By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .
Sign up with Google
Sign up with Facebook
Q: 3G users, are you tired of China's high 3G costs? How about a trick!
Now, this goes out to all hardcore 3G users on smartphones, If you're not a tech geek you can ask your friends to help you out IF this seems useful to you.
Now, it's best to use China Unicom 3G, it's the most stable, not always the best range, but stable.
China unicome offers two 3G services.
1. Basic calling, text and 3G internet sim = 56Y 150MG's to Y3000 = 5GB. (Damn Expensive right?) DON"T USE IT.
2. Text and internet 3G sim, no calling can be done on this sim, only texting, but texting will seem useless after I teach you how to do it. COST: Y80 = 3GB to Y300 = 10GB, thats right for 300 you get 10,000 GB's of internet surfing.
Now, forget about tablets, their too big and heavy to carry around, even the 7.0 is too big sometimes.
So here's my saving money trick.
Put your calling sim into a cheap old phone of your's, or a 100 RMB phone, remember it's just for calling, I never need to call anyone these days thx to Wechat, QQ, MSN, Yahoo, Skype and more, only for job offers and spam calls. So why waste your money on those high priced 3G calling plans? Don't!
Now go with your passport to China Unicom and tell tell them you want the 3G internet sim, NOT a calling plan 3G sim.
You only get Charged for what you use, example: Y80 = 3GB, if you go over: Y150 = 5GB, if you go over: Y300 10GB.
I never go over 5 GB and I'm a hardcore net guy.
Now it's best to use this method with a Samsung Galaxy S3, S4, Mega or HTC X one. Windows phones are not good for this, but it'll work. But Android OS will do the trick.
Next put this new sim into your Smartphone or Phablet Phone and you're good to go with the internet full time on in your pocket, not in you carry bag, not in you armpit. Anyone can contact you anytime with chat apps. If you have a VPN, you're set for Facebook fulltime.
I have saved TONS of money with this trick.
And with a Samsung or Android Phones you can share wifi with your friends or for companies that don't give you the internet, just plug in your phone and tether it to your PC, Yes you must learn about Tethering for new guys out there.
Tip, with good things come responsibility, you must recharged your phone at work or at home at the right time. I just recharge mine on my school PC.
Try and you'll love it. For tech geeks like me you'll love and save money in China.
10 years 44 weeks ago in Web & Technology - China
or instead of carrying around an old phone get something like a Hongmi with WCDMA so you can have both sims in one phone. (of course the beauty of an old candybar phone is it's brilliant battery life)
ironman510:
Yeah good idea Scandinavian, Samsung released an S4 with a dual sim feature. Heavy price tag though, Y4800.00, That's ideal, but again, must make sure to charge it when you have a chance.
JustinF:
That sounds pretty cool. By dual sim, does that mean that both SIMs can be active at the same time (when you are on a call on the first sim, the other sim can still receive another call)?
Scandinavian:
I am not sure. I've considered getting one, but am a little turned off by the price. The Xiaomi 2A & 2S are brilliant phones, we have them in house. I fear the Hongmi would e.g. have a shitty camera, even though the specs are the same, the Xiaomi 2x's camera is spectacular.
A couple of years ago, most dual sim phones suffered from only being able to have one sim card active at a time, and some you even had to reboot to change sim. E.g. newer Samsung phones I've seen can have both active, usually with some limitations like one sim will only be active for voice, which is often fine.
Note. The Hongmi in the current version is TD-CDMA so it is useless unless on China Mobile, need to wait for the WCDMA that will work on other networks as well as outside of China
ironman510:
@JustinF. I've tried the new Samsung S4 dual sim just an hour ago at Sams Club, yeah a call can come in on the other sim while you're talking on another sim, but you'll have to cancel the current call. You can choose which sim does what or dedicated for what purpose. All I can say is that will be a battery drainer and will get hot. What can I say Samsung wants to make everything these days.
xinyuren:
The HTC One Max has just been introduced in China. It's a dual SIM phone. Nice.
why do you say its not good for pads? I just use the inet sim for the pad and normal phone sim for my smartphone. Yea carrying around the pad sucks sometimes but for whatelse you bought a pad?
Personally i only bought it to watch movies on plane and surf in the internet when i have to wait somewhere (e.g. restaurant, doctor blabla)
ironman510:
I thought i would love having a pad/ tab but after a few months I really got tired of carrying it around, it's something you learn after you buy, thats why Samsung came out with the Galaxy Mega, 6.3 Phablet. So carrying a smartphone with a full time internet sim works 10 times better for me and S4 is packed with everything I need.
I really can feel the pad or tab is going out of style, mini ipad and phablets are the future.
But it' your call man, I didn't enjoy carrying my pad after a few months. Now its just in my pocket. And I really enjoy carrying a Windows 8 phone with Nokia Lumia 1020 with a perfect camera and samsung S4 for internet surfing. Best of both worlds, I'm not an iphone or itunes lover.
dom87:
well i actually was never a fan of these shitty pads and i am still not. My work more or less forced me to do that because flying around is boring and the space in plane is too small for my big notebook.
If i dont travel i never use the pad but my smartphone is just too small too watch movies and is empty too fast.
so i bought galaxy note 10.1 and have my galaxy s3 smartphone.
but you are right carrying the pad sucks but the mini is not better... doesnt fit into my pocket either
ironman510:
If you're a business traveler, yeah a pad seems like a good fit. Try to see and feel the mega 6.3 from Samsung, my mate fell in love with it. Its perfect for movies.
ironman510:
Here's a good fox news article today on Samsung Mega 6.3
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/08/23/review-samsung-galaxy-mega-63-among-worlds-biggest-smartphones/
dom87:
sadly it looks like a big brick 
dont wanna spend another 4000 for a new phone...
but thanks for the tip anyways. maybe when i dont like my pad anymore
I use iPad , I connect it to my phones mobile hotspot . Then I have two sims, .
china Unicom offer a 58rmb monthly with 300mb of 3 g.
for web surfing and social apps I could never reach t, even a Skype call only loads up about 10mb
ironman510:
Ah man, 300mgs is not enough in this day and age, GB rules smart phone user's. For Y80 I Get 3000GB. 58 plan would be ok for calling purpose phone
While the rest of the world is on 4 g. Come on shanghai, time to step up ( 2 years too late)
ironman510:
Oh yeah man, we too are waiting for 4G in Shenzhen, god only knows what the cost will be.
