Where to Purchase Laptop/Phone? UK or Philippines?

[JanMonster]

Hello, my sister is going to the UK for 3 years. Ahe wants to know if prices of phones and laptops are better there or if she should buy one here (in the Philippines).
I was thinking maybe she should just get it from UK because they would be able to warranty oe repair it from there.

 

[GreyCatz]

Your question has more to do with macro-economics than 'general laptop discussions'. But let's see what we can do.

1. You need to find a product that is sold in both countries - and the products should, ideally, be identical. The best I could find was this ASUS Flip sold by Bhinneka for Rp18,500,000 (NOTE: This is only meant as an example):
https/www.bhinneka.com/products/sku12416525/asus_zenbook_flip_ux360uak-dq239t_-_grey.aspx

That's £253 in straight currency conversion. On Amazon UK you can get the same ASUS Flip (broadly) for £1,050:
https/www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-Touchscreen-Notebook-i7-7500U-Processor/dp/B01N21B5TT/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1524386010&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=ASUS+Zenbook+Flip+UX360UAK-DQ239T

2. This suggests that prices are 4 times higher in the UK compared with the Philippines. In real terms, this means that it's cheaper for a Brit to buy this laptop in the Philippines, and more expensive for a Philippino to buy the same laptop in the UK. This phenomenon is called the Purchasing Power Parity. But the PPP also takes into account wages and salaries. So, while goods and services may be 4 times more expensive in the UK, salaries will also be 4 times higher than those in the Philippines.

3. This means that the 'smart' thing to do is to earn your money in the UK and spend it in the Philippines. Tell your sister to hold out for her first pay check and then you can buy the laptop in the Philippines for her and ship it to the UK - even with expedited shipping charges (2 - 3 days) it's going to be a much cheaper solution.

4. As for warranties, a lot of tech manufacturers offer global warranties, which would be perfect in this situation. But even with regional/national warranties a computer malfunction needn't spell the end of the road - the laptop can still be repaired, you just have to pay for it. The smart thing to do is to buy a sturdy laptop that is also easy to open up and repair yourself.

5. Finally, as for smartphones: Most such devices are still available at very affordable prices pretty much anywhere in the world - even considering PPPs (unless your sister absolutely needs the latest Apple device). Other than that, the biggest concern in this case will probably be the phone bill.

Best of luck to both of you,
GreyCatz.

 

[velocityg4]

Those examples aren’t the same the UK model has a 15” screen, GeForce 940mx, 12GB RAM and 512GB SSD + 2tb HDD. The other 13” screen, 16GB RAM, Integrated Graphics and 512GB SSD. They are different models.

18,499,000 Rp converts to £953. When I checked.

Anyways, here are some prices.

iPhone X 64GB
PHL (£883/₱64,490): https/www.apple.com/ph/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-x
UK (£999): https/www.apple.com/uk/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-x

Samsung Galaxy S8
PHL (£547/₱39,984): http/www.villman.com/Product-Detail/Samsung_Galaxy_S8
UK (£549): https/www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Galaxy-S8-64B-Midnight-Black/dp/B06XYMCMHD/

Macbook 1.2Ghz, 8GB, 256GB SSD
PHL (£1054/₱76,990): https/www.apple.com/ph/shop/buy-mac/macbook
UK (£1,249.00): https/www.apple.com/uk/shop/buy-mac/macbook

Dell Inspiron 13 i5-8250u, 8GB, 256GB
PHL (£869/₱ 63,490): http/www.villman.com/Product-Detail/Dell_7373_i5-8250U
UK (£899): https/www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-Inspiron-13-3-inch-Convertible-Touchscreen/dp/B078Q4YW4Y/

It depends on the product. Apple for example appears to be much cheaper. It's probably because Apple sells direct to each country. I can only assume taxes in the UK are much higher than the Philippines. Apple's warranty is also worldwide.

Other brands appear to be similar in price. I think it depends on the importer or if the brand has direct sales. Just read the warranty details of any other brand. Some are country specific. While something imported into the Philipines or UK may be cheaper in one country or another. The warranty may be non-existent.

Edit: Also keep in mind usability. Laptops for the UK and Philippines will probably have different keyboard layouts. If your sister will be in the UK. It would probably be useful to have a laptop with the £ symbol. If a model is only sold in the UK or Philippines repairs may be difficult in one country or another. I would only choose makes and models with direct sales in both countries and international warranties. At least factory authorized resellers, not just someone importing it. Also I don't know if the UK and PH have different electric setups. If bought in PH she may need an adapter for the UK.

 

[GreyCatz]

It seems I have confused Philippine Pesos with Indonesian Rupiah.

Please ignore my earlier post.

 

[JanMonster]

Thank you guys, she has decided to buy in the philippines

 

[GreyCatz]

Hello Jan,

Please click the 'Unselect current solution' in my first post. While certainly well-intended it isn't a useful answer in your particular situation.

Instead, I suggest you pick velocityg4's answer - at least he didn't mix up the currencies...

Cheers,
GreyCatz.