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Getting a Chinese Android mobile

Hello XDA users
I am thinking in buying one of those cheap chineses mobile, not as a primary phone (I have a Sensation for that), but to start playing rooms, testing apps, give my son to play, and this kind of things you do not want to do with your real phone
Nevertheless, I want something decent, and something I can put Gingerbread on
Does anybody has experience with those phones ?
so far I have found interesting :
ZTE U880 3.5
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/zte-u8...2-single-sim-quad-network-w-wifi-white-101741
806MHz, 3G, 512Mb Ram and Rom, 5MP
Star A3
http://www.iosen.com/4-android-2-3-...tive-screen-star-a3-smartphone-cellphone.html
MKT6573, DualSIM, 512Mb Ram and Rom,
the first one looks Harware wise, better phone, but it has Froyo instead of Gingerbread, is any way to upgrade ?
otherwise, any advices with those chineses devices ?

Be carful especially being made in China and coming from china, alot of Chinese company's are scams and products are cheap, the phone looks like a knock off HTC phone, if your going to spend that much money you might as well buy a prepaid HTC wildfire s (I have nothing against Chinese people) but alot of Chinese web sites that sell to the u.s.a you might not even get your phone, goodluck
NookColor Cyanogenmod 7.1 "Overclocked"

ZTE's gear isn't stellar, but it is miles ahead of the 'no-name "dual-core" resistive touch' specials you see on eBay.
Telstra (Australia) sell a lot of ZTE gear, branded as their own. You aren't going to get a smoking hot device but, from the couple I've witnessed, build quality is okay and software is good, as they generally leave Android 'vanilla'.
Good luck!

yes, I know I am not going to get a state of art (I have the sensation for that), but I am looking something it would work
ZTE's limitation, I see is Froyo, and I see no posts around of Gingerbread for this device.
What you mean by vanilla android ?, wouldn't that be the best option to have ?

...is there a very nice phone..not very chip..but with a good hardware...look for "ezio t91" or "t9199+"... on a famous auction websites you can find.. eziot91
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

InTheater said:
yes, I know I am not going to get a state of art (I have the sensation for that), but I am looking something it would work
ZTE's limitation, I see is Froyo, and I see no posts around of Gingerbread for this device.
What you mean by vanilla android ?, wouldn't that be the best option to have ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. Vanilla Android is a good thing, as it means there's no performance loss due to a manufacturer launcher/skin.
I've used the ZTE Blade and the Telstra SmartTouch (unsure what ZTE model it is). Both Froyo, but both serviceable little phones. I think there's GB for the Blade now, though

be carefull about warranty outside there country.

I can share a few tips:
1. Chinese phones have very weak batteries - thay tend to decrease in capacity very fast.
2. Screens are made of cheap materials and are not very scrach proof.
3. When you see something labeled as OEM it means that his is a noname knockoff and they are the worst, as there is no company with its brand responsible for it.
4. Internal build quality is bad. Sometimes phone already arrives and needs to be resoldered for it to work.
Imagine - new LCD assembly for Galaxy S costs more than your new Chinese phone

Chinese devices
Hi All,
I already got a number of Chinese devices, including tablets and phones, all were excellent:
ainol novo 7 advanced, ainol novo 7 elf, ainol novo 7 aurora (16 Gb),
Star x18i,
And now I await the arrival of my new device, the X310e (mt6575),
I can tell you that my knock-off "Star x18i" is much better than the original "samsung galaxy ace" I got from work,
There are many high quality "original" products manufactured in China, and there are many high quality "knock-off" produced manufactured in China,
Most of the Chinese products I tried were excellent,
It's all a function of value for money, my "ainol novo 7 aurora" is better and faster at everything when I compared it to an original product like "samsung galaxy tab p7510" that my friend has (It costs five times the price), he creamed it... in every parameter we tested.
Amit

ZTE U880 is cheaper but not very good

You get what you pay for
Sent from my NookColor using xda premium

Try HUAWEI Ascend G300(U8818)
I suggest you have a look at HUAWEI Ascend G300(U8818)
Its a 4'' WCDMA 3G mobile from HUAWEI. Running android2.3
CPU:Snapdragon MSM7227A 1GHz 800*480 screen
5.0MP Camera with Flash LED
4GB ROM +512RAM
The most important is: the price no more than $200.
But most of the 3G phones has the same problem with battery.
HUAWEI G300 just has a 1350mAh battery. So, you need to buy a extend battery or power bank.

If you do buy a power bank get the anker brand, I just bought one last week and its great
Sent from my HTC_A510c using xda premium

I'm waiting for the quad core Huawei Ascend D Quad
Say D Quad 5 times really fast....
Other than the name it's looking very solid,can't wait.
Amit which website do you shop from?
Solid phone would be Meizu M9. Excellent build for price.If your looking to spend less then all ZTE are good for their price,Blade especially.
Imetumwa kutoka U8150 kutumia XDA

merimobiles
Allanitomwesh said:
Amit which website do you shop from?
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Hi
Most of what I got I bought from : http://www.merimobiles.com
I can not say they were always the cheapest, but everything arrived from them very quickly and well packaged,
I think their online service is better than most sites (when you ask something, you actually get an answer)
And most importantly, if they do not have the item in stock they will not let you pay,
Other sites take the money and then say "oops sorry....do you want something else instead"
Amit

Thanks alot,I've been interested in ainol products,the price is right,I'll give it a try.
EDIT:They appear to charge a premium, especially on newer products. Anyway,if it's true they don't take money if it's out of stock then I'll bookmark them. Thanks again Amit.
Imetumwa kutoka U8150 kutumia XDA

amitkey9 said:
Hi
Most of what I got I bought from : http://www.merimobiles.com
I can not say they were always the cheapest, but everything arrived from them very quickly and well packaged,
I think their online service is better than most sites (when you ask something, you actually get an answer)
And most importantly, if they do not have the item in stock they will not let you pay,
Other sites take the money and then say "oops sorry....do you want something else instead"
Amit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Merimobiles is good. But as far as i know there is also a webstore ww.365gate.com also has a good service. Seems it is a specially B2C webstore.

The ZTE Blade is a crappy phone. 2 days of jusing and i put it in my trash its very slow an batterylife is more than bad.

MaximalCrazy said:
The ZTE Blade is a crappy phone. 2 days of jusing and i put it in my trash its very slow an batterylife is more than bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should have taken time to root it and optimize the battery life. If you still can pull it out of the can that is.
Imetumwa kutoka U8150 kutumia XDA

This is true for certain products, but...
Allanitomwesh said:
They appear to charge a premium, especially on newer products
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is true for certain products,
but, I ordered the same product (N7aurora-16Gb) from two different sites (It was out of stock for a few days at Merimobiles and a friend was driving me nuts to help him buy one)
I ordered from another site (It was the first time I bought them and I was worried about paying lots of money before I know what kind of service they have, so I just bought one for my friend),
A week later it was back in stock at Merimobiles, so I ordered one for me from them,
I paid Merimobiles $ 12 more for the same product and the same method of delivery,
It might sound stupid to do so, but...
My tracking number was valid, and they bundled everything I ordered in one strong package that protected it,
But the Punch Line was that my tablet arrived a week faster in perfect condition,
To see how my friend's package looked like when it finally arrived after 40 days check the attachment,
And after that as the expression goes "I say no more..."

thinking to buy a new phone, please help

Hello everyone, im thinking to change my actual phone, now i have a huawei ideos u8150 android cheap smartphone, now my provider contacted me, they want to sell me a new one, is a samsung galaxy S SCL i9003, now my question is, that device worth it?, it would be a good idea buying it now?, its a little dissapointing that it doesnt came with flash, but its price is like 50% of the galaxy S II...
i did saw the development area for that specific phone (here in xda) and its in legacy and low activity forums... i don't want to buy a phone wich its software developments are paused... there are some ports to ICS, but it have some bugs...
the other oportunity i have is to buy an lg optimus black, for some extra bucks,
What do you think?,
Thank you guys in advance!

Go with black.
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TheSG said:
Go with black.
Sent from my GT-S5830 using xda premium
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but black doesn't have ics and its ips panel than super clear lcd on the samsung...
But the most important thing... the camera on the lg optimus black is good enough?... i mean, i saw the camera on the i9003 and i was impressed....
Thanks in advance...

I'd say go for the SII, seems a 'standard' good phone, although could wait until the III is out as prices might drop. I find my Nexus S is still good though

The-Defiled said:
I'd say go for the SII, seems a 'standard' good phone, although could wait until the III is out as prices might drop. I find my Nexus S is still good though
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those phones are unreacheable for me... price thing... ..
Movistar Argentina provides a good price for the i9003 us$340, and for the black us$545

Galaxy Note (international) or GSIII

Basically what it says. Im getting a newer samsung device and im wondering if my family of infusers would help me out. Ive heard theres not much performance difference other than the quad core. And i can get a note for cheap new (like 200-300 dollars) the screen size doesnt matter as i love big phones (first android was dell streak 5) and the ics with no bluetooth i cant do for much longer. So have at the discussing haha
Sent from my SGH-I997 using XDA

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1255388

HOLY !!! ..
nim.whit said:
Basically what it says. Im getting a newer samsung device and im wondering if my family of infusers would help me out. Ive heard theres not much performance difference other than the quad core. And i can get a note for cheap new (like 200-300 dollars) the screen size doesnt matter as i love big phones (first android was dell streak 5) and the ics with no bluetooth i cant do for much longer. So have at the discussing haha
Sent from my SGH-I997 using XDA
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Click to collapse
I say go for the NOTE !! Fast as heck, biggest, baddest, and with stylus !! just my opinion
but dear brother , can you point me to where i can pick up a note for 200-300 dollars! I will buy one right now !!!! please tell me

I think Best Buy has them for 200, and Wal-Mart price matches. I have the ATT version for LTE.
http://www.walmart.letstalk.com/product/product.htm?prId=40613&corpId=522
Sent from my Captivate running INFINITUM ICS v2.2 using Tapatalk 2

travperk said:
I say go for the NOTE !! Fast as heck, biggest, baddest, and with stylus !! just my opinion
but dear brother , can you point me to where i can pick up a note for 200-300 dollars! I will buy one right now !!!! please tell me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google galaxy note international. Click shopping tab, then set price range from 150 to 1000 and view from lowest to highest. Theres about 5 chinese sites that have them listed as low as 195 dollars new (without the twenty dollars shipping) but still. I can see why there so cheap in china, someone probably gets truck loads for free the they sell them at a low price to sell them quickly. You should look into it. Ive called a couple to see if there legit and they seem so, i get a human on the other line
Sent from my SGH-I997 using XDA

nim.whit said:
Youve just made my desicion. I only needed one vote for note to get it haha i need the big screen for movies/hd anime. Just didnt know if the dual core would be enough to play it but my acer a100 juuusstt allmmmost has enough power.
Google galaxy note international. Click shopping tab, then set price range from 150 to 1000 and view from lowest to highest. Theres about 5 chinese sites that have them listed as low as 195 dollars new (without the twenty dollars shipping) but still. I can see why there so cheap in china, someone probably gets truck loads for free the they sell them at a low price to sell them quickly. You should look into it. Ive called a couple to see if there legit and they seem so, i get a human on the other line
Sent from my SGH-I997 using XDA
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Click to collapse
Sent from my SGH-I997 using XDA

Anyone know if this Actual wares. Com is legit?
Sent from my SGH-I997 using xda premium

Choose Note....its awesome.... combination of the phone features and that of the tablet, plus the high speed.
Its best upgrade ever.But make sure you dont have problem with such big size of phone.

MichaelAmrs said:
Choose Note....its awesome.... combination of the phone features and that of the tablet, plus the high speed.
Its best upgrade ever.But make sure you dont have problem with such big size of phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, i don't at all, i came from the dell streak 5 and anything smaller than my infuse upgrade would have left a bad taste in my mouth. Can't wait till my note comes in.
Sent from my SGH-I997 using XDA

I would go for the Note. There is not much difference between the two and the Note may be older, but it is cheaper.

actualwares dot com only takes western union / moneygram. Basically cash transfer. I was interested until I heard that...
Any other sources?

I completely understand where everyone is coming from about the Note.. It's the biggest and relatively slimmest phone out there, however, there is just something about the New GalaxyS3 that is just sexy to me, the HDAMOLED screen everything, not to mention you know it'll be the phone they don't throw away after a couple of months of it being out.. "Cough" Infuse "Cough" lol... j/k.. but really, it's like having someone ask you, "Would you rather sleep with a Victoria Secret Model 'A' or Victoria Secret Model 'B'." lol.. It doesn't really matter, they're both Victoria Secret Models so they're both obviously sexy, so it just comes down to personal preference, Blondes, Brunettes or Gingers.. lol.. For what it's worth I want the Galaxy S3 when it's released in the U.S.. I'll be up for my upgrade about the same time, so it works out perfectly for me..

Buying a new smartphone

Hello everyone,
Can you offer me a good phone for the price of 450 USD? I've watched many reviews and the phones that caught my attention were Sony Xperia P, HTC One S...I'm also wondering about Xperia Arc S (which is cheaper), but you don't buy a new phone every month so I prefer something newer. So...I'm waiting for your advices and thanks in advance.

i would go with tge htc thats my opinion

You have a budget of $450? Go for the unlocked Gnex for $350, it has a big dev community and will get updates the fastest. In addition, JB with project butter has had outstanding results, similar in speed to how WP7 runs so smooth on single core 1ghz snapdragons.
if you don't mind the 5mp camera and on screen buttons, I say definitely get it
Sent from my MB508 using xda premium

The one s is the better of the two,but you should consider other options too.
Sent from my U8150 using XDA

Yes, buy the HTC One S... you have a longer time fun with this device! And a really great support in this forum.

Before buying a new phone search for this:
1. Compatible with a stable version or Nightly version of CM9-10 or any other supported rom. (That means that is a device it’s currently developed.)
2. Listen what the device users say in the forums. (They have one they know their behavior problems)
3. Search for a recovery or a backup for the device OS. (You will be in guarantee so find a solution for any problem can succeed)
4. Look if the OS version is upper than 4.0 or recent 4.1.X (Gingerbread it's OK but it's going old each day, Jelly Bean seems a stable version)
5. Look the specs and the price. (Analyze the price with the specs it have)
Hope it was useful

Aahh, it's a tough decision. The One S has the more powerful CPU and the bigger screen, but I've read that the screen of the Xperia P is better (higher pixel density, plus that White Magic technology), the One S also lacks NFC (yeah, you can't do much with it now, but maybe in 2-3 years it will be useful). Tell me the pros and cons of the two.
Sorry for the stupid question but what's Gnex? Is it Galaxy Nexus and if it is, then where do I get it for $350 ?

manasiev93 said:
Is it Galaxy Nexus and if it is, then where do I get it for $350 ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://play.google.com/store/devic...XZpY2VzX1VTX18xX3Byb21vXzEzNDA1MTg5NjUwMzYiXQ..

Damn it, it's not available in my country
Edit: I accessed the site via proxy Galaxy Nexus is definitely a good idea and I would buy it, but I can't see the list of GSM providers and I don't know if it will work with mine.

manasiev93 said:
Damn it, it's not available in my country
Edit: I accessed the site via proxy Galaxy Nexus is definitely a good idea and I would buy it, but I can't see the list of GSM providers and I don't know if it will work with mine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Galaxy nexus is an international GSM phone,if you have at least EDGE network (2G) it will work.
It is also very beautiful, and a Google Device,so you know you're in safe hands.
Sent from my U8150 using XDA

HTC would be good

Of the aforementioned I like tha Galaxy Nexus most, but the problem is that it's not available in my country (Bulgaria) through Google Play. I should find a way to buy it.

manasiev93 said:
Of the aforementioned I like tha Galaxy Nexus most, but the problem is that it's not available in my country (Bulgaria) through Google Play. I should find a way to buy it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try a Samsung Shop as opposed to your network carrier. That way you're sure it's the sim unlocked international version.
Sent from my U8150 using XDA

manasiev93 said:
Damn it, it's not available in my country
Edit: I accessed the site via proxy Galaxy Nexus is definitely a good idea and I would buy it, but I can't see the list of GSM providers and I don't know if it will work with mine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look this if not:
http://www.google.es/nexus/
Under the title Buy they say were to buy it if not wait until you can in the play store ! :laugh::laugh:

You know what, I have another idea. I have relatives in USA and I can send them the money so they can buy it for me. Then they'll send it to me by courier. What do you think?

manasiev93 said:
You know what, I have another idea. I have relatives in USA and I can send them the money so they can buy it for me. Then they'll send it to me by courier. What do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Shipping is expensive for tech,but you could have them lie about the value on the forms.
My advice is to exhaust all local options first, if shipping proves cheaper,then go for it.
Sent from my U8150 using XDA

choose gnexus...it costs 400$ on amazon

Wait for Note 2
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

I found it in my country for $416 and I think it will be cheaper to buy it from here. And about the Galaxy Note 2 - I think it'll be much more expensive.

manasiev93 said:
I found it in my country for $416 and I think it will be cheaper to buy it from here. And about the Galaxy Note 2 - I think it'll be much more expensive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True. Go with the nexus.
Sent from my U8150 using XDA

I have $50 budget for a no-contract phone.

Looking for something cheap and moddable.

You could look into grabbing yourself a used Xperia X10, or maybe a Motorola Droid 1.

patchiman said:
Looking for something cheap and moddable.
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Click to collapse
Go to walmart. They have cheap no contract phones. Android phones are over 50$ though.
Please click thanks if I helped.
Sent from my AT&T HTC One X using XDA-forum app.

Most of the the cheap no contract phones will have little to no developer support. You will probably be able to root it, but don't expect any ROMs. Alternatively you could get an older phone for $50 that was once more popular and had developer support. As mentioned above, the Droid 1 comes to mind, they are all over ebay for less than $50 and there are tons of ROMs out there for it.

man i bought a fusion 2 from at&t and i still have no support on this

Why dont you look on ebay iv seen xperia x10s and x8s go cheap on there or save up abit more and get a cheap galaxy s2 .
Click thanx if i helped you
Sent from my GT-S5830i using xda app-developers app

If you're very lucky, you might be able to find a Nexus One at around that price - a fixer-upper for that, sure, though the good condition ones seem to be going for more like $75+.
The S2 is still a good phone, but will also likely go over budget as well - there are some good "fixer-upper" deals, again, on eBay - phones that need a new screen but are otherwise okay (just check and make sure that model can have just glass replaced since a digitizer would be expensive).
What are you looking for ? What kind of performance do you expect ?

I've seen Samsung Captivate's on eBay go for less than $50 but they weren't in the best condition. You get what you pay for. Although, I recently scored. I bought an S2 for $95 that was soft bricked and I was able to pull it out.
patchiman said:
Looking for something cheap and moddable.
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