Chinese Android Phones 2 - Read First Post!

CantGetNoSleep

Berty wrote: »

Aliexpress, although they said Refund, are not to refund my Bricked Note 4 after Top One vanished. Instead they call it "a courtesy" are going to "propose" a Coupon to me of the same value as what I paid. Hardly a slap in the face but just means I will have to use Aliexpress to buy a replacement phone.

Seeing as I've already replaced the phone for the person who handed it back to me bricked I'm now left with a choice of what to buy and how to get it. I was happy with the Top One paying for DHL through a delivery to the UK and then another DHL to my door. I don't seem to see other sellers on Aliexpress offering the same thing.

I'm thinking of maybe the OP3T but they don't seem to offer that type of shipping just lower value $ declaration by slow boat from china post. Can't buy from OP either because I can't use the Coupon.

Anybody know of sellers offering quick shipping, no customs on Ali?
Anybody want to buy my unlocked S6, as I'll have to sell that to facilitate the purchase?

Try Hongkong Goldway

corkie

Berty wrote: »

Aliexpress, although they said Refund, are not to refund my Bricked Note 4 after Top One vanished. Instead they call it "a courtesy" are going to "propose" a Coupon to me of the same value as what I paid. Hardly a slap in the face but just means I will have to use Aliexpress to buy a replacement phone.

Seeing as I've already replaced the phone for the person who handed it back to me bricked I'm now left with a choice of what to buy and how to get it. I was happy with the Top One paying for DHL through a delivery to the UK and then another DHL to my door. I don't seem to see other sellers on Aliexpress offering the same thing.

I'm thinking of maybe the OP3T but they don't seem to offer that type of shipping just lower value $ declaration by slow boat from china post. Can't buy from OP either because I can't use the Coupon.

Anybody know of sellers offering quick shipping, no customs on Ali?
Anybody want to buy my unlocked S6, as I'll have to sell that to facilitate the purchase?

CantGetNoSleep wrote: »

Try Hongkong Goldway

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Original-Xiaomi-Redmi-Note-4-Prime-Pro-Mobile-Phone-3GB-RAM-64GB-ROM-MTK-Helio-X20/311331_32728961898.html
Use "Sellers Shipping Method" to avoid VAT.

Check that the voucher you get doesn't have expire date.

As mentioned already in the thread. There maybe a new RN4X next week, so it might be worth waiting for.

Berty

Think I might stay clear of Xiaomi for now. After the phone basically bricked itself the manufacturer where next to useless and the forums only help so far. Goldway is basically as reseller of Xiaomi. Once bitten, twice shy with a brand.

Any OP3/T sellers with an "EU Service?"

Digital Solitude

Goldway have way more than Xiaomi phones.

Kavrocks you had the light Mi4 screen didn't you? Try putting pressure on top and bottom of the glass area, not the actual screen but where the haptic buttons on bottom and ear speaker at the top are. See if that makes any difference to the display, sounds like either your back-leds are stuck far brighter than they should be, or there's some light leak causing the area to be brighter.

Euphoriasean

Euphoriasean wrote: »

Ordered an mi5s plus with no international rom. Had stock Android over the last few years umi, nexus etc. Do I need to flash a global rom? Is there any disadvantages in sticking with the Chinese rom bar the Chinese bloatware?

Anyone have an opinion on this? Expecting phone in the next few day. As above it will come with the stock Chinese rom. Should i flash a global rom? if so where would I get it from - xiaomi.eu? No experience of xiaomi previously.

Thanks

corkie

Euphoriasean wrote: »

Anyone have an opinion on this? Expecting phone in the next few day. As above it will come with the stock Chinese rom. Should i flash a global rom? if so where would I get it from - xiaomi.eu? No experience of xiaomi previously.

Thanks

Xiaomi.eu is a custom rom based on china official roms.

Could only find official download for MI 5s Plus <<< recovery flashing version. Not the same device.

Get Fastboot versions from here : - http://en.miui.com/a-234.html

meathman0

Equium wrote: »

GeekBuying and Honorbuy sell it from their EU warehouses. I haven't used either though so can't pass comment.

I bought a 64gb Mi5s for €280 from HK Goldway on AliExpress last week. They 'guarantee' that there won't be any more VAT due on the phone if you use their shipping method. It hasn't arrived yet, so let's see.

As an aside, does anyone have any experience with shipping from HK Goldway? How long does it usually take to reach Ireland? Tracking says my parcel has been stuck in Paris since Friday.

Mine arrived on Monday,Ordered on 31st Dec from HK Goldway, delivered by DHL, was $30 sample, customs charged me €22 and DHL charged me €14.50 for paying it, didn't give me an option, I was thinking I would be hit with about €79 - €80 by customs, so not too bad, but annoyed at DHL cahrging me €14.50, delivery guy said it use to be only €6 last year, nice phone, have to see if there is a thread on boards for it.

Euphoriasean

corkie wrote: »

Xiaomi.eu is a custom rom based on china official roms.

Could only find official download for MI 5s Plus <<< recovery flashing version. Not the same device.

Get Fastboot versions from here : - http://en.miui.com/a-234.html

Thanks for the pointer.

SM01

Hi All, some advice please with regard to getting a new phone. I currently have a ZUK Z1 and it was a fantastic workhorse. Unfortunately it got smashed up recently and needs replacing. I'm thing of going for an Umi Plus from Amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smartphone-Octa-Core-Fingerprint-Bluetooth-Unlocking/dp/B01MY1Z00X/ref=sr_1_2?srs=1655720031&ie=UTF8&qid=1484166939&sr=8-2&keywords=Umi+phones

However I know absolutely nothing about flashing ROMs etc. Nor do I know much about UMi. Are they generally a reputable brand? Is there anything I need to watch out for or consider if I was to opt for this phone? Any advice would be very welcome as I'm completely lacking in knowledge when it comes to the Chinese phone market.

54and56

Akrasia wrote: »

I've just ordered a gigaset ME Pure from an EU warehouse for 155 euros delivered

http://www.myefox.it/spedizione-dalleuropa-gigaset-me-pure-3gb-ram-32gb-rom-qualcomm-snapdragon-615-17ghz-octa-core-50-g-163732?utm_source=webgains&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=71545&siteid=160367
(5 euros off with coupon code CPAWEB832

Gigaset are a Siemens brand, based in Germany and they mainly deal with DECT phones, but last year they announced an entry into the smartphone market with 3 mid to high end phones. The phones were designed and produced in China, so they count as chinese phones, but the fact that a reputable german company placed its name on them as an attempt to enter the market means that they're likely to have been stringently quality controlled and tested before release. (in fact, there were major delays between announcing them and releasing them, during which time, the specs improved from the initial announcement)

It seems they've pulled out of the market and their phones are now being offloaded.

The ME Pure was the cheapest of the 3 phones, but it was still asking 350 euros at launch, it's got a 5 inch hd screen, Snapdragon 615 octo core processor, 3gb ram and 34gb rom with a 3200mwh battery

Android version is 5.1 and updates are very unlikely now, but for people who just want a mid range phone for budget price, i think it's a great deal.

This phone has all of the sensors that are usually left out of mid and budget phones, including gyro, compass, pedometer, fingerprint.

The phone supports all the LTE frequencies used in Ireland, it's Dual sim, and it also has fast charging and usb c as well as an IR sender

http://www.kimovil.com/en/where-to-buy-gigaset-me-pure

I'll post a review when I receive it, but it looks great on paper.

There are two other phones, the ME, and the ME Pro, these have bigger screens and better processors and better cameras, but I prefer a 5 inch screen. the Pro version was listed for 700 euros last year and is now available for 220 euros from china with the risk of customs.

http://www.kimovil.com/en/where-to-buy-gigaset-me-pro

Hi all,

Bought this phone a few months ago and it's been solid but today it started throwing up "Unfortunately Google Play Services has stopped" error messages and after a few hours trying various solutions which didn't work I did a factory reset which went fine but after setting the phone up again I went to install the Google Now launcher and on installation I got an error message saying my phone didn't support Google Play Services and to contact the handset manufacturer!!

I checked the "System Update" option in Settings and it says I'm on the latest version which is GS53-6_EU00_V1.0.20160426R

I'm on Android 5.1.1

Anyone know what the story is? What does it mean that the phone isn't compatible with Google Play Services? Should I be able to get Google Play Services working? Are there certain apps I should avoid?

I'm a bit confused.com

NATLOR

meathman0 wrote: »

Mine arrived on Monday,Ordered on 31st Dec from HK Goldway, delivered by DHL, was $30 sample, customs charged me €22 and DHL charged me €14.50 for paying it, didn't give me an option, I was thinking I would be hit with about €79 - €80 by customs, so not too bad, but annoyed at DHL cahrging me €14.50, delivery guy said it use to be only €6 last year, nice phone, have to see if there is a thread on boards for it.

Did you choose DHL or sellers own shipping method as postage option?

Dravokivich

SM01 wrote: »

Hi All, some advice please with regard to getting a new phone. I currently have a ZUK Z1 and it was a fantastic workhorse. Unfortunately it got smashed up recently and needs replacing. I'm thing of going for an Umi Plus from Amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smartphone-Octa-Core-Fingerprint-Bluetooth-Unlocking/dp/B01MY1Z00X/ref=sr_1_2?srs=1655720031&ie=UTF8&qid=1484166939&sr=8-2&keywords=Umi+phones

However I know absolutely nothing about flashing ROMs etc. Nor do I know much about UMi. Are they generally a reputable brand? Is there anything I need to watch out for or consider if I was to opt for this phone? Any advice would be very welcome as I'm completely lacking in knowledge when it comes to the Chinese phone market.

I had a Umi eMax. No ROM options, no updates. Good hardware on the phones, very little in the way of support though. Look up their website and check their forums for feedback from people who've had the phone you are thinking of. They don't seem to remove unfavorable comments. But they keep restructuring it all the time, so a bit of a pain to browse through.

Kavrocks

Digital Solitude wrote: »

Kavrocks you had the light Mi4 screen didn't you? Try putting pressure on top and bottom of the glass area, not the actual screen but where the haptic buttons on bottom and ear speaker at the top are. See if that makes any difference to the display, sounds like either your back-leds are stuck far brighter than they should be, or there's some light leak causing the area to be brighter.

What am I looking for when applying the pressure?

Euphoriasean wrote: »

Anyone have an opinion on this? Expecting phone in the next few day. As above it will come with the stock Chinese rom. Should i flash a global rom? if so where would I get it from - xiaomi.eu? No experience of xiaomi previously.

Yes you should install the global ROM. It is a simple process on Xiaomi devices and the download can be found here for your phone with instructions too. The Chinese ROM won't have Google Play and although there is a way of installing it it never works properly in my experience. You are much better off with the global ROM.

Xiaomi.eu is unofficial software, i.e. custom ROMs.

SM01 wrote: »

Hi All, some advice please with regard to getting a new phone. I currently have a ZUK Z1 and it was a fantastic workhorse. Unfortunately it got smashed up recently and needs replacing. I'm thing of going for an Umi Plus from Amazon.

Personally I'll never buy an UMi again. They are cheap for a reason and I wouldn't have a good thing to say about them.

SteelyDanJalapeno

Anybody got experience with the Honor 8?

Digital Solitude

Kavrocks wrote: »

What am I looking for when applying the pressure?

Any change in the colour? Try it on different parts of the screen

Snake Plisken

Looks like there is an official global rom for the Redmi 4 Pro just wondering if the vendor rom is on the phone already does that mean it's unlocked? Also what's the best way to back up existing user data like photos contacts messages etc before beginning? If indownloading the Xaomi suite will that work?

horse7

Kavrocks wrote: »

What am I looking for when applying the pressure?


Yes you should install the global ROM. It is a simple process on Xiaomi devices and the download can be found here for your phone with instructions too. The Chinese ROM won't have Google Play and although there is a way of installing it it never works properly in my experience. You are much better off with the global ROM.

Xiaomi.eu is unofficial software, i.e. custom ROMs.


Personally I'll never buy an UMi again. They are cheap for a reason and I wouldn't have a good thing to say about them.

My Umi emax is just out of warranty by 3 weeks and has given up. Don't buy one.

Euphoriasean

Kavrocks wrote: »

Yes you should install the global ROM. It is a simple process on Xiaomi devices and the download can be found here for your phone with instructions too. The Chinese ROM won't have Google Play and although there is a way of installing it it never works properly in my experience. You are much better off with the global ROM.

Xiaomi.eu is unofficial software, i.e. custom ROMs.

Thanks Kavrocks. Am i right in saying that i will need to unlock the bootloader and thus android pay with not work. Not a huge issue just wondering.

Euphoriasean

horse7 wrote: »

My Umi emax is just out of warranty by 3 weeks and has given up. Don't buy one.

Agree with both have gone through 2 Umi's in the last 6 months. Poor build quality imho.

corkie

Snake Plisken wrote: »

Looks like there is an official global rom for the Redmi 4 Pro just wondering if the vendor rom is on the phone already does that mean it's unlocked? Also what's the best way to back up existing user data like photos contacts messages etc before beginning? If indownloading the Xaomi suite will that work?

As no one else replied.

Vendor roms should be replaced with official roms as soon as possible.
If the bootloader came unlocked from the seller, it is more than likely unlocked unofficially!

Backing up photos extra by transferring on your PC.
Apps can be backed up with MIUI backup tools or TiBu preferably to external sdcard.

Check the reddit wiki for more info on flashing official roms or unlocking officially, which you will probably need to do when you flash official rom.

abarkie

Anybody used one of these - so you can have 2 SIMs and SD card?

http://www.simore.com/en/sim-card-extension-adapter-dualsim-hybrid-slot-smartphones-tablets-x-extender.html

SM01

Thanks for the UMi comments everyone. I think I'll steer clear.

eamonnq

abarkie wrote: »

Anybody used one of these - so you can have 2 SIMs and SD card?

http://www.simore.com/en/sim-card-extension-adapter-dualsim-hybrid-slot-smartphones-tablets-x-extender.html

89.90 for one for the Elephone P9000 ? Think I will manage without one.

89.90 is for the TRIPLE sim adaptor, double sim is only 44.90 !!

mistress_gi

Does anyone own  a zte axon 7?
Opinions/ reviews are encouraged!

Wheety

Ok, need to buy a replacement phone.

Was thinking the Mi5 €235.47:
http://www.gearbest.com/cell-phones/pp_294071.html

Or the Redmi 4 €156.67:
http://www.gearbest.com/cell-phones/pp_563920.html

Leaning towards the Mi5. Has better specs. Am I missing something? What phone would you buy with a budget up to around €260/270?

If I do get caught for customs, it shouldn't be too much should it? Are the phones getting delivered with free post? Many going missing?

jozi

I'm using a redmi 4 prime the last two weeks before I give it to my girlfriend when my mi5 (arrives next week).

I have no complaints about the redmi (coming from opx), battery is great (almost 4 days being the best out of 3 charges), phone feels solid, memory is enough with sd card (not sure I'd manage with out the sd card and only 32gb). Only issue I have is with how Xiaomi handle notifications and ram management, so far I'm slowly teasing out the little issues like my alarm or anydo not working as a result.

I'll probably put cyanogen/lineage on the mi5

Euphoriasean

corkie wrote: »

As no one else replied.

Vendor roms should be replaced with official roms as soon as possible.
If the bootloader came unlocked from the seller, it is more than likely unlocked unofficially!

Backing up photos extra by transferring on your PC.
Apps can be backed up with MIUI backup tools or TiBu preferably to external sdcard.

Check the reddit wiki for more info on flashing official roms or unlocking officially, which you will probably need to do when you flash official rom.

Got my mi5s plus today and came with a global rom. How would I check if it's a vendor rom? Updated it via the miui updater. It's says it's on miui 8 global 7.1.12 Beta.

Impressed with the phone so far. Not great reviews on the camera but having taking a few quick snaps it streets ahead of my previous phone which was a umi plus.

corkie

Euphoriasean wrote: »

Got my mi5s plus today and came with a global rom. How would I check if it's a vendor rom? Updated it via the miui updater. It's says it's on miui 8 global 7.1.12 Beta.

Impressed with the phone so far. Not great reviews on the camera but having taking a few quick snaps it streets ahead of my previous phone which was a umi plus.

The wiki I linked has a good guide for detecting vendor roms. But since you where able to update using the updater app it probably is not a vendor rom

beans

corkie wrote: »

The wiki I linked has a good guide for detecting vendor roms. But since you where able to update using the updater app it probably is not a vendor rom

Nice links.

That guide mentions that vendor ROMs can't unlock bootloader. I've just started the process of requesting the unlock code from Xiaomi... Since my ROM appears to be vendor (8.0.5.0.0 MBECNDG), should I abandon this method?

abarkie

eamonnq wrote: »

89.90 for one for the Elephone P9000 ? Think I will manage without one.

89.90 is for the TRIPLE sim adaptor, double sim is only 44.90 !!

I was thinking of one for a Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro

Used to having 2 sims and SD card and that seems to be a dying spec on these phones

Someone on XDA says the €19.90 works fine in Redmi Note 3 Pro

https://forum.xda-developers.com/redmi-note-3/accessories/safe-method-to-increase-volume-dual-sim-t3469519/page5

I am getting the cheap chinese one first before i try the €19.90 one

Thought it might help someone looking for the same spec as me (Dual Sim & Micro SD)