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My beloved Samsung S4 mini hasn't aged well over the years. Buttons are loose, the Android version feels ancient and the battery is on its last legs. What to do? Certainly not spend $600 on a high-end cellphone, my contract didn't warrant any subsidized replacement so I ventured into the legendary realm of China cellphones! The risk: These phones are not made for Western markets and there are no official distribution channels. Read on to learn about the entailing disadvantages and why I've begun to feel slightly paranoid.
Having checked my finances, I pored through test after test. To make it brief: I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of devices. Once you stray from the familiar, popular brands you enter a jungle of lesser known to unknown companies. I had never heard of Cubot, Doogee or Elephone before, yet, these companies were selling millions of cellphones - mainly in Asia. Eventually, I stumbled upon a Xiaomi RedMi Note 2 16GB. Doesn't ring a bell? Same here! But the specs and positive reviews filled me with blissful delight: 2 GB of RAM, 8-core processor with 2 Gigahertz each, full HD display and a decent camera made by Samsung, it sounded good (no, this is not advertising, I paid for the device with my own money)! And all that for $150, shipping included?
Things got more interesting when I tried to place my order because different resellers install different versions of Android. No risk no fun! It was said that some phones support only English as display language, mine came with German beta software. If you don't like the software you will find a number of tailor-made ROMs (Android versions) and instructions on how to install them on the Internet. Unboxing was unspectacular, a power supply unit, a micro USB cable and a short manual were to be expected. But all that was irrelevant, it was time to get my hands on the cellphone!
I was in for a lot of technological bliss. The 5.5 inch display was almost tablet size, the weight of 160 grams was okay and the device felt very sturdy. Everything seemed polished, no mushy buttons, even the battery was replaceable, well done! The phone takes 2 micro SIMs and supports SD cards for storage expansion, as it should. Once started, I was dumbfounded. Is this an Apple device? The operating system is based on Android (5.02, slightly outdated) but the manufacturer has added a proprietary user interface, MIUI. It looks a lot like iOS, runs smoothly and offers all features you know and love about Android plus a few additional options. To be honest: Almost too many options. You'd be busy for days trying to set up each and every detail. A security center is included and so are various settings to conserve battery life, somebody did their homework. Careful: Drag an icon onto the trashcan and the associated app will get deleted along with the icon.
The display is impressive, full HD with vibrant colors, everything feels smooth and snappy. You can tell the device has an octa-core processor (a speedy SoC MT6795 Helio X10 btw.) and sufficient RAM compared to older cellphones. Drawback: Not everything was translated into German, there remain a few English texts. And there were a couple of Chinese apps that I couldn't make heads or tails of so I uninstalled them. Yet, a mild taste of paranoia remains as some of the system services I couldn't uninstall are still in Chinese. Have I forfeited my last ounce of privacy? Are bored Chinese officials in Beijing now reading my shopping list, desperately trying to find out what a Tiroler Speckbrot is (bread made from dough with cubes of smoked bacon)? Are they more nosy than Google? A few doubts remain.
One of the biggest disadvantages became apparent through daily use: The landscape of mobile high speed Internet looks different in China. A particular frequency band (800 MHz) is not supported because it is not being used there. If you happen to live in the countryside or transmitter masts are spread far apart in your area you won't be able to get the fastest speeds. This is fairly common among cellphones not made for Western markets. Make sure to remember that and look up the frequencies that are used in your country. My Xiaomi supports 1800, 2100 and 2600 MHz LTE bands making it ideal for city use but less ideal for use in the outer districts. If you mainly roam between WLAN networks and don't require high speed Internet on the go you'll barely notice this.
Let's talk about support: It's non-existent. If you write to Xiaomi, you'll receive splendid boiler plates that have nothing to do with your issue. It made no difference whether I wrote in German or in English. However, I was directed to a company-hosted forum, that didn't get me very far either. Shame! A few Google searches later: There are English and German online communities that will answer all relevant questions. And when I think about how many times I didn't receive useful advice from Microsoft support there's not much of a difference really.
Aside from LTE, there are few caveats. The battery lasts 2 days with moderate use, a bit longer if you enable power savings. Since I don't like to wade through dozens of settings I installed Droid Optimizer and can now enjoy a minimum of 3 days of battery life. The 13 megapixel camera does its job well, focuses fast and delivers nice photos. At poor lighting conditions, photos will start to become noisy but that is not uncommon even for well-established brands. If you love selfies, you'll like the 5 megapixel front-facing camera that managed to make me look good on a Monday morning, respect! So far, I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs, all apps installed and worked without a hitch. Even more demanding games ran smoothly and I didn't notice any lags or slowdowns on my Xiaomi with multiple running apps.
Bottom line after 4 weeks of use: I received a well-rounded if not perfect product and certainly a lot of technology for little money. Any comparisons to €700 flagship products from the market leaders that abound on the Internet are rubbish. The LTE restrictions, the decent but not spectacular camera and the sometimes unusual user interface approach make this a no-brainer. But if you seek a highly affordable, reasonably fast cellphone with good hardware this may be the device for you. After all, you can't pay for a VW Beetle and expect to get a Ferrari but the price-performance ratio on this one is great!
Author's note: After this article was done I noticed one thing: I didn't write a single line on call quality. Yes, you can also call with it - in good quality and with excellent reception. I guess, the application focus for cellphones is shifting...
Pics: XIAOMI
http://consumer.huawei.com/minisite/worldwide/nexus6p/
That is Google's developer series, pure android phone, that one buys to not just show off, but to show off to geeks. When the Chinese start buying their own stuff one day, it will be like trying to get a Spanish apple product in Costa Rica, in this service industry dependant continent we will find ourselves living in. I know I will one day fly to china to buy something I need. I'd rather own won than gold. A cell phone costs eight dollars a month to run in Uganda... do you hear the pin drop?
xiaomi5 ，February 25，Qualcomm Snapdragon 820， 2000RMB maybe
Shoulda bought a Zopo phone. Mucking Afazing!
Very helpful, thank you.
awesome phones
With all due respect, I don't know which planet or country you live in?I that phone is much common here in India. Good built quality for rugged Indian environment, no one wants to buy samsung in that price range anymore specially after Motorola, lenovo, xiomi started dishing out solid mobile phones.
I wrote that these are big brands in Asia that are still rather unknown in Europe. That’s why I decided to
write about XIAOMI.
I have had my ZTE for over 12 months, one the best purchases i made. Dual sim, Pay as you go with bells and whistles I am still discovering. I love it. Far more easier to use than my old Samsung, and before that my Blackberry. I bought it in Australia, for $170.00, found an online forum and best bit I contacted ZTE when i had a problem and they replied with the solution. I have my ebooks stored on it, so long as I remember to keep it charged all is fine in my cyber world.
I bought this for Xmas, only for $129. The only one problem is the phone not fully supported my language (hungarian). All function works smoothly and fast. I think it absolutely worth its price.
I purchase the Elephone M2 for use here in Australia. Have been very happy with it's performance.
I have recently bought a Xiaomi Note 3.
It has metal casing, and fingerprint recognition which is really fast to recognise your fingerprint. You can save quite a few fingerprints so you don't always have to use the same finger to unlock it.
I got the 3Gb 32Gb version.
It has the same processor as the Note 2.
Its battery is not removable so if it dies then I guess the phone dies also.
There is no sd card storage which alot of people are against but with 32 Gb I don't think I will fill it up any time soon.
The phone call quality is excellent. It has more LTE bands than Note 2 and speeds are fast.
It is a few grams heavier than the note 2.
I think the miui launcher is a bit querky and have installed a different launcher of my choice.
This phone is fast and without glitches so far.
I think Xiaomi is a brand to watch out for, especially considering the low price paid for their phones. I paid $280 Au. That included a flip case and a hardened screen protector.
I showed a mate with iphone and he was impressed.
My screen is brighter in full sun than his iphone.
Anyone wondering if they should buy one of these phones should take the plunge. When the big brands in the west realise that they are loosing alot of business to china phones then a bit of competition may come into play.
By the way, There was very little amount of apps installed and a couple I wasn't sure of I also uninstalled and another one I disabled. When you compare this to what is installed on any big name phone with all of the bloatware (which cannot be uninstalled) It is more in keeping with the android system of being more configurable.
One down side is that Xiaomi has locked the bootloader on Note 3 making it harder to change roms. It can still be done but with more hassle.
Over all a great phone which will probably keep for a few years unless something groundbreaking comes along that I just have to have.
I love your blogs! I've heard that Xiaomi make a good phone and some Australian companies are selling them now. When you think about it China makes nearly all the mobile phones anyway, so I suppose it's only logical that they would pick up western technology and apply it to home grown brands.
Keep up the good work!
I've been using them (Chinese Phones) for years, changing them every year and a half or so. Just got the latest, a Doogee F5 running Android 5.1, paid $139.00 then turned around and had to buy my lady one. With that said, I have refused to buy into the American Phone Market hype at $600.00, all I wanted was something to ring, and these phones do a great job.
After ten years of buying from Everbuying, I am completely satisfied with their products.
Thanks for bringing up the subject, it's really something that us retired people talk about a lot. I have 5 in my keep these box.
For those who don't know, Xiaomi is one of the top cell phone companies in China. it is called Apple of China. Its CEO and products enjoy cult like following.
Hi, Sven.
I must be getting old. I am a veteran of the old "Mobile Operator" systems. Using Samsung devices has served me very well over the years. I have a Samsung Rugby LTE, SGH-I547C, that is about 2 years old.(My 1st Smartphone.)
Had to reset to factory a few times, but the unit is almost indestructible, gets great battery time, and runs very good. It cost $400 thru my provider, and has no trade-in value now,(discontinued model).
Why would I need a new one? Bigger, better, faster, really has not much appeal to me and the unit is always ready and reliable for all the things I ask of it.
I'll keep it until it starts acting up or dies, and then will get another Samsung ( maybe Note5) to replace it. Bells and whistles are just that. Incompatibilities and non-English languages do make me wonder about Big Brother.
XIAOMI? good luck with that. We usually get what we pay for... or less. :)
Dear Ken, you’re not getting old these are reasonable thoughts. Naturally, I am always enthusiastic about new technology (I’d have to think about my job selection otherwise) but I don’t believe in having the latest and greatest devices all the time. Quite the opposite, sometimes I’d love to turn off my cellphone for good.
A great article Sven and in reality it is not necessary from my point of view to have an expensive name-brand 'phone with all the bells and whistles. The end result of expensive 'phones still comes down to operating the unit on a miniscule screen.
I like the VW Beetle in my pocket, my Ferrari lap-top at home and sending/receiving messages via the 'head-up' operation on the display screen......;-)
This web site applies to older versions of Redmi, but might still be of use to someone.
http://webcazine.com/9986/quick-start-guide-tips-and-tricks-for-xiaomi-redmi-phone/
Well written article with good details on the phone
Sounds like a good inexpensive phone to buy and own
The owner of that company, makes his press releases just like the late SJ. And by just like, I do mean just like, down to the black turtle necks and jeans. Do go to the US with this thing though. Might have some patent problems. Sometimes Xiao Mi introduces a new model of feature just one or two days before the bigger brother presents the same tech farther west. I have come to think that they have a mole in the manufacturing.
Hello,
with many years under my belt with lower cost / to value I have just purchased an UMi Iron Plus, (past phones THL T11, Lenovo K900 and sadly {not for us market} the Lenovo P780) Key point on these Chinese phones is the cell Bands, (frequencies) if you do not research for your area in the US you will be very very disappointed, Example is the Lenovo P780 at the time largest battery with great feel and apps, however AT&T is doing away with 2G for LTE and this phone didn't have the frequency range for the US. Live and Learn, baby. The THL t11 is great in the US all frequencies covered except LTE so that means 3G at HSPA+ at 42Mb downloads, pretty much everywhere. I haven't found a Chinese made phone that will use the LTE here in the US yet, seems like a easy thing to do, evidently not. The UMi Iron Pro is working great when I am in AT&T area, when outside (really don't travel much so not much impact) it also lacks some frequencies, so there are times of no signal. Again not too much impact to me, however others will find this unacceptable. If you have to have LTE (the authors phone works on LTE because Europe and the Asian markets have comparable systems) but North America won't be unless the Chinese build in the frequencies for US which I don't foresee for a while. Too bad as there would be a BOOMing market here, their stuff is pretty good.
Just my opinion
just say'n
Ralf
What really worries me about these Chinese models is that the RF radiation levels,they say, is quite high.
Love reading your short notes. Keep writing.
Xiaomi is big tech company that manufactures more than just phones.
They make some nice looking devices: http://www.mi.com/en/index.html doesn't show the full range of products people can buy here in China.
Xiaomi make many more products for the domestic market, and from what I've seen of them, they do appear to be premium. We use a Xiaomi Box, which is a Web TV box that has worked without any problems for over a year. It look nice, too.
Check out Lenovo phones as well. They range from $124 up
Many thanks for your reply! I bought the XIOAMI and I guess I´ll keep it. :)
Thank you for sharing your experience. I am presently looking to purchase another phone and was not very happy with the $$ I would have to shell out. I recently inherited a Samsung S3 from work and am very impressed with its features and functions but it has become just too slow. Your article has lead me to give these non-western mobiles a look at. I have enjoyed all your articles by the way, and I hope you continue on.
I will. :)
Try the Zenfone 5. That's the one I got
Should of tryed a ASUS. Pricing is a little more but its more western friendly. Look up Zenfones.
The ZenFone 2 costs twice as much here in Germany. :)