Related
Hi guys,
Could anyone in the UK who has bought one of these, let me know what they think?
Where did you buy it?
Did it work straight out of the box without any flashing needed?
Which ROM came installed on it?
Does Google Play store work fine?
Any issues with Banking Apps?
Does Android Pay work ok on it?
I need to choose between this one, and the Huawei Mate 9.
Thanks to anyone who can take time to give me their opinion of it now they have one.
greatcapp said:
Hi guys,
Could anyone in the UK who has bought one of these, let me know what they think?
Where did you buy it?
Did it work straight out of the box without any flashing needed?
Which ROM came installed on it?
Does Google Play store work fine?
Any issues with Banking Apps?
Does Android Pay work ok on it?
I need to choose between this one, and the Huawei Mate 9.
Thanks to anyone who can take time to give me their opinion of it now they have one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Considering there are only two variants of the device (4/128 & 6/256) available, I don't see how a "UK" buyer's opinion would be any different from that of others.
Now, to answer your questions, most buyers here, have bought from Chinavasion and Flosmall as they have ready stock and promise fast shipping. Wondamobile is also recommended by many and their prices are inclusive of import charges. The price you pay on Wondamobile is the final price. Flosmall also offers a similar option if you choose to opt for their "EU customs insurance". If you opt for this, they claim that they will refund any import charges paid to customs minus DHL's clearance processing charges, within 1 business day of submitting the customs invoice to them.
2. It will work straight out of the box without the need for any flashing as most vendors ship it with a customized ROM with Google services pre-installed. There are no issues with the vendor ROM but it is recommended that you switch to the EU beta ROM or one of the custom ROMs available, if you need updates.
3. Android Pay should work on phones with bootloader locked. If your phone comes with an unlocked bootloader, its fairly easy to relock it using Fastboot.
And when you compare the Mix with the Mate 9,
Mate 9 - Pros
The Mate 9 has a slightly better quality IPS display. (Same FHD resolution, but higher pixel density due to smaller 5.9inch screen, slightly better contrast and colors.) - Source: GSMArena Display Tests. The Perceived quality difference is almost negligible though. The Mix also has one of the best FHD IPS panels in the market.
I have compared both displays side by side and both look equally great. So its up to you to decide whether numbers matter.
The Mate 9 has one of the best cameras on a flagship phone. So if you are someone who takes a lot of photos, the Mix isn't for you.
Expandable Storage via Microsd on the Mate 9, but do you need more than 256 GB of UFS 2.1 Fast onboard storage on the Mix?
Mate 9 - Cons
The Mate 9 has a Kirin 960 processor. While CPU speed is close to the Snapdragon 821, the GPU is slightly weaker. The main drawback however, is that the Kirin Chipset is not as developer friendly as a Snapdragon.
There are fewer custom ROMS for Custom designed chipsets like Huawei's Kirin and Samsung's Exynos. Any stable custom ROMS you find will be based on the base OS.
Forget stable AOSP\CM\Lineage OS development. Most developers prefer Snapdragon.
Once\If Xiaomi releases the kernel sources for the Mix, the device will definitely be open to development. This is one of the reasons why I chose the Mix over the Mate 9. I've used Samsung phones before and none of them had decent custom ROMS due to the Exynos chipset. So I wanted a Snapdragon based device as development makes your device more future proof.
The International Version of the Mate 9, MHA-L29 only has 4GB RAM at the moment. There are rumours of a 6GB L29 Variant though. As of now, only the Chinese variant (MHA- AL00) has 6GB RAM and 128GB Storage. While 4GB of RAM is more than sufficient, almost every flagship this year will come with 6GB as a minimum. So the Mix is more future-proof.
Smaller battery (4000maH) compared to the 4400mah battery of the Mix. And the Mix has excellent battery life.
While the design of the Mate 9 is decent, it isn't a head-turner like the Mix!
Hope this helps.
Cheers!
greatcapp said:
Hi guys,
Could anyone in the UK who has bought one of these, let me know what they think?
Where did you buy it?
Did it work straight out of the box without any flashing needed?
Which ROM came installed on it?
Does Google Play store work fine?
Any issues with Banking Apps?
Does Android Pay work ok on it?
I need to choose between this one, and the Huawei Mate 9.
Thanks to anyone who can take time to give me their opinion of it now they have one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok bought mine from gearbest paid £520 with the shipping 4g/128 via China post, took a bit longer but no custom payment. Bootloader unlocked so no android pay, PayPal works fine. I removed vendor rom because you don't get any updates. Installed Chinese stable ROM and Google play from mi market and it was fine. Have now installed EU ROM and wish I had done it before comes with play store. Depending on which network your on 4g works great, might struggle with o2 or Vodafone in most places. Bootloader can be relocked easily if you follow all the guides. Glad to own the mi mix.
Damn OP, how did you not thank this guy for his super detailed answer? He's the most helpful guy around here :laugh:
Thanks for the detailed replies guys, much appreciated,
I was looking at using Wonda Mobile and it seems that they ship it with Chinese ROM with Google Play installed.
They say it's not rooted, but does that mean either way that the bootloader is locked/unlocked, or is that entirely different (I''ve been very out of touch with rooting now, it's been years since I've done that)?
Would Chinese ROM stilll have English language on it if I wasn't confident in flashing the EU ROM? (I'll search for an idiot's guide to re-flash the phone).
Oh, and one more thing, the fact that it has no speaker at the top of the handset for making/receiving calls - I understand that the screen vibrates to allow you to hear (kind of). Does it actually work ok in real life?
Thanks again.
greatcapp said:
Thanks for the detailed replies guys, much appreciated,
I was looking at using Wonda Mobile and it seems that they ship it with Chinese ROM with Google Play installed.
They say it's not rooted, but does that mean either way that the bootloader is locked/unlocked, or is that entirely different (I''ve been very out of touch with rooting now, it's been years since I've done that)?
Would Chinese ROM stilll have English language on it if I wasn't confident in flashing the EU ROM? (I'll search for an idiot's guide to re-flash the phone).
Oh, and one more thing, the fact that it has no speaker at the top of the handset for making/receiving calls - I understand that the screen vibrates to allow you to hear (kind of). Does it actually work ok in real life?
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The official Chinese ROM doesn't have Google play pre-installed. So its most probably a Vendor-customized ROM they are referring to. I bought mine from Chinavasion. It came with a Vendor ROM but it wasn't rooted and bootloader was locked. But there are others who received the device with bootloader unlocked. The phones don't come rooted though. You can always unlock and re-lock bootloader as its a fairly simple process once you receive your unlock code from Xiaomi. You need an unlocked bootloader for flashing ROMS and modifying core system files. So, it isn't a necessity unless you wish to switch ROMS.
The Vendor ROM is a multi-language ROM, so English is definitely there.
Regarding the earpiece, no issues whatsoever. As the sound isn't channeled through a dedicated earpiece, it may sound like the phone is in hands-free mode (The intensity of the sound is the same, no matter wherever you place your ear on the phone during a call) but otherwise no issues. It works quite well.
satishp said:
The official Chinese ROM doesn't have Google play pre-installed. So its most probably a Vendor-customized ROM they are referring to. I bought mine from Chinavasion. It came with a Vendor ROM but it wasn't rooted and bootloader was locked. But there are others who received the device with bootloader unlocked. The phones don't come rooted though. You can always unlock and re-lock bootloader as its a fairly simple process once you receive your unlock code from Xiaomi. You need an unlocked bootloader for flashing ROMS and modifying core system files. So, it isn't a necessity unless you wish to switch ROMS.
The Vendor ROM is a multi-language ROM, so English is definitely there.
Regarding the earpiece, no issues whatsoever. As the sound isn't channelled through a dedicated earpiece, it may sound like the phone is on hands-free mode (The intensity of the sound is the same, no matter wherever you place your ear on the phone during a call) but otherwise no issues. It works quite well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once again, many thanks for your input. I'll give it some thought over the next few days and maybe take the plunge. :good:
greatcapp said:
Once again, many thanks for your input. I'll give it some thought over the next few days and maybe take the plunge. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I say if you're not willing to flash from vendor rom don't get 1 it may have English language but not UK only US which causes a few problems. If you really want one just flash EU or globe ROM
jazz452 said:
I say if you're not willing to flash from vendor rom don't get 1 it may have English language but not UK only US which causes a few problems. If you really want one just flash EU or globe ROM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your input.
What sort of issues do you think it may cause me?
I may be willing to go to the EU ROM I'm just a little wary having not tried rooting/flashing etc in many years now.
greatcapp said:
Thanks for your input.
What sort of issues do you think it may cause me?
I may be willing to go to the EU ROM I'm just a little wary having not tried rooting/flashing etc in many years now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think you would face any issues by selecting US English! The only issue you may face with language set as "English US" instead of "English UK" may be slight variations in spelling of certain words.
For example, COLOR is the preferred spelling in American English whereas "COLOUR" is preferred when the phone uses UK English.
I don't know whether these minor differences matter to a lot of people but it most certainly doesn't affect user experience. I don't think this should even be a deciding factor when buying a phone.
Play store content is localized based on location data reported by Google's location services. So you aren't even missing out on anything and you will full have access to the UK Play store.
You can still utilize every feature of the device regardless of what language you've chosen. Hope you get the point.
But if you really need to have UK English on the device, you can always flash the EU ROM using one of the guides. Its a fairly simple process.
And regarding the Vendor ROM, a vendor wouldn't sell the device with a broken ROM. The ROM which came pre-installed on my device didn't have any issues. It didn't even have any Chinese bloatware.
My point is, the vendor ROM is perfectly fine until you feel the need to update to a newer software version. Most people import phones from China and use it with the Vendor ROM without any issues.
Its just a minority here on XDA and other forums who actually take the time and effort to flash ROMS and updates.
Cheers!
satishp said:
I don't think you would face any issues by selecting US English! The only issue you may face with language set as "English US" instead of "English UK" may be slight variations in spelling of certain words.
For example, COLOR is the preferred spelling in American English whereas "COLOUR" is preferred when the phone uses UK English.
I don't know whether these minor differences matter to a lot of people but it most certainly doesn't affect user experience. I don't think this should even be a deciding factor when buying a phone.
Play store content is localized based on location data reported by Google's location services. So you aren't even missing out on anything and you will full have access to the UK Play store.
You can still utilize every feature of the device regardless of what language you've chosen. Hope you get the point.
But if you really need to have UK English on the device, you can always flash the EU ROM using one of the guides. Its a fairly simple process.
And regarding the Vendor ROM, a vendor wouldn't sell the device with a broken ROM. The ROM which came pre-installed on my device didn't have any issues. It didn't even have any Chinese bloatware.
My point is, the vendor ROM is perfectly fine until you feel the need to update to a newer software version. Most people import phones from China and use it with the Vendor ROM without any issues.
Its just a minority here on XDA and other forums who actually take the time and effort to flash ROMS and updates.
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some banking apps don't work properly with language set English US, like PayPal which I use for work all the time, can still use it but can't use mobile pin, have to put full password in with caps and number's.
jazz452 said:
Some banking apps don't work properly with language set English US, like PayPal which I use for work all the time, can still use it but can't use mobile pin, have to put full password in with caps and number's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're referring to the issue where you can't login to the app using mobile number and PIN, that seems to be an old PayPal bug from 2014 where language had to match account location. Wonder why they haven't fixed it yet.
So technically, its an APP related bug which has got nothing to do with the ROM and looks like its an issue specific to the Paypal app. Haven't heard of similar issues with other apps.
But its good that you pointed this out in case the OP also uses the PayPal app. In this case, he may have to use the EU ROM I guess.
satishp said:
If you're referring to the issue where you can't login to the app using mobile number and PIN, that seems to be an old PayPal bug from 2014 where language had to match account location. Wonder why they haven't fixed it yet.
So technically, its an APP related bug which has got nothing to do with the ROM and looks like its an issue specific to the Paypal app. Haven't heard of similar issues with other apps.
But its good that you pointed this out in case the OP also uses the PayPal app. In this case, he may have to use the EU ROM I guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was a nightmare having to login 20 time's a day without mobile pin. With globe or EU ROM no problems when English UK language set.
satishp said:
I don't think you would face any issues by selecting US English! The only issue you may face with language set as "English US" instead of "English UK" may be slight variations in spelling of certain words.
For example, COLOR is the preferred spelling in American English whereas "COLOUR" is preferred when the phone uses UK English.
I don't know whether these minor differences matter to a lot of people but it most certainly doesn't affect user experience. I don't think this should even be a deciding factor when buying a phone.
Play store content is localized based on location data reported by Google's location services. So you aren't even missing out on anything and you will full have access to the UK Play store.
You can still utilize every feature of the device regardless of what language you've chosen. Hope you get the point.
But if you really need to have UK English on the device, you can always flash the EU ROM using one of the guides. Its a fairly simple process.
And regarding the Vendor ROM, a vendor wouldn't sell the device with a broken ROM. The ROM which came pre-installed on my device didn't have any issues. It didn't even have any Chinese bloatware.
My point is, the vendor ROM is perfectly fine until you feel the need to update to a newer software version. Most people import phones from China and use it with the Vendor ROM without any issues.
Its just a minority here on XDA and other forums who actually take the time and effort to flash ROMS and updates.
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great info. Thank you very much. I'm thinking I might go for it in a day or so. :good:
Something else I am curious about. THe aspect ratio of the phone is 17:9 instead of the usual 16:9. What issues if any, does this bring? Would a standard music app (maybe PlayerPro or GoneMad player) or a banking app (Barclays etc) or even apps like Google Maps, GMail etc open full screen or wou;d there be black bars at the top or bottom where they might be designed for the more standard 16:9 screen? I understand that video in 16:9 would obviously need to have the back bars at the sides (when vieiwing landscape). Thanks.
greatcapp said:
Something else I am curious about. THe aspect ratio of the phone is 17:9 instead of the usual 16:9. What issues if any, does this bring? Would a standard music app (maybe PlayerPro or GoneMad player) or a banking app (Barclays etc) or even apps like Google Maps, GMail etc open full screen or wou;d there be black bars at the top or bottom where they might be designed for the more standard 16:9 screen? I understand that video in 16:9 would obviously need to have the back bars at the sides (when vieiwing landscape). Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The aspect ratio doesn't affect any apps. All apps and games adapt to the aspect ratio. That extra bit of the 17:9 aspect ratio is used by the Navbar
Like you've mentioned, the only time you would notice black borders, is when watching videos as most videos use a 16:9 ratio. But this isn't a deal-breaker as you'll hardly notice it considering these bars are very small and appear on each side, which is less distracting compared to those ugly big bars on the top and bottom when watching 4:3 content on 16:9 screens. Moreover, the display has excellent contrast and blacks for an IPS panel.
Nothing to worry here!
So I went for it, & it arrived yesterday.
I'm liking it so far, even though it's a lot of work for me to get everything going. Very often, for a lot of apps (ie Android Pay, GOSMS, Gmail, and many others), to get them working properly, i have to go into Settings/Permissions/Permissions/Permissions Tab/ and then into lots of settings inside there & change to "Accept" for anything to work properly. Is that normal?
greatcapp said:
So I went for it, & it arrived yesterday.
I'm liking it so far, even though it's a lot of work for me to get everything going. Very often, for a lot of apps (ie Android Pay, GOSMS, Gmail, and many others), to get them working properly, i have to go into Settings/Permissions/Permissions/Permissions Tab/ and then into lots of settings inside there & change to "Accept" for anything to work properly. Is that normal?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes normal.
greatcapp said:
Hi guys,
Could anyone in the UK who has bought one of these, let me know what they think?
Where did you buy it?
Did it work straight out of the box without any flashing needed?
Which ROM came installed on it?
Does Google Play store work fine?
Any issues with Banking Apps?
Does Android Pay work ok on it?
I need to choose between this one, and the Huawei Mate 9.
Thanks to anyone who can take time to give me their opinion of it now they have one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought mine from Eglobal Central.
No flashing required.
It came with the stock Chinese ROM (which includes English).
Google Play works fine once you install it from the Mi Market.
No issues with banking apps.
I've not installed Android Pay, but I've set up contacless payment using my Barclaycard and the Barclaycard app. I've not actually used it yet, but the app does a compatibility check and says it should work fine.
Moandal said:
I bought mine from Eglobal Central.
No flashing required.
It came with the stock Chinese ROM (which includes English).
Google Play works fine once you install it from the Mi Market.
No issues with banking apps.
I've not installed Android Pay, but I've set up contacless payment using my Barclaycard and the Barclaycard app. I've not actually used it yet, but the app does a compatibility check and says it should work fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it came without play store android pay might work, if it comes with play store usually vendor ROM and definitely don't work.
Hello, I'm looking for an opinion on this phone. I have had an offer through my carrier to upgrade early, and am interested in this device. This is aimed at members who have bought through the 3 network in the UK.
What's the software experience like?
IS GOOGLE PAY WORKING? (Important)
Are there ads everywhere?
Is there any major drawbacks?
Have you felt the need to modify your phone, or have you just installed some 3rd party apps?
Hopefully I can gain a opinion. I'm coming from a Huawei Mate 9, which is running Oreo 8.0 with EMUI 8.0 on top.
Thanks for your time
3 UK is selling BRANDED devices which aren't running official Xiaomi firmware. So you won't get timely updates. Apparently 3 UK take forever to release updates.
Use the search function it's come up a couple times.
Hey, I bought the Mi 8 from Three UK two weeks ago. Cheaper than official Mi Store and it came with a Mi Band 3.
I didn't know before but apparently all Xiaomi phones from Three come with a Vendor ROM. It's the global ROM modified by Three. I have not seen any app or specific config for Three on it, but as a vendor ROM all updates need to be "approved" by Three before a release, and yes they are very slow on this. That's annoying. I'm waiting to flash the Official ROM, to receive updates directly from Xiaomi.
I liked the device, the screen is very good, battery lasts 2 days on average usage, camera is amazing, very well built phone.
I thought that MIUI would be very different from stock Android, but not really. My previous phone was a OnePlus 3, very close to stock, but MIUI is intuitive, easy to use, it has indeed extra apps (for gallery, cleaner, security, etc) but some are useful. You don't have an app drawer, but I installed the Poco launcher and it works perfectly.
I don't use Google Pay, but I believe you can use without problems, I have the app installed.
There are ads in some Mi apps but you can easily set to hide them.
My opinion, I recommend the phone. But if you want to pay it in full, buy it from Mi Store UK. You'll have all the warranty and official firmware installed. If you want to go for a contract, you have the option to stick with the Three firmware or flash the official one afterwards (I bought a pay as you go phone because I'm not on Three network, so I'm waiting the cooling period from Xiaomi to unlock it and flash the official ROM, I'm sure that will avoid the warranty, but to be honest I never needed to use it on any phone, so I'm fine with it).
Cheers man, if you have any questions let me know.
If you want the best deal possible order the global variant from China via gearbest.
Use priority line as shipping method to avoiding customs charges.
338€ for 6/128gb variant with voucher code GBMPOI80
https://www.gearbest.com/cell-phones/pp_009493800071.html?wid=1349303
Got mine the other day, phone is okay, software is terrible, I have debloated as much as I can, also network seems alright with Three. What I'm really annoyed with is the lack of HD video streaming. I was aware that Netflix didn't work, but literally all other apps only display SD content which is a disgrace on a HDR 10 compliant screen.
mbgrandi;78598428 If you want to go for a contract said:
Thanks for your input, how exactly do/are you going about flashing the official firmware?
And yes I will be buying through 3, not outright, but as a contract.
I'm not exactly a complete noob, as I used to tinker quite a bit, but with Sony phones, flashing ROMs, rooting, but that was back in ICS-Marshmallow days. I was gonna mod my mate 9 but then Huawei blocked doing anything.
Sent from my Huawei Mate 9 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, basically I'm following these steps:
1) Apply for the unlock via Xiaomi unlock tool, you can find it at: h t t p s :/ / en.m i u i.com/unlock/
Usually it takes 360hrs to complete. After that time you can unlock the bootloader.
2) Download the Mi 8 Global ROM (fastboot version) and the Mi Flash Tool at: h t t p : / / e n .miui.com/a-234.html
3) Flash the ROM using the flash tool selecting "clean all and lock". This is the important part because it will re-lock the bootloader afterwards. So you will have the global official ROM with a locked device (important to use google pay, bank apps, etc).
Here is a guide that might be helpful: h t t p s : / / w w w .technobuzz.net/re-lock-bootloader-on-any-xiaomi/
I'm planning to do this during next week, when the 360hrs period expires.
I heard from guys on the Xiaomi forum that it's possible, so I'm quite curious to check it out.
I keep you updated if it was successful or not!
Metallijim said:
Thanks for your input, how exactly do/are you going about flashing the official firmware?
And yes I will be buying through 3, not outright, but as a contract.
I'm not exactly a complete noob, as I used to tinker quite a bit, but with Sony phones, flashing ROMs, rooting, but that was back in ICS-Marshmallow days. I was gonna mod my mate 9 but then Huawei blocked doing anything.
Sent from my Huawei Mate 9 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
I bought mine through Argos ( UK mi 8 pro) I will not purchase Xiaomi again, The camera is at best only average. Yes it has, (so called) top specs but it fails on the basics.
I'm so very disappointed.
Hey! I have a Mi8 from three. I just unlocked the bootloaded and flashed the standard global rom over the top of the Three one and clean and relocked it and it's great.
I'd say go for it!
---------- Post added at 11:52 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:50 AM ----------
mbgrandi said:
Hey, basically I'm following these steps:
1) Apply for the unlock via Xiaomi unlock tool, you can find it at: h t t p s :/ / en.m i u i.com/unlock/
Usually it takes 360hrs to complete. After that time you can unlock the bootloader.
2) Download the Mi 8 Global ROM (fastboot version) and the Mi Flash Tool at: h t t p : / / e n .miui.com/a-234.html
3) Flash the ROM using the flash tool selecting "clean all and lock". This is the important part because it will re-lock the bootloader afterwards. So you will have the global official ROM with a locked device (important to use google pay, bank apps, etc).
Here is a guide that might be helpful: h t t p s : / / w w w .technobuzz.net/re-lock-bootloader-on-any-xiaomi/
I'm planning to do this during next week, when the 360hrs period expires.
I heard from guys on the Xiaomi forum that it's possible, so I'm quite curious to check it out.
I keep you updated if it was successful or not!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is possible. I did it literally yesterday! Worked a charm!
---------- Post added at 11:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:52 AM ----------
koloure2211 said:
Hello,
I bought mine through Argos ( UK mi 8 pro) I will not purchase Xiaomi again, The camera is at best only average. Yes it has, (so called) top specs but it fails on the basics.
I'm so very disappointed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Camera is fantastic for the price. I mean you could spend £1000 on a phone but who the heck wants to do that?!?!?!
Hey!
I did it yesterday as well.... Working perfectly. I really recommend to do that. Three will not release any update very soon, so go for it!
I really liked MIUI 10 btw.
Cheers
horsetastic said:
Hey! I have a Mi8 from three. I just unlocked the bootloaded and flashed the standard global rom over the top of the Three one and clean and relocked it and it's great.
I'd say go for it!
---------- Post added at 11:52 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:50 AM ----------
It is possible. I did it literally yesterday! Worked a charm!
---------- Post added at 11:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:52 AM ----------
Camera is fantastic for the price. I mean you could spend £1000 on a phone but who the heck wants to do that?!?!?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine was from Argos, so is global not tethered to any network.
mbgrandi said:
Hey!
I did it yesterday as well.... Working perfectly. I really recommend to do that. Three will not release any update very soon, so go for it!
I really liked MIUI 10 btw.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just noticed you're the same chap that commented on my post on the Xiaomi forums about this topic.
Glad to hear of another success!
What's odd is that Three had stopped doing this to phones some time ago so it's odd that they're doing it again now.
Oh that's true!
Thanks for the follow up, so far so good.
Cheers
horsetastic said:
Just noticed you're the same chap that commented on my post on the Xiaomi forums about this topic.
Glad to hear of another success!
What's odd is that Three had stopped doing this to phones some time ago so it's odd that they're doing it again now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi. I've been looking for this information for a WHILE man. It drove me nuts not having MIUI 11 after all this time. Will try flashing the rom via fastboot. THANKS!
does anyone use xiaomi mi8 on three uk network ?? can you say what your apn setting is? I was able to launch xiaomi mi8 running volte + wifi calling. but lately I have a problem with coverage. 4g speed is tragically weak/slow .. I have max 6mb / s where in the same place the iphone 8plus is 20mb / s ..
I checked on speedtest.net with the same server. From what i noticed xiaomi mi8 works only showing 4g there is no 3g where iphone 8plus has better internet even for 3g
kacluk said:
does anyone use xiaomi mi8 on three uk network ?? can you say what your apn setting is? I was able to launch xiaomi mi8 running volte + wifi calling. but lately I have a problem with coverage. 4g speed is tragically weak/slow .. I have max 6mb / s where in the same place the iphone 8plus is 20mb / s ..
I checked on speedtest.net with the same server. From what i noticed xiaomi mi8 works only showing 4g there is no 3g where iphone 8plus has better internet even for 3g
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey,
Three is really bad in some areas. I switched to EE with no regrets. I still have my old sim card from Three, I've attached the APN settings.
Cheers
Flashing Global Rom
Hi. I have just bought an Mi8 off ebay which is originally from three UK and has a locked bootloader then the three global MIUI ROM. Can someone definitely confirm that if I unlock the bootloader and flash the latest global ROM using miflash and relock the bootloader it won't brick. I've only ever had Xiaomi phones from China so have never relocked the bootloader when flashing roms. This phone is for my wife and I'd like to just give her a regular global ROM with bootloader locked if possible as she won't want to tinker with the phone and just wants something stable and reliable. Thanks.
Hello!
Im seriously considering buying this phone. I was just going to buy a new one plus 5t but then I heard about this phone. After much digging around I just had some general questions that would help me decide if I should go for the Redmi K 20 pro or One plus 5T. Since im trying to stay below the 450 price range
1. I heard the usb port isn't actually USB Type C but USB 2.0 for file transfers. Meaning super slow file transfer speeds, is this true/noticeable?
2. I heard theres a missing band. Does this affect LTE use in the US in any-way with T-Mobile?
3. At aliexpress is "global rom version" just xiaomi.eu pre-loaded onto the phone? Im not sure which one I should buy China or "global"
(Found here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/330...chweb0_0,searchweb201602_6,searchweb201603_53)
4. Does the xiaomi.eu version receive stable ota updates, are they based on the updates released officially from xiaomi made for the redmi K20 pro?
Do these updates have any issues? If I must manually update, is it recommended to wipe data before every update? Will I have to reinstall twrp every-time?
5. Is there a stable root/ can I still update with root?
6. Does the phone come with a locked bootloader and do I have to go through a 7 day wait period to unlock it?
7. I noticed there is a theme store. Does that work on the xiaomi.eu version. I wont get a phone without a true black theme option, (not like "google's dark mode" which is just a bluesish gray kind of thing. ) Are the themes comparable to one plus accent colors or substratums themes. Id want a phone that can go true black with the option to make settings/notification panel/dialer icon colors uniform. Something like the screen shots attached:
I know it might seem kind of silly but having some cool themes is important to me. Which is why I like the one plus with its true blacks and accent colors + complete subtratum support. But if something similar is obtainable with the redmi the would be great.
So ya if anyone has any input with these questions that would be fantastic
Thanks so much!
CollinsB said:
Hello!
Im seriously considering buying this phone. I was just going to buy a new one plus 5t but then I heard about this phone. After much digging around I just had some general questions that would help me decide if I should go for the Redmi K 20 pro or One plus 5T. Since im trying to stay below the 450 price range
1. I heard the usb port isn't actually USB Type C but USB 2.0 for file transfers. Meaning super slow file transfer speeds, is this true/noticeable?
2. I heard theres a missing band. Does this affect LTE use in the US in any-way with T-Mobile?
3. At aliexpress is "global rom version" just xiaomi.eu pre-loaded onto the phone? Im not sure which one I should buy China or "global"
(Found here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/330...chweb0_0,searchweb201602_6,searchweb201603_53)
4. Does the xiaomi.eu version receive stable ota updates, are they based on the updates released officially from xiaomi made for the redmi K20 pro?
Do these updates have any issues? If I must manually update, is it recommended to wipe data before every update? Will I have to reinstall twrp every-time?
5. Is there a stable root/ can I still update with root?
6. Does the phone come with a locked bootloader and do I have to go through a 7 day wait period to unlock it?
7. I noticed there is a theme store. Does that work on the xiaomi.eu version. I wont get a phone without a true black theme option, (not like "google's dark mode" which is just a bluesish gray kind of thing. ) Are the themes comparable to one plus accent colors or substratums themes. Id want a phone that can go true black with the option to make settings/notification panel/dialer icon colors uniform. Something like the screen shots attached:
I know it might seem kind of silly but having some cool themes is important to me. Which is why I like the one plus with its true blacks and accent colors + complete subtratum support. But if something similar is obtainable with the redmi the would be great.
So ya if anyone has any input with these questions that would be fantastic
Thanks so much!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
0 LTE bands for T-Mobile so you would have a 3G phone
954wrecker said:
0 LTE bands for T-Mobile so you would have a 3G phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh wow. So i guess one plus 5t for me then
Thanks!
I don't know about US. But I live in Canada and currently I have full 4g speeds on Telus/Koodo although I was told that 3g is the max I will get .
Device transfer speeds are better on par than oneplus6 which I use at my work phone.
If you are willing to import the k20 pro, why not go for an oneplus 7 (Not pro) for the same price?
Phone have only Global ROM not global LTE HW! Just wait for Global version ... try this: https://www.kimovil.com/en/frequency-checker/GB/xiaomi-redmi-855 but there is still CHINA verion only
Lets wait for global version and some ROM without MIUI
It does have usb c port just not 3.1, only a few phones have it such as the OP7 Pro.
Some deciding questions of mine as well ..
I am considering getting the China version for its price, but I need to know that I will be able to switch the OS to the global version, and hopefully flash Pixel Experience in it when it comes out. The former seems already possible (still need confirming if possible, I'm a newbie in all this developer talk); as to the latter, I guess the likelihood is pretty great. Right ?
Or should I just wait and buy the Mi 9T Pro when it's out ? Again, my end result intention is to have this phone running the Pixel Android, and I'd rather go cheap if I can get away with the China version (the hardware being same as global).
1. It's USB 2.0
2. I have T-Mobile, but I'm roaming in China.
3. If you import from China, you'd better choose the global ROM, at first I bought a Chinese ROM version, Chinese MIUI ROM raped me for a whole week.
4,5. I'm on EU ROM now, no need to reinstall twrp every update, you can root, but you should get root again every update.
6. I don't know, I bought it in China with stock locked bl
7. I just checked the theme store, there are some black themes, but in settings, dark mode is enough.
themostunique said:
If you are willing to import the k20 pro, why not go for an oneplus 7 (Not pro) for the same price?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because one plus 7 has a notch and no headphone jack.
locki said:
Phone have only Global ROM not global LTE HW! Just wait for Global version ... try this: https://www.kimovil.com/en/frequency-checker/GB/xiaomi-redmi-855 but there is still CHINA verion only
Lets wait for global version and some ROM without MIUI
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah thanks for this!
I checked and it seems very likely ill have a lot of trouble with 4G
Oh well
tenshikurabu said:
1. It's USB 2.0
2. I have T-Mobile, but I'm roaming in China.
3. If you import from China, you'd better choose the global ROM, at first I bought a Chinese ROM version, Chinese MIUI ROM raped me for a whole week.
4,5. I'm on EU ROM now, no need to reinstall twrp every update, you can root, but you should get root again every update.
6. I don't know, I bought it in China with stock locked bl
7. I just checked the theme store, there are some black themes, but in settings, dark mode is enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the Info!
And the dark mode looks great! Good to know if I get a xiaomi in the the future!
@CollinsB I suffer from the same dilemma, seeing that you've marked the thread *resolved* , what'd you decide??
also i would like to ask one more question, seeing that redmi phones get only one major Android upgrade (I'm using a redmi note 3(L ->M)) do you guys think it would be the same for their new flagship?
because i think op7 would probably get 2 upgrades, it makes the choice a little harder.
tenshikurabu said:
1. It's USB 2.0
2. I have T-Mobile, but I'm roaming in China.
3. If you import from China, you'd better choose the global ROM, at first I bought a Chinese ROM version, Chinese MIUI ROM raped me for a whole week.
4,5. I'm on EU ROM now, no need to reinstall twrp every update, you can root, but you should get root again every update.
6. I don't know, I bought it in China with stock locked bl
7. I just checked the theme store, there are some black themes, but in settings, dark mode is enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Folks , do not buy the fake global ROM version , I Repeat donot. The fake global versions are binded with AliExpress sellers email accounts which means if your unlocked bootloader gets locked accidently and your device is bricked there is no way to go back .
As for Chinese ROM . First there is no issue using Chinese ROM as the English option exists within the ROM and works without a glitch (including play store ) but you can still unlock bootloader and flash the EU or global version on your device .
Check this YouTube video why you shouldn't buy fake global ROM version
https://youtu.be/FQoXPLcoEfU
strangeprotocol said:
Folks , do not buy the fake global ROM version , I Repeat donot. The fake global versions are binded with AliExpress sellers email accounts which means if your unlocked bootloader gets locked accidently and your device is bricked there is no way to go back .
As for Chinese ROM . First there is no issue using Chinese ROM as the English option exists within the ROM and works without a glitch (including play store ) but you can still unlock bootloader and flash the EU or global version on your device .
Check this YouTube video why you shouldn't buy fake global ROM version
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your help, luckily I bought the stock version:angel:
kanodiatushar said:
@CollinsB I suffer from the same dilemma, seeing that you've marked the thread *resolved* , what'd you decide??
also i would like to ask one more question, seeing that redmi phones get only one major Android upgrade (I'm using a redmi note 3(L ->M)) do you guys think it would be the same for their new flagship?
because i think op7 would probably get 2 upgrades, it makes the choice a little harder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't own the phone, but i have a poco F1 which is pretty similar. Based on my experience, there will be a lot of custom roms for the K20 so android versions wont be an issue. For US residents, K20 is lacking several bands, in my case it is missing band 4, which is the main band used by my carrier(i live in central america). While you can get LTE on band 5, speeds and coverage will suffer quite a bit. Check the bands your carriers use, if the phone doesnt have them wait for global version.
kanodiatushar said:
@CollinsB I suffer from the same dilemma, seeing that you've marked the thread *resolved* , what'd you decide??
also i would like to ask one more question, seeing that redmi phones get only one major Android upgrade (I'm using a redmi note 3(L ->M)) do you guys think it would be the same for their new flagship?
because i think op7 would probably get 2 upgrades, it makes the choice a little harder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I decided on the oneplus 5T. I got it brand new for 380.
I'm loving it! :good:
Sorry to bother but are you sure it's usb 2 for file transfer and usb-c for charging?
I was planning to buy the 256GB version but if it's really usb 2 that would be a waste. I don't mind if it's not usb 3.1, I was hoping for at least usb 3
would you mind double-checking?
thanks a lot
tenshikurabu said:
1. It's USB 2.0
2. I have T-Mobile, but I'm roaming in China.
3. If you import from China, you'd better choose the global ROM, at first I bought a Chinese ROM version, Chinese MIUI ROM raped me for a whole week.
4,5. I'm on EU ROM now, no need to reinstall twrp every update, you can root, but you should get root again every update.
6. I don't know, I bought it in China with stock locked bl
7. I just checked the theme store, there are some black themes, but in settings, dark mode is enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a question too.
Being that the bootloader being unlockable..
Is there a reason we haven't seen any custom roms.?
An issue with sources.
I'm planning for doing development for this device. So this would be a make or break for me..
Thanks
infomedia0 said:
I have a question too.
Being that the bootloader being unlockable..
Is there a reason we haven't seen any custom roms.?
An issue with sources.
I'm planning for doing development for this device. So this would be a make or break for me..
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The device hasn't been launched globally yet, and with it's launch set for India soon, im sure a lot of good/cool devs are gonna pick it up.
im counting on that too. It would take atleast a month or so for proper development to begin after launch, i think.
sorry, a rare poster here but an avid reader! i'm sorry if this is in the wrong place but cannot for the life of me find any answer anywhere on the internet. i was hoping to get android 10 for my s10 5g. upon seeing sammobiles listings i happened accross a btu version which i assumed was united kingdom. was shocked to find aussie bloatware on it. is there a standard version for the uk or do they all have telstra bloatware on them? for the record i have a sm-g977b s10 5g provided by o2, unlocked. not fussed about a o2 version of the fw. just a standard light copy. any ideas and help much appreciated and apologies if posted in the wrong section, this place is a maze
cosmic1 said:
sorry, a rare poster here but an avid reader! i'm sorry if this is in the wrong place but cannot for the life of me find any answer anywhere on the internet. i was hoping to get android 10 for my s10 5g. upon seeing sammobiles listings i happened accross a btu version which i assumed was united kingdom. was shocked to find aussie bloatware on it. is there a standard version for the uk or do they all have telstra bloatware on them? for the record i have a sm-g977b s10 5g provided by o2, unlocked. not fussed about a o2 version of the fw. just a standard light copy. any ideas and help much appreciated and apologies if posted in the wrong section, this place is a maze
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the devices have multi csc and are usually based on region.. its possible they plan to sell that model in more places than uk.. its not uncommon for multiple carriers bloat to be in a firmware.. its usually hidden tho if not on said carrier
elliwigy said:
the devices have multi csc and are usually based on region.. its possible they plan to sell that model in more places than uk.. its not uncommon for multiple carriers bloat to be in a firmware.. its usually hidden tho if not on said carrier
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thankyou for the reply, yes that makes sense now I suppose, I'll have another go and see if I can uninstall said apps. Thankyou again
cosmic1 said:
Thankyou for the reply, yes that makes sense now I suppose, I'll have another go and see if I can uninstall said apps. Thankyou again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
with root shouldmt be a problem.. if no root then u can disable/uninstall them but the actual apks will remain on the device.
elliwigy said:
with root shouldmt be a problem.. if no root then u can disable/uninstall them but the actual apks will remain on the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks elliwigy, yes I think they maybe disableable so I'll go with that. Not brave enough to root
Hi again. I thought i^d post here seeing as its still easy to find, i still have the s10 5g sm-g977b with a o2 fw
really looking forward to receiving android 11 but it seems o2 are totally pathetic at releasing updates so I'm still desperately looking for a android 10 uk btu file without the telstra bloatware to install. any ideas if there is one about? retried downloading the 10 btu and xeu but even to this day telstra bloat still exists on them. sure it never used to be like this. anyway, thought id ask some brighter minds a year or so later to see if there's one I've missed. thanks in advance for any help
I haven't updated my phone's firmware in ages but this is the version I've got on my BTU, it didn't come with any Telstra stuff https://www.sammobile.com/samsung/galaxy-s10-5g/firmware/SM-G977B/BTU/download/G977BXXU2BSL2/307374/
I'm currently downloading the brand new Android 11 firmware for BTU from the same site, but they weren't kidding about the free download being slow (5+ hours).
FWIW I successfully installed the above mentioned Android 11 fw on my phone (patching the image with magisk before flashing), and it doesn't have any network bloatware at least on my phone (UK BTU).
Firmware link: https://www.sammobile.com/samsung/g.../SM-G977B/BTU/download/G977BXXU6EUA4/1312510/
Google drive mirror to save you a few hours: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ex82Kn1w_yAv00hmSHFXqXNRXbYRvDAP/view?usp=sharing
I am considering selling European version and buying Chinese one. Can the Chinese version do call recording ?
Is it allowed on their androids or android 10 doesn't allow it to any part of the world ?
I don't know, I used to have a Mate 20 Pro (mexican version with carrier firmware), and with the apk for call recording was enough... maybe if there's a way to retrieve the apk from the chinese version (if there's any), it might be possible...
yes i have that exact model ... work 100 %
death365 said:
yes i have that exact model ... work 100 %
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How to access the settings page?
death365 said:
yes i have that exact model ... work 100 %
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Do you share call recording apk here?
It still won't work on non Chinese versions
Phone then settings
capcase said:
How to access the settings page?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
death365 said:
yes i have that exact model ... work 100 %
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG ! - Mate, do you know how to extract recorder.apk from that and share it here
PS - I found chinese ROM but I extracting APKs from rom file is way too difficult for me. If anyone can help with that I am willing to share that ROM file.
death365 said:
yes i have that exact model ... work 100 %
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any chance you know how to extract APK from your phone so others can try installing it ? Can it be done simply like copying APK or it has to be extracted from ROM file...
PS - (I have ROM file, just dont' know how to open DATA files from inside, any help appreciated)
death365 said:
Phone then settings
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see it. Hmmmm
Sathelp said:
It still won't work on non Chinese versions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He's talking about Mexican career. I have ELS-N39 not the UK one. I'd like to try but - can you enlighten us a bit why it won't work to spare me of trying ??
Because it's only Chinese variant that it is enabled. In the past when you could unlock the bootloader and change regions, you could change between Chinese and any other area and back and it only works on the Chinese version. It must be restricted in the ROM. I've had Chinese versions with it working, extracted the file and tried on a non Chinese version and it fails installation every time.
I use ACR on non Chinese versions, works ok but callers voice needs turning up.
Try if you want. I'm sure that everyone would appreciate a working version of Huawei call recorder on their phones, it just works perfectly but please feel free to try and feedback to us your findings as this question comes up with every model.
If you do a search, I extracted Android 9 and 10 version to the forum in the past and I can get my Mate 30 pro fired up and extract it again if you want.
In fact here it is attached, Android 10 version from my Chinese Mate 30 Pro. Let us all know how you get on.
Sathelp said:
In fact here it is attached, Android 10 version from my Chinese Mate 30 Pro. Let us all know how you get on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Installation failed...!
The parser did not find any certificates in the installation package.
Exactly, that is what happens on a non Chinese version
Sathelp said:
In fact here it is attached, Android 10 version from my Chinese Mate 30 Pro. Let us all know how you get on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. What you have described earlier, I have done in the past with HTC: change region, easily using XTC tool which would allow me to have NFC, Radio and few features which were disabled on EU version.
Your story is totally believable and true; I was just hoping it might work. I'll try anyway, you know the old say "fulls don't believe anyone"
PS - I do have ACR full pro licensed version, I need call recorder to work perfectly, it's part of my job, so even if I have to buy chinese phone, be it huawei or samsung or whatever...
Btw did you know that call recording is allowed in Italy without any announcement. I am really unhappy that this phone isn't really developed properly for various EU regions.
You could always swap to a mi 10 ultra which has call recorder and a pretty near or as good camera. These have call recorder as standard but like me and many others, flash the EU ROM and get the best software options plus. And you keep the call recorder.
I have both but as Huawei are locking down so much, it tempted me away to a near equivalent but fully and actually encouraged to by Xiaomi to use custom ROMs. Check out the XDA Xiaomi mi 10 Ultra forum
Sathelp said:
You could always swap to a mi 10 ultra which has call recorder and a pretty near or as good camera. These have call recorder as standard but like me and many others, flash the EU ROM and get the best software options plus. And you keep the call recorder.
I have both but as Huawei are locking down so much, it tempted me away to a near equivalent but fully and actually encouraged to by Xiaomi to use custom ROMs. Check out the XDA Xiaomi mi 10 Ultra forum
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I may consider the mi 10 ultra, I'm in the uk so will it work on our network? Where did you buy it from?
Sent from my ELS-NX9 using Tapatalk
XDA has an active forum at https://forum.xda-developers.com/xiaomi-mi-10-ultra.
For the UK use Wondamobile as they ship to Manchester and then ship to you, so they pay any import duty, delivery in about a week from Hong Kong at a good price, other suppliers out there too.
One of the main issues in the hardware is that it has no band 20 radio. In the UK some operators change their use of band 20 from 3 to 4G, O2 being the main one that may affect you. 5G works a treat as does 4G on all other providers but with O2 and any providers that use O2 network, you won't get 4G from band 20 masts. To be honest, now that most people use 4G, the 3G throughput that it drops down to on these masts is dam good and I don't miss 4G at all. Still get Sky Q out and about via 3G. My second sim is EE and that is fine on 4G, so something to think about before buying.
The stock Chinese ROM has Google but one thing missing on this is location tracing and history. Gpay works fine on the stock ROM.
As Xiaomi encourage custom ROMs, you can unlock the bootloader. As a precaution, once you fully verify your account in mi cloud, and you start to unlock, it makes you wait 168 hours, one week, before allowing you to finish the process. Once unlocked, you can flash the Xiaomi.EU custom ROM if you want, details on the XDA forum or the Xiaomi.EU forum. Paranoid Android may be providing one too at some point. The EU version has done an excellent job on this but it does still have some work to do on CTS profile security but it does have Widevine L1 ( the stock has all security). Gpay too has a temp bug hopefully being fixed soon to but it's ok on Chinese stock and as the custom weekly or stable branches of ROM are based on the Chinese updates.
Have a read before committing. I moved over after being Huawei for a few years but with them locking the bootloader and the Google debako by USA has made me swap brands and to be honest, I am quite happy to do so, Xiaomi are making some dam good customisable phones.
Sathelp said:
XDA has an active forum at https://forum.xda-developers.com/xiaomi-mi-10-ultra.
For the UK use Wondamobile as they ship to Manchester and then ship to you, so they pay any import duty, delivery in about a week from Hong Kong at a good price, other suppliers out there too.
One of the main issues in the hardware is that it has no band 20 radio. In the UK some operators change their use of band 20 from 3 to 4G, O2 being the main one that may affect you. 5G works a treat as does 4G on all other providers but with O2 and any providers that use O2 network, you won't get 4G from band 20 masts. To be honest, now that most people use 4G, the 3G throughput that it drops down to on these masts is dam good and I don't miss 4G at all. Still get Sky Q out and about via 3G. My second sim is EE and that is fine on 4G, so something to think about before buying.
The stock Chinese ROM has Google but one thing missing on this is location tracing and history. Gpay works fine on the stock ROM.
As Xiaomi encourage custom ROMs, you can unlock the bootloader. As a precaution, once you fully verify your account in mi cloud, and you start to unlock, it makes you wait 168 hours, one week, before allowing you to finish the process. Once unlocked, you can flash the Xiaomi.EU custom ROM if you want, details on the XDA forum or the Xiaomi.EU forum. Paranoid Android may be providing one too at some point. The EU version has done an excellent job on this but it does still have some work to do on CTS profile security but it does have Widevine L1 ( the stock has all security). Gpay too has a temp bug hopefully being fixed soon to but it's ok on Chinese stock and as the custom weekly or stable branches of ROM are based on the Chinese updates.
Have a read before committing. I moved over after being Huawei for a few years but with them locking the bootloader and the Google debako by USA has made me swap brands and to be honest, I am quite happy to do so, Xiaomi are making some dam good customisable phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True that, If Huawei allow unlocking the bootloader, then their phones will rock and can be sold with people worrying about Google ban, as there will be many developers out there ready to build many custom rom with Google (GMS) Integrated