Android (5 Viewers)

s4tch

Senior Member
Mar 23, 2015
27,868
i own a xiaomi mi3 for 2 years and i've been a lot into chinese phones lately. my 2 cents:

- xiaomi software support is very good. the mi3 is 3 years old, it started on miui v5 & android 4.4, now it's on miui8 and android 6, with weekly updates. there are plenty of custom roms, too. most xiaomi hardwares are cheap, but well put together, and pretty reliable. the mi note pro had some heating issues (as basically most snapdragon 810 devices), otherwise, they are good workhorses.

- hardware-wise, meizu phones are comparable to xiaomi phones. either way, you basically get a similar chipset, ram, rom, camera, build quality for the money. flyme os and locked bootloader are my only concerns with meizu phones. (i'm looking for a phone with outstanding audio quality through the headphone jack, and meizu pro 5 is one of my top choices, the only reason i'm reluctant to pull the trigger is flyme os.) flyme is not updated as frequently as miui, also missing some basic miui features like hide contacts with no phone number from the phonebook, and meizu phones are not updated for 3+ years like xiaomi devices. the locked bootloader means you can't install custom roms, there's no community development on xda either.

if i were about to get a dual sim chinese phone on a budget, as @Dino_mk, i'd also buy the redmi note 3. it's a solid device, easy to use out of the box (if you install a global rom), and cheap. there are several versions of it, and while it may be confusing at first sight, it's actually good news for european guys: they came out with a version lately that supports lte band 20, which is essential in europe if you're about to use 4g/lte a lot.

what's your actual budget, @JCK? there are very few mid-range 5,5" phones that could compete with a redmi note 3, but if you're on a higher budget, either the zte axon 7 or the oneplus 3 are excellent choices.
 

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Siamak

╭∩╮( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)╭∩╮
Aug 13, 2013
14,979
i own a xiaomi mi3 for 2 years and i've been a lot into chinese phones lately. my 2 cents:

- xiaomi software support is very good. the mi3 is 3 years old, it started on miui v5 & android 4.4, now it's on miui8 and android 6, with weekly updates. there are plenty of custom roms, too. most xiaomi hardwares are cheap, but well put together, and pretty reliable. the mi note pro had some heating issues (as basically most snapdragon 810 devices), otherwise, they are good workhorses.

- hardware-wise, meizu phones are comparable to xiaomi phones. either way, you basically get a similar chipset, ram, rom, camera, build quality for the money. flyme os and locked bootloader are my only concerns with meizu phones. (i'm looking for a phone with outstanding audio quality through the headphone jack, and meizu pro 5 is one of my top choices, the only reason i'm reluctant to pull the trigger is flyme os.) flyme is not updated as frequently as miui, also missing some basic miui features like hide contacts with no phone number from the phonebook, and meizu phones are not updated for 3+ years like xiaomi devices. the locked bootloader means you can't install custom roms, there's no community development on xda either.

if i were about to get a dual sim chinese phone on a budget, as @Dino_mk, i'd also buy the redmi note 3. it's a solid device, easy to use out of the box (if you install a global rom), and cheap. there are several versions of it, and while it may be confusing at first sight, it's actually good news for european guys: they came out with a version lately that supports lte band 20, which is essential in europe if you're about to use 4g/lte a lot.

what's your actual budget, @JCK? there are very few mid-range 5,5" phones that could compete with a redmi note 3, but if you're on a higher budget, either the zte axon 7 or the oneplus 3 are excellent choices.
it's not about Android. they just give weekly updates for Xiaomi's own framework and services.
 

s4tch

Senior Member
Mar 23, 2015
27,868
Speaking of chinese phones UMI Plus has great specs and looks good.

Only $179, too.
software support and based on my previous experience with a couple of umi phones, build quality is questionable, though. umi is a 2nd tier chinese manufacturer.

it's not about Android. they just give weekly updates for Xiaomi's own framework and services.
as android is not updated so frequently, weekly updates are mostly about miui. but security updates arrive with these weekly updates (e.g. quadrooter is already addressed on most devices, while some major manufacturers still haven't released anything), and miui always have some nice features anyway that are missing from android. i'm happy with the software, it's my best device in this department, and i've already had samsung, sony, motorola, sony ericsson droids before. too bad they are locking bootloaders recently.
 
OP
JCK

JCK

Biased
JCK
May 11, 2004
123,225
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread Starter #6,605
    i own a xiaomi mi3 for 2 years and i've been a lot into chinese phones lately. my 2 cents:

    - xiaomi software support is very good. the mi3 is 3 years old, it started on miui v5 & android 4.4, now it's on miui8 and android 6, with weekly updates. there are plenty of custom roms, too. most xiaomi hardwares are cheap, but well put together, and pretty reliable. the mi note pro had some heating issues (as basically most snapdragon 810 devices), otherwise, they are good workhorses.

    - hardware-wise, meizu phones are comparable to xiaomi phones. either way, you basically get a similar chipset, ram, rom, camera, build quality for the money. flyme os and locked bootloader are my only concerns with meizu phones. (i'm looking for a phone with outstanding audio quality through the headphone jack, and meizu pro 5 is one of my top choices, the only reason i'm reluctant to pull the trigger is flyme os.) flyme is not updated as frequently as miui, also missing some basic miui features like hide contacts with no phone number from the phonebook, and meizu phones are not updated for 3+ years like xiaomi devices. the locked bootloader means you can't install custom roms, there's no community development on xda either.

    if i were about to get a dual sim chinese phone on a budget, as @Dino_mk, i'd also buy the redmi note 3. it's a solid device, easy to use out of the box (if you install a global rom), and cheap. there are several versions of it, and while it may be confusing at first sight, it's actually good news for european guys: they came out with a version lately that supports lte band 20, which is essential in europe if you're about to use 4g/lte a lot.

    what's your actual budget, @JCK? there are very few mid-range 5,5" phones that could compete with a redmi note 3, but if you're on a higher budget, either the zte axon 7 or the oneplus 3 are excellent choices.
    Thank you for your feedback. I am well aware of the Oneplus, I have had OnePlus One for around two years now and I really love it still but lately I have dropped it quite often and it has some bumps on the body, still functioning flawlessly though. The OnePlus Three is quite expensive in my opinion, not that I don't afford it but I find it silly paying that much when there are phones that are much cheaper. I woiuld say I am willing to pay up to 170 € and I am almost very convinced with the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro but there are so many versions of it that makes me confused. Do all of them have an update to Android 6? What about 4G bands? I heard that they are not compatible with all networks.
     

    s4tch

    Senior Member
    Mar 23, 2015
    27,868
    ...but there are so many versions of it that makes me confused. Do all of them have an update to Android 6? What about 4G bands? I heard that they are not compatible with all networks.
    all of them have 6.0 based rom.

    lte band support is confusing. look for the note 3 taiwan version, and make sure it has lte band 20 (800mhz) support listed, like these:
    http://www.honorbuy.com/919-xiaomi-redmi-note-3-pro-international-version-3gb-32gb-gold.html
    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Int...HD-2GB-16GB-64bit-Snapdragon/32683398479.html

    presentation on the official miui board:
    http://en.miui.com/thread-299743-1-1.html
     
    OP
    JCK

    JCK

    Biased
    JCK
    May 11, 2004
    123,225
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread Starter #6,607
    all of them have 6.0 based rom.

    lte band support is confusing. look for the note 3 taiwan version, and make sure it has lte band 20 (800mhz) support listed, like these:
    http://www.honorbuy.com/919-xiaomi-redmi-note-3-pro-international-version-3gb-32gb-gold.html
    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Int...HD-2GB-16GB-64bit-Snapdragon/32683398479.html

    presentation on the official miui board:
    http://en.miui.com/thread-299743-1-1.html
    That one from Honorbuy is good, I am willing to pay a bit more than from gearbest or Aliexpress just to get it from a EU warehouse and that I am sure it has the right band compatibility.

    Thank you again.
     

    enzo

    Senior Member
    May 14, 2012
    2,976
    not Android
    everyone who has this phones should wait at least 6 month or more for new releases of Android like other brands.
    Hmm... that sucks. I'm willing to spend more for either a CyanogenMod supported phone or regular updates from the manufacturer.
     

    Siamak

    ╭∩╮( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)╭∩╮
    Aug 13, 2013
    14,979
    Hmm... that sucks. I'm willing to spend more for either a CyanogenMod supported phone or regular updates from the manufacturer.
    I have no confidence in China product is the one of the reasons why I don't use China phone.Brand is brand!
     

    Siamak

    ╭∩╮( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)╭∩╮
    Aug 13, 2013
    14,979
    Unless its a Nexus device like Huawei.
    Not the biggest mobile expert or anything but N5's is bad compares to ones I know. All the initial 'Nexus batteries suck' takes on new meaning after a while.

    - - - Updated - - -

    i own a xiaomi mi3 for 2 years and i've been a lot into chinese phones lately. my 2 cents:

    - xiaomi software support is very good. the mi3 is 3 years old, it started on miui v5 & android 4.4, now it's on miui8 and android 6, with weekly updates. there are plenty of custom roms, too. most xiaomi hardwares are cheap, but well put together, and pretty reliable. the mi note pro had some heating issues (as basically most snapdragon 810 devices), otherwise, they are good workhorses.

    - hardware-wise, meizu phones are comparable to xiaomi phones. either way, you basically get a similar chipset, ram, rom, camera, build quality for the money. flyme os and locked bootloader are my only concerns with meizu phones. (i'm looking for a phone with outstanding audio quality through the headphone jack, and meizu pro 5 is one of my top choices, the only reason i'm reluctant to pull the trigger is flyme os.) flyme is not updated as frequently as miui, also missing some basic miui features like hide contacts with no phone number from the phonebook, and meizu phones are not updated for 3+ years like xiaomi devices. the locked bootloader means you can't install custom roms, there's no community development on xda either.

    if i were about to get a dual sim chinese phone on a budget, as @Dino_mk, i'd also buy the redmi note 3. it's a solid device, easy to use out of the box (if you install a global rom), and cheap. there are several versions of it, and while it may be confusing at first sight, it's actually good news for european guys: they came out with a version lately that supports lte band 20, which is essential in europe if you're about to use 4g/lte a lot.

    what's your actual budget, @JCK? there are very few mid-range 5,5" phones that could compete with a redmi note 3, but if you're on a higher budget, either the zte axon 7 or the oneplus 3 are excellent choices.
    ok I have the Xperia Z3 and I'm very satified with this phone and it's optimizations.
    Xiaomi Mi 4 vs Sony Xperia Z3 Size compare
    Camera
    Xiaomi Mi 4 : 13 megapixels & Aperture size:F1.8 Xperia Z3 : 20.7 megapixels & Aperture size:F2.0
    Battery
    Mi 4:3080 mAh z3:3100mAh
    Stand-by time : Mi 4: 11.7 days (280 hours) Z3: 37.1 days (890 hours)
    http://www.phonearena.com/phones/compare/Xiaomi-Mi-4,Sony-Xperia-Z3/phones/8777,8764
     

    s4tch

    Senior Member
    Mar 23, 2015
    27,868
    @s4tch do you have any information about China Android tablets?
    i know a couple of them, e.g. i bought a chuwi vi8 for my mum as a 1st smart device, and it's working just fine. battery life is mediocre, otherwise it shoots way above its price tag. it even has dual boot, usb otg, hdmi, so she can use it as a pc running windows 10 for 75-80$. there are some good picks.

    what's your budget and what do you expect from a tablet?
     
    OP
    JCK

    JCK

    Biased
    JCK
    May 11, 2004
    123,225
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread Starter #6,616
    i know a couple of them, e.g. i bought a chuwi vi8 for my mum as a 1st smart device, and it's working just fine. battery life is mediocre, otherwise it shoots way above its price tag. it even has dual boot, usb otg, hdmi, so she can use it as a pc running windows 10 for 75-80$. there are some good picks.

    what's your budget and what do you expect from a tablet?
    In the 150 € to 180 € range, it will be for the kids to play some games and watch Netflix or other streaming services.

    I found this quite good, do you know more about it? http://www.gearbest.com/tablet-pcs/pp_350211.html?wid=3
     

    s4tch

    Senior Member
    Mar 23, 2015
    27,868
    In the 150 € to 180 € range, it will be for the kids to play some games and watch Netflix or other streaming services.

    I found this quite good, do you know more about it? http://www.gearbest.com/tablet-pcs/pp_350211.html?wid=3
    teclasts (as chuwis) are usually good choices for the money. i haven't met this one yet, but i searched for it on a hungarian board full of tablet nerds, and guys say it's fine. i read 2 remarks: it doesn't come with a keyboard (pics can be confusing, you have to buy the keyboard separately in case you need it), and the metal body means wifi reception is weaker than you could expect from a tablet with a plastic body.
     

    RAMI-N

    ★ ★ ★
    Aug 22, 2006
    21,469
    Guys, I have this problem with my new Huawei P9...

    Some photos and mp4 videos can't be played while others work fine although all come from one source!
    Any idea? could it be the SD card?
     

    v1rtu4l

    Senior Member
    Mar 4, 2008
    6,349
    what are you trying to play the videos with ? i am not familiar with huaweis on board video player but if you can not play stuff, just download the vlc player app from the play store. this basically will play everything. it is very unlikely that your sd card is responsible for you not being able to play a media (at least if the issue is not "i do not see the video/media in the app"
     

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