Chinese Android phone worth it?

[muyongshi]

So, I've decided to get an Android phone (after getting a tablet, my iPhone became relegated to practically normal phone functions) as the cost is much more palatable. Especially some of the Chinese ones.

 

Basically, all I need the phone for is Pleco, phone calls, text messages and the occasional use of the internet, bai du maps, wei xin, qq, etc. Other apps that would be nice are things like tapatalk, google voice... Also, and this is the big one: my contacts and calendar are all synced through google so I need that to work. I would also need to use it in the USA occasionally, but based on bands, it should be fine.

 

I realize they are very neutered and some are so far away it's just not right... But the phone I'm looking at is the Haisense U971 and I believe it is listed by google as being able to use the google play store which I know is helpful. I have also looked at Huawei and Coolpad, all of which have models that are supposed to be compatible with Play

 

So that is what I do know. Based on the above and others experience, what do you think? Is it worth it to go for a low end Chinese android phone? Or is it a crap-shoot of problems that will never be solved? Or are all potential issues solvable by rooting the device?

[Shelley]

I have a Huawei Y530-U00 it runs Android v. 4.3, is dual core with 512 ram and I have put in a memory card so it is big enough for Pleco and more.

 

It runs Pleco fine, although I only have the free version on my phone and the full version on my tablet. It does all the things you would expect including google playstore.

 

I bought it and am using it in the UK with no problems. It was cheap at £69.99, I am very pleasantly surprised at what i got for the money paid,

 

My old phone was a Huawei so I did look at another one when deciding to upgrade and i am very pleased with my choice.

[imron]

Bear in mind that if you use iMessage then if you switch to an android phone you might find that you no longer receive regular text messages from iPhone users.

There's a bunch of stuff you need to before hand to disable iMessage completely on the old phone before switching to the new one, otherwise it will turn text messages from other iPhone users in to iMessages, which you can no longer receive.

[French]

I use a Xiaomi Mi2S and a MiPad. Both using google play (with a VPN since I'm in Mainland).

The Xiaomi Mi3 and Mi4 are compatible with the WCDMA network (3G).

To me, the main advantages are :

- high end devices (there are also low cost phones, Redmi, starting at less than 1000 RMB) for a low cost

- great software with plenty of options if you choose to use them (back up, OS management (autostart apps, etc.. ).

[skylee]

I am glad that you would like to use an Android phone. I do not understand why people use iPhone (perhaps because I have never used one, haha).

I think Chinese phones are an acquired taste in HK. People seldom choose them unless they can't afford other brands (or for some reasons prefer the Chinese models/ OS). Because there are some security / privacy concerns. There are also other low end phones from Samsung (Korean), HTC (Taiwan) and Sony (Japan). But if you prefer Chinese brands, do go ahead.

I don't sync my diary and address book with my google accounts. Why would you want to let google know everything about your schedules and your contacts?

[muyongshi]

I don't sync my diary and address book with my google accounts. Why would you want to let google know everything about your schedules and your contacts?

Mainly so that my wife and I have shared contacts and calendars and I haven't found another free, functional and integrated method of doing so!

Also, thanks Imron for the reminder!

Shelley, it's good to know that at least one brand seems to work. Do you use google contacts or do you use the "skin" that came from Hua Wei? Have you downloaded the gapps to use as well?

How about you French? Have you done any customization or rooting, etc?

[Shelley]

I haven't done any customising apart from changing the wallpaper

 

I don't know what gapps is and I have just used it as it came. I don't root devices because i don't really understand what that is for.

 

It seems to do everything I want/need without any problems.

[imron]

I do not understand why people use iPhone (perhaps because I have never used one, haha).

When the iPhone first came out, its design was a significant improvement over basically any phone at the time - large screen, minimal buttons, decent web-browsing and more.  You only need to look at the fact that essentially every new phone on the market mimics this design to see the truth in that statement.

 

Ok, but now every phone is like this and some even have better features, so why choose an iPhone today?  For me it's because Android devices always feel sluggish when responding to touches.   This is not just my imagination either, tests show that the hardware used by the iPhone is significantly more responsive to user touches.  That article is slightly old now, but iDevices have always been well ahead in this area and given two phones with similar base capabilities (calls, messaging, Internet, email) this is one of the next things that I look at (and also then battery life and handful of other points).

 

I'm also growing more and more to dislike Google's privacy policies and the amount of data it collects.  Google makes money from your data and they try to get their hands on as much of it as possible.  Apple makes money from selling you a phone, and their CEO has made this a specific point of differentiation.

 

Anyway, next time I'm looking to buy a new phone I'll still investigate Android devices but if they don't measure up, it'll be an iPhone again.

[gato]

http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s2/general/google-intern-explains-ui-lag-occurs-t1407387

Former Google intern explains why UI lag occurs more often in Android than iOS

[AdamD]

muyongshi: Your bio says you're in China, but you might want to be sure the phone will work on the networks you have access to if you spend time elsewhere. This includes data frequencies, not just technologies—the mere mention of LTE or WCDMA doesn't guarantee that service worldwide.

 

I'm 100% with imron re Google's worsening privacy stance. iOS lets you decide what rights you grant to each app; as far as I'm aware, with Android you must give the app everything it wants or you can't have it at all. Add to that Google's recent shiftiness and I just can't bring myself to go there.

[muyongshi]

I think I'm going to go for it and just hope it works out. I'm not scared of rooting and figuring it out as I go. Now I just need to decide between a Hisense U971 or the Hua Wei Honor 3c. Any thoughts on brand??

[Shelley]

http://www.gsmarena.com/huawei_honor_3c-5903.php

 

http://hisense.co.uk/electronics/smartphones/u971/spec

 

These are the two fullest specs I could find for the two models, I suppose you have to decide what features are important and which ones have the most of want you want.

 

These are the specs for the model I have: http://www.gsmarena.com/huawei_ascend_y530-6103.php

 

I am biased towards the Huawei but only because I have had two phones by them and found them to be better than I expected for the money paid.

[hedwards]

@Adam that's a point that I wish I had known about when I went to Hong Kong. The Chinese phone I was using stopped working more or less at the border and I was left with no means of making calls combined with all the traditional characters that I hadn't learned.

[French]

I use a Xiaomi Mi2S phone (with a developer Rom). Generally speaking when it comes go high end Xiaomi devices :

- cheap enough

- high end specs (SoC (system on Chip), battery, display, etc... )

- excellent software which can be considered as an Android fork à La Fire OS (Amazon) since the updates are mostly independent from Google ones

Main drawbacks :

- no support for 4G connectivity outside of China (you can still use the 3G one with the China Unicom model (WCDMA )

- not the best display but a good one. Can't compete with the likes of LG G2 or the latest of Sony, average plus in outdoors visibility

- average photos

The Mi3 is priced at 1500 RMB and still offers a great experience, when it comes to performance, it is a Nexus 5 like, so still excellent.

There are also Redmi phones, but I don't like that line of products so much. For a few extra bucks, you can really get the best of the best.

I also use the Xiaomi MiPad because all the drawbacks are still there but they are not as important when it comes to my tablet usage.

I might change my Mi2S soon because I'm really running out of storage. I might go with a Samsung Galaxy S5 or Note 4. Both are excellent in any given field except for a too heavy software which I can easily change anyhow.

[skylee]

Re #14, I have a Samsung Note 2 (personal phone) and Galaxy S5 (office phone). I don't think S5 is a good choice. I suggest you get a Note 4 and then share your experience. I plan to get a Note 4 when colours other than black and white are offered.

[淨土極樂]

Just a small warning. None of the phones/tablets officially sold in China have anything Google pre-installed. Search and Maps are usually replaced by Baidu's clones and Google Play by one of the shady Chinese app markets (usually 安智). Installing Google services will require at least rooting if not unlocking the bootloader, which might not always be possible depending on the phone model (especially if you buy directly from a carrier).

 

If you don't care about Google and more importantly Google Play -- fine.

 

If you do, though, your better options would be to buy an international or HK phone model. It's usually pretty easy to do on Taobao, it will even be cheaper than in a store. Just search for "phone model" + 港版 or 国际版.

 

Imported Nexus devices are usually also available on Chinese electronics markets (电子城), they're never on display though (because 水货), just ask around and you can buy one.

[French]

You don't need to root your device in order to get Google apps. The easiest way to do it is

1) allow installations of apps from third parties

2) install xiaomi market by getting the apk (search via Baidu or Google)

3) install all the google apps from there

4) if you want to login while being in Mainland China, prepare a VPN / proxy connection beforehand.

@skylee : why wouldn't you recommend the Galaxy S5 ? Sure it's not as recent as the Note 4 (no OIS in the rear camera, no QHD display, colors are not as good and no stylus), but it's also cheaper. I never been very keen with the idea of using a phablet or a bigger phone for this matter. That's why I stuck so long with my 4.3 inch Mi2S.

[Secniz]

I think that the xiaomi was exaggerated so much .there is much more phone manufacturer in china better than xiaomi .and their price are lower than xiaomi. such as meizu(魅族) ZTE(中兴).there is 3 big problem with xiaomi. 1,hard to buy it. 2, exterior is not so beautiful than you see it on the screen.and it feels like a block of plastic(especially mi3). 3,it's too hot .there is a joke :if you booted a xiaomi phone and find its Temperature didn't reached  80C,this is not a qualified xiaomi phone. however, the MIUI os is the best os i've ever met, you can customize almost every thing with MIUI.and it can be the most beautiful  os in this world.

Now i'm using TCl-N3, i think i will purchase a meizu MX5 next year. and I really hope it  can support the MIUIos.