How To Know If A Smartphone Will Work In Your Country

One of the most commonly asked questions by our customers relates to whether a particular phone will work and have mobile internet connection in a certain country. Not entirely unsurprising, of course, as a smartphone that does not work in your region would be a rather useless device. This makes it one of the most important questions to have a clear answer to before purchasing a new handset.

All modern smartphones work on a 2G, 3G, or 4G network and most will have a combination of coverage from different networks available. However, it’s not quite as simple as that as simply having a smartphone that offers, let’s say, 4G connectivity does not mean that you can connect to the internet in every part of the world.

2G, 3G, and 4G networks are divided up into several different bandwidths / frequencies. Each individual bandwidth has been designated to one specific region or network. This means that if your phone works on a certain bandwidth that provides network access in the UK and Europe there is no guarantee it will also work in the USA or Australia.

Source: www.worldtimezone.com

So how do you find out?

Although it might sound pretty complicated to find out what bandwidth works in which area it is, in fact, rather easy. Every phone should state clearly what bandwidths it works with. Now, there are some phones purchased from cellular plan providers such as Verizon or Orange that may have been locked only to work on those particular devices and, if you want to use them on another provider, you need to unlock the phone. However, all smartphones sold at Chinavasion are unlocked. This means that you can use any of the supported frequencies or network suppliers compatible with the phone’s requirements.

Now, in order to find out what phones will work in your country simply head to our website and look for the frequencies tab that can be found under the specifications of each individual smartphone. (As shown below)

Once you have this information it should be a piece of cake to find out whether a certain device works in your country or not as there are many websites that list all the 2G, 3G, and 4G bandwidths available in a certain region. An example of such a website is www.worldtimezone.com/4g.html that gives you a clear and easy to follow overview.

Additionally, there are other websites such as will my phone work net. This page lets you select your phone, country, and network provider. Once you have entered these details the website will provide you with an overview and helpful guide to what cell phones will work with the different providers in your given country.

The websites mentioned above are great to get a quick glance at whether a certain phone will or will not work in a particular area. However, before selecting your new smartphone Chinavasion always advises you to double check the cellular connections with the provider that you wish to use. This will guarantee you that you will not be in for a nasty surprise once your new smartphone has been delivered at your doorstep.