With so many Chinese phones available it is quite common for us to own more than one device, so which do you use as your everyday phone?
The last time I counted how many phones we had in the Gizchina office we were way above 30 devices! That’s a mix of low to high end phones from manufacturers ranging from Xiaomi, Oppo and Meizu, to new comers LeTV and affordable phones from Doogee, Mlais and Ulefone.
I believe the actual number of phones is now up to about 40, but with only 2 hands and so many pockets can only carry 2 with me at most and there is only one phone that I would consider my “daily driver”.
Gizchina News of the week
For anyone who has followed me this year you will already have a good idea of which two phones I use on a daily basis, for those of you who don’t they are the standard 16GB version of the Xiaomi Mi Note and the 16GB version of the LeTV Le 1 phone.
What we would like to know is which smartphone do you currently use as your daily driver? Don’t worry if its not a Chinese phone, if its an iPhone or Windows device, just tell us what you use on a daily basis and why.
I’ll start the ball rolling in the comments with the phone I use everyday. I look forward to hearing what you use.
My phone is a Vivo Xplay 3S
A very good phone 😀
Software updates could be better though
yup, not many of them
Any news yet on the xplay 5s, isn’t it way overdue now???
no hope it is soon and better than the X5 Pro though. Also, hoping for an Xshot 2 as well
Yes the XShot 2 front has gone very quiet since the earlier leaks you mentioned, I was expecting it to be released by now.
hope for Xshot 2 too.Both OPPO and vivo are late to announce this year’s flagship, maybe because Snapdragon hear problem?
How are you finding it? If I can return my Lenovo I may go for this but am worried about the camera quality.
Camera quality is pretty good but not amazing.
Thanks for that, really don’t know what to do for the best. There just aren’t any 6″ phones been released over the last 12 months.
The best camera I’ve seen on phones have been Nokia, Samsung with the S6 and the iphone 6+ but thats all I’ve tested. The Nexus 6 was a 6 inch (hehe) phone. At this point i’m interested in the new Moto X Style.
I’m looking at the nexus 6 on eBay, can get a nearly new one quite cheap (about the same price as a mid range Chinese phone), might get that to use till next year which should hopefully give Chinese manufacturers time to release a killer phone at a cracking price!
I’ve just seen leaks about the new phablet from Microsoft and they always have really good cameras so I’m looking at one of those now
Ya the new style just lures me in with its Camera screen build and sd808
Gionee Elife E8, costs 800$, don’t know how software is though..
I know I was waiting for that one to be announced. The price is completely crippling though and the helio x10 just isn’t up to running a QHD screen. Better off getting the X2 xtreme as it’s selling for nearly $200 less than the Chinese version and ships from Europe so no worries about customs tax.
You like mammoth phones what? 🙂 But isn’t the x2 also run by x10 on qhd screen?
Same here. I haven’t found a phone that could replace my Vivo xplay 3s in terms of rich sound from the speakers. Not many updates but the phone is so well optimized that it works great. My battery is losing some steam though. I’ve had it for almost two years now. That’s too be expected.
My “daily driver” is stil the LeTV Le1 (X600). The reason I use the LeTV Le1 over the other phones I have access to (Xiaomi mi note, Meizu, Vivo, Oppo, Ulefone etc) is the build quality, insane speed, amazing camera and battery life. The only issue I have with the phone is that I have to carry a USB Type C cable with me just in case, as the chances of meeting someone else with one highly unlikely at this moment.
How are you finding it for gaming? Does it lag/heat up?
Only game I have on it is Colin Mcrae Rally. It gets hotter but not ‘meizu hot’. Game is a little slow to open but once running is fine.
Thanks Andi. In your review you mentioned there were some reception issues, have these been sorted yet?
Yup, the latest updates seem to have fixed those initial problems.
NO ONE must feel the pain i felt with the mx4 and mx5 while trying to emulate Gamecube NO ONE EVER
(Still the m9 is way worse than meizu)
love to know what you think of mx5, if you can get Yash Yarg to let you give it the once over…
I have my own on the way so will let you know 😀
I ordered 32gb version.. and I have a dumb question for you Andi, Can I use same procedure and files (TWRP, custom rom, etc) as for 16gb version?
got the 32 gig version and can confirm it works just the same.
Yup, should work
Any idea when the 64gb version will be on the market Andi?
Sorry I don’t, but I do know that LeTV are gearing up to be more international
Hi Andi, like you I tend to have lots of devices. On the note of carrying charge cables etc, have a look at this:-
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1041610927/znaps-the-9-magnetic-adapter-for-your-mobile-devic
I have gone a bit crazy and ordered quite a lot! but with the connector in the ports of my devices and a couple of adaptors on keyrings, it should make things much easier.
What do you think?
Hi Andi Do u have Ulefone Be touch 2, the U touch finger print scanner is not working, it takes the input once in a two thousand times while scanning input. After that if we change security lock to fingerprint it open for once or twice n then it wont recognize. Is there any fix for this. is it software problem or hadware problem
Hey, I have 2 Ulefone Be Touch 2’s at the moment. Both fingerprint scanners work pretty good. I don’t really have issues with the scanner not working like it should
I only have the first Be Touch and the scanner still works well
What’s the charge time like?
Hey Andi, I’m looking to purchase my first chinese phone but dont want something as big as 5.5″, otherwise i would get the leTV le1… Could you suggest any phones that are 5″ or under?
UMI Zero
What’s your opinion of the umi zero. I am interested in this phone for some reason.
In my opinion it is a very good phone despite it is now an outdated device. Unfortunately it has a lot of minor issues with software (I hope in CM sooner or later). Nowadays in my country you can buy devices with 64bit and LTE at the same price.
speaker is not good and voice is low. i used fro some time and thrown. now i am back to Samsung. even a low cost phone of samsung somehow reliable
I use the Ulefone Be Touch 2, pretty good for daily usage I might say.
My daily driver for the past week has been the Meizu MX5. There are some software issues that need to be addressed but so far it hasn’t been anything groundbreaking. My old daily driver was the Xiaomi Mi4, not sure if it will live up to how great that phone was but we shall see
I just got the Mi4 for 1499RMB direct from Xiaomi in black and so far, despite being 12 months old, I think it’s a great phone.
Its an excellent phone. And for 1499 that is an incredible deal. The SD801 is one of the best SoC’s ever made.
Yeah, the SD801 can handle basically anything thrown at it. Not like the horrendous SD810 that throttles and overheats like a oven.
be interested to know your thoughts on mx5, was considering it. Have a mi note and mi4i but not feeling miui V6, just too laggy and unresposive compared to CM12 on OPO
I have never used a Meizu before and had limited exposure to Flyme so i am still trying to get used to it. So far I love it though. The X10 handles everything I throw at it without slowing down. It has never heated up. The camera is excellent. I dropped it once and there was no signs of it.
Nah i. Mostly love meizu for their Audio build and flyme (not the latest ones tho it got buggy as a$$)
I use Coolpad 7320, for about a year now….
My current daily driver is the xiaomi mi note pro, upgraded from a meizu mx4. preforms well, everything is snappy and fast, camera is amazing, and the stability of mi ui is also a keeper, also the rear glass design is very nice, the build quality is top of the line. hardly any heating issues, only heats up when i play mortal kombat x other then that normal running tempreture is 36 c
Nubia Z5S! It’s a pretty good phone for ridiculously low price but the OS has some bugs especially in the camera app and the battery could last longer. But overally I’m satisfied with it, now waiting for the lollipop update.
How much did you pay for it?
I had it for 3 months,really good phone
Currently Using Xiaomi Mi4i Backup Devices: Lumia 830, Oneplus one, MI3.
I’m using Mi4i and have Oneplus one too, how are you finding mi4i? I’m finding it much more laggy and slow than OPO. Apps like tinder, instagram, facebook all much better on OPO, Software in general seems much more responsive and fluid on OPO. How are you finding mi4i in comparison to OPO?
Mi4i is terrible. Good camera and lovely build but it is soooooo laggy and slow
Yep, have to agree. Thing is though while mi4i is clearly worse I don’t find the miui 6 experience on mi4i a million miles away from miui V6 on mi note though. I know i keep banging on about it but CM12 on oneplus is in a different league. MIUI 6 is just not as responsive in downlaoded apps or or stock apps, multi touch is so bad on the gallery on MI note I stopped using it straight away. Can literally see frames dropping in miui 6 , very small lags but again something i just don’t experience on CM12 on OPO. Also while the mi note screen is better, the accuracy is again better on OPO, just find it much more responsive to gestures and touch reaction time is noticeably better. Has made me think twice about xiaomi in general, MIUI 6 hogs resources like anything and just feels more clunky even though i love the design. I Think close to stock android builds are still the way forward
+1
Andi, Mi4i is terrible with miui but it is lag free and good in thermal mgmt with cm 12.1. I like this device because of camera and compact factor.
Nexus 6. I’m not allowed a phone from China. Lol
You already have one ;). The Nexus 6 is made in a factory in Shenzen.
This is what I tell my colleagues now…
They usually turn their lip up to even the possibility of owning one of those ‘poor quality’ Chinese phones…
Then I ask them, where do you think all the western brand devices are made..? Lol…
It’s hilarious to see the look on their faces when you show them their phone was made in China, often times in the same factories as dozens of “lesser” brands.
Am curious about the “not allowed” part? Is that a work thing? Maybe a security firm?
I was thinking more his wife! Lol
Lumia 1020 since 2013 ——-> “2016 Flagship Killer”
Oukitel U8, and liking it a lot. Going for a 5 inch phone next tho.
I have a jiayu g5s as daily driver for a year or so and still works fine. However the gps and wyfi are not very useful and also carry with me a galaxy s3 for that purpose. Im thinking of retiring both phones and get instead a letvs1or bluboo xtouch. Im just waiting for the last one to be launched and reviewed
Still using a dual-sim Note 2 with an S3 as backup. Would like to replace it with a 6 inch screen phablet.
Mine is Xiaomi Redmi2, Best value-For-Money phone for daily use.
Daily phone: Sony Xperia Z3 compact
Testing: Letv Le1, VKworld 6735
Backup phone: Xiaomi Mi2 (2,5 years old and still in perfect condition)
Next phone: Xperia Z5 compact?
I’m very interested by the VKWorld 6735. How good or bad it is ?
I have shared the phone to a Dutch Tech website, http://www.Tweakers.net (together with the Letv Le1).
I haven’t really tested the VKworld yet, but the build-quality is much better than I would’ve expected for this price-range. The build feels like the Redmi 2, with a “rough” backplate. That’s a good thing actually. You won’t drop it that easily when your hands are clammy. I did some benchmarks (only a few times instead of 12 times).
Antutu: 19855
Quadrant: 8884
Geekbench: 483 / 1369
GFX Manhattan: 216,3 / 103,3 Frames
3D Mark Unlimited: 3071
CaffeineMark: 13413
The phone was delivered with Stock Android 5.1 rom, no additional software/bloatware from VKworld (or the reseller). So far, it was a very good introduction to this brand. It will return at the end of this month. I will write a complete review of this phone, just like I did with the Letv Le1 and many other phones: http://tweakers.net/productreview/user/129865/
Hope for the next Xperia Compact will be great.
However, have you tried the Lenovo Vibe Shot? It’s has very Xperia vibe into them such as lanyard hole and design (resemble a lot of older Sony cybershot) albeit lack of IP68.
I owning a Xiaomi Mi2 like you, it is still good in almost more than 2 year so far 🙂
I have a 2S and that thing is running low on storage space, low on RAM, the screen is getting a bit small to browse web and the camera could be better. Can’t wait to find a decent replacement. :/
Ulefone Be Pro for about six months. Lots of better phones have been released since the Be Pro.
My phone is a LG G2, due to the high import taxes from Brazil, LG g2 was the best value-for-money at the time I bought.
same here
I bought a brand new LG G2 two months ago and flashed it with LG G3 FW with 4K video recording and I can use all the flip cases, waterproof cases etc. I bought G2 as G3 is too big and I owned a big phone for two years my old Umi Cross with MIUI which still works as the first day. I Just wanted something smaller for running and doing sports. When I went running at the time I had Umi Cross I used iphone as a running phone. Now I use G2 for everything.
I have the G3, it has suck overheat issues.
Meizu M1 Note with f*cking slow and bugy Flyme Os 4!
😀
Nokia N95 8GB
LeTV One 32GB. The only phone I have atm since my Galaxy S3 broke a few months back. Love the phone and have no plans to switch in the near future. Seem to have problems receiving texts sometimes but it should have been fixed in the last update, haven’t had the time to try it properly.
Mine is Letv le 1 at this moment.
Hello folks
I’m using a Oppo Find 7A (Chinese Version) since April 2014, without any backup phone …’cause i like to unbrick my phone at night when i screw my phone flashing sh*t ^^
Amazing camera quality, fat sound quality, instant reactivity and build quality (i broke a glass throwing this phone by mistake) make this phone a winner for me.
BTW My girlfriend is using a Lenovo K3 note (best bang for the bucks one month ago IMHO)
Also rocking an Oppo Find 7a (CN) since March 2014. Still lovin’ it 🙂
Z5s mini, great phone I would buy it again
Where did you buy this phone from and at what price?
Xiaomi 4 (2GB version in black). Recently switched to it from an IUNI U3 and couldn’t be happier due to it’s great build quality, better than anticipated audio quallity, weight and feel in the hand and MIUI’s much more polished OS/ROM. The black Mi4 really looks better in the flesh than in pics or videos. Only downside is I feel the IUNI U3s camera took better pictures for an average phone snapper like me.
Daily driver and only phone is Vivo xshot
Did you get that because Andi raved about it back in the day???
I still think its an amazing phone. Best Vivo in the past 2 years
Yes, I got it cos of Andy’s review
Me too
My wife’s daily driver too, lovely phone.
Still a killer of a phone 😀
IUNI U3
Amazing.. Where did you get it?
iuni.tmall.com
lg optimus l3 🙁
My daily smartphone since 1 month is Letv x600 32GB. It’s amazing device but, I am user of VR and I’m heavly thinking about something with QHD. Maybe MX4 pro?
Mine is xiaomi mi3.. Hehe..! A bit old hu… But its still an amazing phone
I use OnePlus One for the past 9 month. I wish it was smaller 🙂
CM12 is not as optimized as CM11 was, but it never failed when I needed it.
Elephone P7000 :/
How’s it going?
it’s fine I guess but after a month of use I got bright pressure spots, wifi is not stable and there are quite a few software bugs..
Daily use of ZTE Blade S6, … looking for selling it and buy LeTV x600
S6 is a pretty good phone, but the X600 is miles ahead
My daily driver is kingzone z1… Lenovo k3 note for music and Lenovo A850 as backup phone.
Despite all the awful reviews; I bought the Kingzone Z1 and it has become my daily driver phone as well. I get brilliant photo’s with it using the Lenovo Super Camera app; call quality is magic; WiFi and 4G speeds are fantastic; so won’t be in the market for a new phone for sometime to come.
could you pls provide the app link. i’m using the same phone though photo is not that good with the stock app.
Hi mosbd – read the attached link and then download v 3.6.7.
http://technosamigos.com/lenovo-super-camera-app-android-phone/
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3G… Want something new with thin bezels!
You guys are not gonna believe this, but …
At this moment, I dont have a smart phone. After my Nubia z7 Max broke down, I have not bought another smartphone. Still looking out for a good but not expensive smartphone to buy. Aside for my Cube Talk 9X tablet (which has refused to go bad no matter what I throw at it), I am currently using a small Samsung phone just for 2G calls as it doesnt support 3G network connectivity.
caveman!!! :O
Cube Talk 9X GREAT TABLET!
Meizu MX4
Rare one ..Elephone P8 pro in india…sourced from ebay.in… surviving with a shitty GSM antenna…build quality on par with Note 4 of which its been copied…waiting for One plus 2 or Meizu MX5 or just laid my eyes on Xperia C5 Ultra – the True Bezeless king.
Mi4 65gb 🙂
65gb eh?
Where did you manage to pluck that extra gig from???
xiaomi mi4 🙂
I’m using a 2 year old Jiayu G3S but I’ll be on the hunt for a new one soon :v
LG G2 here too.
Flagship performance at upper mid range price.
Top notch body weight and size balance.
One of the best LG made phone of all time.
Xiaomi Redmi 1S with CyanogenMod 12.1 (Lollipop 5.1)
Daily driver is the Umi eMAX ..Im verry surprised by this phone ..Just for the price 99$ that i payed im getting alot of Bang for Bucks !! Verry good phone .I hardly miss my Note 4 that is still sitting on my desk 🙂
wow! I hope i get the same experience! I have a note 4 but out of curiosity and my love for chinese stuff, I ordered an elephone p8000! I hope it serves me well and will be selling my note 4 to make some money!
I live in the states and being we don’t have access to really any of the Chinese phones, I use an lg g4 as my daily driver, the best feature of the phone? bye far the camera, it is a good as any DSR that you could have I your pocket and even better I do like the specs of the LeTv1 and Xiaomi Note though
I am waiting though for the note 5, the Exynos 7422,
All in One chipset, curious to see how it stacks up against the rest of the world and power consumption
iuni u2
but plan to switch to something with bigger battery
how’s your lens coating holding up?
there is quite a lot of small scratches, but you have to look really close to see them
Ok thanks. Mine is quite noticeable, annoying as I’ve had it in a case and in my coat pocket most of the time, so only material rubbing against it. I presume it’s just the coating as I also have a Gionee E7 with same lens, sans coating, and that hasn’t a mark.
Honor 3c best and the worst at the same time
Mine is LG G2 but now considering Lenovo Vibe Shot for the next phone.
LG G2 here as well. Its got a good PP ratios. Outstanding battery life and good enough camera, HD display. They are going for about $180 on the bay so its on par with the MT6753 midrange flagships from China. Downside is the uni-body non-removable battery and no expandable storage. I have a SISWOO C55 on the way and is thinking about a LeTV one. I’d really want a MT6752 or Helio phone with decent battery life and good camera. Current offering like the Lenovo K3 note’s camera is only mediocre and Chinese version of Meizu’s OS is not optimize for US use.
JiaYu S3 Advanced. My next phone is a Siswoo R9 Darkmoon.:)
OnePlus One for 13 trouble free months now ☺
And I have no interest in replacing it anytime soon given what’s currently on the market…
Giaonee E7 32GB/3GB.
+camera(front one struggles to focus in dim light but outperform everything when in focus).
+Everything Is Working Perfectly for 1/2 year.
-3.5-4hr screen time without gaming.
-no fast charge.
-high power drainage when idle, the radios(wifi/wcdma)consume to much power.
-5.5′ screen is just to much, yes it is fun to use but no so to carry.
Snap, plus an Iuni U2, better for the pocket, plus extra blue lens coating makes a difference (scratches if you look at it though).
Honor 6 here! Best phone I have used. Awesome batterylife, great screen, light weight, good fast camera, can be used onehanded. Kirin cpu performs good. And I really like Emotion UI. Had OPO before, and never liked it. This device owns it in most areas in my opinion. Waiting for Honor 7.
using a MI4 but I’ve got tired of it.
My wife just got the OPO (thanks to GizChina)
which proved me that I’m getting tight with a 5″ phone and i need a bigger one.
i can’t believe how it has been barely a year since I’ve got my MI4 and it already looks outdated.
I won’t go crazy this time pretending to fall in the river once again so i guess I’ll wait for the perfect phone to come out.
i need a 5.2″ – 5.5 and it has to be black (I’m still talking of a phone!!!) with a great camera and minimum 32 GB. no laggy software.
Do you have something particular in mind?
right now my eyes go on LeTV Le1, Meizu MX5 and OP2, but for one reason or another they don’t satisfy my list completely so no diving in the river for now.
LeTV did a pretty good job with their first mobile devices. It seems like the Le1 is on everybody’s list.
oh yeah.
I can’t believe they came out with a phone like that at their very first attempt.
I’m more impressed how they managed to make a good ROM.
and the price is a steal.
What about the Huawei Honor 7 or the new Moto X style?
I’m keeping an eye on the Honor 7.
on paper is one of the best out there and IMO also the best looking phone.
I’m not a fan of EMUI though, so I’m waiting for reviews and feedbacks from random users to figure out how it goes.
i haven’t checked the new Moto X but I’m afraid it’s way over my budget
thanks for the tip.
I’ve just checked the Moto X style and I’m sold.
at 399$ from amazon is a steal.
great specs and i love the design.
what’s even better is that it will support LTE on any US carrier since i can’t make my wife’s OPO work on AT&T’s LTE because it’s not certified.
Lucky you, the official price in the UK is 400 GBP which is more like 600+ USD. Otherwise, I agree, spec wise it is one of the most attractive announcement so far. Although I really like the MIUI ROM.
holy moly,it’s 50% more!
At least Chinese phones work on UK LTE frequencies.
since you love Miui just wait for the MI5 that should be released this fall as well.
I’m pretty sure it will as good as the Moto X and priced around 320$
through resellers is still going to be below 400$
I am waiting impatiently to the next Xiaomi announcement, although not with great hopes as their offering have been anything but conservative.
As for the pricing for the Moto, this is what we get on this side of the pond. Parity dollar/british pound. It happens on every single tech kit, unfortunately. 🙁
how about Galaxy Note 4/5 ?
Note 4 Still has one of the best cameras
Or maybe Xperia Z5 ? ‘cuz after Z3+ SONY should’ve taken customer views..!
they don’t fit my budget
Currently the original Ulefone Be Touch. Good phone, feels great, nice effort by Ulefone, but wasn’t convinced to upgrade to Be Touch 2 (not real battery capacity, not real Android 5.1, plus unnecessarily awkward bottom bezel still.) Ulefone could have at least been honest and just say less than 2550mAh battery and only Android 5.0 and I would at least respect the honesty. Looking into Huawei Mate 8 or P8 Max.
using a Xiaomi Mi Note Pro as my daily driver.
My daily driver now is Vivo Xshot. Most because of Andi used it during 2014.
Before this, I use a Mi4 and Vivo Xshot is better then Mi4 in overall. I also used a iphone 5s and One Plus One.
But now I love the way that Xshot operate, it fast and responsive, its camera is good in most of scenario (bokeh and night mode works good, fast focus).
Functouch is responsive than MIUI :).
Waiting for next generation of Xshot.
I am using the iOcean M6752 right now. Couldn’t help it, when it was available for $139.99 to give it a try.
Tronsmart TS7 (rebadged Cubot One-S), MTK6582, 1GB of RAM, Android 4.2 and very limited storage space. Hopefully, soon I will be able afford to replace it.
Heh, don’t laugh too hard, but my current daily driver is a ZTE Z667t (aka the Zinger, lol.) My smartphone before it was felled by a faulty power switch, and this is what I’ve got ’til I get hold of something nicer. =)
Dual-core A7@1.2GHz, 512MB/4GB, 3.5″ 320×480 screen. While I can’t actually recommend it to anybody, I’m surprised at how workable it is given the rock-bottom price and hardware spec. Yes, it lags a lot when switching between memory-intensive apps; the screen is cramped, let alone the internal storage; the camera is a joke and not even a good one. But the GPS performance on this thing is excellent; the build quality is solid; it runs KitKat as opposed to something truly old; and moreover, it handles all the mundane calls/texts/web stuff one needs a smartphone to do. For $20 USD outright, the price/performance ratio on this one is shockingly good. =)
Mine is a Jiayu G4S..Anyone still remember it? Planning to upgrade as soon as the Helio x20 becomes mainstream
Andy which one would you suggest Mi note or Letv1. Coming from mi4 I am leaning towards Mi note…
My daily phone is Meizu M2 Note and I’m happy with it up to date.
Huawei mate 7 for now, waiting for honor 7 plus
One year ago i buy Xiaomi Mi3 64gb version. I use it every day and never had better phone like this.
Since I sent the broken Kingzone z1 back for a refund i ude my trusty old Lumia 920. When I’ll get my money back I’ll be in a market for a sub 200$ device with good batery life, camera and audio quality. The main contenders right now are the k3 note and the m2 note but I’m open for suggestion. ?
My daily driver is a humble but never failing Xiaomi Redmi 1s; great value for money. Planning to purchase a more upmarket 4G phone though, but a really decent one with LTE-band 20 is hard to find. For starters Xiaomi doesn’t seem to implement band 20 at all. Bummer!
Asus Zenfone2 4gb 32gb and THL 5000T. They’re both excellent phones overall with the Zenfone being my main daily driver but I always carry both. The battery life on the THL is absolutely incredible. Second to none.
I use Jiayu S1 and except battery this is perfect phone for me.
I been using a Mlais M52 for over 2 months, and if you ignore the fact that I had to tear it apart to fix ghost touches, I’m pretty happy with it, coming from a 2014 true flagship (Nubia z7 Mini) I don’t see a difference on the performance, I don’t see how anyone would complain about this phone at all, for $130 the CPU is a beast, the GPU is fairly decent, the RAM is fast enough, the internal memory is not that fast but not slow at all, the camera is pretty good with good lighting a disaster with poor lighting but the flash is above average, the sound is loud enough but of poor quality, the screen is pretty good, the digitizer is good(not taking into account the ghost touches I had to fix, the battery is a little above average.
Waiting for a Meizu M2 Note that I plan to use for at least 3 months before getting a new phone, but so far no 2015 flagship has caught my attention mostly due the lack of Dual SIM + Micro SD.
Nubia Z9 Max – large screen, has my work and personal sims in so I don’t have to carry multiple devices, with a 128gb microSD for music and work documents (of which I have to carry quite a lot). It cost me approx £300gbp, but I think it’s actually pretty good value. The only issue I have had with it, was that the wifi reception was a bit poor – that was resolved by the next firmware release and I’m very happy with it. Also, the speaker on the bottom is very easy to obscure – other than that it’s been pretty much perfect! Camera is surprisingly good, better than I had anticipated. No heat issues with it at all, runs cooler than my old HTC One M7 did.
Hey James,
Good lord, someone finally with a Z9 Max, glad I found you 🙂 I’ve had my radar on it since it came out.
Have you tried the video slow-motion function ? I’d really appreciate if you could give me your impressions on that, best resolution and FPS ?
It’s good to see that the SD810 has no heat issues at all. It sort of tires me of people paraphrasing in all the forums :”this is a heating machine, you can fry eggs on it, worst SOC ever…” etcetc… most probably they don’t even own one, so it’s really great to hear this from someone that HAS actual experience with it.
Thanks!
Hi Kenshiro,
No, I have not tried the slow motion video – I can do if you like?
Yes, no heat issues at all – it runs a lot cooler than the other half’s Z9 mini (of which I received phone number 2 today from geekbuying – I got the Max from Ibuygou, as she put the first one through the washing machine and I can’t resurrect it…. 🙁 which is a bit annoying)
It’s easy to root and get google apps on it too. The OTA update function didn’t seem to work (downloads the package and goes through the motions of updating, but doesn’t actually update), but downloading the newer firmware from nubia.cn and installing was very easy.
Is there anything you would like to ask about it?
cheers
James
Hey James,
First of all thanks for replying, that’s very kind of you 😉
If it’s not too much of a burden for you it would be awesome if you could test the slow motion function. A good target are bikers or joggers 🙂 Going through the specs I think it does 30 fps – hope it is more ;), but it would be great to know on which resolution as well…
Don’t know how you can check it though, maybe someone around here can give us an advice.
Wow that baptism with the z9 mini sure is a bummer.
There are ways of reviving “drowned” phones.. the first thing is to turn it off and remove the battery, which for your mini is kinda difficult, since your battery is non-removable…
You need to disassemble your phone as far as you can… Have you tried putting it into rice or silica gel? I can prove it works as I rescued a camera that fell into a river this way.
For the z9 max a CM12 exists already, check it out in xda. And by end of August Nubia b will apparently release a beta LP 5.1.1.
If OTA doesn’t work but download yes, no problem for me, as long as it gets installed.
I’m really fond of this phone, but now I’m also very curious about the Moto x style… I’ll wait until September to make a decision, if my wallet allows it hihi 😉
Tough times to decide for a phone that should last as long as it can…
Take care,
Ken
Yo ma man Ken Wait for the Moto X style Their software is excellent – Youl be makin’ hadoukens in your grave by the time youll like the z9 max
Hehe, HW on both is excellent, but the price for the Moto X will most probably be above 500€, which is too much for me. Z9 max is right on the limit. Who knows, maybe in the end I’ll get the Lenovo k3 and save some bucks to get an action camera…
Lol no official price for 16 gb version is just 400 bucks
395€ official base price for the Moto X Play here in Spain, for the Style we will have to add 100 € I guess… We’ll see in September 😉
Damn your in spain the taxes are high there – maybe you should try to graymarket import or buy through local craiglist site (Dont get murdered by the local Psycho tho lol) At least you are not in brasil , i was there on a holiday at the launch of the ps4 and it costed 1000 euros
Yeah, even in UK it won’t be as cheap as in the US. 279£ for the x Play, comes close to 395€. I guess best option is to know someone in the US and hope he/she makes a visit to Europe 😉
well i usually gray market export (evil me) but locally i can buy the lg g4 for 480 euros
I’m not aware of these buying methods lol, I doubt I can do that 😉
Lol u can buy these gray market phones from ebay
Just Dont use the deep web NEVER USE TOR TO buy something
Lol I don’t get your comment, maybe some irony here? What’s TOR TO?
TOR is a very private deep web browser … Search deep web on youtube and you will be uhhh… Amazed?? ( in case you like weapons from the black market stolen payapl account. Iphones,illegal porn , classified documents etc.)
I use the IPhone 5S as my daily driver. It is very compact for my pocket and I just can’t spend my day without some of the apps. The only downside is battery life
Lg G2, looking to upgrade this year.
Maybe the next Nexus, Note 5 or OP2.
OnePlus One aka OPO. I like the design. It elegant, well build. And i like the sandstone because It has better grip-ability than others. It has beasty performance and its among top performers on antutu. Not just on benchmark, in real life condition, everything is buttery smooth and gaming experience is really enjoyable, even for high intensive graphics games. Great battery life. 6 hours streaming on youtube continuesly isn’t a joke. The os is great, customizable, and many extra features that really make sense at least for me i. e double tap to wake, gesture for short cut and with screencast i can record my screen activities while im playing a game and then upload the recorded video to social media like YouTube, etc. Lot of supports from developer and have so many choices for custom rom. One thing many people complain about is screen yellow tint, but i personally not affected with the issue. The sreen itself is very bright, even i can read it in direct sunlight with 10 percent brightness. And all those good things are all packed with cheaper price than others, in other word it is a phone with the best price for features ratio.
Jiayu S3
I use a mi4i because I love it and I use the meizu m2 note because I love the big screen and the fact I can read the kondle app on it and download lots of music because of the SD card slot. Bit my fav is the mi4i
Nexus 6 cause I don’t have baby fingers.
I am waiting for a dream phone: wireless charging is a must!
Xiaomi Mi Note. Very good phone. The best I had… So far 🙂
Xiaomi MI4. Fell from my google cardboard (whilst on my head standing up) a few months ago. Capacitive keys stopped working, but installed 3rd party buttons app and still luv it to bits. Perhaps time for a MI note (old version from Andi’s advice), or LETV. Will wait for further Oukitel news or even see if Doogee can finally come up with the goods with their upcoming ‘flagship’.
NEIN NEIN NEIN NEIN NEIN KEIN DOOGEE FASCHISTEN NEIN KEIN DOOGEE BITTE – Hitler’s Last words before his death
Gionee Elife E7 3GB32GB. Fantastic phone. I would recommend to anyone who doesn’t need 4g. For $150 it is the bargain of the year.
Balcobomber said that Gionee software sucks. do you confirm that?
Have one as well, software doesn’t bother me for general day-to-day usage, can’t really see the problem with it. Though I haven’t yet upgraded to Lollipop as I heard the camera performance dropped.
I doesn’t like it either, although it is very well optimized, everything is snappy and fluid, lot better than I expected. I don’t like the typical chinese ROM look so I use Google Now launcher.
There’s a lot of bloat that I have to remove and OTA doesn’t work. I downloaded the KitKat update from the internet, but I didn’t have time to install it, maybe next week. Other E7 owners say it’s a lot better than Jelly Bean.
Anyway, the software shouldn’t be a reason for not buying it, my overall experience on this device is very positive.
i don’t care of the look either since there are launchers and eye candies on Google play.
when I hear complaining about the software I’m assuming they are referring on lags, crappy transitions, bugs,non removable bloatware…
i would not go for a phone if it’s affected by those things listed above and that’s what i was worried about.
Good to know that’s not the case of the E7 which IMO wins the trophy of the best deal out there.
I can confirm that none of things you mention arethe case in here. I use Nova launcher, because it’s my favourite one, not because the genuine one sucks so much. Soft is fast, smooth and nicely optimised. It’s not in any way close to old JB (apart of similar look of course).
I’m really getting confused now.
now we have You and iKosh saying that the software is snappy and optimized.
from the other side Andi and Balcobomber25 say that the software is a mess and laggy.
maybe the opinion changes according to experience.
I, for example, have always found MIUI very smooth until i tried CM12 a week ago on OPO and made me totally change my mind about MIUI.
i would still consider it as a nice ROM, but heavy and not so smooth compared to CM
Or maybe theyre just basing on experience from previous and default JB ROM. I bet that’s it.
that makes sense.
I used an Elife E7 a while back and the optimisation was crap. Gionee make amazing hardware, their ROMS are a bit junk though.
that’s a pity.
hopefully they will follow Zopo releasing custom roms
Huh? That was the JB situation. KK is very well optimised and doesn’t suck at all. Smooth, quick and holds the battery nicely. Your opinion is so very 6 months ago!
Not heavily bloated, but removing some stuff is obvious thing. First thing I do is installing my favourite apps.
I haven’t even tried looking for different ROMs, because I like the genuine Indian KK so much.
Agreed – For the price you get an amazing camera performance on par with sd801 great build quality and screen – software sucks a bit tho it still on friggin kitkat
My daily phone is Lenovo k3 note,awesome phone for the price,next will be a Xiaomi,maybe mi 5,I miss this brand on my own phone and I want 1
HTC One Mini, does everything I want it to with plenty unwanted facilities.
I got a Galaxy S6 Edge 64GB. Im in Canada, so this thing is worth $1080 lol
I am now using the Ulefone Be Touch 2. Has been a good phone so far with only a few minor gripes. Loving the fact I have a BIG FHD screen on LTE in Oz compared to my previous phone.
I am using 2 phones :Coolpad Dashen F1 running MIUI and Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G
My current daily driver is a Sharp AQUOS 304SH. I enjoy the 304SH’s two-day average battery life, the deep blacks on its IGZO screen, and its relatively small size and weight. Negatives? You can’t update the firmware, I can’t get tethering to work, and no physical navigation buttons (I don’t care for soft buttons).
I’m also eyeing the Siswoo R9 Darkmoon and Umi Zero 2 because I do a lot of reading on the tube (and toilet) and would benefit from the e-ink screen.
After using Jiayu , then Xiaomi MI3w for the last 2 year . have been using a Mi Note Pro for 4 months now. Best phone ever ..and No heating issue ..inspite of whats being said by those who do not have one ! Great screen, Excellent camera and audio. Good battery
Just changed from the elephant p7000 (which I used daily for 2 months and would have stuck with had the screen not have been poor with white spots)
I now use my Meizu mx5. Only been using for a few days but very fast, no lags, the best speakers I have had on any phone, and a cracking camera. I also like flyme….
My daily companion is the Vivo Xplay 3S which I got when it first came out. I have also an Oppo Find 5, One+One and the Lenovo K3 Note with I occasionally used during my travels due to dual sims support!!
I use Asus Zenfone 2 Intel Atom Z3580 (4 GB RAM model). The reason I bought one, is it was cheap and it is quite fast.
umi hammer
Lenovo K3 Note.
Gifted Jiayu S3 to Sister, which is a fantastic phone, and about to get Elephone Vowney if no other takes its storm.
Moto G 1st gen :F
IOcean M6752 so far so good still on KitKat until IOcean sort out the bugs with Lollipop … a long term phone? lets wait and see how it performs over the next few months but for $138 very little to complain about
My device is Mi4i 🙂
Iuni u3
N6
really not a Chinese phone. my latest experience is meizu Mx4. in papers a good phone but believe me unreliable as always any Chinese phone. software again software never trust it. i loved the phone first impression was good said too many good words about it to friends .Now started hating this . buggy it can happen to you any time that contacts suddenly missing . you have to restart . if this phone 100 points on it’s hardware it will lose 200 points on software and overall minus for it’s rating . i thank cnet for giving this phone 2 stars for such a buggy software. i suggest meizu to use a normal android firmware found is & 50 phones it would have been better
Elife E7 – Premium phone that became really cheap recntly. I love very well optimised and fast Kitkat ROM on it. I love build quality. I love the quality of the pictures it makes – not the best but still very good. And I love the 3GB RAM / 32 GB ROM situation, too.
I am very tempted by Le1, too.
Mine is the xplay 3s for over a year now ….great phone….but im in the market for a new 6″er
Believe it or not my current phone is a note 4 but out of my love for chinese stuff (i had a oneplus one and got my wife a mi note 64gb) I ordered an elephone p8000!
Don’t ask me why I felt in love with that phone despite that ugly black cavity around the screen!
I hope it will be a good phone for me and I will be ready to sell my note 4 and keep it!
An Elephone P6000. It does what it has to do and that’s enough for my everyday’s use.
Run the Oppo Find 7 as my daily and the Nokia 1020 as on-site shooter.
My daily driver phone was Huawei Ascend G7 for 6 months until I dropped it & now am using Lenovo K3 Note for a month now. Both are great midranger phone. K3 Note at about $150 is really value for money for its specs.
The OnePlus One. Daily driver because it’s only a year old, and am happy with it
meizu mx4 pro to take pictures and watch movies when it works but flyme drive me crazy..too buggy. my other phone its moto g first generation.. its my main phone….
Have an Huawei Honor 6 Plus, great phone, easily a full day of battery life, performance is good but not the best (gaming wise) but the software of Huawei has been great (EMUI 3.0, no lagging, quite snappy and looks nice). Comes with a higher wattage charger as well, so battery charging is fast. Build quality and feel is good, nice screen as well. The camera is quite good as well, though I havent tested it that much yet.
mine is op1
I am going to be buying a smartphone in two weeks for my girlfriend, I was really considering getting her a xiaomi note pro, does anyone have any other recommendations?? Thanks
Lenovo A6000 european version
Oneplus one 😀 since august 2014
Thl 4400
can someone please suggest a phone thats 5″ or under and has a sd card slot and a decent camera?? cheers dudes
Huawei mate 7
Honor 6 Plus.
Lenovo K3 Note 16 gb…
Cheap
Reliable
Huawei Ascend Mate 7.
Though I never had the issues others had with Zopo I got tired of their designs or lack thereof and so I upgraded to Huawei and I have zero regrets