Today I'd like to write a little bit of information,
a few people have mentioned to me recently that they would like to use a functioning 'Keitai' in the US and, well since it's something I learned about since I use one myself, I thought I'd write a post for easy reference.
To start off, let's get our terminology straight,
“携帯”/"Keitai" Basicaly means any mobile phone, including smartphones. It's the overall umbrella term.
”スマホ”/"sumaho" is smartphones.
”ガラケー”/"garake" is the term for flip phones, or generally the era of 2G/3G type feature phone. (think Motorola Razr). It's a combination of "Galapagos" and "Keitai", denoting the vast array of diverse options and interesting features these phones had in Japan. Unfortunately, these phones are mostly completely unusable now, even in Japan, because network support and the proprietary internet service they used have been shut down.
”ガラホ”/"Garaho" Are the phones we want and will be discussing today. You can guess, it's a combination of "Galapagos" and "smartphone". These are the modern day feature flip phones which can be connected to 4G service and use the modern internet!
But that's not it, there's still more factors that go into making these phones work in the US.
In order for the phone to work for you:
- The phone must be compatible with the bands your carrier uses.
- The phone must have VoLTE.
-The phone must be unlocked / "SIM Free" with a clean IMEI judgement.
- Your carrier must not use a whitelist.
This unfortunately rules out Verizon and AT&T completely, because they both use whitelists.
Therefore, in order to use a Japanese phone, you basically must use T-Mobile or an MVNO that uses T-Mobile's towers. (Ex: Mint, Tello, Red Pocket, US Mobile, etc.)
T-Mobile's bands are 2, 4, 12, 66, and 71 (if you google, you'll see band 5, but this band is only used in Myrtle Beach, so disregard it unless you live there.) The phone you buy must be compatible with at least one, preferably two or more, of these bands. It's more complicated than that, but this is the very basics.
With all that being said, you're probably hoping for an easy list of options to be served to you, well you're in luck because I'm going to list them for you, as there's only a few garaho models known working in the US as of 2024.
902KC/903KC aka KYOCERA DIGNO 3
This is the phone I use and I would say it is the most reliably known working garaho in America today. It runs Android 8 (but with 1 GB RAM, it's not doing much).
From here this description basically applies to all the KYOCERA models I'm going to show:
It's camera is decent (reference the photos on my blog, all are taken with this camera, obviously lighting makes a huge difference on quality though). It is dust proof, shock proof, waterproof, it comes in 3 colors including pink, and it has a charm strap. It also has a front display which shows the time, date, day, battery and service status, steps, and a notification light. I just love this phone. The main con is that GPS often doesn't work on Japanese KYOCERA phones for some reason.
The difference in model number just denotes the carrier it was sold by, and the models are exactly identical in every way. However, there is a 904KC which has no camera so beware of that.
A202KC/A203KC aka KYOCERA DIGNO 4
This phone is essentially identical in form and function to the previous model, but it runs Android 10, so it has a little more longevity. (and it's a little more expensive). Also it only comes in two colors, with no pink option. boooo.
this series also has a A204KC with no camera.
ky42c
Essentially the same guts as the DIGNO 4 with a different body style, also running Android 10. Basically, the choice is based on which body design you like better. At least it comes in pink even though it's a very harsh magenta pink...
and, finally...
SHARP AQUOS 805SH/806SH
Information about this model is a little harder to find, and not many people have used it. I have this phone, but I broke it's SIM tray and I haven't gotten it repaired yet, so I haven't been able to test it's service... but otherwise I really like this phone! It runs on Android 8. Its design is very pretty (although, its body is very fragile) and it comes in a lovely green colorway and a beautiful pearl white. It also has a charm strap. One thing that I particularly loved about it was it's built in privacy screen feature. Also, according to a Redditor, GPS may work on this phone!!
The two big cons of this phone are the fragile construction (I irreparably broke it within one day of having it) and a lack of a built in cursor on screen. Also, it only has band 2 for TMobile so its service may be poor or nonexistent depending on the coverage in your area.
Yes, that's it. there may be other models floating around, but for now that's really the only models confirmed working in the US. And yes, that means all the cool phones you see on TikTok like the SH-02L, the Samsung Galaxy Folder 2, the MIVE Style Folder, the V3 Razr, and all the previous models in the series mentioned above with cuter colors like the DIGNO 2 or GRATINA, DON'T WORK in the US. They either don't have the necessary bands, or they don't have VoLTE. I'm sorry.
Now, where to buy? How to buy?
If you want to go through the purchase with absolutely no troubles or worries and you're willing to spend a little bit more, I recommend
KYOEX. Their prices are the original sale price of the phone, and in exchange you are sure to get a great condition working and unlocked phone, and great customer service. they will also sideload the phone for you.
If you want to shop on a budget, importing is a must. Use a shopping service to buy through Mercari, Y! Auctions, etc.
MAKE SURE that the phone listing says "SIMフリー" or don't buy it!
But, if you do end up with a locked phone (it's happened to me), you can pay a service to get a code for you. Unless you are physically in Japan or have a phone number/account with the carrier, you have to do it this way. I have personally used
unlockjpn.com (make sure to message them on WhatsApp) and
canadaunlocking.com with success.
Once you have the phone, you'll have to sideload it in order to get apps. This is a fairly straightforward process, and I will link a tutorial
here. I just sideloaded Aurora Store so that I only have to do it once.
Now you have a working Garaho!! and you're super cool!
I hope this was helpful and not too confusing.
As a final parting gift I would like to refer you to
r/dumbphones, and
r/garaho. These two communities were instrumental in teaching me everything I needed to know in order to switch to a flip phone in a time where my country has made it as hard as possible to not use a smartphone. r/garaho has a pinned post listing every single garaho on the market, their support bands, and features. r/dumbphones has a general "dumbphone finder" with a small quiz to help find the perfect feature phone for you. There is a wealth of helpful information and I really encourage you to check it out.
