Chinese Smartphones

[181ce]

Thoughts appreciated

I have a le max2 pro 64gB version

Young lad an even better yoke x621 

I think

Both from coolicool

One was 170euro,the other 130

Mine being older is android 6.odd

The boys is 7.0

The only flaw I can see is the lack of NFC

and lack of official updates,difficulty getting accessories.

This probably  worse with le eco specifically given their financial woes 

Both have stunning performance,all the mobile bands, excellent finish, friendly os etc. etc.

Why spend stupid money on an S8 etc.?

BTW don't even mention Apple a four letter word in my world.

 

 

 

[john999boy]

40 minutes ago, 181ce said:

The only flaw I can see is the lack of NFC and lack of official updates,

I've never had a reason for NFC to be turned on so that really is of no consequence but I'd miss the updates as my phone recently updated to Pie (v9).

[camelspyyder]

Just got a Samsung J5 for 160 euro. I know its not an S8/S9 but for an average user at that price I cant see the point of going with brand X.

[181ce]

My point exactly.......but 160euro buys brand X that's directly comparable to "branded" flagship phones.

Personally I think I'll continue on this road in the future.

[gadgetman]

On 12/08/2018 at 12:15, john999boy said:

I've never had a reason for NFC to be turned on so that really is of no consequence but I'd miss the updates as my phone recently updated to Pie (v9).

Contactless payment is a god send

[john999boy]

15 minutes ago, gadgetman said:

Contactless payment is a god send

Very true but I can't see any reason to use my phone to pay when I've already got my credit or debit card with me.

[camelspyyder]

20 hours ago, 181ce said:

My point exactly.......but 160euro buys brand X that's directly comparable to "branded" flagship phones.

Personally I think I'll continue on this road in the future.

 

Is there any service or return availability?

 

I've stopped buying cheap electronics direct from Shenzen, because returns are impossible -  so they go in the bin when dead, even at 3 weeks of age :(

 

 

Edited 13 August, 2018 by camelspyyder

[181ce]

 

Is there any service or return availability

Nope but then I wouldn't spend a whole heap of money for that very reason,re quality my yoke is a match for the best and two years old now,I think there's cheap and.......cheap.

[gadgetman]

4 hours ago, john999boy said:

Very true but I can't see any reason to use my phone to pay when I've already got my credit or debit card with me.

Contactless card payments are limited to £30/day 

 

Phone payments are £30/transaction, and also use an annonimised card so your actual card is never revealed to the payment terminal. 

 

Some retailers offer higher limits for Google and Apple pay. Some are £50-100 per transaction. 

 

As my phone is usually easier to reach than my wallet, just more convenient for me 

[Skodaboy1983]

I recently had a fruit based smart phone and just changed back to Android after being away for nearly 3 years.

 

My new phone is a Archoas Alba 5 or in laymen’s terms Argos own brand Alba 5.

 

First impressions were not so good as it took ages for the first charge to complete, would not go above 72% battery, but when it did after a long time it’s started growing on me and every charge since has been quicker.

 

I really use a phone for the net, apps do not interest me and my contract is only 7.50 a month so I hardly use it to make calls.

 

Davy

[Aspman]

I use my phone a lot as a camera so I'll probably cough for something a bit dearer but it is likely to be a Chinese brand although one of the more well known ones such as Huawei or OnePlus.

I've had an Apple SE which has been a good phone but I find too small for my fingers to type on.

 

Work has given me a Samsun J5 which seems fine although it is full of Samsung Junk which does put me off that brand.

 

The 'landfill' Chinese stuff seems to be a bit of a lucky dip. You could get a real bargain with a great screen and performance. Or you can get a real dud with no backup. Worse you can get one with hardware infected with malware straight from the factory (quite a few reports of this) or which report your every moves back to their homeland (as well as doing the same to Google). Treat it as a gamble would be my advice, only spend what you can afford to lose.

 

[JohnRS]

I have a Xiaomi mi mix 256gb. It's almost 2 years old now, and is still very impressive in terms of specs, at the time it wiped the floor with the mainstream flagship models and was about half the price. SWMBO has a Xiaomi mi6 and between us we've had several Xiaomi devices, none have had any issues, however if you buy them from authorised sellers returns are not an issue, there'es obviously a wait! However Xiaomi now sell via Amazon Spain so they're covered by their 2 year warranty. 

My next phone will undoubtedly be anther Xiaomi and likely from Amazon.es. I expect it'll be another mix, and will probably wait for the 3 in the new year.

[john999boy]

What version OS are you currently on @JohnRS?

[JohnRS]

2 minutes ago, john999boy said:

What version OS are you currently on @JohnRS?

It's on 8.0, Xiaomi did roll out 8.1 to a device a few weeks back but it was pulled due to bugs. You can get 8.1 via custom ROM's but I haven't bothered with this, which is the first device in years I haven't rooted for custom ROM's. Ironically it was you who gave me advice back when I had an S3 about custom ROM's. Looking back it was probably because every time I upgraded to a new device I felt underwhelmed and yearned for some marked improvements. I sold my rooted S7 Edge about this time 2 years ago and bought the mix just after release, which was such a huge improvement I never felt the need or desire to go down the custom route.

 

[Aspman]

I've heard good things about Xiaomi's tablet devices as well.

[slicendice]

I used to have a Google Pixel but it inexplicably died for no apparent reason a few weeks back. Fortunately it was still under warranty, so back to the CPW it went and they told me it could be away for up to 2 weeks being investigated and repaired. As I need a phone for work, I needed something to bridge the gap so got an Honor 9 for £249 from Argos. I have to admit, considering it's less than half the price of my Pixel, it's pretty darned good. In fact there are precious few areas where I could honestly say it's noticeably worse - maybe it's not quite as snappy and silky smooth, maybe the cam isn't quite as good, maybe the blacks on the screen when streaming Netflix etc aren't quite as inky black...but considering the massive cost saving it's easily good enough for most things I'd ever need it for. Plus it has micro SD card slot (or 2nd SIM if you're into that kind of thing).

 

Now I'm in a bit of a dilemma because the CPW replaced my broken Pixel with a brand new Pixel 2!! Obviously that's a better phone than the Honor 9 but given I could sell it as brand new and unused, that would be a very useful wedge of cash in my pocket (and having had a number of large expenses recently, that would be most welcome!).

 

So in terms of the original post, my own experience from a budget (or semi-budget) Chinese brand is that it's very good and I'd happily recommend.

 

Now, whether this means I'm going to become a drone for the Chinese government when they shortly take over the world, who knows...! 

[Skodaboy1983]

I am now using a Alcatel phone that I bought last year but found it drained the battery very quick, funny thing since using it since last Sunday the phone has proved faultless I can get two days out of a battery.

 

Davy

[Aspman]

Google's Pixel phones are getting a bit of a hammering for build quality and performance. Cameras are supposed to be the best but everything else not so good.

 

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/08/22/unpicking_the_pixel_puzzle_why_google_is_struggling_to_impress/

 

I

1 hour ago, slicendice said:

So in terms of the original post, my own experience from a budget (or semi-budget) Chinese brand is that it's very good and I'd happily recommend.

 

Now, whether this means I'm going to become a drone for the Chinese government when they shortly take over the world, who knows...! 

 

I kindof came the conclusion I'd rather be spied on by the Chinese Government than Google. At least the Chinese won't sell my data to advertisers.

[biomulv]

Currently have a Huawei P Smart ( wife's current daily driver ), Honor 7 and 7x and a mi mix 2 in the house. Have had all the OnePluses up to the 5.

 

All absolutely brilliant "for the price". Made money on the OP3.

 

Being a serial phoneist, I love trying them out. But personally can't cope with their downfalls. Which for the most part is software issues.

 

My own daily drivers have been in the past 18 months S8-S8+-N8-N9 .

[freelunch]

I had a cheap Huawei (rubbish) then a Motorola MotoG (slow) then a Motorola MotoG5s (excellent, fatal flaw: no internal compass) and NOW a Motorola (Lenovo) MotoG6. It is a terrific phone! No surprise, as they get rave reviews for value for money. Got it for £200 in an Amazon promotion.

 

Or, try MusicMagpie. They sell used phones.

[SWBoy]

2 hours ago, freelunch said:

Or, try MusicMagpie. They sell used phones.

musicMagpie get mixed reviews on TrustPilot, it seems that they don't always check used phones/tablets/CDs/DVDs thoroughly and if you get a faulty item they can be slow at replacing it.

 

They did exactly what they said when I sold an old iPhone 5, but I've had mixed success buying used CDs from them; the only way I got them to replace a 3CD set that only had 2 CDs was by leaving a bad review on TrustPilot - and the replacement was also incomplete but luckily I was able to make 1 complete set.

 

Caveat Emptor as they say...

[Skodaboy1983]

One thing with the Alcatel I find is if it’s a sunny day you cannot view the phone or struggle to see what you are taking picture wise.

 

Davy

[Babs]

Nearly two years in on a OnePlus 3T, love it. Dual SIM works seemlessly.

[millerhouse]

I've got an Honor 9 Lite and I'm delighted with it. Does everything I need - quick, decent camera and screen looks OK to me. 160 GBP, so didn't break the bank either.

John M

[Chris GB]

Pocophone F1 looks interesting!