**** The Official Chinese Phones Thread ****
- Thread starter King4aDay
- Start date
Hey all. My Oneplus 3 had an LCD leak that has taken over the whole screen and after a few days I decided to go for the Xiaomi Poco F3 because by raw specs it looks fantastic -- but I'm starting to feel a bit of regret because of the reports of bloatware and spyware and reduced software support. Should I expect a much less refined experience compared to OxygenOS? Is it tough to remove the bloat/spyware? Wondering if I should cancel or return the order and get something else...
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Kona posted a youtube vid you can easily disable and uninstall all the bloat.
I removed all that i could and disabled other apps on my F3.
https://youtu.be/fTEcyu2IH54?t=36
https://technolobe.com/2020/08/17/how-to-remove-bloatware-from-any-xiaomi-device/
I removed all that i could and disabled other apps on my F3.
https://youtu.be/fTEcyu2IH54?t=36
https://technolobe.com/2020/08/17/how-to-remove-bloatware-from-any-xiaomi-device/
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Here`s a free (normally £4.49) pro camera app should anyone be interested. Just seen it on HotUKdeals
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.intermedia.hd.camera.pro
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.intermedia.hd.camera.pro
Soldato
OK this is the weirdest bug on my F3.
When I play audio clips in WhatsApp, the screen locks and clip pauses every 1-2 seconds.
I just checked and yeah, it does
I only have one friend who sends audio clips so hadn't noticedMy Poco F3 has a slightly dodgy touch screen responsiveness in the bottom-left corner (portrait) when playing TFT. Is it a general problem across games?
EDIT: The phone has some "game optimisation" bloat that reduces sensitivity in the corners of the touchscreen when gaming (Probably useful for some kinds of games?) So I went ahead and disabled that... I hope I can find a more stock android feel for this phone, else I may return it. Only complaint is the excess of software and OS features I don't need - a very personal complaint. Phone is really nice otherwise, for the money.
EDIT: The phone has some "game optimisation" bloat that reduces sensitivity in the corners of the touchscreen when gaming (Probably useful for some kinds of games?) So I went ahead and disabled that... I hope I can find a more stock android feel for this phone, else I may return it. Only complaint is the excess of software and OS features I don't need - a very personal complaint. Phone is really nice otherwise, for the money.
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Soldato
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Does anyone know if you can return opened products to the mi UK store? I know you get 14 days to return but it doesn't say anything about opened products.
I've been hearing alot of stories about panel lottery's when it comes to Xiaomi. The mi 11 lite 5g seems badly affected and I've read the X3 pro is also to a lesser extent. I would like to check my X3 pro and if the panel is poor have to option to send it back.
I've been hearing alot of stories about panel lottery's when it comes to Xiaomi. The mi 11 lite 5g seems badly affected and I've read the X3 pro is also to a lesser extent. I would like to check my X3 pro and if the panel is poor have to option to send it back.
Soldato
if the panel is poor then is it not a manufacture defect and thus you can return anyway?
Soldato
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Yeah good point but what if I think the phone is not for me can I return?
Pretty sure it would be illegal to not allow a return if you're unhappy with the product and it is in an as new state. I'm thinking of doing the same after a week with my Poco F3...
Soldato
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Hi.
Someone on Hotukdeals said its fine to send it back and like you said if someone changes their mind about a product and they have bought it online then it's fine to return as long as it's in a new state.
TBH the panel on the X3 pro is pretty good for an IPS and the phone is nice overall but I just prefer smaller phones and MIUI is not to my liking. I'm going to go back to my Pixel 2 and when the price drops below £200 pickup a Pixel 4a. TBH the Pixel 2 with a Snapdragon 835 feels faster than the X3 Pro rocking a Snapdragon 860 - It must be MIUI slowing it down.
Out of interest what don't you like about your F3?
Thanks for the heads up.
The Poco F3 is brilliant in terms of the hardware, feel and screen.
The camera is "okay" in comparison.
And using MIUI/PocoLauncher is like rubbing my brain against a cheese grater.
Even after removing much of the bloat, there are bits here and there that probably still need tinkering in the UI and with how the touch screen responds, as well as accessibility to certain settings etc. I know a custom ROM would solve much of this however I think I've decided that I'm at a stage of my life where phones are something I don't want to tinker with any more. Going to cough up the extra cash for a OnePlus 8 variant - I'm already accustomed to OxygenOS.
EDIT: I just wanted to update to say that Xiaomi's return process is relatively simple after sending a follow up email. They specifically say there is a 14-day no reason return and a 30-day defect return, if the service center deems there is no defect.
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Anyone on miui 12 that can help? I was previously getting a notification when a network was available to connect to. I disabled this initially but for for the life of me cannot work out how to enable it again. Looked in notifications and also in WiFi settings...
^no idea unfortunately.
Another weird bug on my F3, though I haven't done this on a phone before. I was just simply going through my liked songs on Spotify and adding a bunch of them to 4 different playlists. After a few minutes the phone becomes slower, eventually crashing Spotify. It's very repeatable.
Another weird bug on my F3
, though I haven't done this on a phone before. I was just simply going through my liked songs on Spotify and adding a bunch of them to 4 different playlists. After a few minutes the phone becomes slower, eventually crashing Spotify. It's very repeatable.
Soldato
Anyone have a sound notification bug on their redmi note 10 pro? I'm getting all the visual notifications but alot of the time no sound notification.
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After 4 years of use, my trusty Galaxy Note 8 slipped out my pocket and broke 
Looking at the Redmi Note 10 Pro, I can live without IP68 and wireless charging but not sure if I'll be worse off overall - Have 2021 'mid range' generally caught up with 2017 'flagships'? Also half tempted by the ~£600 Mi 11 but I'm not sure dropping that kinda cash on a Chinese company that chucks so many phones out a year is worth it.
Looking at the Redmi Note 10 Pro, I can live without IP68 and wireless charging but not sure if I'll be worse off overall - Have 2021 'mid range' generally caught up with 2017 'flagships'? Also half tempted by the ~£600 Mi 11 but I'm not sure dropping that kinda cash on a Chinese company that chucks so many phones out a year is worth it.