Best phone to upgrade to from Mi5/MI5S? - Xiaomi Mi 5s Questions & Answers

I've had an MI5 for a couple years and the screen is cracked and close to dying. I was thinking of buying an MI5S as a replacement but feel like I could get a better phone as it's TOO similar to my trusty MI5 even.
My specific, additional criteria includes it being similarly sized (height/thickness) to the MI5/MI5S (to fit my mobile phone holder). After searching GSMArena, it returned around 8 phones. Most of them were cheap phones that were also released in 2016. The one exception was the original Google Pixel. The spec seems similar to the MI5/MI5S but the fingerprint scanner on the back is a deal breaker. So with that, I'd be prepared to open up the choice of phones a bit more. It must be able to run LineageOS and still be getting updates (future releases are never guaranteed, I understand). Any recommended phones (or just get the MI5S)?

I would go for the newer Mi6, because it has an optical image stabilizer like the Mi5, which the Mi5s sadly lacks.
The Mi6 also has a way faster CPU than the Mi5s. Don't forget, the Mi5s is now nearly 2 years old.

Indeed, price difference is minimal, so go with better options like the Mi6. Mi Note 3 and Mi Mix 2 are also friendly priced recently.

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I didn't consider the Mi6 and a few other Xiaomi phones becasuse I was using an old GSMarena saved search where I specified band 28 had to be in the phone, but I don't actually need that band now.
Aaargh, the Mi6 (and upcoming 6X), Mi Note 3 and Mi Mix 2 all don’t have headphone jacks (the headphone adapters aren’t going to cut it)! Curse you Apple. We knew it was coming, I guess. They’re all a similar size to my old phone at least and fit the phone holder as well.
Mi Mix 2 looks like it will get updated for some time but that's starting to get heavy (185 g/6.53 oz) too:
https://www.lineageosrom.com/2018/01/xiaomi-devises-getting-android-p.html
The Nokia 8 actually looks very good value with same CPU as the Mi Mix 2 (and similar weight) but with the headphone jack, but the Lineage devs are waiting on the bootloader to be unlockable for that.
I think I’ll have to wait. At least I have a better idea of what I’m looking for. Would be nice if the stats.lineageos.org site showed the newer phones’ popularity/trend in another table.

Mm, you have a point there. The Mi Note 2 or the original Mi Mix maybe? The upcoming Redmi Note 5 (with the SD636) is also promising to be a good deal. Otherwise some Nubia (Z17 lite for instance) and maybe even LeTV phones with a custom ROM might be worth a look (although I'm not sure about the build quality from LeTV). Just check the XDA thread of the device beforehand and always stick to Qualcomm processors as Mediatek gives crap support to both producers and ROM developers.

8166uy said:
Mm, you have a point there. The Mi Note 2 or the original Mi Mix maybe? The upcoming Redmi Note 5 (with the SD636) is also promising to be a good deal. Otherwise some Nubia (Z17 lite for instance) and maybe even LeTV phones with a custom ROM might be worth a look (although I'm not sure about the build quality from LeTV). Just check the XDA thread of the device beforehand and always stick to Qualcomm processors as Mediatek gives crap support to both producers and ROM developers.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for those. Mi Note 2 and orignial Mi Mix are a bit old (hey, one of the earlier posts has made me only look at 2017 or later phones). The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro phone is a bit heavy at around 180gm (my 64gb Mi5 is 129gb).
The LeTv/LeEco phnoe have two, more-recent releases that look reasonable but from those the LeEco Le Pro3 Elite has the same chipset as my Mi5 and the LeEco Le Pro 3 AI Edition has a Mediatek chipset (taking your advice on ruling out phones with those).
The Zubia Z17 lite looks a decent option (168gms is getting up there is weight) but just saw its finger print scanner is rear-mounted too.
Will keep looking!

On the 24. April Xiaomi will present the new Mi 6X. Details so far unknown, but will probably be the successor of the Mi 6.

patoberli said:
On the 24. April Xiaomi will present the new Mi 6X. Details so far unknown, but will probably be the successor of the Mi 6.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No separate 3.5mm/headphone jack. Looks nice though. I refuse to get wireless earphones or use any dongle. I bought some nice wired earphones not too long ago.
Sounds like the Mi7 might be out sometime this year too (but, again, probably won't have a 3.5mm/headphone jack).

Related

Which MI to get?

Hey everyone, I'm debating upgrading to xiaomi from my note 4. I could need some help deciding.
I don't really care which snapdragon it is. Both the 820 and 821 are a massive upgrade from my note and that's doing everything fine.
I'd like something smaller, but have no problem with 5,7" if there are benefits to it.
I'd like the opportunity for some kind of stockish rom. I don't flash daily anymore and am very familiar with miui since the original htc desire days. So miui is fine, but having the opportunity to go for lineage or aosp if i feel that way would be great.
So basically:
mi5s, mi5 or mi5s plus?
The mi5 64GB comes in at 277€
The mi5s 64GB is 307€
The mi5s Plus 64GB is 357€
Edit: I might also throw the Note 2 into the discussion. It's 200€ more expensive, but the bigger battery and the epic looks really are attractive.
My open questions: there is basically no development for the mi5s atm. Is there something to be expected? Is the mi5 still competitive or is it slowly eol? And for all options: Is the Ram upgrade to 4/6GB worth the price tag or is 3/4GB fine for you?
Any input to help me decide is greatly appreciated:good:
Mi5 has better camera for video (thanks to OIS) than Mi5s, otherwise they are very similar. Mi5 is longer out and thus has more chances for a custom rom. It does look like there will be some CM support (or whatever it is now called) for the Mi5s, there is one build here in the forum.
No idea about the 5s Plus.
Memory management is hard to say, but Android loves to have ram, so in general it's better to have more than less. Then again, this really depends on the ROM too.
domsch1988 said:
Hey everyone, I'm debating upgrading to xiaomi from my note 4. I could need some help deciding.
I don't really care which snapdragon it is. Both the 820 and 821 are a massive upgrade from my note and that's doing everything fine.
I'd like something smaller, but have no problem with 5,7" if there are benefits to it.
I'd like the opportunity for some kind of stockish rom. I don't flash daily anymore and am very familiar with miui since the original htc desire days. So miui is fine, but having the opportunity to go for lineage or aosp if i feel that way would be great.
So basically:
mi5s, mi5 or mi5s plus?
The mi5 64GB comes in at 277€
The mi5s 64GB is 307€
The mi5s Plus 64GB is 357€
Edit: I might also throw the Note 2 into the discussion. It's 200€ more expensive, but the bigger battery and the epic looks really are attractive.
My open questions: there is basically no development for the mi5s atm. Is there something to be expected? Is the mi5 still competitive or is it slowly eol? And for all options: Is the Ram upgrade to 4/6GB worth the price tag or is 3/4GB fine for you?
Any input to help me decide is greatly appreciated:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the screen doesn't bother you, I would buy the mi5.
: Better camera
Cm support
Deeper development here in XDA
PS: I have the mi5s plus 6gb 128 and I'm stuck in MIUI that I don't like very much. I going to continue to use my axon 7 until he has cm support
Sent from my ZTE ZTE A2017G using XDA Labs
nelnel002 said:
If the screen doesn't bother you, I would buy the mi5.
: Better camera
Cm support
Deeper development here in XDA
PS: I have the mi5s plus 6gb 128 and I'm stuck in MIUI that I don't like very much. I going to continue to use my axon 7 until he has cm support
Sent from my ZTE ZTE A2017G using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mi5 doesn't have better camera than mi5s!
The mi5 has OIS but apart of that nothing else is better. The MI5s camera makes much better photos.
In fact it's so fast that I almost never have to make a photo twice, I very rarely get a blurry picture.
I would get mi5s 64GB. The materials are much better.
CM is still WIP but when Xiaomi releases the kernel sources it will be a much better phone.
With the recent Stable Global rom it goes like butter, didn't notice any problems.
By the way, the MI5 is 257$, the 64GB mi5s is 288$ and the 128GB is 348$
Check there:
https://goldway.aliexpress.com/store/311331
I'm with @dabyd64.
Mi5s has better construction than Mi5 (Aluminum vs Ceramic).
Mi5s is a little heavier (around 15g) and around 1mm bigger at 3 axis (difficult to tell a diference side by side).
Mi5s and Google Pixel have the same camera sensor, one of best as today.
Mi5s take better photos and regarding video Mi5s have EIS (at 1080) that is working better than Mi5 with OIS.
It could be better if Xiaomi invest on image processing algoritm like google did on pixel mobile.
Right now, Mi5 has better comunity support because was released first, more users, and kernel sources already released by Xiaomi.
I doubt Mi5s will have better support than Mi5, but i'm pretty sure we get the major roms.
Mi5 has infrared and could work as a remote control, this is the unique feature loss on Mi5s.
For me, Mi5s all the way. I would avoid Mi5s plus, if you really want a proper dual camera implementation -> Huawei P9.
We have to understand that a dual camera solution is all about image processing. For me, Xiaomi implementation was a failure.
If you need 5.5" screen size i would go for oneplus 3t.
Mi Note 2 has an oled 5.7" curved screen with te same 1080 resolution, so lower pixel density.
I really hate curved screens, and it's a pain to protect those devices.
It has a bigger battery, but generally bigger screen more consume, on the other hand oled consume less than lcd, you have to analyse sot.
200€ more relatively to 300€ it's significative, i would say put 200€ aside for a new one later on.
Not OP, but I would like to say thanks to @BPSoft and the other people who answered this question, as I'm in the same boat right now. Want to upgrade from my Mi4, and considering Mi5 and Mi5s. But the price is too close.
Do you think it is worth waiting for Mi5s price to drop a little bit more before buying? I am not very keen on using it with MIUI8 (jury's out for future MIUI 9), so I would be waiting for a custom ROM (CM, AOSP, ...). What do you think?
Custom, somewhat stable, ROM could be a way off for the Mi 5s, as the kernel source hasn't been released yet. At least there is a global rom now for the Mi 5s, but I'm not sure if that can be bought preinstalled. Not a big thing, but maybe waiting one more week (until CES is over) might mean a tiny bit lower prices.
Mi5s is at its lowest price ever, though (about 265€ for me). So many decisions... but I think i'll go for it.
Even if not preinstalled you can always unlock bootloader and install the global ROM, corect?
This is correct. Actually, if you run the official China build, you can simply download the Recovery Rom to the phone, open the Updater app, select the rom and it will flash it. No unlock needed. Works also with some, but not all, "shop roms" (globalized non official builds).
I want to thank everyone who gave their opinions. It's much appreciated.
So, if its xiaomi, mi5s it's going to be.
Currently the axon 7 is an option too. But, i'm debating squeezing some life out of the note 4 and waiting for those sd835 phones to hit the market. Might be mid year, that those come. And sure enough xiaomi will have a new mi with this SoC. Then, either it's cheap enough or the mi5s will get even cheaper... decisions, decisions.
domsch1988 said:
Currently the axon 7 is an option too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For a 5.5" screen size, i prefer Oneplus 3T, huge support here at XDA, 6GB Ram, SD821 instead of SD820, 64/128GB internal space, but without sd card support.
See here for a comparison:
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=8416&idPhone2=8067&idPhone3=7260
Regarding photo quality:
http://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=1&idPhone1=8416&idPhone2=8067&idPhone3=7260
As you can see 20Mpx says nothing about picture quality :cyclops:
domsch1988 said:
But, i'm debating squeezing some life out of the note 4 and waiting for those sd835 phones to hit the market. Might be mid year, that those come. And sure enough xiaomi will have a new mi with this SoC. Then, either it's cheap enough or the mi5s will get even cheaper... decisions, decisions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm more optimistic, i expect "Mi6" release at March, like it was with Mi5. SD835 is expected. If i could, i would wait!
dabyd64 said:
Mi5 doesn't have better camera than mi5s!
The mi5 has OIS but apart of that nothing else is better. The MI5s camera makes much better photos.
In fact it's so fast that I almost never have to make a photo twice, I very rarely get a blurry picture.
I would get mi5s 64GB. The materials are much better.
CM is still WIP but when Xiaomi releases the kernel sources it will be a much better phone.
With the recent Stable Global rom it goes like butter, didn't notice any problems.
By the way, the MI5 is 257$, the 64GB mi5s is 288$ and the 128GB is 348$
Check there:
https://goldway.aliexpress.com/store/311331
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it depends if you want OIS or faster capture. For my opinion cm development to mi5s Will take some time, soon we will have the mi6, so that's always the same thing , when we have some development there's another upgraded device that came out. We'll stay stock whit MIUI .
Sent from my ZTE ZTE A2017G using XDA Labs
---------- Post added at 04:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:22 PM ----------
domsch1988 said:
I want to thank everyone who gave their opinions. It's much appreciated.
So, if its xiaomi, mi5s it's going to be.
Currently the axon 7 is an option too. But, i'm debating squeezing some life out of the note 4 and waiting for those sd835 phones to hit the market. Might be mid year, that those come. And sure enough xiaomi will have a new mi with this SoC. Then, either it's cheap enough or the mi5s will get even cheaper... decisions, decisions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have axon 7 too and it's my daily driver, that's another league. QHD AMOLED,3250mah battery, not stock but almost whit some nice features, stereo speakers whit Dolby Atmos, nice camera I would say a little better than op3. nice materials and naugat to the end of January.
Sent from my ZTE ZTE A2017G using XDA Labs
What I really liked is the screen / size ratio, I think it's one of the 'smaller' phones which still has really good specs, decent screen and of course dual sim.
domsch1988 said:
I want to thank everyone who gave their opinions. It's much appreciated.
So, if its xiaomi, mi5s it's going to be.
Currently the axon 7 is an option too. But, i'm debating squeezing some life out of the note 4 and waiting for those sd835 phones to hit the market. Might be mid year, that those come. And sure enough xiaomi will have a new mi with this SoC. Then, either it's cheap enough or the mi5s will get even cheaper... decisions, decisions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going to do the exact same, wait for SD835 and if i don't think it's worth it ill buy a cheaper mi5s

OnePlus or Xiaomi Mi 6

Hi All!,
I am a current OnePlus 3t user, and it's a great phone. I was looking to get a new phone for 2 main reasons:
The space on the OnePlus I have is limitted to 64 Gb, I am running out.
With the new Snapdragon 835 out, I thought I'd look for a phone with that if I were to upgrade.
So I thought I'd check out the OnePlus 5, however the price of it put me off. Having done some research, I really like the look of the Xiaomi Mi 6. However there are a few things that are still making me reconsider:
The reviews I have seen have commented the software is buggy. It crashes and stops working at times. The software on the OnePlus 3T just works. I've not had any problems. If I get the Mi6, will it be a case of buying a buggy phone?
Also with the software, I've never used MiUi, and personally I like the simplicity and near stock Android on the OnePlus. How big of a change is the MiUi and is it customisable?
Does the Mi6 have the ability to capture RAW images?
Thanks in advance! :good:
I migrated quickly to Xiaomi.EU ROM when I purchased Mi6, although I didn't have any problem with (fake) supplied ROM.
I've used my mom's 3T for quite a bit, and the stock Android feel of OxygenOS and frequent and fast update from OnePlus is the big... plus.
MIUI, on the other hand, has very bad notification handling. It feels like you're using Android 4.2/4.4 something. You can't swipe left/right on the lockscreen notifications to make them go away, nor you can't expand it nicely like in pure android (You can do it on notification shade however, using 2 fingers, but the experience just sucks). I tried floatify to emulate the notification in stock android, but it's not enough.
MIUI for Mi6 hasn't provided RAW capture capability AFAIK.
OnePlus 5 has released their kernel source, so dev can easily start working custom ROM on that. But Xiaomi has been notorious keeping the kernel source for a long time (about 6 months+ on previous flagship), that makes the non-MIUI based ROM harder to develop.
I'm currently trying to get LineageOS installed on my Mi6, I'll post more on that LineageOS thread maybe tomorrow evening or the day after.
There is always some plus and minus. I’ve been using Xiaomi 5 Pro and I’m very happy {:m034:}
I used to have One+1 and One+3. Both were great phones.
With perfect Quality/Price factor. Even with EU prices:-/
Now I had been waiting for One+5 and all-around I’m very disappointed wit it.
Reason?
USB 2, No OIS, Software AND Price for EU!!!
It’s not the Flagship killer anymore, it starts to be exclusive peace of equipment.
My main decision point (quality/price factor) dropped down rapidly.
I really prefer MIUI in comparison to Cyanogen (1+1) or OxygenOS (1+3).
With weekly Globe-Roms upgrade (http://mi-globe.com) I’m really satisfied. Mi 5 works very smooth.
OK., it’s with open boot loader and rooted, but all my phoned have been same way in the past
(and will be in future )
I do not remember what I used in the first case, but in 1+3, I changed it to Resurrection Remix ROM.
I agree that all Oneplus society forum support is great. Same with software developers.
I hope that here in MIUI world it will be the same soon.
Especially that after all comparisons of my own, I decided to order Mi 6, 6/128 one.
))
Without any doubt the mi6, and specially if you can buy it at 369USD in some aliexpress offers.
I just Got the Mi 6 pro. Fresh in my hand. It looks great, and feels excellent. It's running very smooth at the moment but hey, is brand new.
I have my 3t on hand.
I think most of the comments are correct. One plus updates quick esp of your on the beta stream, it's smooth and you don't have to deal with MIUI overlay - the OnePlus launcher is excellent.
The Mi 6 is very emotional - what the 3T has and the 5 does not.
Practically, get the 5....you know what to expect. The Mi6 feels great though.....!
I have to edit this: having had the phone for a week - the Mi6 is the smoothest, fastest phone in town right now, period, including the S8 Plus. It's very slick indeed, very, very quick, had an excellent camera and great Sound.
It's very difficult to put the Mi6 down and pick up any of the other phones.
jlmcr87 said:
Without any doubt the mi6, and specially if you can buy it at 369USD in some aliexpress offers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where I can find this offer?
maak22 said:
Where I can find this offer?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's gone. That was the 28 June sale on a couple of sellers. I bought mine then, still waiting for it to be posted...
On the same boat. I have been reading about the touchscreen delay problems,bluetooth connectivity and some other bugs and i am hesitant to do the leap of faith on mi6.
One plus 5 on the other hand has such community and gets so many updates that you are sure that software problems will be fixed as soon as possible.
testreaper said:
On the same boat. I have been reading about the touchscreen delay problems,bluetooth connectivity and some other bugs and i am hesitant to do the leap of faith on mi6.
One plus 5 on the other hand has such community and gets so many updates that you are sure that software problems will be fixed as soon as possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you find bugs on MI 6,you can tell the developers of Xiaomi to fix them.
I got both the op5 and Mi6, the op5 has an real deal-breaker with the "jelly screen" design flaw. As for now there is no fix and oneplus says its "natural". So the Mi6 is an better choice for me.
hbbxmjbb said:
If you find bugs on MI 6,you can tell the developers of Xiaomi to fix them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i recon that bluetooth bugs have existed with the launch and they are yet to get a 'fix'.
Updates for global seem non existant but on the other hand thats what you get for the mi series. Xiaomi is pretty great for international devices, mainly speaking about the redmi series. Rest seem to be left untouched(Mi mix,note 2, mi5 s etc).
I am gonna hold myself from buying this yet.

Lower-end alternatives to the 5T?

I will probably buy a OnePlus 5T soon, but I really don't need such a high end phone that is so big.
If you had to buyer another phone that had great community support, but didn't cost quite so much, which would it be?
Things which are important to me:
- The open-source/ROM/modding/dev community = mandatory requirement.
- Headphone jack = mandatory requirement.
- SDCard would be nice.
- Removable/user-serviceable battery would be nice.
- Battery life.
Things that I don't like about newer phones, or are not important to me:
- TOO BIG. Fat phones can't fit in my pocket anymore!
- TOO THIN. Lower battery life, more breakable, higher price, makes no sense.
- Removal of the headphone jack. Pure greed and evil.
- OEM ROMs and OEM features: Will never use it anyway.
Just to be clear, cost isn't an issue. I'd gladly pay more if I could get a thicker OnePlus 5T with a removable battery and sdcard slot. I'd pay $1000 for that phone no problem, but it doesn't exist. The problem is the lack of value in buying a thinner, fragile, featureless phone.
Thank you
--
UPDATES:
OnePlus 3T would be an obviously great choice is price alone was my concern, but it's not. Still a good option.
The Moto G5 Plus and G5S Plus look like good options; they have an sdcard slot, but no removable battery. Great QCA SoC and community support on them. Cost less than half what a OnePlus 5T does.
Removable battery and SD Card slots aren't very popular among manufacturers these days. So a device that fits all of these is hard to find.
My vote, though, would go to the OnePlus 3T.
I'd get the Huawei Mate 10 light which is around 280 €. But I also must say I would never bother with anything below 5.8 inches.
Don't know about other countries but in India Xiaomi just launched Redmi note 5 pro. Check it out.
Edit: it cost around 214$.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using Tapatalk
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1620179
Great comments so far. Thanks everyone.
Xaiomi Redmi Note 5 Pro looks really good with it's sdcard slot, much better price/value, and a good SoC. I'm not a fan of Xaiomi though: long-term GPL violator and anti-OSS company. Very anti-moral Chinese company. Still, the phone looks good.
OnePlus 3T would be a great option if price alone was my concern, but I money isn't an issue for me.
Any modern SoC would probably be fast enough for my needs, so long as it has good OSS/community dev support. I don't need more than 4GB of RAM.
I really wish there was a phone with dual USB C ports, one on each side. That would take care of the phone jack issue too.
Xiaomi redmi note 5 pro will be a big seller and I expect a huge custom rom community.
Anyone have opinions on the LG G6? It's been out for a few months now.
I agree that Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro has stupid-good specs and price. I will look at it very much, even though I don't trust or like Xiaomi at all. Are they releasing source code for it? Xiaomi has been bad about that in the past.
EDIT: Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro is out of the question. Has no LTE bands I can use (4G bands LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 5(850), 40(2300), 41(2500)), and the sources are not out and probably will not be out for months, if ever. New SoC and nobody has DTS or sources yet. Might be popular in India and a few other countries, but not this side of the globe. With so few bands on it, I don't think it will be very popular.
I would try the Moto lineup if you want like a mid grade phone that works well. Pretty sure they meet most of what you are looking for.
have a look at bq aquaris x pro battery is not removable but at decent size
black.kahder said:
Anyone have opinions on the LG G6? It's been out for a few months now.
I agree that Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro has stupid-good specs and price. I will look at it very much, even though I don't trust or like Xiaomi at all. Are they releasing source code for it? Xiaomi has been bad about that in the past.
EDIT: Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro is out of the question. Has no LTE bands I can use (4G bandsLTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 5(850), 40(2300), 41(2500)), and the sources are not out and probably will not be out for months, if ever. New SoC and nobody has DTS or sources yet. Might be popular in India and a few other countries, but not this side of the globe. With so few bands on it, I don't think it will be very popular.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1st of all LTE bands depends on countries. Wait for it to launch globally. 2nd Xiaomi release source code within 15 days if device is running on miui which Redmi note 5 pro already is.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using Tapatalk
For the bands

To buy or not...

It looks like the mi 9 SE will be released global on the 28th of March. I want to "measure" how big the xda community will be for this phone, and also just curious...
If the mi 9 SE will be released globally, will you consider buying this phone (answer in poll)?
Well it's just as easy to modify as most of Xiaomi phones so I guess soon there will be here some custom rom choices. Especially if the only other smaller size competitor is Samsung 10e, for over twice the price.
I have 9se for about three weeks so far and must admit it's a great piece of hardware, but only if you like compact devices. Otherwise I'd rather choose Redmi Note 7 (limited budget) or Mi 9 or keep waiting for Poco F2.
winesh said:
It looks like the mi 9 SE will be released global on the 28th of March. I want to "measure" how big the xda community will be for this phone, and also just curious...
If the mi 9 SE will be released globally, will you consider buying this phone (answer in poll)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, absolutely. I'm looking forward to purchase the 128gb varient. I LOVE compact phones, especially the ones with flagship spec i.e. Sony. But I'm definitely getting the Mi 9 SE.
Actually, its form factor seem to be the best. I would consider buying the P30 or S10e, but the price is way better on the Mi 9 SE.
Just wondering if it worth waiting for the Mi A3 lite, which would be about the same smartphone except for the snapdragon (660 and not 712) but with Android One and b28....
It depends on what is important for you. I am planning to buy too, after I have seen some reviews and possibly if I see some development activity here.
The reasons I would buy this phone are: small size, amoled screen, quite decent chipset and nfc.
I would personally not buy the galaxy s10e because of the high price and the lack of developement I have seen with their previous phones.
kagazushi said:
Actually, its form factor seem to be the best. I would consider buying the P30 or S10e, but the price is way better on the Mi 9 SE.
Just wondering if it worth waiting for the Mi A3 lite, which would be about the same smartphone except for the snapdragon (660 and not 712) but with Android One and b28....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After having a mi A1 for over a year, I'm NEVER getting another Android one phone from Xiaomi!
keeeper said:
Well it's just as easy to modify as most of Xiaomi phones so I guess soon there will be here some custom rom choices. Especially if the only other smaller size competitor is Samsung 10e, for over twice the price.
I have 9se for about three weeks so far and must admit it's a great piece of hardware, but only if you like compact devices. Otherwise I'd rather choose Redmi Note 7 (limited budget) or Mi 9 or keep waiting for Poco F2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about the quality of the photos??? Battery?
WhatzIt2Ya said:
After having a mi A1 for over a year, I'm NEVER getting another Android one phone from Xiaomi!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ho that's interesting, can you explain why? (I guess the amoled screen won't be on the Mi A3 and that's why i'll buy the 9 SE, but still I'm curious)
Trunksleo said:
How about the quality of the photos??? Battery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just watched a couple of reviews and forum posts so mine is not a "direct" opinion, anyway
About photos, they are very good. They are not great, as well as big brother Mi 9, probably that's due to the software: AI and drivers are still not perfectly calibrated on Sony IMX586. It looks like worst than Mi 8, even if on paper Mi9/Mi9SE should have a better sensor.
About battery, it's enough! If you use dark theme, you can reach 6 hours of display on. Recently Xiaomi released DC function for Mi 9 , maybe we will see the same for Mi 9 SE because both have AMOLED display, which can benefit of this DC function.
If battery sometime isn't enough, QC @ 18W can pump in a few minutes the energy you need to reach late night.
Trunksleo said:
How about the quality of the photos??? Battery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Photos during daylight are great, just as you wish them to be. Every lens is doing it's job well - you can get a nice close up photo with zoom, wide angle lens proved to be useful as well, bokeh is nice (but it used to be so even on Mi 6). I am a little disappointed with night mode though - before I was playing with it on Mix 3 and there the results looked like magic, here are mediocre. It looks like the algorithm is only increasing the general brightness of the photo without recognizing the difference between stuff which should be visible and that is supposed to remain dark. The effect is obviously worse than on Mi 9 (basing on the reviews).
The battery is sufficient. Mi 9 SE as a smaller size phone is not bought for gaming therefore for any other activity can be used quite long. E.g. I've got over 14 hours of continuous movie play (MX Player HW+) and 25 hours when left as a clock (Big Clock app on Google Play). When you're not using the phone the battery drain is about 1% per hour with Ambient Display on.
kagazushi said:
Ho that's interesting, can you explain why? (I guess the amoled screen won't be on the Mi A3 and that's why i'll buy the 9 SE, but still I'm curious)
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Click to collapse
Xiaomi is notoriously slow with updates. Like now, it's the end of March still no March patch, some people didn't even get Feb patch yet. And the biggest f*** up that Xiaomi did is after android pie update. Wifi Mac has changed, some people got their phone bricked, wifi keeps disconnecting, battery life is super poor (4-5h sot), a lot of bugs I encounter every day, still using 3.18 kernel instead of 4.9 etc. etc.
WhatzIt2Ya said:
Xiaomi is notoriously slow with updates. Like now, it's the end of March still no March patch, some people didn't even get Feb patch yet. And the biggest f*** up that Xiaomi did is after android pie update. Wifi Mac has changed, some people got their phone bricked, wifi keeps disconnecting, battery life is super poor (4-5h sot), a lot of bugs I encounter every day, still using 3.18 kernel instead of 4.9 etc. etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok so according to you, the best way is to buy the mi 9 se for its hardware and run custom roms on it? That's my secret plan
kagazushi said:
Ok so according to you, the best way is to buy the mi 9 se for its hardware and run custom roms on it? That's my secret plan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah, the only reason why switched to custom for a while is because the wifi problem, everyone is facing this issue. It's disconnects won't won't connect back, and 5ghz wifi speed is very poor.
---------- Post added at 09:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:55 AM ----------
kagazushi said:
Ok so according to you, the best way is to buy the mi 9 se for its hardware and run custom roms on it? That's my secret plan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want the mi 9 se as a replacement device. I finally want a premium (cut down) flagship phone, and hopefully will last for about 4 years or more.
Looks like I was following a false track. The release from 28th only contained mi 9 and redmi note 7.
There have been a few others sources hinting towards a global launch. For now we just have to wait.
winesh said:
Looks like I was following a false track. The release from 28th only contained mi 9 and redmi note 7.
There have been a few others sources hinting towards a global launch. For now we just have to wait.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many AliExpress sellers are accepting pre-sales with some displaying pictures showing stock of the global version. I have placed an order with HK Goldway, I'll update when it's shipped.
Rdavis27 said:
Many AliExpress sellers are accepting pre-sales with some displaying pictures showing stock of the global version. I have placed an order with HK Goldway, I'll update when it's shipped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is also listed on geekbuying for buying, not only for preorder.
6/64 edition for about 330€ after using coupons seems to be quite a good deal.
Pros:
- 6" screen is still enough.
- Amoled screen and non-intrusive notch.
- Size. The device itself is tiny and lightweight.
- Hardware is below flagship, but much better than mid-range.
- Treble enabled, kernel source already released.
Cons:
- MIUI environment is not so friendly.
- dev scene (I hope I am wrong).
- OEM updates.
Flounderist said:
Pros:
- 6" screen is still enough.
- Amoled screen and non-intrusive notch.
- Size. The device itself is tiny and lightweight.
- Hardware is below flagship, but much better than mid-range.
- Treble enabled, kernel source already released.
Cons:
- MIUI environment is not so friendly.
- dev scene (I hope I am wrong).
- OEM updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Miui and oem updates aren't the issue for me.
Ok, so to summerize:
- Small from factor
- Amoled screen
- Indisplay fingerprint
- 4G b20 and b28
- Widevine L1
- 6Gb RAM
A part for the CPU power, it is even more interesting for me than s10e, and for half the price.
So I definetly swap my OnePlus 6 for this device. The last question is where should we buy it to be sure we have the global version?
I saw that honorbuy.com send the right one with even european charger, but a bit expansive...
Fantacy seller on aliexpress? Anyone ever tried?
Thanks.
kagazushi said:
I saw that honorbuy.com send the right one with even european charger, but a bit expansive...
Fantacy seller on aliexpress? Anyone ever tried?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would reccomend honorbuy because of european stock and no VAT on delivery (if you are based in Europe).
Devices are shipped with european socket charger.
If you buy on Aliexpress you must check any custom duty that would be added to the shipment in your country.

Realme 6 Pro or Xiaomi Note 10 Lite?

Bought a Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite on Amazon France (it was cheapest there) in February. Was working fine up until a few weeks ago when it turned itself off and asked me to "Reboot to main menu". This now happens 2 or 3 times a day. Did factory reset, same problem. So looks like it's a glitch and I'll be returning it to get a refund. I've had Xiaomi phones before, never had a problem. So I'm looking for best phone around €300. I'd like a decent camera, quick /snappy processor, no glitches, good support and decent resale value as I tend to sell my phones every 18 months and upgrade. The realme 6 Pro and mi note 10 lite seem to suit my needs best..... But which is the better?
There's no reason for picking the 6 Pro over the Note 10 Lite.
1. Would pick note 10 lite's AMOLED instead even just comes with 60Hz. Why ? because 90Hz on 6 Pro is gimmicky, especially considering you ran it on mid-range SoC.
2. Higher battery capacity.
3. Mostly, Xiaomi phones have better community support due to several reasons like :
- They have official flashing tools (MiFlash) for repairing soft-brick, where realme doesn't.
- Better kernel source code quality, at least better than realme. The source code that provided by realme is total mess (sorry realme).
Orders the Note 10 Lite today, hope to get it next week at some stage.

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