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Pilsner
Nov 23, 2002

Has anyone else dived into these? I just bought a Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 this week. It has amazing specs for the price: 2.0 GHz 8-core RealMedia CPU, 2 GB RAM, 16 GB storage, 5.5" 1080p screen, dual SIM, MicroSD slot, 13 MP Sony camera, 4G, 3060 mAh battery, and the usual wifi, gyro, GPS, etc. you'd expect from any smartphone.



It cost me what corresponds to about 190 USD (€170), shipped from Europe to Europe, so I avoided any import duties (I paid €35 to have it sent from the EU warehouse). Bought from Honorbuy.com; they have certain phones in European stock.

So far so good; the build quality seems good, and the phone is stable. It ships with a "global ROM", so it's in English by default, ships with Play Store, no weird Chinese apps, and I've only found one obscure Settings page that had a string in Chinese characters. Xiaomi has a global English website for their MIUI Android with frequent releases, a PC tool suite with drivers in English, and there's an unofficial international community. All in all I feel comfortable with it, even being non-Chinese.

They also have some alternative models:

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3
A form of "premium edition" of the Note 2. Virtually the same specs, but a metal casing, dual LED flash, fingerprint unlocker, but no SD card slot. About €60 more.



Xiaomi Redmi 3 (non-Note)
A 5" 720p version of the above with a Qualcomm CPU; release pending.

Thing to beware of regarding Chinese phones:
* Is there any resemblance of a global community for the phone in case of problems? Like, can you google for "<phone> problem" and get some results? If all you can find are a few reviews and few obscure vendors, I would steer clear.
* Is the company reasonably established so there's hope of Android version upgrades, support and bug fixes in the future? Look at the company's history, market penetration in the West, and selection of phones.
* Does the phone ship with an English Android? Which version (4.x or 5.x), and is an upgrade in the pipeline from the manufacturer? Hackers might want to research if custom alternatives exist.
* Does it support the frequency bands in your region/country so that you can even use it? Many Chinese phones will not support 4G in the USA, but most of Europe seems covered.

Some come with a heavily customized UI, but this is no different from "Western" phones. Installing a different launcher, contacts app, SMS app, etc. will get you very, very far in terms of making the phone behave as you like. Here's a super quick list of popular apps that will quickly leave essential default apps in the dust:

Nova Launcher - replacement home screen (the screen you see when you press the home button; it's just another app)
Textra - SMS / Messaging
Contacts+ - Contacts
Google ___ - Browser, mail, calendar, and other apps
VLC - video player

Just beware of phones that ship with unremovable (without rooting and messing about) apps that for example Lenovo put on their phone, which might be very annoying.

Specs
Chinese phones are in general very generous with their specs compared to the well-known brands in the West. Almost all $100+ phones have either 5" or 5.5" screens in 720p or 1080p. Most use a 13 MP Sony camera back / 5 MP rear. They typically use RealMedia CPUs, but a few use Qualcomm Snapdragon. 2, 3 or even 4 GB RAM is easily attainable. Virtually all have Dual SIM since that's popular in Asia, and a MicroSD card slot is almost always present (beware that some have one fixed SIM card slot and the second is a hybrid SIM or MicroSD slot). Many other additional features can be found, such as fingerprint scanner, IR blaster, extra large battery, extra-powerful selfie cam, and more. Wireless charging and water proof does not seem to be common features.

Naturally, they all come unlocked and with no carrier binding.

Prices and specs for the money
This is of course the main selling point. There wouldn't be much need to gamble into unknown territory if the price didn't match. Here are some very approximate prices and the specs you get:

$70-100: Quad-core 1.2 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 8-16 GB storage, 5" 720p screen, 8-13 MP camera, dual SIM, micro SD slot, and the usual wifi, GPS, etc.
$120-150: Quad- or octa-core ~1.5 GHz, 2 GB RAM, 16-32 GB storage, 5-5.5" 720p or 1080p screen, 13 MP camera, etc.
$200+: Quad- or octa-core up to 2.0 GHz, 2-4 GB RAM, 16-32 GB storage, 5-5.5" 1080p screen, 13-20 MP camera, etc., plus more fancy finish; metal casing for example, better front camera, bigger battery, fingerprint camera, dual flash, or other fluff.

Brand options
Xiaomi, for example Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
English Android, English website and community, good reviews all around. Unofficial English community and a relatively popular brand. My choice.

Lenovo, for example Lenovo K3 Note
Good specs for the money. Well-known brand. I chose to avoid Lenovo as I read that their phones come with a horrible Android, packed with borderline malware that intrudes and pops up poo poo all the time. YMMV.

OnePlus, for example OnePlus 2
International support (English, etc.), and the OnePlus 2 is getting good reviews. This is in the more expensive end, clocking in at $300-$400. Qualcomm 8-core, 3-4 GB RAM, 16/64 GB storage, 13 MP camera, 5.5" 1080 screen. IMO expensive for the specs it has.

Meizu, for example Meizu M2 Note
Meizu does not seem quite as "international" as some other brands. I chose to avoid them since they have a single-button design (instead of menu/home/back), which I'm not sure I'd like. They also use a highly custom UI called Flyme.

Huawei, for example Huawei Honor 4A or the top model Huawei P8
These are sold in European big-name stores at least; I think they were some of the first Chinese to get a foothold on the international market. Their P8 is a premium phone.

Asus, for example Asus Zenfone 2 Laser

Elephone, for example Elephone P8000

Oppo, for example Oppo RS7

Ulefone, for example Ulefone Paris

Some other brands: Cubot, Blackview, Kingzone, Coolpad, Zopo, UMI, THL, Doogee

Where to buy
Here comes the challenge, because they are very rarely for sale in Western stores. I have only seen Huawei in my country.

Beware of your local customs (and associated fees) laws. Some stores ship from within the US, or from within Europe, where you can certain you won't have problems, but you will pay a premium for the fact that they have imported it first.

Here are some online shops I've found that, from reading online, appear reputable:

Dealextreme - huge stock, good prices, free shipping. I don't have expensive with them, but for Europe, you can buy a "customs insurance" for a few dollars, which will allow you to get up to $40 refunded in case your purchase gets busted by your local customs. Beware that they do NOT actually have a EU warehouse, the goods are sent from China.

Honorbuy (previously Xiaomishop.com) - they sell Xiaomi phones. They have a limited selection of phones in true EU stock.

GearBest - big selection, free shipping, and a limited EU stock.

Amazon - Be sure to look where the seller is located (possibly China)

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Daily Forecast
Dec 25, 2008

by R. Guyovich
I've always thought that most Huawei and Xiaomi phones are beautiful (iPhone-looking) compared to most western brands, but yeah, 4G is nonexistent which makes them not terribly worth it in the US. When I looked out of curiosity I couldn't even FIND a list of bands that the Redmi Note 3 supports. No way it supports Band 12 and maybe not even 2 and 4.

eames
May 9, 2009

Uuh, looks like they just announced a gamechanger?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCeVWm_utP0

The verge reports that the phone will be available in China on the 4th of November for ~$520 (4GB RAM 128GB storage) to ~$590 (6GB RAM 256GB storage)

Tech Specs
  • 6.4” edgeless display: Ultra-high 91.3% screen-to-body ratio—highest on any smartphone to date
  • Full ceramic body: Ceramic back cover, frame, and side buttons, 8 MoHs hardness. Seamless connectors fuse Mi MIX’s body without any external adhesives
  • Cantilever piezoelectric ceramic acoustic technology replaces the traditional earpiece speaker, allowing you to listen to calls without the earpiece
  • Ultrasonic proximity sensor hidden behind the display, replaces traditional infrared proc sensor
  • Custom 17:9 display, large 16:9 viewing area even with soft keys
  • Soft keys with auto-hide Quick Ball allow easy navigation and reachability while keeping Mi MIX sleek and minimalist
  • Compact front camera, 50% smaller than traditional camera modules, imperceptibly located along Mi MIX’s “chin”
  • Custom round-edged display allowed us to create a more immersive, edgeless viewing experience
  • Snapdragon 821 at 2.35GHz
  • 4GB LPDDR4 RAM + 128GB UFS 2.0 storage; 6GB + 256GB (Mi Mix 18k)
  • 4400mAh battery, Quick Charge 3.0
  • Full NFC Functionality: Read, write, card emulation, P2P, Mi Pay ready
  • HD audio quality, 192kHz / 24-bit resolution
  • GPS high-precision positioning
  • 16MP PDAF rear camera
  • MIUI 8
  • Mi MIX 18k with 18-karat gold rims around camera and fingerprint sensor; 6GB + 256GB
  • RMB 3499 (4GB + 128GB, approx USD 516); RMB 3999 Mi MIX 18k (6GB + 256GB, approx USD 590 )









More information:
http://en.miui.com/thread-392623-1-1.html
http://www.theverge.com/2016/10/25/13401440/xiaomi-mi-mix-concept-phone-specs-release-date-price

Pilsner
Nov 23, 2002

Wow, I was surprised to see this tumbleweed thread resurrected!

That is quite a crazy phone there.

I still have my Xiaomi Redmi Note 2, and still quite satisfied with it. I deal with some minor software bugs, for example the default Messaging app keeps reverting to the stock app, no matter how many times I set Textra as the messaging app. The battery life is still fine and as expected, and everything about the case and the buttons is still solid and intact. I had an issue where it would randomly turn off, which I solved by putting a few pieces of paper between the battery and the case, making it fit snugly. All in all, bugs and issues that could be found on any top brand phone I'm certain. It's not that I'm particularly hooked on Chinese phones, it's really just a matter of price - "Western" phones are 2-3 times more expensive when you compared the same specs.

They have released their MIUI 8 (the version number has nothing to do with Android OS version numbers), but I am constantly trying to remind myself that updating any app or OS usually brings more harm than good (new bugs, features removed or moved somewhere else), so I'm staying on version 7 for now.

Endless Mike
Aug 13, 2003



That thing is going to shatter into a million pieces if its ever dropped.

whatever7
Jul 26, 2001

by LITERALLY AN ADMIN
Nobody has talked about the round corners of that screen yet.

That round screen is going to be the future of the smartphones.

Square screen phones will become minority in 5 years, like the square smart watch of today.

Evil Robot
May 20, 2001
Universally hated.
Grimey Drawer
I bought a Huawei Honor 5X on Amazon Prime day for $130. Works on T-Mobile, has a metal back, 1080p screen, fingerprint sensor, decent camera, exceptional battery life (>6h SOT), and dual SIM/microSD support. My wishlist for next year's model would be:
  1. Better camera. The camera is just okay, somewhere between a Nexus 5 and 6.
  2. NFC is the future and this doesn't have it.
  3. Faster CPU. Phone is a little slow sometimes.
I'm guessing 2 years from now all of the above parts will be commoditized and super cheap.

Evil Robot fucked around with this message at 02:25 on Oct 26, 2016

ClassActionFursuit
Mar 15, 2006

Evil Robot posted:

I bought a Huawei Honor 5X on Amazon Prime day for $130. Works on T-Mobile, has a metal back, 1080p screen, fingerprint sensor, decent camera, exceptional battery life (>6h SOT), and dual SIM/microSD support. My wishlist for next year's model would be:
  1. Better camera. The camera is just okay, somewhere between a Nexus 5 and 6.
  2. NFC is the future and this doesn't have it.
  3. Faster CPU. Phone is a little slow sometimes.
I'm guessing 2 years from now all of the above parts will be commoditized and super cheap.

NFC was the future in 2012, in 2016 NFC is the present.

Evil Robot
May 20, 2001
Universally hated.
Grimey Drawer

LastInLine posted:

NFC was the future in 2012, in 2016 NFC is the present.

How often do you use NFC? For more, <1 time a month is pretty normal.

ClassActionFursuit
Mar 15, 2006

Evil Robot posted:

How often do you use NFC? For more, <1 time a month is pretty normal.

When I lived with another Android user, I'd frequently beam things rather than generate a link. Also I pay with Android Pay often enough, but I'd have a tough time imagining someone dumb enough to set up Android Pay on their Chinese DataStealer9000. It's also used in first-run setup when I get a new phone but I guess that's only once in a while.

To put it another way, it's so common I wouldn't think to look for the feature before buying a device. I'd just assume that everything would have it.

Pilsner
Nov 23, 2002

Certain features are still not that common, so even with a Chinese phone, you need to pony up some extra cash for them. Personally I'd call NFC a borderline niche feature, the same goes with wireless charging, fingerprint scanner, extra large battery, etc. Remember that you can't just compare with a $1000 iPhone or the latest top-end Samsung.

It might also be a regional issue, I dunno, maybe NFC is in its infancy in China. On the other hand, some Asian markets were far ahead with their gigantic screens (now common), dual SIM, and other features. Can't have it all!

Also, what's your source for that not-so-subtle Chinese DataStealer9000 joke?

Electronico6
Feb 25, 2011

Pilsner posted:

Certain features are still not that common, so even with a Chinese phone, you need to pony up some extra cash for them. Personally I'd call NFC a borderline niche feature, the same goes with wireless charging, fingerprint scanner, extra large battery, etc. Remember that you can't just compare with a $1000 iPhone or the latest top-end Samsung.

It might also be a regional issue, I dunno, maybe NFC is in its infancy in China. On the other hand, some Asian markets were far ahead with their gigantic screens (now common), dual SIM, and other features. Can't have it all!

Also, what's your source for that not-so-subtle Chinese DataStealer9000 joke?

Chinese manufacturers started to drop NFC for their lower-mid end devices last year.. Low and slow adoption of the technology in China and that the other main market of these companies, India, seems to be have similar slow rate of adoption for NFC. Also one of the largest banks in China deciding that upgrading their network to support contactless payment was too expensive.

Alan_Shore
Dec 2, 2004

Being in Hong Kong I'm definitely interested in the Xiaomi Mi Mix. It's beautiful! And the price is great. Just gonna wait on reviews, and hope that it's rootable/not riddled with spyware.

ClassActionFursuit
Mar 15, 2006

Pilsner posted:

Also, what's your source for that not-so-subtle Chinese DataStealer9000 joke?

It's common knowledge that Xiaomi can silently alter user data on a per-device basis. Of course Chinese parts suppliers have also been caught installing backdoors in their kernels. Here's AllWinner doing it and here's MediaTek doing it and here's Foxxconn doing it. Wow, either every Chinese parts vendor is seriously sloppy or it's just an amazing coincidence that software under control of the Chinese government is vulnerable in a way that can identify and target specific individuals! Oh well, nothing to see here!

Endless Mike
Aug 13, 2003



lol if you buy a phone in 2016 without a fingerprint scanner

Alan_Shore
Dec 2, 2004

Well the Mi Mix has a fingerprint scanner, so...

whatever7
Jul 26, 2001

by LITERALLY AN ADMIN

LastInLine posted:

It's common knowledge that Xiaomi can silently alter user data on a per-device basis. Of course Chinese parts suppliers have also been caught installing backdoors in their kernels. Here's AllWinner doing it and here's MediaTek doing it and here's Foxxconn doing it. Wow, either every Chinese parts vendor is seriously sloppy or it's just an amazing coincidence that software under control of the Chinese government is vulnerable in a way that can identify and target specific individuals! Oh well, nothing to see here!

Using your phone to pay is dumb anyway. Android pay doesn't even offer any meaningful discount. I am waiting for Amazon Pay to hook me up with real deals.

Three Olives
Apr 10, 2005

What if Hitler invented the BMW i3 Subcompact Electric car?

whatever7 posted:

Using your phone to pay is dumb anyway. Android pay doesn't even offer any meaningful discount. I am waiting for Amazon Pay to hook me up with real deals.

I assume you either don't live in a major metro or don't have a chip card. Chip cards are annoying as gently caress and NFC means you don't have to deal with them.

Blue Train
Jun 17, 2012

Endless Mike posted:

lol if you buy a phone in 2016 without a fingerprint scanner

lol if you compromise your biometric information and legal ability to refuse a search because it shaves a second off unlocking your phone

Endless Mike
Aug 13, 2003



Blue Train posted:

lol if you compromise your biometric information and legal ability to refuse a search because it shaves a second off unlocking your phone

This is the Chinaphone thread so you clearly dgaf about your personal info anyway.

Blue Train
Jun 17, 2012

fair enough

Alan_Shore
Dec 2, 2004

I'm sure the NSA can look at anyone's personal info whenever they want. What is China going to do to you?

Blue Train
Jun 17, 2012

that was brought up in the other thread and someone made the argument that your phone would be rooted/exploited and used as part of a botnet to attack US infrastructure

Aaronicon
Oct 2, 2010

A BLOO BLOO ANYONE I DISAGREE WITH IS A "BAD PERSON" WHO DESERVES TO DIE PLEEEASE DONT FALL ALL OVER YOURSELF WHITEWASHING THEM A BLOO BLOO

Blue Train posted:

that was brought up in the other thread and someone made the argument that your phone would be rooted/exploited and used as part of a botnet to attack US infrastructure

as long as they only do it while i'm on wifi honestly i can live with that

whatever7
Jul 26, 2001

by LITERALLY AN ADMIN

Alan_Shore posted:

I'm sure the NSA can look at anyone's personal info whenever they want. What is China going to do to you?

Well basically NSA will look through all the Arab sounding names, and China will look through the Chinese dissidents, so if you are a pasty white guy you are good.

Alan_Shore
Dec 2, 2004

Hurrah for being white! But yeah, I can definitely imagine China spying on its own citizens, because of course they do, but I can't see what use they'd have for spying on an American or European phone owner. They might be though. Hopefully this'll be moot and I'll be able to root the Mi Mix and stop any spyware anyway. Hopefully...

ClassActionFursuit
Mar 15, 2006

Alan_Shore posted:

Hurrah for being white! But yeah, I can definitely imagine China spying on its own citizens, because of course they do, but I can't see what use they'd have for spying on an American or European phone owner. They might be though. Hopefully this'll be moot and I'll be able to root the Mi Mix and stop any spyware anyway. Hopefully...

Yeah, the first thing I do when I buy anything is fix it. A lot of people ask me, "Why not buy something that works out of the box?" but those people didn't save $100 on a telephone. :smug:

Alan_Shore
Dec 2, 2004

A $100 is a lot of money to some people, Hyper Privileged Man! Also I don't think the Pixel justifies that insane price tag. I'd rather try out the Mi Mix. You don't even need to "fix" it anyway, it's just for people who are paranoid about spyware.

ClassActionFursuit
Mar 15, 2006

Alan_Shore posted:

A $100 is a lot of money to some people, Hyper Privileged Man! Also I don't think the Pixel justifies that insane price tag. I'd rather try out the Mi Mix. You don't even need to "fix" it anyway, it's just for people who are paranoid about spyware.

But not so paranoid as to not trust a random xda-er to write the software.

waxluthor
May 28, 2003

Asus is based in Taiwan, like HTC and Acer. Both Asus and Acer phones are pretty popular in Taiwan I think, but not everywhere else.

Alan_Shore
Dec 2, 2004

Well I've been using ROMs for like 4 years and never had a problem. Well, maybe I have and someone has stolen ALL my data, but if I don't know it's happened it's ok, right guys?

Endless Mike
Aug 13, 2003



LastInLine posted:

But not so paranoid as to not trust a random xda-er to write the software.

If you can't trust xXxGokuWeedLord69xXx then who can you trust?

Electronico6
Feb 25, 2011

Alan_Shore posted:

Hurrah for being white! But yeah, I can definitely imagine China spying on its own citizens, because of course they do, but I can't see what use they'd have for spying on an American or European phone owner. They might be though. Hopefully this'll be moot and I'll be able to root the Mi Mix and stop any spyware anyway. Hopefully...

Mi Mix uses a Qualcomm SoC, so you most likely will get a CM port at the least. Most Xiaomi Qualcomm get one eventually.

Pilsner
Nov 23, 2002

Yikes, some serious tinfoil hatting up in here. Maybe some data has been uploaded to some company where, but let's see some proof that the data has been abused for some commercial or doxxing purpose first. You should be more scared that every dick or tit pic you've ever sent through a social media or chat app is stored permanently on a server somewhere.

In theory, no one's safe. All the phones we use are assembled in China, and they all use a slew of components from sub-vendors of the manufacturer, some of which could also be compromised. Meh.

Alan_Shore
Dec 2, 2004

Electronico6 posted:

Mi Mix uses a Qualcomm SoC, so you most likely will get a CM port at the least. Most Xiaomi Qualcomm get one eventually.

That's pretty cool. I haven't used CM in years, but it's nice to know it might be an option! Honestly I'd just be happy with root. Can't live without it.

ClassActionFursuit
Mar 15, 2006

Pilsner posted:

Yikes, some serious tinfoil hatting up in here. Maybe some data has been uploaded to some company where, but let's see some proof that the data has been abused for some commercial or doxxing purpose first. You should be more scared that every dick or tit pic you've ever sent through a social media or chat app is stored permanently on a server somewhere.

In theory, no one's safe. All the phones we use are assembled in China, and they all use a slew of components from sub-vendors of the manufacturer, some of which could also be compromised. Meh.

I was waiting for the rationalization knowing it would be amazing and you did not disappoint. Thanks! :)

grack
Jan 10, 2012

COACH TOTORO SAY REFEREE CAN BANISH WHISTLE TO LAND OF WIND AND GHOSTS!
I specifically take dick pics and look at the worst (legal) porn possible on my phone in the hopes that some poor bastard in China has too look at it as well.



Doesn't everyone?

Desk Lamp
Jun 30, 2014
Someday there will be a massive data breach exposing millions of users private data to the world. It might happen to iPhones, it could be Pixels, Galaxies, or it might be some Chinese Android manufacturer. Don't fool yourself into thinking your data is objectively safer than the data of someone using a Chinese phone.

ClassActionFursuit
Mar 15, 2006

Desk Lamp posted:

Someday there will be a massive data breach exposing millions of users private data to the world. It might happen to iPhones, it could be Pixels, Galaxies, or it might be some Chinese Android manufacturer. Don't fool yourself into thinking your data is objectively safer than the data of someone using a Chinese phone.

The key difference being that data exfiltration portals and silent malware installers are not intentionally being built into non-Chinese handsets. A massive data breach on iOS is an accident; a massive data breach for Chinese phones is a natural and expected consequence of the design.

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Alan_Shore
Dec 2, 2004

LastInLine posted:

The key difference being that data exfiltration portals and silent malware installers are not intentionally being built into non-Chinese handsets.

How do you know? :p

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