**** The Official Chinese Phones Thread ****

[Lither]

Just preordered the black Redmi Note 4 International for my brother. Expected dispatch 24th from Spain, hope it gets here before the end of the month which is when he needs it. Came to £185, not quite as good value as the gold version from China or the grey 4X for sale on eBay at the moment but he's a bit fussy about colour, wants band 20 and needs it soonish. Real shame the 4X doesn't have B20.

There is the Redmi Note 4 Global version on Aliexpress for £155-160 (states no custom tax delivery in description), is Honorbuy more reliable?

 

[Whoop]

There is the Redmi Note 4 Global version on Aliexpress for £155-160 (states no custom tax delivery in description), is Honorbuy more reliable?

Most people bought the Redmi 3 from Aliexpress using the same seller (Top One if I recall), I think it's more down to who is selling it rather than where you buy it.

Personal recommendation seems to go a long way when buying this chinese stuff.

 

[Iraklis F.C.]

just got me a redmi pro, omg the best xiaomi i have ever touched! awesome display and a beautiful piece of kit. Now awaiting to unlock the bootloader, hopefully soon.

 

[King4aDay]

There is the Redmi Note 4 Global version on Aliexpress for £155-160 (states no custom tax delivery in description), is Honorbuy more reliable?

Yeah funnily enough after posting that I managed to destroy my P8 so I've just ordered that! My brother specifically wanted black and needs it by the end o the month, once you add the fast delivery it's no cheaper than from Honorbuy within the EU.

 

[wijcc]

are there any chinese phones with decent cameras on par or close to the standards of cameras on the samsung s7?

Also how does the Redmi Note 4 global compare the lenovo P2?

Thanks.

 

[Swiftz]

Going to buy the Mi Max on Aliexpress but what price should the seller state on the packaging so there is no customs charge to the UK?

 

[shatpank81]

Well my boss as asked for the "works" iphone back whilst im off on sick leave
Any decent phones for £100?

 

[mortals]

Not sure if anyone has seen this phone but it looks pretty amazing spec wise and there actually seem to be ROMs (with source) being developed for it on xda-developers including official lineageos

LeEco Le Max 2

LTPS IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
5.7 inches
Resolution: 1440 x 2560 pixels (~515 ppi pixel density)
Android OS, v6.0 (Marshmallow)
Chipset Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 820
CPU Quad-core (2x2.15 GHz Kryo & 2x1.6 GHz Kryo)
GPU Adreno 530
Internal 32/64 GB, 4 GB RAM or 64/128 GB, 6 GB RAM
CAMERA Primary 21 MP, f/2.0, OIS, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash, check quality
Features 1/2.4" sensor size, geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, panorama, HDR
Video 2160p@30fps, 1080p@30fps, 720p@120fps, check quality
Secondary 8 MP, f/2.2, 1080p

edit: just watched this review video and seems like the camera & build quality isn't good

also just noticed the xiaomi store on aliexpress has the black redmi note 4 international edition in stock for ~£150 now looks better than the gold

 

[DXP55]

I have just inherited my brothers Blu HD LTE windows phone 5"- it was playing up while charging - plug it in and would charge then next time you look it's discharging - long story short I solved problem and works a treat - very impressed with screen (anything is better that my old one) but windows is doing my head in - Just before I fixed it and as I was so impressed I ordered a Bluboo android phone with 6.0 android on - this is 5.5 inch screen and seems same spec as Blu or there about - Not being on very good service provider I have never been impressed with smart phones but this thing (Blu HD) on Wifi was fast (to me) so should be here in next week or so - £58 so if it's rubbish not lost a lot and don't used them much anyway.

 

[mortals]

I was so impressed I ordered a Bluboo android phone with 6.0 android on

I would be wary of buying BLU android mobiles as they have had a number of reports that malware is included in their stock android ROM images. (ref: ADUPS, Ragentek Android OTA)

CVE-2016-6564
Android devices with code from Ragentek contain a privileged binary that performs over-the-air (OTA) update checks.
Additionally, there are multiple techniques used to hide the execution of this binary. This behavior could be described as a rootkit.

edit:
ref BLU R1 HD

Kryptowire researchers say they stumbled upon ADUPS’s spyware capabilities by accident after purchasing a $59 BLU R1 HD smart phone

As for the Blu R1 HD phone? Benameur said it would be nice if it came with a disclosure that owners can expect zero privacy or control while using it.

 

[DXP55]

Thanks for that info - The Blu is not staying with me now I have fixed it - going back to brother as backup phone.

The one I have purchased is a Bluboo - totally different firm and yes Chinese - I thought Blu was American.

If they are same company then Oh well - I do not use smart phones on regular basis - typical old person and use them for emergencies

Ps - The Blu is Windows so does that have problems as well ?

 

[mortals]

Thanks for that info - The Blu is not staying with me now I have fixed it - going back to brother as backup phone.

The one I have purchased is a Bluboo - totally different firm and yes Chinese - I thought Blu was American.

If they are same company then Oh well - I do not use smart phones on regular basis - typical old person and use them for emergencies

Ps - The Blu is Windows so does that have problems as well ?

Not sure if they are the same company or not (hadn't heard of bluboo before)

Also not sure if BLU windows phones had the same issues, wonder if anyone has tested them for security? seems like it was just luck that Kryptowire picked up on the ADUPS thing.

The malware was also found on other cheap android phones (DOOGEE etc) it seems like they are MTK658x based phones so probable they all used the same base image for ROMs ?

 

[DXP55]

Just checked the one I am buying and it has the MTK658x in it. Hmmm.

 

[maj]

So since using this phone on my new network provider (Three) since I started my new job in January, I find the signal to be very poor (H+ for speed and 2 bar maximum signal). Three haven't been able to find a fault and network coverage is fine based on their website. The only thing I can think of is to do with the frequency Three provide and the ones compatible with my Mi5. http://willmyphonework.net/ says that my 4G signal will be Band3-1800MHz and that it may work. I'm tempted to see if I can get out of my contact due to this as phone isn't usable for its intended purpose but not sure what they'll say. What are better frequencies to aim for if I am able to change network provider?

 

[DXP55]

My old phone is a Techmobile and where I am we get a very weak O2 signal -This phone was first to grab one and get about 4 bars - The Blu I have just had from my brother will not pick it up at all so to me that means phone not signal - I hope the new one I have ordered picks it up as good as my Techmobile.

We are thin on ground here with phone masts.-- Forget 4g

 

[BaldJedi]

So since using this phone on my new network provider (Three) since I started my new job in January, I find the signal to be very poor (H+ for speed and 2 bar maximum signal). Three haven't been able to find a fault and network coverage is fine based on their website. The only thing I can think of is to do with the frequency Three provide and the ones compatible with my Mi5. http://willmyphonework.net/ says that my 4G signal will be Band3-1800MHz and that it may work. I'm tempted to see if I can get out of my contact due to this as phone isn't usable for its intended purpose but not sure what they'll say. What are better frequencies to aim for if I am able to change network provider?

i have a mi5 with a 3 sim and have always picked up 4g if in a 4g area.. this was when using miui and currently with lineageOS

 

[Silly Goose On The Loose]

The Mi5 won't support band 20 on Three which means the indoor coverage on 4G won't be as good if it's available in your area and 3G and band 3 4G aren't available indoors.

 

[jesus2nd]

Currently rocking the latest lineageOS on the redmi 3, just wondered if there are any better operating systems out there? Constantly seeing new ones come and go on the miui forums!

 

[dulcificum]

S5 won't turn on and need a replacement sharpish. I prefer to buy unlocked and second hand and last nice phone I saw was the OnePlusOne but have no idea about the state of play today. What Chinese phones should I be looking at? Or are there decent UK phones with my required features?

Must have

• replaceable battery (or at the very least, a battery that lasts 24+ of screen time)
• tons of internal storage for apps (too many phones won't let me install all I need on a daily basis)
• good mutitasking ability (I don't play games so super fast not necessary as long as it's responsive when running lots of apps/Chrome tabs)
• minimal lag

Nice to have

• docks for recharging spare batteries
• screen not too massive
• clean minimal ROM or reliable custom ROM
• decent back camera (don't gaf about front camera)
• dual SIM
• rootable

I have about £200 to spend on eBay (would prefer closer to £150 though). Any recommendations?

 

[ChroniC]

S5 won't turn on and need a replacement sharpish. I prefer to buy unlocked and second hand and last nice phone I saw was the OnePlusOne but have no idea about the state of play today. What Chinese phones should I be looking at? Or are there decent UK phones with my required features?

Must have

• replaceable battery (or at the very least, a battery that lasts 24+ of screen time)
• tons of internal storage for apps (too many phones won't let me install all I need on a daily basis)
• good mutitasking ability (I don't play games so super fast not necessary as long as it's responsive when running lots of apps/Chrome tabs)
• minimal lag

Nice to have

• docks for recharging spare batteries
• screen not too massive
• clean minimal ROM or reliable custom ROM
• decent back camera (don't gaf about front camera)
• dual SIM
• rootable

I have about £200 to spend on eBay (would prefer closer to £150 though). Any recommendations?

You could have a much wider variety if you used powerbanks instead. I don't know many phones recently that you can change batteries quickly.