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Thining of buying this device, is it made for the US market, will it receive Nougat?

Hey guys, I like this phone because of its durability and am thinking about buying it.
I'm an Europe resident and dont know if the phone is made for the US market solely, because I don't see submodels and almost nobody is selling it including stores and second-hand.
Is it prone to screen burning? I saw a few listings on amazon that show massive spots of burned pixels
Also do you think it will receive Android 7? Thanks a lot!

It was designed as an exclusive for AT&T, a US carrier.
The phone is no more durable than any normal phone.
If you drop it, the screen can (and probably will) break.
It might be marketed as water resistant (has an ip68 rating), but many seem to fail after getting wet.
Updates for this phone are late. Don't expect updates beyond MM.
Boot loaders are locked, root is extremely unlikely.
I bought it because it was the first big battery galaxy. I like it, but subject to the warnings above. I don't care about updates, as long as the phone works, I'm happy.
The S7 and Note 7 line now all seem to offer comparable attributes, but they look a little slippery (I don't use a case).
Hope this helps,
AoN

if you are talking about buying s6 all I can say is keep in mind this should happen to you
1 bad battery life
2 home button stuck
3 loosing imei anytime If you don't have backup that'd bad
4 blue dots on front camera
---------- Post added at 02:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:13 PM ----------
if you are talking about buying s6 all I can say is keep in mind this should happen to you
1 bad battery life
2 home button stuck
3 loosing imei anytime If you don't have backup that'd bad
4 blue dots on front camera
5 the phone is very slippery you will drop it

I have been using my Active in Brazil for over 6 months, very far away from any AT&T coverage, and very happy with the device.
- The battery live is fantastic
- It has an IR blaster, that the S7 has not
- It gets OTA updates every month from At&t even in Brazil
- I have used 4G it in a couple of countries in Europe (Swiscom and Lyca) withou any issues
- It is tougher then the S7 and I never had any water related issues even though I often use it in pools and shower
Just don't expect to root it, and you'll have to disable a bunch of At&t crapware.
tanago said:
Hey guys, I like this phone because of its durability and am thinking about buying it.
I'm an Europe resident and dont know if the phone is made for the US market solely, because I don't see submodels and almost nobody is selling it including stores and second-hand.
Is it prone to screen burning? I saw a few listings on amazon that show massive spots of burned pixels
Also do you think it will receive Android 7? Thanks a lot!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Mi A2 and A2 Lite pulled from Amazon

Is it just me or are they completely gone from Amazon? Wonder why?

Wondering the same thing myself. Have one on order should have arrived today but didn't make it, should be tomorrow.
I've read the amounts available will be limited and sporadic. It *may* be they sold out and are waiting for stock. I don't think that's the same as 'being pulled' as you indicate.
I know the supplier I bought from is still selling other phones on Amazon, but that's about it. The listing is gone, but that *could* mean they are just out of stock.
do you know more about it?

I would hope there would be multiple sellers on Amazon but I saw not. However there's still a ton on eBay. So it's got me wondering. Either way I got mine. So far so good.

Nickdroid86 said:
I would hope there would be multiple sellers on Amazon but I saw not. However there's still a ton on eBay. So it's got me wondering. Either way I got mine. So far so good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amazon Germany still sells both phones

I wrote the seller here and he responded. They're just sold out is all, lol. Good to know. I hope sales so really well for this phone.

Just got mine a few hours ago... I'm ecstatic!
A few of the things that are really different than other phones I've had:
1) a Wifi or phone Network connection happens so fast if you blink you'll miss it. I just love that.
2) The hidden antenna results in my t-mo connection (to 2G) is at 5 bars, consistently. Astounding really. My LG G6 sometimes has 3, rarely up to 4, and even falls all the way to 1 (tried to make a call at 1 and it said 'no network available').
3) Volume of the speaker ** IS ** quite loud. More so than other phones I've had for sure.
4) The screen is really fine. With things that are highly video oriented, may be a let down for some, not me. Not a gamer.
5) Android One rocks! It's pretty much just like LineageOS, which I'm very familiar with. It really gets tiring to have to learn
a new UI implementation, MIUI, EMUI, Sammys version, and on and on and on. Hate it. So tired of it. I know, some of the have
a good feature here and there, but it's too few and too far between imho.
Very happy with this phone

I purchased mine at Sunsky from china, good service, also dirty cheap cases and tempered screen protectors.
https://www.sunsky-online.com/v/668810?contact=Grandy&u=57751-twitter

xz1 c in 2020

Greetings
Would you recommend buying this phone in 2020 for >200 bugs?
Also are you using the unofficial LineageOS port or a Generic System Image? If the latter, which one?

Depends what kind of currency your bugs are.
We used to trade with squirrelskins hundreds of years ago, but now with money this seems a bit old fashioned.. [emoji16]

hertell said:
Depends what kind of currency your bugs are.
We used to trade with squirrelskins hundreds of years ago, but now with money this seems a bit old fashioned.. [emoji16]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm talking about euros, friend

drater2 said:
I'm talking about euros, friend
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok. "Bucks" is usually USD.
I love the phone, so 200 EUR for a brand new phone sold by a store seems as an OK price to me. You get 2 years of warranty if you live in an EU country.
Sent from my phone using an app

hertell said:
Ok. "Bucks" is usually USD.
I love the phone, so 200 EUR for a brand new phone sold by a store seems as an OK price to me. You get 2 years of warranty if you live in an EU country.
Sent from my phone using an app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you using any of the mentioned custom software?

Over 200 bucks? Nah. I would say the price for this phone should be around 150. Try to get it used. I got mine used for 170€. It's a very good phone and works flawlessly. It misses some features of even older phones though, such as the night mode filter or a built in firewall. Mine still has a few months of warranty left, when it's over I will root it and then it will be perfect.
Only gripes I have with it:
>no soft touch buttons (like the OnePlus3 despite the bezel being huge), I hate the on screen navbar and on a small screen like this it's even more annoying
>fingerprint reader and power key are the same and the phone doesn't have double tap to wake, this means you have to do some finger wizardry every time to just turn on the screen without also unlocking every time

I use Wave up and am complete fine with it

drater2 said:
Greetings
Would you recommend buying this phone in 2020 for >200 bugs?
Also are you using the unofficial LineageOS port or a Generic System Image? If the latter, which one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it is a truly compact phone you want with good battery life and a headphone jack then you cannot go wrong here.
But don't expect wonders from the camera.
I have been using LOS 17.1 for a while and it's been running smooth, but now that Havoc OS has been updated I will be switching over to it.

MarkMRL said:
Over 200 bucks? Nah. I would say the price for this phone should be around 150. Try to get it used. I got mine used for 170€. It's a very good phone and works flawlessly. It misses some features of even older phones though, such as the night mode filter or a built in firewall. Mine still has a few months of warranty left, when it's over I will root it and then it will be perfect.
Only gripes I have with it:
>no soft touch buttons (like the OnePlus3 despite the bezel being huge), I hate the on screen navbar and on a small screen like this it's even more annoying
>fingerprint reader and power key are the same and the phone doesn't have double tap to wake, this means you have to do some finger wizardry every time to just turn on the screen without also unlocking every time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Custom Navigation Bar app works well for hiding the navigation bar

Looking for something that lasts long
My "recent history" is
SM galaxy s II, i sold a ruined by time one and the second was ruined and could not be resurrected in rice, after I was thrown over board by a pirate. I am not donkey kong, the real one is donekykong123 (already taken name), but the rest is true.
SM note 3 abandoned, just fell for the 100th time and unfortunately this time from the top of the car broke the screen yesterday.
I just found out that both have been supported from you ppl, you are ***** great.
I am not looking to take pics (ok night pics are cool but whatever!), i watch videos, i don't use social but twitter, no what app. I don't like being denied to download an app because I guess my system is not compatible (the android not being up to it usually is the cause), I dnt like at all the finger print, eye scanning and all these data extraction privacy break normalization things.
I want a 12 cm phone with cool shape.
If battery is interchangable and I have 4 RAM (as far as I informed myself) we are on top!
I am really struggling searching for something as I ve become kind of picky, but I also found that producers just make this stuff in serie all the same cost cutting trash forcing people to have phone in their hand and buying one every 1\2 year (I DEEPLY and BEASTLY hate this). Nature comes first than economy or consumerism
Now, sorry for saying this stuff, I am just trying to understand if this now abandoned Sony serie is good, (hard to find) but I saw that Serie x 1 and 5 will be supported (I dnt understand if this is a big problem really for a person that wants to buy something that will use for other 5 years AT LEAST).
I know that people are not accustomed to long posts. Sorry if it feels egocentrical, and disrespectful.
I cannot target a good model, I also saw as I like "mil-spec" stuff the ulephone but I saw that it's mostly just "america marketing" (no disprespect) they break anyway fast. I heard that motorola is something to check.
I like Sony since u know "the italians".. "the japanese"... they do it good, and i like the "motto" not for those that care for measure but for quality that this phone has, also because I am donkey kong and I dnt have measure concerns.
Now... I definitely have pockets as everybody else, I hate keeping these sterilizing tools in my pockets and knowing they look like Peace makers and feeling like I have a house in my front or back pocket (where u can also break the screen from I heard) is exactly what I want to avoid to have...
I am a EU south individual and we care a lot about style and also about practicality\pragmatism even if my post doesn't sound like this.
I posted below the OP thread because I think this is the perfect place to go deeper in this question\quest...
Thanks

MarkMRL said:
Over 200 bucks? Nah. I would say the price for this phone should be around 150. Try to get it used. I got mine used for 170€. It's a very good phone and works flawlessly. It misses some features of even older phones though, such as the night mode filter or a built in firewall. Mine still has a few months of warranty left, when it's over I will root it and then it will be perfect.
Only gripes I have with it:
>no soft touch buttons (like the OnePlus3 despite the bezel being huge), I hate the on screen navbar and on a small screen like this it's even more annoying
>fingerprint reader and power key are the same and the phone doesn't have double tap to wake, this means you have to do some finger wizardry every time to just turn on the screen without also unlocking every time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am also wondering inside my search for the perfect small phone, i don't need a tablet pushed inside my pockets, how can it be an ok buy if the software is abandoned by Sony : as notebookcheck.net/Official-Sony-Android-10-update-roadmap-confirms-that-the-Xperia-XZ1-phones-have-now-been-abandoned
Is it ok anyway?
I am the first to support also when all SELL, but look at this too: how can people tell you to buy it anyway? I understand one is buying the hardware, but also somehow the software and the mother house is important when one buys a phone: I remember when buying windows phone, I never made a worse suggestion to a person telling to buy it... it was trash.
notebookcheck.net/Sony-Smartphone-business-collapses-services-being-shut-down-too

This phone is definitely worth it considering the size and specs. I paid 60 dollars for mine used on eBay, I made an offer and it was accepted.

MarkMRL said:
Over 200 bucks? Nah. I would say the price for this phone should be around 150. Try to get it used. I got mine used for 170€. It's a very good phone and works flawlessly. It misses some features of even older phones though, such as the night mode filter or a built in firewall. Mine still has a few months of warranty left, when it's over I will root it and then it will be perfect.
Only gripes I have with it:
>no soft touch buttons (like the OnePlus3 despite the bezel being huge), I hate the on screen navbar and on a small screen like this it's even more annoying
>fingerprint reader and power key are the same and the phone doesn't have double tap to wake, this means you have to do some finger wizardry every time to just turn on the screen without also unlocking every time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Recently sold my Xperia XZ because there was almost no usable custom software and I don't want to be stuck with Google spyware/ outdated stock rom.
Using my old z1 compact again and it's totally fine. - pretty much only using it as music player. I can get over the not so great camera.
XZ1c is quite expensive. Really hard to get nowadays. But it is the only quite recent phone on the market that is not complete trash. Maybe it will get cheaper with time. Then I might buy one. Right now this 6 year old phone is more than enough.

suarez90 said:
This phone is definitely worth it considering the size and specs. I paid 60 dollars for mine used on eBay, I made an offer and it was accepted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's nice . The cheapest I could find was some 170 or something. Not acceptable for a relatively old phone in my opinion, considering how cheap they've become.

Question Camera full of dust

Hello guys, can you please so me a favor and look for dust under the glass of the main camera module?
I was unlucky with the mi 11 u again
First the mi10 and the mi 10 pro afterwards the Poco x3 and now the mi 11 ultra. I'm so freaking unlucky and I hope tradingshenzen will fix this as soon as possible.
Best regards
P.s. everything you can see in the pictures can't be cleaned off - i tried my best and after using a flashlight I was 100% sure it's under the glass.

Damn that's unfortunate, man. I read about some other phone having this issue, I think it was the OnePlus 5 or 6 a few years ago. People had to send back the phone.
My Mi 11 Ultra is arriving tomorrow so I can't check right now, but once it arrives, I will.
I hope you get it sorted. Good luck.
UPDATE: so I did check the cameras for dust and it looks like there's none on my unit. Lucky me.

Looks like defective unit. Exchange it

jericho246 said:
Damn that's unfortunate, man. I read about some other phone having this issue, I think it was the OnePlus 5 or 6 a few years ago. People had to send back the phone.
My Mi 11 Ultra is arriving tomorrow so I can't check right now, but once it arrives, I will.
I hope you get it sorted. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I was reading about it too. All models I've listed had the same dust spots. The Poco was the worst tho, it was actually so bad it was affecting the quality of the pictures.
avetny said:
Looks like defective unit. Exchange it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will try my best. I'm from germany and the devices is from tradingshenzen...i don't know how they will react I have read horrible story's about them when it's coming to exchange devices or reparing them ..

I don't have any issues with my Mi 11 Ultra like this, seems definitely like a defective unit. So better to exchange on this.

hotto1996 said:
Yes I was reading about it too. All models I've listed had the same dust spots. The Poco was the worst tho, it was actually so bad it was affecting the quality of the pictures.
I will try my best. I'm from germany and the devices is from tradingshenzen...i don't know how they will react I have read horrible story's about them when it's coming to exchange devices or reparing them ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If u paid by PayPal u have 30 days for exchange or return

avetny said:
If u paid by PayPal u have 30 days for exchange or return
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From which date? From the date I bought it or from the point I got it? I bought it on the 03.04 already but I got it almost 4 weeks later and where did you get your information from? I can't find any on the website

hotto1996 said:
Yes I was reading about it too. All models I've listed had the same dust spots. The Poco was the worst tho, it was actually so bad it was affecting the quality of the pictures.
I will try my best. I'm from germany and the devices is from tradingshenzen...i don't know how they will react I have read horrible story's about them when it's coming to exchange devices or reparing them ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's bull****. I have ordered there a few times and also hadn't issues with refund or repairing. (auch from Germany)

Kollachi said:
That's bull****. I have ordered there a few times and also hadn't issues with refund or repairing. (auch from Germany)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know! Thanks

tupac19861013 said:
I don't have any issues with my Mi 11 Ultra like this, seems definitely like a defective unit. So better to exchange on this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, I already opened a support ticket in TS. I will keep you guys up to date^^

Son of a biscuit stick. I was wondering what the odds were that someone had literal dust in their camera module. I went ahead and checked my Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra... I have dust in mine too. Or rather one big spec of dust. I cleaned the outside surface with no avail. I just got my unit last Friday too. I've reached out to WondaMobile, to see what can be done. Have you guys ever encountered any issues with Wonda? This is my first purchase from them and I have no idea what's in store for me.

panda24z said:
Son of a biscuit stick. I was wondering what the odds were that someone had literal dust in their camera module. I went ahead and checked my Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra... I have dust in mine too. Or rather one big spec of dust. I cleaned the outside surface with no avail. I just got my unit last Friday too. I've reached out to WondaMobile, to see what can be done. Have you guys ever encountered any issues with Wonda? This is my first purchase from them and I have no idea what's in store for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Update! I sent WondaMobile an email and they responded extremely fast. They asked me to send it back, so they could check the device. If it is factory faulty, not man made damages. They have agreed to refund me. They also stated that device is out of stock atm, so a replacement was not guaranteed. However, I could submit it for a warranty claim and see if they can get me a replacement that way instead, if it's deemed a man made damage.

panda24z said:
Son of a biscuit stick. I was wondering what the odds were that someone had literal dust in their camera module. I went ahead and checked my Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra... I have dust in mine too. Or rather one big spec of dust. I cleaned the outside surface with no avail. I just got my unit last Friday too. I've reached out to WondaMobile, to see what can be done. Have you guys ever encountered any issues with Wonda? This is my first purchase from them and I have no idea what's in store for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey! Thx for your reply. Again: I'm responding quite late I'm not getting any notifications. Well I need to give it back too and they will look for dust. Thing is it's not really big -, I'm afraid they telling me it's fine but I don't think having any kind of dust anywhere is "Fine" for a 1100€ flagship. Thx for you post tho, it could help me out to get some pressure on them if needed. I will play my joker PayPal card too if it's nesescary.

No dust is "normal" for ANY phone. I checked mine and it's absolutely perfect.
Most likely a faulty batch
Good luck and keep us posted on the developement !
Cheers !

You guys are making me afraid to check mine lol

I'm debating on sending the unit back. Shipment is at least $65 USD and then god knows how long the wait will be. There is no guarantee that they will replace the unit. I could get a refund, but it'll take a couple of weeks to get it (with shipment and processing). I personally feel like Wondamobile will refund me, but it's just a hassle.
The spec of dust is on my telephoto, which I don't use anyways. It doesn't really affect me much. It's easier for me to just open up the device, clean the lense and reseal it. The dust is not inside the camera, but right on the glass layer above it. Doing so would affect the IP68 rating, since it probably won't have the same water resistance. I don't really put my phone in such environments. So other than a small inconvenience, it's not too bad.
However, I do agree that buying a phone with dust is not acceptable. Especially for the hefty price tag. A consumer should not be required to fix a manufacturing issue. But after evaluating my options, it's easier and cheaper for me to just fix the issue myself. Granted that I enjoy tinkering with tech and I have some general experience taking electronics apart.
But yeah, I would say ship it back. If the issue is indeed a manufacturing issue and there is no resolution/ they refuse to address the issue, totally reach out to your bank or PayPal to get that addressed. I hate doing charge backs, but sometimes they are needed. Especially when if it's a issue you had no control over it.

panda24z said:
I'm debating on sending the unit back. Shipment is at least $65 USD and then god knows how long the wait will be. There is no guarantee that they will replace the unit. I could get a refund, but it'll take a couple of weeks to get it (with shipment and processing). I personally feel like Wondamobile will refund me, but it's just a hassle.
The spec of dust is on my telephoto, which I don't use anyways. It doesn't really affect me much. It's easier for me to just open up the device, clean the lense and reseal it. The dust is not inside the camera, but right on the glass layer above it. Doing so would affect the IP68 rating, since it probably won't have the same water resistance. I don't really put my phone in such environments. So other than a small inconvenience, it's not too bad.
However, I do agree that buying a phone with dust is not acceptable. Especially for the hefty price tag. A consumer should not be required to fix a manufacturing issue. But after evaluating my options, it's easier and cheaper for me to just fix the issue myself. Granted that I enjoy tinkering with tech and I have some general experience taking electronics apart.
But yeah, I would say ship it back. If the issue is indeed a manufacturing issue and there is no resolution/ they refuse to address the issue, totally reach out to your bank or PayPal to get that addressed. I hate doing charge backs, but sometimes they are needed. Especially when if it's a issue you had no control over it.
Click to expand...
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I couldn't say it any better although I would strongly advice you to ship it back. Remember you got a ceramic back - it's way harder to open without breaking it. I'm working at a German mobile Refurbisher and im dealing with these kinds of things every day but I wouldn't do that on a new device which costs around 1000+€. Isn't there any way for them to exchange it with another unit maybe from another costumer who gave back the mobile? They can't repair it anyway. This device is most likely to be sold in a few years to Refurbishers like I am one. I wrote with a guy from tradingshenzen and he told me that he will either give my money back after recieving the device or swap it against a new one if possible from another costumer who gave it back and which isn't opend up. I hate dealing with give backs too it's super annoying to me...i waited 6 weeks for my device just to wait a few weeks more now too although I'm really glad that I got the possibility to send it back to a German service point.

hotto1996 said:
I couldn't say it any better although I would strongly advice you to ship it back. Remember you got a ceramic back - it's way harder to open without breaking it. I'm working at a German mobile Refurbisher and im dealing with these kinds of things every day but I wouldn't do that on a new device which costs around 1000+€. Isn't there any way for them to exchange it with another unit maybe from another costumer who gave back the mobile? They can't repair it anyway. This device is most likely to be sold in a few years to Refurbishers like I am one. I wrote with a guy from tradingshenzen and he told me that he will either give my money back after recieving the device or swap it against a new one if possible from another costumer who gave it back and which isn't opend up. I hate dealing with give backs too it's super annoying to me...i waited 6 weeks for my device just to wait a few weeks more now too although I'm really glad that I got the possibility to send it back to a German service point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your feedback. I'm confident that I can get it opened and sealed up. There is always a risk though and It's never the same afterwards, compared to a new factory sealed device. I still have some time to reevaluate the situation. I'll think it over today and decide tomorrow morning.
What I'm not looking forward to is the wait and the loss of an additional $65 for shipment. I knew that ordering a phone internationally was a risk, and that's just one of the downsides.
Wondamobile support told me that they did not have any global units in stock, and that they didn't know when they would come back in stock either. So a replacement was not something they could do. They stated that they could conduct a warranty claim and see if Xiaomi can get that replaced, if I wanted to go that route. The other option would be to refund the device of course. Honestly, if I do ship it back I'll just get it refunded and wait for the device to be more wildly available.
All I know is if I get my $1300 back, I'll be extremely hesitant to purchase any phone internationally again. I'll see if maybe there is a more local seller. Only time will tell.
Thanks again. I'll keep you posted on what I decided tomorrow morning, but now I am aiming more towards the refund. Might even buy the white version in the future with the refund.

panda24z said:
Thanks for your feedback. I'm confident that I can get it opened and sealed up. There is always a risk though and It's never the same afterwards, compared to a new factory sealed device. I still have some time to reevaluate the situation. I'll think it over today and decide tomorrow morning.
What I'm not looking forward to is the wait and the loss of an additional $65 for shipment. I knew that ordering a phone internationally was a risk, and that's just one of the downsides.
Wondamobile support told me that they did not have any global units in stock, and that they didn't know when they would come back in stock either. So a replacement was not something they could do. They stated that they could conduct a warranty claim and see if Xiaomi can get that replaced, if I wanted to go that route. The other option would be to refund the device of course. Honestly, if I do ship it back I'll just get it refunded and wait for the device to be more wildly available.
All I know is if I get my $1300 back, I'll be extremely hesitant to purchase any phone internationally again. I'll see if maybe there is a more local seller. Only time will tell.
Thanks again. I'll keep you posted on what I decided tomorrow morning, but now I am aiming more towards the refund. Might even buy the white version in the future with the refund.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only good news is, they get cheaper with time... But this is really crappy build quality from Xiaomi and further proves they are not really ready to compete on the world flagship stage with Samsung and Apple etc
Some people paid ~$1500 for devices with manufacturing dust in the camera lenses which is just unacceptable imo
i had a look at mine and can't see anything but I haven't used a magnifying glass and a torch yet because I have no return option anyway since I got mine from the first batch released in China

speedtripler said:
The only good news is, they get cheaper with time... But this is really crappy build quality from Xiaomi and further proves they are not really ready to compete on the world flagship stage with Samsung and Apple etc
Some people paid ~$1500 for devices with manufacturing dust in the camera lenses which is just unacceptable imo
i had a look at mine and can't see anything but I haven't used a magnifying glass and a torch yet because I have no return option anyway since I got mine from the first batch released in China
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, they should be putting in more measures to ensure quality is met before they ship the devices out.
This has been my first Xiaomi phone, and now I'm hesitant to try getting a new Xiaomi phone in the future. It could have just been bad luck on my side, but I'm certain more customers are bound to have the same dust issue, hence why this post is even a thing.
I really wanted to give Xiaomi the benefit of the doubt with the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, but you are correct. They're just not on the same level as Samsung and Apple yet. I want to be optimistic, but for now I'll make sure to wait several months before commiting to a new Xiaomi phone. Just so I can know all the possible quirks and issues. Only then can I really decide if it's worth it.

Advice Needed for repair after a truck run over my Pixel 5

I had an accident a couple of days ago, where I fell from my bike and my phone dropped on the street, from the phone holder. I didn't realize that immediately and by the time I saw it, unfortunately, it was already run over a truck. I had the original fabric cover on it and visually only the display is broken, but it was switched offline after the accident so I presume there is some more serious internal damage. I have tried to switch it off/on from the power button, to connect it to a PC but there was no indication that it is alive.
I tried to contact Google to see what are my repair options, and unfortunately, on their side, I can only select the type of damage, pay it in advance and send the phone to them. The problem is that I am not sure if it is worth paying close to 150 Euro just to realize at a later stage that this phone is beyond repair and that I have not only broken my phone but poured 150 Euro down the drain. I have tried to explain this to Google's support personnel, but they did very little to understand my situation and in the end, they said they cannot help me any further.
Unfortunately in Germany, there is no other official repair center. This left me quite disappointed with Google and their inflexibility. The other problem is that this is not a common phone, so finding spare parts is difficult and normally those spare parts are quite expensive. The display only in Ali Express costs 160 Euro. I tried to contact a local repair shop and they only told me 300 Euro for the display change and if the new display doesn't work I would need to pay only 30 Euro. I have even contacted iSmash, who is the authorized repair center for this phone in the UK, but they told me that they don't deal with customers outside the UK.
So what do you think, what is my best option. I really don't want to throw away this phone, I really liked it and it would be quite a pity but I don't want to spend money on a lost cause either. For me, the best would be to diagnose somehow what's not working in the phone and then to decide if it makes sense to proceed with the repair or not.

@gstoyanov It's probably not the display since you can't even power it on. Thankfully it doesn't seem like you were seriously injured in the fall. Time to pitch it and buy something you can live with. The 4a, brand spanking new, is only like 300 Euro or the 4a 5G if you want that is maybe 100 Euro more. It's unfortunate but sh*t happens to these devices when they fall but you can live to bike another day. Just my 2 cents, I'm sure others have opinions too. And then again it will depend on your finances of which I have no idea about so take it with a grain of salt.

bobby janow said:
@gstoyanov It's probably not the display since you can't even power it on. Thankfully it doesn't seem like you were seriously injured in the fall. Time to pitch it and buy something you can live with. The 4a, brand spanking new, is only like 300 Euro or the 4a 5G if you want that is maybe 100 Euro more. It's unfortunate but sh*t happens to these devices when they fall but you can live to bike another day. Just my 2 cents, I'm sure others have opinions too. And then again it will depend on your finances of which I have no idea about so take it with a grain of salt.
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Yes, this is also what I suspect, I have now a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge running Pixel Experience ROM, which is exactly like my Pixel, but the battery is dying really quickly, and have some problems with the charging. Apart from that, all is working more or less fine. I think I will wait till Pixel 5A. I really wanted to save the Pixel 5 though.
Oh, and it is all good with me, just got two superficial bruises, but nothing serious, there were some road repairs in the bike lane and I needed to go almost to the middle of the streets, where there were tram rails. I got pretty scared at the beginning because I didn't know where exactly on the street I fell and went to the side of the street really quickly, afraid that I might get hit by a car. Only after about a minute, I have realized that my phone is missing and the bloody cover was blending really well with the road, so it took me really a while to spot it. Only a truck and a car passed by during this time, but considering the damage, I would say that the truck run over my phone.

gstoyanov said:
Yes, this is also what I suspect, I have now a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge running Pixel Experience ROM, which is exactly like my Pixel, but the battery is dying really quickly, and have some problems with the charging. Apart from that, all is working more or less fine. I think I will wait till Pixel 5A. I really wanted to save the Pixel 5 though.
Oh, and it is all good with me, just got two superficial bruises, but nothing serious, there were some road repairs in the bike lane and I needed to go almost to the middle of the streets, where there were tram rails. I got pretty scared at the beginning because I didn't know where exactly on the street I fell and went to the side of the street really quickly, afraid that I might get hit by a car. Only after about a minute, I have realized that my phone is missing and the bloody cover was blending really well with the road, so it took me really a while to spot it. Only a truck and a car passed by during this time, but considering the damage, I would say that the truck run over my phone.
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That's really good to hear. I bike a lot and know what falls are like, they're not fun and they are scary. So that's the good news. Now for some (possibly) bad. The 5a is larger, plastic, and from what I understand not available outside the US and Japan. It is 5G but probably not in the EU. Should be coming out within a few weeks so you can wait and see. What's the status of 5G by you? I see all these threads about bypassing the 5G restrictions with root but I don't really follow it since I get it here by default.
Since you do have a phone that's working perhaps you can try to take the 5 apart and see if you can tell what's broken inside. What if it's only a connector or something simple then you can replace the screen. Just to tinker around, they have videos I'm sure of how to get the phone open. Once the 6 comes out the prices on Swappa for the 5 will drop at least 100 Euro so if you can wait... Once those batteries go on the Samsungs it's lights out. I know I had one way back and finally the darn thing damn near exploded and popped the screen up off the body and that was it. Bottom line, you're ok. The phone can be replaced.

Sure, my idea is to wait and see what the new phones would be and eventually buy a new phone. Right now is not the best time to invest in a new phone, I think the best is around autumn when all the new models are released. I was thinking of opening the phone, I have some experience, already trying to open and exchange the motherboard of a Nexus 5, with another apparently faulty motherboard. I have the tools as well, the problem is that due to the fact that this is not a very popular model, finding spare parts for it would be really difficult. As I said, only the display on Ali Express costs 160 Euro. Opening the phone and finding that the problem is trivial would void my warranty and I would end up trying to put a new display with dubious quality on my phone for a high price.
I am just a bit losing hope in Google. A friend of mine got a Pixel 4a 5G because I have recommended generally the 4a line as a good deal for the money and she is complaining that the touchscreen in the lower part is completely unresponsive. Apparently, this is a known issue, which was supposed to be fixed by Google with an SW update and there was a big thread in their product forums. Now the thread is deleted from there and Google is refusing to take a look at her phone under warranty because she had dropped it once and according to them this is enough of an excuse.
I really like the SW experience of the Pixel phones, but this behavior is hard to tolerate. So this autumn, I will think really hard whether to buy a Google phone or buy a phone from another vendor.

@gstoyanov I've only had pretty good experiences with Google replacements but that was before the pandemic when you could reach a CSR on the phone and even a supervisor. I don't think that's the case now. And then I'm in the US and we are a nation of laws or so I've been told. lol j/k. Do you have 5G there and is it quick? It's kind of sketchy here, hit or miss on speeds vs. LTE. Because if you don't then the 4a without 5G is a steal imo, at least for a temp phone until November.
But what I was thinking is that if you have experience in pulling it apart then why not try it without purchasing an expensive replacement screen and see if you can get it to boot. Well unless the screen is so cracked that it's pointless. But if you can bring it back to life then you can decide if you want to spend the money or run it as is until you get what you want. Just a thought. Actually, I'm curious what is really wrong with the phone haha.
In terms of the 4a 5G screen I'll bet it's been fixed in later builds. Same thing happened here with a gap on the Pixel 5. Early, EU adopters had this wicked gap around the frame but by the time it shipped in the US that gap was gone.
Edit. NVM looks like the 4a 5g is discontinued.

yes, we have here 5G, but I am not so much sold on the whole 5G bandwagon. It would definitely take a hit on the battery life and the 5G network is still not dense enough for this to really matter. As a matter of fact, GSM coverage in Germany is pretty bad, I am coming from an East European country where Internet access is leaps and bounds better than in Germany, not to mention that it also comes for a fraction of the price here.
The screen is totally broken, I don't think that it would fire up. So if I open it, I would need to try it on a screen, meaning that I would need to purchase a replacement and eventually hope that I can return it for free. The problem is that if I order the display from China, there is a good chance to be stopped at the customs, and I would need to go there and pay some additional money and this is a bit overkill maybe.

@gstoyanov Yeah, not worth it when you put it that way. Oh well, eye out for the 5a 5G, keep it pristine and sell it on Swappa when the 6 comes out in November. ;-) That's my plan with the 5. But full disclosure or trade in with Google. Oh as a side note I dropped my P5 on the cement face down 7 days after purchase. Smashed to smithereens. Brought it into UBreak and it was their first one and it cost me $220 just for the screen replacement which is all that shattered. Not even a nick on the body. They did a flawless job and it is as good as new. I made an insurance claim and got the full $220 back surprisingly. Suffice it to say I handle it with an iron grip or two hands now. One handed only when over carpet. haha.

Did you go over the Google Repair center from the Google Store? There you can select the type of damage to your phone and usually get a better price than directly contacting their authorized repair centers. It is really convenient, the only problem being that you need to pay upfront, and this in my case is not the greatest option.
This is the first time I am cracking the screen, but nowadays all the phones are so slippery. I kind of missing my Oneplus One for which I never bought any cover. Making the back grippy of that phone was such a good idea.

Take it apart and have a look.
A connector may have come loose... maybe the battery.

gstoyanov said:
Did you go over the Google Repair center from the Google Store? There you can select the type of damage to your phone and usually get a better price than directly contacting their authorized repair centers. It is really convenient, the only problem being that you need to pay upfront, and this in my case is not the greatest option.
This is the first time I am cracking the screen, but nowadays all the phones are so slippery. I kind of missing my Oneplus One for which I never bought any cover. Making the back grippy of that phone was such a good idea.
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The Google repair center is mail in only and 7 - 10 days turnaround. The authorized repair walk-in is UbreakIfix which is where I brought it and it was repaired within about 3 hours or so. I can't imagine it would be under $200 even if I sent it in to Google. I'd have to go thru the whole process just to get a price. Any idea what they are charging for cracked screen only?

The quotes me
bobby janow said:
The Google repair center is mail in only and 7 - 10 days turnaround. The authorized repair walk-in is UbreakIfix which is where I brought it and it was repaired within about 3 hours or so. I can't imagine it would be under $200 even if I sent it in to Google. I'd have to go thru the whole process just to get a price. Any idea what they are charging for cracked screen only?
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they gave me a price in GBP, which was close to 150 Euro and that in USD is around 180. So I presume it is slightly better than what you paid, but not significantly. You can actually check it for yourself, just go to https://store.google.com/repair put the EMEI on your phone, select a cracked screen and you will see it. I presume it might be cheaper because here the taxes are pretty high.

gstoyanov said:
The quotes me
they gave me a price in GBP, which was close to 150 Euro and that in USD is around 180. So I presume it is slightly better than what you paid, but not significantly. You can actually check it for yourself, just go to https://store.google.com/repair put the EMEI on your phone, select a cracked screen and you will see it. I presume it might be cheaper because here the taxes are pretty high.
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If they were worth anything >they< would give you a repair estimate for little or nothing.
Denon Electronics does. That's customer service.
Google just sucks. A local repair shop can do you better.
Having enjoyed many biking excursions myself like you I know you're wishing the hardware healed as easily as the body
Carry on.

gstoyanov said:
The quotes me
they gave me a price in GBP, which was close to 150 Euro and that in USD is around 180. So I presume it is slightly better than what you paid, but not significantly. You can actually check it for yourself, just go to https://store.google.com/repair put the EMEI on your phone, select a cracked screen and you will see it. I presume it might be cheaper because here the taxes are pretty high.
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$188 for cracked screen + tax in USD. So not much different than I paid. Comes to a little over $200 and I paid $30 more for same day service. Since I don't have a replacement device that wouldn't have worked for me anyway and the fact I got reimbursed, even though unbeknownst to me at the time, made it a good deal. You gonna wait for the 5a?

bobby janow said:
$188 for cracked screen + tax in USD. So not much different than I paid. Comes to a little over $200 and I paid $30 more for same day service. Since I don't have a replacement device that wouldn't have worked for me anyway and the fact I got reimbursed, even though unbeknownst to me at the time, made it a good deal. You gonna wait for the 5a?
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The problem being any impact that breaks the display can easily cause deeper damage.
The chipsets themselves can be destroyed by high G impacts alone with no direct contact. A fall from 4 feet onto concrete can generate enough G force to do this. This why using a case is important as it decreases the G force spike to tolerable levels.
The multilayered mobo traces (with internal traces) and solder joints are vulnerable to PCB flexing. Solder joints themselves are a relatively weak, with no lead solder they are downright brittle. Most phones hopefully still use leaded solder, if not even exposure to cold can crack them... no lead solder is not your friend
Never use it on repairs!!!
When a phone is literally run over mobo damage is very probable but doesn't always happen. The other pcbs are also at risk.