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Should I buy the Z3C today?

Hi everyone,
I'm using the xiaomi mi2 today and all in all happy. It got wet and screen is broken so I have to think of an alternative soon before it dies completely.
I came across the Z3c and was charmed by the similar size and great battery life.
I kind of disappointed it only have 2gb ram, okay camera, no ir.. But it's very good looking water resistant phone.
My limit is 5".
I thought maybe to wait for the z4c because of the 1080p screen, 3gb ram probably but kind of stressed by the fact it will host the problematic 810 snapdragon,which warms up AZ everyone in the Internet reports.
Should I buy it now or wait? Would you buy it today even that its almost one year out, and maybe there's better options today?
I'm also a bit amazed I can't root the phone without losing the already not so great camera quality.
How is the development community here? Is it planned to have 5.1? would you recommend CM and other roms as a good option or is it buggy and bad battery life?

I bought one today.
1080p is nice (I had Nexus 4 which is 720p and went to HTC M7 which is 1080p, it is no thaaaaaaaat difference)
2Gb of ram is enough
I don't think there are better options, and with SD810 things are getting "hotter".
You can root without loosing camera quality
5.1 is planned to arrive on July by sony.

Im buying mine next month. Same Price of G3 but that 2k display made me run away lol
And love sony too

eranyanay said:
would you recommend CM and other roms as a good option or is it buggy and bad battery life?
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Click to collapse
I tried CM nightlies, performance and battery life is good. But battery life is better at stock rom because of power saving algorithms of sony.
Biggest down side is the camera in custom roms like CM. You should unlock bootloader to flash custom roms and this action removes DRM keys, resulting in bad camera quality. There is also the wide lens issue, images get distorted in camera apps other than stock sony camera app. I would like to use CM but as far as I know there is no fix for bad camera in Cm (or in other custom roms).
But the good thing is that you can restore drm keys if you have backed up drm keys with a tool in the forums, and return to rooted stock roms and regain the not-so-great-but-absolutely-better-than-cm image quality for camera.

Ok, zihinsiz say all good things, but if i can tell you something... Take care of you mi4, because with our z3c you will have no real benefits (ok, battery A LITTLE better, screen and resolution A LITTLE better) but nothing really really better that you can see as really different as your actually situation

zihinsiz, Thanks for the input. Is it possible to root without removing DRM keys (which actually means, without unlocking the bootlaoder?) , and then to have CM with the sony camera, which does all the PP and thus not losing image quality? beacuse if not, it actually means I should never exchange roms...not being able to remove embedded bloatware (which is done easily with root)
PeppeBove, I have the mi2 (bought it when it first got out, almost 3 years ago!), did you mistype and think I have the mi2, and claim there's no big difference comparing both, or did you misread and think I have the mi4?
I also have another question, Where can I find the differences between both Z3C models D5803, D5833? Which one is the "international" one?
And how is the speaker phone & speakers volume? Is it good enough?

eranyanay said:
zihinsiz, Thanks for the input. Is it possible to root without removing DRM keys (which actually means, without unlocking the bootlaoder?) , and then to have CM with the sony camera, which does all the PP and thus not losing image quality? beacuse if not, it actually means I should never exchange roms...not being able to remove embedded bloatware (which is done easily with root)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you can have root without unlocking the bootloader and without losing drm related functions. So, you can debloat the stock rom, flash mods and use xposed framework without losing any function.
And trying cm or other roms is also possible after unlocking bootloader and returning to fully functional stock rom is possible with drm restore and bootloader relocking. Unfortunately Sony camera app only works in stock roms, that is the disadvantage I talked about. You should forget camera if you have a custom rom installed, that bad is the quality I think.

Camera quality is the only thing gets bad while bootloader is unlocked? and in any case, using any other camera app will get bad results?
gps and all other sensors behave OK no matter what?
Is it possible to get google dialer or some of the stock feeling of aosp/cm roms?
As a Z3C owners can you see any other competitor with better specs at this dimensions (< 13CM height) ?
Im already looking at the devilcase metal bumper...

eranyanay said:
Camera quality is the only thing gets bad while bootloader is unlocked? and in any case, using any other camera app will get bad results?
gps and all other sensors behave OK no matter what?
Is it possible to get google dialer or some of the stock feeling of aosp/cm roms?
As a Z3C owners can you see any other competitor with better specs at this dimensions (< 13CM height) ?
Im already looking at the devilcase metal bumper...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can look at the topic in my signature for example pictures. I think my pictures are at the last or 1 before last page.
I took the pictures with Camera FV-5 and an unlocked bootloader.
They really aren't bad in my opinion, you will probably only notice a difference with low light.
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app

http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=4928&idPhone2=6538. Thats a spec to spec comparison. I just got the z3 compact too and have had to switch over since my m7 decided to conveniently die on me without any warning sign. Overall I cant really tell the difference in the resolution partly because in day today applications it doesn't really matter. I suggest investing in a magnetic charger as well in order to maintain the water- resistance of the phone. The battery life is yet to be put through the paces but it's already shaping up to be much better than my heavily customized m7 was. Both my phones had 2 gigs of ram and I never saw myself using more than 1.5 gigs at the most. Overall I'd say it was worth the upgrade especially since I got my z3c for 300 AUD . Also the bluetooth low energy is handy if you use bluetooth headphones or if your car supports it. After the oneplus one, this is the second best phone in terms of price to specs to the fact that it is actually small enough to call a phone. My 2 cents would be not to wait since sony supports their devices for 18 months so you do get Android M and possibly the next iteration as well so really you've got all bases covered here

i wouldn't buy one today. it feels more sluggish than my wife's galaxy alpha, so i would go with an S6, even having the battery+screen size+water proofness penalty.

reg-sux said:
i wouldn't buy one today. it feels more sluggish than my wife's galaxy alpha, so i would go with an S6, even having the battery+screen size+water proofness penalty.
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Unless you are running the exact same apps on each phone it's very hard to justify a sluggish statement. You can certainly have a rogue app bogging down your phone.
I'd buy the Z3c again as there really isn't anything else to compare it to in the sub 5" category. While I'd like the camera on the S6 I'm not sure I could deal with the decrease in battery life and the overall size..as well as TouchWiz.

I saw this on ebay which is really cheap, i don't know if its some deal or sale, do y'all think its worth it? Here is the link:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-XZ3D58...858?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f4e0b155a
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-XZ3D58...929?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item487f6513b9
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-XZ3D58...931?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item487f6513bb

The Z3c is a decent enough phone that feels snappy, is the perfect size and has amazing battery life, but it has its quirks . If I were in the market today I'd wait to see what the Galaxy S6 Mini brings to the table. I might even sell my Z3c if the S6 Mini packs as much performance as the regular S6.

uchechris said:
I saw this on ebay which is really cheap, i don't know if its some deal or sale, do y'all think its worth it? Here is the link:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-XZ3D58...858?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f4e0b155a
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-XZ3D58...929?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item487f6513b9
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-XZ3D58...931?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item487f6513bb
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These are Seller refurbished, not factory refurbs either. I personally wouldn't chance it, but thats up to you. Also it states that there could be signs of use. I'd either buy new or keep an eye out on swappa.
I've been debating on getting a z3c myself but i might wait for z3+c possibly even s6 mini. Its a tough call.

The problem with Samsung is that their devices is always very "tall", because of the hardware buttons, plus no sdcard, no water proof...
maybe the camera will be a plus.
Im going to buy the Z3C. I made up my mind
Now I struggle where to buy it from.

eranyanay said:
The problem with Samsung is that their devices is always very "tall", because of the hardware buttons, plus no sdcard, no water proof...
maybe the camera will be a plus.
Im going to buy the Z3C. I made up my mind
Now I struggle where to buy it from.
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Click to collapse
Not sure where you are located but amazon and fleabay seem to have some of the best prices on new device.
I'm itching to buy one myself and kills me that there is no word on when to expect the z3+c. I think id rather have the new version but it will also come with a higher premium as well. My guess would be Sept release
Things that bother me most about the z3c are poor indoor shots, cap over charging port, and the docking pins on the side.

Don't hold your breath for a Z3c+ to be released. Mini/Compact phones are going the way of the Dodo Bird (sadly). Get the Z3C now or possibly even the Samsung Alpha. The Galaxy S6 mini could be awesome (minus touchwiz) or it could be crippled like the previous mini versions have been. If you can wait, do so, so you won't have any regrets. The price will only get lower.

I bought my 1st in November white color, Sold it to some1 last month and bought green one. Giving it to my wife next month and again buying new white one next month. Its the perfect phone.

INFRNL said:
Not sure where you are located but amazon and fleabay seem to have some of the best prices on new device.
I'm itching to buy one myself and kills me that there is no word on when to expect the z3+c. I think id rather have the new version but it will also come with a higher premium as well. My guess would be Sept release
Things that bother me most about the z3c are poor indoor shots, cap over charging port, and the docking pins on the side.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here in Portugal most of stores aren't getting more Z3C.
I asked about 3 or 4 stores and they either say they don't have stock for some months or that the device was discontinued, that's why I bought it now.
Best prices here are around 256-370eur on unknow stores, but on orange (it's a store from expansys group) at 389eur (discount code deal10). On physical stores the best price I saw was 411 or 550eur with the sony smartwatch.
On international stores like dvdandorra you can get it at 339eur .

[Q] Do you guys recommend this phone?

Hi everyone.
Need a phone for my wife. Hers was lost ):
Thought of this or a Xiaomi one.
I like that this one has CM build.
How do U guys like this phone (even on stock rom)?
Would you recommend it?
Basic everyday usages. PS - how's the camera?
Thanks so much!

wont recommend for the camera, rest the performance & battery is huge and efficient... I keep iphone 7 for camera/snapchat/etc

No, not at all. After about 10 days I got airplane mode issue that can't be solved now, I had only 7 days replacement warranty :/ Camera also not of that level. So don't go for it.

thank you guys

The camera is not good and the fingerprint sensor fails after a few months, but the long battery life is awesome and software support (CM14, NucleaROM) is great. It depends on what you want/need. As a practical, affordable tool, the Zuk Z1's a great phone.
I probably wouldn't consider it if I weren't putting a custom ROM on it, though.

YES
Yes I would surely recommend you this phone. First thing is that its battery is very efficient. Next is that I liked its front camera 8MP. Performance is also quite good.
benyben123 said:
Hi everyone.
Need a phone for my wife. Hers was lost ):
Thought of this or a Xiaomi one.
I like that this one has CM build.
How do U guys like this phone (even on stock rom)?
Would you recommend it?
Basic everyday usages. PS - how's the camera?
Thanks so much!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

nirvikkhanal said:
Yes I would surely recommend you this phone. First thing is that its battery is very efficient. Next is that I liked its front camera 8MP. Performance is also quite good.
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Click to collapse
I do think, though, that if his wife wants a nice camera, she should look for another phone.

I wouldn't recommend it unless you are willing to install a custom rom

Hornettt said:
I wouldn't recommend it unless you are willing to install a custom rom
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Click to collapse
What's your problem with this phone and why are you only talking about getting custom roms???
I have my ZUK1 since more than a year as a daily driver. Travelled the world with it using its dual sim function to the fullest. Use my fingerprint reader every day and has not failed nor can I confirm the other problems people are "experiencing".
I do read a lot here and can only assume that a lot of the "problems" are self inflicted, flashing and or unlocking/rooting while they don't have a clue what they are doing...:silly:
My phone is stock COS12.1 since day 1.
About the camera...its not the best but for the money you pay descent enough.
I have also a NOTE 4 and can say the ZUK1 it beats the Samsung with ease and that for less than half the price.
And if you are scared reading about problems with a phone, please do yourself a favour and go and read on the Samsung NOTE 4 section...that's suppose to be a flagship phone!
Would I buy the ZUK1 again? YES, for the 200€ I paid more than a year ago it has fulfilled all its promises and is still going strong...but then again thinking about it, maybe its better that you buy another phone as I am sure I bought the ONLY good ZUK1 ever build!

cfds said:
What's your problem with this phone and why are you only talking about getting custom roms???
I have my ZUK1 since more than a year as a daily driver. Travelled the world with it using its dual sim function to the fullest. Use my fingerprint reader every day and has not failed nor can I confirm the other problems people are "experiencing".
I do read a lot here and can only assume that a lot of the "problems" are self inflicted, flashing and or unlocking/rooting while they don't have a clue what they are doing...:silly:
My phone is stock COS12.1 since day 1.
About the camera...its not the best but for the money you pay descent enough.
I have also a NOTE 4 and can say the ZUK1 it beats the Samsung with ease and that for less than half the price.
And if you are scared reading about problems with a phone, please do yourself a favour and go and read on the Samsung NOTE 4 section...that's suppose to be a flagship phone!
Would I buy the ZUK1 again? YES, for the 200€ I paid more than a year ago it has fulfilled all its promises and is still going strong...but then again thinking about it, maybe its better that you buy another phone as I am sure I bought the ONLY good ZUK1 ever build!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have my zuk z1 since October last year and flashed a rom a few weeks ago cause of all the problems with the standard software, yes I did try a factory reset to see if it solves my problems wich it didn't. The hardware of this phone is good enough the only problem I have is that my fingerprint scanner doesn't work anymore. The biggest problem is the software, it's buggy, slow, still runs on lollipop and the last security update is form June

cfds said:
What's your problem with this phone and why are you only talking about getting custom roms???
I have my ZUK1 since more than a year as a daily driver. Travelled the world with it using its dual sim function to the fullest. Use my fingerprint reader every day and has not failed nor can I confirm the other problems people are "experiencing".
I do read a lot here and can only assume that a lot of the "problems" are self inflicted, flashing and or unlocking/rooting while they don't have a clue what they are doing...:silly:
My phone is stock COS12.1 since day 1.
About the camera...its not the best but for the money you pay descent enough.
I have also a NOTE 4 and can say the ZUK1 it beats the Samsung with ease and that for less than half the price.
And if you are scared reading about problems with a phone, please do yourself a favour and go and read on the Samsung NOTE 4 section...that's suppose to be a flagship phone!
Would I buy the ZUK1 again? YES, for the 200€ I paid more than a year ago it has fulfilled all its promises and is still going strong...but then again thinking about it, maybe its better that you buy another phone as I am sure I bought the ONLY good ZUK1 ever build!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lolipop is pathetic, with default operating system screen was way too yellowish (even after customizing colors), finger print button wasn't working as home button, too old operating system the default one is.
I also won't recommend, even if you he goes with it I'll recommend custom rom.

Phone is great, really a value for money device. I was one of the first that took the risk to buy it more than 1.5year ago, but it turned out it was the best choice. ZUK Z1 still going strong in 2017.

Ta3iapxHs said:
Phone is great, really a value for money device. I was one of the first that took the risk to buy it more than 1.5year ago, but it turned out it was the best choice. ZUK Z1 still going strong in 2017.
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Click to collapse
So you bought the second good ZUK Z1 ever produced?!
I agree, good value for money! Has the best GPS I ever encountered in a smartphone...
When I unpacked my "brand new" phone more than a year ago it had (still has) a small nick in the frame next to the USB charging point, that's how it came off the production line. Got the phone off ebay.de and decided it wasn't wort the hassle to get is shipped back and replaced. Lenovo probably "marked" the few good phones...:laugh:

Want to buy the 3T, have some questions before I do.

Hey guys, i am thinking about buying the OnePlus 3T from amazon.in and have some questions that i'm hoping i can get answered (I asked these in OnePlus 3T India thread but didn't get any reply as making new thread).
1) Most important question - Are the accidental damage protection offers any good ? The ones on the Amazon site r from third parties and neither one has gr8 reviews, but this one seems to be the better one - http://www.amazon.in/dp/B01N4DH82G/ref=psd_bb_lm_B01FM8M0XE_B01N4DH82G . Still i dont know if its any good or not. What do they cover and do they try to scam their customers when they actually have to provide service/replacement ?
2) What is the situation with the phone sale on Amazon.in, this morning it showed Gunmetal was out of stock, then later it was showing its in stock (It went out of stock again later), i thought they were only selling the phone through flash sales. I'm worried they might send the wrong colour or something.
2)I'm thinking of buying the 64gb version, how much usable space does it have?
3)R both the Sim slots 4g ? Many phones only come with one 4g sim slot, other only being 3g compatible.
4)Generally every new phone released has some or the other small or big hardware flaws, and these get fixed silently in newer batches that r produced, Does the 3T have any i should know about ?
5) Whats the situation with Nougat update? I read that it got an OTA update but it has a lot of problems, what r these problems ?
6)Whats the situation with unlocking bootloader, rooting and and installing custom ROMs, i read that its kind of a complicated situation and a mess, didnt read in detail ? I've rooted every single phone/tablet i've owned in the past half decade, was thinking to use the stock software that comes with the OnePlus 3T as its supposed to be really clean and vanilla and comes with most customizations u get in a custom ROM anyway. But still I wanna know I can do that without much problem if I wanted to.
Sent from my HM 1SW using Tapatalk

2) 51-52GB
3) Both are LTE-A compatible
4) Unstable CPU at full clocks, touchscreen latency
5) No issues if you do a full wipe
6) It is fine, not as easy as on Nexus phones because OP is not releasing factory images but it is fine.

Not a hardware issue per se, but the images taken are very noisy when compared to the oneplus 3... Check some camera samples in gsm arena before you buy.

Ya. Definitely camera blows, and I'm coming from a 7+ and take a lot of photos. With that said I've learned to take better photos, not just point and shoot. Although it's a pain in the rear, I think the battery life and software updates we get are worth it, at least for now. I'm hoping they can fix the camera with software, we will see...

J4DedPrez said:
Ya. Definitely camera blows, and I'm coming from a 7+ and take a lot of photos. With that said I've learned to take better photos, not just point and shoot. Although it's a pain in the rear, I think the battery life and software updates we get are worth it, at least for now. I'm hoping they can fix the camera with software, we will see...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh... Weird, cause literally every review I have read of the phone says that the phone has a gr8 camera for the price, not as sophisticated as Pixel, S7 and iPhone 7 but still pretty darn good. In any case, I don't use camera much, I think it'll be fine.
Also, I ordered it already last night, I just got a dispatch mail 2 mins ago!
Sent from my HM 1SW using Tapatalk

bhu1 said:
Huh... Weird, cause literally every review I have read of the phone says that the phone has a gr8 camera for the price, not as sophisticated as Pixel, S7 and iPhone 7 but still pretty darn good. In any case, I don't use camera much, I think it'll be fine.
Also, I ordered it already last night, I just got a dispatch mail 2 mins ago!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might be surprised, it's extremely noisy in anything but great lighting conditions and the aperture is super slow. Any movement in a photo causes blur. And I've tried all 3rd party cameras apps with manual settings. Not sure if it's a software or hardware issue

What went wrong with Nokia 8?

It's a great phone and most impressive is SD 835 in it but today I found a deal on my local used market for 250$. He'll, I want to buy it but I don't know why it's so cheap. I am getting he'll of a deal here but is it any good?
I read comments on Amazon and many said it's having a heating problem. I want to buy a good phone for gaming as my Moto Z Play couldn't able to handle pubg very well.
One more thing is that the xda community had igoned Nokia 8, it doesn't have a single official custom ROM or recovery. Phone is good but all this things keeping me from not buying it. I want to know is it any good to buy a used one for 250$?

XDA community hasn't ignored it so much as Nokia/HMD haven't allowed the bootloader to be unlocked
The phone's principal other flaw is that the camera isn't great. Both the stock camera software (post processing, features) and the sensor aren't up to the quality you would expect of a 2017 flagship or even (for the most part) the Galaxy S6 I upgraded from. Until now running modded Google cam has allievated the software side, and there's an update rolling out from Friday that will add camera functionality and hopefully improve the processing and the use of the monochrome sensor. I wouldn't expect miracles though.
Other than those points this is a solid phone. The screen is a nice IPS that does good blacks, accurate colours and is capable of very high brightness. There is no heating problem and in fact this is the coolest phone I've ever used, it's a challenge to make this thing heat up. Software is as close to stock you'll get on a non-Google device. SnapDragon 835 blasts through anything you might want to do. Headphone jack seems to supply a lot of power and music sounds clean and clear. Nokia has been good with updates thus far, releasing OS and security updates better than any non-Google phone afaik.

I also found a great deal for a Nokia 8 6gb ram 128gb internal for 250$. Still thinking if i should give up my Moto Z Play for this Nokia

if quality(which can be improved with a new app) of photos is not your top priority, then you should definitely buy this one.

Manish355 said:
It's a great phone and most impressive is SD 835 in it but today I found a deal on my local used market for 250$. He'll, I want to buy it but I don't know why it's so cheap. I am getting he'll of a deal here but is it any good?
I read comments on Amazon and many said it's having a heating problem. I want to buy a good phone for gaming as my Moto Z Play couldn't able to handle pubg very well.
One more thing is that the xda community had igoned Nokia 8, it doesn't have a single official custom ROM or recovery. Phone is good but all this things keeping me from not buying it. I want to know is it any good to buy a used one for 250$?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing went wrong, it was a loss leader to get the Nokia brand up and running and noticed again.
Best phone i have owned apart from the camera in low light but the new camera app may help with that.

It's a great phone for gaming...I play pubg mobile on the maximum settings with extreme FPS settings and it's silky smooth... It does warm up a little but less then any other phone I've had while gaming, the one and only issue I have with this phone is that the power button has a little bit of rattle/play and that drives my OCD crazy.

razorsbk said:
I also found a great deal for a Nokia 8 6gb ram 128gb internal for 250$. Still thinking if i should give up my Moto Z Play for this Nokia
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't decide too, but i think i need to give up my Moto Z Play for PUBG. And SD835 is future proof too. I don't use camera that much so it's not an issue for me, i think it should be a good deal.

ngagephone said:
It's a great phone for gaming...I play pubg mobile on the maximum settings with extreme FPS settings and it's silky smooth... It does warm up a little but less then any other phone I've had while gaming, the one and only issue I have with this phone is that the power button has a little bit of rattle/play and that drives my OCD crazy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks bro, i wanted to know how PUBG runs on Nokia 8, i am gonna buy it. Only thing thats i'm scared of is Custom ROMs. I like to flash different ROMs. Man, i need to choose between Customization and Gaming.

Almajo88 said:
XDA community hasn't ignored it so much as Nokia/HMD haven't allowed the bootloader to be unlocked
The phone's principal other flaw is that the camera isn't great. Both the stock camera software (post processing, features) and the sensor aren't up to the quality you would expect of a 2017 flagship or even (for the most part) the Galaxy S6 I upgraded from. Until now running modded Google cam has allievated the software side, and there's an update rolling out from Friday that will add camera functionality and hopefully improve the processing and the use of the monochrome sensor. I wouldn't expect miracles though.
Other than those points this is a solid phone. The screen is a nice IPS that does good blacks, accurate colours and is capable of very high brightness. There is no heating problem and in fact this is the coolest phone I've ever used, it's a challenge to make this thing heat up. Software is as close to stock you'll get on a non-Google device. SnapDragon 835 blasts through anything you might want to do. Headphone jack seems to supply a lot of power and music sounds clean and clear. Nokia has been good with updates thus far, releasing OS and security updates better than any non-Google phone afaik.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, even bootloader is not possible to unlock on the phone. I am scared that I'd be bored after some time of using it. But, i think the most important thing for me would be gaming than flashing custom ROMs. I'd be buying it soon.

Is there a way to get rid of MIUI android?

Hi,
Is there any way to get rid of this cancer and get a lineageos rom that is stable for the recent Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro?
Or is this not adviced. I would like to get 10hrs of SOT if possible don't want MIUI bullcrap. The phone itself the hardware and quality is really good. It's just the damn Chinese mutated android
I don't want there crappy software iPhone x clone crap.

As an Android purist I absolutely agree that the only thing holding back an otherwise perfect phone (for the price) is the software. I know there are many MIUI fans out there, and I'll never understand why as it's a bloated, cartoony mess that's trying too hard to be IOS with its obnoxious animations and blur effects. If this were an Android One device I'm sure it'd sell like hotcakes.
That being said, there are many custom ROMs available in these very forums, including unofficial LineageOS and Pixel Experience builds and they seem stable enough. Personally I'm holding out for MIUI12 just to test it for a few days, then I'll probably flash one of those.

SpaceDye said:
As an Android purist I absolutely agree that the only thing holding back an otherwise perfect phone (for the price) is the software. I know there are many MIUI fans out there, and I'll never understand why as it's a bloated, cartoony mess that's trying too hard to be IOS with its obnoxious animations and blur effects. If this were an Android One device I'm sure it'd sell like hotcakes.
That being said, there are many custom ROMs available in these very forums, including unofficial LineageOS and Pixel Experience builds and they seem stable enough. Personally I'm holding out for MIUI12 just to test it for a few days, then I'll probably flash one of those.
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I completely agree. Not saying that all user interfaces are bad but just the way you describe it iOS clone etc, I feel the same about it. If I want an iPhone I will buy one, money is not the problem.. Not to forget that Xiaomi was banned by Google several times and I had one of the first Xiaomi devices released, it was not even for sale here in the stores. I did order it online from some dropshipper on the slow boat. Flashed a fresh official international rom and modem and hooked it up to my man-in-the-middle machine, when I looked at the traffic with wireshark oh my god... The rom was bloated to hell official Xiaomi rom and never seen something like this I mean multiple spyware and bloatware !! I patched all dirty **** away but quickly switched back to stock because the patches introduced bugs (what the hell can you except when its so bad, with no source code and private sign keys, had to unlock bootloader and flash with TWRP...). I mean most cellphone brands do or did this. Nothing new but this was just next level. Had to remove so many spyware, bloatware.. Just the amount of cancer that was introduced, I would rather live with bugs instead of a bloated phone. I remember my first bloated phone was a HTC with the Carrier IQ spyware. Also I loved HTC so much, right? Nooo, only the hardware!! The phone was out of the box so full of themes and ****ing garbage that it was slowed down to an almost unusable state... Obviously I quickly found out that Cyanogenmod was back in the days. A clean Android version that had great features and was way nicer with the CPU and thus saving the battery also no crappy themes that made your device go slow, laggy and drain the battery.
In case of Xiaomi I really think they have their ROI in cellphone sales = based on data that they mine big data by MIUI Android. Can't be otherwise, why else is the phone so cheap and now new feature introduced that you can't rollback firmware update? :laugh::fingers-crossed:
Obviously now we don't have lag anymore because most SoCs are super fast and can even handle demanding games. But yeah, I don't care about games and themes, just want a solid phone near stock Android with no bull**** added to it. I have searched for phones, again I am back to Motorola, Lenovo phones seems to have moved away from large batteries so. I would like to buy the Motorola Edge+ but it's only 999 US dollars.. Also don't want to go that crazy, I don't need a high end device. Mid range is fine, >= 170.000 Antutu 4+gb ram, amoled display and big battery decent camera & no MTK soc. Really hard to find with stock android or near stock on it. I believe that there are only like 3 phones.. Regarding amoled burn in, really not a big deal. I really watch a lot of movies on my phone or when I travel. After 4 years I can see a little burn in, and some times I have had 300gb bandwidth because of streaming and SOT of 12+ hours. So people really should shut up with bs, the burn in is no issue. LCD technology looks so nasty and it's bad for the eyes...
Will have to think about it, unofficial LineageOS/CM is a long time ago for me.. I actually want a stable phone for daily use don't really want to flash my phone 2 times a week anymore like I did back in the days..

NiTrOwow said:
I completely agree. Not saying that all user interfaces are bad but just the way you describe it iOS clone etc, I feel the same about it. If I want an iPhone I will buy one, money is not the problem.. Not to forget that Xiaomi was banned by Google several times and I had one of the first Xiaomi devices released, it was not even for sale here in the stores. I did order it online from some dropshipper on the slow boat. Flashed a fresh official international rom and modem and hooked it up to my man-in-the-middle machine, when I looked at the traffic with wireshark oh my god... The rom was bloated to hell official Xiaomi rom and never seen something like this I mean multiple spyware and bloatware !! I patched all dirty **** away but quickly switched back to stock because the patches introduced bugs (what the hell can you except when its so bad, with no source code and private sign keys, had to unlock bootloader and flash with TWRP...). I mean most cellphone brands do or did this. Nothing new but this was just next level. Had to remove so many spyware, bloatware.. Just the amount of cancer that was introduced, I would rather live with bugs instead of a bloated phone. I remember my first bloated phone was a HTC with the Carrier IQ spyware. Also I loved HTC so much, right? Nooo, only the hardware!! The phone was out of the box so full of themes and ****ing garbage that it was slowed down to an almost unusable state... Obviously I quickly found out that Cyanogenmod was back in the days. A clean Android version that had great features and was way nicer with the CPU and thus saving the battery also no crappy themes that made your device go slow, laggy and drain the battery.
In case of Xiaomi I really think they have their ROI in cellphone sales = based on data that they mine big data by MIUI Android. Can't be otherwise, why else is the phone so cheap and now new feature introduced that you can't rollback firmware update? :laugh::fingers-crossed:
Obviously now we don't have lag anymore because most SoCs are super fast and can even handle demanding games. But yeah, I don't care about games and themes, just want a solid phone near stock Android with no bull**** added to it. I have searched for phones, again I am back to Motorola, Lenovo phones seems to have moved away from large batteries so. I would like to buy the Motorola Edge+ but it's only 999 US dollars.. Also don't want to go that crazy, I don't need a high end device. Mid range is fine, >= 170.000 Antutu 4+gb ram, amoled display and big battery decent camera & no MTK soc. Really hard to find with stock android or near stock on it. I believe that there are only like 3 phones.. Regarding amoled burn in, really not a big deal. I really watch a lot of movies on my phone or when I travel. After 4 years I can see a little burn in, and some times I have had 300gb bandwidth because of streaming and SOT of 12+ hours. So people really should shut up with bs, the burn in is no issue. LCD technology looks so nasty and it's bad for the eyes...
Will have to think about it, unofficial LineageOS/CM is a long time ago for me.. I actually want a stable phone for daily use don't really want to flash my phone 2 times a week anymore like I did back in the days..
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That's literally Xiaomi's business model; they make little to no profit on the phones they sell, relying instead on the revenue they make from their apps and services. That's why even their most fundamental apps like the music player and file manager serves ads. The ads can supposedly be turned off, but some still slip through the cracks and who knows what user data is being uploaded to their servers. MIUI is literally SaaS.
Don't get me wrong, I really do love this phone. I too don't like spending too much on phones as I don't really need most flagship features on my device, and spending upwards of $1000 for a device that's going to be outdated in a couple of years seems absurd to me. If I wanted a status symbol I'd go out and buy a Rolex instead.
I absolutely agree about AMOLED screens. I swore off LCD screens on phones after my first AMOLED device (Galaxy S3 Neo). I'll take deep blacks, vivid colors and better battery life over the small risk of burn-in after a few years of use any day. Besides, the panels of today are way more resilient than the older generations.
I grabbed the Mi 9 Lite after my trusty OnePlus X finally died on me after 5 years. The build quality and screen were the biggest factors in my decision. It just seemed like a much better proposition than the plasticky midrangers with crappy screens in this price bracket, even though I was almost tempted by Nokia and Motorola with their Android One phones. If OnePlus had released another device around 250-300€ I'd absolutely get that, but until they do this phone is the midranger to beat as long as you flash an AOSP based ROM