Buying a phone from overseas - what do I need to know so that it is compatible with use in Oz with a Telstra SIM?

[RSD]

So who knew there was a rugged phone store in Australia - the previous was chapgpt this one is copilot

DOOGEE S Cyber​

• Price: ~£160 (well under A$1000)
• OS: Android 14
• RAM: 20GB (8GB + 12GB virtual)
• Battery: 10,800mAh
• 5G: Yes
• SIM: Dual SIM
• Rugged: IP68/IP69K rated
• Weight: ~375g
• Thickness: Not explicitly listed, but rugged phones tend to push the upper limit

This one’s a powerhouse for the price, with a massive battery, solid camera setup, and all the rugged credentials you'd want.

Many thanks @VPS - I haven't touched AI yet but your searches are starting to convince me that perhaps I should!

 

[RSD]

Just looked at Rugged phone store - only an email and a 1800 number and no address so that always concerns me

Would concern me too - paying Australian prices for something that is overseas based wouldn't be good!

 

[VPS]

Many thanks @VPS - I haven't touched AI yet but your searches are starting to convince me that perhaps I should!

You know I haven't much either but I was listening to a podcast the other night and he had four different ones on his phone and used them for different things. One of them is Chinese based and he asked if it DJT was corrupt and got an answer and when he asked it the President of China was corrupt it said server busy and you will never get an answer so very interesting (PS none of these are political comments but just talking about AI) I was also using it the other day to look for places to visit in England and got some good responses for my criteria. Good luck

 

[Aeryn]

Have you considered just buying a quality phone in Aus that has all the features you need and pairing it with a rugged/tough phone cover?

Some brands you can look at that are compatible with Samsung for example include: Rugged Impact, Otterbox Defender. Covers to protect against drops and broken screens have come a long way over the last 30 years.