# Xiaomi Products (including Xiaomi Mi 9 phone)



## cybershot (Sep 11, 2017)

Has anyone actually braved buying one of their products?

Just announced their latest products:

Xiaomi Takes Aim at Apple With New MacBook Pro and iPhone X Rivals


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## quimcunx (Sep 11, 2017)

I bought one of their version of the fitbit.  I couldn't get it set up. I googled and it said something about having to pretend you're in China to set it up then change to UK.  I can't remember if I tried that or not.  If I did it didn't work.  So there you go.


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## JimW (Sep 11, 2017)

cybershot said:


> Has anyone actually braved buying one of their products?
> 
> Just announced their latest products:
> 
> Xiaomi Takes Aim at Apple With New MacBook Pro and iPhone X Rivals


Have one of the Hongmi 4x phones and it's excellent. That's their cheaper sub-brand here.


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## editor (Sep 11, 2017)

Their gear looks lovely.


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## tommers (Sep 11, 2017)

I have a Redmi Note 4

Absolutely no complaints.  £150. Arrived without any problems, just linked up my google account as I would with something from Samsung that cost three times as much.  Perfect.


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## JimW (Sep 11, 2017)

tommers said:


> I have a Redmi Note 4...


That's what mine is in English I think, great little phone for not much money. First time I've ever had a fingerprint reader thing and that's worked really easily.


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## The Boy (Sep 11, 2017)

I have the mi5.  Was a choice between that and a sim only contract, or getting an s8 on contract.  Very glad I went for the Xiaomi.


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## tommers (Sep 11, 2017)

JimW said:


> That's what mine is in English I think, great little phone for not much money. First time I've ever had a fingerprint reader thing and that's worked really easily.



Yeah man. Same here.  And it's got 64GB storage and a decent processor and all sorts of stuff.


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## Wolveryeti (Sep 11, 2017)

Their headphones are excellent value, but buy direct from their website as there are too many ebay/amazon fakes about.


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## Albert (Sep 11, 2017)

I have a xiaomi mi max.  It's great,  no problems and I actually really like miui. Has an fm receiver  which is a big plus.  The only downer is the lack of b20 (I think, which o2/giffgaff use for 4g).
Highly recommend, low price, good hardware.


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## cybershot (Sep 11, 2017)

Are you guys buying direct from China then? Any particular site, or the actual vendor? Do you have to re:flash the phones with an English install of Android?

What's the shipping times like?

Laptop would probably be easier to just reinstall Windows, assuming you can change the language of the BIOS?

My history with poorly translated instruction manuals from Chinese vendors usually leaves me in a land of confusion.


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## tommers (Sep 11, 2017)

cybershot said:


> Are you guys buying direct from China then? Any particular site, or the actual vendor? Do you have to re:flash the phones with an English install of Android?
> 
> What's the shipping times like?
> 
> ...




I bought from banggood.  I was prepared to install Google and whatever but didn't have to. It was in English, just put in my google account details.

Can't remember delivery times but nothing awful.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X Fingerprint 5.5-inch 4GB RAM 64GB MTK Helio X20 Deca-core 4G Smartphone


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## Yu_Gi_Oh (Sep 11, 2017)

I have a Xiaomi phone. It's fine. It was cheap and I'm not really invested in the idea of a smartphone beyond being able to use a couple of simple apps, so any limitations it might have are not something I've noticed. 

My Chinese students pity me for owning it. They express sadness that I'd buy one. They wish I had an iPhone or Samsung as they clearly think befits me.


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## Saul Goodman (Sep 11, 2017)

I have an Mi5s, and a house full of other stuff from them.
Their gear is very good, and the prices are even better.
The Mi6 is supposed to be an amazing phone, on par with the best offerings from Apple and Samsung.


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## newbie (Sep 12, 2017)

I've got A Note 2, bought from Gearbest running a Cyanogenmod Rom from XDA.  
It works, it was cheap, the only problem is poor battery life, but that's the Rom, and I have 4 batteries anyway.


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## Throbbing Angel (Sep 12, 2017)

They seem to crop up a fair bit on HUKD.  I just ordered a Mi2 fitness band of theirs as a comparison to the free one I got with my phone.  I hear good things about the device and it was £10.33 or something ridiculous.  Some people I know rate the Mi2 as better than their FitBits which surprised me.  They say they do stuff the FB doesn't - unsure what exactly as I didn't delve too deep.
_[e2a:  ahh, £10.80   Xiaomi Mi Band 2 Smart Watch for Android iOS £10.80 Delivered with code @ Gearbest - HotUKDeals]_

Their phones always catch my attention when they are mentioned on HUKD as they look good, seem cheap for the specs etc.  but I always am concerned about whether they'll work in the UK as they seem to have a smaller range of bands they operate on.

I'd like summat like a Samsung Note 8 but can't afford that so would look at one of their products when my contract is up.


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## Yu_Gi_Oh (Sep 12, 2017)

The one thing I do notice with my Xiaomi is that when I go home to England, I struggle to pick up 4G. I don't know if this is because:

a) I don't really know how to get 4G in the UK 
b) There's something about my phone which is limiting me.
c) 4G isn't very good in the UK?


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## The Boy (Sep 12, 2017)

Yu_Gi_Oh said:


> The one thing I do notice with my Xiaomi is that when I go home to England, I struggle to pick up 4G. I don't know if this is because:
> 
> a) I don't really know how to get 4G in the UK
> b) There's something about my phone which is limiting me.
> c) 4G isn't very good in the UK?



As mentioned above, you need to make sure that the phone supports whatever band your mobile co uses.  When I bought mine, I took the opportunity to switch to 3, cos Giff gaff (and by extension, I assume O2 also) don't operate on the proper band for my phone.

You can check a website like gsmarena to see what bands the phone supports and Google yer operator to check to compatibility.


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## Yu_Gi_Oh (Sep 12, 2017)

The Boy said:


> As mentioned above, you need to make sure that the phone supports whatever band your mobile co uses.  When I bought mine, I took the opportunity to switch to 3, cos Giff gaff (and by extension, I assume O2 also) don't operate on the proper band for my phone.
> 
> You can check a website like gsmarena to see what bands the phone supports and Google yer operator to check to compatibility.



This is incredibly helpful, thank you so much! I kind of wondered if there was some kind of conspiracy of silence about how shit the 4G was back home, so I'm glad that this is what it was. I'll make sure not to buy and 02 SIM next time.


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## newbie (Sep 12, 2017)

The Boy said:


> As mentioned above, you need to make sure that the phone supports whatever band your mobile co uses.  When I bought mine, I took the opportunity to switch to 3, cos Giff gaff (and by extension, I assume O2 also) don't operate on the proper band for my phone.
> 
> You can check a website like gsmarena to see what bands the phone supports and Google yer operator to check to compatibility.


yes I had to give up Giffgaff when I got the Xiaomi. Went for IDMobile which is a cheap online only bit of carphone warehouse and uses 3.


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## ska invita (Nov 30, 2017)

so is there a way of using gif gaf with certain models?


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## Throbbing Angel (Dec 1, 2017)

You need to look for LTE Band 20 (800MHz) in the specification.  Or so a quick.google tells.me.anyway.

Double check this, obvs.


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## Throbbing Angel (Dec 1, 2017)

4G frequencies - Which UK networks will my phone work on?


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## Saul Goodman (Dec 1, 2017)

If you buy a Xiaomi phone, the first thing to do is head over to Xiaomi European Community & Store and install their ROM. All of the crap that comes installed from China is removed, and it's an official ROM with OTA updates.
They even show you how to unlock/root the phone.


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## JimW (Dec 1, 2017)

ska invita said:


> so is there a way of using gif gaf with certain models?


I used mine with a GiffGaff sim (dual sim) when I was last in the UK and got 4G fine too.


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## newbie (Dec 2, 2017)

Saul Goodman said:


> If you buy a Xiaomi phone, the first thing to do is head over to Xiaomi European Community & Store and install their ROM. All of the crap that comes installed from China is removed, and it's an official ROM with OTA updates.
> They even show you how to unlock/root the phone.


tbh I thought it was awful, uninstalled it and went back to Cyanogen even without the security updates.


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## Saul Goodman (Dec 2, 2017)

newbie said:


> tbh I thought it was awful, uninstalled it and went back to Cyanogen even without the security updates.


What did you find to be awful?
I'm running their version of Nougat on a Xiaomi Mi5s and an Mi6, and both are running sweet.
I've used pretty much every variation of every OS possible on all of the phones I've bought from China. Some are crap and some are really crap. LineageOS usually works well but the vast majority of ROMs available for most phones are riddled with bugs.
What phone do you have that's still running CyanogenMod? Won't it run LineageOS?


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## Throbbing Angel (Dec 2, 2017)

quimcunx said:


> I bought one of their version of the fitbit.  I couldn't get it set up. I googled and it said something about having to pretend you're in China to set it up then change to UK.  I can't remember if I tried that or not.  If I did it didn't work.  So there you go.



Ohhhhhhh, so this is why I can't get it working.  FFS. 

Will try again and report back.


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## newbie (Dec 2, 2017)

Saul Goodman said:


> What phone do you have that's still running CyanogenMod? Won't it run LineageOS?


Redmi Note 2 with CM12. I'm not aware of a stable Lineage ROM, though that doesn't mean there isn't one. What I have is sufficiently bug free (or I've forgotten about the bugs), it does all I want. Battery life is poor, but I've got 4 batteries, so that's no more than a minor irritation. The phone is a couple of years old and has a Mediatech processor for which the full source code is not available. When I replace it I'll read up a bit better first, but then having said that, it was cheap, it's the third Chinese phone I've had and the best, and I enjoyed the little community that built up around the developers, before they all bought new phones and went elsewhere.

As for MIUI: I was confronted with a privacy statement that had to be agreed to in order to open the gallery and look at my own photos.  There were other things as well that led to a complete distrust.


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## Saul Goodman (Dec 3, 2017)

newbie said:


> Redmi Note 2 with CM12. I'm not aware of a stable Lineage ROM, though that doesn't mean there isn't one. What I have is sufficiently bug free (or I've forgotten about the bugs), it does all I want. Battery life is poor, but I've got 4 batteries, so that's no more than a minor irritation. The phone is a couple of years old and has a Mediatech processor for which the full source code is not available. When I replace it I'll read up a bit better first, but then having said that, it was cheap, it's the third Chinese phone I've had and the best, and I enjoyed the little community that built up around the developers, before they all bought new phones and went elsewhere.
> 
> As for MIUI: I was confronted with a privacy statement that had to be agreed to in order to open the gallery and look at my own photos.  There were other things as well that led to a complete distrust.


So, with all due respect, you have absolutely zero reason to discredit my previous post which you appeared to discredit without foundation?
Just because an app asks for permissions is no reason to discredit the ROM. In my experience, all MIUI ROMs from the xiaomi.eu forum have been 100% legit, and way, way better than the pre-installed ROM.
I'll gladly listen to valid reasons as to why you believe the ROMs from the .eu site shouldn't be installed, but you don't seem to have provided a valid reason as to why a "cyanogenmod" ROM is better than a MIUI ROM, and bearing in mind that cyanogenmod ROMs are dead in the water, and have been replaced by LineageOS ROMs, then if you're still running a cyanogenmod ROM, it's most likely an extremely outdated ROM, and if it hasn't been superseded by a LineageOS ROM, there's probably a good reason.

In a nutshell... If the source hasn't been released for your phone's kernel, then unless you're running an official ROM, the best you can hope for (assuming you're running a non-stock ROM), is a ROM that's full of bugs.

Basically, if there isn't a LineageOS ROM for your phone, it's for a reason, and the reason is that the kernel source hasn't been released, so nobody can make a working ROM that isn't just a mish-mash of bits that may or may not work with your phone.

Without the source for the kernel, you can't make a properly working ROM, and the best you will get is the manufacturer's own ROM.


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## newbie (Dec 3, 2017)

Saul Goodman said:


> So, with all due respect, you have absolutely zero reason to discredit my previous post which you appeared to discredit without foundation?


I didn't discredit you or your post, I gave an opinion.  tbh if you don't like reading other people's opinions I have to wonder why you're here.


> Just because an app asks for permissions is no reason to discredit the ROM.



You what?  I take a photo on a bit of hardware that belongs to me and some integral viewing software wants me to sign up to a privacy policy? Without signing up I could not view. Why would it do that unless it was interfering with my photo or my privacy in some way? I didn't look into it in massive detail, but that alone sets huge alarm bells ringing.

There's plenty of stuff all over the web criticising Xiaomi data harvesting policies.  The policy I've just looked at (don't know if it's exactly the same as the one the phone showed) says "_In order to provide our services to you, we will ask you to provide personal information that is necessary to provide those services to you_."  Now *exactly* what is a photo viewer doing that *requires* that sort of disclaimer??  Until proven otherwise I'll assume it's not just a viewer, there is also a phone-home component. You may be comfortable with that, I'm not.



> In my experience, all MIUI ROMs from the xiaomi.eu forum have been 100% legit, and way, way better than the pre-installed ROM.


What do you mean by legit and how do you measure 100%?  Are you able to pinpoint exactly what data of yours is being harvested within the terms of the rather wide ranging privacy statements you've agreed to?  tbh I don't really care about your answer, you run whatever OS and apps you want, and I'll stick to my somewhat unfashionable view that I'll give away as little data/privacy as possible to the cloud and only then in exchange for something I actively want.  There is nothing I want in a gallery app that invades my privacy.



> I'll gladly listen to valid reasons as to why you believe the ROMs from the .eu site shouldn't be installed, but you don't seem to have provided a valid reason as to why a "cyanogenmod" ROM is better than a MIUI ROM,


 I've no idea why you're aggressively trying to validate your choice of ROM.


> and bearing in mind that cyanogenmod ROMs are dead in the water, and have been replaced by LineageOS ROMs, then if you're still running a cyanogenmod ROM, it's most likely an extremely outdated ROM, and if it hasn't been superseded by a LineageOS ROM, there's probably a good reason.


good reason like it's a 2 year old phone and the developers have moved on?  I already told you that.



> In a nutshell... If the source hasn't been released for your phone's kernel, then unless you're running an official ROM, the best you can hope for (assuming you're running a non-stock ROM), is a ROM that's full of bugs.


I'm sure you know best, despite me already telling you that the only significant bug I'm aware of doesn't bother me.



> Basically, if there isn't a LineageOS ROM for your phone, it's for a reason, and the reason is that the kernel source hasn't been released, so nobody can make a working ROM that isn't just a mish-mash of bits that may or may not work with your phone.
> 
> Without the source for the kernel, you can't make a properly working ROM, and the best you will get is the manufacturer's own ROM.


again, I already told you that. e2a oops, didn't notice the last sentence: 'best' is a matter of opinion.


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## Saul Goodman (Dec 3, 2017)

newbie said:


> I didn't discredit you or your post, I gave an opinion.  tbh if you don't like reading other people's opinions I have to wonder why you're here.
> 
> 
> You what?  I take a photo on a bit of hardware that belongs to me and some integral viewing software wants me to sign up to a privacy policy? Without signing up I could not view. Why would it do that unless it was interfering with my photo or my privacy in some way? I didn't look into it in massive detail, but that alone sets huge alarm bells ringing.
> ...


I'm not trying to pressure you into installing any ROM. I'm merely pointing out facts.

I just get a bit frustrated when people say a ROM is awful, without giving reasons why, because it's usually people who know absolutely nothing about phones who do it.

I apologise if I upset you. Please feel free to use whichever ROM you desire.


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## newbie (Dec 3, 2017)

fairplay, no problem


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## ska invita (Dec 15, 2017)

Saul Goodman said:


> So, with all due respect, you have absolutely zero reason to discredit my previous post which you appeared to discredit without foundation?
> Just because an app asks for permissions is no reason to discredit the ROM. In my experience, all MIUI ROMs from the xiaomi.eu forum have been 100% legit, and way, way better than the pre-installed ROM.
> I'll gladly listen to valid reasons as to why you believe the ROMs from the .eu site shouldn't be installed, but you don't seem to have provided a valid reason as to why a "cyanogenmod" ROM is better than a MIUI ROM, and bearing in mind that cyanogenmod ROMs are dead in the water, and have been replaced by LineageOS ROMs, then if you're still running a cyanogenmod ROM, it's most likely an extremely outdated ROM, and if it hasn't been superseded by a LineageOS ROM, there's probably a good reason.
> 
> ...



im ready to take the plunge on one of these phones but all this has now put doubt in my mind as i dont understand any of it.
What is a ROM? Is that different to an Operating system?


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## Albert (Dec 15, 2017)

ska invita said:


> im ready to take the plunge on one of these phones but all this has now put doubt in my mind as i dont understand any of it.
> What is a ROM? Is that different to an Operating system?



I'm on my 3rd Xiaomi phone (currently a Mimax 2).  I used to be reasonably techie but can't really be arsed now.

I've been really pleased with all of them and I actually like miui (it's a bit of an apple os rip off but has some good features and lots of updates).

If you can't be arsed faffing with roms and the like then:
Get a phone with a global rom
Get the international version of the model phone (international versions have better range of Western friendly bands but they cost more).

Edited to add, if your not a techie don't be tempted to get the cheapest model of the phone. It wont be the international version (so Internet reception will be worse as some bands won't work) and it may have the Chinese rom

Edited to clarify :
International edition (which will come with the global rom) £££ but painless and will have the best 'performance' in terms of bands supported. 

Global edition ££ painless but some of the bands that the International edition supports won't work. 

Non IE/GE £ need to faff about! 

When buying and comparing prices make sure you are comparing the same things!


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## ska invita (Dec 15, 2017)

JimW said:


> I used mine with a GiffGaff sim (dual sim) when I was last in the UK and got 4G fine too.


from what I can tell this xiaomi phone is the only one that has the right frequencies for GifGaf
Xiaomi Redmi 4X Global Edition 5.0 inch 3GB RAM 32GB ROM Snapdragon 435 Octa-core 4G Smartphone

£100 down from £160 seems good. it ships from HK. Do you know if you have to pay a tax on top of that price?
Are the specs good enough? I dont need much from a phone really. My current phone has 1gbRam and crashes/ struggles with certain web pages
this has 3gb ram
hard drive space is plenty for me

thanks all.


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## JimW (Dec 15, 2017)

ska invita said:


> from what I can tell this xiaomi phone is the only one that has the right frequencies for GifGaf
> Xiaomi Redmi 4X Global Edition 5.0 inch 3GB RAM 32GB ROM Snapdragon 435 Octa-core 4G Smartphone
> 
> £100 down from £160 seems good. it ships from HK. Do you know if you have to pay a tax on top of that price?
> ...


Just bought mine in China without thinking about frequencies and it worked. Think it has more memory than that too but cost a bit less. Not got it by me at the moment but will check - might be worth just getting one from China.


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## cybershot (Dec 15, 2017)

ska invita said:


> it ships from HK. Do you know if you have to pay a tax on top of that price?



Ordering phones from China seems to be a regular thing from my work colleagues. None have been stung for additional taxes as of yet.


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## cybershot (Dec 15, 2017)

This is the site generally used by my colleagues if it's any help. GearBest: Online Shopping - Best Gear at Best Prices it's probably the same shop as you've already linked too with a different skin!

Edit: It's a few pence cheaper and ships from China

Xiaomi Redmi 4X 4G Smartphone INTERNATIONAL VERSION 3GB RAM 32GB ROM-$139.99 Online Shopping| GearBest.com (double check it's the same first, this one is defo the intl version *Unlocked for Worldwide use. Please ensure local area network is compatible. click here for Network Frequency of your country. Please check with your carrier/provider before purchasing this item.
The ROM on this Phone supports OTA and is multi language.*)


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## ska invita (Dec 15, 2017)

cybershot said:


> This is the site generally used by my colleagues if it's any help. GearBest: Online Shopping - Best Gear at Best Prices it's probably the same shop as you've already linked too with a different skin!
> 
> Edit: It's a few pence cheaper and ships from China
> 
> ...


Thanks!
i read you need GLOBAL version rather than INTERNATIONAL. This is to do with 4g access i think.
This seem helpful though. WillMyPhoneWork.net - Check if your phone works on a network
though it only has International option, not Global, to check
Im really not sure about the GLOBAL v INTERNATIONAL thing 

(increasingly sure that Global one i posted is the only one that works 4g with gifgaf)


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## Albert (Dec 15, 2017)

ska invita said:


> Thanks!
> i read you need GLOBAL version rather than INTERNATIONAL. This is to do with 4g access i think.
> This seem helpful though. WillMyPhoneWork.net - Check if your phone works on a network
> though it only has International option, not Global, to check
> ...



My understanding (and I'm not an expert but did a fair bit of reading about it a while ago) was that 'Global' refers to the ROM and the 'International' refers to the different varieties of handset (which support different bands). 

I agree, it's very confusing though and really puts people off!


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## ska invita (Dec 15, 2017)

Gifgaf 4g frequencies - i think ive got it. 
800somethigns and Band 20, which I guess is abbreviated to B20? if so then yeah that one phone i posted is the only one that does that band. im going for it. £100 and im sure the specs are more than enough for me
thanks all
hopefully this will be of use to someone else


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## Treacle Toes (Dec 15, 2017)

/lights a candle for ska invita 's purchase. FINALLY!


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## ska invita (Dec 15, 2017)




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## Saul Goodman (Dec 16, 2017)

cybershot said:


> This is the site generally used by my colleagues if it's any help. GearBest: Online Shopping - Best Gear at Best Prices it's probably the same shop as you've already linked too.


If you're buying a phone from Gearbest, select "Priority line" for your shipping option. It's the option that bypasses customs' grubby hands.


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## dervish (Dec 19, 2017)

I have loads of Xiaomi stuff, most of it bought from banggood.

I have:
Roidmi 1,2 and 3 bluetooth car FM transmitter - apart from the bing bong noise at startup are great and solve the problem of no aux in or bluetooth very nicely.
Bluetooth Speaker - very basic speaker with no line in or volume controls, but the sound is good and it lasts for ages.
Yeelight smartlight - these are great, don't need a hub are cheap and connect to google home
Mii band - had one for the last few years, is basic, but works well, syncing is annoying when it occasionally fails, great battery life
Wifi router - this is much better than the crap virgin try to foist on you, but it's not perfect, you can get an open source firmware for it which I intend to try soon.
Pen - it's a ball point pen, nice writing action, feels nice in the hand
headphones, think they were the pistons 3's - really, really bassy, pretty good sound but they don't stay in my ears, got some better ones with my phone and so don't use them much,
Powerbank - 9000mah I think, it charges my phone sufficiently. 

All of which have done the job they were designed for and are well built and good value. I would buy the Xiaomi version of most things happily


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## binka (Dec 19, 2017)

I have the Redmi Note 4x that I got from a UK based seller on eBay about 6 months ago. Very happy with it, does everything I was t it to with excellent battery life and at a very reasonable price.

Saul Goodman mine came pre-installed with the global rom by the seller. Is there a better rom I can use? Would it mean having to wipe everything from my phone?


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## Saul Goodman (Dec 19, 2017)

binka said:


> I have the Redmi Note 4x that I got from a UK based seller on eBay about 6 months ago. Very happy with it, does everything I was t it to with excellent battery life and at a very reasonable price.
> 
> Saul Goodman mine came pre-installed with the global rom by the seller. Is there a better rom I can use? Would it mean having to wipe everything from my phone?


The global ROM is different to the one on xiaomi.eu.
Unless the bootloader is already unlocked (I doubt it will be), then you'll have to unlock it, and I think that involves a factory reset.
You apply for the unlock here: Apply for unlocking Mi devices


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## binka (Dec 19, 2017)

Saul Goodman said:


> The global ROM is different to the one on xiaomi.eu.
> Unless the bootloader is already unlocked (I doubt it will be), then you'll have to unlock it, and I think that involves a factory reset.
> You apply for the unlock here: Apply for unlocking Mi devices


Thanks. Would you recommend doing it?


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 19, 2017)

binka said:


> I have the Redmi Note 4x that I got from a UK based seller on eBay about 6 months ago. Very happy with it, does everything I was t it to with excellent battery life and at a very reasonable price.
> 
> Saul Goodman mine came pre-installed with the global rom by the seller. Is there a better rom I can use? Would it mean having to wipe everything from my phone?



Wiping everything from an Android phone isn't a massive ball ache, when you sign back into your google account it should just redownload everything.


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## Saul Goodman (Dec 19, 2017)

binka said:


> Thanks. Would you recommend doing it?


I've done it with all of my Xiaomi phones. I've just treated myself to an Mi6 for xmas, and I'll be doing the same with that. The ROM from xiaomi.eu has a lot of unnecessary crap removed, and you can do OTA updates.



UnderAnOpenSky said:


> Wiping everything from an Android phone isn't a massive ball ache, when you sign back into your google account it should just redownload everything.


Xiaomi also have their own cloud backup, so it should be impossible to lose anything.


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## binka (Dec 19, 2017)

Ok thanks to both of you I'll do it over Christmas, can't be arsed at the minute


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## Saul Goodman (Jan 8, 2018)

I treated myself to a Xiaomi Mi6 for Christmas.They only had the China version available when I ordered it, so I had to wait three days for the unlock before I could delete all the crap and install the EU ROM.
I'm well impressed with it. It's a pretty serious bit of kit.


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## dervish (Jan 9, 2018)

dervish said:


> Wifi router - this is much better than the crap virgin try to foist on you, but it's not perfect, you can get an open source firmware for it which I intend to try soon.



In case anyone's interested, I did update the router software to Padavan and it's massively improved almost every aspect of it. I now have a much faster connection which drops out far less and the software is really very, very good, I have just set up the vpn client so I can connect from my phone and use my pi-hole as my dns server to block adverts.


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## cybershot (Mar 5, 2018)

No mention of UK/Europe but one would assume it would follow suit:

Xiaomi phones could finally go on sale in the US before the end of this year


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 5, 2018)

Watch the prices rise as they do within a generation or two.


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## Riklet (Mar 11, 2018)

cybershot said:


> No mention of UK/Europe but one would assume it would follow suit:
> 
> Xiaomi phones could finally go on sale in the US before the end of this year




They are definitely on sale in Europe already, either officially or unofficially.  Lots of them in Spain (and sold in a few shops) but not sure if just Chinese imports.  They seem to come with 2 year guarantees etc though and at decent prices, although not as good as buying online and waiting a few weeks.

Quite tempted to give em a go, tbh.


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## Fez909 (Mar 13, 2018)

Tempted by one of these: How to buy Xiaomi's new Android One phone in the UK

A Xioami without MUIU or any of that global ROM nonsense - pure Android + Google apps. Basically a Nexus with a few customised apps.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 14, 2018)

Fez909 said:


> Tempted by one of these: How to buy Xiaomi's new Android One phone in the UK
> 
> A Xioami without MUIU or any of that global ROM nonsense - pure Android + Google apps. Basically a Nexus with a few customised apps.



For some reason I assumed phones running a cut down version of Android would be a lot cheaper!


----------



## Fez909 (Mar 14, 2018)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> For some reason I assumed phones running a cut down version of Android would be a lot cheaper!


It's not a cut down version of Android - it's full Android! And that's pretty cheap for the spec?!?


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 14, 2018)

Fez909 said:


> It's not a cut down version of Android - it's full Android! And that's pretty cheap for the spec?!?



My bad. I heard they were doing a simplified version for lower spec phones and assumed it was this.


----------



## Fez909 (Mar 14, 2018)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> My bad. I heard they were doing a simplified version for lower spec phones and assumed it was this.


No worries. Have you seen the spec, as well?

8-core CPU
4GB RAM
5.5 inch full HD screen with Gorilla Glass 3
64GB storage
SD card slot
Dual rear 12MP cameras
5MP front camera
3080mAh battery with fast charge
Dual SIM
Headphone jack
Fingerprint reader
Metal body

It's a beast for £180 quid or whatever it is.


----------



## Badgers (Mar 15, 2018)

Online Shop Global ROM Xiaomi 6 Mi6 Mi 6 4GB RAM 64GB ROM Snapdragon 835 Octa Core 5.15" 1920x1080p NFC QC3.0 Fingerprint ID Waterproof | Aliexpress Mobile


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 15, 2018)

Badgers said:


> Online Shop Global ROM Xiaomi 6 Mi6 Mi 6 4GB RAM 64GB ROM Snapdragon 835 Octa Core 5.15" 1920x1080p NFC QC3.0 Fingerprint ID Waterproof | Aliexpress Mobile



It's good value, but my concern would be what if it goes wrong? I've used GearBest loads for stuff like ecigs, but we are talking a fair bit more money here.


----------



## Badgers (Mar 15, 2018)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> It's good value, but my concern would be what if it goes wrong? I've used GearBest loads for stuff like ecigs, but we are talking a fair bit more money here.


It is a concern. Credit card protection?


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 15, 2018)

Badgers said:


> It is a concern. Credit card protection?



I trust them to ship the phone and it get here, all my orders come through (slowly). Its more if it breaks 6 months down the line, you could be waiting a long time.


----------



## Chz (Mar 16, 2018)

Fez909 said:


> Tempted by one of these: How to buy Xiaomi's new Android One phone in the UK
> 
> A Xioami without MUIU or any of that global ROM nonsense - pure Android + Google apps. Basically a Nexus with a few customised apps.


Have one. It's great. It's honestly changed my opinion of cheap phones. Not perfect, but it's hard to justify having spent twice as much on my Honor 8 when there's effectively no real difference.


----------



## Badgers (Mar 16, 2018)

Chz said:


> Have one. It's great. It's honestly changed my opinion of cheap phones. Not perfect, but it's hard to justify having spent twice as much on my Honor 8 when there's effectively no real difference.


So you are saying that the phones manufactured in the East are the same as phones people in the West pay a lot more for?


----------



## Chz (Mar 16, 2018)

Badgers said:


> So you are saying that the phones manufactured in the East are the same as phones people in the West pay a lot more for?


What? Aren't they all manufactured within a few hundred miles of each other? But that's simplifying a bit much. If this was two years ago, buying a Xiaomi phone would involve flashing a new custom ROM to get the Google Play store and even then it wouldn't support certain frequencies in the UK so you'd have to be careful with your provider.

For a long time, all cheap phones really were quite rubbish. We've only recently reached a point where the cheap chipsets are actually decent enough to qualify as a "good" experience. I can barely tell the difference in day-to-day use between the A1 and the Honor 8, and I certainly can't tell between that and something more expensive.


----------



## Fez909 (Mar 16, 2018)

Chz said:


> Have one. It's great. It's honestly changed my opinion of cheap phones. Not perfect, but it's hard to justify having spent twice as much on my Honor 8 when there's effectively no real difference.


Where did you buy it and did you avoid import fees etc?


----------



## Chz (Mar 16, 2018)

Fez909 said:


> Where did you buy it and did you avoid import fees etc?


Well, I had good experience with Gearbest so I thought I'd try Banggood. Can't say it was a fun experience - it took about a month and a half to get here and after I received it the "tracker" ID still said it was lost in the post somewhere. At least Gearbest has the option to ship from the EU in return for a little extra on the price. It did skip import fees, but I'd have rather paid the extra from one of GB's EU warehouses and got it _before_ Christmas (despite ordering it November 19th). Or at least before Mrs. Chz's birthday on Jan 7th.


----------



## Saul Goodman (Mar 16, 2018)

Badgers said:


> So you are saying that the phones manufactured in the East are the same as phones people in the West pay a lot more for?





Chz said:


> What? ...


I think he may have been doing sarcasm.


----------



## Chz (Mar 20, 2018)

Saul Goodman said:


> I think he may have been doing sarcasm.


I just couldn't understand if he meant the manufacturing _company_, or the phones themselves. I mean, they all come out of some hellhole in China, but the Chinese brands were a total crapshoot in quality and usability before the past year. Maybe a pass for Huawei before then, but they've always had grander ambitions in terms of selling to Westerners. It's a combination of the low-end becoming "good enough" and the Chinese market being able to afford more things that aren't low-end.


----------



## Saul Goodman (Mar 20, 2018)

Chz said:


> I just couldn't understand if he meant the manufacturing _company_, or the phones themselves. I mean, they all come out of some hellhole in China, but the Chinese brands were a total crapshoot in quality and usability before the past year. Maybe a pass for Huawei before then, but they've always had grander ambitions in terms of selling to Westerners. It's a combination of the low-end becoming "good enough" and the Chinese market being able to afford more things that aren't low-end.


Chinese phones aren't anything like what most people think they are.
Xiaomi have been making excellent phones for years. At least as good as the offerings we get here from the major brands, but at a fraction of the price.
So long as I can buy a phone from China that outperforms a Samsung @ two or three times the price, I'll be buying from China.


----------



## Chz (Mar 20, 2018)

Saul Goodman said:


> Chinese phones aren't anything like what most people think they are.
> Xiaomi have been making excellent phones for years. At least as good as the offerings we get here from the major brands, but at a fraction of the price.
> So long as I can buy a phone from China that outperforms a Samsung @ two or three times the price, I'll be buying from China.


Nah, I played with a Mi 5. Not bad, but not Apple or Samsung (or LG or HTC, for that matter) either. And that's before the whole "flash a new ROM, sideload the Google Store, does it work on your frequencies?" nonsense. Their new stuff is *solid* though. It's that feeling of "it's not going to break if I squeeze it funny" that they've finally nailed. Though I will grant that way back in the mists of time the ZTE Blade was also a really good phone. (Anyone else remember the Orange San Francisco?)

Also, I'm pretty sure that so long as you exclude the last year's models that they've forgotten to reduce the price on there aren't any phones anywhere that outperform things 3x their price. Half? Sure. 3x? Never. Because they're all buying Qualcomm, and that's the deciding factor there. Only Huawei, Apple, and Samsung roll their own silicon, and none of them are interested in giving you a discount on it. Would be interesting to see Huawei or Samsung sell their SoCs to third parties. Might shake things up a bit. All the other SoC players have been unable to produce a "Big" core that doesn't drain the battery in an hour flat, so you only see them in cheap tablets. (Mediatek, Allwinner, Rockchip, etc...)


----------



## Saul Goodman (Mar 20, 2018)

Chz said:


> Nah, I played with a Mi 5. Not bad, but not Apple or Samsung (or LG or HTC, for that matter) either. And that's before the whole "flash a new ROM, sideload the Google Store, does it work on your frequencies?" nonsense. Their new stuff is *solid* though. It's that feeling of "it's not going to break if I squeeze it funny" that they've finally nailed. Though I will grant that way back in the mists of time the ZTE Blade was also a really good phone. (Anyone else remember the Orange San Francisco?)
> 
> Also, I'm pretty sure that so long as you exclude the last year's models that they've forgotten to reduce the price on there aren't any phones anywhere that outperform things 3x their price. Half? Sure. 3x? Never. Because they're all buying Qualcomm, and that's the deciding factor there. Only Huawei, Apple, and Samsung roll their own silicon, and none of them are interested in giving you a discount on it. Would be interesting to see Huawei or Samsung sell their SoCs to third parties. Might shake things up a bit. All the other SoC players have been unable to produce a "Big" core that doesn't drain the battery in an hour flat, so you only see them in cheap tablets. (Mediatek, Allwinner, Rockchip, etc...)


I'm sorry but I have an Mi5s here, and it's every bit as good as a Samsung, if not better.
I have no idea where you're getting this sideloading Google Playstore nonsense but it is nonsense. The phone came with the play store installed, as has every xiaomi phone I've owned, and everything worked flawlessly out of the box. 
The only reason you'd flash a new ROM on a Xiaomi phone is if you wanted to do away with MIUI, but if we're thinking of reasons not to stick with original ROMs, then there's no greater argument than Samsung, and its massively bloatware ridden ROMs.
I'm currently using a Xiaomi Mi6. At the time I purchased it, it was just over 1/3 the price of a Galaxy S8, and it uses the same SoC (Qualcomm Snapdragon 835) as the Galaxy S8... and, performance wise:


----------



## Chz (Mar 20, 2018)

Nonsense, you were lucky. The stats on the Mi5 show it was... let's be generous and say not the most well built device. It has a reputation out there for fragility and overheating. Reviews didn't pick that up, but user experience afterwards has been quite loud about both.

And much as I don't like Samsung's UI, comparing from MIUI is throwing stones in glass houses. I left out such comparisons for a reason.

And I'm going to just say "I don't believe you" about the price thing. The S8 was available for £600 within a week of launch, and if you got the Mi6 for £200 that's not what 99% of people got it for.

On the ROM side, I admit it's _either_ sideload or flash for the early ones. Certainly when I looked at them, there was no option for a working Google image from the factory. I know that's been fixed at some point, but I didn't realise the Mi5 got it as well as the Mi6.

Eh, what does it matter? They make good phones now, and I own one.


----------



## Saul Goodman (Mar 20, 2018)

It's about 2 years since I bought the Mi5s. I've never had a single issue with it, but I'm sure if you type the model of any phone into Google, and add 'overheating' or 'battery drain' to the search, you'll find results for pretty much every phone. Mine barely gets warm.

I'm not comparing the Samsung UI to MIUI. You said you need to flash a new ROM if you buy a Xiaomi. I assumed you meant because you don't like its UI. If I was mistaken, can you explain why you'd need to flash a new ROM?

I paid €295 for the Mi6 on preorder/prerelease. The cheapest S8 was €800 at the time (in Ireland). That's not much over 1/3 of the price.

I just tested both the Mi5s and the Mi6 on the latest Antutu benchmark, and both of them beat their respective Samsung Galaxy SX competitors hands down.









They're a very long way from the crappy phones some people seem to think they are, and every bit as good as the best offerings from the top name brands.


----------



## Badgers (Mar 24, 2018)

Online Shop Original Xiaomi Mi Note 3 Note3 6GB 128GB Mobile Phone Snapdragon S660 Octa Core Dual 12.0MP 16.0MP 5.5Inch 1920*1080 3500MAh | Aliexpress Mobile


----------



## cybershot (Mar 29, 2018)

Xiaomi Takes on iPhone X With New Mi Mix 2S Smartphone Featuring Dual Camera System and Wireless Charging


----------



## Badgers (Nov 16, 2018)

£279 for a POCOPHONE F1
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07JFFJDL3?tag=22


----------



## Badgers (Nov 17, 2018)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DPWSSYW?tag=22

Tempted

Currently using an old and battered Samsung Galaxy Note 4 which is starting to turn itself off and other similar annoyances.

The cost of £170 for this Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 (E7s) (Hybrid Dual SIM) 64GB is very good compared to the £50 a month I paid (for TWO YEARS with contract)

Am I losing out anyway moving from Samsung (been a long time) to Xiaomi?


----------



## Saul Goodman (Nov 17, 2018)

Badgers said:


> Am I losing out anyway moving from Samsung (been a long time) to Xiaomi?


In my opinion, not in the slightest. I've owned lots of both Samsung and Xiaomi phones, and I'd never buy another Samsung. I've had too many problems with them in the past, and I think with the amount of unwanted shite that's pre-installed on Samsung phones, they should be giving them away for free.


----------



## Chz (Nov 18, 2018)

Badgers said:


> https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DPWSSYW?tag=22
> 
> Tempted
> 
> ...


Same manufacturer, but for that price I'd rather have the Mi A2 Lite because it's stock Android and you'll get Google's monthly security patches.


----------



## editor (Nov 24, 2018)

I'm quite tempted to pay rhis place a visit

Xiaomi's UK Mi Store is like a crazier Apple Store where you can actually afford stuff


----------



## cybershot (Jan 9, 2019)

Good news everyone, it's now ok to look a dick, because you can do it at a fraction of the price.

Xiaomi's $60 AirDots Pro are not-so-subtle AirPod clones


----------



## Badgers (Jan 9, 2019)

cybershot said:


> Good news everyone, it's now ok to look a dick, because you can do it at a fraction of the price.
> 
> Xiaomi's $60 AirDots Pro are not-so-subtle AirPod clones


I am not a fan of the ear bud thing but everyone I know that uses them (the Apple ones that is) seems to rate them highly.


----------



## editor (Jan 9, 2019)

cybershot said:


> Good news everyone, it's now ok to look a dick, because you can do it at a fraction of the price.
> 
> Xiaomi's $60 AirDots Pro are not-so-subtle AirPod clones


They look every bit as embarrassingly awful as Apple's dreadful design.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jan 9, 2019)

AirPods are great. They feel very comfortable and have a great battery life, and just work. You can't even see them under a hat.

These Xiaomi ones however make the same mistake as most of the other competitors, with those horrible rubbery ends which block your ear canal and virtually all external sounds.


----------



## Chz (Jan 9, 2019)

skyscraper101 said:


> AirPods are great. They feel very comfortable and have a great battery life, and just work. You can't even see them under a hat.
> 
> These Xiaomi ones however make the same mistake as most of the other competitors, with those horrible rubbery ends which block your ear canal and virtually all external sounds.


Most people would consider that a good thing for sound quality. Apple's earbuds have historically been horrible on that front.

If you want to hear outside sound as well as your music, get those bone induction things that the cyclists use.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jan 9, 2019)

Chz said:


> Most people would consider that a good thing for sound quality. Apple's earbuds have historically been horrible on that front.
> 
> If you want to hear outside sound as well as your music, get those bone induction things that the cyclists use.



I dunno, I've always been a bit sceptical of those things. For me at least, I do want to hear a bit of peripheral sounds, but I also don't want something that sits around my neck either. Wireless buds are great because they don't get caught on anything, and I can sleep with them, and they're more portable.

The problem with any rubbery tipped earbuds for me is they block out so much noise I don't get any sense of the street, or any bus/tube announcements, and I can hear myself breathing, swallowing, and all those other internal noises which I don't want to listen to. They're entirely counterproductive. Personal preference obvs.


----------



## Badgers (Jan 11, 2019)

Online Shop Original Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 3GB 32GB Snapdragon 660 48MP Dual Camera 13MP 6.3'' Water Drop 19.5:9 Screen Mobile Phone 4000mAh | Aliexpress Mobile

Interesting


----------



## Badgers (Jan 11, 2019)

Also 

Redmi Note 7 Pro in the works with the 48MP Sony IMX586


> Today was the reveal of their first smartphone under this sub-brand, the Redmi Note 7, but they also mentioned the Redmi Note 7 Pro is in the works with the 48MP Sony IMX586 image sensor.


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jan 11, 2019)

My Mi8 should be arriving tomorrow


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jan 15, 2019)

My Xiaomi Mi8 arrived today. It's an amazing bit of kit, especially so considering the price.

I haven't had time to mess with the camera yet (which is supposed to be outstanding), as I've been moving everything from my old phone, but I ran Antutu benchmark to see how it compared to other phones.







Those lowly Galaxy S9+ things come in at #19, while the iPhone X isn't even in the top 50


----------



## Badgers (Jan 15, 2019)

Is that a Pro?


----------



## Badgers (Jan 15, 2019)

Mine is still not set up  need to cut the SIM card down or get a replacement sorted.

Note 4 - Micro SIM
Mi 8 - Nano-SIM


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jan 15, 2019)

Badgers said:


> Is that a Pro?


It's not a pro, it's the 6GB/256GB version.


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jan 15, 2019)

Badgers said:


> Mine is still not set up  need to cut the SIM card down or get a replacement sorted.
> 
> Note 4 - Micro SIM
> Mi 8 - Nano-SIM


Get a new one. They're free


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jan 15, 2019)

960 fps video coming in the next update


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jan 15, 2019)

I've installed Google Camera from here: 
[Mi 8]Google Camera Mod(STABLE)

Very nice


----------



## butchersapron (Jan 16, 2019)

Saul Goodman said:


> My Xiaomi Mi8 arrived today. It's an amazing bit of kit, especially so considering the price.
> 
> I haven't had time to mess with the camera yet (which is supposed to be outstanding), as I've been moving everything from my old phone, but I ran Antutu benchmark to see how it compared to other phones.
> 
> ...



What price?


----------



## yield (Jan 16, 2019)

butchersapron said:


> What price?


Recommend me a new(cheapish) mobile phone - Android


----------



## butchersapron (Jan 16, 2019)

yield said:


> Recommend me a new(cheapish) mobile phone - Android


Ta. Tbh i was just hoping he'd say 500 quid or something then i'd post pocophone benchmarks and laugh.


----------



## tommers (Jan 16, 2019)

butchersapron said:


> Ta. Tbh i was just hoping he'd say 500 quid or something then i'd post pocophone benchmarks and laugh.



Team Pocophone.


----------



## butchersapron (Jan 16, 2019)

tommers said:


> Team Pocophone.


...and we're on pie already...


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jan 16, 2019)

butchersapron said:


> What price?



€367. Probably about 800 quid sterling.
Xiaomi Mi8 Mi 8 6.21 inch 6GB RAM 256GB ROM Snapdragon 845 Octa core 4G Smartphone



butchersapron said:


> Ta. Tbh i was just hoping he'd say 500 quid or something then i'd post pocophone benchmarks and laugh.


Feel free to post them. I'd like to see how it scores.



butchersapron said:


> ...and we're on pie already...


So am I.


----------



## Chz (Jan 16, 2019)

I'm gonna say at this point in time, SD845 phones over £350 aren't appealing. For high end, either get a Huawei 980-powered device or wait for SD855 coming very soon. Or spend a lot less for something that still has enough power for any sane use.


----------



## butchersapron (Jan 16, 2019)

Saul Goodman said:


> €367. Probably about 800 quid sterling.
> Xiaomi Mi8 Mi 8 6.21 inch 6GB RAM 256GB ROM Snapdragon 845 Octa core 4G Smartphone
> 
> 
> ...


I take it you mean about £320. Fair enough then. My point was if you spent £500 then you wasted your money.  poco 128+ 256gb card = £300. Or the one you got.


----------



## editor (Jan 16, 2019)

butchersapron said:


> I take it you mean about £320. Fair enough then. My point was if you spent £500 then you wasted your money.  poco 128+ 256gb card = £300. Or the one you got.


This guy is a fan.


----------



## editor (Jan 16, 2019)

But no NFC for fuck's sake. That sucks. Really sucks because the NFC on my phone has saved my arse several times when I've forgotten my debit card. Shame, but I'm out.


----------



## Chz (Jan 16, 2019)

It's just not A Thing in China. Huawei's the only big Chinese maker with a real eye on the world market, so they're they only ones with NFC (in all their phones).


----------



## butchersapron (Jan 16, 2019)

editor said:


> But no NFC for fuck's sake. That sucks. Really sucks because the NFC on my phone has saved my arse several times when I've forgotten my debit card. Shame, but I'm out.


That seems to the thing that people are buying/not buying on. I can understand that. But that's the deal for a phone doing that price and not that. For me, never an option, just don't need it. For others, def need it.


----------



## butchersapron (Jan 16, 2019)

I'd leave off the camera - i don't want or need it.


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jan 16, 2019)

butchersapron said:


> I take it you mean about £320. Fair enough then. My point was if you spent £500 then you wasted your money.  poco 128+ 256gb card = £300. Or the one you got.


I was weighing up the Pocophone when I bought this. There was about a tenner difference in the price at the time, but a Super AMOLED screen with Gorilla glass 5, a better camera and NFC was well worth a tenner to me, and I wasn't overly keen on the design of the Pocophone with its plastic back. It felt a bit cheap. It would have been a different story if the Mi8 was still €500+. I'd probably have gone with the Pocophone then.


----------



## butchersapron (Jan 16, 2019)

Saul Goodman said:


> I was weighing up the Pocophone when I bought this. There was about a tenner difference in the price at the time, but a Super AMOLED screen with Gorilla glass 5, a better camera and NFC was well worth a tenner to me, and I wasn't overly keen on the design of the Pocophone with its plastic back. It felt a bit cheap. It would have been a different story if the Mi8 was still €500+. I'd probably have gone with the Pocophone then.


If you pay all that money you surely want a plastic not glass back so you watch stuff in bed without being frozen. Falling asleep to music/lectures/podcasts etc Them things are freezing.


----------



## butchersapron (Jan 16, 2019)

Chz said:


> It's just not A Thing in China. Huawei's the only big Chinese maker with a real eye on the world market, so they're they only ones with NFC (in all their phones).


This one chinese via india. That looks like a huge market - not just india.


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jan 16, 2019)

butchersapron said:


> If you pay all that money you surely want a plastic not glass back so you watch stuff in bed without being frozen. Falling asleep to music/lectures/podcasts etc Them things are freezing.


It's only the Mi8 Pro that has a glass back. I'd have bought one only for the glass back. I think it's a stupid idea. The standard Mi8 has an all aluminium chassis, but it comes with a thin cover for the back and sides, to afford it a bit of protection. I prefer to fit it for peace of mind.


----------



## Badgers (Jan 16, 2019)

Saul Goodman said:


> I was weighing up the Pocophone when I bought this. There was about a tenner difference in the price at the time, but a Super AMOLED screen with Gorilla glass 5, a better camera and NFC was well worth a tenner to me, and I wasn't overly keen on the design of the Pocophone with its plastic back. It felt a bit cheap. It would have been a different story if the Mi8 was still €500+. I'd probably have gone with the Pocophone then.


So the Mi8 does have NFC? 

Not that I have ever used it and probably won't but it is never bad to have these things.


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jan 16, 2019)

Badgers said:


> So the Mi8 does have NFC?
> 
> Not that I have ever used it and probably won't but it is never bad to have these things.


The standard Mi8 has it but I don't think Mi8 lite has it.


----------



## Badgers (Jan 16, 2019)

Saul Goodman said:


> It's only the Mi8 Pro that has a glass back. I'd have bought one only for the glass back. I think it's a stupid idea. The standard Mi8 has an all aluminium chassis, but it comes with a thin cover for the back and sides, to afford it a bit of protection. I prefer to fit it for peace of mind.


Was that the standard one that came in the box with the phone? I thought that was odd (but nice) to have a cover but no headphones. 

Wanted a flip case and got one like this but not that exact case


----------



## Badgers (Jan 16, 2019)

Saul Goodman said:


> The standard Mi8 has it but I don't think Mi8 lite has it.


Oh well, no biggie


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jan 16, 2019)

Badgers said:


> Was that the standard one that came in the box with the phone? I thought that was odd (but nice) to have a cover but no headphones.
> 
> Wanted a flip case and got one like this but not that exact case


It is the one that came with the phone. It's not too bad but I've ordered a different/better one.

To be honest, I've never got round to opening the headphones that came with any phone I've bought, and until you just mentioned it, I wasn't aware that there were none in the box. I never use them, but it was nice that it came with a USB C to 3.5mm converter.


----------



## Badgers (Jan 16, 2019)

Saul Goodman said:


> but it was nice that it came with a USB C to 3.5mm converter.


That was a nice touch. 

Have never liked the phones supplied. It is almost insulting to have the shitty headphones thrown in with a phone that costs hundreds of pounds. Like buying a Bang & Olufsen record player which comes with Goodmans speakers  a phone case is a damn sight more useful.


----------



## editor (Jan 16, 2019)

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 looks rather nice. And now I know it's pronounced 'shallme'. And it has NFC! No headphone jack, alas. 
Priced around £450. 



> The Mi Mix 3 doesn’t disappoint as a flagship smartphone. It offers fantastic specs with great performance, great design, a near bezel-less screen, and a fantastic camera that takes excellent photos in all conditions. It lacks battery capacity and isn’t water resistant, but that’s a sacrifice you’ll have to make if you want to experience a new take on an old design.





Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 review: What's old is new again


----------



## Badgers (Jan 19, 2019)

Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite review: Stunning value | Trusted Reviews


----------



## editor (Jan 19, 2019)

Badgers said:


> Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite review: Stunning value | Trusted Reviews


Very impressive indeed. Cost £260. Makes iPhones look ridiculously overpriced.

Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite Review


----------



## Badgers (Jan 19, 2019)

editor said:


> Very impressive indeed. Cost £260. Makes iPhones look ridiculously overpriced.
> 
> Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite Review


I got mine for £202 and it is fantastic.


----------



## Badgers (Jan 25, 2019)

Specs For The New Xiaomi Redmi Go Have Leaked


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jan 26, 2019)

The Lite version was OK but it's like a mediocre phone with o good chip.


----------



## FabricLiveBaby! (Jan 26, 2019)

Bought myself the mii 8 lite and GOD I'M IN LOVE.

I am a budget girl. My Samsung Galaxy A5 lasted me 3 years, but this bit of cheap gear is amazing.

Am super happy!


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jan 26, 2019)

FabricLiveBaby! said:


> Bought myself the mii 8 lite and GOD I'M IN LOVE.
> 
> I am a budget girl. My Samsung Galaxy A5 lasted me 3 years, but this bit of cheap gear is amazing.
> 
> Am super happy!


I must apologise for my previous statement. The Mi8 Lite is an amazing bit of kit for the price.


----------



## editor (Jan 26, 2019)

FabricLiveBaby! said:


> Bought myself the mii 8 lite and GOD I'M IN LOVE.
> 
> I am a budget girl. My Samsung Galaxy A5 lasted me 3 years, but this bit of cheap gear is amazing.
> 
> Am super happy!


It's an amazing phone and incredible value for money.  Enjoy it!


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 26, 2019)

editor said:


> Enjoy it!



∆∆∆this∆∆∆


----------



## Badgers (Jan 26, 2019)

FabricLiveBaby! said:


> Bought myself the mii 8 lite and GOD I'M IN LOVE.
> 
> I am a budget girl. My Samsung Galaxy A5 lasted me 3 years, but this bit of cheap gear is amazing.
> 
> Am super happy!


It is a great phone isn't it 

Really happy with the battery life so far. I am a heavy battery user (travelling with podcasts and downloaded telly and getting more than a day easily.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 26, 2019)

Badgers said:


> It is a great phone isn't it
> 
> Really happy with the battery life so far. I am a heavy battery user (travelling with podcasts and downloaded telly and getting more than a day easily.



Is that using Bluetooth Badgers ?


----------



## Badgers (Jan 26, 2019)

Throbbing Angel said:


> Is that using Bluetooth Badgers ?


Yup.

Had several batteries with my old Samsung Note 4 but no replaceable battery here  have got a big charge pack for £16.99 for emergency charges but not needed yet.


> Portable Charger RAVPower 20000mAh Power Bank Battery Pack with Dual iSmart 2.0 USB Ports, 2.4A Input for iPhone XS/XS MAX/XR, Galaxy S9/S8 and More Mobile Phones - Black https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B076KS92ZT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_zXdtCbJ39C6TY


----------



## Badgers (Jan 26, 2019)

Badgers said:


> Was that the standard one that came in the box with the phone? I thought that was odd (but nice) to have a cover but no headphones.
> 
> Wanted a flip case and got one like this but not that exact case


Might need to get a different case for it. This one is a bit slippy and I am a lot clumsy.


----------



## Badgers (Jan 26, 2019)

If anyone wants a portable charger this is £17.99 at the moment. Discount applied at checkout. 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B075VN4YJV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_KQetCbKME9H4F


----------



## FabricLiveBaby! (Jan 26, 2019)

editor said:


> It's an amazing phone and incredible value for money.  Enjoy it!





Badgers said:


> Yup.
> 
> Had several batteries with my old Samsung Note 4 but no replaceable battery here  have got a big charge pack for £16.99 for emergency charges but not needed yet.



Mates. I'm so enjoying it. I'm on it like 24/7 since I bought it. I'm on holiday so am bashing the thing constantly. Have a not put it down and the batt lasts about 12 hours constant use of Twitter, Gaming and YouTube and browsing. I MEAN Constant. 
That is extremely good.

My last phone (the Samsung galaxy A5) also had an internal battery and by the end of its life I was lucky if I could get an hour and a half out of it.

I now have a huge powerbank..

It'll be interesting to come back to this thread in a year to see how the charge holds. I'm a seriously heavy user so at the moment, no complaints.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jan 26, 2019)

Seems I’ve been pronouncing it wrong all along it’s Xiaomi as in “zyow-mi” not Xiaomi as in “Zi-omi”


----------



## maomao (Jan 26, 2019)

skyscraper101 said:


> Seems I’ve been pronouncing it wrong all along it’s Xiaomi as in “zyow-mi” not Xiaomi as in “Zi-omi”


More like an s or an sh than a z. Exactly like a Polish ś (with the accent).


----------



## FabricLiveBaby! (Jan 26, 2019)

skyscraper101 said:


> Seems I’ve been pronouncing it wrong all along it’s Xiaomi as in “zyow-mi” not Xiaomi as in “Zi-omi”





maomao said:


> More like an s or an sh than a z. Exactly like a Polish ś (with the accent).



It's pronounced Shau-mee.(au as in ow that hurt


----------



## maomao (Jan 26, 2019)

FabricLiveBaby! said:


> It's pronounced Shau-mee


Not quite. An extra 'y' between your sh and your au. It means millet which I have a fat bag of in my backpack at the moment for making yummy millet porridge.


----------



## Badgers (Jan 26, 2019)

I have been calling it Ex-Oh-Me


----------



## Poi E (Jan 27, 2019)

Been looking at the Honor 8X versus the Mi 8 Lite. Anyone want to save me some effort?


----------



## mauvais (Jan 27, 2019)

Badgers said:


> I have been calling it Ex-Oh-Me


Eleven-ow-me.


----------



## Badgers (Jan 27, 2019)

https://www.amazon.de/Xiaomi-Redmi-Hybrid-Dual-SIM-4G-4000mAh-Black/dp/B07CZS9QDB

Not bad that


----------



## Badgers (Feb 3, 2019)

One possible weak spot on the Mii 8 lite 

When I lose signal (tunnel/location/etc) messages don't send. Have to reboot phone, then delete messages and retype/send  not sure if that is a phone or Three mobile issue.


----------



## Saul Goodman (Feb 3, 2019)

Badgers said:


> One possible weak spot on the Mii 8 lite
> 
> When I lose signal (tunnel/location/etc) messages don't send. Have to reboot phone, then delete messages and retype/send  not sure if that is a phone or Three mobile issue.


Sounds like a software issue. Is it running the latest OS?


----------



## Badgers (Feb 3, 2019)

Saul Goodman said:


> Sounds like a software issue. Is it running the latest OS?


8.1.0 it seems


----------



## Saul Goodman (Feb 3, 2019)

Badgers said:


> 8.1.0 it seems


It should probably be running Android 9 at this stage.
Edit: Yes, Android v9.0 is available for the lite.


----------



## Badgers (Feb 3, 2019)

Saul Goodman said:


> It should probably be running Android 9 at this stage.
> Edit: Yes, Android v9.0 is available for the lite.


I have tried, is there a link?


----------



## Saul Goodman (Feb 3, 2019)

Badgers said:


> I have tried, is there a link?


I only use the EU roms from here, and it's on Android 9.0
MIUI ROM Releases
Unfortunately, your phone has to be rooted to use those, but I assume the official global rom from here: MIUI 10 Global Stable ROM V10.2.2.0.ODTMIXM Released for Mi 8 Lite Download Now! - Xiaomi Mi 8/SE/EE/Lite/Pro - Xiaomi MIUI Official Forum should be Android v9.0
Edit: Nope, seems the global rom is still 8.1


----------



## editor (Feb 20, 2019)

Xiaomi Mi 9 announced: Snapdragon 855, 48MP triple camera for under $500



> Snapdragon 855 chipset, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of expandable storage, and a 3,300mAh battery. You’ve also got a 6.39-inch full HD+ AMOLED screen (with a waterdrop notch and Gorilla Glass 6), hosting an in-display fingerprint sensor.
> 
> ...What’s even more surprising is the manufacturer’s use of a 48MP main camera (Sony IMX586), as the vast majority of phones with a 48MP sensor are only accompanied by a depth sensor or 3D ToF camera. In fact, Huawei’s Nova 4 is the only other triple rear camera phone I can think of with a 48MP camera, and even then, the third shooter is actually a depth sensor.





Xiaomi Mi 9 announced: Snapdragon 855, 48MP triple camera for under $500


----------



## editor (Feb 20, 2019)

Xiaomi Mi 9 hands-on: Speedy, stylish and a great camera, too


----------



## editor (Feb 20, 2019)

*Moved to mobile forum as most of the chat seems to be about their phones


----------



## editor (Feb 20, 2019)

Bloody hell: 



> DxOMark already has a camera review for the just-released Xiaomi Mi 9 smartphone. With an overall score of 107 for the rear camera, the Xiaomi Mi 9 now sits at third place on the organization’s list of reviewed smartphones.
> 
> Third on the list makes the Xiaomi Mi 9 better than all Apple iPhones, but not as good as the Huawei P20 Pro or the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, according to DxOMark.
> 
> ...



DxOMark: Xiaomi Mi 9 camera better than all iPhones, not as good as Mate 20 Pro


----------



## Badgers (Feb 24, 2019)

https://www.amazon.es/Xiaomi-Mi-Smartphone-Qualcomm-espa%25C3%25B1ola/dp/B07NRK942P

Decent Mi 9 deal at £394 with two year Amazon warranty and free returns is good to see

[OFFICIAL] Xiaomi UK After Sales Explained! - Xiaomi - Mi Community - Xiaomi


----------



## editor (Feb 26, 2019)

Now here's an offer

*Xiaomi MI MIX 3 6.39" 6GB +128GB Android 9 Smartphone - Sapphire Blue*
27 reviews

6.39" AMOLED Full Screen Display
Dual 12MP AI Rear Cameras + 24MP + 2MP Selfie Camera
960fps slow motion video
6GB RAM - 128GB Storage
£ 489.00  inc. vat







Search results | Ebuyer.com


----------



## Badgers (Feb 28, 2019)

Might be useful for someone: 

Discount of Get £20 off when you spend over £200 in your purchase of Xiaomi Products.


> 1) Please log in Mi account first, and please note that each order over than £200 can get £20 off during the promotion period.
> 2) Discount is only valid with minimum spend of £200 purchase in Xiaomi products.
> 3) Do note that you can claim £20 off value per order only.
> 4) The price will be reduced automatically (£20 off) when you spend over than £200.
> 5) This discount (£20 off) is not refundable if you refund any order purchased in the promotion activity.



Mi United Kingdom


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Feb 28, 2019)

If I had more complex mobile needs then a chromebook Id be quite tempted by one of their mate books. Awful name though. It doesn't screen premium even in the computer is... 

CES 2019: Huawei Launches the Matebook 13


----------



## baldrick (Mar 19, 2019)

I've just bought a mi 8 lite to replace my previous cheap Android Moto g4 (I think). Anyway, it cost me £150 18 months ago so it did pretty well until I smashed it at the weekend.

Amazon seem to have dropped the prices now the 9 is imminent. With a £100 voucher I won at a conference the phone has cost me £59. I have bought a case and a screen protector as well though which takes it to the princely sum of £73.


----------



## Badgers (Mar 23, 2019)

baldrick said:


> I've just bought a mi 8 lite to replace my previous cheap Android Moto g4 (I think). Anyway, it cost me £150 18 months ago so it did pretty well until I smashed it at the weekend.
> 
> Amazon seem to have dropped the prices now the 9 is imminent. With a £100 voucher I won at a conference the phone has cost me £59. I have bought a case and a screen protector as well though which takes it to the princely sum of £73.


Let us know what you think?

I like mine but could happily go for a bigger screen next. Will stick with Xiaomi for next phone.


----------



## binka (Mar 24, 2019)

baldrick said:


> I've just bought a mi 8 lite to replace my previous cheap Android Moto g4 (I think). Anyway, it cost me £150 18 months ago so it did pretty well until I smashed it at the weekend.
> 
> Amazon seem to have dropped the prices now the 9 is imminent. With a £100 voucher I won at a conference the phone has cost me £59. I have bought a case and a screen protector as well though which takes it to the princely sum of £73.


Have you got a link to the listing with it for £159? I can only see it for around £200


----------



## baldrick (Mar 24, 2019)

It was this one

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07JN7LZ39/ref=psdcmw_356496011_t3_B07JJJDGB9

But looking at it now the price is £200. It was deffo £159 when I bought it.


----------



## binka (Mar 24, 2019)

baldrick said:


> It was this one
> 
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07JN7LZ39/ref=psdcmw_356496011_t3_B07JJJDGB9
> 
> But looking at it now the price is £200. It was deffo £159 when I bought it.


Cheers for that thought it was the case I know prices on Amazon listings can vary significantly over the course of just a few weeks. Did you buy from Amazon direct or was it a market place seller? I'm going to buy a phone next week but I'll be really cheesed off if I buy it for £200 and it goes down to £160 again soon after!


----------



## binka (Mar 24, 2019)

https://www.amazon.fr/Xiaomi-Lite-Smartphone-débloqué-Ecran/dp/B07JMPGNHK/

So you can buy it on French Amazon for €178 which is about £152. Would this be the exact same version as I'd get in the UK?


----------



## baldrick (Mar 24, 2019)

binka said:


> https://www.amazon.fr/Xiaomi-Lite-Smartphone-débloqué-Ecran/dp/B07JMPGNHK/
> 
> So you can buy it on French Amazon for €178 which is about £152. Would this be the exact same version as I'd get in the UK?


It was a marketplace seller I got it from. Looks like it's now direct from Amazon. I believe it's the same phone, only the chargers are different. I saw someone on Amazon ask that question as the EU version was cheaper.


----------



## binka (Mar 24, 2019)

baldrick said:


> It was a marketplace seller I got it from. Looks like it's now direct from Amazon. I believe it's the same phone, only the chargers are different. I saw someone on Amazon ask that question as the EU version was cheaper.


Nice one. Will check all the EU Amazon sites and find the cheapest, might as well make the most of it while I still can


----------



## fishfinger (Mar 24, 2019)

I got a Mi A2 Lite 4/64GB. Direct from Xiaomi for £199.


----------



## baldrick (Mar 27, 2019)

binka said:


> Nice one. Will check all the EU Amazon sites and find the cheapest, might as well make the most of it while I still can


Did you buy one? I notice the version I bought is down to £186 now.


----------



## binka (Mar 27, 2019)

baldrick said:


> Did you buy one? I notice the version I bought is down to £186 now.


No not yet I decided to get my first credit card to improve my credit score for future mortgage purposes so just waiting for it to arrive. Did notice it being cheaper now, also ebuyer has some really good deals now on the A2 and A2 lite so I'm a bit torn


----------



## binka (Mar 31, 2019)

fishfinger said:


> I got a Mi A2 Lite 4/64GB. Direct from Xiaomi for £199.


How are you liking it so far? I'm still looking at the options and considering more and more expensive options until I'm even looking at the pocophone when the reality is I don't need that much phone and I'm pretty sure the mi 2 lite would do everything I need


----------



## fishfinger (Mar 31, 2019)

binka said:


> How are you liking it so far? I'm still looking at the options and considering more and more expensive options until I'm even looking at the pocophone when the reality is I don't need that much phone and I'm pretty sure the mi 2 lite would do everything I need


So far, so good. Battery life is great - I only need to recharge it about once every 4 days. Overall it's serving me well - the one weak spot is the camera, which is a bit noisy in low light. The Mi A2 (not Lite) model has a better camera but unlike the Lite version, it doesn't support microSD cards (which was the deciding factor for me).


----------



## binka (Mar 31, 2019)

fishfinger said:


> So far, so good. Battery life is great - I only need to recharge it about once every 4 days. Overall it's serving me well - the one weak spot is the camera, which is a bit noisy in low light. The Mi A2 (not Lite) model has a better camera but unlike the Lite version, it doesn't support microSD cards (which was the deciding factor for me).


I was looking at the non-Lite version as I prefer the Android One and the lack of notch - lack of mircosd doesn't really bother me much but the battery being 25% smaller than the lite is a bit annoying.

Mi Fan Festival 2019

Xiaomi have some big deals coming up this week so might leave it a few days and see if any other shops have decent sales too. If I can get a Pocophone for £249 that might be too hard to turn down!


----------



## fishfinger (Mar 31, 2019)

binka said:


> I was looking at the non-Lite version as I prefer the Android One and the lack of notch - lack of mircosd doesn't really bother me much but the battery being 25% smaller than the lite is a bit annoying.
> 
> Mi Fan Festival 2019
> 
> Xiaomi have some big deals coming up this week so might leave it a few days and see if any other shops have decent sales too. If I can get a Pocophone for £249 that might be too hard to turn down!


The Mi A2 Lite is also Android One.


----------



## binka (Mar 31, 2019)

fishfinger said:


> The Mi A2 Lite is also Android One.


Ah ok for some reason I was thinking it was MIUI. Still not sure what to do then tbh. Definitely need a new phone now my current Note 4X has a dodgy battery which is dying when it is still showing 40% charge


----------



## fishfinger (Mar 31, 2019)

binka said:


> Ah ok for some reason I was thinking it was MIUI...


The Redmi 6 Pro is the same phone as the Mi A2 Lite. The difference is that the Redmi is MIUI and the A2 is Android One.


----------



## binka (Apr 12, 2019)

I ended up buying the pocophone for £245 off eBay. It was maybe slightly more than I originally planned on paying for a new phone... it is good though!


----------



## Badgers (Apr 27, 2019)

Going to try and work out the dual sim thing today. Have got a (crap) work phone so going to try sticking that sim card into the Xiaomi


----------



## cybershot (Jun 3, 2019)

Xiaomi Mi Band 3 is now £16.99

Shop Xiaomi Band 3 Online -   Xiaomi UK

And the Mi MIX 3 £299

Shop Mi MIX 3 Online -   Xiaomi UK


----------



## cybershot (Jun 11, 2019)

Redmi Note 5 down to £99.95 @ Argos. Stock flying as it's been posted on HUKD

Buy SIM Free Xiaomi Redmi Note 5  Mobile Phone - Black | SIM free phones | Argos


----------



## Liker (Jun 12, 2019)

cybershot said:


> Has anyone actually braved buying one of their products?
> 
> Just announced their latest products:
> 
> Xiaomi Takes Aim at Apple With New MacBook Pro and iPhone X Rivals


I use Mi 8 Lite. This is the best phone, Samsung J7 2018 sucks!


----------



## cybershot (Sep 24, 2019)

*Xiaomi's Mi Mix Alpha has a '180-percent' screen-to-body ratio*

It's not cheap though!


----------



## dervish (Sep 24, 2019)

That phone looks amazing with awesome specs, doesn't even look slightly practical for everyday use though.


----------



## editor (Sep 24, 2019)

cybershot said:


> *Xiaomi's Mi Mix Alpha has a '180-percent' screen-to-body ratio*
> 
> It's not cheap though!


Now, I love new tech but I can't see any practical reason for a screen like this.


----------



## pesh (Sep 29, 2019)

cybershot said:


> *Xiaomi's Mi Mix Alpha has a '180-percent' screen-to-body ratio*
> 
> It's not cheap though!


shame they couldn't manage 100%


----------



## ohmyliver (Oct 16, 2019)

that screen is going to ensure a healthy business in expensive cracked screen replacements for Xiaomi repairers.


----------



## Badgers (Nov 4, 2019)

Few good deals about 

One Year Anniversary Celebration


----------



## Badgers (Nov 20, 2019)

Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro Black 6.26" 32GB 4G Dual SIM Unlocked & SIM Free - Laptops Direct

Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro Black 6.26" 32GB 4G Dual SIM Unlocked & SIM Free - £99


----------



## ska invita (Dec 31, 2019)

Badgers said:


> Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro Black 6.26" 32GB 4G Dual SIM Unlocked & SIM Free - Laptops Directly
> 
> Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro Black 6.26" 32GB 4G Dual SIM Unlocked & SIM Free - £99


thanks for this. got mashed, lost my phone, and bought this one thanks to your 99£ link- only lost my photos and am happy with my new phone. Dose everything great apart from night time photos. Enjoying that triple camera blurry background photo option


----------



## Badgers (Jul 29, 2020)

Tempting price down from £179 to £119 






						Redmi Note 8T丨Xiaomi UK丨Mi.com -   Xiaomi UK
					

Redmi Note 8T-48MP Quad Camera All-Star. Check out more features, price and buy Redmi Note 8T from official online shop.




					mobile.mi.com
				




Have cracked the screen on my long serving Xiaomi. It is still fine but...


----------



## baldrick (Jul 29, 2020)

Badgers said:


> Tempting price down from £179 to £119
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Me too. Currently held together with a screen protector.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 29, 2020)

baldrick said:


> Me too. Currently held together with a screen protector.


My crack is not really bad so should not be buying a new phone as am skint  but my phones case (also my wallet) needs replacing which will be £10-15


----------



## Badgers (Aug 25, 2020)

https://m.aliexpress.com/item/4001153037201.html?trace=wwwdetail2mobilesitedetail&pvid=8447c8b9-8b62-438f-bf21-4db30a4280c5&aff_platform=promotion&sk=nHz3rGy0&aff_trace_key=43848862129647acb9306b0e638909e7-1598339985317-02571-nHz3rGy0&rmsg=do_not_replacement&scm=1007.23534.124000.0&terminal_id=d5ac7e20b6b54a049ceabb308f64fb0c&aff_request_id=43848862129647acb9306b0e638909e7-1598339985317-02571-nHz3rGy0
		


Code: 828GET10


----------



## Yu_Gi_Oh (Sep 19, 2020)

My previous Xiaomi was hugely slowing down and I really couldn't be standing in Walmart waiting for my phone to un-freeze for ten minutes every time I tried to pay for something, so I just bought the Xiaomi 10 Youth 5G. 

It's certainly faster than my old one. Seems like it has quite a good camera, which I'm fairly excited about, I guess.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Sep 19, 2020)

My partners old Honor is definitely showing signs of its age. I'm wondering if this could be a decent replacement for about £200 as she's no intrest in premium smartphones.






						POCO X3 NFC
					

Exactly what you need




					event.mi.com
				






			Redirect Notice


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Dec 1, 2020)

Ordered lil'Angel a Redmi Note 9 for Festivus during their sale a couple of weeks back. Usually, £180 for the phone alone, managed to get the phone, a 10000mah power bank(£15) _*and *_a Mi Band 5 (£20-40 depending on where/when you buy) all for £138. #Cashback

Phone looks great - she'll be made up with 128gb storage which is her main beef with her current Motorola


----------



## mack (Dec 2, 2020)

Got a mi-band 5 - using it with the notify+fitness app rather than the official software - seems to be a lot more accurate than the 4.

Quite like the stress monitor - might try taking a few readings when the next Liverpool match is on!


----------



## Yu_Gi_Oh (Dec 2, 2020)

mack said:


> Got a mi-band 5 - using it with the notify+fitness app rather than the official software - seems to be a lot more accurate than the 4.
> 
> Quite like the stress monitor - might try taking a few readings when the next Liverpool match is on!



I got the mi-band 5 a few weeks ago, having previously had the mi-band 3, and I fucking hate it.  It seems to massively undercount exercise and keeps turning itself off when it's meant to be monitoring me on the treadmill or whatever. With my old mi-band, maybe it came in a bit under what the treadmill calculated in calories burned, but this one can be about 300-400 calories less than the treadmill reading. I am tempted to just buy a new mi-3.


----------



## mack (Dec 2, 2020)

Yu_Gi_Oh said:


> I got the mi-band 5 a few weeks ago, having previously had the mi-band 3, and I fucking hate it.  It seems to massively undercount exercise and keeps turning itself off when it's meant to be monitoring me on the treadmill or whatever. With my old mi-band, maybe it came in a bit under what the treadmill calculated in calories burned, but this one can be about 300-400 calories less than the treadmill reading. I am tempted to just buy a new mi-3.



I would try possibly updating the firmware on the band if you haven't already - or a hard reset. (could possibly be a dodgy sensor if its that way off - in which case a return)


----------



## teuchter (Dec 13, 2020)

So, is Xiaomi any more less evil than Huawei?

What's the urban75 consensus? Feel free to position them relative to Apple or Samsung too.


----------



## Saul Goodman (Dec 13, 2020)

teuchter said:


> So, is Xiaomi any more less evil than Huawei?
> 
> What's the urban75 consensus? Feel free to position them relative to Apple or Samsung too.


Yes, definitely.


----------



## Chz (Dec 14, 2020)

I'd say just as evil, and less competent. However they're really the only game in town for a cheap phone that's actually decent now that Huawei has no Google services. 
Maybe Honor will make a comeback now that they've sold it.


----------



## cybershot (Jan 29, 2021)

> Mi Air Charge Technology is a 5W charging system — think of the tiny chargers Apple used to include with iPhones, or slower Wireless Qi charging — that uses 144 antennas in the base station sending millimeter-wide waves to your phone, which receives them on a 14-antenna array of its own. Xiaomi is claiming its tech is “not science fiction,” that will eventually charge multiple devices at once, pass through physical objects, and send power to all kinds of small electronics around your room, from smartwatches to speakers.











						Xiaomi's remote wireless charging powers up your phone from across the room | Engadget
					

Xiaomi is touting its remote wireless charging Mi Air Charge Technology, which can power up a compatible phone from several meters away, and through objects..




					www.engadget.com


----------



## teuchter (Jan 29, 2021)

I got a new phone recently.

When I was deciding what to get, whether the manufacturer was Chinese was a factor in my decision.

I've read enough about China recently to feel a bit queasy about it. I didn't get a Chinese phone.

Cheap technology is nice but concentration camps aren't.


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jan 30, 2021)

teuchter said:


> I got a new phone recently.
> 
> When I was deciding what to get, whether the manufacturer was Chinese was a factor in my decision.
> 
> ...


What did you buy? And I want picturez


----------



## MrCurry (Jan 31, 2021)

I bought Xiaomi Redmi Airdots 2 (bluetooth in-ear type airpod thingies) for my wife and upon opening them found they don’t come with the charging cable.  What’s the use of that?!  Blinking Chinese companies, assuming everyone has micro usb cables laying around at home.


----------



## cybershot (Jan 31, 2021)

God forbid it Apple did that it would be headline news!


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Apr 5, 2021)

I belive the Poco x3 is good value at that price range. I belive Badgers got one so could probably tell you more.






						Xiaomi UK
					






					mobile.mi.com


----------



## Badgers (Apr 5, 2021)

It is really good value. 

Occasionally I have to reboot it (hold down power plus volume + & -) but that be just this handset. 

For the price and PAYG contract it is a bargain.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Apr 5, 2021)

Badgers said:


> It is really good value.
> 
> Occasionally I have to reboot it (hold down power plus volume + & -) but that be just this handset.
> 
> For the price and PAYG contract it is a bargain.



I didn't actually mean to post this in this thread


----------



## wemakeyousoundb (Dec 28, 2021)

Having a new note 10s and setting it up I have a question:
xiaomi cloud: yes or no?


----------



## Chz (Dec 28, 2021)

wemakeyousoundb said:


> Having a new note 10s and setting it up I have a question:
> xiaomi cloud: yes or no?


I've never used any of their apps or services and never felt I was missing anything.


----------



## On Fire (Dec 30, 2021)

I like Xiaomi in a way I never liked Huawei


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 30, 2021)

On Fire said:


> I like Xiaomi in a way I never liked Huawei



How come? I've been super impressed with my Huawei, but wouldn't buy another because of the lack of Google on current models. It will probably be OHs phone that needs replacing before mine, but I'll certainly look at Xiaomi.


----------



## On Fire (Dec 30, 2021)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> How come? I've been super impressed with my Huawei, but wouldn't buy another because of the lack of Google on current models. It will probably be OHs phone that needs replacing before mine, but I'll certainly look at Xiaomi.



That's cool. I never really clicked with the design of Huawei phones. But I know many people loved them. Yes, a shame they lost Google services.


----------



## Iona56 (Dec 30, 2021)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> I belive the Poco x3 is good value at that price range. I belive Badgers got one so could probably tell you more.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


My daughter's got one of those and loves it


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## xsunnysuex (Jan 4, 2022)

I just purchased the redmi note 9 pro. I really love this phone.  But find I can hardly hear the other person on a call. Anyone else find this?
It's really starting to piss me off.  😏😒


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## Riklet (Feb 9, 2022)

I have a Xiaomi Note 10 Lite 5g with a broken screen ive inherited.

Im still using a 5 year old Samsung J7 2016 which works fine aside from the SHIT camera. This is the main reason to upgrade for me. 2 day battery life though.... 

What do you folks think? How much would a screen repair cost and would it be worth it? Seems like a solid modern phone.


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## Throbbing Angel (Feb 9, 2022)

Riklet said:


> I have a Xiaomi Note 10 Lite 5g with a broken screen ive inherited.
> 
> Im still using a 5 year old Samsung J7 2016 which works fine aside from the SHIT camera. This is the main reason to upgrade for me. 2 day battery life though....
> 
> What do you folks think? How much would a screen repair cost and would it be worth it? Seems like a solid modern phone.



£90 give or take if you sent to Xiaomi to have them do it 'officially' - assuming there is nowt else wrong with it when they open it up.






						Xiaomi UK
					






					www.mi.com
				




Probably get it done a bit cheaper locally.

The model is 16 months old so a new phone.  Full specs here: Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 5G - Full phone specifications

I'd say go for it - especially if you're bothered about/have/use 5g.


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## ska invita (Jul 14, 2022)

ive just smashed my phone screen to bits on the pavement...will look into replacing the screen but replacing xiaomi screens can be a bit shit ive heard

anyone know where to look for the latest deals for cheap new phones
was half thinking of upgrading soon anyway


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## ska invita (Jul 14, 2022)

Looking on Argos - why is the 11 £30 cheaoer than the 10?
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/1931501?clickSR=slp:term:xiaomi redmi:1:22:1 < £170
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9462144?clickSR=slp:term:xiaomi redmi:2:22:1 <£200


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## Throbbing Angel (Jul 14, 2022)

ska invita said:


> Looking on Argos - why is the 11 £30 cheaoer than the 10?
> https://www.argos.co.uk/product/1931501?clickSR=slp:term:xiaomi redmi:1:22:1 < £170
> https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9462144?clickSR=slp:term:xiaomi redmi:2:22:1 <£200



10 *Pro* vs 11? (not 11 Pro?) 🤷‍♂️


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## Throbbing Angel (Jul 14, 2022)

Throbbing Angel said:


> 10 *Pro* vs 11? (not 11 Pro?) 🤷‍♂️



Comparison of the two phones here:





						Compare Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 vs. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro - GSMArena.com
					






					www.gsmarena.com


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## ska invita (Jul 14, 2022)

Throbbing Angel said:


> 10 *Pro* vs 11? (not 11 Pro?) 🤷‍♂️


makes sense, i cant tell which is better, presume the more expensive one...main thing id like in a new phone is stronger processor

(10 Pro has 4k video - i do not need that  - 11 seems better processor?)


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## ska invita (Jul 14, 2022)

Last post - can anyone translate this? is there much difference? i expect theyre both very good


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## Chz (Jul 15, 2022)

The second one will be _well_ faster than the first. The "x" in an "xyz" Kryo core is the generation of it. In this case, ARM A73 vs. A76 for the big cores. The move from A53 to A55 on the "Silver" cores is a big gain in efficiency, as well. Basically, when brand new the first one would have been placed higher in the specs chart, but the second one is 2 years newer and that makes up for a lot.

You want cheap and cheerful, the M4 Pro is on sale for £149.
Value for money, the 11 Lite 5G NE is a great spec for £259.






						Summer Sale Round 2
					

£50-£5 | £100-£10 | £200-£20 | £300-£30




					ams.event.mi.com


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