Chinese Android Phones 2 - Read First Post!

GBX

Steven Numerous Flare wrote: »

Get the ulefone power from Amazon UK for £139.
Fulfilled by Amazon so no problems if it goes wrong. 3 day battery life

Did you get any customs charges in doing so?

F1ngers

GBX wrote: »

Did you get any customs charges in doing so?

No custom charges from within the EU.

CantGetNoSleep

I've an almost new Doogee X5 Pro up on adverts if anyone is interested in something cheap

http://www.adverts.ie/other-mobiles/doogee-x5-pro-4g-smartphone/10967660

I'm looking for an uber cheap phone for my cheapskate brother. Is the Homtom HT7 the best available for the price?

abarkie

eamonnq wrote: »

Battery is great on my P9000 also, can't understand how it only gets 5.1 rating on Kimovil

http://www.kimovil.com/en/where-to-buy-elephone-p9000


Have it a few months now though, so must be time to start looking for the next phone!!

Is the P9000 Dual Sim + Micro SD or 2 sims or 1 sim+ Micro SD card?

Thanks

ifeelstupid

abarkie wrote: »

Is the P9000 Dual Sim + Micro SD or 2 sims or 1 sim+ Micro SD card?

Thanks

It's 1 sim + memory card OR 2nd sim. Just be aware that there is a defect in some sim trays where the phone will not recognise that a card is in there. Some recommend bending the sim tray slightly:( I returned mine and bought a Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 on Aliexpress - had it delivered from HK in 5 days with couple of extras for €194 no customs charges

wilser

Just after dropping my p9000 on the ground and the screen is broken, anybody on here get one replaced and if so whereabouts and how much?
Just an fyi I had the pin that comes with the phone inserted into the headphone jack (thinking it would help keep it free from dust etc) but the crack in the screen seems to originate from the headphone port.
My thinking is that the pin is slightly proud of the phone and caused the screen to break.

corkie

wilser wrote: »

Just after dropping my p9000 on the ground and the screen is broken, anybody on here get one replaced and if so whereabouts and how much?
Just an fyi I had the pin that comes with the phone inserted into the headphone jack (thinking it would help keep it free from dust etc) but the crack in the screen seems to originate from the headphone port.
My thinking is that the pin is slightly proud of the phone and caused the screen to break.

Sorry to hear about your phone.

You could get a replacement screen for around €63 (+ VAT), just need to find a repair shop that would fix it.

nsa0bupkd3948x

CantGetNoSleep wrote: »

I've an almost new Doogee X5 Pro up on adverts if anyone is interested in something cheap

Is the price not very high for it? Gearbest sell it new for €80.

Trond

Ernesto Tinkling Hairdo wrote: »

Is the price not very high for it? Gearbest sell it new for €80.

I saw one for €70 on Ali express last week...

nsa0bupkd3948x

Its €64 on AliExpress now.

CantGetNoSleep

Ernesto Tinkling Hairdo wrote: »

Is the price not very high for it? Gearbest sell it new for €80.

Just spotted that, I'll drop it down to 60

Andy From Sligo

Bit of a ding dong row went on adverts . Bit of name calling.


http://www.adverts.ie/other-mobiles/umi-rome-mtk6753-octa-core-1-3ghz-5-5-inch/10118721



Zara121 was accusing TechGadget of being a chancer and overcharging and ripping off people - wires crossed I think.

UMI ROME & UMI ROME X - same looking phone with much different specs . UMI Rome was 16gb 3mb Ram octacore 4G I think, whereas Rome x was 8gb / 1gb ram/ quad core 3G only . This is why you really have to have your wits about you when buying these chinese phones

satguy

My new BLUBOO Maya got here at last.
Android 6.0 - Quad Core 2GB +16GB 8.0MP Front, and 13.0MP Back.
Looks and feels nice...

My son did a bit of a review,, Yes I do know, he is not Marques Brownlee ,, but it may still be worth a look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx5vsv0FgBg

Might order a Ulefone Future 5.5 soon just to have a look..

tnegun

Lukker- wrote: »

For my Xiamoi Redmi Note 3 Pro, it was €75 cheaper on Aliexpress than from Amazon. Came to €160 compared to the cheapest I could find on Amazon, €225 both with shipping included.

Seller guarantees no customs if you use his delivery method.

Was this for the 3G/32GB Snapdragon model? Could you PM me the seller I bought one a few months back and it came in about €210 and need to source one for family.

corkie

tnegun wrote: »

Was this for the 3G/32GB Snapdragon model? Could you PM me the seller I bought one a few months back and it came in about €210 and need to source one for family.

Lukker- wrote: »

Hong Kong Goldway on Aliexpress would be my recommendation. If you select sellers shipping method you should get the phone in under 10 days without customs. It comes with the international firmware too, so you can get OTA updates.

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Original-Xiaomi-Redmi-Note-3-Pro-Prime-32GB-ROM-Official-Global-Firmware-Mobile-Phone-Snapdragon-650/311331_32672119908.html

I went with Top One seller when I got mine, faster shipping and probably more expensive. But Handy gifts include with the purchase.

M00lers

Goldway on Ali with "sellers shipping" option is about €170 for SD, 3GB, 32GB Global ROM variant.

iba

moolers2000 wrote: »

Goldway on Ali with "sellers shipping" option is about 170 for SD, 3GB, 32GB Global ROM variant.

I bought two Redmi Note II from Goldway - good seller.

dercunx

moolers2000 wrote: »

Goldway on Ali with "sellers shipping" option is about €170 for SD, 3GB, 32GB Global ROM variant.

I received mine today. Ordered it from Goldway on July 20th, was shipped on July 22nd and received today. Would have been yesterday due to the bank holiday yesterday. I paid 176 euro including postage using Sellers shipping method. Not sure if he still delivers using this method any longer though.

dercunx

moolers2000 wrote: »

Goldway on Ali with "sellers shipping" option is about €170 for SD, 3GB, 32GB Global ROM variant.

I received mine today. Ordered it from Goldway on July 20th, was shipped on July 22nd and received today. Would have been yesterday due to the bank holiday yesterday. I paid 176 euro, this included postage using Sellers shipping method. Not sure if he still delivers using this method any longer though.

It also came with free transparent cover and plastic screen protector.

Trojan

Trojan wrote: »

My experiences & thoughts on buying a Chinese Android:

http://amdsoft.com/chinese-androids/

Just to update on this, I just received back the P9000 that I RMA'd to GeekVida.es with the microphone problem.

In the support discussion we had they said they tested it and the problem is now fixed, so I got it back today, about 4 weeks after sending it back to them.

It's still got the same fault I documented in previous videos.

So to recap, that's 3 Chinese Androids:

1. Vernee Thor where the retailer flat out lied about being in stock, refunded several weeks later
2. Elephone P9000 order cancelled by AliExpress, but it was still billed and shipped. Turned out to be a used device, open box, previously network locked. Refund refused, disputed up to AliExpress as the marketplace, dispute lost despite showing them their own email verifying cancellation. Awaiting chargeback decision from BOI.
3. Elephone P9000 #2 - arrived looking good, but had microphone problem. Returned to retailer for replacement, tested and replacement refused, said it works fine and sent it back. Device still exhibits the faulty behaviour. Refund refused. Now starting chargeback proceedings.

I'm going to get my money back and I'm going to pretend I never even heard of the possibility of non-premium phones. What a cluster****.

tnegun

Thanks for the info guys

Trond

V interested in this phone, €317 for 4gb & 128mb

http://www.oppomart.com/phones/xiaomi-redmi-pro-pre-order.html

eamonnq

Trond wrote: »

V interested in this phone, €317 for 4gb & 128mb

http://www.oppomart.com/phones/xiaomi-redmi-pro-pre-order.html

128gb ?

johnytwentyten

bought redmi note 3 pro prime off goldway on ali express(thanks to lukker for link)

ordered on 22nd july, arrived yesterday, no customs,

tracking is a waste of time, phone seemed to be sitting in one spot for four days when it was actually in transit,
according to tracking it was also heading to Poland at one stage!

haven't done a lot with the phone yet but it feels nice in hand and looks the part, came with google play and playstore installed, the "themes" option is nice as well,

fingerprint scanner is great, very responsive,

some reviews say that the camera isn't good but seems fine to me,
if someone is that worried about taking a great photo they wont be using a smartphone anyway,

only letdown is that I couldnt get the ir remote to work with my samsung tv but didnt spend too long at it,


I went with this phone because of the global rom, but if i was to root the phone( so i could move apps to sd card etc) is it difficult, or dodgy?
and what other advantages are there to rooting the phone?
thanks in advance for any replies

EoinMcLovin

johnytwentyten wrote: »

I went with this phone because of the global rom, but if i was to root the phone( so i could move apps to sd card etc) is it difficult, or dodgy?

I have the note 3 and found it easy enough to install a custom rom. Just look up the official miui forums as most custom roms will be posted there. I use FlashSP to install roms and the whole install process is only a minute or two

corkie

Trond wrote: »

V interested in this phone, €317 for 4gb & 128mb

http://www.oppomart.com/phones/xiaomi-redmi-pro-pre-order.html

It is a MediaTek device, do not expect allot of custom roms, if any.

More discussion on it here.

As an alternative: -
Xiaomi Redmi Pro Mini rumored with 5.2-inch OLED screen, Snapdragon 652

Iseedeadpixels

Trojan wrote: »

Just to update on this, I just received back the P9000 that I RMA'd to GeekVida.es with the microphone problem.

In the support discussion we had they said they tested it and the problem is now fixed, so I got it back today, about 4 weeks after sending it back to them.

It's still got the same fault I documented in previous videos.

So to recap, that's 3 Chinese Androids:

1. Vernee Thor where the retailer flat out lied about being in stock, refunded several weeks later
2. Elephone P9000 order cancelled by AliExpress, but it was still billed and shipped. Turned out to be a used device, open box, previously network locked. Refund refused, disputed up to AliExpress as the marketplace, dispute lost despite showing them their own email verifying cancellation. Awaiting chargeback decision from BOI.
3. Elephone P9000 #2 - arrived looking good, but had microphone problem. Returned to retailer for replacement, tested and replacement refused, said it works fine and sent it back. Device still exhibits the faulty behaviour. Refund refused. Now starting chargeback proceedings.

I'm going to get my money back and I'm going to pretend I never even heard of the possibility of non-premium phones. What a cluster****.

Avoid Elephone at all costs tbh.

corkie

johnytwentyten wrote: »

I went with this phone because of the global rom, but if i was to root the phone( so i could move apps to sd card etc) is it difficult, or dodgy?
and what other advantages are there to rooting the phone?
thanks in advance for any replies

corkie wrote: »

Unlocking Bootloader

If you intend to do this, Create an Mi Account when ordering and request unlock privileges. Can take 2 weeks to be approved, I applied late Sunday Night and received permission late on Tuesday.

Unofficial Unlock method also available, but you need to be careful how you flash roms using that method.

I used the updater app on the phone to flash the developer rom (MIUI 8 Global 6.7.5 | Beta) and have successfully use the unlock tool to unlock it.

Developer Support

Plenty support on XDA Forums for this device. Plus a good wiki on reddit.


It has Android 5.1.1, No NFC, Could not choose Ireland/UK in localization.

Marshmallow custom roms available but don't know how stable they are yet.

I have unlocked, custom rom (MIUI 8 by xiaomi.eu 6.7.28 | beta), custom kernel (Radon V1.9), rooted and xposed installed.

EoinMcLovin

For anybody with a Xiaomi phone, the global forum has an android app which is much better than the mobile site and easy to navigate
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.miui.enbbs&hl=en