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

benparker

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FutileBreadMachine said:
Just pondering getting the Mi 5 from Geekbuying and I was wondering why they charge more for their Spanish stock? Is this because you won't pay import duty since it's already in the EU? If I buy from HK is it a gamble as to whether I would get stung?
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Which colour you getting? Have you thought about Mi5s?

maj said:
For no app drawer does installing a launcher fix that?
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Yes
 

silverblack

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FutileBreadMachine said:
Was going to get white for a change, every mobile I've ever had has been black. I checked GSMArena and the 5s seems to have a worse camera than the mi5? Are there any advantages to it (seems to have the net version of Snapdragon, but not fussed about that)?
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Strangely it lost OIS on the camera but has EIS for 1080p video.
Unsure how the still camera will fair.
Thing that put me off the Mi5 was the video where it broke like a rich tea biscuit :eek:
Mi5s looks a better bet with the metal back but still no global rom yet.
 

FutileBreadMachine

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silverblack said:
Strangely it lost OIS on the camera but has EIS for 1080p video.
Unsure how the still camera will fair.
Thing that put me off the Mi5 was the video where it broke like a rich tea biscuit :eek:
Mi5s looks a better bet with the metal back but still no global rom yet.
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I was going to mention that. I saw some bend test video earlier today where it looked pretty bad how easily it broke. Apparently due to a weak/cheap aluminium frame holding it together :(
 

R.O.S.S.I

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Anyone who has bought from Geekbuying able to give an indication of how long they generally take to process and ship orders? (Not the actual delivery time once shipped, just the time for them to get it out of the warehouse and in the post for you).

Got a Redmi 3S coming from HK. Said shipping in 2-7 days but just wondering if its usually towards the back end of that estimate or the start that things get sent!
 

R.O.S.S.I

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R.O.S.S.I said:
Anyone who has bought from Geekbuying able to give an indication of how long they generally take to process and ship orders? (Not the actual delivery time once shipped, just the time for them to get it out of the warehouse and in the post for you).

Got a Redmi 3S coming from HK. Said shipping in 2-7 days but just wondering if its usually towards the back end of that estimate or the start that things get sent!
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Oh never mind, just got dispatch notification! Says its coming from Singapore as opposed to HK though and via Registered Airmail (Singapore Post).

Just the small matter of 15-30 business days to wait now for it to arrive haha! :eek:
 

Smithy

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I ordered the Redmi Note 4 from GeekBuying on Saturday and got a response today asking for photos of my credit card and ID (passport). This is because they noticed the credit card is registered in UK but the transaction was from the US (should have turned off my vpn).

Am I right to be concerned and find this a bit dodgy, or should I stop being a muppet and just send them the photos?
 

R3X

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Smithy said:
I ordered the Redmi Note 4 from GeekBuying on Saturday and got a response today asking for photos of my credit card and ID (passport). This is because they noticed the credit card is registered in UK but the transaction was from the US (should have turned off my vpn).

Am I right to be concerned and find this a bit dodgy, or should I stop being a muppet and just send them the photos?
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issue is just about every company wants your passport and photo id or a selfy for proof, true it can go anywhere but what can one really do when everyone just about needs it lately ?

Up to you otherwise maybe you can cancel it and ask for a refund and then switch off the vpn and reorder.
 

FlyingFish

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I've had my mi5 from geekbuying about a week now. It's an amazing phone, I went for the white 64gb from Spain warehouse, took about a week to come. Obviously eu so no import charges.
Now the phone was loaded was an after market (carrier?) Rom, listed as miui 7 stable. As it isn't official it cannot update at all! And you need to be wary about what's on the phone. If you head to the mi forums there are guides to loading official miui roms.
You do however have to unlock the bootloader and this can only be done by Xiaomi. It's an online process and requires them to approve your request. There are guides to this also.. I followed them and it was approved a couple of hours later. I was then able to unlock the bootloader and install miui8 global stable. Which works great, and it's such a cracking phone for the money.

Oh and get the black Nillkin case from the jungle, it's black and clips round the phone perfectly, tho it did have to ship from China.
Any questions just ask.

Mick
 

FutileBreadMachine

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FlyingFish said:
I've had my mi5 from geekbuying about a week now. It's an amazing phone, I went for the white 64gb from Spain warehouse, took about a week to come. Obviously eu so no import charges.
Now the phone was loaded was an after market (carrier?) Rom, listed as miui 7 stable. As it isn't official it cannot update at all! And you need to be wary about what's on the phone. If you head to the mi forums there are guides to loading official miui roms.
You do however have to unlock the bootloader and this can only be done by Xiaomi. It's an online process and requires them to approve your request. There are guides to this also.. I followed them and it was approved a couple of hours later. I was then able to unlock the bootloader and install miui8 global stable. Which works great, and it's such a cracking phone for the money.

Oh and get the black Nillkin case from the jungle, it's black and clips round the phone perfectly, tho it did have to ship from China.
Any questions just ask.

Mick
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Cheers for the info, I am considering getting the same phone (but the 32GB International version so I don't have to flash the ROM). My only concern was this bending thing I saw. Does the phone feel sturdy enough when you use it? I only ever put mine in my front pocket, so I doubt it's really an issue.

I was going to wait until 11 Nov to see if I can get one for cheaper in a sale.
 

BaldJedi

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FutileBreadMachine said:
Cheers for the info, I am considering getting the same phone (but the 32GB International version so I don't have to flash the ROM). My only concern was this bending thing I saw. Does the phone feel sturdy enough when you use it? I only ever put mine in my front pocket, so I doubt it's really an issue.

I was going to wait until 11 Nov to see if I can get one for cheaper in a sale.
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Front pocket user here and my mi5 has remained solid since the day i got it.. no warping whatsoever :)
 

jaybee

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For someone that has been completely out of the loop for a while and is in dire need of a new phone (dropped and therefore sold my LG G2, and currently using an old Nexus 4) can someone very kindly summarize what I could consider buying for under £200? I want a finger print reader this time is probably my only spec requirement. Would also prefer SD card slot OR at least 32gb on board, preferably 64gb.

Will read the thread in full when I get a chance.
 
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