will this work?

[boathead]

i have never used a cell phone....well, i should say i've always used a cell phone as a wifi device...have never had cell coverage. as such i've never paid attention to carriers and frequencies and gsm and cdma. it's all foreign to me.

on top of this i'm poor. new job circumstances are such that i need a phone for emergency purposes. i may in fact never use it, and i am ok with that, but i need something if it hits the fan.

so what i'm going to do (unless this is stupid) is buy a clone galaxy s4 unlocked gsm on the cheap. it has 850 and 1900 mhz, which fits att. then i get a micro sim card for a go phone on ebay, and then activate it with the cheapest plan they have.

i'm thinking i can hit the ground running for 200 bucks, and if i use it as little as i expect, for tops 10 bucks a month. and have a device that will more than hold its own as a wifi device, which is how i primarily will use it.

as an aside, anyone ever buy a clone phone? anything illegal about it?

 

[ocnbrze]

i never owned a gsm phone so i'm a little fuzzy about sim cards. but one thing i would say is be careful with clones and off brand phones.....http://androidforums.com/android-lounge/631594-off-brand-phones-tablets-worth-low-cost.html

 

[boathead]

hey, thanks for that link. i'm aware of the risk, certainly about the possible shoddy hardward and construction.

was not aware of the google play angle. the phone i'm looking at purports to come with google play....but who knows what i'll actually get.

i can't remember...but i think i sideloaded google play's apk on a device of mine.

 

[gtbarry]

I have never purchased a clone phone, but I would be hesitant. From what I have read and heard, many use inferior parts and run into issues on a semi-regular basis as a result.

If you are not using it on a regular basis, it may give out on you at any given time. Then the only time you go to use it, it may not be there for you.

Why not look for a real phone from a buyer you can trust? Thinking ebay, craig's list, a friend, etc. An older model like an S2, Galaxy Nexus, etc. Galaxy Nexus is my main phone to this day and probably sells for about $200 on ebay.

Just make sure you can trust the buyer, it works with AT&T (or unlocked GSM - meaning it will work with AT&T or t-mobile) and whatever else you need it to do

 

[chanchan05]

Yes, I'd suggest buying a lower end device like a Galaxy Y, or an older model phone instead of a clone. Or even a simple feature phone would do.

 

[boathead]

so i'm getting that this is stupid!

i may do it anyway.... i'm not really into throwing money that i don't have away, but part of me is curious as to the quality of the device.

btw, my main gadget is a galaxy nexus....i love it. but it has a bad esn. i just might go the unlocked gnex route.

 

[funkylogik]

Do that

 

[mikedt]

i have never used a cell phone....well, i should say i've always used a cell phone as a wifi device...have never had cell coverage. as such i've never paid attention to carriers and frequencies and gsm and cdma. it's all foreign to me.

on top of this i'm poor. new job circumstances are such that i need a phone for emergency purposes. i may in fact never use it, and i am ok with that, but i need something if it hits the fan.

so what i'm going to do (unless this is stupid) is buy a clone galaxy s4 unlocked gsm on the cheap.

If you're referring to something like "Star S4" and there's quite a few of those in varying flavours. They're exactly that, they're counterfeits, or cheap copies. They might look like the Samsung Galaxy S4, but they're certainly not it.

it has 850 and 1900 mhz, which fits att. then i get a micro sim card for a go phone on ebay, and then activate it with the cheapest plan they have.

You probably would run into a problem here. Many of the clones don't have the United States 3G/4G cellular bands. They're GSM/EDGE only on 850/1900MHz, and only have 3G/4G at 2100MHz. Which is fine for most countries in the world except the United States and Canada. You'll be able to make phone calls, but mobile data could be a problem. You'd have to check the specs very carefully of what you intend to buy, and even then they're frequently inaccurate. Of course there's no way to test for compatibility with AT&T in China, so basically it's "Well we think it should work, but if it doesn't, hard luck."....they always work on China Unicom or China Mobile OK though.

I've actually got a clone Galaxy Note, bought in mainland China, it wouldn't work on PCCW in Hong Kong. So I subsequently bought a genuine Samsung Galaxy Win Duos while I was in HK.

i'm thinking i can hit the ground running for 200 bucks, and if i use it as little as i expect, for tops 10 bucks a month. and have a device that will more than hold its own as a wifi device, which is how i primarily will use it.

If you're just using it as a WiFi device, and don't actually need the top end features and functionality of a real Galaxy S4, which the clones generally don't have, e.g. AMOLED screens. Then just look at something more modest from a reputable manufacturer.

as an aside, anyone ever buy a clone phone? anything illegal about it?

I know about clone phones, I've seen a lot of them...I live in China. Very illegal to knowingly import counterfeit products into the United States AFAIK. So if ICE seizes your package coming from Shenzhen, there's not a lot you can do about it., and just hope they don't come knocking on your door.