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.
Related
need some ques for firsthand users...is it laggy or smooth...hearing a lot of complaints about it...
go ahead, best phone at this price
There are touch issues with many of them, mine had also gone back to the service centre for touch repairs. Careful where you buy it from, you might not get warranty option
regret, i brought it based on its excellent specifications.
worst phone i ever had (china version).
better to buy xiaomi than lenovo, better of the worst.
saintsoh said:
regret, i brought it based on its excellent specifications.
worst phone i ever had (china version).
better to buy xiaomi than lenovo, better of the worst.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what happened with your phone? the phone was pretty good in my opinion, did everything so well, i wish the camera was better but for the price its good. I only started the have touch issues after i dropped it from about 1.5m on concrete. I had the indian version but they are identical with different names and boxes
This phone is good..
If this phone is not good then xda won't let it have its own forum..
All those developers don't develope their rom or
They don't give all those supports..
For me its awesome..
You want the truth? Here you go!
I'm an end user of this phone myself and it is literally the worst phone I had ever experience because of this Phone I had to learn how to root and install custom recovery which I never done before in quite a while on the get-go. Not to mention that I had to learn about Xposed because it lacks customisation options. The Official OS sucks the worst trully! I prefer Nexus ROM by Dr. Root better. Specs are ok for the price and if you use Nexus Custom ROM as mentioned previously you will have a lot of free space for RAM. If you are a normal end consumer who wants it easy either look for another phone OR buy an iPhone, but if you have interest in technology and wants to customise your software, look no further this is by far the best cheap phone I used so far.
Here are the MUST you need:
1) Interest in android
2) Tech Savvy
3) Learn to root in anyway possible i.e. One-click root, SP Flash tool and/or adb fastboot
4) Learn more about Xposed framework
5) Learn to flash custom recovery using mobile uncle (or anything similar), SP Flash Tool and/or adb fastboot
Optional but very effective that you don't need the previos 5
6) Have a friend that can do number 1-5.
Once a gain and I quote "If you are a normal end consumer who wants it easy either look for another phone OR buy an iPhone, but if you have interest in technology and wants to customise your software, look no further this is by far the best cheap phone I used so far.". The Official ROM is full of bloatware that hogs your RAM thus choosing a Custom ROM is compulsory.
rpgiqbal said:
I had to learn how to root and install custom recovery which I never done before in quite a while on the get-go. Not to mention that I had to learn about Xposed because it lacks customisation options. The Official OS sucks the worst trully!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No mate, you didnt have to learn it, you chose to do this yourself, you couldve simply used a stock launcher, but you didnt, you had youtube reviews showing it all, but you ignored that and still purchased the phone. The stock one isnt bad and the stock OS does not suck so dont go ahead blaming it because you didnt like it and made poor decisions.
buy an iPhone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if someone is looking at buying this phone, why would they opt for an iphone which is 5 times the price?
OP its all about preference, if you have a price range and cant go higher, go for this phone, keep in mind, it has no app drawer, but you get used to it, also if you want an app drawer or stock feel, you can always install a launcher like google launcher or nova. This phone is very good for its price and i would highly recommend it, just be warned about the touch issues many users are facing
stock OS is one of the biggest sh*t (chinese version).
the moment it is connected, if u r lucky using wifi, otherwise data connection cost money wasted on all the bloated malwares downloaded.
worst of all, lenovo game center, apps/games applicable to china only.
if it is ROW (Rest-Of-the-World) maybe better, no gapps for chinese version.
local radio (ota) cut-off every 15 minutes.
speaker too small and soft, always missed call in my pocket.
heat up every fast.
everything in chinese widgets/themes/fonts...........
weather only in china cities......
lists continue....unable to uninstall bloatware, some unable to disable............
block all bloatwares permission to data connection/wifi/auto-start run/background-run still some able to auto-run............
how good can stock os be?
nonsense, it is so bad, tats why custom roms are put up on xda......
ps;
since i had this phone, there r several major updates (chinese version) in just a few months. this will never happens to any phone makers, reasons is very simply....too many sh*tty problems.
op if u r not tech savvy or know basic linux commands, get yourself a xiaomi. at least they provide google installation apps, world-wide recognitions (not limited to regions eg. china, india, russia) and lesser problems from the go-start.
pss;
i had to use Mediatek engineering mode app to boost volume level, risk damaging to the phone speaker or my expensive head-set.
psss;
one last sh*t from lenovo.......install lenovo usb driver......it will load chinese malwares.
pssss;
i promise this will be the last of my sh*t......ROW (Rest-Of-the-World) does not means the WORLD, it meant for india and russia. if u live in these countries, its ok to buy.
Hartik said:
No mate, you didnt have to learn it, you chose to do this yourself, you couldve simply used a stock launcher, but you didnt, you had youtube reviews showing it all, but you ignored that and still purchased the phone. The stock one isnt bad and the stock OS does not suck so dont go ahead blaming it because you didnt like it and made poor decisions.
if someone is looking at buying this phone, why would they opt for an iphone which is 5 times the price?
OP its all about preference, if you have a price range and cant go higher, go for this phone, keep in mind, it has no app drawer, but you get used to it, also if you want an app drawer or stock feel, you can always install a launcher like google launcher or nova. This phone is very good for its price and i would highly recommend it, just be warned about the touch issues many users are facing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never think it was a mistake, for me. It was good that I purchase the phone with faulty ROM since I get to learn anything and everything about android. It's a win for me since the specs ain't bad.
Buy it if you want some adventure with android.
one of the Best community for a mid-range phone.
I learned a lot of things by using this phone.
From flashing custom ROMs, using SPFlash Tools(Really helpful, helped many of my friends to recover from bricking.)
I suggest you to buy this phone.
In the upcoming month or so I'll be able to afford spending about 450 to 500 euros on a new device. I'm on a tight budget and my current Galaxy A5 2017 doesn't cut it anymore. I thought that coriscanu's Pie port would've kept it alive for more but seeing as development is mostly halted, I don't find the phone that good, especially with how bad it's hardware is.
And looking out of curiosity online, I found this phone. It had practically everything I could dream of. Actually. Here are the main aspects that intrigued me regarding this device:
90 Hz Display that is also AMOLED and 6.65" big
SD855
27W Fast-Charging
THAT COOLING FAN
Headphone jack
Phone body design
Thing I'm not sure I dig:
Software
And now I'm coming forward to ask this: Is the Global version that bad? I mean, I even saw that somebody around here tried to go from NA Global to Chinese and it almost destroyed their device. Not only that, the phone lost many features from the chinese ROM, and I would like to have what the chinese ROM has minus the crap bloat and chances for the phone to die.
Is this phone really worth it in it's package or am I better of just clenching my butt cheeks for another month or two and look like something like a OP7Pro? Note: I do like this phone a lot because of the fan. I could in fact make use of it's hardware properly without the heat just killing me.
Thank you for your time and responses!
All great (and relevant) questions!
I'm in the same boat but looking more at a luxury upgrade from a OnePlus 6T, which is a great phone, so wondering if it is 'worth it'?!
It's aosp android with no features. You can root and add most features easily, except DC dimming, and gcam/raw (something is wrong with the camera the global version, haven't bothered flashing the Chinese version.)
If you've owned a Google nexus device in the past, it's a similar experience.
Secretcow said:
It's aosp android with no features. You can root and add most features easily, except DC dimming, and gcam/raw (something is wrong with the camera the global version, haven't bothered flashing the Chinese version.)
If you've owned a Google nexus device in the past, it's a similar experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No DC dimming or raw capability? Jesus. Well, I can survive with it if it comes with it's basic "gaming" utility which it does and I'm pretty sure that the chinese version of the software can be taken care of... mostly.
Well, up until now I'm still willing to go with this phone, especially if somebody makes a guide on how to go from EU Global to Chinese with working gapps.
The global version is the better version, zero bloatware. You still get the game launcher button, fan control, led strip, overclocking thing, and buttons. The Chinese version looks terrible. The hardware is capable of dc dimming.
Easiest way to flash between global and chinese versions is to:
1) Have a usb otg drive. Put rom on that.
2) Flash Chinese rom through stock recovery.
3) Unlock bootloader, etc, etc. Flash twrp. Boot into twrp right after you flash it.
4) Wipe or reflash rom, and add flash pico gaaps before rebooting.
5) If you want to go back to the global rom, you can just wipe, then flash it in twrp or stock recovery.
Thanks man!
One big question. Will anything bad happen to the phone? I mean, Samsung phones have a knox counter and that perma triggers once you root or elss.
this device has amazing specs but lack of software support. it would be amazing some custom pie or 10 roms
i don't need asus own features
i really like a pixel experience,los or omnirom the most stock android feeling rom( +120hz you will get a more buttery smooth experience)
please somebody create one
sources are available
even zenfone 6 has custom roms
Yes please !
Alessandro999 said:
this device has amazing specs but lack of software support. it would be amazing some custom pie or 10 roms
i don't need asus own features
i really like a pixel experience,los or omnirom the most stock android feeling rom( +120hz you will get a more buttery smooth experience)
please somebody create one
sources are available
even zenfone 6 has custom roms
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
one problem is TWRP hasn't even been created... Yet. And yes there really is no software support... Yet
Swarai said:
one problem is TWRP hasn't even been created... Yet. And yes there really is no software support... Yet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes exactly i really hope somebody create a tpwr and rom because sources are out
It will be nice if this phone receives TWRP and custom roms.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Didn't it JUST launch globally today?
Let's give it some time.
i really hope somebody create a stable tpwr since sources are available and the most stable rom out there like omnirom or pixel experience
preferred omnirom
IMO I don't believe it will receive support anytime soon. Unless ROG was able to convince your standard Android enthusiast that this isn't just a gaming device. People that purchase this phone are mainly interested in one thing, gaming, not development. So, ROG has to convince those types that this device is just as good as those others.
It will be interesting to have custom roms for rog. waiting also
ZeroKool76 said:
IMO I don't believe it will receive support anytime soon. Unless ROG was able to convince your standard Android enthusiast that this isn't just a gaming device. People that purchase this phone are mainly interested in one thing, gaming, not development. So, ROG has to convince those types that this device is just as good as those others.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My thoughts exactly. Custom roms are awesome but they are generally made or ported to be used by a majority of the phones out there. If we got a custom rom ie. AOSP, who would code in the air triggers from scratch?
Having said that, the stock rom is quite good. I don't have the need to root it like I did with my Mate 20X to shrink down the gigantic icons/screen because by default Asus allows a lot of customization.
n1tro said:
My thoughts exactly. Custom roms are awesome but they are generally made or ported to be used by a majority of the phones out there. If we got a custom rom ie. AOSP, who would code in the air triggers from scratch?
Having said that, the stock rom is quite good. I don't have the need to root it like I did with my Mate 20X to shrink down the gigantic icons/screen because by default Asus allows a lot of customization.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently the American version doesn't have volte or voWi-Fi as well.. that, along with the fact that it doesn't support band 71, are big reasons why your normal or typical Android enthusiast/ developer is not going to purchase this device
ZeroKool76 said:
Apparently the American version doesn't have volte or voWi-Fi as well.. that, along with the fact that it doesn't support band 71, are big reasons why your normal or typical Android enthusiast/ developer is not going to purchase this device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So does this apply to the Tengent games (CN) version too? I am getting the cheaper CN version and then going to flash the WW (Global) Rom, so essentially I guess I am asking is this a hardware omission, or is it ROM (software) based?
And how does this typically affect say a normal phone user?
It might get an update. As for band 71, I personally don't care because I won't use it all.
jkeener88 said:
So does this apply to the Tengent games (CN) version too? I am getting the cheaper CN version and then going to flash the WW (Global) Rom, so essentially I guess I am asking is this a hardware omission, or is it ROM (software) based?
And how does this typically affect say a normal phone user?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I understand it, it doesn't have to do with software or hardware, they just simply don't support volte of vowifi. In China, they do. So, it's not the device, but the companies choice. May be some restrictions that we aren't aware of, otherwise it doesn't seem like a very smart decision. I was all in until I heard this. 3G is going to be removed from our networks in the next few years, so voLTE is kind of mandatory. Even now, if I don't have voLTE, I can't make or receive calls. VoWiFi, that's beneficial if you're cell signal is low for whatever reason. Maybe you work below ground or in Faraday cage style buildings. Plenty of uses for it. As far as band 71, no, I probably don't need it. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't want it just in case. Always better to have and not need, than to need and not have.
ZeroKool76 said:
As I understand it, it doesn't have to do with software or hardware, they just simply don't support volte of vowifi. In China, they do. So, it's not the device, but the companies choice. May be some restrictions that we aren't aware of, otherwise it doesn't seem like a very smart decision. I was all in until I heard this. 3G is going to be removed from our networks in the next few years, so voLTE is kind of mandatory. Even now, if I don't have voLTE, I can't make or receive calls. VoWiFi, that's beneficial if you're cell signal is low for whatever reason. Maybe you work below ground or in Faraday cage style buildings. Plenty of uses for it. As far as band 71, no, I probably don't need it. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't want it just in case. Always better to have and not need, than to need and not have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is wrong for TMO. It's in the SW. There's an option for volte carrier check on xiaomis phones. A simple dialer code disables this check, and volte works on TMO. I'm hoping there's a way we can do this on the rog 2. That, or a build.prop edit to enable it. There has to be a setting hidden that disables volte in us.
suzook said:
This is wrong for TMO. It's in the SW. There's an option for volte carrier check on xiaomis phones. A simple dialer code disables this check, and volte works on TMO. I'm hoping there's a way we can do this on the rog 2. That, or a build.prop edit to enable it. There has to be a setting hidden that disables volte in us.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've just been reading a little bit more up on it, and apparently, ASUS didn't pay the cell carriers in North America for provisioning costs. That's why it won't work. So, regardless of software, hardware or any other type of hackery, it won't work in North America.
ZeroKool76 said:
I've just been reading a little bit more up on it, and apparently, ASUS didn't pay the cell carriers in North America for provisioning costs. That's why it won't work. So, regardless of software, hardware or any other type of hackery, it won't work in North America.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So is this just a bad/dumb move by Asus or what? I mean I honestly don't know if these omissions will affect me, all I know is I still own a Samsung until I get the Asus and was always able to use my Samsung phone how I wanted to use it
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
MIUI killed my apps in the background. I already set the battery to no restrictions, and already allow autostart. Can anybody help me on this. On latest CN rom.
I waking up late almost everyday since purchasing this phone. FFS.
amirulez.com said:
MIUI killed my apps in the background. I already set the battery to no restrictions, and already allow autostart. Can anybody help me on this. On latest CN rom.
I waking up late almost everyday since purchasing this phone. FFS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The software is simply not ready tbh
It's so bad I find myself going back to my mate 20 x to do stuff sometimes....
May be go EU ROM instead, my alarm works fine and did out of the box
I often have the same problem with my global one. I now use a 2nd alarm clock.
I do not understand people that complain about using the China rom, but do not just flash an alternative, like the Xiaomi.eu rom. The China rom does not work with many third party apps, as well as Google services. The workaround is quite simple. It's called unlocking your bootloader and flashing another rom, like the Xiaomi.eu rom.
jim262 said:
I do not understand people that complain about using the China rom, but do not just flash an alternative, like the Xiaomi.eu rom. The China rom does not work with many third party apps, as well as Google services. The workaround is quite simple. It's called unlocking your bootloader and flashing another rom, like the Xiaomi.eu rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mate, i'm with official Vodafone variant, 12.5.1.0 RKAEUVF, completely stock and i have the same problem. And i have two Mi11 Ultra phones - mine and my girl's phone. Both of them have the same issues. Most of the times the alarm doesn't go off. It's weird because if i use third party app it works, but the stock one doesn't. Good thing i have my old phone to use it as alarm. I contacted Xiaomi UK about it, made a official complaint and they are very aware of the problem. The thing is that they're not doing anything about it. I mean seriously - it's an alarm clock - how hard can it be to be fixed?!?!?
vanshee said:
Mate, i'm with official Vodafone variant, 12.5.1.0 RKAEUVF, completely stock and i have the same problem. And i have two Mi11 Ultra phones - mine and my girl's phone. Both of them have the same issues. Most of the times the alarm doesn't go off. It's weird because if i use third party app it works, but the stock one doesn't. Good thing i have my old phone to use it as alarm. I contacted Xiaomi UK about it, made a official complaint and they are very aware of the problem. The thing is that they're not doing anything about it. I mean seriously - it's an alarm clock - how hard can it be to be fixed?!?!?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All I know is I don't have all the problems you blokes claim to have.
jim262 said:
All I know is I don't have all the problems you blokes claim to have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's good to hear. Obviously not all devices are affected. But as you see in the forum a lot of people have trouble with their devices. If you buy a phone from China and thinker around it you can expect some things to happen. What puzzles me is that a lot of people have legitimate European phones, completely stock, and they have issues as well.
I worked it IT for over 30 years both in Windows and Unix and phones have been a hobby since I retired, but one thing that was always true, the vast majority of problems were due to user error and there is usually something simple behind errors like this, for example, clearing the apps cache after install or upgrade.
How is not clearing the cache user error? Where exactly have Xiaomi published that so I know what to do for every app install or upgrade?
Xiaomi churn out so many phones but don't care too much about software or users, especially outside of China.
This has happened a couple of times on the Oneplus 8 Pro but only a couple of times to a point when I had add a 2nd alarm on my work's phone. Has happened once on Mi 11 Pro (shares software with the Ultra) but not since.
chistery said:
How is not clearing the cache user error? Where exactly have Xiaomi published that so I know what to do for every app install or upgrade?
Xiaomi churn out so many phones but don't care too much about software or users, especially outside of China.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because basic maintenance is always the users responsibility. For example, if you drive s car and fail to do basic maintenance on your car, like change the oil, and your engine needs to be repaired, whose fault is it? Who has to pay for the repairs? The manufacturer or the owner of the car? If a phone suffers water damage, despite the phone being water resistant, whose responsibility is it? Anytime you upgrade any OS, iOS or Android, there is always the possibility of residuals from the previous OS conflicting with the upgrade. Manufacturers can only put the processes in place for simple corrections, but the user is the one who is responsible to understand and actually perform the basic care and maintenance required. If you look at any OS, they all have the abilities to clear cache, but you have for years always heard things like, "after the upgrade this app doesn't work right or my phone has slowed way down." Very common situations that can usually be easily fixed by performing basic maintenance and careof their device There are occasions where things land outside of basic care, such as the Note 7 fiasco, and a recall is necessary, but if the problems are occuring randomly and they are only user specific, it generally points to something that the user either has or has not done to his or her device and not the manufacturer or it would be affecting all users rather than a random group of users. You know how every manufacturer has a little booklet included with their phone that no one reads? Perhaps it might behoove you to read it as there are usually basic maintenance pointers in those booklets
jim262 said:
Because basic maintenance is always the users responsibility. For example, if you drive s car and fail to do basic maintenance on your car, like change the oil, and your engine needs to be repaired, whose fault is it? Who has to pay for the repairs? The manufacturer or the owner of the car? If a phone suffers water damage, despite the phone being water resistant, whose responsibility is it? Anytime you upgrade any OS, iOS or Android, there is always the possibility of residuals from the previous OS conflicting with the upgrade. Manufacturers can only put the processes in place for simple corrections, but the user is the one who is responsible to understand and actually perform the basic care and maintenance required. If you look at any OS, they all have the abilities to clear cache, but you have for years always heard things like, "after the upgrade this app doesn't work right or my phone has slowed way down." Very common situations that can usually be easily fixed by performing basic maintenance and careof their device There are occasions where things land outside of basic care, such as the Note 7 fiasco, and a recall is necessary, but if the problems are occuring randomly and they are only user specific, it generally points to something that the user either has or has not done to his or her device and not the manufacturer or it would be affecting all users rather than a random group of users. You know how every manufacturer has a little booklet included with their phone that no one reads? Perhaps it might behoove you to read it as there are usually basic maintenance pointers in those booklets
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do agree with you to some degree. What am i supposed to do with brand new phone out of the box and alarm doesn't fire off? What residuals, what cache? It's out of the box. Not to mention that's the first ever phone giving troubles like that, never before. Look it the other way around as a pro and tell me - how pro a user needs to be and what should you do if the sowtware is buggy and unsatble in first place? Just humor me, please.
Look there's a reason, if you contact a help desk, they take you through easy troubleshooting steps in the first place. If your phone is defective out of the box, return it. It's not rocket science.Have you never had a product that didn't work and you needed to take it back? Frustrating but nothing is perfect.
hi, sorry for late coming back to the thread. i think the apps is not compatible with the rom ( i dont know why). try 2 alarm clock apps, both not ringing even i on autostart, lock on the recent apps, and no battery saver. but i try another alarm clock suddenly it working. but different issue arise. while it is ringing, the apps does not appear at all, i need to go in and click the apps to turn off the clock.
i have start the unlock bootloader process, maybe tomorrow or the day after i can unlock it. and will change to eu or global rom.
jim262 said:
Look there's a reason, if you contact a help desk, they take you through easy troubleshooting steps in the first place. If your phone is defective out of the box, return it. It's not rocket science.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have 2 Mi11 Ultra phones. What are the odds for both to be defective and have the same issues? Should i go get a lottery ticket? It's more than obvious that the software is crappy.
vanshee said:
I have 2 Mi11 Ultra phones. What are the odds for both to be defective and have the same issues? Should i go get a lottery ticket? It's more than obvious that the software is crappy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You love moving the goalposts, don't you. You expect me to believe that despite you constantly complaining about MIUI and this phone, you bought two?
jim262 said:
You love moving the goalposts, don't you. You expect me to believe that despite you constantly complaining about MIUI and this phone, you bought two?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see what's funny about it considering the fact i got two at the same time when they got out. Back then almost nobody had any idea what to expect. It's not like i waited to see what happens in the forums to buy the first one and two months later to buy another one. Please, don't assume anything about anyone when you have absolutely no information about the situation or have no idea about the person.
vanshee said:
I don't see what's funny about it considering the fact i got two at the same time when they got out. Back then almost nobody had any idea what to expect. It's not like i waited to see what happens in the forums to buy the first one and two months later to buy another one. Please, don't assume anything about anyone when you have absolutely no information about the situation or have no idea about the person.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look I told you previously if they are defective, TAKE THEM BACK. It's that simple.