Xiaomi Redmi phone advice

[MrWhippy]

I picked up a Redmi Note 7 about a week ago. It's not perfect, but I'm happy enough with it for the money.

Not been able to test absolutely everything as been on hols from the day after I got it, but my opinion so far is :
Screen is nice if you can live with the camera notch, doesn't bother me.
Battery life is good, I'm a lite to moderate user and I'm getting a couple of days to a full charge.
It's nippy enough, my main reason for upgrade was the sluggishness of my previous Nexus 5, yeah I get my moneys worth out of a handset.
Camera seems really good for the price.
Really can't stand MIUI, it's lack of an app drawer is just nuts, do some people really prefer that? I'm evaluating launchers already so that's not a biggie.
My only real gripes at the moment are the notifications that disappear after a few seconds (hoping that gets fixed in an update or I might consider alternative rooms) and intermittent Bluetooth pass through of notifications to my garmin watch (works a bit and then stops until phone rebooted). I've seen a few suggestions for setting changes that might help with the watch but as I'm in a tent in South Wales I'd rather drink beer and sort the phone out when I get back home.

 

[je11693]

I picked up a Redmi Note 7 about a week ago. It's not perfect, but I'm happy enough with it for the money.

Not been able to test absolutely everything as been on hols from the day after I got it, but my opinion so far is :
Screen is nice if you can live with the camera notch, doesn't bother me.
Battery life is good, I'm a lite to moderate user and I'm getting a couple of days to a full charge.
It's nippy enough, my main reason for upgrade was the sluggishness of my previous Nexus 5, yeah I get my moneys worth out of a handset.
Camera seems really good for the price.
Really can't stand MIUI, it's lack of an app drawer is just nuts, do some people really prefer that? I'm evaluating launchers already so that's not a biggie.
My only real gripes at the moment are the notifications that disappear after a few seconds (hoping that gets fixed in an update or I might consider alternative rooms) and intermittent Bluetooth pass through of notifications to my garmin watch (works a bit and then stops until phone rebooted). I've seen a few suggestions for setting changes that might help with the watch but as I'm in a tent in South Wales I'd rather drink beer and sort the phone out when I get back home.

Thank you, very useful to hear an owner's perspective! Was the potential lack of updates to Android a big factor in your decision to buy, or not really worried? I'm hoping to have whatever phone I get for a long time (I still use an iPhone 4s!) so don't want to be unable to use it due to it not being supported in the future.

I guess the lack of an app drawer is similar to iOS?

Should be enough on 64gb if your needs are low. However, with constant software updates then this can eat up storage over a period of time.

Would 64GB really be necessary to play a 29MB game and use it for other day-to-day stuff like email/light web use/whatsapp/etc? Obviously the more the better, but just trying to gauge what is necessary for the basics plus a bit more, then go from there.

 

[MrWhippy]

Thank you, very useful to hear an owner's perspective! Was the potential lack of updates to Android a big factor in your decision to buy, or not really worried?

Not really too worried about it. I run phones long enough that I always end up on alternative roms anyway sooner or later, so if it becomes a problem I'll just flash my way around it.

Was looking at this or the honor10, but this looked a bit better on paper. Was also considering the Pocophone F1 but that was maybe an extra 80 quid so decided to try the Redmi Note 7 from Amazon with a view to easyish return if I didn't like it and then maybe spend the extra on the Pocophone.

 

[Top_gun]

Would 64GB really be necessary to play a 29MB game and use it for other day-to-day stuff like email/light web use/whatsapp/etc? Obviously the more the better, but just trying to gauge what is necessary for the basics plus a bit more, then go from there.

My guess is 64gb is enough if your needs are simple. I think the Note 7 has expandable storage so again there's nothing much to worry about there. The price differential between 64gb and 128gb on the Chinese websites is about £18. I'd be tempted to pay the little extra for the sake of easing my mind over this issue. It's better to have too much than too little. The question you will need to ask yourself is at what point will you upgrade to your next phone.

 

[MrWhippy]

It has dual sim capability but if you don't need that, the second sim slot can also be used for a microSD card. I put a 128gb SanDisk Ultra card in mine for £17, think it can take bigger. I've two thirds filled it with music which I stream in the car, saves swapping cds around.

 

[MrWhippy]

I guess the lack of an app drawer is similar to iOS?

I'm not familiar with iOS (shudders) but MIUI has a single home screen you can select apps and widgets for and then swiping right, a succession of further screens containing all installed apps in no particularly useful order. I've grown used to 3 or 4 screens set out, one for comms, one for Internet, one for media and one for games, with anything else installed that I only use once in a blue moon hidden away in the drawer.

Tried it, but within a day or two I knew I couldn't live with it. There's loads of launchers that can give me a better experience. I've got Lawnchair launcher configured to my liking now.

 

[je11693]

My guess is 64gb is enough if your needs are simple. I think the Note 7 has expandable storage so again there's nothing much to worry about there. The price differential between 64gb and 128gb on the Chinese websites is about £18. I'd be tempted to pay the little extra for the sake of easing my mind over this issue. It's better to have too much than too little. The question you will need to ask yourself is at what point will you upgrade to your next phone.

I was looking at the 3GB version on the official Mi UK website and the difference between it and the 4GB is also around £20. I agree with you that paying the little extra for a bit more seems like the better choice. In terms of next upgrade, I've had my current phone (iPhone 4s) for ~5 years and would want to get at least that out of whichever phone I buy, preferably more. I'm not really interested in getting the latest and greatest phone, and am not a heavy user so have no need to keep upgrading. My main priority for this phone is to get one that will last me for 5+ years minimum if possible.

 

[je11693]

It has dual sim capability but if you don't need that, the second sim slot can also be used for a microSD card. I put a 128gb SanDisk Ultra card in mine for £17, think it can take bigger. I've two thirds filled it with music which I stream in the car, saves swapping cds around.

The microSD would add to the 32GB/64GB/128GB rather than the 3GB/4GB/6GB RAM, right? And this would give more space for apps/music/podcasts etc, whereas the RAM is just how fast in general the phone operates/functions?

 

[je11693]

I'm not familiar with iOS (shudders) but MIUI has a single home screen you can select apps and widgets for and then swiping right, a succession of further screens containing all installed apps in no particularly useful order. I've grown used to 3 or 4 screens set out, one for comms, one for Internet, one for media and one for games, with anything else installed that I only use once in a blue moon hidden away in the drawer.

Tried it, but within a day or two I knew I couldn't live with it. There's loads of launchers that can give me a better experience. I've got Lawnchair launcher configured to my liking now.

Unfortunately I'm not familiar with how Android is used so can't compare iOS to it. I figure if I change to a non-iOS phone it will not be a big deal to get used to Android rather than iOS.

 

[Top_gun]

I was looking at the 3GB version on the official Mi UK website and the difference between it and the 4GB is also around £20. I agree with you that paying the little extra for a bit more seems like the better choice. In terms of next upgrade, I've had my current phone (iPhone 4s) for ~5 years and would want to get at least that out of whichever phone I buy, preferably more. I'm not really interested in getting the latest and greatest phone, and am not a heavy user so have no need to keep upgrading. My main priority for this phone is to get one that will last me for 5+ years minimum if possible.

Personally, I wouldn't restrict my options to the Xiaomi UK website since there are better options by shopping around including buying directly from China. Also, the Note 7 becomes poor value as you add more storage options. I'd be tempted to look at the Mi 9 SE where you get more for your money if you're willing to spend just a little bit extra. The price on the UK website is expensive compared to buying one from Ali Express.

 

[je11693]

Personally, I wouldn't restrict my options to the Xiaomi UK website since there are better options by shopping around including buying directly from China. Also, the Note 7 becomes poor value as you add more storage options. I'd be tempted to look at the Mi 9 SE where you get more for your money if you're willing to spend just a little bit extra. The price on the UK website is expensive compared to buying one from Ali Express.

Agree you would have to pay a little more from the offical UK website. My concerns with Ali Express are what happens if something goes wrong and you need to get a replacement/get it fixed, if there's a warranty, is it actually a genuine product (I looked at a Redmi Note 7 on the site and in the description it said there might be no "Xiaomi" or "Mi" logo printed on the original charger), and the price doesn't include potential customs charges (not sure if there would actually be any for shipping it into the UK).. Again, I'm not sure how concerned I should be by any of the above!

 

[Top_gun]

Agree you would have to pay a little more from the offical UK website. My concerns with Ali Express are what happens if something goes wrong and you need to get a replacement/get it fixed, if there's a warranty, is it actually a genuine product (I looked at a Redmi Note 7 on the site and in the description it said there might be no "Xiaomi" or "Mi" logo printed on the original charger), and the price doesn't include potential customs charges (not sure if there would actually be any for shipping it into the UK).. Again, I'm not sure how concerned I should be by any of the above!

You can get a one year UK support, including repairs, from Xiaomi if you bought an official global handset from Aliexpress. Normally you get two years for UK bought handsets - probably complying with EU consumer laws. However, with pending Brexit it wouldn't surprise me to see these two year guarantees converted to just one. Thanks again Brexiters! I'm sure the community here will guide you through the Aliexpress process and be mindful to purchase a global handset with B20 (bandwidth) to ensure compatibility with the UK mobile networks.

As for duties, these can be avoided when you change to a faster shipping method. I don't have any views on chargers as they're cheap and easily replaceable.

The Mi 9 SE has many advantages over the Note 7 such as NFC, indisplay finger print reader, OLED screen, better gpu for playing games, excellent camera, more compact (the Note 7 is a monster compared to Iphone 4se) and a more nicer design similar to Iphones.

 

[je11693]

You can get a one year UK support, including repairs, from Xiaomi if you bought an official global handset from Aliexpress. Normally you get two years for UK bought handsets - probably complying with EU consumer laws. However, with pending Brexit it wouldn't surprise me to see these two year guarantees converted to just one. Thanks again Brexiters! I'm sure the community here will guide you through the Aliexpress process and be mindful to purchase a global handset with B20 (bandwidth) to ensure compatibility with the UK mobile networks.

As for duties, these can be avoided when you change to a faster shipping method. I don't have any views on chargers as they're cheap and easily replaceable.

The Mi 9 SE has many advantages over the Note 7 such as NFC, indisplay finger print reader, OLED screen, better gpu for playing games, excellent camera, more compact (the Note 7 is a monster compared to Iphone 4se) and a more nicer design similar to Iphones.

They do seem to have the global versions which work on UK bandwidths. On the duties, I looked at a couple of sellers and one doesn't offer a higher charge shipping option, and the other one that does charges an extra $33 which almost negates the price differential (and shipping is quite long). The Mi 9 SE looks great, but I don't think my budget can stretch that far unfortunately (and the screen looks smaller, although I could get over that I think). So I think my options appear to be between the Redmi Note 7 (3GB+32GB for ~£179) or the Mi 8 Lite (6GB+128GB for £169), unless I can find it cheaper on another site such as Ali Express.

 

[Top_gun]

So I think my options appear to be between the Redmi Note 7 (3GB+32GB for ~£179) or the Mi 8 Lite (6GB+128GB for £169), unless I can find it cheaper on another site such as Ali Express.

There are cheaper options for the Note 7s on Ali Express.

 

[je11693]

There are cheaper options for the Note 7s on Ali Express.

The cheapest I see is $152.99 with no option for faster shipping (not sure how much extra for customs duties), or $158.99 + $33.32 shipping (10-18 days) for 3GB+32GB (so including shipping ~£21 cheaper). There is also a 2GB+16GB one for $117.99 + $33.32 shipping (again, 10-18 days).

 

[scrivz69]

You can get a 4GB 64GB of ebay for £178.00 mate, have a look for a guy called blueherring17 on ebay, I got one off him for a mate. A brand new global version sealed and it was delivered within 2 days.

Edit looks like he is not using that anymore try r.a.mens-fashion

 

[je11693]

You can get a 4GB 64GB of ebay for £178.00 mate, have a look for a guy called blueherring17 on ebay, I got one off him for a mate. A brand new global version sealed and it was delivered within 2 days.

Edit looks like he is not using that anymore try r.a.mens-fashion

I see it. Wonder how he manages to sell them so much cheaper than other places!

 

[scrivz69]

No idea mate, but the one I bought was as I said brand new sealed global edition.

 

[silverblack]

Gearbest have them for £132 if you fancy a blue one.

https://www.gearbest.com/cell-phones/pp_009489301074.html?wid=1349303#goodsDetail

 

[je11693]

No idea mate, but the one I bought was as I said brand new sealed global edition.

Yep, they look genuine. Any idea how the warranty works? Presume it is less than buying straight from Xiaomi.

Also, how have you found the features/phone in general after using it for a while? Happy you went with that model?

Gearbest have them for £132 if you fancy a blue one.

https://www.gearbest.com/cell-phones/pp_009489301074.html?wid=1349303#goodsDetail

Blue was actually the colour I wanted to get..

Edit: for some reason the one on this site has a slightly smaller battery (3900 vs 4000). It looks like I would need to add customs duty/tax and VAT to that price