Chinese Android Phones 3 - Read First Post!

Royaler2014 · 18-09-2018 12:06pm

Hi There,

Dropped my Samsung Galaxy J5 '17 and the screen repair is nearly the cost of the phone.

On Three and looking for some recommendations for a similar phone, that i can purchase from European vendor to avoid customs and a half decent camera.

Ideally looking to spend 150-200 for something basic but would pay up to 300 for something higher specced.

Any recommendations much appreciated.

Suckit · 18-09-2018 2:09pm

Royaler2014 wrote: »

looking for some recommendations for a similar phone, that i can purchase from European vendor to avoid customs and a half decent camera.

Ideally looking to spend 150-200 for something basic but would pay up to 300 for something higher specced.

To name a few, but there are others that regularly go on sale.

https://www.amazon.es/Moto-G5s-Smartphone-Pantalla-Snapdragon/dp/B074T26HGV/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XJBB6HS/
https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07CZS8W5Y/
https://www.amazon.es/Xiaomi-A2-Lite-Smartphone-importada/dp/B07FMQ12PJ/

dougm1970 · 21-09-2018 9:21pm

ok. i am finally ready to order this next week...xiaomi mi max 3....but confused with all the previous fake global versions....could some friendly person link me to a genuine proper global one please....i see one on honorbuy, but not sure how genuine it is...i like ordering from honorbuy via the eu warehouses, very fast delivery..

https://www.honorbuy.com/1509-xiaomi-mi-max-3-4gb-ram-64gb-rom-official-global-version-smartphone-black.html

also, is there a 6gb/128gb global version ?

baingal nancer · 26-09-2018 6:29pm

Best place to get the motog5s anyone? Seems to go up and down a lot in price

Suckit · 26-09-2018 6:42pm

Amazon Spain and any price watching addon for your browser.
It seems to be the main place that it drops in price. That and the G5S, G5 Plus.

€99 here - https://www.amazon.es/dp/B06XJ8YZGX

This was €129 a few days ago - https://www.amazon.es/dp/B06XSDM1NM

dougm1970 · 27-09-2018 9:14pm

i got a mi max 3 this week, tuesday, so just a couple of days ago. got a clear gel case and tempered glass and another hard case. black phone.
its even bigger than i expected. just massive. too big to be practical for me. cost just shy of 300 euro via honorbuy with dhl express. its the proper global version. 4gb / 64gb.
silly a thing to do as it is, i'll try and sell it now.
posting this in case anyone here might be interested in that phone and wants to make an offer. can hook up on facebook or whatever if more info needed.

corkie · 28-09-2018 2:01pm

[XDA] PSA: Flashing MIUI Global on these Xiaomi devices may brick your device

In any case, here are the Xiaomi devices that are affected by this out-of-region restriction. We listed the marketing name for each device as well as their code-names.
Xiaomi Mi 6X (“wayne”)

Xiaomi Mi 8 (“dipper”)

Xiaomi Mi 8 EE (“ursa”)

Xiaomi Mi 8 SE (“sirius”)

Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite (“platina”)

Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro (“equuleus”)

Xiaomi Mi Max 3 (“nitrogen”)

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S (“polaris”)

Xiaomi Mi Pad 4/Mi Pad 4 Plus (“clover”)

Xiaomi Poco F1/Pocophone F1 (“beryllium”)

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A (“ugg”)

Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Lite (“ugglite”)

Xiaomi Redmi Y2/Redmi S2 (“ysl”)

Xiaomi Redmi 5 (“rosy”)

Xiaomi Redmi 5A (“riva”)

Xiaomi Redmi 6 (“cereus”)

Xiaomi Redmi 6A (“cactus”)

Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro (“sakura” and “sakura_india”)

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5/Redmi 5 Plus (“vince”)

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro/Redmi Note 5 AI (“whyred”)

Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro (“tulip”)

It applies to changing MIUI region version roms china to global or vice versa.
On a locked bootloader, so if you change version don't lock it again.

fixXxer · 28-09-2018 3:27pm

Jaysus, Xiaomi are really being a pain in the hole all of a sudden with these flashing restrictions.

Suckit · 28-09-2018 3:47pm

fixxxer wrote: »

Jaysus, Xiaomi are really being a pain in the hole all of a sudden with these flashing restrictions.

They've been getting worse for a while, and when large bugs appear they take ages fixing /patching them.
Meizu seem to have gone the other route.

If Weibo is to be believed, Xiaomi are dropping in popularity in China, like paid email accounts (maybe not quite that much :P).
This list was in May (Xiaomi have been lower before that but got a short lived spike in popularity).

1 Vivo 维沃
2 Oppo 歐珀
3 Honor 荣耀
4 Huawei 华为
5 Xiaomi 小米
6 Meizu 魅族
7 OnePlus 一加
8 LeNovo 联想
9 Qiku 360 手机
10 Smartisan 坚果

Since then, Xiaomi have dropped to 8th and Vivo and Oppo are battling it out for 1st.

Thargor · 28-09-2018 8:18pm

Good usb c fast wall charger here for a couple of dollars if you use the code to knock a tenner off, worked for me a minute ago:

https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/tronsmart-quick-charge-30-usb-rapid-fast-wall-charger-uk-plug-includes-usb-c-cable-439-delivered-geekbuying-3034881?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=position_1_textlink&utm_campaign=28-09-2018

UsedToWait · 28-09-2018 8:32pm

Thargor wrote: »

Good usb c fast wall charger here for a couple of dollars if you use the code to knock a tenner off, worked for me a minute ago:

https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/tronsmart-quick-charge-30-usb-rapid-fast-wall-charger-uk-plug-includes-usb-c-cable-439-delivered-geekbuying-3034881?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=position_1_textlink&utm_campaign=28-09-2018

€4.81 using Revolut.
Thanks for posting.

jhur · 01-10-2018 11:12am

Looking at chinese smartphones at the moment. they seem incredible value......
Does anyone have any experience of the Ulefone Armour X or the ASUS Zenfone Pegasus 4S
Do they come unlocked??

sydthebeat · 01-10-2018 12:11pm

jhur wrote: »

Looking at chinese smartphones at the moment. they seem incredible value......
Does anyone have any experience of the Ulefone Armour X or the ASUS Zenfone Pegasus 4S
Do they come unlocked??

my son has a ulefone tiger which is a great budget phone.

the spec for the armour x look good for a cheap budget phone, but personally that processor is dated at this stage and id be looking for more than 2gb of ram these days.

whats your budget??

the armour 5 is a much better phone for about €60 more

02-10-2018 10:22am

sydthebeat wrote: »

my son has a ulefone tiger which is a great budget phone.

the spec for the armour x look good for a cheap budget phone, but personally that processor is dated at this stage and id be looking for more than 2gb of ram these days.

whats your budget??

the armour 5 is a much better phone for about €60 more

I'd be wary of the software on the smaller chinese brands - usually you're looking at no updates and/or software issues.

safer going with the bigger companies like xiaomi (mi) and huawei (honor) in terms of getting a better software experience. or android one phones (stock android).

plus the mediatek MT6763 cpu in that armour 5 is underpowered - only 45,000 on antutu. likely to have lag in operation and won't be good in terms of running the phone over the next year / 2 years. as a comparison the snapdragon 625 which is the min specs you should be looking at today imo is 70,000 to 80,000 depending on what phone / OS combination is implemented.

GBX · 02-10-2018 10:28am

I had an OK experience with Ulefone. Solid units. Ok for the money they come in at but I had one that the screen just went unresponsive. At the time there was a small amount of developers working on ROMs but that dried up. I dont recall getting any software updates from Ulefone at all. As above, Id probably pick a Xiaomi if going budget.

CramCycle · 05-10-2018 11:40pm

jhur wrote: »

Looking at chinese smartphones at the moment. they seem incredible value......
Does anyone have any experience of the Ulefone Armour X or the ASUS Zenfone Pegasus 4S
Do they come unlocked??

Make sure you check what bands the Asus works with, a friend got a Zenfone 4 and it did not operate on Irish networks. Not sure if all of the 4 models suffered this issue.

Suckit · 06-10-2018 11:01pm

CramCycle wrote: »

Make sure you check what bands the Asus works with, a friend got a Zenfone 4 and it did not operate on Irish networks. Not sure if all of the 4 models suffered this issue.

I'm not 100% on this, but I think Asus are like Sharp (and a few other brands) in the sense that they have roms that fully unlock global features.
WW are WorldWide and CN are Chinese.

Once the WW rom is flashed to the device, 4G etc. should be unlocked. (Some Chinese versions will have band20 already unlocked).

mistress_gi · 07-10-2018 9:40am

I was wondering what people are thinking of this:
https://m.banggood.com/Meizu-16th-Global-Version-6_0-inch-8GB-RAM-128GB-ROM-Snapdragon-845-Octa-core-4G-Smartphone-p-1355797.html?utm_campaign=Kimo30&utm_content=Isabela&p=QV2409786796201409DB

Seems like a lot of bang for your buck!

CramCycle · 07-10-2018 1:34pm

Suckit wrote: »

I'm not 100% on this, but I think Asus are like Sharp (and a few other brands) in the sense that they have roms that fully unlock global features.
WW are WorldWide and CN are Chinese.

Once the WW rom is flashed to the device, 4G etc. should be unlocked. (Some Chinese versions will have band20 already unlocked).

I'll say it to him, I ordered the 5 recently enough but was certain to check after his story.

Suckit · 09-10-2018 1:09pm

Honor 8X (4GB/64GB) + Flip PU Case - Blue or Black version available from Germany delivered to PM/PW/AP for €255.50 + €3.50 = €259 delivered to Ireland
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07HHH315K
(€265.50 delivered directly to Ireland)

Takes 7 - 10 days to arrive.
Great price/better price when you also take into account amazon warranty and EU delivery etc. (and the flip case).

breeno · 09-10-2018 3:37pm

Suckit wrote: »

Honor 8X (4GB/64GB) + Flip PU Case - Blue or Black version available from Germany delivered to PM/PW/AP for €255.50 + €3.50 = €259 delivered to Ireland
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07HHH315K
(€265.50 delivered directly to Ireland)

Takes 7 - 10 days to arrive.
Great price/better price when you also take into account amazon warranty and EU delivery etc. (and the flip case).

In terms of competing with the likes of flagship Samsung and oneplus offerings, is the Xiaomi Mi 8 still the best bet?

I like the look of it and specs and reviews look great for the price. Not too keen on the see through on the explorer version.

sydthebeat · 09-10-2018 4:49pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=yobbP789IVs

i wonder what price this will come in at......

definitely one for the eager photographer

Suckit · 09-10-2018 4:51pm

breeno wrote: »

In terms of competing with the likes of flagship Samsung and oneplus offerings, is the Xiaomi Mi 8 still the best bet?

I like the look of it and specs and reviews look great for the price. Not too keen on the see through on the explorer version.

For the money, yeah probably, I'd say so. I have seen people compare them to Pocophone, but again, it's not really like for like.

fixXxer · 09-10-2018 5:58pm

sydthebeat wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=yobbP789IVs

i wonder what price this will come in at......

definitely one for the eager photographer

Phone sensors are too small for proper photographs.

rosie16 · 09-10-2018 6:05pm

Hi all,

I'm just looking for some recommendations. I know it's been asked before

I'm thinking the xiaomi redmi note 5. What about the note 6 pro? Or mi a2 or mi a2 lite?

I want something with a decent camera. I don't care about good selfie qualities. I'm coming from a Sony Xperia e3 which was pure crap. Apps wise I only use facebook messenger and WhatsApp. I want something that'll last and won't be slow and buggy.

wmpdd3 · 09-10-2018 11:34pm

rosie16 wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm just looking for some recommendations. I know it's been asked before I'm thinking the xiaomi redmi note 5. What about the note 6 pro? Or mi a2 or mi a2 lite?

I want something with a decent camera. I don't care about good selfie qualities. I'm coming from a Sony Xperia e3 which was pure crap. Apps wise I only use facebook messenger and WhatsApp. I want something that'll last and won't be slow and buggy.

I'm pretty much in the same boat, if I was loaded, I'd be buying a P20, but I'm not so I'm looking at the Xiaomi Mi A2.

https://www.honorbuy.com/1512-xiaomi-mi-a2-official-global-version-4gb-ram-64gb-smartphone-blue.html#/option-global_version_464gb_blue

It seems to get the best camera reviews. I have a DSLR so only looking for something for good snaps, but coming from the Moto G5 with Opencamera installed, anything would be an improvement.

ImARebel · 10-10-2018 1:58pm

So I went to buy another redmi 4x but found it's pretty hard to get one. What phone would you recommend in it's place? The primary driver behind buying this phone was its size. it was perfect for someone not into big phones.

I've a redmi note 5 and they think that's too big.

Anything worthy of my money out there (for about 150 roughly - this person is pretty hard on phones)

I looked on kimovil and it doesn't seem to be giving me much back that I recognise in the 5'' to 5.4'' bracket.

Do I need to persuade them to look at the Mi A2 lite?

Help - thought all I'd to do was reorder a 4x

Oh and the only other thing is a ok-ish camera, the one on the 4x wasn't great, so if possible to get one slightly better (but definitely not worse) that would be a bonus

Thanks

GBX · 10-10-2018 2:02pm

ImARebel wrote: »

So I went to buy another redmi 4x but found it's pretty hard to get one. What phone would you recommend in it's place? The primary driver behind buying this phone was its size. it was perfect for someone not into big phones.

I've a redmi note 5 and they think that's too big.

Anything worthy of my money out there (for about 150 roughly - this person is pretty hard on phones)

I looked on kimovil and it doesn't seem to be giving me much back that I recognise in the 5'' to 5.4'' bracket.

Do I need to persuade them to look at the Mi A2 lite?

Help - thought all I'd to do was reorder a 4x

Oh and the only other thing is a ok-ish camera, the one on the 4x wasn't great, so if possible to get one slightly better (but definitely not worse) that would be a bonus

Thanks

A few sellers on the right for 4x and Redmi 4x showing for sale. Could be still available ..

https://www.kimovil.com/en/where-to-buy-xiaomi-redmi-4x

https://www.kimovil.com/en/where-to-buy-xiaomi-redmi-note-4x

ImARebel · 10-10-2018 2:09pm

That's bizaare, I went in and it was completely blank - Thanks!

this is what came up from me and I wasn't willing to take the chance ordering from a chinese site - not at that money
https://www.kimovil.com/en/where-to-buy-xiaomi-redmi-4x-global

TheSheriff · 10-10-2018 2:40pm

wmpdd3 wrote: »

I'm pretty much in the same boat, if I was loaded, I'd be buying a P20, but I'm not so I'm looking at the Xiaomi Mi A2.

https://www.honorbuy.com/1512-xiaomi-mi-a2-official-global-version-4gb-ram-64gb-smartphone-blue.html#/option-global_version_464gb_blue

It seems to get the best camera reviews. I have a DSLR so only looking for something for good snaps, but coming from the Moto G5 with Opencamera installed, anything would be an improvement.

Got the Mi A2 for my girlfriend the other day from gearbest, 4Gb/64Gb model for ~199e delivered.

Absolutely fantastic phone for the price - I was waiting for a one plus 6T myself but now can just see myself picking up one of these.

abarkie · 10-10-2018 2:42pm

Redmi Note 4

You can get them for £100gbp, if you look around for 4gb/64gb

10-10-2018 3:00pm

sydthebeat wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=yobbP789IVs

i wonder what price this will come in at......

definitely one for the eager photographer

mate 20 pro could be up to $1,100 apparently.

sydthebeat · 10-10-2018 3:14pm

glasso wrote: »

mate 20 pro could be up to $1,100 apparently.

:eek::eek:

ImARebel · 10-10-2018 4:01pm

anyone with a mi A2 lite - would you recommend it? Any issues?

sleepysniper · 10-10-2018 4:27pm

Suckit wrote:

Honor 8X (4GB/64GB) + Flip PU Case - Blue or Black version available from Germany delivered to PM/PW/AP for â‚¬255.50 + â‚¬3.50 = â‚¬259 delivered to Ireland

Suckit wrote:

Takes 7 - 10 days to arrive. Great price/better price when you also take into account amazon warranty and EU delivery etc. (and the flip case).

Suckit wrote:

(â‚¬265.50 delivered directly to Ireland)

Suckit wrote:

Honor 8X (4GB/64GB) + Flip PU Case - Blue or Black version available from Germany delivered to PM/PW/AP for â‚¬255.50 + â‚¬3.50 = â‚¬259 delivered to Ireland

Looks a decent bit of kit but I don't think it has Band 20 from what I can tell?

10-10-2018 4:39pm

mmm yes - doesn't seem to have band 20 on that phone.

there is a possibility that a global version will have this band - will have to wait and see.

strange omission these days.

cullenswood · 10-10-2018 4:44pm

ImARebel wrote: »

anyone with a mi A2 lite - would you recommend it? Any issues?

Have it about a month. Great phone for the price.

10-10-2018 4:49pm

cullenswood wrote: »

Have it about a month. Great phone for the price.

have the a2 lite also - bought it for the battery life which is great.
good screen also and just about the right size to allow use without needing 2 hands.
runs very fast on stock android even tho it's only a snapdragon 625.
no cluttery apps like you get on other phones and android pie will be coming in the next few months.

can only fault it for the camera which is not brilliant (fine in good light but pretty bad indoors).

going to install camera2 api to use google camera at some point as some have reported that that can make a difference.

Suckit · 10-10-2018 11:00pm

sleepysniper wrote: »

Looks a decent bit of kit but I don't think it has Band 20 from what I can tell?

glasso wrote: »

mmm yes - doesn't seem to have band 20 on that phone.

there is a possibility that a global version will have this band - will have to wait and see.

strange omission these days.

I'm pretty sure it does have band 20. German (EU version).
https://www.kimovil.com/en/where-to-buy-huawei-honor-8x-l29
https://www.devicespecifications.com/en/model/eddd4c7c

In any case, I ordered it, and will know in about a week.

11-10-2018 8:10am

Suckit wrote: »

I'm pretty sure it does have band 20. German (EU version).
https://www.kimovil.com/en/where-to-buy-huawei-honor-8x-l29
https://www.devicespecifications.com/en/model/eddd4c7c

In any case, I ordered it, and will know in about a week.

Seems to be there alright but omitted in most descriptions.

Let us know how you get on. Would be interested in hearing how the camera is also.

Suckit · 12-10-2018 10:50pm

glasso wrote: »

Seems to be there alright but omitted in most descriptions.
Let us know how you get on. Would be interested in hearing how the camera is also.

Amazon Germany has a lot of questions under the item, but for some reason, none are answered, maybe it's just early days. Mine was orderd on the 7th, due to arrive on Tuesday to Parcel Wizard.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anyone here buy the Yotaphone 3?
I am very tempted.. I was looking forward to it being released, and now one of the worst sites (if not the worst), and probably being sold by an even dodgier seller have it for $219 (€188) for the 128GB version.
Haven't bought anything from them in over 3 years. This is tempting, despite kimovil and it's off rating.

CramCycle · 12-10-2018 11:07pm

ZenFone 5 arrived, grand phone. It's not quite as smooth as previous Samsung's I have had for usability but they are minor gripes and more to do with very minor niggly android issues. Great phone, hopefully polish it a bit, but I am happy.

allthedoyles · 13-10-2018 12:56am

CramCycle wrote: »

ZenFone 5 arrived, grand phone. It's not quite as smooth as previous Samsung's I have had for usability but they are minor gripes and more to do with very minor niggly android issues. Great phone, hopefully polish it a bit, but I am happy.

Is band 20 on it ?

ImARebel · 13-10-2018 7:54am

cullenswood wrote: »

Have it about a month. Great phone for the price.

And how's the camera, I know at this price point it won't be super but I'd settle for OK :-)

ImARebel · 13-10-2018 7:57am

glasso wrote: »

have the a2 lite also - bought it for the battery life which is great.
good screen also and just about the right size to allow use without needing 2 hands.
runs very fast on stock android even tho it's only a snapdragon 625.
no cluttery apps like you get on other phones and android pie will be coming in the next few months.

can only fault it for the camera which is not brilliant (fine in good light but pretty bad indoors).

going to install camera2 api to use google camera at some point as some have reported that that can make a difference.

Just saw this. Thanks for the info. Especially about the camera

I'm not sure I'll do better than it for the price and the size that's needed

Paullimerick · 13-10-2018 8:24am

How's the going people. Come ere I'm no genius with phones. Got a Samsung S5. Herself got the S8. Some differences in speed and quality. And no freezing every now and again. I'm looking to change mine. Need. Battery life for a full day anyway. Maps. Have a few apps. No Facebook required.
What ye think??

13-10-2018 1:26pm

ImARebel wrote: »

Just saw this. Thanks for the info. Especially about the camera

I'm not sure I'll do better than it for the price and the size that's needed

the mi a2 lite takes very good photos in decent light (and well lit indoors) to near the level of top phones but with bad light the noise levels are not good.
so for most circumstances you'll be happy with the photos.

I'm happy with it overall as the other advantages - nice modern design that feels good in hand and looks decent, good screen that is big enough in a small body due to good screen-to-body ratio, fast performance, good size, stock android with updates for 2 years and of course battery life.

don't really see anything comparable for the money unless you want a bigger phone like the honor 8x (lose stock android) which does have nfc but is 250 euro

13-10-2018 1:36pm

Paullimerick wrote: »

How's the going people. Come ere I'm no genius with phones. Got a Samsung S5. Herself got the S8. Some differences in speed and quality. And no freezing every now and again. I'm looking to change mine. Need. Battery life for a full day anyway. Maps. Have a few apps. No Facebook required.
What ye think??

mi a2 lite will do the job well imo. very good battery life and smooth and stock android.
don't be put off by the fact that's it's described as a budget smartphone but don't let that put you off.
it's very capable and has great battery life.

review
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Xiaomi-Redmi-6-Pro-Mi-A2-Lite-Smartphone-Review.323412.0.html

buy

https://www.eglobalcentral.eu/xiaomi-mi-a2-lite-4gb-64gb-dual-sim-sim-free-unlocked-blue.html

blue best colour imo. allow 10 days for that site (most of the time).

otherwise probably quicker delivery if you pay more (make sure it's european country stock location)

https://www.honorbuy.com/1494-xiaomi-mi-a2-lite-official-global-version-4gb-ram-64gb-smartphone-blue.html?search_query=mi+a2+lite&results=665

https://www.geekbuying.com/item/Global-Version-Xiaomi-Mi-A2-Lite-5-84-Inch-4GB-64GB-Smartphone-Black-404038.html

ImARebel · 13-10-2018 4:49pm

Hongkong goldway have it too. I'm sold on it. Going to order it from there

13-10-2018 4:52pm

ImARebel wrote: »

Hongkong goldway have it too. I'm sold on it. Going to order it from there

won't you get got for customs from them tho

as I said the blue one is very nice as the front is still black - works well. I have that one.

Chinese Android Phones 3 - Read First Post!

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