Chinese Android Phones

My 1S arrived. Shipped yesterday at 5 pm from Italy, was in Ireland by 6 or 7 am

seannash wrote: »

Oh

http://www.gizchina.com/2014/08/26/iuni-u3-officially-launched/

That looks nice.

newg300 wrote: »

Through Xiaomishop?

Yep!

BobbyPropane wrote: »

My 1S arrived. Shipped yesterday at 5 pm from Italy, was in Ireland by 6 or 7 am

how much did it set you back in total?

daytob wrote: »

how much did it set you back in total?

$207.99 or 158 Euro. The shipping was around $38 on its own.

Really happy with my purchase. It may not be a stylish phone but it runs really well and I actually quite like miui

Blaine Fancy Stockpile wrote: »

another reason not to buy a chinese phone (or a reason to buy a Xiaomi )

http://www.gizchina.com/2014/08/26/oneplus-one-explodes-trouser-pocket/

Ah jaysis, that last photo!

MidlandsM wrote: »

Whats it like? Camera good?

The camera was a big selling point for me and from the pics and videos I have taken I can say it is really good, on par if not better than the iphone 4s camera.

Miui is a pleasantly nice design, my only problem with it is that some app icons (Mainly obscure enough ones e.g. Donedeal) have a sickly green background, but thats not a major problem and only applies to certain apps.

In terms of performance it is really snappy, I tested browsing and installed a number of apps. Everything went really smoothly. I also tested a few mid range games and they also ran without any problems.

The biggest issue with the phone is the hardware. It looks really bland which is expected for a Chinese phone and the screen isn't Gorilla glass so touch gestures and swiping aren't as slick but once again this isn't that big a deal. The back cover is also annoying to remove and the sd slot is finicky. It has a lever type cover which when I pulled up became loose and started rattling but I managed to find a solution.

The only issues with the software are the stock miui apps. There are a few of these and only one or two are useful (Security and anti virus) but some require Xiaomi accounts and the likes so I just threw them all into one folder because they can't be installed.

Overall though I got what I wanted which was a Moto G type phone with a good camera and sd slot for cheaper than an actual Moto G.

If you want to ask me anymore specific questions on the phone go ahead.

eamonnq wrote: »

If people are posting about a phone that they got they could consider including the model number in the post (preferably in the title) so that everyone would know which one they are referring to without having to search back through previous posts.

jodaw wrote: »

I dont think the specs on that phone are correct and it would put me straight off. On the link posted it says the GPU is Adreno 430.

Think the phone is Qualcomm 801 2Ghz Quad with Adreno 330

There is no detailed specs on the camera and I cannot find any independent reviews.

What would be the final price Price+Shipping+Customs?

I would say you would be closing in on 300.

Definitely not the best value out there.

I came across all in price for mi3 for 217 and all in price for oneplus 287. They are both better value

jodaw wrote: »

Thanks for that. A good review of the phone.

Processor is an underclocked 801 and camera is same spec as in the oneplus one. Nice enough phone with good specs.

Much would depend on what the final price of the phone to include customs and delivery and personal preference of course.

accap1f8 wrote: »

Can't wait to get it. One question. When etotalk show the spec they say it can hold a 64gb SD card. Other sites say 32gb.
Are etotalk lying about this. They say a lot of phones can hold 64gb

Thargor wrote: »

1999 yuan = €250, very interesting, will be keeping an eye out for that.

BobbyPropane wrote: »

$207.99 or 158 Euro. The shipping was around $38 on its own.

Really happy with my purchase. It may not be a stylish phone but it runs really well and I actually quite like miui

BobbyPropane wrote: »

The camera was a big selling point for me and from the pics and videos I have taken I can say it is really good, on par if not better than the iphone 4s camera.

Miui is a pleasantly nice design, my only problem with it is that some app icons (Mainly obscure enough ones e.g. Donedeal) have a sickly green background, but thats not a major problem and only applies to certain apps.

In terms of performance it is really snappy, I tested browsing and installed a number of apps. Everything went really smoothly. I also tested a few mid range games and they also ran without any problems.

The biggest issue with the phone is the hardware. It looks really bland which is expected for a Chinese phone and the screen isn't Gorilla glass so touch gestures and swiping aren't as slick but once again this isn't that big a deal. The back cover is also annoying to remove and the sd slot is finicky. It has a lever type cover which when I pulled up became loose and started rattling but I managed to find a solution.

The only issues with the software are the stock miui apps. There are a few of these and only one or two are useful (Security and anti virus) but some require Xiaomi accounts and the likes so I just threw them all into one folder because they can't be installed.

Overall though I got what I wanted which was a Moto G type phone with a good camera and sd slot for cheaper than an actual Moto G.

If you want to ask me anymore specific questions on the phone go ahead.

If people could post the model of the phone they are referring to in their posts, it would make the thread a lot easier for people to pop in and out of.

Just to update I got my Mi3 today, customs was €23.53 with the €25.00 DHL shipping, Total being €48.53. So if getting a phone select the (2-5 days Delivery by UPS DHL GLS, without customs issue) @ €36.48! Don't make my mistake!

metroburgers wrote: »

Thanks for that, unfortunately it's already been shipped, so will have to see how much customs charge, silly me :rolleyes:

metroburgers wrote: »

Oops I had actually selected the wrong shipping method for my Mi3 from xiamishop.com should have selected (2-5 days Delivery by UPS DHL GLS, without customs issue) @€;36.48 but mistakenly selected normal DHL which is from China @€;25.00 so will probably have to pay customs now and wait longer. Just a heads up to others who might be buying!

corwill wrote: »

Finally pulled the trigger on a Xiaomi Mi3 (64gb, black) from xiaomishop, to be delivered from their EU warehouse. Fingers crossed! I'll let ye know how I get on, one way or another. As opposed to hoovering up tips and advice, then disappearing like Keyser Soze, as seems to happen on this thread a bit.

Well, I said I'd give feedback, so here it is (please bear in mind, I'm not a tech journalist, or even all that tech savvy, so be gentle with me!):

Xiaomishop.com - Far from the cheapest on offer, either for the phone (€296.39) itself, or for delivery (€36.48), but they had the phone to me inside two days from their Italian warehouse via DHL. The phone was well packaged. The box wasn't sealed, but they could hardly flash it with the developer's edition of MiUi without taking it out and turning it on.

Came with a Xiaomi branded micro USB cable (impressive build quality), a Chinese charger plug (seems pretty solid, but I'm not likely to be giving it a test run any time soon) and some "free gifts" thrown in by the vendor. These were a light blue faux leather flip case (mingin'), a mini-stylus (meh), a car charger and an EU adaptor for the Chinese wall charger (neither of which I would use even if I had a Bronson-like death-wish). Free stuff is generally worth what you pay for it.

I ordered two cheap n' cheerful back cases, one tpu, one hard plastic, both are grand, and better than the prices would suggest, about €7 for the pair. I'd happily order from xiaomishop.com again. I know not everyone would be happy to pay the extra, compared to aliexpress sellers or the likes of mixeshop, but I was satisfied to pay a bit of a premium for fast delivery and no mucking about with customs/VAT, and I got exactly what I paid for.

Build quality - I was very pleasantly surprised on this front. Light but feels very sturdy, finishes are very high quality. When ordering, I had thought the Mi3 quite fugly from the pictures I'd seen, but was happily making a compromise for the specs and performance. In the flesh, it's a far better looking device. Far, far more impressive in this category than my not-so-trusty old Galaxy S3, and easily a match for the Moto Gs and Nexus 5s I've handled. It's almost a shame to hide under a case, but I'm too clumsy not to. Only gripe is that the SIM tray could be slightly more flush with the casing, but I'm really scrabbling for a negative there.

Display - In short, gorgeous. No sign of the uneven backlighting issue I've seen mentioned online, crisp and clear. Not quite as bright as the S3's (no bad thing) but brighter than my wife's Moto G. Auto-brightness works far better than my S3's did. Not as good in direct sunlight, however, but this is Ireland, not really an issue that often.

Battery - Still getting a handle on this, because I've been on it pretty constantly since I got it, backing up and flashing ROMs and generally mucking about with different things, but I'd say it'll give me a day and a bit for what I consider heavy usage, two full days light usage, with current set up. I'd expect to get a little more out of as tinker with the settings. And maybe put it down for more than a few minutes at time!

Connectivity - Picks up 3G and wifi without a hitch, and quicker than I'm used to with my old Sammy. No probs with my Chromecast. Took a bit of research to get drivers downloaded to my pc, in the end I just downloaded the (all-Chinese) pc suite, then uninstalled it. Flying it since then. It lacks 4G, but then I knew that when I was buying it.

UI(MiUi 5)/Performance - Came with Developer's Edition 4.3.14/Android 4.3 out of the box, and I have since updated it to Developer's edition 4.8.22/Android 4.4.4 (see the Xiaomi Mi3 thread for my and others' adventures in that regard - relatively straightforward, but I'm a bit of n00b!). It's not pure Android by any means, but it's pretty customisable, you have root at the touch of a button, and with minimal fuss I had gapps up and running. I understand that I'll get weekly OTA updates from here on. It beats Touchwiz hands down, but that's hardly a high standard. So far, I'm at least as happy with it as Cyanogenmod.

Most of the stock apps are pretty decent, and any that I've replaced in daily usage is mostly down to familiarity with my old reliables than anything performance related. In any event, the stock apps are easily enough circumvented, and I'll have a think about uninstalling as many of them as is safe over the next while. The only app I couldn't get to work so far was Keep, and I'm not sure that's down to MiUi, as it's pretty temperamental with syncing anyway; replaced it with any.do, which I'm finding is much better in any event.

I'm finding MiUi 5 itself silky smooth and very quick so far, and I'm in no tearing rush to replace it. I'd prefer to have the app drawer, on balance, but I haven't been moved to put Nova Launcher on it yet, as I'm happy with everything else on it. No slow-down or lag at all since I updated to the latest version and got my apps settled in.

The only issue I'm having performance wise is that various audio players shut down on me when I exit them to another app like Chrome. I need to find a fix for that, because I want to be able browse the web and listen to music at the same time, it's a fairly basic requirement. It shouldn't be a multi-tasking issue, with 2 gb of RAM and a Snapdragon 800, but I have seen some vague grumbling on line about multi-tasking. Other than that, though, it leaves my old S3 in the dust, even running Cyanogenmod 11.

Audio - I've seen criticism of the Mi3 here and there about audio output, but it's absolutely fine for my purposes. I rarely use phone speakers, but they're louder than the S3, without quality breaking up at high volume, and it's at least as good, maybe even better, with headphones. Call quality is excellent, and I've already had a few I've talked to commenting that they can hear me much better than previously. EDIT - just got off a call on the Mi3 with my wife, she asked why I was ringing her from a landline! And she was always giving out about how she couldn't hear me on my nasty auld S3.

SMS - stock app is perfectly adequate, if a bit boring looking. Tried 8SMS, but a couple of texts either didn't make it to me, or I accidentally deleted them due to not being used to MiUi notifications, so I reverted to stock for a while to be sure. Looking out for a replacement, open to suggestions.

Camera - Really, really good, and certainly as good as I, a pretty poor photographer, needs. Clear, crisp, balanced photos everytime I've used it so far, although I haven't really challenged it in terms of lighting, conditions, etc. yet. The autofocus could do with being a touch snappier, but I expect it's something that will improve with updates. A big improvement on the S3 (13mp vs 8mp, further hampered by Cyanogenmod's rubbish camera interaction and app).

In conclusion, absolutely gobsmacked at just what a premium phone I've gotten for my money. The closest I can compare it to in terms of phones I've actually had my hands for a proper go is the Nexus 5, and the Mi3 kicks it's ar$e Would happily recommend it to anyone. Only fly in the ointment is that issue with the audio players, but hopefully I'll have a fix for that shortly.

Right, I'll confine all future wittering about it to the Mi3 thread, happy to answer questions on it over there or by pm.

shootermacg wrote: »

Do all these phones use a mini usb charger?
I've bought quite a few Chinese tablets and they've mostly come with a crap non-usb charger.

Micro-usb nowadays.

Blaine Fancy Stockpile wrote: »

I had a mini sim and put it back in the frame of the bigger sim. Works perfectly

I do have 2 frames at home. If it breaks it I'm screwed though. How sensitive are these things

duridian wrote: »

From what I've read on this, seems the problem occurs when there is a bit of a gap between the microsim or nanosim and the adaptor surrounding it which converts it back to the "normal" minisim size. Basically the contact pins in the phone get jammed in the gap and you can't take out the sim/adaptor without breaking the pins.

I might just wait until the weekend so to get a new normal sim. I presume only your provider could do this and not carphone warehouse.