Buy used 3GS or new $150 smartphone

[Denis54]

My old phone is dying and I want to replace it with a smartphone. I use a prepaid plan and I do not use my phone much. However I travel to Europe twice a year and I would like to be able to use my phone when I am there. I know I will need an unlocked phone.

Should I get a used iPhone 3GS or a new $150 prepaid smartphone such as the LG Optimus One, a Samsung Galaxy Gio or a similar phone?

How reliable is the 3GS?

How difficult is it to unlock? Is this something I can do myself?

 

[lordofthereef]

The difficulty of an unlock is going to rely on a few thing. One of them is hardware version. I am too far gone from the 3GS, but basically the units that were produced the first year of production are the "easy" ones. It also matters what iOS version it is running. If it happens to be on 5.1, you have no shot, currently, of unlocking, due to the fact there is no jailbreak out yet. Even if you go prepaid, this may be an issue (I don;t know, never looked into it). Just make sure that the phones are actually unlocked, or that the carrier is at least willing to unlock, if you happen to take the prepaid route.

 

[Spectrum Abuser]

You can buy a brand new unlocked 3GS directly from Apple for $375. I'd do that if I were you.