Still worth it? - Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hello.
Normally im using a oneplus two, but it lack of custom roms, is quite sad. I always wanted to try, ubuntu touch, firefox and sailfish os. And seeing, the nexus 5 got all these, and more custom roms, i have thought about buying it used, i were able to find a deal on aprox 120 - 150$.
So my question is, would it still be worth the purchase?

As a daily driver phone that you plan to use for a while? No, definitely not. It's notorious for horrible battery life, the hardware is aging, and it's highly likely that its official support from Google ends with Marshmallow.
As a device to play around with custom ROMs/Alternate OSes, or for development purposes? Sure, it's super cheap and has a lot of support in the dev community.

sleepinlight said:
As a daily driver phone that you plan to use for a while? No, definitely not. It's notorious for horrible battery life, the hardware is aging, and it's highly likely that its official support from Google ends with Marshmallow.
As a device to play around with custom ROMs/Alternate OSes, or for development purposes? Sure, it's super cheap and has a lot of support in the dev community.
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Click to collapse
Well i don't wanna game, im only using facebook and snapchat.

I've had several Nexus 5s (one was stolen, one died and was replaced by Google) and I bought a spare one just a couple of months ago for £126 (about $160?).
The reason is that it continues to be a fantastic phone. Google don't support it? So what? It's a beautiful device. I would happily buy another for the price the OP suggests.
Yes, it's definitely worth buying.

Funny I came across this question. I was also thinking about buying a used n5 for about 115. My daily driver phone is a n6p. I had a nexus 4 that shattered and was left wanting a side phone to mess around with.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

I would absolutely recommend the n5 as a cheap sub in. I've used one as my daily driver for years now and it still holds it's own. It has a neat form factor and screen size, and capable hadware. The development support is fantastic and I suspect it will be so for years to come.

Related

Nexus 5 or One Plus One ?

The One plus just launched 5 days back in India ( I know, its 5 months late). A friend of mine ordered the phone and it looks like an absolute peach!!
Don't get me wrong, I've turned down a swap for a new Iphone 6 with my phone, with there seems to be something about the One Plus!! I love my phone, but is the One Plus better ?
All its specs are better than the Nexus 5 on paper, but I wanna know if you guys have used them both and whats your view on it. If I sell my Nexus ( which turn 1 yr on 25 Dec), it'll get the same price as for a new One Plus, so do the economics of switching make sense?
Many Thanks
TarunN5 said:
The One plus just launched 5 days back in India ( I know, its 5 months late). A friend of mine ordered the phone and it looks like an absolute peach!!
Don't get me wrong, I've turned down a swap for a new Iphone 6 with my phone, with there seems to be something about the One Plus!! I love my phone, but is the One Plus better ?
All its specs are better than the Nexus 5 on paper, but I wanna know if you guys have used them both and whats your view on it. If I sell my Nexus ( which turn 1 yr on 25 Dec), it'll get the same price as for a new One Plus, so do the economics of switching make sense?
Many Thanks
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Click to collapse
Hardware wise the OnePlus is the better one clearly, software wise (the relationship between OnePlus and Cyanogenmod is kinda cooling off) i think the Nexus 5 has the better firmware. Especialy if the Oppo software (color rom) may be implemented on the OPO in the future, though development may compensate that off course. Me personaly i prefer a phone that i can buy instead of hoping on a invite and i don`t know how complaints and defects are beeing handled by the chinese company. Check out the OnePlus One Forum here on XDA for more info.
Oneplus' warranty return process is a bit of a joke apparently. @Theshawty can attest to that. That said, he's had both and would probably say get the OPO. Not sure what it will be like for AOSP though.
gee2012 said:
Hardware wise the OnePlus is the better one clearly, software wise (the relationship between OnePlus and Cyanogenmod is kinda cooling off) i think the Nexus 5 has the better firmware. Especialy if the Oppo software (color rom) may be implemented on the OPO in the future, though development may compensate that off course. Me personaly i prefer a phone that i can buy instead of hoping on a invite and i don`t know how complaints and defects are beeing handled by the chinese company. Check out the OnePlus One Forum here on XDA for more info.
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I have a few friends who have invites with them, so that's not the issue. Like you pointed I am wary of how the customer service will be. Never had to use LG's service though, haven't had to send this to the shop!!
Any color on how the device is to use ? Usually the hardware specs are only 50% of the job done, phones usually pop up with small problems when using them everyday that you don't get in the instruction manual!!
Would be great to hear some guys who have used both
Stikc with da N5 bro
I own both, both are great phones but 1+ is a better phone. Stock CM11 software works like a champ. No issues. Bigger screen, great camera, very elegant big phone, 64g memory. You can also run experimental lollipop but in US/Canada everyone has a problem with VM notification, kinda works in Europe. Glitches remain. Overall - get One Plus.
Obviously between the two, the one plus one is the better buy (bang for the buck)
TarunN5 said:
The One plus just launched 5 days back in India ( I know, its 5 months late). A friend of mine ordered the phone and it looks like an absolute peach!!
Don't get me wrong, I've turned down a swap for a new Iphone 6 with my phone, with there seems to be something about the One Plus!! I love my phone, but is the One Plus better ?
All its specs are better than the Nexus 5 on paper, but I wanna know if you guys have used them both and whats your view on it. If I sell my Nexus ( which turn 1 yr on 25 Dec), it'll get the same price as for a new One Plus, so do the economics of switching make sense?
Many Thanks
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Click to collapse
Ive had the OPO and decided to go back to my N5. The best thing i found about the OPO is the battery life, its an absolute beast, but i am not a fan of the software on it. I know its cyanogen mod, but theres so many bugs and glitches that it just doesn't do it for me as a daily driver. The other reason i sold it is because of the size. OPO might only seem like a tad bigger, but i hated not being able to use it with 1 hand.
Ended up selling it, going back to the N5. Not happy about the battery life, but its stable, comes from a reputable company and warranty is great. Thats another thing, if you need to RMA the product you'll fine quite the wait.
TarunN5 said:
The One plus just launched 5 days back in India ( I know, its 5 months late). A friend of mine ordered the phone and it looks like an absolute peach!!
Don't get me wrong, I've turned down a swap for a new Iphone 6 with my phone, with there seems to be something about the One Plus!! I love my phone, but is the One Plus better ?
All its specs are better than the Nexus 5 on paper, but I wanna know if you guys have used them both and whats your view on it. If I sell my Nexus ( which turn 1 yr on 25 Dec), it'll get the same price as for a new One Plus, so do the economics of switching make sense?
Many Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had to make the same decision a few weeks back and decided to go with the N5, reasons:
(1) Phone size: The N5 feels better in my hand, OPO is too big (my hands are not small )
(2) OS: I wanted to go with stock Android, hence N5 easier choice, whereas you can flash stock Android also to OPO I assume
(3) OPO itself: OPO just launched and its their first phone, hence customer service etc. is not that great (you got XDA though for help), the phone itself is better than the N5 hardware wise
At the end I chose the N5 with the thought that I normally use any phone 2-3 years and I would estimate that the One Plus Two (or whatever name it will have) will launch some time end of next year/beginning of 2016, hence fits into this timeline.
btw: also thought about N6, but same issue with size (and price tag)
rootSU said:
Oneplus' warranty return process is a bit of a joke apparently. @Theshawty can attest to that. That said, he's had both and would probably say get the OPO. Not sure what it will be like for AOSP though.
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I'd say the OnePlus One IF (and only IF) you can get a fault free version. Their warranty return process (and the whole "support") is a joke.
It would be a side grade at best. However if you don't one hand your phone and want something bigger it might be worth the swap. More battery and more storage space (64GB version) are the advantages, the SoC is a tad faster but nothing you would notice as N5 is already as fluid as it gets.
Thanks guys, I think I'll wait for a bit and try to use my friends One Plus for a few days. But seems the general opinoin is to stick with the Nexus
I'm using OPO n it's amazing earlier used Nexus4. as many said already 5.5in may be a bit big in size but after using a day r two u'll love the display of 5.5 in.
I'm fully satisfied with OPO. Don't know guys who said OPO is too big what they say about Nexus6
Sent from my A0001 using XDA Free mobile app

[Q] CYANOGENMOD support..for how long?

when they introduced the OPO, I dont remember where it was said, but it was noted the support for CM would be for two years. I could install android vanilla but Id rather not tinker with the phone. so wondering about that.
I havent purchased the phone as they are back to the stupid invite after having a free to the public open purchase they had two weeks ago. this isnt exactly such an enticing phone as it was.
I think the phone is becoming a dinasour a bit and no longer the great deal it was as phones are already pushing QHD. im considering waiting a bit more or getting some other Chinese mfr phone for about the same price. not oppo or OPO though.
what chinese phones are alternatives to the OPO with specs and price?
hows the meizu MX4 PRO?
This phone is still a beast, it's still a monster. And only you can decide which device to buy, asking such a question will only lead to multiple conflicting opinions and you'll be left in the same position (having to make the decision yourself).
Transmitted via Bacon
Specs wise, this phone is only a generation behind. Everything else is top notch. QHD is more of a marketing gimmick because in general use, nobody is going to really bother about the extra pixel density (it's barely noticeable to the human eye anyway!) But yeah, you have to decide what you want. CM will continue support.
Sent from my OnePlus One using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Defining a phone such OPO a dinosaur is quite an exaggeration IMHO...
That said, if you're are worried about official updates there's only a choice and isn't as affordable as One Plus & co : Nexus.
Meizu Mx4 pro looks good though, but I'm a bit worried about FlymeOS. I've seen it running on mx4 and seemed to me a bit too rough on the edges.
Sent from a baconized lollipop.
If you can wait another half an year, you can buy even oneplus 2 or xiaomi mi5. But right now this moment, I feel oneplus one and mi4 are cost worthy phones with awesome dev support. Other phones like meizu dont have that good dev support ever even if its cheap..
Oneplus and mi4 arent latest tech but is no different from expensive phones like nexus 6. You can do the same work in oneplus too and it's half the price with better quality.
Sent from my OPO

Hard choice

Hello!
Now I have s3 mini and I want to buy a new one. S3 mini was a great phone, especially with cm12, but I find it too slow and screen size is not enough for me. After reading through forums and reviews, watching videos and other stuff, I have found 2 great phones for me. One Plus One or Zenfone 2. And here is the problem, should I buy OPO or wait for Two? Or should I choose Asus?
Do you really want to rely on the opinions of compete strangers (who may or may not know what they're talking about, who may or may not be biased) to decide how to spend hundreds of dollars? I really don't understand these kinds of threads.
Transmitted via Bacon
timmaaa said:
Do you really want to rely on the opinions of compete strangers (who may or may not know what they're talking about, who may or may not be biased) to decide how to spend hundreds of dollars? I really don't understand these kinds of threads.
Transmitted via Bacon
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The reason I created this was that I wanted to know other people opinions. Argumented opinions, of course.
HiD3nZ said:
The reason I created this was that I wanted to know other people opinions. Argumented opinions, of course.
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Click to collapse
This phone is great, buy it. Reasons? It's cheap. The OnePlus Two won't be cheap. The Zenfone doesn't have anywhere near as good a development community.
Transmitted via Bacon
timmaaa said:
This phone is great, buy it. Reasons? It's cheap. The OnePlus Two won't be cheap. The Zenfone doesn't have anywhere near as good a development community.
Transmitted via Bacon
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Click to collapse
Thanks for your opinion.
Have used the nexus 6, note 4, but my word, the oneplus is the best. It's cheaper, good dev support and for me most importantly the phone has the best signal strength of all the phones I have ever used.
I've been eyeing the zenfone two for a while now but sadly the Intel chipset it's running on isn't gaining much traction at the moment. And although people are praising Asus' zenui interface for Android, I'd still rather have options. Meanwhile, the OPO has basically everything you need. No reason to jump headfirst into zenfone land at the moment just to discover it's actually a desert. Not when the OPO community is thriving.
Sent from my OnePlus One
The opo is a great phone, make no mistake. If you have none of the known issues, it's really great. Plenty of power all around, it's how android should happen in any device. Battery for 2 or 3 days with regular to slightly heavy use. Probably a bit too big, but that's personal taste.
But it has the potential for underlying problems that may or may not happen. Case in point, screen touch issues. People report starting to have touch issues out of nowhere and it's a toss up on whatever is really causing it. I've rma'd mine 1 month after getting it almost an year ago, opo said it was hardware, new one came with the same problem, got fixed with a software update (38r I think). At this point, running a cm12 nightly, got even better, it's 99.9% trouble free (I get a random swipe like once a week, totally neglectable). That said, there's always people around the forum complaining their phone started acting out of nowhere. Pretty sure there's many more that don't have any problems we don't hear about, so consider that too.
Don't know the zenphone2. But honestly, I'd probably go for an LG g3 at this point, it's a phone that's kind of cheap to get (especially if you give the time to find a used one in great condition), nearly the same price point as opo, liked how it works, probably much faster support than opo. Don't read that as better support, there's plenty of people complaining about that, apart from taking nearly 2 months to complete the whole process, I had no issues with them with the rma.
If I'd be looking for anything more expensive I'd be looking into a Sony z3 (compact or regular) or wait for the z4 around the corner. Not much advertised, but Sony has brilliant but a bit on the expensive side phones.
Obligartory statement, I will not give money to samsung for anything mobile ever again.
Sent from my A0001 using XDA Free mobile app
Gotta be ready to play with your phone a bit. Almost everyone on the forums aren't running plain stock, good community will help you with your phone as everyone is trying to help and solve problems.
Can't get a phone at the price range like this.

[Q] Replacement for Nexus 5 (2017 edition)

Hey all, I've seen a few posts out here similar that were older. My wife has a Nexus 5. It has been alright but she runs into space issues and hasn't been super thrilled with the battery. I have a 5x that I've loved (except it does a weird thing now where the screen won't come on when its in a call, but that's a whole other matter). She's dropped the phone and it's old enough to make me not want to mess with that, so it's time to look for something else.
I was wondering currently in June 2017, what a decent replacement would be for a Nexus 5. I would imagine there are all kinds of options out there that should be decent quality and cheap. Main goals at this point are 32 gig and a good battery. Wouldn't mind SD card capability and replaceable battery but from what I understand, you can't get as many replaceable battery phones anymore.
I'm not 100% opposed to buying one used if there are some that hold up well, but obviously new would be nice. I'm not looking for latest/greatest, just something she will appreciate that will work for awhile. Before we had our Nexus phones, we had the Moto G line, which obviously are kind of bargain basement types and it showed, so I hate to make that mistake again.
Lenovo P2: SD 625, 5100mAh battery and 32/64GB storge with dual sim or single sim + sd card.
hipsterdo0fus said:
Hey all, I've seen a few posts out here similar that were older. My wife has a Nexus 5. It has been alright but she runs into space issues and hasn't been super thrilled with the battery. I have a 5x that I've loved (except it does a weird thing now where the screen won't come on when its in a call, but that's a whole other matter). She's dropped the phone and it's old enough to make me not want to mess with that, so it's time to look for something else.
I was wondering currently in June 2017, what a decent replacement would be for a Nexus 5. I would imagine there are all kinds of options out there that should be decent quality and cheap. Main goals at this point are 32 gig and a good battery. Wouldn't mind SD card capability and replaceable battery but from what I understand, you can't get as many replaceable battery phones anymore.
I'm not 100% opposed to buying one used if there are some that hold up well, but obviously new would be nice. I'm not looking for latest/greatest, just something she will appreciate that will work for awhile. Before we had our Nexus phones, we had the Moto G line, which obviously are kind of bargain basement types and it showed, so I hate to make that mistake again.
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Pragmatically and from my perspective, since I am in the same situation searching for a replacement, the short answer is no. Never. I came over from Apple due to the easier customization ability of Android at the time.
I bought the N5 I have now, second-hand, originally for a family member (but they wanted an Apple), so I got stuck with it. Already rom'd. After getting used to the Android system, I said fine, I'm ditching Apple. Not say their stuff is bad. It just wasn't for me.
A broken screen, a new battery, and constantly rebooting to get a signal and nearly 3 years later and updating through first CM and now Pure Nexus.
I run this thing like a nuclear reactor especially during semester months.
Nothing beats it's simplicity. Nothing. It's one of the best pieces of tech I have ever owned and continues to be my daily driver. I did jump ship to an M9 and while a very impressive device. I yearned for my N5 (I thought it was dead). Got it back to functionality and haven't been back. Needless to say, here's what I am mulling over.
Pixel
Nexus 6p
Htc u11
Samsung S7 (or if I hit the lotto S8)
The Moto's. Since the Pure Nexus community is giving them a lot of love right now, especially the one with the crazy battery life but the 625 processor (if it was Daydream compatible I would've gotten it already).
One plus 3t
The high end xiaomi (I forget the model name)
An HTC 10. Another nice and underrated phone.
I can wax poetic about the N5 for days. Nothing beats it's flexibility, simplicity (aforementioned), and usability. Us N5 users do not need the bells and whistles and yet that's nice but we do more with less. I, too, will lament the day my hammerhead finally goes. In the meantime​, I hope my long-winded account helps you out.
Edit: I forgot about the Axon 7.
Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately most of them are quite a bit higher in price than we paid for this Nexus. We had actually used the Moto G line prior to this.
I also have to say that since this is for my wife, I may need to watch out on the screen size being overly gigantor. She may not want something that is too much bigger than the N5. That Lenovo is the best in price so far, but for some reason it doesn't have very good rating on Phone Arena. Wonder why?
I still have my nexus, but upgraded to a Huawei Nova, not the Nova Plus, mainly due to spec improvements and similar screen size. Got 4gb memory and 64gb storage, about the exact same size as the Nexus. I hate the Huawei UI, but CM is available for it now, so not really an issue. It might be a bit pricey though. The Huawei Honor, I think 6x, also has a model that is 5.5in screen.
Not trying to sell Huawei, was just checking the price in the US of the one I have and noticed the Honor was similar. I got the Nova CAZ-AL10 for the specs, price, size, and because it is compatible with the mobile networks here in China. The Nexus was not unfortunately.
I think an Asus Zenfone 3 might not be a bad option. It has great battery life and it's not too expensive
I had a nexus 5x and just came back to my nexus 5 with a custom rom and I am loving it!!!
After the lost of my N5, I got an OP 3T and not even rooted it, sweet and fast on stock.
Edit: Actually rooted it and still sweet and fast, the best; more than 8 hours SOT
What about leeco pro 3. I own one and it is for sure one of the best phones for its price if not the best (USD 199, might be even lower now) the stock ROM isn't much to chant for but put a custom ROM on it and you're golden. They were running a sale on amazon a few weeks back but I'm not sure about its current availability. Snapdragon 821 with 4 to 6gb of ram and 64gb of storage. The camera is its weakest point but it's honestly not that bad. Battery life is also great averaging 6 SOT on nougat and around 8 on stock. 100% recommend.
How about OnePlus 5? I was considering replacing my N5 with it, but I'm not convinced by their previous software support.
gr__or said:
How about OnePlus 5? I was considering replacing my N5 with it, but I'm not convinced by their previous software support.
Click to expand...
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Can it be rooted?
maybeme2 said:
Can it be rooted?
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Is there a device that can't be rooted? I think so far all of the OnePlus devices where pretty open and got root quickly. Given that the OP5 has just been announced today, there is no root yet, but I'd be surprised if there isn't a root mid-july.
I don't know. I'm not knowledgeable enough to know. I think some devices are said to be easier to root than others which is what I meant to ask. I own a couple of nexus 5s and an old nexus 7 and they are easy to root. Just don't know enough about the op5.
Sorry I dig up the subject
I think to replace my nexus 5 and I hesitate between the nexus 6p (I find one at 190 euros used) or a nexus 5x (has 100 euros used too) what would be the best choice for you?
Thank you for your answers

Should I buy this phone?

Hi Everyone
I'm looking to upgrade from a Oneplus 3. Previously it was a great price for good specs.
I noticed the magic 3 whilst looking at YouTube and the specs look amazing.
1 - Interested to know of those who have had it for a while would you recommend getting it?
2 - what are the main annoying factors about the phone?
3 - Are there any others in the price range I should consider? I mostly play pubg, do retoo gaming and watch films with my existing phone
Many thanks in advance
Jamie
1 - Difficult to answer....if you're not into rooting and customizing,but happy with a basic Android experience and raw power,you should buy it......otherwise,if you want 100% flagship bells and whistless for half the price,you'll have to search futher,as this phone does not 'has it all' for just €479.
2 - For me,the most annoying thing is that there's much more to squeeze out of the camera,if Nubia's app would match the capabilities......but hopefully, there will be a working Gcam release in the near future.
3 - Xiaomi Mi 9....but I fell for the RM3.....
Many thanks for the reply, I don't mind rooting if necessary.
Also happy with a basic android experience as my oneplus was pretty much that when it first came out.
Thanks for the suggestion I will look into that also ??
Jamie.bshop.1982 said:
Hi Everyone
I'm looking to upgrade from a Oneplus 3. Previously it was a great price for good specs.
I noticed the magic 3 whilst looking at YouTube and the specs look amazing.
1 - Interested to know of those who have had it for a while would you recommend getting it?
2 - what are the main annoying factors about the phone?
3 - Are there any others in the price range I should consider? I mostly play pubg, do retoo gaming and watch films with my existing phone
Many thanks in advance
Jamie
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can tell the battery backup is awesome. Only problem I have is the gaming buttons are too annoying when playing a video.
I have it unrooted without gapps and IMO its better then some flagships. Reason is the big screen and the big battery and the stereo sound.
Also I prefer metal over Glas backside. And NO Notch.
The camera is better than that on my Xiaomi mi mix 3.
this phone is amazing, the only bad thing i see it had is not hdmi usb-c to support
I would wait for two main reasons:
1) Asus is going to announce their new ROG phone at the end of this month. While it will probably be a good deal more expensive, It might have some cool features
2) Nubia just announced they are going to release an 855 Plus version of this phone.
Sent from my Note 9 using XDA Labs
Thing is,no matter how long you wait ,there will always be something better on the horizon after your purchase.......no matter which device you've bought...
Hi,
Considering the price and the specs, I think the Red Magic 3 is about the best phone you can have nowadays.
If you buy it, you should consider two things :
- Chinese UI has a lot of features but is ugly and themes are mostly paid ones ;
- Europe/US/Asia ROM has ZERO features.
Once I recovered from the disappointment, the second solution was clearly what I was looking for.
So here is my advice :
- take the Europe/US/Asia version and flash it to your device (if it doesn't ship with that as stock)
- unlock the bootloader
-root your phone.
All this is done in like 4/5 minutes...
Once done, install all apps to add the required features.
You will have a phone that has ONLY THE FEATURES YOU WANT.
No bloat, no unnecessary stuff...
A dream come true
Of course, it comes with a price : once rooted, you will get OTA notifications but won't be able to install them...
Regards.
roadworker said:
Thing is,no matter how long you wait ,there will always be something better on the horizon after your purchase.......no matter which device you've bought...
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True
If you live in North America, I'd steer clear of this company.
I ordered one of their phones last week. I still have yet to receive my shipping notice. I ordered it with priority shipping, and according to their website, it should have shipped within 24 hours of payment.
4 days after it failed to ship, I contacted support, and was told "Be patient". Ever since then, they've stopped responding to emails. They won't give me any sort of clue as to when my order will ship. Apparently this is a frequent occurrence with Red Magic.
They're one of those companies that are only interested in getting devices out to reviewers, everyone else is to fend for themselves.
The support page on their website doesn't work. Apparently they didn't pay for it. Nubia cannot give any answers either, they just argue back in forth in the support email with several of the employees arguing about who's job it is to deal with.
If you ever receive a phone from them, and have an issue, good luck with that. Their current company (if you can call it that) shows that can't deal with supporting their devices. They can't even deal with fulfilling orders.
Stay far far away from this company, for you own good.
Is there likely to significant difference between the 8gb and 12gb ram? I think I'm going to get it but wonder if it's worth the extra money. Also just seen they mentioned the magic 4 by the end of the year. So maybe prices will come down
Well I'm in N.A. and I bought it from the site day it released. Great phone, few bugs at the moment and its a gaming phone at heart with stock Android, easily customizable. Honestly any game task you throw at it handles like a boss. It's an emulation dream with built in buttons. My controller and case should arrive the 22nd and I'm sure it will be great. I can tell you any Bluetooth controller works well on it too. The choice to buy is up to you, basically do you want a gaming phone or something else.
I have had this for two days in the USA and I love it. Usually I have buyer's remorse and would be looking for a new phone by now so I can say it really is great. Battery life is better than my S9 with a Mophie pack so far. Even with playing with it constantly I can't kill it in one day and usually my S9 needs to be plugged in by late afternoon. I have not rooted it yet, and may not. I love a clean version of Android. Not sure why people think that is bad. All the random customization sometimes comes with a speed cost. This phone is just plain fast. Usually I root to get rid of crap so you can see where I stand. If you hate big heavy phones, don't buy it. That is the negative. I had a ZTE Axon 7 and updates were slow so that's another negative. Other than that, super fast, great screen, great battery, strong data signal...it's a buy. Reminds me of the original OnePlus, or the Axon. Phones that were surprising values, but were big and heavy.
Sent from my NX629J using Tapatalk
I'm coming from the OnePlus 3(T) as well, looking for a new device. What I didn't like at the Oneplus were the original ROM (luckily Lineage helped a lot) and the sound and position of the speaker. I loved the front facing stereo speakers of my HTC One (m7) years ago.
So I'm thinking of purchasing the RM3, but at the moment there are no alternative ROMS. Another device I'm looking at is the Black Shark 2, but situation with ROMs and support seems to be even worse.
For the RM3, I have concerns, if a fan inside a mobile will really last for some years, or break down at some time...
I also had the 3T and 1 and the 6T obviously this is just a better phone due to the increases in tech. No way to tell on the fan, I will say...and not sure how ZTE vs it's company Nubia will work, but my Axon 7 had a couple of screen issues due to my dropping it and the speaker stopped working, not sure if it was due to that and ZTE fixed it every time free of charge within the first year. I was very happy with their service on that phone. ROM support will be lacking but it's a clean version of Android so I prefer that
Sent from my NX629J using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 10:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:22 AM ----------
To me...a clean, lean ROM, which the US version is, rooted with Magisk and other mods I choose myself is always the best option. Some custom ROMs can get pretty bloated themselves
Sent from my NX629J using Tapatalk
NexusPenguin said:
Hi,
Considering the price and the specs, I think the Red Magic 3 is about the best phone you can have nowadays.
If you buy it, you should consider two things :
- Chinese UI has a lot of features but is ugly and themes are mostly paid ones ;
- Europe/US/Asia ROM has ZERO features.
Once I recovered from the disappointment, the second solution was clearly what I was looking for.
So here is my advice :
- take the Europe/US/Asia version and flash it to your device (if it doesn't ship with that as stock)
- unlock the bootloader
-root your phone.
All this is done in like 4/5 minutes...
Once done, install all apps to add the required features.
You will have a phone that has ONLY THE FEATURES YOU WANT.
No bloat, no unnecessary stuff...
A dream come true
Of course, it comes with a price : once rooted, you will get OTA notifications but won't be able to install them...
Regards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends on what you are looking for an what you want to do?
If you are a person who is happy with stock ROMs an just leaves cellphones in the state they are in out of the box then yes buy it.
However if you are a person who likes tinkering modifications an custom ROMs the please do not buy this cellphone.
I tried to install TWRP over 2 months ago an got stuck in a fastboot bootloop. Every xda suggestion to fix this plus paying a cellphone repair center an trying heaps of suggestions an it's still non functional.
It has horrible software an is rediculously sensitive to any and all attempts to FLASH ANYTHING.
If red magic 3s break you might never be able to fix them at a software level.
Mine lives in a bag by my bed to remind me not to bite off more than I can chew.
I have a xiaomi Mi9 now an have no real issues with it.
Good luck with your decision
So the options are to buy on Ali are with a stock Global Rom or a Chinese ROM. I see some other posts about people flashing to the Chinese one. Is that the best option to choose? I take it you can still select the language as English and support here etc? Thanks for everyone's responded it's been really helpful. I was thinking of holding out for the 855plus but not sure if I can afford which will be most likely an additional cost for it.
I also have the same question but mine is a bit different. Im convinced i am going to buy it but...
Should i buy it now or wait for the 855+ version? Idc if its gonna be a bit more expensive
xorphaz said:
I also have the same question but mine is a bit different. Im convinced i am going to buy it but...
Should i buy it now or wait for the 855+ version? Idc if its gonna be a bit more expensive
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would of thought it would be more expensive as they still have the original to sell. Probably will stick another £100 on it or so I reckon ?

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