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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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Jan 23, 2016 01:11
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 15:41 |
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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.
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Oct 25, 2016 12:36
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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?
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Oct 27, 2016 08:57
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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.
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Oct 28, 2016 14:40
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LastInLine posted:I was waiting for the rationalization knowing it would be amazing and you did not disappoint. Thanks! 
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Oct 29, 2016 08:32
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LastInLine posted:It's like looking at a flat-earther. You know rationalizations this strong exist, but when you see them up close it's still amazing. My favorite part is the doubling down when confronted with the proof that reality doesn't conform to your beliefs. Keep going, I'm almost there...
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Oct 29, 2016 14:13
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 15:41 |
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lllllllllllllllllll posted:If anyone has this phone, could you tell me how to show a list of open apps or how to close open apps? There is a button in the lower left corner with the symbol (several rectangles on top of each) but it does something different. So far I couldn't figure out how to show the list of open apps, but maybe that my fault. Thanks! If you need to google for help, the button with the squares / lines is called the "recent" or "recents" or "recent apps" button,
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Dec 15, 2016 10:18
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