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Please help me find a phone that will work in France

Posted by (Houston, Texas, USA) on

I've posted this on the France forum but thought I's post it here also for wider readership.

I want to buy an inexpensive (under $150) unlocked smartphone to use while we are traveling in France and also for later trips to other countries. I'll buy a SIM card in whatever country we are visiting. If my understanding is correct, I need a phone that operates on 900/1800 frequencies, plus 2100 for data. I have searched many unlocked cell phones that say they are quad band and operate in "most networks when roaming outside the US." I am specifically looking at the BLU Studio 5.0 C HD unlocked phone with global GSM

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OU1PX7A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
or the BLU Studio X GSM unlocked phone

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TKVOLC8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

The Amazon and the BLU websites for both phones say

GSM Quad Band 4G HSPA+ (850/1900/2100): US Compatibility: AT&T, T-Mobile, Cricket, MetroPCS, and others, including most 3G UMTS/HSPA+ Networks when roaming outside the US.”

But if I go to http://www.gsmarc.com/blu/studio-5-0-c-hd-d534/ or http://www.gsmarena.com/blu_studio_5_0_c_hd-6565.php
It indicates that they have the following specs:

GSM 2G Bands: GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900
GSM 3G Bands: HSDPA 850, HSDPA 1700, HSDPA 1900, HSDPA 2100

They do add that their information may not be completely accurate so I am hesitant to trust it. I would hate to spend the money for a phone that won’t work in France.

I do have an iPhone 4s that my daughter passed on to me and am in the process of trying to unlock it, so perhaps I can use that if I can ever get through the entire process. (I did get permission from AT&T to unlock it). I have read reports of people who arrive in Europe thinking that their phone was unlocked only to find that it wasn’t. Is there a way to tell if it is before I leave the US?

As I primarily need a phone to make reservations at restaurants, call our B&B's to let them know what time we'll be arriving, etc. my a friend in England suggested that I forego a smart phone and that I might be able to just buy one of the cheap phones in a grocery store. Does anyone know how much a cheap "regular" (not smartphone) would be in France? If I bought one at a place like Orange, would they set it up for me in English? I’ve visited their website but since I don’t speak French, it’s difficult to understand the various offers.

Offers of specific, well rated phones in my price range that I can get quickly (in 7-10 days) would be appreciated. I shouldn't have waited until the last minute to resolve this!

Thanks in advance for your suggestions and any reassurance you can offer about possibly going ahead with the phones I have found.

Posted by
11294 posts

I agree with James. Since you're just planning to make a few calls, see if your current phone will work in Europe, and what international plans your US carrier offers. It is certainly easier, and cheaper once you figure in the cost of buying a new phone for Europe.

As a backup, if your US phone doesn't work when you arrive (or if you know it won't work there), plan B can be to buy a cheap "dumbphone" in France. While a supermarket won't help you set it up in English, the phone stores (Orange, SFR) and electronics stores (FNAC) will.

How can you tell if the iPhone 4S originally from AT&T is unlocked? Find someone with T-Mobile service and put their SIM card in the phone. If it boots up and gets a network, it's unlocked. If it's locked, it will quickly say "Enter SIM PIN 2" and will not go further.

Posted by
1241 posts

Have you looked at Eurobuzz? https://www.eurobuzz.com

They sell a phone for $29, with charger, adapter, and SIM card. You only pay when you use it. Incoming and outgoing calls are $ .79 a minute. Outgoing text is $ .79, incoming is free. Data is $ .39/mb.

Or, if your phone is unlocked, you can just buy a SIM card for $9.

They deliver very quickly, too.

Posted by
1348 posts

Sent a PM to you.
Stick at it unlocked quadbands are out there on ebay and amazon.A basic phone is as cheap buying in US as here,
A typical local SIm will be 2c a min or less. for calls, and data 1 c a mb

Posted by
1 posts

Your least expensive option would be the unlocked iPhone assuming it was an AT&T or t-Mobile phone. If it was Verizon or Sprint it still might work but you'd have to check with the company as these two use a different radio that is not GSM. GSM iPhones are all quad band.
Orange in France works with any quad band GSM phone so the ones you listed would be OK. You would always get 2G data but might find 3G only in certain areas because of band differences for data. Your voice calls will certainly work.
For details on who is available, search Wikipedia.org for Mobile Country Code. The page will provide all the tech details you need to compare phones with providers in every country in the world.
In addition to buying a single country SIM, there are also companies who issue for multiple countries. I purchased a smart phone pack from Telestial (http://www.telestial.com/gsm_phones.php). I got an England and a California number and the rates are pretty good. I personally prefer a smart phone to a cheaper phone because you can use them for more than just phone calls. Rick has a nice app that I use on mine as well as search, web, trip notes and lots of other things.

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