USEFUL electronics in Shenzhen for a geek you can't buy elsewhere?

June 27, 2017 6:25 PM

I've heard quite a bit about Shenzhen. I need a new laptop, phone and router. I'm looking for any excuse to visit while I'm living in Hong Kong. But there's always some problem....

These are my motivations thus far and the caveats:

1) My phone is broken. It's an S5 with a display that doesn't work when it gets cold. I'd like to get it repaired but I've heard I'm likely to get ripped off? If I get a new mainboard for it and DIY it could have exactly the same problem...

I'd be prepared to buy a new phone but it has to have community software support such as Lineage. I can't see any Chinese phones that don't lose updates after a few years?

2) I need a new laptop. I'd like to at least see these fake Macbooks that have hit the news. But AFAIK these laptops are always slow, can't run OSX so in reality it's cheaper to buy in Hong Kong. Is it possible to get an upgraded logic board for an older Macbook here? Is it possible to buy a preinstalled Hackintosh here? Is there anything useful for a Macbook owner?

3) My router is overheating. I'd like buy a quality router that can handle 3 users and take custom software such as OpenWRT. In reality, at $70USD it seems settling for a non open but customisable router with Ubiquity is a much safer bet.

4) I hear you can get phone charge cables that fit both iphone and micro USB. Where can I find something like that? That would be fun.

5) I also hear you can make an iphone from parts... but it's a lot of work and risk. Too much of a project. It would be more interesting to make a phone that is unique... but I can't see any way to apply this opportunity which is actually useful. For example, I'd love to put an eink screen on a phone but that's not possible. It's easy to get parts to repair phones but where's the fun in that?

So I wasn't really able to find an excuse to have a look. Is there any decent reason other than just messing around buying crap and toys to visit? Perhaps I'm a bit too focussed on electronics. Maybe there's other stuff in Shenzhen that's useful to know about, like services to help people make customised things like suits or 3D parts printed to order?

posted by jago25_98 to Shopping (2 answers total)

I don't really understand why you're asking this question. You seem to have convinced yourself that the quality of goods in Shenzhen is poor, and thus, you don't really want to buy from there - a relatively valid conclusion in my view. All the other things you could buy online anyway from Shenzhen if you actually want them - purchasing these items is not a reason in itself to go there.

If you want to go there, just go. You'll either find something to buy or do there, or you won't. If you're asking about what are interesting things to buy/see/do in Shenzhen, then that's not really the same question.
posted by ryanbryan at 10:49 PM on June 27, 2017

Best answer: I hear you can get phone charge cables that fit both iphone and micro USB. Where can I find something like that?

Um, Amazon?

Seconding Ryanbryan: go for the markets and experience and chaos and fun. The days of finding actual objects you can't also order online from somewhere died when Alibabi replaced the Sears catalog. Going looking for something in particular isn't really a thing anymore, at least not consumer items like you mention.

What you may do, though, is find things you weren't expecting in a million years, things you didn't realize you ever wanted. (That's my Akiba experience, anyway.)
posted by rokusan at 2:23 AM on June 28, 2017 [1 favorite]