Cheap phone is it worth the gamble?

bazmc35

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/No-1-S7-5-1-HD-IPS-1280-720-Screen-Android-Smart-Phone-with-MTK6582-Quad/1859158240.html


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9Joc_82rUA

Heraldoffreeent

bazmc35 wrote: »

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/No-1-S7-5-1-HD-IPS-1280-720-Screen-Android-Smart-Phone-with-MTK6582-Quad/1859158240.html


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9Joc_82rUA

Dunno, but you'll have fun down the pub telling the lads you've a kingkok!

Kevin!

Probably not in honesty, these cheap Chinese knockoffs are often terrible build quality and last a matter of weeks if lucky.

The version of Android that they run is also relitively unsupported, which results in a lack of updates and a glitchy phone

Fair play for posting a ba though!

Kristopherus

OP its not a bad phone at all. And by sending it via Sweden post, you will not be caught for customs.

bajer101

Kevin! wrote: »

Probably not in honesty, these cheap Chinese knockoffs are often terrible build quality and last a matter of weeks if lucky.

The version of Android that they run is also relitively unsupported, which results in a lack of updates and a glitchy phone

Fair play for posting a ba though!

Yeah, you're better off avoiding the cheap tat that is made in China - like the iPhone, or practically every electronic device! It is also true that they may only last a matter of weeks, but usually the number of weeks runs into the hundreds. This phone runs 4.4.2, which isn't glitchy and even if it never got an other update it will remain un-glitchy.

And btw, if it is a cheap Chinese knock-off, which premium product is it a knock-off of? Another Chinese manufactured phone with similar parts but laden with bloatware and an inflated price due to inherent costs associated with marketing.

Looks like a very decent phone. Good spot OP.

former legend

Kristopherus wrote: »

OP its not a bad phone at all. And by sending it via Sweden post, you will not be caught for customs.

Or maybe you will. This idea of diverting via another EU country is not new and customs are well aware of it.

acquiescefc

Ive heard kingkoks are liable to bend in your pocket. Anyone?

zl1whqvjs75cdy

acquiescefc wrote: »

Ive heard kingkoks are liable to bend in your pocket. Anyone?

Only the ones over 6 inches. Shouldn't be an issue for you.




Sorry.

acquiescefc

donkeyoaty0099 wrote: »

Only the ones over 6 inches. Shouldn't be an issue for you.




Sorry.

Is that length or width? :P

imitation

I used a knock off style phone for a few months while waiting for phone repair. To be honest i found it was great (after i took off the sms virus !), but it only cost about 50 quid. Struggled with games but was fine for calls, texts and web browsing. For the price of this phone i would look at the moto g though.

eamonnq

http://www.devicespecifications.com/en/model/b16b2d76

Seems to be a bit of a mis-match in the specs as advertised.

MT6582 not 6592 for a start.

Alanstrainor

There are better chinese brand phones out there for the same money that I would go for. Check out the android forum and post in there for recommendations. There's also the Moto g, which is hard to miss in this price range. Awesome phones, for little money.

calex71

Alanstrainor wrote: »

There are better chinese brand phones out there for the same money that I would go for. Check out the android forum and post in there for recommendations. There's also the Moto g, which is hard to miss in this price range. Awesome phones, for little money.

+1

And there is also the new 5 inch model which goes for around 179 with tesco 189 in argos but no stock at the moment. 5 inch ones are not 4g however but the smaller ones are. I have one of the original 8gb ones and can't fault it , seriously considering getting a 5 inch one now :pac:

Kristopherus

former legend wrote: »

Or maybe you will. This idea of diverting via another EU country is not new and customs are well aware of it.

I've got several items, including phones from Chinese sellers who posted via Sweden Post or Netherlands Post and all came through without a bother.

RossieMan

Kristopherus wrote: »

I've got several items, including phones from Chinese sellers who posted via Sweden Post or Netherlands Post and all came through without a bother.

You're posting false information.

You can of course be caught for customs with any postage company, its just a matter of pure luck.

Heisenberg88

Kevin! wrote: »

Probably not in honesty, these cheap Chinese knockoffs are often terrible build quality and last a matter of weeks if lucky.

The version of Android that they run is also relitively unsupported, which results in a lack of updates and a glitchy phone

Fair play for posting a ba though!

You have no idea about chinese phones do you? Most are fantastic quality.

slave1

RossieMan wrote: »

You're posting false information.

You can of course be caught for customs with any postage company, its just a matter of pure luck.

Bit harsh, he (or she) simply gave their experience which is not false. If they had said (for example) you are certain to avoid customs then that would probably be false...

Kevin!

Heisenberg88 wrote: »

You have no idea about chinese phones do you? Most are fantastic quality.

Most are fantastic quality? You've obviously never visited alibaba - the rom support and build quality the majority of the time is useless except for the rare exception such as Meizu and some of the more popular knockoffs

Yeah, you're better off avoiding the cheap tat that is made in China - like the iPhone, or practically every electronic device! It is also true that they may only last a matter of weeks, but usually the number of weeks runs into the hundreds. This phone runs 4.4.2, which isn't glitchy and even if it never got an other update it will remain un-glitchy.

And btw, if it is a cheap Chinese knock-off, which premium product is it a knock-off of? Another Chinese manufactured phone with similar parts but laden with bloatware and an inflated price due to inherent costs associated with marketing.

That's brilliant, it runs 4.4.2 - and what about when further versions of android get developed and the knock-off company has already moved onto their fifth release this year. Also, just because a phone runs a particular version of android does not mean it runs it well. Good luck with finding a support community such as XDA for non-official ROMs too because most developers won't touch transient chinese crap.

The build quality is rarely parallel with premium phone manufacturers, except in the instance of brands such as OnePlus One - but even when that is the case the phone is substantially more expensive than your cheapest Chinese knockoff.

If your looking for a cheap android phone, go for a well supported one such as the Moto G imo which has great support.

RossieMan

Kristopherus wrote: »

OP its not a bad phone at all. And by sending it via Sweden post, you will not be caught for customs.

Here you go slave.
This sort of post is what gets people angry when they do get pulled up for customs charges.

Furzy

Bought a very similar phone (Pulid) in July for approx €60. Great screen and all worked very well for a few months but last week it just died after charging. Tried all the fixes but nothing works so I'd agree with others that it's a bit of a gamble....

former legend

Kristopherus wrote: »

I've got several items, including phones from Chinese sellers who posted via Sweden Post or Netherlands Post and all came through without a bother.

As posted above, that's luck. Fair play to you but telling the OP they will not be caught for customs is a bit misleading.

Kristopherus

RossieMan wrote: »

Here you go slave.
This sort of post is what gets people angry when they do get pulled up for customs charges.

former legend wrote: »

As posted above, that's luck. Fair play to you but telling the OP they will not be caught for customs is a bit misleading.

Ah, yea, have a pop at the messenger:rolleyes:. If these items come in via another EU country's postal system, then they are already in EU and have in my, and my family's case never been pulled by Customs here.The declaration says its coming from Sweden/Netherland post. This is for many purchases over the past 2yrs.

RossieMan

they're not purchased from within the EU, they've not paid any EU vat.

They get caught just as much as the next route, With the obvious expection of DHL and the like who have a 99% detection rate.

Its against the charter to discuss ways of avoiding customs, so we best leave it here.

Digital Society

Way better phones out there for the money.

Get an S5 replica that gets cracking reviews . Arrives in a week aswell with DHL.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2GB-RAM-32GB-ROM-HDC-S5-Phone-I9600-Phone-13-0MP-MTK6582-Quad-Core-5-1/1827879341.html

Still sell it for 100 in a years time.

RossieMan

Wouldn't touch those copies if you handed it to me for 50 quid.

Digital Society

RossieMan wrote: »

Wouldn't touch those copies if you handed it to me for 50 quid.

Usually id agree but these are good phones. take all the S5 parts and covers aswell.

Remember that the OP is talking about chinese phones. If buying from anywhere thats a different ballgame.

RossieMan

Theres a big thread on chinese phones. Some great bargains over there.

Phones for every budget. Never a fan of those copies.

former legend

Kristopherus wrote: »

Ah, yea, have a pop at the messenger:rolleyes:. If these items come in via another EU country's postal system, then they are already in EU and have in my, and my family's case never been pulled by Customs here.The declaration says its coming from Sweden/Netherland post. This is for many purchases over the past 2yrs.

Again, luck.

Customs are very aware of this scam. And it is a scam.

RossieMan

former legend wrote: »

Again, luck.

Customs are very aware of this scam. And it is a scam.

Its not a scam, to be fair.

Its not the buyers fault these are the only postage options offered.
Its about as successful as regularly chinese post anyway. You gain nothing from them doing it.

former legend

RossieMan wrote: »

Its not a scam, to be fair.

Its not the buyers fault these are the only postage options offered.
Its about as successful as regularly chinese post anyway. You gain nothing from them doing it.

It's a way to illegally avoid paying customs and vat for importing something from China. How is that not a scam?

You gain nothing? You save the money that would otherwise be tacked onto the cost of the phone if imported legitimately.

If you can get away with it, great, but the OP should be aware that when An post deliver it, there could be a bill attached.

RossieMan

former legend wrote: »

It's a way to illegally avoid paying customs and vat for importing something from China. How is that not a scam?

You gain nothing? You save the money that would otherwise be tacked onto the cost of the phone if imported legitimately.

If you can get away with it, great, but the OP should be aware that when An post deliver it, there could be a bill attached.

Theres no illegal in it. Customs know all about it, its up to them how they deal with it.
It doesnt avoid customs anyway, its just as prone as chinese mail or hong kong mail.

blue_blue

Me no speak Chinese but these cheap phones aren't worth the bother.

If you're a cheap-ass student who likes to pirate all sort of content and don't understand the notion of paying a premium for a decent quality phone that will give you no trouble and will last, then you shouldn't buy this phone.

Ask yourself, "Am I cheap?". If the answer is "yes", then don't buy this phone.

RossieMan

blue_blue wrote: »

Me no speak Chinese but these cheap phones aren't worth the bother.

If you're a cheap-ass student who likes to pirate all sort of content and don't understand the notion of paying a premium for a decent quality phone that will give you no trouble and will last, then you shouldn't buy this phone.

Ask yourself, "Am I cheap?". If the answer is "yes", then don't buy this phone.

You can feck off as well. Some Chinese phones are perfect, you pay the premium for a brand name, not whats inside it.

former legend

RossieMan wrote: »

Theres no illegal in it. Customs know all about it, its up to them how they deal with it.
It doesnt avoid customs anyway, its just as prone as chinese mail or hong kong mail.

Riiight. They just divert all their crap via random EU countries just for the craic?

I'm out.

RossieMan

former legend wrote: »

Riiight. They just divert all their crap via random EU countries just for the craic?

I'm out.

Are you serious? the package still contains information saying its sent from China.

Netherlands post is all some sellers offer, its probably who they have their deals with.

eamonnq

blue_blue wrote: »

Me no speak Chinese but these cheap phones aren't worth the bother.

If you're a cheap-ass student who likes to pirate all sort of content and don't understand the notion of paying a premium for a decent quality phone that will give you no trouble and will last, then you shouldn't buy this phone.

Ask yourself, "Am I cheap?". If the answer is "yes", then don't buy this phone.

You forgot the 'sent from my Iphone' bit on the end !!

Saruman

Digital Society wrote: »

Way better phones out there for the money.

Get an S5 replica that gets cracking reviews . Arrives in a week aswell with DHL.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2GB-RAM-32GB-ROM-HDC-S5-Phone-I9600-Phone-13-0MP-MTK6582-Quad-Core-5-1/1827879341.html

Still sell it for 100 in a years time.

Hah, the size of that thing. It's 6 hours big

Friend of mine has an octa core Chinese phone that looks very similar to the one in the first link.
It's a grand phone and rates faster than my S4 in benchmarking for CPU but not in memory as it's only 1GB. The only downside with it is the camera is about as good as an iPhone 4.

eamonnq

Digital Society wrote: »

Way better phones out there for the money.

Get an S5 replica that gets cracking reviews . Arrives in a week aswell with DHL.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2GB-RAM-32GB-ROM-HDC-S5-Phone-I9600-Phone-13-0MP-MTK6582-Quad-Core-5-1/1827879341.html

Still sell it for 100 in a years time.

I think you might need to take a closer look at that, description says MTK6582 and MTK6592 and you can select when you purchase. Select MTK6592 and it brings the price up to 186

I would be very wary of those type of listings.

Another one here for example (cheaper still!!)

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Perfect-1-1-MTK6582-HDC-S5-I9600-Phone-Quad-Core-Smart-Mobile-Phone-Heart-rate-sensor/1774297500.html