Database Info

Help me understand things about X2

Dear X2 users,
I am thinking about purchasing X2, and I would like to ask you to share your experience with this device, and also help me understand a few moments. I am pretty new to nowadays devices, and my experience is limited to rooting and changing rom on old galaxy nexus years ago.
1. Firstly, I see users post updated firmware in this forum for X2, different GEM versions. How do I know which version will I purchase? Can it be viewed somewhere in settings/menus? In the shops of my country, this device is called "Mediapad X2 LTE". I want to know the version to be able to understand which updates and customization might be available for this device.
2. Secondly, I would like to ask your opinion about the amount of RAM. Unfortunately, 3 GB version is not available in my country, none of the suppliers can offer it. I don't want to buy it online from other countries, because locally purchased device may have extended warranty, warranty against braking/losing/water-destorying the device etc. So, I can buy 2 GB version or nothing. I shall use the device for movies via VLC, internet browsing, youtube videos, calls, alarm clock, a few news apps. I never play games, and almost never use camera. I think 2 GB of RAM should be enough, but I would like to ask you to share your memory usage just to be sure.
3. Say I will have a reason to rood the device and change the recovery to TWRP. And say after some time something will stop working, and I will need to bring the device to warranty service. Will it be possible to restore the standard recovery and un-root the device to avoid any questions at warranty service?
4. This post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/mediapad-x2/general/emui-3-1-apps-multiscreen-t3193389
Does it mean that it is possible to make X2 display two different programs at the same time, like e.g. on galaxy note 4 ?
5. I've read that sometimes preinstalled apps are slowing down the device and are useless. What is your experience? Is it necessary to get root to remove this bloatware?
Thank you for sharing your experience in advance

Hi
Just my sharing to your 5 questions:
1) There are 3 variants for X2 --> GEM-701L, GEM-702L and GEM-703L depending on which country. I noticed GEM-701L is prevalent in Europe (eg. Russsia), GEM-702L in Asia except China (eg. Hong Kong, Taiwan) and GEM-703L is for the China market. So far Huawei seems to have concentrated the ROM upgrades for the model GEM-703L which currently is at Android 5.11. The other 2 models are still at Android 5.0.5. If you're able to have physical access to the X2 in your country's shop, you can check the model by SETTINGS--->ABOUT PHONE--->MODEL NO.
2) Based on your usage description personally I think 2GB RAM is sufficient. Of course the general rule is the more RAM the better.
3) Yes it is possible to un-root your X2 and restore it back to stock status.
4) Yes - this is the split screen feature available if you're on GEM-703L models only.
5) I never had the experience of the X2 pre-installed bloatware affecting my usage so far. Anyway to prevent the effect of bloatware slowing down the device if you experience it, you can "disable" these pre-installed apps from the MANAGE APPS within the SETTINGS. No need to root the device to disable it. After reboot these bloatware won't start anymore. But to remove/uninstall these then you need root access.
To add on to your Q1, another way to check which model is the X2 in your country's shop is by checking the LTE Bands that is supported as stated in the advertisement of your shop:
GEM-701L
LTE Bands 1/3/7/20/38/40
Model: GEM-702L
LTE Bands 1/3/7/8/28/38/39/40/41
Model: GEM-703L
LTE Bands 1/3/7/38/39/40/41
Hope the above helps.
---------- Post added at 03:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:51 PM ----------
To further add-on, the coming Android Marshmallow 6.0 Huawei has announced officially that they'll upgrade the GEM-703L only

Darn. I hope the 702 to 703 method will allow a 6.0 update

Rudolpht said:
Darn. I hope the 702 to 703 method will allow a 6.0 update
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well keep our fingers crossed, will attempt it when it comes.

kpcheang2 said:
Hi
Just my sharing to your 5 questions:
1) There are 3 variants for X2 --> GEM-701L, GEM-702L and GEM-703L depending on which country. I noticed GEM-701L is prevalent in Europe (eg. Russsia), GEM-702L in Asia except China (eg. Hong Kong, Taiwan) and GEM-703L is for the China market. So far Huawei seems to have concentrated the ROM upgrades for the model GEM-703L which currently is at Android 5.11. The other 2 models are still at Android 5.0.5. If you're able to have physical access to the X2 in your country's shop, you can check the model by SETTINGS--->ABOUT PHONE--->MODEL NO.
2) Based on your usage description personally I think 2GB RAM is sufficient. Of course the general rule is the more RAM the better.
3) Yes it is possible to un-root your X2 and restore it back to stock status.
4) Yes - this is the split screen feature available if you're on GEM-703L models only.
5) I never had the experience of the X2 pre-installed bloatware affecting my usage so far. Anyway to prevent the effect of bloatware slowing down the device if you experience it, you can "disable" these pre-installed apps from the MANAGE APPS within the SETTINGS. No need to root the device to disable it. After reboot these bloatware won't start anymore. But to remove/uninstall these then you need root access.
To add on to your Q1, another way to check which model is the X2 in your country's shop is by checking the LTE Bands that is supported as stated in the advertisement of your shop:
GEM-701L
LTE Bands 1/3/7/20/38/40
Model: GEM-702L
LTE Bands 1/3/7/8/28/38/39/40/41
Model: GEM-703L
LTE Bands 1/3/7/38/39/40/41
Hope the above helps.
---------- Post added at 03:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:51 PM ----------
To further add-on, the coming Android Marshmallow 6.0 Huawei has announced officially that they'll upgrade the GEM-703L only
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much for such a detailed answer. I have visited a local shop, so it is GEM 701. I tried to load the device with software, and I didn't exceed 1 GB of RAM usage. So I guess 2 GB should be enough in all cases of my non overloaded usage.
Just a couple more questions:
6. Does this device have a one handed operation, when all the screen becomes smaller and moves to the right side of the screen? Samsung and some other phones with big screens has this functionality, but I didn't find it in this device. Is it there?
7. I installed Apex launcher and Nova launcher on that device in the shop, because I prefer the app drawer (secondary menu for apps instead of all of them being on the desktop). With these launchers half of desktop in each homescreen is black. Do you have any experience of these aftermarket launchers? Did you have any issues? What may be the reason for the half of the screen being black? Haven't found any similar topics anywhere on the web ...
8. Just for a curiosity - GEM 701 and two other versions are basically different for their supported radio bands. How come the split-screen functionality is dependent on that?
Thank you again for your time sharing the experience

astuntas said:
Thank you so much for such a detailed answer. I have visited a local shop, so it is GEM 701. I tried to load the device with software, and I didn't exceed 1 GB of RAM usage. So I guess 2 GB should be enough in all cases of my non overloaded usage.
Just a couple more questions:
6. Does this device have a one handed operation, when all the screen becomes smaller and moves to the right side of the screen? Samsung and some other phones with big screens has this functionality, but I didn't find it in this device. Is it there?
7. I installed Apex launcher and Nova launcher on that device in the shop, because I prefer the app drawer (secondary menu for apps instead of all of them being on the desktop). With these launchers half of desktop in each homescreen is black. Do you have any experience of these aftermarket launchers? Did you have any issues? What may be the reason for the half of the screen being black? Haven't found any similar topics anywhere on the web ...
8. Just for a curiosity - GEM 701 and two other versions are basically different for their supported radio bands. How come the split-screen functionality is dependent on that?
Thank you again for your time sharing the experience
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
6. Does this device have a one handed operation, when all the screen becomes smaller and moves to the right side of the screen? Samsung and some other phones with big screens has this functionality, but I didn't find it in this device. Is it there?
[kpcheang2] Currently no. I"m not sure if they will implement it via future ROM feature upgrades.
7. I installed Apex launcher and Nova launcher on that device in the shop, because I prefer the app drawer (secondary menu for apps instead of all of them being on the desktop). With these launchers half of desktop in each homescreen is black. Do you have any experience of these aftermarket launchers? Did you have any issues? What may be the reason for the half of the screen being black? Haven't found any similar topics anywhere on the web ...
[kpcheang2] I never used these 2 launchers so I can't comment much. Could it be these launchers are targeted at smartphones because some APKs have display related issues when working in smartphone or tablet modes as there are too many resolution variations for Android devices. You may want to write to the developers to confirm.
8. Just for a curiosity - GEM 701 and two other versions are basically different for their supported radio bands. How come the split-screen functionality is dependent on that?
[kpcheang2] The split screen feature was implemented in B106 ROM of the GEM-703L - that's why it's available to owners of GEM-703 If you follow their official upgrade path. They never upgrade the ROM for GEM-701 and 702 so far. However if you want to try flashing the B106 onto the 701 to see whether it works at your own risk and of course voiding the warranty. I did it on my 702 and I got the feature working although the B106 was meant for 703.

Thank again for your time sharing the experience, it helps a lot to get things clearer.
Today I visited the shop again. Now I installed all the apps I use, and looked how they performed. I installed firefox, chrome, vlc, contacts plus, and a few other. Then I launched stock apps - youtube, google playstore, and something more. The device was taking 1.2 GB of ram. So now I am sure 2 GB is enough.
All the apps performed without any issues, at least as much as I could have tested. There was a tiny lag during browsing with firefox at moments when apps were being downloaded and installed in the background via Play store, but this is totally reasonable.
Then, I tried all the different launchers to see if I can get the broken background fixed with any of them. I tried again Apex and Nova and looked at their settings without any luck to solve the problem. Then I tried Action launcher and Google Now launcher - they all had the same black marks on the screen. So I guess it is a firmware issue, not related to the launchers. This means I will have to live with the default launcher if I purchase it.
I took a better look at preinstalled apps. There are none! Playstore, contacts, chrome, video player and a couple others, thats all. No bloatware at all. Nothing is launched after the phone is started.
I also tested GPS - it went very smooth, in a few seconds it connected to 8 or 10 satelites and gave a good accuracy despite I was inside the building.
I am now confused between X2 and Note4. I put them side by side in the shop. Note4 was really noticeably faster in performance, better firmware, multiscreen function, etc. But, while Note has advantages, most of them are not important to me - the screen of Note4 is ridiculously small - it is not a phablet, it is a phone with normal size screen (for a phone).
So I am heading towards X2. It is also almost twice cheaper, but that does not play the main role in decision ...
Just one more question about X2: I didn't manage to launch any additional widget. I didn't find anywhere in the settings to enable them. But there are two preinstalled widgets: google search window and a big clock. So it looks that it should be possible to have a widget in the homescreen of X2, but I can't find anywhere how to do it, nor I succeeded to do it in the shop. Is it possible? If so - how?
++EDIT: I also tested FM radio in the shop in this device. It was very bad quality. I tried different headphones for antena, with all of them the sound was inappropriate. So, even though FM radio is available, actually it is useless because of unacceptable quality. PS: the radio signal was really good because all the other stereo devices were playing without any issues.

astuntas said:
Thank again for your time sharing the experience, it helps a lot to get things clearer.
Today I visited the shop again. Now I installed all the apps I use, and looked how they performed. I installed firefox, chrome, vlc, contacts plus, and a few other. Then I launched stock apps - youtube, google playstore, and something more. The device was taking 1.2 GB of ram. So now I am sure 2 GB is enough.
All the apps performed without any issues, at least as much as I could have tested. There was a tiny lag during browsing with firefox at moments when apps were being downloaded and installed in the background via Play store, but this is totally reasonable.
Then, I tried all the different launchers to see if I can get the broken background fixed with any of them. I tried again Apex and Nova and looked at their settings without any luck to solve the problem. Then I tried Action launcher and Google Now launcher - they all had the same black marks on the screen. So I guess it is a firmware issue, not related to the launchers. This means I will have to live with the default launcher if I purchase it.
I took a better look at preinstalled apps. There are none! Playstore, contacts, chrome, video player and a couple others, thats all. No bloatware at all. Nothing is launched after the phone is started.
I also tested GPS - it went very smooth, in a few seconds it connected to 8 or 10 satelites and gave a good accuracy despite I was inside the building.
I am now confused between X2 and Note4. I put them side by side in the shop. Note4 was really noticeably faster in performance, better firmware, multiscreen function, etc. But, while Note has advantages, most of them are not important to me - the screen of Note4 is ridiculously small - it is not a phablet, it is a phone with normal size screen (for a phone).
So I am heading towards X2. It is also almost twice cheaper, but that does not play the main role in decision ...
Just one more question about X2: I didn't manage to launch any additional widget. I didn't find anywhere in the settings to enable them. But there are two preinstalled widgets: google search window and a big clock. So it looks that it should be possible to have a widget in the homescreen of X2, but I can't find anywhere how to do it, nor I succeeded to do it in the shop. Is it possible? If so - how?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Vey detailed research you've done on the X2. You're like me - I did similar "touch" and "install" routine on the X1 (my country has no X2) just to make sure I'm comfortable with the X2 (they're both similar in size and capacity except for CPU and dual SIM LTE support).
As for widgets, yes you can install the default or 3rd party widgets. Just put 3 fingers on the home screen for 1-2 seconds and then lift up. The home screen will shrink to let you customise it. Once of the available customisation option is to add widgets (shown at the bottom). The list of available widgets will be the pre-installed ones plus other 3rd party apps that has widget capabilities.

astuntas said:
Then, I tried all the different launchers to see if I can get the broken background fixed with any of them. I tried again Apex and Nova and looked at their settings without any luck to solve the problem. Then I tried Action launcher and Google Now launcher - they all had the same black marks on the screen. So I guess it is a firmware issue, not related to the launchers. This means I will have to live with the default launcher if I purchase it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
uh no. this is android. everything is possible and with the huawei firmware its more tweakable. you just didnt look hard enough.
to make another launcher default you just need to do the following:
actually, just see this video. its all the same for all huawei.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YozCv4lZNM

cylent: the launchers do work. The problem is that half of the homescreen becomes black with nothing on it with an aftermarket launchers
kpcheang2: I will try to edit widgets in the shop tomorrow by your explanation. But I think this won't play the main role and I will buy X2 anyway

I use Nova and it works well full screen. Are you opening Multi Window for some reason?

So, today I was in the shop again. Firstly, I tried widgets, and I also tried homescreen toggle switches - apparently, everything is working.
Then I tried again to make Nova launcher work. It was still a black screen - I tried different settings in the phone and different settings in Nova - nothing helped. This is how it looked:
https://youtu.be/Y2ZyaQFMYio
In the video, firstly I am on standard launcher, then I turn on the Nova. "Home" button returned me to the default launcher because Nova was not set as default. I later set it to default, but doing that didn't change anything.
Then I restarted the phone - still the same. Then I changed the background image (in Nova) - and it started to work normally - no black screen! Changed it to a few other backgrounds - it was still working good. Not sure what was the exact issues, furthermore it was the same with ALL aftermarket launchers, and in two different shops with two different devices (both GEM701 with B003 FW). So I will call this issue also solved.
So now everything is clear I guess. I will order a glass protection and silicon cover for X2, and as soon as they arrive - purchase the phone.
Thank you again everybody, especially kpcheang2, for help and all the information, it would had been difficult to find out everything without you. Thank you!

Glad it's working! I typically like glass protectors, but the device shipped with an installed protector. I use a flip smart cover on every device I had so I figure that buys me enough protection.

kpcheang2 said:
6. Does this device have a one handed operation, when all the screen becomes smaller and moves to the right side of the screen? Samsung and some other phones with big screens has this functionality, but I didn't find it in this device. Is it there?
[kpcheang2] Currently no. I"m not sure if they will implement it via future ROM feature upgrades.
7. I installed Apex launcher and Nova launcher on that device in the shop, because I prefer the app drawer (secondary menu for apps instead of all of them being on the desktop). With these launchers half of desktop in each homescreen is black. Do you have any experience of these aftermarket launchers? Did you have any issues? What may be the reason for the half of the screen being black? Haven't found any similar topics anywhere on the web ...
[kpcheang2] I never used these 2 launchers so I can't comment much. Could it be these launchers are targeted at smartphones because some APKs have display related issues when working in smartphone or tablet modes as there are too many resolution variations for Android devices. You may want to write to the developers to confirm.
8. Just for a curiosity - GEM 701 and two other versions are basically different for their supported radio bands. How come the split-screen functionality is dependent on that?
[kpcheang2] The split screen feature was implemented in B106 ROM of the GEM-703L - that's why it's available to owners of GEM-703 If you follow their official upgrade path. They never upgrade the ROM for GEM-701 and 702 so far. However if you want to try flashing the B106 onto the 701 to see whether it works at your own risk and of course voiding the warranty. I did it on my 702 and I got the feature working although the B106 was meant for 703.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi.
Is it possible to manually update the Gem-703l B106 onto Gem-702L, to get split screen?. Or do we need to unlock bootloader and root first?

Aznbull said:
Hi.
Is it possible to manually update the Gem-703l B106 onto Gem-702L, to get split screen?. Or do we need to unlock bootloader and root first?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlock and root first.

Aznbull said:
Hi.
Is it possible to manually update the Gem-703l B106 onto Gem-702L, to get split screen?. Or do we need to unlock bootloader and root first?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to unlock bootloader, root first before you can apply the modded ROMs

Convert From Blackberry

Hi, I've been a Blackberry user for many years, but the time had come to move on.
So I have a P8 Max coming from WondaMobile in Hong Kong to me in the UK.
I've been reading and learning about Android/P8 Max, but I thought I'd just ask for some 'Get Me Started' help please.
I'm not 100% sure about rooting yet from what I've been reading. That will be next step I expect once I'm used to it all.
So what I'd like to know is what are the initial things you'd all do with a P8? Ie, remove apps, recommended apps to install etc.
Thanks in advance. Even though I'm pretty savy with tech I feel like a newbie all over again!

I came from BB too and the first i did was Update to the latest Version (right now its B028) then i rooted and removed all the Bloatware and installed the minimal Google Apps/Services.

Is the bloatware obvious?

Yes somehow if u dont know the app or its a chinese service delete/freeze it!

Saw you posted a rooting guide. Thanks for that. Looks very useful.
Would it not be easier for me to use RootGenius?

I am not sure if it work, i know that the method in my guide Works cause i did i a few times!

I would suggest get a launcher ether google launcher or nova or something else, i am for example using action 3 launcher pro that gives me the ability to have the BB option to swipe widget from icons as on the BB Priv. Maybe even get an icon pack or something, i am rocking Cryten icon pack, pretty cheap and cool usually all that goes on 50% off or free pretty oft. After that i dont believe there is anything else you need rather than apps

Thanks.

EVR_AL00 – light review and heavy customization

I got the Mate 20 X from Italy, delivered two weeks after order on November 12 for € 829, VAT and 2-years warranty included. It is a nice silver device 6/128 (don’t need more memory). My first hands-on impression? I was shocked.
I had pure Chinese phones before (Huawei and Lenovo) and I know how to deal with them. That wasn’t what upset me. And it wasn’t EMUI either, I like some of its functionality and I know how to customize it.
But my previous phone was Mate 10 pro (international, not Chinese), which really works well and comparison with a newcomer is what really shocked me. The EVR_AL00 came slow and clumsy with those big fat letters and ugly ios-like icons on the screen. I tried to improve the look with increasing the smallest width in the developer options, but original resolution came back with every reset.
So what I did first, is factory reset (I usually perform it on every new phone). I lost Google Play but I didn’t care, I intended to install and adjust Google apps anyway.
And then I started to customize the phone. Basically, it means “dechinezed” and “deiosinezed” it and make it usable for my purposes as the daily driver. Eventually, I succeeded and like before I don’t regret that I bought the Chinese phone as I never regretted before. I believe that my customization demands would request almost the same amount of work and effort with the “international” version.
And with “dechinezed” I don’t mean to be impolite, actually, I like some of the features of China phones, some of them after years comes to western phones as well (night sight, close all apps etc). I just prefer the more Android look of the phone (even more than currently, Google delivers).
The actual status of my phone is as follows:
In the beginning, when I started phone manager, the performance never exceeded 69%. It seems that later it adapted and healed itself (maybe with help of AI) and now performance is usually over 90, close to 100% and the phone suddenly becomes snappy and smooth, slightly better than Mate 10 pro. As expected, the battery life is due to its capacity and with my way of use it could easily survive two days. I don’t have exact data on SOT and other parameters of the battery performance yet. By adjusting the text and display size (both too small) under settings/display the phone gets a nicer look and more usable size of applications.
I had decided to keep EMUI launcher before I learned that the phone has a hard time with other launchers. I bought Nova Prime once, I consider it a great launcher, maybe the best, but even on my previous phone I used EMUI. The reason is in its features that I don’t want to sacrifice: dedicated Accuweather, swype gestures (now with 9), dark mode. I was never a fan of ios-like white themes, I always considered that Android’s color is black. Besides, what even Google admits now (and started to return black mode into its apps accordingly), the white mode consumes a lot more energy (especially with AMOLED). What is yet to admit is that it burns your eyes.
So, what I have now, is a fully customized EVR_AL00 that perfectly suits my needs. That means that it looks like Android, works like Android and behaves like Android. I replaced most Chinese apps with Google’s ones, installed additional that I use and tune the system. With tuning the system I mean screen adjustment and customization. Under Settings/Display/text and display size, I changed both values to small and thus converted ugly appearance of the display into something that suits size and purpose of the phone. I replaced IOS icons with the Android ones. Adjusted notifications and permissions for each application.
First I was thinking about keeping some Chinese apps that I considered useful, like Sky Mobile and a few others. But trying them I found out that all of them are more or less connected either with Chinese environment or payment system and therefore eventually I removed them all. After I had to perform the factory reset I was only got more careful with apps that I disabled. And according to my orientation, I kept Email, at least until Google implements dark color in Gmail. And kept useful utilities: (Manager, Gallery, Remote…).
Otherwise, I use Google Phone (the amazing last beta from: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-google-phone-v14-0-175904292-bubble-t3708218, thank you Martin), Messages, Translate (removed nonfunctional MS Translate), Auto, Duo, Voice, Photos, Trips, Pay, Assistant, Lens, Google, Chrome, and of course all Google system apps. I also use third-party apps like VLC, Xiaomi calculator and YouTube vanced. Pretty much everything works as expected, including notifications to the extent that suits my way of use. After I erased Hivoice, Assistant works together with the hot word, if the screen is turned on (never wished to use it from turned off screen). The red mic on notification bar of the attached picture shows that assistant is active.
All banks application work. Google Play is not working at the moment but I expect that it will eventually. Currently, failure is the result of poor synchronization between Chinese EMUI and Google Android. No point to call the bank, it is the last one to solve the problem. The problem will be solved with the new EMUI or Play Services, because there is no material obstacle for G Play (SafetyNet passed and bank card is recognized and could be used online). I have another identical payment system installed (Inteso SP) and it works flawlessly.
CUSTOMIZATION
In order to adapt the phone to my needs, I had to deal with existing Chinese application first. I had to either: 1) remove them, 2) hide them, or 3) disable (erase) them.
Removing apps
Removing apps was easy. Just uninstall Chinese in Settings/Apps. As I said, I did it thoroughly and indiscriminately.
Hiding apps
My overall objective is to have only one home screen page. I’m fed up with slippery pages interfering with gestures. And besides, I decided to use gestures (swype) as system navigation and therefore swyping between homepages could be annoying even more.
In order to have only one home page, I have to use folders and hide auxiliary functional apps (like download, OTA, backup, clock..etc).
Surprisingly I found that Tweaker for Huawei works pretty well with EMUI9, although it is an old application: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teammt.gmanrainy.emuitweaker&hl=en. One of its functions is triggering the abandoned EMUI gesture that enables hiding any application and thus removing it from the home screen without affecting its functionality.
Disabling (erasing) apps
To “remove” any nonremovable application without root you need a computer with the adb command-line tool. In fact, this method never removes any application, rather disables and hides it for the current user. So it doesn’t affect OTA and it doesn’t revert after reset either. It does come back after factory reset though.
The method of erasing an app works through adb (so adb must be installed on the computer – either Windows or Linux) and it requests the following syntax in command line:
1. adb devices (and after that setting permission on the phone)
2. adb shell
3. pm unistall -k --user 0 <package name>
where <package name> is not the name of the application as it shows but the name of the installed package, which must be discovered and one of the apps which could do that effectively could be found here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.itto.packageinspector&hl=en.
(for example: pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.huawei.wallet)
A basic idea what to disable could be found here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/note-10/how-to/guide-to-remove-apps-root-t3828324. Of course, what to disable always depends on personal preferences and therefore this list should be taken with a grain of salt.
So, after arranging applications there comes the final stage of making the phone Android again. EMUI makeover. For that, we need this EMUI editor: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mixapplications.themeeditor.
But there is a bad news. It doesn’t work with EMUI 9 (yet). What now? There are two possibilities: either finding a good theme and simply installing it (there are plenty of them, only I didn’t test if they are working with EMUI 9 (some of the android likes are to be found in the Playstore under Hamzio7 or here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/mate-10/themes/pure-black-theme-emui-8-t3719904.
The other possibility is to find a phone with EMUI 8 and compile the hwt file there and transfer it to Mate 20 X. That is what I did. The system will warn you that it is an old version of the theme and it might not work well but skip that. It works just fine.
Don’t judge the solution by my design. I’m a modest guy, more practically oriented. You may have almost any design that you wish.
And of course, if you decide to experiment with this stuff yourself, you should be aware that you are the only one taking the risk. I honestly believe that you can’t, if you are not extremely innovative, irretrievably destroy anything, but even factory reset might be sometimes really annoying.
Good luck with your brand new Chinese Mate 20 X.

Great post Just a couple of questions:
1) Are your notifications working perfectly? By that, I mean without delay under both wi-fi and mobile networks, with screen on and screen off? If so, what did you do to achieve this?
2) Do you mind sharing where did you buy the device from?

Nice job! Looking even more forward to the arrival of my Mate 20 X!

@piskr
Would you mind give some steps to get google phone and Messages to work properly. When phone call comes in, my phone call screen does not come on. Messages only works sometime and sometime message does not send. Thanks.

Genoveffo said:
Great post Just a couple of questions:
1) Are your notifications working perfectly? By that, I mean without delay under both wi-fi and mobile networks, with screen on and screen off? If so, what did you do to achieve this?
2) Do you mind sharing where did you buy the device from?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Yes, notifications work flawlessly in my extent of use, both with the screen on and off. I don't use exotics like telegram or whatsapp though. It's a matter of permissions and notification settings. Be aware that each notification had to be set separately and checked under application and under notification sector under settings. And also have in mind that if you install the third party phone, it is just addition of original phone (under app/system processes), and the later must remain active and has its own permissions and notification as well. Phone app has different system structure than SMS. You can simply erase Huawei messaging and replace it with the Google one (haven't tried others).
2) You can find here both color and memory variants: https://www.ilmultistoredelzazza.eu...l_Sim_EMUI_9_Android_9/p1748191_19236868.aspx

wingzero said:
@piskr
Would you mind give some steps to get google phone and Messages to work properly. When phone call comes in, my phone call screen does not come on. Messages only works sometime and sometime message does not send. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should really carefully check and set both permissions and notifications for each application. And remember that you mustn't neglect the system phone app.

piskr said:
You should really carefully check and set both permissions and notifications for each application. And remember that you mustn't neglect the system phone app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I checked all the settings and seem to be correct unless I missed some steps.

wingzero said:
I checked all the settings and seem to be correct unless I missed some steps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK. Here are my settings.

You do know there's an EVR-L international models, right? Why not just get that instead? That's what I have.

piskr said:
OK. Here are my settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for taking the time to post the screen shots. All my the settings are the same except I don't the phone app on your last screen shot. Did you download it or it's a stock app?
---------- Post added at 04:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:11 PM ----------
MishaalRahman said:
You do know there's an EVR-L international models, right? Why not just get that instead? That's what I have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's too late. I already bought the China version. It's too much hassle try to sell it.

wingzero said:
Thanks for taking the time to post the screen shots. All my the settings are the same except I don't the phone app on your last screen shot. Did you download it or it's a stock app?
---------- Post added at 04:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:11 PM ----------
It's too late. I already bought the China version. It's too much hassle try to sell it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's right, the last one is Google phone from the link I published and it works just fine (I really recommend it, it has so many opportunities). But you have managed to get notifications neither on the home screen nor on the lock screen? Neither for messages nor for the phone? If I were you I would go from setting to setting for this two apps and inspect every item very carefully. It is possible in this early stage of EMUI9 that it has some weird glitches occurring randomly on some phones but it is not very likely. A small overlooked detail in settings could mean everything.
Otherwise, I don't regret that I bought the Chinese version. Now I've got everything that I would have with the international variant. Only I don't have working Google pay yet, but so far I haven't seen a clear statement that it really works on international Mate 20x either. To work means to be able pay with the phone not only loading a card, that's what I did too. Otherwise, I got a good price (€660 before VAT), integrated call recorder and rooting opportunity.
And regarding crap, international one has it too. I've got international Mate 10 pro and I know it. Besides Chinese one additional western, baked in (MS, Facebook, Google's and third party's).

@piskr
The phone will ring on the google phone app but the screen does not come. I will play with the settings and figure it out. Thanks for all the help.

Thank you. This helped get me to a non-Chinese specifc phone.
Attachin my ADB run.
UPDATE: Please check out AJ's great thread https://forum.xda-developers.com/mate-20-x/how-to/guide-remove-apps-adb-t3870727
I mistakenly removed one item (com.huawei.android.hwouc) I shouldn't have and I amnot getting OTAs (which I also turn off automatic ones in dev options, but if I want one, I lost it them).

Rudolpht said:
Thank you. This helped get me to a non-Chinese specifc phone.
Attachin my ADB run.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I'm not well schooled on ADB. How would you apply this? And why 2 Zips? Gracias

See beginning of the thread and other threads on ADB. Same list, mine in txt or zip, same file, not necessarily good for everyone.
Sent from my HWEVR using XDA Labs

def-g said:
As I'm not well schooled on ADB. How would you apply this? And why 2 Zips? Gracias
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's my Spreadsheet with a quick guide in it along with the adb files you'll need.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/mate-20-x/how-to/guide-remove-apps-adb-t3870727
Once you get the list of packages on your AL00 just run the fastboot command to remove each one.

wingzero said:
@piskr
The phone will ring on the google phone app but the screen does not come. I will play with the settings and figure it out. Thanks for all the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wondering if you had any luck. Some people actually use a phone as a phone
Sent from my HWEVR using XDA Labs

Rudolpht said:
Wondering if you had any luck. Some people actually use a phone as a phone
Sent from my HWEVR using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got it working. I am using the stable v.25 version. What I did was after selected the google phone as default dialing app, I go back to default apps and click the stock phone and then click the google phone again. I did this by chance and luck. Hope this will solve your issue. The stock phone app is horrible. Make sure you use the stable version. Good luck.

wingzero said:
I got it working. I am using the stable v.25 version. What I did was after selected the google phone as default dialing app, I go back to default apps and click the stock phone and then click the google phone again. I did this by chance and luck. Hope this will solve your issue. The stock phone app is horrible. Make sure you use the stable version. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks man.
Sent from my HWEVR using XDA Labs

Now it's 27. And so far everything work. Regarding comments on the forum we are on the privileged side. Just be sure to set notifications and permissions right.

Advantages of EU/Global over Chinese ROM

tldr:
What are the advantages of installing the EU ROM over just keeping the Chinese ROM and customizing it? Are there any functions that stop working and/or change for the worse?
Hi everyone. Hopefully this post will be a helpful resource if someone else wonders this same question.
For a while I had my eye on the Mi Mix 3 and after reading all the reviews I just had to get it. I wanted one with 8 gigs of ram and 256 gigs of memory so I got the Chinese variant. After reading post after post on how to change the ROM to EU or Global I finally asked why? I mean, I got the phone and promptly loaded the Google Play Store and downloaded a bunch of apps. I changed the launcher to "Poco Launcer" from the GP Store since it's basically the same as MIUI but with an app drawer, so I'm cool with that. That beings said...
What are the advantages and drawbacks of installing the EU ROM (the one I kinda decided on between the two alternates)? The only two things that bother me about the Chinese ROM are
1) The default assistant is in Chinese and you can't change the AI button to open a different one, even though you can still install the others and use them by opening the app.
2) Some of the Apps in the "App vault" (Their little slide right home screen) and the tools when you open the slider are Chinese apps that I have no interest in using, but you can't change them. My solution to this was to turn off the app vault and to make the slider do nothing, which is okay I guess.
So basically, what would I gain by switching ROMs, and what pitfalls exist in those alternate ROMs which might make a person think twice about changing?

Why run MIUI at all?

Don't waste anymore time and just flash it already. it's better and I'm not wasting my time explaining why.
https://androidfilehost.com/?fid=1395089523397928049

invisiblewave said:
Why run MIUI at all?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because MIUI works. In your signature the top one is for the "Pixel Experience" and it's 90 pages of people complaining about features that don't work or are partially broken. The culmination is on the last page where it's revealed that it's not under development anymore followed by people complaining about functions that STILL DON'T WORK.
954wrecker said:
Don't waste anymore time and just flash it already. it's better and I'm not wasting my time explaining why.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't mean to waste anyones time, and especially not my own. All I need to know is, will any of the features of my phone be problematic after I flash?
Also, does that link you provided require this "twrp" thing I've read about or is it fastboot? Is it the EU version?

Cheesaw said:
Because MIUI works. In your signature the top one is for the "Pixel Experience" and it's 90 pages of people complaining about features that don't work or are partially broken. The culmination is on the last page where it's revealed that it's not under development anymore followed by people complaining about functions that STILL DON'T WORK.
I don't mean to waste anyones time, and especially not my own. All I need to know is, will any of the features of my phone be problematic after I flash?
Also, does that link you provided require this "twrp" thing I've read about or is it fastboot? Is it the EU version?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will work fine, it's just a tweaked version of Chinese Dev stock rom with less bloat. Their website explains the features over global
You need twrp to install it

Alright, let's do this!

Cheesaw said:
tldr:
What are the advantages of installing the EU ROM over just keeping the Chinese ROM and customizing it? Are there any functions that stop working and/or change for the worse?
Hi everyone. Hopefully this post will be a helpful resource if someone else wonders this same question.
For a while I had my eye on the Mi Mix 3 and after reading all the reviews I just had to get it. I wanted one with 8 gigs of ram and 256 gigs of memory so I got the Chinese variant. After reading post after post on how to change the ROM to EU or Global I finally asked why? I mean, I got the phone and promptly loaded the Google Play Store and downloaded a bunch of apps. I changed the launcher to "Poco Launcer" from the GP Store since it's basically the same as MIUI but with an app drawer, so I'm cool with that. That beings said...
What are the advantages and drawbacks of installing the EU ROM (the one I kinda decided on between the two alternates)? The only two things that bother me about the Chinese ROM are
1) The default assistant is in Chinese and you can't change the AI button to open a different one, even though you can still install the others and use them by opening the app.
2) Some of the Apps in the "App vault" (Their little slide right home screen) and the tools when you open the slider are Chinese apps that I have no interest in using, but you can't change them. My solution to this was to turn off the app vault and to make the slider do nothing, which is okay I guess.
So basically, what would I gain by switching ROMs, and what pitfalls exist in those alternate ROMs which might make a person think twice about changing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, #1 is no longer valid. The ai button can be remapped in the chinese ROM if you are ROOTED because I have done it, so, if you are ROOTED, scoot on over to:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=79251626&postcount=47
and get that ai button remapped.

Cheesaw said:
Because MIUI works. In your signature the top one is for the "Pixel Experience" and it's 90 pages of people complaining about features that don't work or are partially broken. The culmination is on the last page where it's revealed that it's not under development anymore followed by people complaining about functions that STILL DON'T WORK.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything works on the Chinese devices, other than being able to link an action to the slider. Most of the problems are to do with initial installation, but this is the way every rom thread ends up, people only post when they have problems.

Cheesaw said:
tldr:
1) The default assistant is in Chinese
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=79251626&postcount=47
Did the American sweetheart assistant come up for you, now? or is she still talking chinese to you?
Cool??

Rooting
Do i need to root my Mi Mix 3 (cn version) in order to flash to a global rom version??
Currently runningon MIUI 10.2 Stable 10.2.2.0 (PEECNXM)

TheArchangel123 said:
Do i need to root my Mi Mix 3 (cn version) in order to flash to a global rom version??
Currently runningon MIUI 10.2 Stable 10.2.2.0 (PEECNXM)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you just need to install twrp and install the global zip. Then format data and reboot

Taking the plunge.

I have ordered a Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra and am now waiting for it to be despatched and delivered. I wish I had found this forum earlier and I might have ordered from a different (recommended) seller. I'm told that despatch will be no later than Friday 4th December - we shall see.
I have ordered the Chinese version and have bookmarked a web page which explains how to access the appropriate settings, not being able to read Chinese, by using icons. I'm hoping that I can get through that to convert to English otherwise I'm stuck. I see that unlocking the bootloader is pretty straightforward so I shall start that process as soon as I receive the 'phone.
I have flashed custom ROMs and rooted most of my previous 'phones although now that I'm 84 I have to work from a printed list of instructions in order that I don't forget something. Bad memory comes with age. I haven't yet decided whether or not to flash the European ROM.
I have seen, on the web two differing opinions regarding the Chinese ROM camera and the European ROM camera. I am buying this phone because of its camera and I have seen remarks that infer that the camera in the European ROM is not as good as the one in the Chinese ROM so I am wary of flashing the EU ROM. Does anyone have any knowledge of this?
Now I just have to wait.

If your device is pristine, at first boot you will be prompted to choose the language.
Some sellers wight do that for you, so you could receive your device already in English and even with google play store installed.
This way or another, you will have to wait 1 week in order to unlock bootloader. Plenty of time for playing with stock rom.
From what I realized, I could be easily staying with stock rom. But now I am sure that switching to EU rom is the only way to go. I moved to EU rom right after unlocking and never looked back.
As for camera question - I am enjoying EU rom camera, nothing bad so far.

batareikin51 said:
If your device is pristine, at first boot you will be prompted to choose the language.
Some sellers wight do that for you, so you could receive your device already in English and even with google play store installed.
This way or another, you will have to wait 1 week in order to unlock bootloader. Plenty of time for playing with stock rom.
From what I realized, I could be easily staying with stock rom. But now I am sure that switching to EU rom is the only way to go. I moved to EU rom right after unlocking and never looked back.
As for camera question - I am enjoying EU rom camera, nothing bad so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am supposed to be getting a sealed box which means that nothing extra will have been installed. If I do get a language prompt on first boot then that will make things easy. I haven't seen anyone mention specific camera problems i.e. exposure, contrast, tonal range etc so I've really no idea what these problems might be.

BarrySamuels said:
I haven't seen anyone mention specific camera problems i.e. exposure, contrast, tonal range etc so I've really no idea what these problems might be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just think about it like this "Who in the world would want to create from the scratch an alternative cam application for a very sophisticated cam if this app can be ported from Chinese rom in a snap of fingers?" There is no alternative cam app for Mi 10 ultra. It is the same app. So it is buggy at the same extent as stock rom cam app. As one of devs elaborated on this issue "there might be numerous factors contributing to bad image quality on a particular device. but that not necessarily means that camera app is buggy"

batareikin51 said:
Just think about it like this "Who in the world would want to create from the scratch an alternative cam application for a very sophisticated cam if this app can be ported from Chinese rom in a snap of fingers?" There is no alternative cam app for Mi 10 ultra. It is the same app. So it is buggy at the same extent as stock rom cam app. As one of devs elaborated on this issue "there might be numerous factors contributing to bad image quality on a particular device. but that not necessarily means that camera app is buggy"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see your point. So there is really no reason to not install the EU ROM. Thank you for your reply.

This has now become purely theoretical as I have just discovered that my local service here in rural Wales depends on Band 20 which this phone doesn't have.
I have cancelled my order which is a great pity as I was looking forward to using this device. Quite a disappointment.

BarrySamuels said:
I have cancelled my order which is a great pity as I was looking forward to using this device. Quite a disappointment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, that is its Achilles heel
Luckily in my area band 20 is of less significance.
Ultra is a true legend, but there are Mi 11 series' devices coming in pipeline.

I understand that Xiaomi said that they wouldn't produce an international version of Mi 10 Ultra but perhaps that is because one of the new Mi 11 range will have similar specifications. Here's hoping.

I'm in South Wales and have the Ultra on the way, it was despatched a few days ago. When you mentioned band 20, I'd that only for 5g? If it is I've no problem missing out on that as 4g is plenty fast enough for me plus I have unlimited data on the 3 network.

potsykate said:
I'm in South Wales and have the Ultra on the way, it was despatched a few days ago. When you mentioned band 20, I'd that only for 5g? If it is I've no problem missing out on that as 4g is plenty fast enough for me plus I have unlimited data on the 3 network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No bro. Band 20 is for 4g. But 3g would be pretty fast too.

sunilstark 1 said:
No bro. Band 20 is for 4g. But 3g would be pretty fast too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that, if I'm reading write it'll support 5g over here though and 5g is being rolled out in my area.
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra: Price, specs and best deals
As with the vast majority of Xiaomi phones, the Mi 10 Ultra does not go unnoticed far from it. It has the well-known Snapdragon 865 that we can combine with 8GB, 12GB or 16GB of RAM and a storage capacity that has its ceiling at 512GB. With this data, the AnTuTu score reaches 589,000 points...
www.kimovil.com

If you are in UK then go onto sim that uses EE network which predominantly uses band 3 & 7 for 4G.
I use Three network and not had any issues with 4G. I live in the North East UK

Nobody asked but I am using EE here in Essex and my Ultra gets 5G... giffgaff gets 4G.
By the way, I have never flashed custom ROMs or rooted any of my devices and to be honest I am still comfortable with the Chinese ROM despite the annoying notifications in Chinese. I haven't had the chance to try everything tho, I received my device a week ago.
What do you guys think? Should I aim to flash the European ROM anyway? I think that the warranty is void if the phone is flashed or rooted.

It's up to you if you want to change to EU or not. Yes gifgaf is based on O2, so no band 20 as you have found out. I'm the same too with Sky and EE.
I did move over to the EU ROM as it gives you full GMS over the hacked version installed by the seller but also for the great additional extras to the ROM and the support from the Xiaomi EU forum.
If you've not done any modifications or flashed ROMs it can be daunting but with this phone and it ability to access fastboot, you can practically never brick it. There is always a way of getting back to a working phone. You will need to unlock your bootloader and wait a further 168 hours to do anything but I have produced a guide that takes you through all this if you want and I'm here if you need help, just message me. I have in the past even helped over Skype and remote pc for some.
As all the most recent ROMs are now twrp compatible, you only need your pc to push twrp from fastboot to replace your stock recovery, then install your first EU ROM by twrp. After that you can just use the inbuilt updater to update. Of course it's your preference. If you don't like it, you can always go back stock Chinese, this will remove twrp and you can lock your bootloader again ( can't do this while on EU ROM) and you will be back to how you were. My only advise as you will get your phone formatted when you unlock after 168 hour wait and you must if you change ROM branches too, so make a good off phone back up so you can restore your data.

Here is a list of the EU ROM extras...
Based on China Stable / Weekly builds
Enabled search gesture (swipe up) on the desktop
3way reboot menu (in dev settings)
Dark Mode (Night Mode) for all devices
Removed ads in MIUI system apps
MIUI Dialer and Messages apps
Face Unlock for all devices
Vertical clock widget on lockscreen
Steps counter in Assistant screen
More shortcuts on left lockscreen
Wake up gestures for all devices
AI preloading option in MIUI Lab for all devices
Fullscreen gestures for all devices
Option to auto-expand first notification
Notifications priority settings
More edit options in Gallery app
Enabled MiDrive in File Explorer
Added landscape mode for SMS app
Sunrise/Sunset in the weather app
Google apps support integrated
Removed 5GHz region restrictions
Confirm dials from call logs
Morning report on alarm at morning
More apps supported for AOD notifications
More styles for AOD screen
Raise to wake gesture
AOD notification received animation
Default volume control stream toggle
Tap fingerprint sensor to wake toggle
More Camera features
Double tap to lock screen
Battery AI scenes
Allowed disabling specific system apps
Importing theme .mtz from zhuti.xiaomi.com via ThemeManager
No useless Chinese bloatware apps
More free RAM due to less background processes
Unified flat style app icons for both system and 3rd party apps
Advanced menu with color icons
No any Chinese character under the full system
Mi Video, Mi Music, Mi Browser: No any useless Chinese content
No possibility to re-lock bootloader accidentally with flash any xiaomi.eu release
Added real 27 languages translation made by Official MIUI Fansites and MIUI Fans
Added EU T9 dialer support
Added charging sound switch
Added Screen-OFF animation
Optimized GPS settings for EU
Optimized Battery consumption
Optimized RAM consumption
Added 3D Touch to MI5S 3GB RAM version
Added GSMalphabet into SMS app options
Added more icons grid layout 4x5, 4x6, 4x7, 5x5, 5x6, 5x7 (depends on device)
SafetyNet passed (Google Pay)
Play Store Certified
Deodexed
Added automated tasks in Security app
Added game speed booster
Added erase module (magic elimination) to Gallery photo edit options
Fixed low volume sound via headphone
Charging screen for all devices
Widevine L1 (for supported devices)
And more, and more made by our 9 years MIUI mods experience.

Hey, thanks for that and the document, really appreciate it!
I am still thinking about having giffgaff as my main SIM despite getting 4G. I have 5G with EE on my Ultra but the problem with EE is its signal indoors. For any reason it is pretty bad, even when I am in Central London, while giffgaff runs smoothly. I don't know how many calls I have missed due to that, and apparently I am not the only one with this issue.
This has been happening with my Redmi Note 4 in the last 3+ years and now happens with my Ultra as well, so defo the problem is the network not the phone. I also use giffgaff for international calls, EE tariffs are 5x or more expensive for int'l calls to the same country... crazy!
Regarding the EU ROM procedure, I will try doing so in the next days following your instructions and I will write down my experience here. I reckon I am a bit scared to do so, it's first time I spend that much money on buying a flagship phone (and on any electronics I think) and don't wanna mess it up. However I will post any issues I encounter.
Cheers!

Good luck if you do make the plunge to go EU. As I said, you can always go back if you want to.
Just make sure you have an off phone back up before you start and you have the new ROM ready to copy over from your PC or usb stick. This way you can use fastboot to push twrp, then reboot straight to recovery (twrp) and flash your ROM. There is a good chance the twrp may be in Chinese, so you will need to change it to English. Once done, format data and reboot. Then wait as it will take ages but as long as you see 5G and miui then it will be fine. If you need any support, message me.