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[Q] Chinese Budget Mid-Range phones - Help me to choose ! ;)

Hey guys,
I would like to start a discussion that would aggregate meta-data available on the Chinese budget phones under £200 with mid-range specs, firstly in order to help me ,but also others to decide the correct one as there is scarcity of reviews and lots of them are paid for stubs and contain lots of misleading data.
I have spent last two weeks researching on my leisure the best possible option for the chinese budget mid-range purchase. I have been hoping to get a device priced well under £200 that would field a solid camera, 4G (800mhz) ,superb hardware perf. CPU, GPU and GPS, have solid battery 2700mh+ (ideally with quick charge function) have appealing design and ideally max up to 5" of display size with the Lollipop upgradeability.
I have seen and read lots of reviews including yours and concluded on following:
- Mediatek did really break out of its shackles and these new 64bit SoCs ARM A53 Cortex with 6732 and 6752 are real deal breakers, so I have found a plenty of quad core 5" phones that satisfy my hunger for the performance stuffed by features - >
- Kingzone N3 Plus , Elephone P6000 (and possibly P3000s) , Lenovo P70 and also a bit more expensive Zopo ZP920 magic.
--- > now from what I have seen about these devices they are united under one oblivious problem that I cannot simply overlook despite being on low budget. And that is the overall quality of their cameras. Here we can easily conclude that they generally suck, although Zopo Zp920 is one of the favourites together with ZTE Blade S6 ,but here had battery life really swept all my hopes into oblivion. One of the issues I ve found here is that almost every budget manufacturer simply loves to overstate the resolution capability of these phones, I have been digging deeper just to find out that Elephone and Kingzone simply equip their devices with a lower quality Omnivision or Sony (ElE has even issued two different sensors for the same phone due to shortage of stock) that are really just 8Mpx interpolated to 13 MPx. I have not seen many useful reviews for N3 Plus despite it's appealing design and functions comparable to P3000s, but I assume the camera problem will be exactly the same (as it is with the alleged overstated battery capacity). Despite this problematic, I have found out that the camera on P6000 is kind of controversial.
P6000 is slacked as most of the same priced phones for underperformance in low light situations., however, I have found several contrasting reviews that even claim that its low light/night images are even better that on the famous Xiaomi Mi4. From pics I ve seen I wonder whether the varying quality can be a result of different sensors used or for example that pictures have been taken on its native 8MPx res rather then extrapolated 13MPx . I am writing this really because, P6000 seems to be after all my best choice together with its 32bit brother P3000s. I have tried to look out for some comparison between these two especially camera wise (talking about rear cameras, as I am not really that concerned about the front ones), but I failed. Problem is that Ele nor reviewers really state what sensors are these phones using. But P6000 seems (at least from some outdoors pictures) quite sharper and with better dynamic range, but I am still undecided.
Is camera on these phones also fixable software wise as I am not really into vanilla camera apps.
Now first questions on you. Firstly, do you know about any device currently priced under £200 that would match my criteria or at least that would have really exceptional camera for this price range ? Is Elephone P6000 superior to P3000s in terms of performance and camera or are they pretty much comparable ? Also how much of difference we talking in terms of GPU between Mali T450-M4 and T760 M2 ? It seems that finding a solid camera that would boast at least with pretty standard Exmor 214 sensor with a solid battery life is almost impossible, or I have largely overlooked something.
I also understand that if camera wise my 5" quest would prove unsuccessful I will have to go phablet wise and I am although kinda reluctantly to do so. Here I have researched my field on comparable level.
My finalists are Jiayu S3 , Kingzone Z1 and Eco E04 Aurora (P7000 and M1 are excluded as they re not supporting my LTE band 20) On E04 side I am quite baffled as it initially looked as a superb device , but many responses pointed out its inaccurate GPS and also camera seems to be exaggerated as 16MPx with unknown sensor model. I have seen some really great shots, but also some not very good - again probably due to extrapolation perhaps. Also it only comes with 2GB at the moment and without NFC support. So in phablet side S3 seems to be the king - yet, I have seen some really crap videos took on this devices, where reviewer admitted that this is a firmware error and that fix is on its way, so the S3 leaves me with the only really big concern and that is the battery recharge time that is apparently the slowest around here (up to 4hrs !!! ) which again made my enthusiasm cease. And then we have here Kingzone Z1. Apart from only HD display, it is stuffed with features and seems to be a direct competitor for all 5.5s of its price range. However, despite being out there are no reviews that I can hold on, so for me this device also represents a great unknown.
Equally, I have been checking camera comparison for the upper-midrange flagships like Meizu Mx4 and OnePlusOne just to find out that not even these guys despite their renown are capable of great shots under low-light conditions.
Also I am in a preference of 64bit processors especially the new Mediatek 6732 and 6752. I am ready for your tips and advices, also if you can bring in links to some camera comparisons among these phones and more in depth reviews I d be glad. Also will happy if you bring up some real data about camera sensors and other modules that are under suspicion to be lies presented by manufacturers.
And if you own any of the phones mentioned, state a brief overview about their pro/cons.
Waiting forward to your responses
Thanks
Six

HUAWEI fanboy here. :thumbup:
Sent from my HUAWEI Y536A1 using XDA Free mobile app

I recently discovered Xiaomi and think I will never go back! Good quality and low prices
I have RedMi Note 4G which is a fairly perfect phone for its price range. Never had a problem. It hasn't 800 MHz LTE though, but it's worth checking out other Xiaomi phones too.
---------- Post added at 01:15 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:03 AM ----------
Also, I would reccomend avoid mediatek devices if you can. They are generally poorer in video performance than Qualcomm / Intel ones. I had a huawei G700, while specs say it's a great phone in my experience it was not. Lags and slowness was frequent issues.
Mediatek also has a bad reputation in open source community, modding/upgrading/installing recovery and custom ROMs would be impossible or at least harder.
I am very happy with my Xiaomi and maybe you could be too!

udda90 said:
I recently discovered Xiaomi and think I will never go back! Good quality and low prices
I have RedMi Note 4G which is a fairly perfect phone for its price range. Never had a problem. It hasn't 800 MHz LTE though, but it's worth checking out other Xiaomi phones too.
---------- Post added at 01:15 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:03 AM ----------
Also, I would reccomend avoid mediatek devices if you can. They are generally poorer in video performance than Qualcomm / Intel ones. I had a huawei G700, while specs say it's a great phone in my experience it was not. Lags and slowness was frequent issues.
Mediatek also has a bad reputation in open source community, modding/upgrading/installing recovery and custom ROMs would be impossible or at least harder.
I am very happy with my Xiaomi and maybe you could be too!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got a Xiaomi Mi Note (Dual Sim and dual 4G) from China recently, which is fast (3G RAM), smooth (iphone style ROM) and good quality and just a little over £200.
But please bear in mind that it only supports FDD-LTE B3/B7, which means if your carrier is Vodafone UK (I'm in the UK by the way) you can not use LTE outside of London,Manchester and Birmingham.
(I don't have permission to post an outside link yet, but if wiki 'LTE-Advanced' you can see Vodafone UK is using B20 throughout the UK and B7 in 3 cities an the moment)
Only 3 and EE use LTE B3/B7.

GeorgeZZzz said:
I got a Xiaomi Mi Note (Dual Sim and dual 4G) from China recently, which is fast (3G RAM), smooth (iphone style ROM) and good quality and just a little over £200.
But please bear in mind that it only supports FDD-LTE B3/B7, which means if your carrier is Vodafone UK (I'm in the UK by the way) you can not use LTE outside of London,Manchester and Birmingham.
(I don't have permission to post an outside link yet, but if wiki 'LTE-Advanced' you can see Vodafone UK is using B20 throughout the UK and B7 in 3 cities an the moment)
Only 3 and EE use LTE B3/B7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the end I went with Jiyau S3 Advanced, bout £160 and I cannot complain. Flashed it into Flyme OS and man this machine rocks the socks ! The resurrection of Mediatek - this 64bit M6752 Octacore smites Snapdragon 610 with an easy apparently.
Also camerawise - Sony Exmor IMAX 214 RS really delivers the promise - Removable battery makes it a dream. After 2 weeks of research, I am only happy I did not fell for anyother device, - plus supports Band 20 /800 Mhz @4G so it's GiffGaff & O2 ready.

Xiaomi phones are pretty good in many aspects. I'm planning on getting one in the near future. Some of my friends have Xiaomi devices and so far they haven't had any complaints.

sixtheninth said:
In the end I went with Jiyau S3 Advanced, bout £160 and I cannot complain. Flashed it into Flyme OS and man this machine rocks the socks ! The resurrection of Mediatek - this 64bit M6752 Octacore smites Snapdragon 610 with an easy apparently.
Also camerawise - Sony Exmor IMAX 214 RS really delivers the promise - Removable battery makes it a dream. After 2 weeks of research, I am only happy I did not fell for anyother device, - plus supports Band 20 /800 Mhz @4G so it's GiffGaff & O2 ready.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good for you. I'm still looking for the solution to unlcok LTE B20 on my Xiaomi MI Note LTE...
This post is not working for me...:crying:

yea, i'd look into the xiaomi options. it's surely gonna be my next purchase, although im also a bit of a lenovo fan.
now i have a jiayu g2f, i spent about 100 dollars on it at the time. i can say that it beats the quality of my previous(samsung) phones. In speed it is definately similar to my tab4 10.1. only thing is that it heats a bit more.
so like was mentioned, i'd also look into the jiayu s3 if i was you.

You can choose Huawei
I am a chinese and now i am in china ,I think Huawei is a good choice.Huawei have many patents and their devices is so good.Now i am using Huawei honor 6.(my english is so bad,if i had a misspelling,please pardon me)

The Future: Huawei Mate 8 vs P9 Max vs LeMax (US and other LTE Bands?!?)

OK, maybe it's a subset of groups, but the quest for the Holy Grail >6" and <7" Phone continues.
There are a few mid-ranges like Oppo R2 plus, Lenova is just Phab, but a good truly modifiable flag ship type phone seems out of grasp (your mileage may vary). [I actually have been swapping back and forth between the X2 and Note4 enough to make my head spin. I love the customization on the Note4 (use TekHD and OverDrive). BUT 6.3" seems like the perfect sweet spot between the X2 and the Note4.]
Posting this thread to not dirty up the MediaPad/Honor X2 where did you buy from thread.
This is NOT intended to be a love what I got, it's better than you want thread. IF you are satisfied and want to defend your current purchase please go to those forums and express your deep love there.
This is for looking at what's next and what HAS USA LTE bands,
So some initial contenders.
1) The cool LeTV LeMax. Super cool actually, but misses the US LTE criteria which only partially reduces the pangs of want).
ajsmsg78 said:
...I was looking at another phone I think I want to buy called the LeTV LeMax. It's a 6.3 inch phone similar to our X2 but a fingerprint scanner, NFC, faster CPU, and 21MP Camera....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gsQs_2Vf2k
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
... There is a dev thread, http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/general/letv-one-max1-x900-main-thread-t3170154/page78...
Now the Rumor Mill. There is supposed to be a LeTV LeMax 2. It should have all bands, but they are talking shrinking the screen. :crying:
2) Next up is the Huawei Mate 8
Huawei Mate 8 Price Leaks For Two Versions Ahead Of Nov. 26 Launch
A flagship in the dark which should be public 28 Nov.
How a company does a 6P, Mate S, and now the Mate 8 as THE Flagship, but I'll like it if it is bigger than the 6" and does US LTE
3) So amongst the many Huawei flagships comes the P9 Max, which may be the favorite here in this forum as a successor phone.
P9 Max (6.2" sweet spot). Hope they are smart enough to include us dumb Americans.
4) Maybe the Vivo X6 also?
Vivo X6
Thoughts?

Rudolpht said:
OK, maybe it's a subset of groups, but the quest for the Holy Grail >6" and <7" Phone continues.
There are a few mid-ranges like Oppo R2 plus, Lenova is just Phab, but a good truly modifiable flag ship type phone seems out of grasp (your mileage may vary). [I actually have been swapping back and forth between the X2 and Note4 enough to make my head spin. I love the customization on the Note4 (use TekHD and OverDrive). BUT 6.3" seems like the perfect sweet spot between the X2 and the Note4.]
Posting this thread to not dirty up the MediaPad/Honor X2 where did you buy from thread.
This is NOT intended to be a love what I got, it's better than you want thread. IF you are satisfied and want to defend your current purchase please go to those forums and express your deep love there.
This is for looking at what's next and what HAS USA LTE bands,
So some initial contenders.
1) The cool LeTV LeMax. Super cool actually, but misses the US LTE criteria which only partially reduces the pangs of want).
... There is a dev thread, http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/general/letv-one-max1-x900-main-thread-t3170154/page78...
Now the Rumor Mill. There is supposed to be a LeTV LeMax 2. It should have all bands, but they are talking shrinking the screen. :crying:
2) Next up is the Huawei Mate 8
Huawei Mate 8 Price Leaks For Two Versions Ahead Of Nov. 26 Launch
A flagship in the dark which should be public 28 Nov.
How a company does a 6P, Mate S, and now the Mate 8 as THE Flagship, but I'll like it if it is bigger than the 6" and does US LTE
3) So amongst the many Huawei flagships comes the P9 Max, which may be the favorite here in this forum as a successor phone.
P9 Max (6.2" sweet spot). Hope they are smart enough to include us dumb Americans.
4) Maybe the Vivo X6 also?
Vivo X6
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My only thought is that a 7 inch screen with a 16:10 ratio IS the sweet spot for me, so if it's any smaller or bigger I'm not really interested. Unfortunately that rather restricts my choices, so it's a good job I'm happy with my X2 for now!

Moandal said:
My only thought is that a 7 inch screen with a 16:10 ratio IS the sweet spot for me, so if it's any smaller or bigger I'm not really interested. Unfortunately that rather restricts my choices, so it's a good job I'm happy with my X2 for now!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it had US LTE it would and the 702 took custom ROMs easily, it would probably be next to perfect for me, but looking for discussion on other devices.

Rudolpht said:
OK, maybe it's a subset of groups, but the quest for the Holy Grail >6" and <7" Phone continues.
There are a few mid-ranges like Oppo R2 plus, Lenova is just Phab, but a good truly modifiable flag ship type phone seems out of grasp (your mileage may vary). [I actually have been swapping back and forth between the X2 and Note4 enough to make my head spin. I love the customization on the Note4 (use TekHD and OverDrive). BUT 6.3" seems like the perfect sweet spot between the X2 and the Note4.]
Posting this thread to not dirty up the MediaPad/Honor X2 where did you buy from thread.
This is NOT intended to be a love what I got, it's better than you want thread. IF you are satisfied and want to defend your current purchase please go to those forums and express your deep love there.
This is for looking at what's next and what HAS USA LTE bands,
So some initial contenders.
1) The cool LeTV LeMax. Super cool actually, but misses the US LTE criteria which only partially reduces the pangs of want).
... There is a dev thread, http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/general/letv-one-max1-x900-main-thread-t3170154/page78...
Now the Rumor Mill. There is supposed to be a LeTV LeMax 2. It should have all bands, but they are talking shrinking the screen. :crying:
2) Next up is the Huawei Mate 8
Huawei Mate 8 Price Leaks For Two Versions Ahead Of Nov. 26 Launch
A flagship in the dark which should be public 28 Nov.
How a company does a 6P, Mate S, and now the Mate 8 as THE Flagship, but I'll like it if it is bigger than the 6" and does US LTE
3) So amongst the many Huawei flagships comes the P9 Max, which may be the favorite here in this forum as a successor phone.
P9 Max (6.2" sweet spot). Hope they are smart enough to include us dumb Americans.
4) Maybe the Vivo X6 also?
Vivo X6
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I purchased my X2 I actually wanted a P8 Max but the price was too high for me to drop the money on since it still didn't have LTE support here as well as the X2 having a larger battery helped make my decision. The Phab plus has too small of a battery for me to think about buying one. If the Mate 8 comes with full LTE support I'd probably buy one of those as well as the P9 Max. I'm looking for my next purchase to have LTE support as well as band 12 support now that it's pretty prevalent here on Long Island where I live. I'd like something around 6.2" to use as a daily driver and something 6.8 to 7 inches to use as well. I'll probably just stick to the X2 because I like it a lot. My Nexus 6 doesn't get the best battery life and that's the main reason I will sell it. Oh, and it's ONLY 6", lol. The problem is, on many forums I see people complaining that a phone is too big and they ask how others can use something so big. That annoys me as there are PLENTY of smaller phones out there as well as plenty of 5.5-5.7 inch phones as well but not too many over 6 inches.

The 24th and 26th coming up for some announcements.
I don't know if the P9 Max will be discussed or held until MWC.
I was on a trip this week and the lack of LTE really impacted me, compared to my work iPhone (blehck).

Ok, the Mate 8 is outted formally
Wow. If the 8 follows the Mate S trend to support the ATT/GSM frequency bands, this graduates from could buy to must buy. Only the P9 Max vaporware would hold me back.
Happy Thanksgiving all.

Huawei Mate 8 Hands On: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzHybzpuKWw

If the Mate 8 comes to my country (U.S.) then I will definitely be buying one to replace my Nexus 6. Then hopefully the P9 Max or Mediapad X3 support LTE here and if they do I'll be buying one of those as well. I'm really liking the design of some of these Chinese phones. They are much nicer than almost all the stuff they force down your throat here in the U.S and the batteries are much larger.

ajsmsg78 said:
If the Mate 8 comes to my country (U.S.) then I will definitely be buying one to replace my Nexus 6. Then hopefully the P9 Max or Mediapad X3 support LTE here and if they do I'll be buying one of those as well. I'm really liking the design of some of these Chinese phones. They are much nicer than almost all the stuff they force down your throat here in the U.S and the batteries are much larger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, somehow the Chinese phones have adopted a modern looking industrial design than what Samsung and LG are putting out in their flagship products. The design of the X2 attracted me immediately, as it looks like what I hoped the 2013 Nexus 7 would be. And it's a phone as well!
Anyway, I'm really liking the designs that Huawei, Meizu and Xiaomi are coming out with these days. I remember having a Meizu M6 MP3 player almost 10 years ago that had a surprisingly compelling design that mixed the iPod Nano and iPod Video. Them were the days: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meizu_M6_miniPlayer

ajsmsg78 said:
If the Mate 8 comes to my country (U.S.) then I will definitely be buying one to replace my Nexus 6. Then hopefully the P9 Max or Mediapad X3 support LTE here and if they do I'll be buying one of those as well. I'm really liking the design of some of these Chinese phones. ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will trade in my Note 4 for a Mate 8 and maybe X2 for an X3 predicated on US LTE support. I agree the designs are going upscale, and beating the US in battery and other Phablet features. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and Gionee GN8001 would sell here I think if local LTE supported.

More on the P9 Max https://www.whatech.com/mobile/reviews/111433-huawei-p9-max-big-on-everything-6-2-inch-quad-hd-screen-fast-octa-core-with-4gb-ram-and-20mp-5mp-camera

Rudolpht said:
More on the P9 Max https://www.whatech.com/mobile/revi...st-octa-core-with-4gb-ram-and-20mp-5mp-camera
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The screenshot says it has a 16:10 2560x1600 screen but the article says it has a 16:9 2560x1440 screen. Which one is it? I'm guessing it's 16:9 as 1440p panels are likely more common at that screen size than 1600p. Either way, I think 1440p/1600p panels make more sense on larger screens than on the current crop of 5-5.7 inch phones.
I hope Huawei doesn't discontinue the Mediapad X series however, just because it is so unique.

Review of LeTV Le Max. More disappointing than I expected. http://www.androidheadlines.com/2015/12/featured-review-letv-le-max-x900.html

Xperia Z6 will include an Ultra version with a 6.4 inch screen. The last Xperia Z Ultra phone was in 2013, with a 1080P 6.44" screen.
http://www.gsmarena.com/a_total_of_5_sony_xperia_z6s_expected_a_4inch_mini_among_them-news-15343.php

I saw that today also. There is a press conference at CES which was thought to be tge Z5 Ultra. I owned the Z Ultra and has been painful watching the 5 successive models go by. We'll see what rumors come true.

For some reason I have never liked Sony's Phones. I had a Z Ultra before the X2 and hated it so much I returned it. I hated the bezels being too large, I hated the undersized battery and I especially hated the door for the MicroUSB charger which ended up falling off constantly. If new Z Ultra has less bezel and a large battery I'd consider picking one up though.

ajsmsg78 said:
For some reason I have never liked Sony's Phones. I had a Z Ultra before the X2 and hated it so much I returned it. I hated the bezels being too large, I hated the undersized battery and I especially hated the door for the MicroUSB charger which ended up falling off constantly. If new Z Ultra has less bezel and a large battery I'd consider picking one up though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm kinda' anti-sony now, regardless. They were always good with replacement phones but my last one they said sorry, won't even fix (for the price of one on swappa). At this point I think a new Ultra may never come out despite Z5 & Z6 rumors. They didn't pan out for Z2 Ultra, Z3 Ultra, Z4 Ultra. It's actually part of the reason I'm waiting on you getting the 702L. I bricked the last "extra" ultra and don't want to do same with the 702L, which is more than a hold over phone with all the improvements by you and in the forum.

Rudolpht said:
I'm kinda' anti-sony now, regardless. They were always good with replacement phones but my last one they said sorry, won't even fix (for the price of one on swappa). At this point I think a new Ultra may never come out despite Z5 & Z6 rumors. They didn't pan out for Z2 Ultra, Z3 Ultra, Z4 Ultra. It's actually part of the reason I'm waiting on you getting the 702L. I bricked the last "extra" ultra and don't want to do same with the 702L, which is more than a hold over phone with all the improvements by you and in the forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HA, I bricked the Ultra as well but not with software. I bought one of those magnetic charging cables for it and plugged it in upside down (it never said anywhere it couldn't be plugged in either way) and the phone shut off and that was all she wrote.

Yup, I was considering getting the Google Play edition of the Z Ultra, but the lack of camera flash (??!) and the enormous top and bottom bezels made it a non-starter. Part of me also thinks that a Z6 Ultra will ultimately be vaporware.
Sony Mobile isn't doing well at all, and I don't see how they would risk their brand name by attaching it to so many different models.

aniym said:
Yup, I was considering getting the Google Play edition of the Z Ultra, but the lack of camera flash (??!) and the enormous top and bottom bezels made it a non-starter. Part of me also thinks that a Z6 Ultra will ultimately be vaporware.
Sony Mobile isn't doing well at all, and I don't see how they would risk their brand name by attaching it to so many different models.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I forgot about the camera not having a flash. That was a big thing as well as I use the flash for a flashlight all the time. Let's hope they learned from their mistakes (although even the new models they just put out still have huge bezels.

With no P8 Max or Sony Ultra successor, where to go for 6'8" size Phablets? 😞

With no P8 Max or Sony Ultra successor, where to go for 6'8" size Phablets?
I'm panicked. It's a dead breed!

Yeah that sucks no P9max
Lenovo Phab Plus any good?

I am a proud P8 Max user (the international variant) and I am disappointed that the P9 Max did not get released.I am also pleased that it did get released because I have only recently purchased my P8 Max and I am pretty happy with it and would not even consider getting a Samsung S7 Edge or the P9 Plus or any of the Ipants versions.
Also, as a former user of the Xperia Z Ultra, this phone is on a completely different quality level. As for the Lenovo Phab Plus, I don't think it compares to the P8 Max in terms of quality and spec so I would buy the P8 Max again with my eyes closed over the Phab Plus or X Z Ultra or even the LeTV Le Max/Pro 6.33".
The important question here is did someone lie about the P9 Max existence? Why did all the tech blogs fail to give accurate information or gave almost confirmed information? Was Oppomart the web site that claimed to have unveiled the specs at 6.2" inch display when subsequent rumours claimed 6.8" inches did it as a scam to promote their site?
Clearly, either Huawei decided at the last minute to postpone the launch to gatecrash the release of Samsung Note 6 in September or as suggested it has been discontinued as a series. Lets hope I am wrong about some of the statements I am making and that some good news will emerge but for now I think all the so called tech/mobile experts have failed miserably even at rumour level.
Do we need a successor to the P8 Max? Possibly yes in an ideal world but I strongly think the developer community priority should be to start developing quality roms for this precious handset and the legacy of this device will last many years think of it as the HTC HD2 for the Phablet lovers. This way we would not even need to hope for a better model when this one almost ticks all the boxes (except the lack of IR blaster and NFC support).
Thats all that is needed for this phone/the ultimate REAL phablet.
On a separate note, I was looking to put my P8 Max DAV-701L Titanium Grey on sale if the successor was announced but I guess I have to put that thought on hold. Lets see what the future holds.

Yeah i don't get it. Many websites had the specs for the P9max. Now they all changed it to the P9 Plus. There is a big difference between 6,8 and 5,5 inch.
Also gsmarena changed it :s
http://www.gsmarena.com/huawei_p9_max-7745.php
I still hope the P9max comes unannounced, like the P9 Lite:
http://www.gsmarena.com/unannounced_huawei_p9_lite_makes_an_appearance-news-17641.php
---------- Post added 08-04-2016 at 12:32 AM ---------- Previous post was 07-04-2016 at 11:39 PM ----------
I'm also looking at the new Letv Max Pro X910 6.33-Inch. The specs looks good.
http://www.kimovil.com/en/where-to-buy-letv-max-pro-x910
http://www.banggood.com/Letv-Max-Pr...0-Quad-Core-Dual-4G-Smartphone-p-1027843.html

Just saw the Mate 8 in the store here. Phone looks great and front finaly in black but its 6 inch So i still need to think about it.

Looks like there will be a P9 Max after all. If this supports full LTE on T-Mobile in the US you bet i'll be buying one:
http://www.gsmarena.com/huawei_p9_max_may_have_been_spotted_in_a_benchmark_rocking_69inch_screen-news-17778.php

Yeah! Saw that P9 Max 6'9" screen info!
Sadly, I'm positive there be no LTE frequencies for T-Mobile..
It's just been a Huawei guarantee!

Been using in US? HSPU? How's that been for you?
AWFRONT said:
I am a proud P8 Max user (the international variant) and I am disappointed that the P9 Max did not get released.I am also pleased that it did get released because I have only recently purchased my P8 Max and I am pretty happy with it and would not even consider getting a Samsung S7 Edge or the P9 Plus or any of the Ipants versions.
Also, as a former user of the Xperia Z Ultra, this phone is on a completely different quality level. As for the Lenovo Phab Plus, I don't think it compares to the P8 Max in terms of quality and spec so I would buy the P8 Max again with my eyes closed over the Phab Plus or X Z Ultra or even the LeTV Le Max/Pro 6.33".
The important question here is did someone lie about the P9 Max existence? Why did all the tech blogs fail to give accurate information or gave almost confirmed information? Was Oppomart the web site that claimed to have unveiled the specs at 6.2" inch display when subsequent rumours claimed 6.8" inches did it as a scam to promote their site?
Clearly, either Huawei decided at the last minute to postpone the launch to gatecrash the release of Samsung Note 6 in September or as suggested it has been discontinued as a series. Lets hope I am wrong about some of the statements I am making and that some good news will emerge but for now I think all the so called tech/mobile experts have failed miserably even at rumour level.
Do we need a successor to the P8 Max? Possibly yes in an ideal world but I strongly think the developer community priority should be to start developing quality roms for this precious handset and the legacy of this device will last many years think of it as the HTC HD2 for the Phablet lovers. This way we would not even need to hope for a better model when this one almost ticks all the boxes (except the lack of IR blaster and NFC support).
Thats all that is needed for this phone/the ultimate REAL phablet.
On a separate note, I was looking to put my P8 Max DAV-701L Titanium Grey on sale if the successor was announced but I guess I have to put that thought on hold. Lets see what the future holds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Been using without LTE? How's that been working for you?
AWFRONT said:
I am a proud P8 Max user (the international variant) and I am disappointed that the P9 Max did not get released.I am also pleased that it did get released because I have only recently purchased my P8 Max and I am pretty happy with it and would not even consider getting a Samsung S7 Edge or the P9 Plus or any of the Ipants versions.
Also, as a former user of the Xperia Z Ultra, this phone is on a completely different quality level. As for the Lenovo Phab Plus, I don't think it compares to the P8 Max in terms of quality and spec so I would buy the P8 Max again with my eyes closed over the Phab Plus or X Z Ultra or even the LeTV Le Max/Pro 6.33".
The important question here is did someone lie about the P9 Max existence? Why did all the tech blogs fail to give accurate information or gave almost confirmed information? Was Oppomart the web site that claimed to have unveiled the specs at 6.2" inch display when subsequent rumours claimed 6.8" inches did it as a scam to promote their site?
Clearly, either Huawei decided at the last minute to postpone the launch to gatecrash the release of Samsung Note 6 in September or as suggested it has been discontinued as a series. Lets hope I am wrong about some of the statements I am making and that some good news will emerge but for now I think all the so called tech/mobile experts have failed miserably even at rumour level.
Do we need a successor to the P8 Max? Possibly yes in an ideal world but I strongly think the developer community priority should be to start developing quality roms for this precious handset and the legacy of this device will last many years think of it as the HTC HD2 for the Phablet lovers. This way we would not even need to hope for a better model when this one almost ticks all the boxes (except the lack of IR blaster and NFC support).
Thats all that is needed for this phone/the ultimate REAL phablet.
On a separate note, I was looking to put my P8 Max DAV-701L Titanium Grey on sale if the successor was announced but I guess I have to put that thought on hold. Lets see what the future holds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I am using it with LTE enabled on the Three and Vodafone UK networks and the reception and 4G is really good (coverage dependant). Also, as I have the international model, the overall operation is really good and smooth and call drops etc I used to experience on same networks with Samsung handsets is non existent.

rockky said:
Yeah! Saw that P9 Max 6'9" screen info!
Sadly, I'm positive there be no LTE frequencies for T-Mobile..
It's just been a Huawei guarantee!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There will be full US LTE support, same as the Mate 8.

Hi, I believe the next big thing is a dual screen of 6.8 inch each as one phone the same size as p8 max. There was conspiricy to cover up with NEC's dual screen phone that had combined screen area smaller than p8 max's single 6.8 screen. I have said too much and endangered my own career. You need a blue tooth keyboard one in home, one in car, one in office. And the thing will be the last laptop you ever have to buy.

I hope P9 Max release...

ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra is coming!
What's a shame no 6Go LPDDR4 version.
Sent from my HUAWEI P8max using Tapatalk

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro 6,4 inch.
http://www.xyztimes.com/mobile/lenovo-phab-2-pro
Presentation is tomorrow
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MBgQLraVGJQ

Xiaomi MiMax 6.4
Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra 6.8
Lenovo Phab 2 Pro 6.4

Loneken said:
ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra is coming!
What's a shame no 6Go LPDDR4 version.
Sent from my HUAWEI P8max using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeap, but on ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra microSD uses SIM 2 slot.
waiting another smartphone

[Q] Anyone in the U.S.A. actually gotten one of these yet?

Has anyone in the U.S.A. actually gotten one of these yet? If so, which carrier are you with and how is the voice reception & data performance?

It is awesome....but I am gonna get the Lenovo
I am not in the US. I am in Canada. The phone works well. However the 4G network it is designed to receive is not the one of those primarily used in Canada, so connectivity in certain areas is not idea.
The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is built for the US market. I would get that instead.
Other than that, the phone is awesome. Great build quality, awesome battery.
Cheers

I Just got it a few days ago. I will have to give you a better idea later and I want to post some questions to see if I can get some minor things ironed out but so far so good. Screen is amazing. Sound is real loud. Haven't done any gaming yet. Ive literaly been traveling non stop for the last few days so I will post more soon. Im on AT&T. I get consistent H and H+.

skyhawk182 said:
I am not in the US. I am in Canada. The phone works well. However the 4G network it is designed to receive is not the one of those primarily used in Canada, so connectivity in certain areas is not idea.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What carrier are you on? The ultra supports a wide variety of frequencies:
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2
3G bands HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 / 800
4G bands LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 18(800), 19(800), 20(800), 26(850), 28(700), 38(2600), 40(2300), 41(2500)

I have had this model (ZU680KL) for one week. My wife wanted my HTC 10 and I wanted a bigger screen with 4gb of ram, dual speakers, SD card slot. I originally was looking for a 7 inch tablet with 4gb of ram, dual speakers, memory expansion, and Wi-Fi and 4g/LTE. They are getting hard to find. I saw the 6.8 inch Asus zenfone 3 ultra and decided to give it a try.
I must say not quite as fast as the HTC 10, but very happy with performance, video and music quality is very good. I have had no freeze ups yet, which I have had with the HTC 10. But will see after longer ownership. Although this has surprised me with a processor not as good as many other high end phones/phablets. So far very happy with over-all performance. Will give more feedback after longer ownership.
Only disappointed for this Asus is that I always root my phones, but have not found any custom roms out yet.
---------- Post added at 02:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:04 AM ----------
One side note for the Asus ZU680KL is that I'm not having any problems at all using this unlocked phone on Cricket (gsm- AT&T) and getting H,H+, and 4g./Lte.

Slbtrb79 said:
Only disappointed for this Asus is that I always root my phones, but have not found any custom roms out yet.
---------- Post added at 02:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:04 AM ----------
One side note for the Asus ZU680KL is that I'm not having any problems at all using this unlocked phone on Cricket (gsm- AT&T) and getting H,H+, and 4g./Lte.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you root it? There's a video on YouTube showing ultra rooted. The bootloader is unlocked is it not?

I also just got one of these yesterday. I randomly found one on Amazon Warehouse deals fulfilled by Amazon. Im using it on At&T with no LTE but getting decent 3G speeds of 5 down. Using Nova launcher to get around the Asus UI. Very happy with it so far. I also would love to see a custom rom as it does have a Snapdragon processor but Im not holding my breath. Coming from an Xperia Ultra Z and a Nexus 6 I was used to tons of dev support. Im happy with it though. If a Mi Max happens to come up on Amazon with US seller Id prolly pick one of those up for comparison. Good phone thoough.

Too expensive
shdwphnx said:
Has anyone in the U.S.A. actually gotten one of these yet? If so, which carrier are you with and how is the voice reception & data performance?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are price-gouging pretty bad if you want to buy it in the US. I do not think it is worth the money. I saw a review of real world usage. It was not as great as people thought. It might be better to get the Huawei P8 Max. It is cheaper the the Asus zenfone 3 Ultra and has a way better processor, great battery, large screen, and they say a 128GB microSD card works in it.

d4ndr0id said:
Did you root it? There's a video on YouTube showing ultra rooted. The bootloader is unlocked is it not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, for your remark, but I have found no ultra zenfone 3 ultra zu680kl rooted with bootloader unlocked on YouTube. Many of those videos are titled wrong. The only video I found was an Asus 5 rooted with bootloader unlocked with kitkat using rootkit.
But even if you could root this device and there was a how to video, there are no custom roms developed yet. I am more interested in adding and trying different roms. Until there are a few custom roms like AOSP, MIUI, CM, with 6.0 or higher, I will probably not root anyway. Besides as far as I know, Twrp recovery img for this device has not been developed yet.
---------- Post added at 07:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:28 PM ----------
cryingthug said:
They are price-gouging pretty bad if you want to buy it in the US. I do not think it is worth the money. I saw a review of real world usage. It was not as great as people thought. It might be better to get the Huawei P8 Max. It is cheaper the the Asus zenfone 3 Ultra and has a way better processor, great battery, large screen, and they say a 128GB microSD card works in it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree with your assessment of the Asus zenfone 3 ultra (zu680kl) compared to the Huawei P8 max. The P8 max is a nice device for the money. It does have a better processor, but saying it's way better is objective. The benchmark tests with these two processors from these phones are not so far apart. But there is only a less than 50.00 difference on price between these phones on EBay, with both having 64gb internal memory ( 568.00 P8 max and 589.00 Asus Zenphone 3 ultra). This Asus model is a year newer, with 4gb of ram and not 3 like the P8 max. Bigger battery with fast charge and the ability to charge other devices, which the P8 max doesn't have. Up to 256 GB of storage, which is also more than the P8 max. Better camera specs, better speakers (dual), type C USB (P8 max doesn't have), and also fingerprint scanner. So I guess after reading and doing side by side comparisons, It all depends what you would want on your phone.

Go For The P8 Max
Slbtrb79 said:
I disagree with your assessment of the Asus zenfone 3 ultra (zu680kl) compared to the Huawei P8 max. The P8 max is a nice device for the money. It does have a better processor, but saying it's way better is objective. The benchmark tests with these two processors from these phones are not so far apart. But there is only a less than 50.00 difference on price between these phones on EBay, with both having 64gb internal memory ( 568.00 P8 max and 589.00 Asus Zenphone 3 ultra). This Asus model is a year newer, with 4gb of ram and not 3 like the P8 max. Bigger battery with fast charge and the ability to charge other devices, which the P8 max doesn't have. Up to 256 GB of storage, which is also more than the P8 max. Better camera specs, better speakers (dual), type C USB (P8 max doesn't have), and also fingerprint scanner. So I guess after reading and doing side by side comparisons, It all depends what you would want on your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here are reasons to get the Huawei P8 Max over the Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra.
1. Pay much less money. You can get the P8 Max for about $300 if you know where to shop. Way cheaper.
2. Blazing fast processor at 2.3GHz.
3. No need to upgrade all the to USB cables and USB-OTG devices to the USB-C type connection, which will cost you more money. With the price of the phone one should also calculate the price of the other items that you will need to go with it.
4. Can use a 128GB microSD card. That is plenty of space for a phone.
5. Battery will last longer that that of the Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra according to battery tests on youtube.
6. The P8 Max (DAV-703L) can be upgraded to Android 6, same as the Zenfone 3 Ultra.
7. (Opinion) The P8 Max looks better and has a sleek design. I am not liking the hardware button on the Asus Zenfone 3 Max.
8. You can root the P8 Max.

The P8 max build quality is terrible. Have you seen how easily the bezel comes off with just a bit of bending pressure? scary. For that reason, I would choose the ultra over the P8 max.

cryingthug said:
Here are reasons to get the Huawei P8 Max over the Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra.
1. Pay much less money. You can get the P8 Max for about $300 if you know where to shop. Way cheaper.
2. Blazing fast processor at 2.3GHz.
3. No need to upgrade all the to USB cables and USB-OTG devices to the USB-C type connection, which will cost you more money. With the price of the phone one should also calculate the price of the other items that you will need to go with it.
4. Can use a 128GB microSD card. That is plenty of space for a phone.
5. Battery will last longer that that of the Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra according to battery tests on youtube.
6. The P8 Max (DAV-703L) can be upgraded to Android 6, same as the Zenfone 3 Ultra.
7. (Opinion) The P8 Max looks better and has a sleek design. I am not liking the hardware button on the Asus Zenfone 3 Max.
8. You can root the P8 Max.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You purchase what you like and I will do the same, but on pricing and specs you need to compare apples to apples. I will be specific.
1.) In the real world on pricing of these phones, please show me where you can buy a Huawei P8 Max for 293.00 new, with dual Sim and with 64 GB of internal storage capacity. I paid 593.00 for my Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra with dual Sim and 64gb internal storage capacity. EBay and others are selling the Huawei P8 Max with dual Sim and 64GB internal storage capacity for between 400.00(used) and 500.00 new.
2.) Huawei P8 Max has only 3gb of ram, my Ultra has 4gb of ram.
3.) Better metal quality in the new Ultra (aluminum). Looks nicer ( my opinion).
4.) USB-C Type connection is better. More and more devices heading that way. Anyway, the Zenfone Ultra I received, came shipped with two USB-C type cables. When calculating the price of a phone, first you need to see what comes with it.
5.) No fingerprint sensor on the Huawei P8 Max according to phonearena.com
6.) Asus Ultra has double the internal storage capacity. More external also.
7.) Asus Ultra has better camera specs both ways
8.) Asus Ultra has better bluetooth specs also.
9.) One of the things I was looking for in a phablet was stereo speakers. Asus Ultra yes, P8 Max no.
My conclusion :
Yes the P8 has a faster processor, but I prefer the Qualcomm snapdragon. You can also root the P8, but it's been out for over a year. The Asus Zenfone Ultra only a few months, which the source code has already been provided.
But comparing these two phones together with the true pricing and specs. It's no where near a 300.00 dollar difference posted previously. More like a 100.00 difference. For that difference, my money is on the Asus Zenfone Ultra. But that's my personal choice, but that's what makes the world go around.
All specs came from phonearena.com.
All pricing came from Ebay and Amazon.

I'm sure you can root the ultra as well.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

Slbtrb79 said:
You purchase what you like and I will do the same, but on pricing and specs you need to compare apples to apples. I will be specific.
1.) In the real world on pricing of these phones, please show me where you can buy a Huawei P8 Max for 293.00 new, with dual Sim and with 64 GB of internal storage capacity. I paid 593.00 for my Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra with dual Sim and 64gb internal storage capacity. EBay and others are selling the Huawei P8 Max with dual Sim and 64GB internal storage capacity for between 400.00(used) and 500.00 new.
2.) Huawei P8 Max has only 3gb of ram, my Ultra has 4gb of ram.
3.) Better metal quality in the new Ultra (aluminum). Looks nicer ( my opinion).
4.) USB-C Type connection is better. More and more devices heading that way. Anyway, the Zenfone Ultra I received, came shipped with two USB-C type cables. When calculating the price of a phone, first you need to see what comes with it.
5.) No fingerprint sensor on the Huawei P8 Max according to phonearena.com
6.) Asus Ultra has double the internal storage capacity. More external also.
7.) Asus Ultra has better camera specs both ways
8.) Asus Ultra has better bluetooth specs also.
9.) One of the things I was looking for in a phablet was stereo speakers. Asus Ultra yes, P8 Max no.
My conclusion :
Yes the P8 has a faster processor, but I prefer the Qualcomm snapdragon. You can also root the P8, but it's been out for over a year. The Asus Zenfone Ultra only a few months, which the source code has already been provided.
But comparing these two phones together with the true pricing and specs. It's no where near a 300.00 dollar difference posted previously. More like a 100.00 difference. For that difference, my money is on the Asus Zenfone Ultra. But that's my personal choice, but that's what makes the world go around.
All specs came from phonearena.com.
All pricing came from Ebay and Amazon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As a side note, I believe this is the second time that cryingthug and myself have talked about specs and pricing of these two phones. After this last post, I am just going to leave it at, that we disagree. No reason to essentially keep posting the same argument as to which is the better phone. You like what you like and I will do the same, when it comes to these two phones.

I'm going to root my coworkers ultra on Friday, will post results.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

Sorry for the late reply everyone. The issue is Asus hasnt' released the bootloader unlock program for the ultra yet. They have for the deluxe though. my coworker has opened a ticket requesting this program. Once the bootloader is unlocked, i'll get to work on rooting, shouldn't be hard after that.

Slbtrb79 said:
2.) Huawei P8 Max has only 3gb of ram, my Ultra has 4gb of ram.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Slbtrb79:
Both phones are great in my opinion. There are not many to select from in the 6.8 inch range. We should be happy that we at least have those two choices.
One thing about the RAM amounts in both phones is, I think 99% of most smartphone owners do not even know how much RAM their phones are using. Therefore, they cannot know how much RAM they need. Ask anyone how much RAM their phone is using I bet they will not be able to answer the question. I had a phone that had 1GB of RAM. It ran great. I'll use anything with more that 1GB. On the other hand I have seen phones come painfully to a crawl due to not having fast enough processors. I threw away my first smartphone away because of that.

cryingthug said:
Slbtrb79:
Both phones are great in my opinion. There are not many to select from in the 6.8 inch range. We should be happy that we at least have those two choices.
One thing about the RAM amounts in both phones is, I think 99% of most smartphone owners do not even know how much RAM their phones are using. Therefore, they cannot know how much RAM they need. Ask anyone how much RAM their phone is using I bet they will not be able to answer the question. I had a phone that had 1GB of RAM. It ran great. I'll use anything with more that 1GB. On the other hand I have seen phones come painfully to a crawl due to not having fast enough processors. I threw away my first smartphone away because of that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't get me wrong, I always appreciate others views, including yours. I have liked many of your posts, just happened to disagree with your posts on your assessments on comparing these two phones. It's nice two have two phones to pick from, with maybe the exception of the Xiaomi Mi Max ( 6.4 inch screen, big battery, 4 GB of ram). But I think any gamer would know how how much ram their phone would have and the processor for that matter. Personally since I own the HTC 10 and the Asus zenphone 3 ultra, I've had no problems playing Asphalt 8. I have actually had no freeze ups or other issues with the Asus, playing that game. Asus, just like many other manufacturers need to keep improving their phones, even though I'm a fan of the Asus zenfone 3 ultra due impart to the screen size, dual stereo speakers, 4gb of ram, etc., I don't understand why Asus did not use the same processor like they did in their Deluxe model with the 6gb of ram.
But, please, keep on expressing your views and opinions. I may have gotten a little carried away on that previous post. I have always been an XDA fan. My best to you and all, Slbtrb79....

Looks like we need to boycott Asus so they can develop the bootloader tool for the ultra. As of now, no root.
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Maybe if we all request it?

Bargains!

Looks to be some massive bargains around at Gearbest in the upcoming sale on 11/11/16 (that is a date where format doesnt matter which helps)
http://www.gearbest.com/m-promotion-active-261.html
The three phones that looked most interesting to me are the :-
ASUS ZenPhone 2 (ZE551ML 4GB/16GB) @ £117.99 although not all UK LTE Frequencies are supported if it is suitable for you it's a very high spec device - http://www.gearbest.com/cell-phones/pp_230531.html
ZTE Axon Mini - This does have all UK LTE bands and a decent mid range SD615 @ £117.99 - http://www.gearbest.com/cell-phones/pp_247009.html?wid=11
XiaoMi Mi4 International 3G Version - if you are down with 3G only then this is a beast with an SD801 and a lovely 5inch FHD screen @ £102.09 - http://www.gearbest.com/cell-phones/pp_452985.html?wid=4
You are not going to get anything like this kind of bang for buck at UK retailers and in the renewed spirit of international free trade then I thought, why not