay as you go phone rather than a contract.

Thats correct I am looking for PAYG as I don't want to be tied into contract. Hence looking for cheaper phone.

[Zack06]

Originally Posted by Hugh_

Honestly,

It feel very cheaply made, the screen should be better, battery life is pathetic.

It doesn't feel cheaply made. Do you even have one? How much better can the screen be at the moment. Only the HTC J Butterfly has a better screen, and at the price point I don't know why you are expecting the Nexus 4 to be like that. The battery life is not pathetic and is most certainly on par with other Android devices.

[Orbitalzone]

Anyway back to the OP, there are a number of clone S3 lookalikes, they're of course cheap Chinese copies as opposed to higher priced Chinese originals (or maybe Samsung make the S3 in Korea?)

Google 'Clone Galaxy S3' and you should find some reviews.... they seem ok but of course no one will likely be around to help should it go wrong or need spares.
Link Link
Link

[jabbamk1]

I guess i should comment.

What you're looking at on Ebay is a Chinese phone. Basically it's a copy of the S3. The reason it's so cheap is 1- Prices in China are cheap, 2- the phone is nowhere near as good as the actual S3. It's good but not that good (goes for build quality and everything). 3- These companies use the cheapest parts.

I would recommend that, you buy an actual S3, or the Nexus 4 (if you can find one) rather than one of these Chinese phones.

Reason i say is due to above + the Chinese phones come without warranty in the UK. They usually have bits that don't work unless you tweak them. You usually have to play around with settings by rooting/flashing new roms to get certain things working. They can break easily due to cheap components.

Tbh unless you're willing to take a risk and know how android works in terms or rooting/tweaking/flashing roms then it's an ok price to pay. But i still recommend getting a branded phone like Samsung or whatever. Like i said there is a reason why they're so cheap.

Saying that, i have a Chinese phone and it's working perfectly now after a lot of tweaking. But that's only because i knew what i was doing and how to do it. If you don't know much about Android like i said above then don't buy
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1750260

Sorry about my english in this post. I'm on my phone.

[alan1302]

Originally Posted by jabbamk1

Sorry about my english in this post. I'm on my phone.

Is that because it's a Chinese phone?

[jabbamk1]

Originally Posted by alan1302

Is that because it's a Chinese phone?

Haha, kinda. When I got the phone it came without a english dictionary preinstalled so there was no autocorrect or anything. Had to install my own keyboard.

[Thine Wonk]

When he pressed 23 it said Chicken with Black Bean Sauce and when he pressed 34 Special Fried Rice

[jabbamk1]

Originally Posted by Thine Wonk

When he pressed 23 it said Chicken with Black Bean Sauce and when he pressed 34 Special Fried Rice

Hahahahaha! Also when my phone arrived from China it came with a complimentary bag of Prawn Crackers

[kpfarmer1]

Don't buy one off "mi phon gon wong"..

[jabbamk1]

Originally Posted by kpfarmer1

Don't buy one off "mi phon gon wong"..

Killed It...

@OP, What is your budget?

[Tony_Burke]

upto £150 ideally but could go slightly higher - possibly £200

[coopermanyorks]

Originally Posted by Thine Wonk

When he pressed 23 it said Chicken with Black Bean Sauce and when he pressed 34 Special Fried Rice

like it

Op,don't do it

If you can't afford a new S3,then consider a used S3 before a clone,you wil be velly solly if you go chinese

[John_Patrick]

Do the phones from China get rated for their SAR value.... how would you know if they are safe while planted next to your ear? The ones I have seen say that they come with 2 (some 3) batteries. Wonder why that is? Battery crap? or maybe cos they use cheap bits the radio in the phone has to be on full power all the time and uses the battery up?

No thanks.

[Thine Wonk]

The batteries are cheaper, all the components are likely to be cheaper. The assembly will be a bit botchy stuff soldered from board to board rather than proper connectors, they will cut corners with the shielding.

In most stuff these days if you take apart a phone or tablet you'll find the radios all cased in with thin metal, the nexus 10 even has a thin sheet of metal all over the inside back as shielding. It is likely these knock off's will be cheaply made and will cut corners, however if you go into it knowing that then you may well be happy to accept it.

[Andrew_Reid]

Hi,i have ordered this one last week N9330 Note II 1GB RAM 3G Smart Phone MTK6577 1.2GHz Dual Core Android 4.1.1 5.5" QHD Capacitive Screen GPS WIFI 4GB ROM,from ali express,i need a dual sim phone anyway,so for a £100,am prepared so take a chance with this one.I have a galaxy s3 just now from t-mobile,had it from july 2012,but the last while it has been rebooting itself,and i have now found out it has the dreaded Sudden Death Syndrome,where it dies after 6 months and does not power on.So its going to samsung to get fixed.

[Hugh_]

Yeah this S3 "sudden death" issue is getting bigger and bigger an is happening on phones is brazil, the UK, all over Europe so it's a worldwide problem.

[jabbamk1]

Originally Posted by Andrew_Reid

Hi,i have ordered this one last week N9330 Note II 1GB RAM 3G Smart Phone MTK6577 1.2GHz Dual Core Android 4.1.1 5.5" QHD Capacitive Screen GPS WIFI 4GB ROM,from ali express,i need a dual sim phone anyway,so for a £100,am prepared so take a chance with this one.I have a galaxy s3 just now from t-mobile,had it from july 2012,but the last while it has been rebooting itself,and i have now found out it has the dreaded Sudden Death Syndrome,where it dies after 6 months and does not power on.So its going to samsung to get fixed.

That's a very good phone you got. How'd you get it so cheap? Did you not pay for dhl shipping?

@OP, I agree with thine wonk, unless you know what you're doing with a chinese phone you might as well buy a used s3 or a brand new dual core phone. Should be able to get galaxy s2 for £200 on payg new if I remember correctly.

@John, sar ratings are not as bad as you think. 2 batteries is normal because they're cheap. My battery lasts longer than my previous htc one x. Plus all phones in the uk used to come with2 batteries a while back