Electronics & Tech — Buying, Fixing & Kitting Out

Prices are in Thai baht; USD equivalents are generated live from the site's current rate. Shop line-ups, floors and hours change often — confirm before making a special trip.

Whether you've arrived with a dead charger, a cracked screen, or a plan to build out a home office, Chiang Mai has everything you need — you just have to know that it's split between two very different worlds. On one side are the clean, fixed-price brand stores inside the big malls (Studio 7, Power Buy, BaNANA) where you pay Bangkok prices, get a proper warranty, and can pay by card. On the other are the IT malls — warrens of small independent booths where you'll find cheaper accessories, used gear, niche parts and quick repairs, usually cash-only and with prices that move if you ask nicely. This page tells you which to use for what.

A quick reassurance for newcomers: almost everything is available here. Genuine Apple, Samsung, Dell, Lenovo, Asus and the rest are all sold officially in Thailand, prices are broadly similar to (sometimes slightly above) Western retail once you account for VAT, and warranties are honoured. The main things worth bringing from home are anything unusually expensive or hard to source (a specific mechanical keyboard, a niche audio interface), and — if you're coming from a 110V country — see the power-and-plugs note at the end before you pack transformers you may not need.

The mall brand stores (fixed price, warranty, card accepted)#

This is where most expats end up for anything that matters — a new phone, a laptop, an official repair. You pay the sticker price, but you get a receipt, a manufacturer warranty valid Thailand-wide, English-speaking-ish staff, and the ability to pay by credit card or instalments.

Apple (official resellers)#

Thailand has no standalone Apple Store outside Bangkok — Apple's own Thai store list shows just two, both in the capital — so in Chiang Mai you buy from Apple Premium/Authorised Partners, which stock the full range at Apple's official Thai prices and handle warranty service:

• Studio 7 — the most visible Apple partner in town, and as of 2026 the only one with confirmed Chiang Mai branches. Its own store finder lists counters at Central Festival (3rd floor, rooms 311–313), Central Chiang Mai Airport (1st floor, rooms 127–129) and MAYA, plus smaller Think Park, Big C Hang Dong and campus outlets. Full iPhone / iPad / Mac / Watch line-up, AppleCare, trade-in, and instalment plans. Third-party directories disagree about which floor the Airport Plaza and MAYA counters are on; Studio 7's own record is the one to trust.
• iStudio — worth a note because you will see it recommended constantly in older expat threads and directory listings. As of this check it does not appear to have a Chiang Mai branch. Neither operator's own store locator — Copperwired nor SPVi — lists one anywhere in the city, though stale listings and an old Facebook page for a Central Festival branch are still floating around. Treat it as closed unless you can confirm otherwise, and don't plan a trip around it.
• .life / iBeat / U-Store — smaller authorised-reseller brands that pop up in the malls and on the university campuses (Studio 7 runs U-Store outlets at CMU); fine for accessories and stock, but Studio 7 is the safe default.

For out-of-warranty Apple repairs, the official partners can send devices to the Apple service centre (slower, genuine parts), or you can use an independent Mac specialist (see Repairs below) for faster, cheaper turnarounds.

General electronics chains#

For laptops (Windows), TVs, appliances, cameras, and accessories, the big chains inside the malls are the reliable starting point:

• Power Buy — Central Group's big-box electronics chain, with its main Chiang Mai store inside Central Festival (2nd floor, room 216) and a second at Airport Plaza. Wide range across brands, frequent promotions, instalment plans, card accepted. (A quirk worth knowing: Power Buy's own store locator files the Airport Plaza branch under the name Robinson Chiang Mai, so searching for "Central Airport" on their site draws a blank.)
• BaNANA (still widely called Banana IT) — a computer-and-gadget specialist run by Com7, with counters at Central Festival (3rd floor), Central Chiang Mai Airport (3rd floor, room 369) and MAYA, plus Big C and Lotus's branches around the province. Strong on laptops, components and accessories, with knowledgeable staff and clear pricing.
• JIB — a nationwide IT chain with a big store on the 3rd floor of Central Festival, roughly 11:00–21:30 daily, plus branches at Airport Plaza, Pantip and Icon IT. This is the go-to if you want to build or buy a desktop PC: they'll assemble a custom machine from components, run 0% instalment plans, and offer fast local delivery on online orders. Genuinely competitive on parts (GPUs, SSDs, RAM, monitors).
• Advice — another familiar Thai IT chain (components, laptops, peripherals). Its own locator lists six Chiang Mai branches; the two most useful to a newcomer are the Central Festival store (3rd floor, room 308) and the one inside Icon IT on Hasadisawi Rd (1st floor, room B114). Worth price-checking against JIB and BaNANA.
• Power Mall / Samsung / Huawei brand shops — single-brand counters dotted through the malls if you want to buy direct from one manufacturer.

Rule of thumb: for a headline device where warranty and peace of mind matter, buy here. For a ฿150 ($4) cable or a phone case, the IT malls below are cheaper.

The IT malls (cheap, cash, negotiable)#

These are the old-school computer bazaars — dozens of independent booths under one roof selling new and used gear, accessories, parts, and quick repairs. Prices are lower and often negotiable, but you're dealing with small vendors: check warranty terms, test before you leave, and bring cash.

• Pantip Plaza — 152/1 Chang Khlan Rd (near the Night Bazaar). Still the city's main IT mall, and still the first stop for anything niche or budget: hardware, software, accessories, networking, laptops, tablets, phones, second-hand gear and repair booths. Two things have changed, though. Its owner, Asset World Corporation, has rebranded and repositioned it as The Pantip Lifestyle Hub — roughly 13,000 m², with IT now one section alongside a Big C, a food lounge, a lifestyle market and an e-sports arena, rather than the wall-to-wall computer bazaar of a decade ago. And the published hours are now 10:00–20:00, not the 22:00 close that older guides (including an earlier version of this page) still repeat. Don't turn up at nine in the evening expecting a repair booth.
• Computer Plaza — Manee Nopparat Rd (northern edge of the Old City moat). A three-storey centre of small shops and booths — new and used desktops and laptops, printers, cables, batteries, software, games. Roughly 09:30–20:00. Similar in spirit to Pantip, handy if you're near the Old City.
• Icon IT — 29 Hasadisawi Rd, in Santitham. A smaller IT centre that most guides skip, branded "The Modern Loft IT Center"; current tenants include Advice, JIB and a handful of independent computer shops. Useful if you're on the north side and don't want the Pantip crowds. (Closure rumours circulate periodically; it was still trading and still advertising vacant units at the time of this check.)
• IT City @ Central Chiang Mai Airport — a large fixed-price computer/gadget store inside the mall (3rd floor, room 344, roughly 10:30–21:00); good middle ground when you want IT-mall breadth but prefer the reassurance of a proper shopfront and card payment.

What the IT malls are best for: chargers and cables, laptop RAM/SSD upgrades, phone cases and screen protectors (often fitted for free), second-hand monitors and peripherals, printer ink, adaptors and power strips, and fast walk-in screen or battery repairs.

Repairs#

Chiang Mai has a deep bench of independent repair shops, from Apple specialists to booth-level phone fixers. For anything under warranty, go back to the official partner. Out of warranty, the independents are far faster and cheaper.

• CMNS FixMac — a well-reviewed independent Apple specialist (Mac and iPhone). iPhone screen replacements advertised from around ฿1,500 ($44) depending on model; most screen/battery jobs done in 1–2 hours with a parts-and-labour warranty and free diagnosis. Good English communication. Note that it has moved out of Pantip Plaza — it's now on the Chiang Mai–Hang Dong road behind Kad Varun, well south-west of the centre, and its Google listing is still filed under the old name Fix Mac Chiangmai, so searching for "CMNS" on Maps may not find it.
• Mac Cafe — long-running and well-reviewed, with three branches (Santitham, Huay Kaew opposite CMU, and Suthep Rd). Worth setting expectations: its own site now leads on second-hand Apple sales, trade-in, buyback and instalment plans, with repair as a secondary service, so it's as much a place to buy a used MacBook as to fix one. Legacy Google and Tripadvisor reviews still describe an actual café — it was one, years ago; ignore those.
• Phone-repair counters at MAYA — there is a walk-in phone-maintenance shop on the 3rd floor of MAYA (trading as ONE Phone, and previously as P & K) handling iPhone and Android; convenient for quick fixes while you shop. Separately, a well-rated independent called Mobile Hospital is often recommended in expat groups and is sometimes wrongly listed as being inside MAYA — it is not. It's at the CMU Suan Dok dormitories on Siri Mangkalajarn Rd, a couple of kilometres away. Both are good; just go to the right one.
• Pantip Plaza & Computer Plaza repair booths — cheapest option for common jobs (screens, batteries, charging ports, data recovery, laptop cleaning). Quality varies booth to booth; ask about genuine vs aftermarket parts and get the warranty terms clear before handing over your device.

A practical tip: for screens and batteries you'll be offered "original" (OEM/genuine) or cheaper aftermarket parts. Aftermarket is fine for an old backup phone; for your daily driver, pay for genuine and keep the receipt.

Buying used, trade-in and second-hand#

• Facebook Marketplace and the big Chiang Mai expat/nomad Facebook groups are where a lot of good second-hand gear changes hands — monitors, desks, laptops, cameras — as people rotate through the city. See Community & Meetups for which groups are actually active. Meet in a public place and test before paying.
• Studio 7 trade-in — the official Apple partner runs trade-in programmes if you're upgrading and want a clean, no-haggle deal.
• Mac Cafe is the established local option for buying or selling a used Mac or iPhone with a shopfront behind it rather than a stranger in a car park.
• Pantip Plaza has dedicated second-hand booths for phones and laptops; fine for a cheap backup device, but inspect carefully and check IMEI/serial status.

Buying tech online — Lazada, Shopee & the 2026 import tax#

For anything you don't need to touch first — cables, chargers, phone cases, RAM/SSD upgrades, webcams, mice, keyboards, ring lights, small gadgets — the two giant marketplaces, Lazada and Shopee, are usually the cheapest and most convenient option. Delivery within Chiang Mai city is typically next-day to a few days; both integrate with the delivery apps and pickup points, and you pay via card, bank transfer, PromptPay or cash-on-delivery. The big physical chains (JIB, Advice, BaNANA, Power Buy) also have their own online stores and official Lazada/Shopee flagship shops, which is a good middle ground: marketplace convenience with a real Thai warranty behind it. See Essential Apps for setting these up and Shipping, Post & Couriers for how parcels actually reach you.

Two things changed for 2026 that are worth knowing before you assume online is always cheapest:

• The under-฿1,500 ($44) duty-free loophole is gone. Since 1 January 2026, Thailand charges import duty plus 7% VAT on imported goods from the first baht — the old exemption for parcels under ฿1,500 has been scrapped. Lazada, Shopee and TikTok Shop now collect the tax at checkout for imported items, so the price you see should already include it. For electronics and accessories the duty band is often 10–20%, and once you add 7% VAT the all-in cost of a cheap imported gadget can land 20–40% higher than the old sticker. Non-platform postal parcels get assessed on arrival and you pay (often by QR code) before release.
• Buy the local-warehouse / official-store version where you can. Items shipped from within Thailand aren't hit by the new import charge, and buying from a brand's official flagship store means a valid Thai warranty and screening against fakes. Thai Customs and the platforms have also tightened enforcement of Thai Industrial Standards (TIS) and FDA rules, so some non-compliant cheap imports (dodgy chargers, vapes, etc.) are being pulled from the platforms.

Practical tip: check the seller's rating and review count, prefer "Mall" / official-store listings for anything electrical, and be wary of a price that looks far too good — cheap no-name chargers and power banks are exactly the category where fakes and fire-risk units show up.

Gaming — consoles, PCs & building a rig#

• Custom gaming PCs — JIB (Central Festival, 3rd floor) is the default for a built-to-spec desktop: pick your CPU/GPU/RAM/storage, they assemble and test it, and 0% instalments are available. Advice and BaNANA do the same. Pantip Plaza booths are cheaper for individual components and second-hand parts if you're comfortable building it yourself.
• Consoles — PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch (and accessories/games) are sold through the mall electronics chains (Power Buy, BaNANA) and dedicated game booths in Pantip Plaza. Thai retail console pricing is broadly in line with international prices; Pantip is the place to hunt for second-hand consoles and pre-owned game discs. Note that region and voltage aren't an issue — consoles here are standard and run fine on Thai power.
• Peripherals & chairs — mechanical keyboards, gaming mice, headsets, monitors and gaming chairs are cheap and plentiful on Lazada/Shopee and in the IT malls. High-refresh monitors in particular are good value.
• Somewhere to actually play — Pantip's e-sports arena is billed as the largest online gaming facility in northern Thailand, and there's a wider board-game and gaming-café scene covered in Things to Do.

Cameras & photography gear#

Chiang Mai is a photographer's town, so camera retail is decent:

• BIG Camera — Thailand's biggest camera chain, with a branch in MAYA (Nimman). New bodies, lenses, tripods, memory cards and accessories across Canon, Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm, etc., at fixed prices with warranty.
• Zoom Camera — another well-known national chain (headquartered in Bangkok) with a presence at Central Festival; good for comparing bodies and lens deals.
• NN Camera — an independent on Chang Phuak Road (north of the Old City) that carries both new and second-hand cameras and has a reputation for knowledgeable staff — worth a visit if you want a used body or lens.
• Second-hand — the "Chiang Mai Secondhand Camera & Photo" Facebook group is active and the best place to buy or sell used bodies, lenses and gimbals as nomads and photographers rotate through. Meet in public, test everything (shutter count, sensor, autofocus) before paying.

For where to point the camera once you've bought it, see Instagrammable Photo Spots.

Drones — register before you fly#

If you're bringing a drone, don't just take it up — Thailand's rules are strict and the penalties are real. You can carry your own drone in as personal luggage (no import licence needed for personal use), but you must register it before flying:

• Two registrations are required. Nearly every consumer drone — anything carrying a camera or recording device, whatever it weighs, plus anything over 2 kg — must be registered with both the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) and the NBTC (the telecoms regulator, because it transmits by radio). In practice that catches essentially every DJI-class drone. Registration is free, but it can't be completed from abroad — you do it after arrival, and you need a Thai mobile number for the SMS/OTP verification and your passport entry stamp. (Rules as published February 2026; TAT's tourist guidance is the clearest plain-English summary.)
• Insurance is mandatory — CAAT requires third-party liability cover of at least ฿1,000,000 ($29,516).
• A knowledge test — CAAT account setup includes a short assessment; you need ~80% to pass.
• The NBTC registration is voided by your exit stamp — if you leave Thailand, foreign operators must re-register on the next entry.
• Penalties are serious — flying unregistered or in a no-fly zone (which includes much of the city near the airport, temples, and government/royal sites) is a criminal offence carrying fines up to ฿100,000 ($2,952), up to 5 years' imprisonment, and seizure of the drone.

Because the details shift, check the current process via CAAT and the Drone Association Thailand before you plan any filming. For most short-stay visitors the honest answer is that the registration effort only makes sense if you're here a while.

Printing, home-network & office gear#

• Printers & ink — inkjet and laser printers are cheap at Power Buy, BaNANA, JIB and online. In Thailand, look for Epson EcoTank / Canon "ink tank" refillable-reservoir models — refill bottles are far cheaper than cartridges and widely stocked, which matters if you print often. The IT malls do cheap cartridge refills and cloned ink (fine for casual printing, riskier for a good printer).
• Routers, mesh & Wi-Fi — if your condo's ISP router is weak, a mesh system (TP-Link Deco, etc.) transforms coverage; buy at HomePro/Power Buy or online. See Internet, SIM Cards & Coworking for ISP details.
• Power protection — power can be spiky, especially in older buildings and storm season. A decent surge-protected strip (from HomePro/Power Buy) is cheap insurance; for a desktop PC or NAS a small UPS (APC, etc., ฿2,000–4,000 ($59–118)) rides out the brief cuts that are common in the rains.
• Monitors & docks — plentiful and good value; USB-C laptop docks and stands are cheap on Lazada/Shopee.

Recycling & disposing of old electronics#

There's no kerbside e-waste collection to rely on, so don't just bin old gear (and never bin lithium batteries):

• Sell or give it away first — Facebook Marketplace and the expat groups clear working laptops, monitors and phones fast; broken-but-repairable gear still has value to the Pantip booths.
• Retailer take-back / trade-in — Studio 7 takes trade-ins on Apple gear; the big chains occasionally run take-back promos.
• Battery & small-electronics drop-off — some malls and larger supermarkets (and PTT stations) have battery-collection bins; larger chains and municipal e-waste drives periodically collect old phones, cables and small appliances. Ask at HomePro or check the city's Facebook groups for the next collection point.
• Municipal hazardous-waste — Chiang Mai's municipality runs occasional hazardous/e-waste collection days; watch local expat groups for dates.

Smart home & home automation#

Kitting out a rental or house with smart-home gear is easy and cheap here — this is a genuine bright spot compared to Western pricing.

• Xiaomi is the default entry point for most expats. Both Chiang Mai branches now trade as Xiaomi Authorized Store — at MAYA (3rd floor) and Central Festival (3rd floor, room 367) — having previously been branded Mi Store by DIMI and Mi Store by Viratmalee respectively, names you'll still see in older listings. They sell the full range — robot vacuums, smart plugs, air purifiers, security cameras, smart bulbs and switches, and the Mi Band/scale ecosystem — all controllable from the single Xiaomi Home app, at prices well below what the same gear costs in Europe or North America. Robot vacuums in particular (Xiaomi, Roborock, Ecovacs) are popular for tiled condo floors and widely stocked at Power Buy and on Lazada/Shopee too. Air purifiers are their own subject — see Health & Fitness for the burning-season context that makes them essential rather than optional.
• TP-Link Tapo cameras and smart plugs are the other common budget pick — cheap, reliable, and sold everywhere from HomePro to the IT malls — good for a simple DIY setup (a couple of indoor/outdoor cameras, a video doorbell, some smart plugs) that you self-install and monitor from your phone with no subscription needed for local storage.
• Renting vs owning matters here: for a condo, the DIY plug-and-play route (Xiaomi/Tapo cameras + smart plugs, self-installed, no drilling) is the sensible default since you may not want to wire anything into a rental — see Setting Up Home and Where to Live. For a standalone house or moobaan, where a professional CCTV/alarm system with exterior cameras is more common, the installers most often named are ABIAN Wireless, Digital Home Security (DHS) and Exzel Smart Home. One honest caveat: none of the three is actually based in Chiang Mai — ABIAN and Exzel are Bangkok companies and DHS is in Phuket; all three list Chiang Mai as a service area and work through local contractors. That's workable, but get 2–3 quotes and ask who will physically be doing the install and who honours the warranty, because pricing is very project-specific. A local electrician or the CCTV shops in the IT malls may be a simpler route for a modest system.
• A practical note on subscriptions: most of these ecosystems work fine on local SD-card or NVR storage without a monthly cloud fee — only pay for cloud storage if you actually want off-site backup of footage.

Bringing your own phone — will it work?#

Good news: Thailand uses standard GSM/LTE/5G bands that overlap heavily with the US, UK, EU, Australia and most of Asia, so the great majority of phones bought abroad will work fine on a Thai SIM once it's unlocked. Two things to check before you fly:

• Is it unlocked? Phones bought outright or paid off from a home carrier are usually unlockable on request (US carriers in particular sometimes lock phones to the account for the contract term — ask your carrier to unlock before you leave, or check the phone's settings for a "carrier lock" status). Thai retail phones sold locally are, by contrast, essentially always sold unlocked — Thai carriers don't run the subsidised-and-locked model common in the US, so buying here also sidesteps the issue entirely.
• Dual-SIM is genuinely useful if your phone supports it (physical dual-SIM or SIM + eSIM) — keep your home number alive on one slot and run a Thai SIM/eSIM on the other. See Internet, SIM Cards & Coworking (linked above) for the current SIM-registration and eSIM detail, including the 2026 biometric/liveness registration rule.
• Buying a phone locally instead avoids all of this — see the Apple and general-electronics sections above — and gets you a phone that's guaranteed to work on every Thai network with a local warranty.
• Grey-market caution: the used/second-hand booths at Pantip Plaza occasionally carry phones imported from other regions (different model number, sometimes missing NFC bands used for Thai mobile payment, or a battery health/IMEI history you can't verify). For a daily-driver phone, buying new from an authorised reseller or a reputable local second-hand seller (checked IMEI, working warranty) is worth the small premium over an unknown grey import.

Gadget insurance, AppleCare & extended warranties#

Protecting an expensive phone or laptop here is a little more piecemeal than in the US or UK, so it's worth deciding your approach before you buy rather than after you crack a screen:

• AppleCare+ in Thailand exists but is inconsistently offered — Apple's official partners and Thai carriers occasionally bundle it at point of sale, and AIS Care+ with AppleCare Services is a locally sold plan that bundles unlimited repairs at Apple-authorised centres; availability and pricing move around, so ask the reseller directly when you buy rather than assuming it's automatically offered the way it is in the US.
• Buying at home before you move is the simplest fix if you already know you want AppleCare+ or a manufacturer's extended warranty — activate it before you leave, since coverage is typically valid worldwide even if purchased elsewhere (confirm terms for your specific plan).
• The mall chains' own extended-warranty add-ons — Power Buy, JIB, BaNANA and Advice all offer a paid extended-warranty or accidental-damage add-on at checkout (typically an extra 1–2 years beyond the manufacturer's 1-year cover); worth it for an expensive laptop or TV, less obviously worth it for a cheap accessory.
• General gadget/contents insurance — rather than a single-device policy, many expats fold laptops and cameras into a broader renters/contents insurance policy instead (see the Home & contents insurance section of Setting Up Home, linked above), which is often the more cost-effective route if you own several devices worth protecting.

A quick honest note on data recovery: if a drive fails, the IT-mall repair booths (Pantip Plaza, Computer Plaza) will attempt straightforward recoveries cheaply, but for a genuinely failed/clicking hard drive or a business-critical laptop, the specialist Bangkok labs take couriered drives from Chiang Mai. CR Data Recovery and ATL Recovery both publish proper mail-in instructions, packing guidance and free-diagnosis terms, which makes them the practical choices from up here. DataExpert (Thailand) is also frequently listed, but it is primarily an enterprise and government digital-forensics vendor with no published consumer send-in process — call before you post anything. Whichever you use, ask for a written quote before authorising any advanced (clean-room) recovery work, as those jobs can run into the tens of thousands of baht.

Power, plugs & voltage#

Thailand runs on 220–230V / 50Hz. Sockets are the hybrid Type A / B / C style that accept both flat (US-style) and round (Euro-style) two-pin plugs, so most travel plugs fit without an adaptor — though many sockets are not earthed, so a three-pin grounded plug may need an adaptor or a power strip with the right sockets.

The important part for anyone moving from a 110–120V country (US, Canada, Japan): modern electronics — laptop chargers, phone chargers, camera batteries — are almost all dual-voltage (check the small print for "100–240V" and you're fine anywhere). But heating appliances rated 110V only — some hair dryers, straighteners, kettles, certain kitchen gadgets — will burn out or need a bulky step-down transformer. Honestly, it's cheaper and safer to leave those behind and buy local replacements.

Where to buy adaptors, power strips, surge protectors and transformers: the IT malls (cheapest), or HomePro / Global House / Power Buy for better-quality surge-protected strips. If you're setting up a home office with sensitive gear, a decent surge protector is worth it — power can be a little spiky, especially in older buildings and during storm season.

Quick chooser#

• New iPhone / Mac, want warranty: Studio 7 (Central Festival, Airport Plaza, MAYA). Don't count on iStudio — no Chiang Mai branch appears on either operator's locator.
• New Windows laptop / TV / camera: Power Buy or BaNANA in the Central malls.
• Cheap cables, cases, RAM/SSD upgrade, printer ink: Pantip Plaza (closes 20:00) or Computer Plaza.
• Cracked screen / dead battery, fast: CMNS FixMac (now out at Hang Dong road, not Pantip) or a Pantip/Computer Plaza booth; the ONE Phone counter at MAYA 3F if you're already there.
• Second-hand monitor/desk/laptop: Facebook Marketplace and the expat groups first, Pantip second-hand booths or Mac Cafe as backup.
• Adaptors, power strips, surge protectors: IT malls for cheap, HomePro/Power Buy for quality.
• Cheap cables/gadgets online: Lazada/Shopee — but the price now includes 2026 import duty + 7% VAT; prefer local-warehouse / official-store listings.
• Custom gaming PC / console: JIB at Central Festival (builds), Power Buy/BaNANA and Pantip booths for consoles and second-hand.
• Camera / lens: BIG Camera (MAYA) or Zoom Camera (Central Festival) new; NN Camera or the FB secondhand group for used.
• Bringing a drone: register with CAAT + NBTC (needs a Thai SIM) and get ฿1,000,000 liability insurance before flying — big fines otherwise.
• Smart-home starter kit for a condo: Xiaomi Authorized Store (MAYA/Central Festival) or TP-Link Tapo cameras + smart plugs — DIY, no drilling, no subscription needed.
• CCTV/alarm for a house: ABIAN Wireless, Digital Home Security or Exzel Smart Home — but none is CM-based; get 2–3 quotes and confirm who installs.
• Bringing a phone from home: confirm it's unlocked before you fly; Thai retail phones are sold unlocked by default.
• Protecting an expensive device: ask about AppleCare+/AIS Care+ or a chain's extended-warranty add-on at purchase, or fold it into a contents-insurance policy instead.

Every place named on this page#

• Pantip Plaza Chiang Mai (The Pantip Lifestyle Hub)
  The city's main IT mall, rebranded by Asset World Corporation as The Pantip Lifestyle Hub — ~13,000 sqm, with IT now one section alongside a Big C, food lounge and e-sports arena. Published hours 10:00-20:00 (older guides still say 22:00).
  152/1 Chang Khlan Rd, Chang Khlan, Mueang, Chiang Mai 50100 · Map
• Computer Plaza
  Three-storey centre of small computer shops and repair booths. Roughly 09:30-20:00. Handy if you are near the Old City.
  Manee Nopparat Rd, Si Phum, Mueang, Chiang Mai 50200 (northern edge of the moat) · Map
• Icon IT Chiang Mai
  Smaller IT centre branded 'The Modern Loft IT Center'; tenants include Advice and JIB. Closure rumours circulate periodically but it was still trading and advertising vacant units at last check.
  29 Hasadisawi Rd, Si Phum, Mueang, Chiang Mai 50200 · Map
• Studio 7 (Central Festival)
  Apple Premium Partner — the largest of the Chiang Mai Studio 7 counters. Coordinates and floor/room as published by Com7's own store finder.
  3rd floor, rooms 311-313, Central Festival Chiang Mai, 99, 99/1, 99/2 Moo 4, Superhighway Rd, Fa Ham, Mueang, Chiang Mai 50000 · Map
• Studio 7 (Central Chiang Mai Airport)
  Apple Premium Partner. Com7's own record says 1st floor; third-party directories say 3rd — trust the operator.
  1st floor, rooms 127-129, Central Chiang Mai Airport, 2 Mahidol Rd, Hai Ya, Mueang, Chiang Mai 50100 · Map
• Studio 7 (MAYA)
  Apple Premium Partner in Nimman. Sources disagree on the floor (2F, 3F and 4F all claimed) so none is stated; coordinates are Com7's own.
  MAYA Lifestyle Shopping Center, 55, 55/5 Moo 5, Chang Phueak, Mueang, Chiang Mai 50300 (floor not published) · Map
• Power Buy (Central Festival)
  Central Group big-box electronics. Coordinates, floor and room from Power Buy's own store locator. Note their locator files the Airport Plaza branch under the name 'Robinson Chiang Mai'.
  2nd floor, room 216, Central Festival Chiang Mai, 99, 99/1, 99/2 Moo 4, Fa Ham, Mueang, Chiang Mai 50000 · Map
• BaNANA (Central Festival)
  Com7's computer-and-gadget chain, still widely called Banana IT. A second unit sits on the same floor in rooms 326-327; further branches at Airport Plaza (3F room 369), MAYA (room 312A) and Big C.
  3rd floor, room 356, Central Festival Chiang Mai, 99, 99/1, 99/2 Moo 4, Fa Ham, Mueang, Chiang Mai 50000 · Map
• JIB Computer (Central Festival)
  The default for a built-to-spec desktop PC — components, assembly and 0% instalments. Roughly 11:00-21:30 daily. Also at Airport Plaza, Pantip and Icon IT.
  3rd floor, Central Festival Chiang Mai, Superhighway Chiang Mai-Lampang Rd, Fa Ham, Mueang, Chiang Mai 50000 · Map
• Advice (Central Festival)
  Branch U097 — the mall flagship of Advice's six Chiang Mai branches. Components, laptops and peripherals; worth price-checking against JIB and BaNANA.
  3rd floor, room 308, Central Festival Chiang Mai, 99, 99/1, 99/2 Moo 4, Fa Ham, Mueang, Chiang Mai 50000 · Map
• Advice (Icon IT)
  Branch U094 — the IT-centre store, roughly 09:30-19:30 daily. Useful if you are on the north side and want to avoid the Pantip crowds.
  1st floor, room B114, Icon IT Chiang Mai, 29 Hasadisawi Rd, Si Phum, Mueang, Chiang Mai 50200 · Map
• IT City (Central Chiang Mai Airport)
  Large fixed-price computer and gadget store — IT-mall breadth with a proper shopfront and card payment. Roughly 10:30-21:00 daily.
  Room 344, 3rd floor, Central Chiang Mai Airport, 2 Mahidol Rd, Hai Ya, Mueang, Chiang Mai 50100 · Map
• CMNS FixMaciPhone screen replacement from ~1,500 THB depending on model
  Independent Apple (Mac and iPhone) specialist with free diagnosis and a parts-and-labour warranty. Has MOVED out of Pantip Plaza; its Google listing is still under the old name 'Fix Mac Chiangmai'. Coordinates are the business's own. Its site gives the sub-district as Mae Hia, Google says Pa Daet; street address otherwise matches.
  482 Moo 8, behind Kad Varun, Chiang Mai-Hang Dong Rd, Mueang, Chiang Mai 50100 · Map
• Mac Cafe Chiangmai
  Three branches. Now leads on second-hand Apple sales, trade-in, buyback and instalments, with repair as a secondary service. Legacy Google/Tripadvisor reviews still describe it as an actual cafe — it was one years ago. Own site says 11:00-21:00; Google says closes 20:00.
  233/1 Huay Kaew Rd, Suthep, Mueang, Chiang Mai 50200 (plus branches at 9 Hatsadisewi Rd, Chang Phueak, and 7 Suthep Rd) · Map
• Mobile Hospital
  Well-rated independent phone-repair shop. Frequently and WRONGLY listed as being inside MAYA — it is at the CMU Suan Dok dormitories, a couple of km away. Facebook is its only web presence.
  Suan Dok Dormitory, Chiang Mai University, Siri Mangkalajarn Rd, Suthep, Mueang, Chiang Mai 50200 · Map
• ONE Phone (MAYA 3F)
  Walk-in iPhone and Android repair counter inside MAYA — this is the shop people usually mean when they say 'the repair place on MAYA 3rd floor'. Previously traded as P & K.
  3rd floor, MAYA Lifestyle Shopping Center, 55/5 Huay Kaew Rd, Chang Phueak, Mueang, Chiang Mai 50300 · Map
• Xiaomi Authorized Store (MAYA)
  Formerly branded 'Mi Store by DIMI'. Full Xiaomi range — robot vacuums, air purifiers, smart plugs, cameras. Roughly 10:00-21:00. Room/unit number not published.
  3rd floor, MAYA Lifestyle Shopping Center, 55, 5 Huay Kaew Rd, Chang Phueak, Mueang, Chiang Mai 50300 · Map
• Xiaomi Authorized Store (Central Festival)
  Formerly branded 'Mi Store by Viratmalee'; that Facebook page is now dead. Roughly 11:00-22:00. Xiaomi also lists Chiang Mai branches at Airport Plaza, Lotus's Ruamchok and Big C Hang Dong.
  Room 367, 3rd floor, Central Festival Chiang Mai, 99, 99/1, 99/2 Moo 4, Superhighway Chiang Mai-Lampang Rd, Fa Ham, Mueang, Chiang Mai · Map
• BIG Camera (MAYA)
  Camera chain outlet in MAYA mall selling bodies, lenses and accessories.
  MAYA Lifestyle Shopping Center, Huay Kaew Rd, Suthep, Mueang, Chiang Mai · Map
• Zoom Camera (Central Festival)
  Camera retailer in Central Festival mall; bodies, lenses and accessories.
  Central Festival Chiang Mai, Fa Ham, Mueang, Chiang Mai · Map
• NN Camera
  Local camera shop on Chang Phuak Rd for gear and accessories.
  Chang Phuak Rd, Si Phum, Mueang, Chiang Mai · Map
• CR Data Recovery
  Bangkok lab, listed here because it takes couriered drives from Chiang Mai and publishes packing and shipping instructions plus free-diagnosis terms. Own site is inconsistent about opening hours.
  238/48, 5th floor, Srivara Mansion 2, Soi Nathong 3, Ratchadaphisek Rd, Din Daeng, Bangkok 10400 · Map
• ATL Recovery
  Bangkok lab with documented mail-in process, free evaluation on single drives and an online case tracker. Mon-Fri 09:00-18:00, Sat 10:30-15:00.
  Unit 2901-2904, Level 29, Exchange Tower, 388 Sukhumvit Rd, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110 · Map
• DataExpert (Thailand)
  Frequently listed alongside the consumer labs but is primarily an enterprise/government digital-forensics vendor — no published walk-in or courier intake, no price list, and no Google Maps business listing. Call before posting anything.
  Level 29, Suite 2986L, The Offices at CentralWorld, 999/9 Rama I Rd, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 · Map
• ABIAN Wireless
  CCTV, network and smart-home installer. BANGKOK-based, not Chiang Mai — lists Chiang Mai only as a service area. Current positioning is Ubiquiti UniFi enterprise infrastructure rather than consumer smart home.
  318/111 Soi Nawamin 70, Khlong Kum, Bueng Kum, Bangkok 10240 · Map
• Digital Home Security (DHS)
  CCTV and alarm installer. PHUKET-based, not Chiang Mai — claims Chiang Mai as a service territory with no office there. Registered as Three Spirit Co., Ltd. Site footer dates to 2021, so confirm it is still taking northern work.
  108/103 Moo 5, Chalermprakiat Rama 9 Rd, Rassada, Mueang Phuket, Phuket 83000 · Map
• Exzel Smart Home
  Smart-home system designer and installer. BANGKOK-based, not Chiang Mai — serves Chiang Mai through a network of local contractors.
  225 Rama 4 Rd, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500 (by appointment only) · Map

See also: Setting Up Home (appliances, HomePro/Power Buy, plugs and voltage, home & contents insurance in more detail), Essential Apps (Lazada/Shopee for online tech shopping and pickup points), Shipping, Post & Couriers (ordering gear online and importing electronics), Internet, SIM Cards & Coworking (SIM registration, eSIMs and the 2026 biometric rule), Markets, Malls & Walking Streets (mall hours and locations, including the Airport Plaza renovation), and Cost of Living (what all this adds up to).