Ron Aldo Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 Have been keeping an eye on this thread for a few months and Chinese phones definitely seem the way to go. Currently got a Galaxy S6 and my contract is up in April. Been paying £41.00 a month for the last 2 years and after the novelty of having a new phone wears off it really doesn't seem worth it. Been doing a bit of research and if I was going to buy a phone just now then it would probably be the Umi Z. The Xiaomi Mi Mix also looks cracking but is expensive to buy outright. Will be keeping an eye out to see if anything else comes out within the next couple of months but does anyone have any recommendations? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YER SISTERS YER MAW Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 Have been keeping an eye on this thread for a few months and Chinese phones definitely seem the way to go. Currently got a Galaxy S6 and my contract is up in April. Been paying £41.00 a month for the last 2 years and after the novelty of having a new phone wears off it really doesn't seem worth it. Been doing a bit of research and if I was going to buy a phone just now then it would probably be the Umi Z. The Xiaomi Mi Mix also looks cracking but is expensive to buy outright. Will be keeping an eye out to see if anything else comes out within the next couple of months but does anyone have any recommendations? If you fancy the Umi Z, you'll pick one up at Gearbest for £176 just now in their flash sale. It ends in 6 days though. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Aldo Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 If you fancy the Umi Z, you'll pick one up at Gearbest for £176 just now in their flash sale. It ends in 6 days though. Had a wee look at that and was tempted. Only reason I didn't is because I've still got 3 months on my current contract so the phone wouldn't be getting used and something else might take my fancy in that time. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Njord Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 Thanks to Nold, I ended up with a Plus E instead a plus. Thoughts.... I prefer the Super with regard to the notification button , bar that near enough identical.What's under the hood is superior, and both will get nougat in the next couple of months , but if £20/30 cheaper, I'd go with the Super tbh. Both still miles ahead of anything bar top end stuff you'd get here. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pittsburgh phil Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 Still getting along brilliantly with my Maya Max too 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Njord Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 Re Ron Aldo.£41 a month.... Get a sim only decent deal for £20, that over a year gives you £250 to break even. You'd be Quid's in. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YER SISTERS YER MAW Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 Just dropped my Maya Max in the fishtank like a right plank. Everything seems to be OK apart from the sound which is really low now compared to normal. I'm hoping I've not f**ked it and the inside just needs to dry out.[emoji45] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YER SISTERS YER MAW Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 Shite! The sound down and off button's aren't working now either. Not looking good. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YER SISTERS YER MAW Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 1 hour ago, pittsburgh phil said: Still getting along brilliantly with my Maya Max too I'm no! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Njord Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 Rice!!!! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
54_and_counting Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 On 07/01/2017 at 13:16, YER SISTERS YER MAW said: Found a major bug on my Maya Max. Don't know if it's the same for others. When I try to send a long SMS text message, after a certain amount of characters it automatically switches to MMS and it won't let me change back. When it does this the MMS wont send and I get the message ;transmission failed'. I find it strange that it does this when it's a text message only without any picture or video attached. i mind this happening on the old nokias i think, im sure it was in the text message settings where there's an option to turn long texts into MMS (to save money i guess if its a charge per text, i did say it was the old nokias lol), untick the box or tick it if the option is to keep the texts as SMS have a look and see mate, it might be there 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo Fife Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 (edited) On 11/01/2017 at 16:09, Big Fifer said: Phones here. Anyone who, like me, who has surfed this thread for months without committing to buying should just go for it. Will post more when I have time later, but I have went for the lowest spec Umi (90 shniflets delivered) and it's miles better than my old HTC that cost me a fortune. Hope it lasts. How you getting on with that phone fella? Been thinking about getting one myself. How long from clicking order until it arrived? Edited January 15, 2017 by Stevo Fife 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Fifer Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 4 minutes ago, Stevo Fife said: How you getting on with that phone fella? Been thinking about getting one myself. How long from clicking order until it arrived? Apologies, forgot to give a more reasonable review. When I ordered the Umi Diamond was in the EU warehouse so it arrived in 4 working days which was class. Case is coming from China though and it's only just been dispatched. *Boring story* Basically I liken this situation to when I bought my electric shower for the flat. Had a sparky mate round the shop with me as he was helping me fit it and I was planning on going for one of the brand names where the price goes into the 100's. But he pointed me into the direction of the cheap as chips Wickes own brand model as he claimed that it's basically the same stuff on the inside and he couldn't be more right. The diamond is the cheapest of the Umi's from what I can see and its ace. The specs (RAM, storage etc) are technically lower than my old HTC One M8 but it runs so much faster, that might change with time I guess. The touch screen is excellent, the camera is very good also and the build quality feels solid. Again, because it's the cheapest it does have a bit of weight about it but if you go for one of the other models they look hefty slim so I'd imagine them to be much lighter. I took the praise of the Chinese phone market with a pinch of salt but if this phone lasts as it is for £90 then it's an absolute steal. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Njord Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 **the higher specced ones generally aren't lighter as they shoehorn in a bigger battery.... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milton75 Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Been keeping an eye on this thread, but owing to my extreme thickness I confess I'm still a bit bewildered. Basically my old Samsung S5 is out of contract, and judging by a weird flickery screen thing going on, about to die anyway. If I was replacing it I'd want something fancy that will be good for a few years, so looking at reviews I'd probably end up with an S7 or a Pixel or somesuch. The problem is this: I'd ideally like to go without a contract, as my previous phones had been on a Friends and Family contract with EE, meaning I was paying £20pm or so rather than whatever insane amount the phones are meant to be charged at. Unfortunately the person who signed me up no longer works for EE, so that option is gone. So, if I wanted to get an equivalent (or dare I say better!) Chinese phone, these are the queries I have: - What would folk recommend? - Could I have dual sim and stick a European sim in for trips abroad? - I definitely need 4G, is that a problem? - Are there networks I would have to avoid signing up to? - Will it require a lot of set-up, or can I plug-in and go? (as per earlier comment, I'm a moron with tech. My long-suffering bird sets up all our tech at home) - Will I be able to install all the usual apps from the Play store, along with kodi, mobdro, etc.? - What fancy cameras are available now? - Where is best/safest to buy this online? Sorry for all the questions. I'm basically hoping one of you has a lovely phone that ticks these boxes and can just advise me to copy them. I'd like a lot of storage space, and it must be able to take external storage, as I have a ton of music on my SD Card. I'm a sucker for new stuff, so if it's got fancy double-cameras and so on I'll be excited. Any help would be hugely appreciated. Cheers 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killienick Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Update on my Ulefone Future. The phone gets very hot, very quickly running certain features like internet. The screen colour then bleeds and it becomes unusable for 10 minutes or so until it cools down. I'll power through for another few months but will need to replace sooner than anticipated. It's a real shame because the phone is lovely. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Thompson Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 1 hour ago, milton75 said: Been keeping an eye on this thread, but owing to my extreme thickness I confess I'm still a bit bewildered. Basically my old Samsung S5 is out of contract, and judging by a weird flickery screen thing going on, about to die anyway. If I was replacing it I'd want something fancy that will be good for a few years, so looking at reviews I'd probably end up with an S7 or a Pixel or somesuch. The problem is this: I'd ideally like to go without a contract, as my previous phones had been on a Friends and Family contract with EE, meaning I was paying £20pm or so rather than whatever insane amount the phones are meant to be charged at. Unfortunately the person who signed me up no longer works for EE, so that option is gone. So, if I wanted to get an equivalent (or dare I say better!) Chinese phone, these are the queries I have: - What would folk recommend? - Could I have dual sim and stick a European sim in for trips abroad? - I definitely need 4G, is that a problem? - Are there networks I would have to avoid signing up to? - Will it require a lot of set-up, or can I plug-in and go? (as per earlier comment, I'm a moron with tech. My long-suffering bird sets up all our tech at home) - Will I be able to install all the usual apps from the Play store, along with kodi, mobdro, etc.? - What fancy cameras are available now? - Where is best/safest to buy this online? Sorry for all the questions. I'm basically hoping one of you has a lovely phone that ticks these boxes and can just advise me to copy them. I'd like a lot of storage space, and it must be able to take external storage, as I have a ton of music on my SD Card. I'm a sucker for new stuff, so if it's got fancy double-cameras and so on I'll be excited. Any help would be hugely appreciated. Cheers In order - depends on the size of phone. I'd highly recommend my Maya Max but its a 6" screen, which will be too big for many. Have a read through some of the thread and you'll see a few different models others have bought - yes, most of the Chinese phones are dual sim. HOWEVER, in most you cant use two sims and an SD card. Its 2 SIMS or 1 SIM + 1 SD card - no, but see below - yes and no. Some phones only support certain network frequencies. As long as you get a phone that supports the frequency of the network you want (and the frequency it uses for 4G) then you'll be fine. That sounds a lot more complicated than it is, its easy to find the network frequencies and all the phones list what they support. You'll also find that most of the phones support all the UK frequencies anyway - theres no more or less setup than any other phone - yes (there are very few phones, as far as I know, that dont come with Play store preinstalled. Again, it should be clear when you buy it) - dunno - theres a few sites, again most mentioned on this thread. Gearbest and Banggood seem to be the main ones, but you can also find the phones an Amazon, although not always as cheaply. If you want fancy new stuff, check out the double screen phones. Normal screen on the front for the usual stuff you'd use a phone for and an "always on" e-ink screen on the back, showing time, notifications etc 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Thompson Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 1 hour ago, killienick said: Update on my Ulefone Future. The phone gets very hot, very quickly running certain features like internet. The screen colour then bleeds and it becomes unusable for 10 minutes or so until it cools down. I'll power through for another few months but will need to replace sooner than anticipated. It's a real shame because the phone is lovely. Does it have a removable battery? Might be worth trying a new one if you can 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killienick Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 9 minutes ago, Mr X said: Does it have a removable battery? Might be worth trying a new one if you can Unfortunately not. It's got a metal case and a bezel-less screen which is all locked up pretty tight. It's a gorgeous looking phone but unless I'm using it outside, it can quickly turn into a gorgeous looking brick. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milton75 Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 23 minutes ago, Mr X said: In order - depends on the size of phone. I'd highly recommend my Maya Max but its a 6" screen, which will be too big for many. Have a read through some of the thread and you'll see a few different models others have bought - yes, most of the Chinese phones are dual sim. HOWEVER, in most you cant use two sims and an SD card. Its 2 SIMS or 1 SIM + 1 SD card - no, but see below - yes and no. Some phones only support certain network frequencies. As long as you get a phone that supports the frequency of the network you want (and the frequency it uses for 4G) then you'll be fine. That sounds a lot more complicated than it is, its easy to find the network frequencies and all the phones list what they support. You'll also find that most of the phones support all the UK frequencies anyway - theres no more or less setup than any other phone - yes (there are very few phones, as far as I know, that dont come with Play store preinstalled. Again, it should be clear when you buy it) - dunno - theres a few sites, again most mentioned on this thread. Gearbest and Banggood seem to be the main ones, but you can also find the phones an Amazon, although not always as cheaply. If you want fancy new stuff, check out the double screen phones. Normal screen on the front for the usual stuff you'd use a phone for and an "always on" e-ink screen on the back, showing time, notifications etc Great stuff - thanks very much for taking the time to reply on this. I'll go on Gearbest and have a root around! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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