Xiaomi phones

We have 2 Xiaomi phones here: a Redmi 4X and a Note 5, both 3/32GB, ordered via Gearbest and delivered from warehouses in Europe (so duty etc paid, possibly also European warranty).

They are both really well made in terms of feeling solid, performing acceptably within their spec, great screens, excellent battery life etc. The Note 5 is my wife's phone because her handbag can cope with a larger phone than my pocket, and that is running Android 8 with the latest version of the MIUI interface, while my 4X is on Android 7 and running the last version. Both get regular OTA security and application updates from Xiaomi, and so far software support has been a much better experience than with Motorola (few updates, and often late). The MIUI interface is pretty good to look at, and there's no obvious disadvantage of this over Android One (unlike Huawei's EMUI). There is a lot of control over how much information appas are allowed to slurp, however turning off access to contacts etc disables some surprising system apps (like recorder, for example). The camera on the Note 5 is better and image stabilisation for video excellent. Battery life is great, with typically 4-5 days on a single charge with a bit of whatsapp, texting, the odd call and maybe 90min of screen on time. My 4X did about 11 - 12 hours of screen-on time when I first had it, but I don't really use it that much.

Downsides?

My 4X is a little slow sometimes, though with a 450 processor that's not surprising and quite forgivable. The gorilla glass screen on mine is a little softer than expected, and I've managed to mark (only very lightly) it in a couple of places from keys in the same pocket. Cases can be a little less easy to find than for Samsung and Apple phones and not always as cheap, but they aren't *that* rare on Amazon, nor terribly expensive. My (global spec) phone came with a UK adapter charger, but the Note 5 came with a European plug on the chanrger.

Lack of NFC doesn't bother me - I'd never pay that way, and having had one phone with it, it made absolutely no difference.
 
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We have 2 Xiaomi phones here: a Redmi 4X and a Note 5, both 3/32GB, ordered via Gearbest and delivered from warehouses in Europe (so duty etc paid, possibly also European warranty).

They are both really well made in terms of feeling solid, performing acceptably within their spec, great screens, excellent battery life etc. The Note 5 is my wife's phone because her handbag can cope with a larger phone than my pocket, and that is running Android 8 with the latest version of the MIUI interface, while my 4X is on Android 7 and running the last version. Both get regular OTA security and application updates from Xiaomi, and so far software support has been a much better experience than with Motorola (few updates, and often late). The MIUI interface is pretty good to look at, and there's no obvious disadvantage of this over Android One (unlike Huawei's EMUI). There is a lot of control over how much information appas are allowed to slurp, however turning off access to contacts etc disables some surprising system apps (like recorder, for example). The camera on the Note 5 is better and image stabilisation for video excellent. Battery life is great, with typically 4-5 days on a single charge with a bit of whatsapp, texting, the odd call and maybe 90min of screen on time. My 4X did about 11 - 12 hours of screen-on time when I first had it, but I don't really use it that much.

Downsides?

My 4X is a little slow sometimes, though with a 450 processor that's not surprising and quite forgivable. The gorilla glass screen on mine is a little softer than expected, and I've managed to mark (only very lightly) it in a couple of places from keys in the same pocket. Cases can be a little less easy to find than for Samsung and Apple phones and not always as cheap, but they aren't *that* rare on Amazon, nor terribly expensive. My (global spec) phone came with a UK adapter charger, but the Note 5 came with a European plug on the chanrger.

Lack of NFC doesn't bother me - I'd never pay that way, and having had one phone with it, it made absolutely no difference.

Thanks Toni, does the note 5 have image stabilisation for stills too? What's the camera app like? It sounds like it would be an slight improvement at night than my current p8 lite.
 
Thanks Toni, does the note 5 have image stabilisation for stills too? What's the camera app like? It sounds like it would be an slight improvement at night than my current p8 lite.

AFAIK the video stabilisation is electronic only, and isn't available for stills.
 
I've got a Mi6, previously had a Mi5 and found they are excellent phones in all regards and recieve security updates very promptly, sometimes beating Apple to the punch!
 
I've got a Mi6, previously had a Mi5 and found they are excellent phones in all regards and recieve security updates very promptly, sometimes beating Apple to the punch!

They run on iOS?
 
I am going to leverage 6 more months out of my 4 year old NOTE 4 and then plump for the REDMI NOTE 5.
I just want to see how they do in the UK for a wee while.

plus I just bought a new battery for my NOTE 4 and that was £12
 
Probably better to go for the Note 6 pro - similar phone, but a newer model so will be getting updates etc for longer. The Note 5 is already a year old.
 
Of course not

So why would there be any relevance or connection between Xiaomi MIUI updates and iOS updates?

iOS updates happen with each OS update or when a specific security flaw is discovered, the sandboxing means iOS doesn’t need monthly updates like Android does.
 
So why would there be any relevance or connection between Xiaomi MIUI updates and iOS updates?

iOS updates happen with each OS update or when a specific security flaw is discovered, the sandboxing means iOS doesn’t need monthly updates like Android does.

An example would be the WPA2 issue of October 2017, Xiaomi released a security patch to general-release before Apple did. I was previously using Apple's beta releases, but went back to GA as of iOS12
 
Probably better to go for the Note 6 pro - similar phone, but a newer model so will be getting updates etc for longer. The Note 5 is already a year old.

Not sure about that, Note 6 has a notch. Id probably rather the Note 5 but I have the Mix 2 already (which is pretty amazing).
 
I bought a Xiaomi Redmi 4X for my wife, my decision being largely based on the detailed experience reported by Toni / @ancient_mariner. Her experience has been pretty much like Toni's - great battery life, good UI, lots of customisation options, frequent updates, decent camera - and she absolutely loves it.
 
An example would be the WPA2 issue of October 2017, Xiaomi released a security patch to general-release before Apple did. I was previously using Apple's beta releases, but went back to GA as of iOS12

You think there might have been a reason for that? Like most iPhones weren’t impacted and even the ones that were, were only partially impacted?

Apple's iOS devices (and Windows machines) are not as vulnerable as Macs or devices running Linux or Android because the vulnerability relies on a flaw that allows what's supposed to be single-use encryption key to be resent and reused more than once, something the iOS operating system does not allow, but there's still a partial vulnerability.

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/10/16/krack-wifi-vulnerabilities-patched-apple-ios-macos/

Wi-Fi

Available for: iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X

Not impacted: iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 5s, iPad Air and later, and iPod Touch 6th generation

Impact: An attacker in Wi-Fi range may force nonce reuse in WPA unicast/PTK clients (Key Reinstallation Attacks - KRACK)

Description: A logic issue existed in the handling of state transitions. This was addressed with improved state management.

CVE-2017-13077: Mathy Vanhoef of the imec-DistriNet group at KU Leuven

CVE-2017-13078: Mathy Vanhoef of the imec-DistriNet group at KU Leuven

Entry updated November 3, 2017

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208222




So I still don’t see the relevance of trying to compare completely unrelated things, do you also compare the service schedules for a BMW 7 series and a Boeing 777?
 
You think there might have been a reason for that? Like most iPhones weren’t impacted and even the ones that were, were only partially impacted?



https://www.macrumors.com/2017/10/16/krack-wifi-vulnerabilities-patched-apple-ios-macos/



https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208222




So I still don’t see the relevance of trying to compare completely unrelated things, do you also compare the service schedules for a BMW 7 series and a Boeing 777?

My original post was more to the point that Xiaomi are damn speedy with their updates, unlike other Android based partners, and used Apple as a benchmark as they are usually the first to get updates out.

No point in dragging this out or also responding to your BMW comment, I think we know where this is going...

Anyway, let's move on
 
My original post was more to the point that Xiaomi are damn speedy with their updates, unlike other Android based partners, and used Apple as a benchmark as they are usually the first to get updates out.

No point in dragging this out or also responding to your BMW comment, I think we know where this is going...

Anyway, let's move on

Good idea, Android fanboys flaming Apple (or vice versa) is rather tedious and aggravating...
 
Good idea, Android fanboys flaming Apple (or vice versa) is rather tedious and aggravating...

Couldn't agree more, as a user of both ecosystems it's a bit like flaming myself! :confused:
 
One thing is for sure once these phones go mainstream apple and Samsung are going to take a big hit
 
One thing is for sure once these phones go mainstream apple and Samsung are going to take a big hit

Samsung is already taking a big hit. Sales are plummeting, whereas sales of Huawei are flying. As for them affecting Apple, I doubt it. Xiaomi are android phones. The availability of another android phone on the market won’t stop someone buying an iPhone. All they are doing is creating greater diversity in the android marketplace.
 
Samsung is already taking a big hit. Sales are plummeting, whereas sales of Huawei are flying. As for them affecting Apple, I doubt it. Xiaomi are android phones. The availability of another android phone on the market won’t stop someone buying an iPhone. All they are doing is creating greater diversity in the android marketplace.

I disagree apple are already feeling it

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-46281768
 
I disagree apple are already feeling it

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-46281768

Of course my experience only comes from working for one of the four mobile phone networks in the UK. As I mentioned in a different thread, 8 of the 10 best selling phones we do are iPhones. I don’t see anything that is going to change that in the near future. But, believe what you want.
 
Apple are out to squeeze every last penny out of it's loyal customer base; they have declared they are not bothered about increasing unit sales as long as they continue to grow their revenue. I do wonder what percentage of new phone sales is achieved via the networks on contract vs the PAYG & SIM free phones sold elsewhere? I suspect Apple's share of the latter is much lower and will continue to decline.

As a previously 'content' Apple user my loyalty is being stretched to breaking point with the cost of their latest handsets. My current handset (iPhone 6s) is 3 years old now, I am looking to change but I am not prepared to pay Apple's latest prices so The X,XR & XS are not on my shopping list. The differences between the iPhone 6S and 7 are minimal, the iPhone 8 is not much better & for less than the price of an iPhone 8 there are better spec'ed Android phones out there. I cannot see me buying any more Apple products now.
 
I think a lot of people out there are tied to Apple as they also have the I-watch and apple have been very clever with that to force people to have an I-phone.
 
I think a lot of people out there are tied to Apple as they also have the I-watch and apple have been very clever with that to force people to have an I-phone.

There is no such thing as an I-watch. If you mean the Apple Watch, Apple have not forced anyone to do anything. It was always designed to work in conjunction with an iPhone, and that fact was never hidden. You make your buying decision based on that.
 
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There is no such thing as an I-watch. If you mean the Apple Watch, Apple have not forced anyone to do anything. It was always designed to work in conjunction with an iPhone, and that face was never hidden. You make your buying decision based on that.

There’s also no such thing as an I-phone, it seems to be a trick used by some Android users to mangle the name to troll a reaction from iPhone users ;)
 
I've had about 6 of them in the family. They are fantastic. Hardware and software quality is top notch, battery life is fantastic and at the price they sell for they are unbeatable.
Stuff to consider: check that you're getting the global version and the bands are compatible with 4G in the UK. Most are.
The Mi A1 and A2 run Android One - pure Google android experience. Most of the others run MIUI skin, which is actually pretty nice.
I would recommend getting ones with Gorilla Glass - some of the cheaper ones don't ship with this. If you don't have this, then get glass screen protectors.

I usually order from Gearbest.
 
My 4X will probably become available at the weekend subject to a Note 5 arriving, if someone wants to dip a toe in the water at low cost. Reasons for the change: I find I'm using the device for reading more and more these days so a larger screen would be really helpful for my older eyes, and my wife also has a Note 5 already & it means that with identical phones she'll be able to find her way around more easily (she's fairly phone-phobic). Hope I don't regret this.
 
I had been thinking about the A2 lite.. £180 for 4Gb ram and 64Gb memory.. also considering the Honor 7x which is same spec for £150..
 
Great phone, only thing that you might want to be aware of is it doesn't have a headphone jack

I had been thinking about the A2 lite.. £180 for 4Gb ram and 64Gb memory.. also considering the Honor 7x which is same spec for £150..

Both the A2 Lite and 7X have headphone jacks (the A2 does not). Advantage of the A2 Lite over the 7X is the bigger battery, which should give a couple of days use, plus stock android instead of EMUI.
 
Great phone, only thing that you might want to be aware of is it doesn't have a headphone jack

Ive been using a Huawei P20 for a while now and haven’t really missed the headphone jack, the usb-c adapter for standard headphones is only a few £s on eBay/Amazon, I’ve probably got about 4 or 5 adapters attached to all my old headphones, they aren’t a hardship to use.
 
My Note 5 arrived yesterday and is now set up - Xiaomi phones have a facility to transfer files and most apps (not ALL apps though - didn't do whatsapp, expedia, XE, Endomondo, AA, Herwego, Duck Duck Go, Brave Browser, Kindle & Kobo) wirelessly between phones, and it transfers them intact with logins etc too, plus photos and other files.

This means, of course, that the 4X will be available in a couple of days. After a couple of hours using the 6" Note 5 it feels tiny and very light with a 5" screen and I'm actually already feeling sad to let it go, but I REALLY can't justify having 2 smartphones. It's been factory reset, so there's no (easy) going back. :(
 
Trying to find my missus a gold note 5 4/64 for reasonable money

£30 more on amazon for gold one....arghhhhh
 
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