Chinese Android Phones 2 - Read First Post!

alaimacerc

dave_t wrote: »

Thanks, do these get regular android updates do you know? Is there anything better for around the 200 mark? I was looking at the ulefone power but was put off by the camera.

I see there's also an "advanced" version of the Xiaomi Mi4C: very similar spec, but rather than 2Gb RAM + 16Gb flash, it's 3Gb+32Gb.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

My LG G2 has given up the ghost after many great years (screen randomly goes black during use and refuses to light back up for an indeterminate amount of time) which is a pity.

I'm dead against the idea of any of the giant phablet phones. Thinking that the G2 is probably as big as I should ever go.

That being said, this http://www.kimovil.com/en/compare/elephone-p9000,lg-g2,sony-xperia-z5-compact,vernee-apollo is making me really consider that Vernee beast. Tricky balance to be found here. Any other phones with a better size that I should be considering?

(equally, if this screen issue is an easy fix, or resembles any faults that people have had experience with before, I'm all ears and would be happy to keep the G2 going!)

http://www.kimovil.com/en/compare/lg-g2,xiaomi-mi4c-3gb-32gb,xiaomi-mi5-32gb

Mi4C (3gb-32gb) or Mi5? Both far better size wise when compared with the LG G2 that I'm used to.

Mi4C 'Mokee' ROM - http://en.miui.com/thread-243792-1-1.html

Mi5 Cyangenmod - http://en.miui.com/thread-280535-1-1.html

Price difference is pretty big, so would prefer to pay less (Mi4c) obviously, but don't want to get stuck with an 'Old' android as want to be fairly future-proofed here.

Thoughts?

superneat

howdoyouknow wrote: »

I ordered a redmi 3 pro from oppomart and I arrived yesterday. Im using the phone as it came out of the box, haven't rooted it changed software or unlocked the bootloader.

So far I am very happy with the phone so far the only thing that is bugging me is that my ulster bank app won't open for me. when I tap it it opens and closes again immediately.

I previously had trouble with ulster bank app on an old zte phone I had a few years ago but it was due to the app not being allowed to work because of unsigned security flags on a custom ROM.

Has anyone else experienced this problem on a xiaomi phone and have they found a solution?

I had that issue once on my Redmi note 3, uninstalled the app, reinstalled the app, and it worked again perfectly, that was on the latest global ROM.

fixxxer wrote: »

Still looking at the Xiaomi Mi Max...
kimovil suggested these guys as the heapest but I've never heard of them http://www.alegrecompra.com/xiaomi-mimax-based-blanco-oro-6-44-fhd-4850mah-fingerprint-smartphone.html

Anyone seen or used this place before?

Never used them, but HERE is where I got my first Redmi note 3 Pro, and currently waiting to get my Mi Max in a couple of days.

If you pick the DHL shipping option, you pay no customs charges as they re-route through the UK. You'll get 2 different tracking numbers, China to UK and UK to Ireland. Takes no more than 8 days to recieve the phone.

The 3 GB / 32 GB Silver Mi Max cost me €255 delivered which I think is fantastic value.

fixXxer

superneat wrote: »

The 3 GB / 32 GB Silver Mi Max cost me €255 delivered which I think is fantastic value.

Please, let me know what you think of it when it arrives. I'm a fan of big phones but have been dithering over this for a while.

ifeelstupid

Looking for opinions on this - it's coming up on Amazon Prime Deals later on - no idea what the discount will be. I'm currently using iphone 5c and contract with vodafone coming to an end thankfully. I'm thinking I will buy a phone and switch to SIM only. Only used really for calls, texts, camera and maps. Kids sometimes use for a few games

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01FJBYMGC/ref=gbps_tit_m-5_7227_6d67ed6d?pf_rd_p=1011757227&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-5&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=10157705031&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=CX77RDY2Z7KHN2P0EZEV

squonkie

Hi

I bought a P9000 last week and I must say its a lovely phone. Very quick and smooth operation. Fantastic screen. BArgain for the price

Thargor

Hows the camera and battery? Also gps performance?

piplip87

Stay clear from Xgody. Absolute awful phone plus full of Chinese pop ups.

The Raptor

I'm on the lookout for a new phone, can anyone suggest a few new ones for me.

I have a moto g which is a great phone and still works great. I have it two years and its still going strong.

However, I'm absolutely fed up with the phone. I can't seem to download any new games or apps, even after deleting loads to make space. I might be able to download one after deleting a few. That doesn't make sense. I should be able to download a few after deleting a few. So i don't know what's wrong with the space on the phone. I have whatever i can on the memory card as well.

I love the moto g, it was perfect so I'm looking for something similar, but with a ton of space. The moto had 8gb built in and it was able to take a memory card as well. So something with way bigger internal memory and also a memory card. That's what im looking for.

Is there anything out there.

Esel

^ Proper backup. Factory reset. Restore. Be grand.

Otherwise, I pay you twenty dollar...

stuchyg

Just got my elephone, happy with the phone itself,however I'm on 3 and the phone seems to constantly think I'm roaming. Any suggestions?

GBX

stuchyg wrote: »

Just got my elephone, happy with the phone itself,however I'm on 3 and the phone seems to constantly think I'm roaming. Any suggestions?

It is usually just picking up the nearest cell tower - so you are not technically roaming.

Pique

stuchyg wrote: »

Just got my elephone, happy with the phone itself,however I'm on 3 and the phone seems to constantly think I'm roaming. Any suggestions?

You might be picking up one of the old O2 signals that has some remnants of a marker that shows you as Roaming.

danko82

Pique wrote: »

You might be picking up one of the old O2 signals that has some remnants of a marker that shows you as Roaming.

can the people with three connect on internet where they are on O2 ?

Jelle1880

danko82 wrote: »

can the people with three connect on internet where they are on O2 ?

Yes, if you have an old O2 SIM you can connect while on Three, but you will need to enter the old O2 network settings. Took me a while to figure that out when I got a new phone but kept my old O2 card.

Kavrocks

danko82 wrote: »

can the people with three connect on internet where they are on O2 ?

Yes, sometimes you may need to allow roaming in your settings but this does not cost you any extra.

Sinister Kid

I'm looking at the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro on gearbest at the moment, can you guys explain the difference between the smartphone & phablet? & where is the best place to buy? Planning on buying at some stage over the next week thanks to the advice given here.

Allyall

Sinister Kid wrote: »

I'm looking at the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro on gearbest at the moment, can you guys explain the difference between the smartphone & phablet? & where is the best place to buy? Planning on buying at some stage over the next week thanks to the advice given here.

A phablet is a smartphone with a screen size usually 4.8" or greater i think. There's no 'official' size, but 4.7 inch screen were around a long time before the phrase was coined.

I've seen Gearbest accused of selling fake Xiaomi products, or sellers on GB anyway. But apart from that, they are very slow at dealing with stuff, and can be frustrating if you have any issues. If you're spending €50 or less, and mainly on tat, then use them. If planning on having a decent comeback, avoid them. People have used them without issue, but there is a massive theme throughout many forums across the internet, that they are among the worst to deal with. That's not something I'd ignore.

Geekbuying aren't always the cheapest (they may be in this case), but they are relatively quick with issues and will give you the option of European returns should you want it. (Also a further discount using either codes: (Not sure how much this gives) 4AndroidPhones or 5% pff KIMOVIL
www.geekbuying.com/item/Xiaomi-Redmi-Note-3-Pro-5-5-Inch-FHD-3GB-32GB-Smartphone-Qualcomm-Snapdragon-650-Hexa-Core-MIUI-V7-16-0MP-TOUCH-ID---Dark-Gray-362397.html

HongKong Goldway have a very good reputation, (I've not had to return anything to them, so can't comment on their aftersales) - http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Original-Xiaomi-Redmi-Note-3-Pro-Prime-32GB-ROM-Metal-Body-Fingerprint-Mobile-Phone-Snapdragon-650/311331_32602840179.html

Banggood are great to deal with, and will offer a few alternatives should you need assistance, and they are quick to respond - Also get a further discount usinf either of these codes: 6% off 6XYBG or 5% off 5off4cellphone
www.banggood.com/Xiaomi-Redmi-Note-3-Pro-5_5-inch-3GB-RAM-32GB-Snapdragon-650-Hexa-core-4G-Smartphone-p-1030944.html -

There are many others too..

ED E

corkie wrote: »

My Z1 phone batery on the way out, losing charge extremely quick or not charging properly. Or the phone not reporting the correct charge on it.

So in now in the market for a new phone, to do me until more options are available with daydream support.

Having a look again at Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro from aliexpress.

Seems to be positive reviews from the above seller, even someone from Ireland.

On the 3 network here and reported working on UK 3, so I am assuming it will work here.

Or should I see if I can hold out a while longer and get a ZTE Axon 7?


Edit: 7 July 2015 22:00, just order the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro @ €199.65 including DHL EU express shipping.

Important warning: That can only connect to half of 3 Irelands 4G masts, rather a big limitation for a shiny new handset. Especially a factor if you live outside of a bigger town.

4G FDD-LTE: Bands: B1 / B2 / B3 / B4 / B5 / B7 / B8

Digital Solitude

Allyall wrote: »

HongKong Goldway have a very good reputation, (I've not had to return anything to them, so can't comment on their aftersales) - http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Original-Xiaomi-Redmi-Note-3-Pro-Prime-32GB-ROM-Metal-Body-Fingerprint-Mobile-Phone-Snapdragon-650/311331_32602840179.html

.

I've basically been drilling into Hongkong Goldway that the warranty on my LeTV has been shot to pieces in every possible way you can void a warranty (rooting, new recoverys, total rebuild of hardware level software, custom ROM, xposed, several admitted drops and a smashed up front panel).

"Its okay send back, we will replace screen"

Sound bunch so far anyways

dercunx

Does anyone have any thoughts on the new Bluboo Maya, cheap phone for $69??

superneat

fixxxer wrote: »

Please, let me know what you think of it when it arrives. I'm a fan of big phones but have been dithering over this for a while.

Arrived today



Here it is next to an iphone 5S :eek:



Having come from the Redmi Note 3 and loved it, this feels like an identical phone, albeit in a larger size, so I'm very pleased with it.

It's fairly big, as you can see in the pics, but I can comfortably use it in one hand. Watching video on it, browsing, etc on the bigger screen is very enjoyable, and is the reason I bought this phone.

Only downside at this moment in time is because it came loaded with the Chinese ROM (which I knew, as I'd asked for the package to remain sealed - ie no chance to install malware by the seller, otherwise they would open and install Global ROM and who knows what else?), and I have to wait a few days for an unlock code from Xiaomi so I can flash the Global Beta MIUI 8.
This meant I had to uninstall the Chinese apps I didn't want and also install all the google APK's to get the play store up and running, but that wasn't much hassle to be fair, so it's 100% usable until I do flash it.

If you're looking for a quality phone with a massive screen and savage battery life, then look no further.

beardo81

stuchyg wrote: »

Just got my elephone, happy with the phone itself,however I'm on 3 and the phone seems to constantly think I'm roaming. Any suggestions?

Have you turned off roaming in settings and turned on mobile data?

Kavrocks

I'm looking at getting the Xiaomi Mi4 as a stop gap after a phone broke. Does anybody have any idea what fastcardtech.com are like or know of a good deal on it?

fixXxer

Kavrocks wrote: »

I'm looking at getting the Xiaomi Mi4 as a stop gap after a phone broke. Does anybody have any idea what fastcardtech.com are like or know of a good deal on it?

There's a few versions of the Mi4 floating around now. There's a 2gb ram, 3 gb ram, 3G and a 4G version.

I used fastcard once for a Mi band. Had no problems with them, but one purchase is a small sample size.

Honorbuy have them both. I don't know if they are the cheapest but I've bought from them a few times and had no problems.
http://www.honorbuy.com/13-xiaomi-mi4#/

fixXxer

superneat wrote: »

Arrived today

If you're looking for a quality phone with a massive screen and savage battery life, then look no further.

Cheers, that was all the gentle nudging I needed Went with it from www.geekbuying.com as one of the voucher codes a few posts back brought the price down to €216 including shipping from HK. Now the awkward waiting begins

GBX

I like the specs on the Mi Max... but the size of it! I compared it to my current Jiayu s3 on Kimovil and its quite the jump!

fixXxer

I had a Lumia 1520 for a while so I have an idea what I'm getting myself in to http://www.cnet.com/uk/products/nokia-lumia-1520-series/

Kavrocks

fixxxer wrote: »

There's a few versions of the Mi4 floating around now. There's a 2gb ram, 3 gb ram, 3G and a 4G version.

Yeah I know but the version doesn't bother me as the base 2GB will do and 4G doesn't have 800MHz and isn't too important. More just trying to keep the price down.

Thanks for your experience with fastcardtech.

d31b0y

Just got my second chinese phone from oppomart. Got the Xiaomi Mi 4 for €145 delivered. Shipping took 9 working days.

Seems like a good phone. Bought for my brother so I won't be doing to much testing on it. A little bulkier than the Redmi 3 pro.