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[q] is the mi3 this worth buying?

Guys I'm sure this Question would be raised much earlier, but not able to see this post. Read a lot many negative reviews about this phone, flipkart having issues with replacements, service centers not operational etc.. In a big dilemma weather to buy this or not..
Genuine advice please.

bharath88 said:
Guys I'm sure this Question would be raised much earlier, but not able to see this post. Read a lot many negative reviews about this phone, flipkart having issues with replacements, service centers not operational etc.. In a big dilemma weather to buy this or not..
Genuine advice please.
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Click to collapse
For the money you are paying , it is definitely worth. Even i saw many negative reviews but later most of the users got their replacement , moreover the bugs are software kinda issues you could official Xiaomi English forum to fix software kinda issues.
I bought my Mi3 from flipkart only i dont have any issues so far i bought 2nd flash sale on flipkart. The sim card tray will be lil hard to open just push it hard it will pop out So Definitely for 14k it is Worth it!

a phone with better specs than Nexus 5 for half the price, do you really have to ask that question?
i am paying considerably more for it because i have to import from china, and i'd say it is still worth every penny.
for that kind of money i would only get a low-midrange device in my country (except i would go for a subsidized one with provider lock)
as with all electronic devices, there are probably going to be duds, as even the best QC will not test every single device. happens to the best. should not be used to judge in my opinion, except there is a high number of failing devices.
you have local service centers, so even that would not be a problem.
i envy you people in India, and still there are some *peeep* complaining.
check your alternatives in that price range and then tell me if you found something better?
sorry for the ranty post... i certainly don't mean to offend anyone.
don't worry too much, just buy one and enjoy it.

Lol...I just ordered my third Mi3 yesterday for my son...

i'll buy it
for me mi3 is just unfair for smartphone competition, it will drag all the fancy phone come play to the ground. MI 3 still the best phone in its class compared to others. just minus couple of things like no sdcard, no lte, not a water proof and not a dust proof. Other than that, it is a great phone and the best in its class..

and please go here http://forum.xda-developers.com/xiaomi-mi-3/general/indian-xiaomi-mi3-owners-thread-views-t2846354

Zuk Deal... Too good to be true??

Hey guys, I just ordered myself a Grey Zuk Z1 from AliExpress seller called LuckyDog :silly:
It's $209 including shipping to New Zealand. Looks too good to be true but I did it anyway. The seller has only started selling on AEx earlier this year but he has 100% positive feedback.
I am waiting and not very sure what to expect. Everything in the ad looks legit.
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Orig...E-WCDMA-CDMA-Smartphone-Dual/32644824011.html
Take a look and let me know.
I have also decided to mod the skin myself instead of the custom skins rip offs being sold around. I got a car Decal Vinyl for about 90 cents and it's going to look mean as.

Anybody?

its kinda too late to give you an advice, isnt it?
do you want to hear that this is a safe and good buy?
i would not buy a phone frome a seller with only 300 sells ... these sells may be fake?
i bought mine from amazon shipped directly from ZUK and did so because i want to have a good service in case the homebutton breaks, which will happen sometime.
i hope your device will arrive at your place and youre happy with the device

h0LLe said:
its kinda too late to give you an advice, isnt it?
do you want to hear that this is a safe and good buy?
i would not buy a phone frome a seller with only 300 sells ... these sells may be fake?
i bought mine from amazon shipped directly from ZUK and did so because i want to have a good service in case the homebutton breaks, which will happen sometime.
i hope your device will arrive at your place and youre happy with the device
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Actually it makes sense to do so, as I can cancel my order anytime before it ships. So I can still do so. How do you spot a fake Zuk, actually why would you fake something that is already very cheap?
I won't worry too much about warranty, I can fix things myself (hardware) when it gets to that as shipping things around from NZ is very expensive. Not to mention that with me rooting the device, I do not expect warranty anyway. Plus, people has been having troubles with ZUK's support so adds up to me not relying too much on warranty.
You are making a compelling argument nevertheless and the point you have raised which I agree with is regarding the product being fake.

i dont get it why you ask for opinions if you defend your position anyway
i just stated i would never buy a phone from a new seller especially at aliexpress. i rooted my device after using it for 2 months, now 7 months after buying it the home buttons feels sluggish.
i didnt pressed it for 5 months because i used mrcoldbirds rom and since a few weeks the nuclearrom but youre right, if you want to tear the phone apart you can fix it by yourself
no more answers from me

I didn't mean to sound defensive. You're right there.
Maybe I should break it down to questions, makes it easy to stay on track
- Has there been any reports of bad or fake Zuk Z1?
- Has there been any complaints of Zuk Z1 devices bought of AliExpress
- Any cheap alternatives to buy the phone for someone in New Zealand?
Thanks heaps for your input and time, feeling a bit ashamed for not thanking you earlier.

Buying a Nexus 6 in 2018?

Hello, im thinking of purchasing my first Android in awhile. im able to get a Nexus 6 64gb sealed for $200. any other options that do not surpass $350 or im i getting a good deal. Any help will be nice.

Don't get those sealed new boxes on eBay. Every single one of them are fake. I bought two and returned both. They are ALL used, refurbished items packaged very meticulously using the clone packaging red paper wrap.
Here is what I did. Looked up on Amazon for deals from Amazon warehouse. That's the only partially more dependable place you can look into for peace of mind. If anyone says, BRAND NEW, simply ignore. Use common sense.
I bought a Like New Cloud White from aforementioned place for 202. Came exactly as advertised. It was stuck on 5.1 from May of 2015. Absolutely unused. I contacted Motorola to see the warranty status. It expired in Feb of last year.
I updated it to the 7.1.1 yesterday and have been happy with my experience of purchasing. Best part? I have 30 days to return this. I'm still in talks with Motorola to give me some sort of warranty on possible future issues ( since I bought it like new from Amazon). Long shot but still...
Stay away from the eBay deals.

In many ways, the Nexus 6 is still a good phone. At a good price, I recommend getting a used one. Of course, you need to like the screen size, and do without a fingerprint scanner.
You will probably need to replace the battery soon. Not expensive, and not too difficult to do yourself if you are careful.
Also, the N6 is 32 bit. Not a problem today, but a few years from now, it may mean that not all new apps can run on the phone.

The Nexus 6 was unveiled on October 2014. Do not believe that after > 3 years there are unused Nexus 6 devices.

I just bought....
I just bought a Nexus 6 in 2018.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/391877228362
Coming from Hong Kong but the seller assured me it will be sealed.
Reasons why I bought it
Stock Android 7.1
High specs
Awesome display
Cheap from this person, ($90 cheaper than Amazon)

sounds good dude make sure its not a china copied one tho sumone on ebay is selling one for a 100 quid

I picked up a certified refurbished off of amazon a few months back for $150. Money well spent!

Swappa or Ebay, used but mint is good enough for $150 for 32gb, IMHO

As much as I love my Nexus 6 it is getting a little long in the tooth. I'm not planning on upgrading until the 2018 pixels come out (if they put Qi back in)
I'd buy a refurb replacement to get me through to October but I have a spare right now so, barring two calamities in the next 9 months, I should be OK.

I bought one from a private seller on fb marketplace for 120$./mint condition, unlocked clean imei three weeks ago. I love it. Running 8.1 nitrogen OS.do it! So much potential!

sdg1980 said:
Don't get those sealed new boxes on eBay. Every single one of them are fake. I bought two and returned both. They are ALL used, refurbished items packaged very meticulously using the clone packaging red paper wrap.
Here is what I did. Looked up on Amazon for deals from Amazon warehouse. That's the only partially more dependable place you can look into for peace of mind. If anyone says, BRAND NEW, simply ignore. Use common sense.
I bought a Like New Cloud White from aforementioned place for 202. Came exactly as advertised. It was stuck on 5.1 from May of 2015. Absolutely unused. I contacted Motorola to see the warranty status. It expired in Feb of last year.
I updated it to the 7.1.1 yesterday and have been happy with my experience of purchasing. Best part? I have 30 days to return this. I'm still in talks with Motorola to give me some sort of warranty on possible future issues ( since I bought it like new from Amazon). Long shot but still...
Stay away from the eBay deals.
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What! I just bought a new Nexus 6 from ebay for 200 bucks 32gb. So your saying it's fake, and the device is refurbished? Is there anyway I can tell when I get the device if it's been used? Will the imei tell me if it's been used? Im very Glade I stumbled upon this thread!

I bought a new Shamu from someone on the letgo app. I paid $175. In front of the guy I opened the unopened new box, cutting the tape. Put my sim card and it works. Phone, charger everything was wrapped and new. I brought it home unlocked bootloader, twrp, and now running 8.1 I believe I got a sweet deal. I've known never to use eBay. Amazon is sweet for it's return policy on used stuff. but buying from other people is cheaper and you can meet at a public spot and test phone before you buy. With the same app I sold my oneplus 5t for $450 prior to buying this Shamu today. I've had this phone and I just had to come back to it for the right price. Well I live in Chicago so there's someone hustling stuff. Just shoot an offer, low ball and you might get a decent price. Yeah, buying this phone in 2018 is still good.

martinez5241 said:
I bought a new Shamu from someone on the letgo app. I paid $175. In front of the guy I opened the unopened new box, cutting the tape....
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A new phone needs to be charged before it can be used.

@NLBeev: A new device will come with a partially charged battery, roughly 40 to 50%. He'll want to top off the battery of course, which I think is what you meant to say, but there would be sufficient energy in the battery - even after two years - to power up the device.

NLBeev said:
A new phone needs to be charged before it can be used.
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Your right, We had to plug it up and wait a few minutes before the screen would power up. I didn't want to go into detail of everything I did...
When I bought my taimen phone last year new in box from Google it arrived and it had a 41% when I powered it on (my fav #). And the OnePlus 5t came with charge also from oneplus. Some newer phones have charge on battery.
With the Shamu I wasn't expecting it to be charged nor have juice to power up.

Simplyeduardo said:
Hello, im thinking of purchasing my first Android in awhile. im able to get a Nexus 6 64gb sealed for $200. any other options that do not surpass $350 or im i getting a good deal. Any help will be nice.
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Seems like a bad idea. for that much money, you could get a new phone.
The shamu is great, but with my SOT being 3 hours or less, I am beginning to hate it. Cant replace battery, which leaves me to hate sealed battery phones even more.
Probably going to get a phone with a replaceable battery, even if it is a dumb phone. I am tired of planned obsolecence. My biggest issue is screen decay. My phone has horrible burn in.

Sure you can replace the battery! I can fix anything that
shadowcore said:
Seems like a bad idea. for that much money, you could get a new phone.
The shamu is great, but with my SOT being 3 hours or less, I am beginning to hate it. Cant replace battery, which leaves me to hate sealed battery phones even more.
Probably going to get a phone with a replaceable battery, even if it is a dumb phone. I am tired of planned obsolecence. My biggest issue is screen decay. My phone has horrible burn in.
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Sure you can replace the battery! I can fix anything that has to do with the nexus 6. I have owned 4 over the course of 4 years, and I just bought number 5 today. I always leave the N6 for awhile but I always come back to it. I like them because they are very easy to work on. I have had every nexus 6 phone iv owned took completely apart. One of the N6 I owned was midnight blue, well after about 6 months of looking at the same color I decided to change it up a little. So I bought a cloud white back battery cover and midframe assembly, and changed the blue to white, I guess I was wanting a knew phone and by doing that it made it feel new again. If you have a nexus 6 and want to make it awesome looking let me know and I will help you to change its appearance. When it comes to changing parts out of the N6 I'm good at it, don't mean to brag either. It's just something I really like to do. I bet if you change the battery it'll help with your SOT and if you wanna get the most out of your nexus 6, bootloader unlock it and root it, and install a custom kernel or find a good rom. Then download kernel auditor and tweak the CPU. If you wanna change your battery or anything else let me know and I'll help!
---------- Post added at 10:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:55 PM ----------
The nexus 6 I bought came from eBay, I paid 204 its 32g brand new! But before I bought the device I asked the seller if the device was in fact brand new, and if it came with the manufacturer warranty. He assured me that it was brand new and it did come with the manufacturer warranty, plus It came with a 30 day money back guarantee can't beat that. It's always good if your buying a smartphone to ask them these questions, because that let's them know that you know a thing or two about devices. Most people wouldn't think to ask a seller if a device that they are advertising is new when the description says its new. Just because someone tells you that something is brand new doesn't always mean it is new. You have to do your research and ask questions. I bought a Xiaomi Mi Mix on eBay awhile back. The seller of the mix told me that it was brand new.... Well at the time I didn't think to ask him if it was new or not, it said new in the description so that was good enough for me. When the mix arrived the first thing I was gonna do was unlock the bootloader, but I didn't have to because it was already unlocked, so that tells me that the mix wasn't new it was probably refurbished or something. To make a long story short. I called the seller and told him about the bootloader being unlocked, and if it were new it would be locked. I didn't give the seller to much hassle but I let him know that I wasn't stupid either, I believe he got the message.. I really didn't carw if it was new or not because the device didn't have a scratch on it, if there had of been any signs of use, just one little flaw then I would have shipped it right back to him. I was gonna unlock and root it anyways, just made my job a lot easier. The seller offered me a refund but I refused. I just don't like a liar, be honest with me that's all I ask, but some people just wanna make a dishonest buck.
If you have burn in that'll cost ya around 130 bucks for a new lcd digitizer.. It would probably be cheaper just to go ahead and buy another phone.

Super_SU01 said:
What! I just bought a new Nexus 6 from ebay for 200 bucks 32gb. So your saying it's fake, and the device is refurbished? Is there anyway I can tell when I get the device if it's been used? Will the imei tell me if it's been used? Im very Glade I stumbled upon this thread!
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Any of these NEW items is not new. Think about it. 2014 device brand new and sealed, no one opened or touched it, flew through scores of virtual and physical space untouched and landed in your lap 4 years later??? yea, pigs fly. I asked Motorola to share the IMEI associated warranty of mine. It said the warranty expired 2017 Feb. I haggled with them about buying it new from Amazon. With some back and forth, I was able to get one year warranty provided I kept the receipt.
So, in short
STAY away from new items of Nexus 6 on Ebay. They are not new. If the price--199--is too good to be true, it is. HongKong ones are even worse...right from the den of counterfeit items.
I went back to N6 because of front facing stereo, HUGE screen (not the fancy 16:9), quad HD, awesome battery, and above all, Pure Android. I am not a narcissist, so I can live with a 2MP selfie camera on this one. Good luck finding all these in one device (unless you are super duper rich and can afford to shell out $920 out of pocket for an unlocked Pixel 2 XL)

Well, today either my usb cable broke, which I doubt, or the charging port of my nexus is dead.
While I could fix both the battery and charging port, in the mean time, I just ordered a Lenovo Moto G5 and a bunch of charging cables. The G5 isnt meant for me, but might aswell get one for myself. Why such a budget phone you ask? It has a removable battery.
The problem isnt the technical skills(Bunch of youtube videos say very precisely how to fix stuff), I lack parts.
Appart from aliexpress and ebay, I know not of any other place to get parts. Im in central europe btw.

sdg1980 said:
Any of these NEW items is not new. Think about it. 2014 device brand new and sealed, no one opened or touched it, flew through scores of virtual and physical space untouched and landed in your lap 4 years later??? yea, pigs fly. I asked Motorola to share the IMEI associated warranty of mine. It said the warranty expired 2017 Feb. I haggled with them about buying it new from Amazon. With some back and forth, I was able to get one year warranty provided I kept the receipt.
So, in short
STAY away from new items of Nexus 6 on Ebay. They are not new. If the price--199--is too good to be true, it is. HongKong ones are even worse...right from the den of counterfeit items.
I went back to N6 because of front facing stereo, HUGE screen (not the fancy 16:9), quad HD, awesome battery, and above all, Pure Android. I am not a narcissist, so I can live with a 2MP selfie camera on this one. Good luck finding all these in one device (unless you are super duper rich and can afford to shell out $920 out of pocket for an unlocked Pixel 2 XL)
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Understood! However I did buy a nexus 6 from eBay for 204. I had a good talk with the seller about what kind of warranty I would be getting,and I took screen shots of the messages we had so I could have them for future,if any issues arises. I did get a 1yr warranty. This is what the seller told me. The first 3 months was free repair or a full refund, and he would pay for the shipping. The remaining 9 months covers any kind of damage cracked screen damaged digitizer,dings and dents all covered but no refund offered for the remaining 9 months,and he would still pay to have the device shipped. I love the nexus 6 I have owned several. I also like how easy they are to work on. I had a few midnight blue devices, well I got tired of looking at the blue so I changed the back battery cover and mid-frame assembly to cloud white, I have used the back battery cover from the moto x pure ed 2015 also just to change up the overall look of my N6. I also like the front facing speakers the speaker grills are also replaceable I usually take them out from time to time and clean around the area were the grill snaps in. The device is also very good on battery life, if 7a know how to root and unlock the bootloader. I believe I'll be happy with the device as long as I get what I was promised. My dream device is either the international s8+ or the note 8,but I'm just like you I can't afford spend noore than about 200 ta 250 bucks. I want the international variants because unlock the bootloaders and rooting is a priority for me. Thanks for the reply, have a good one!

General [INDIA] Galaxy S21 Ultra news, pre-order, offers etc. discussion thread.

Too early to believe, but Samsung Opera House(Bengaluru) has started taking blind prebooking for the Galaxy S21 series already as per THIS article.
Unsurprisingly India would get the Exynos 2100 SoC in this series and I just hope it performs on par with Snapdragon 888.

Why would they make the screen smaller for the s21 ultra than the existing one ? No one seems to have mentioned this.

yeah its only .100" smaller, too me that`s not a big thing for me, but the thing is it will have the LTPO display which I guess is supposed to give better contrast to black colors, also I`m not sure but i have heard talk of the fingerprint reader being 2x faster...... so well see, I`ll be ordering one in the unlocked in black the 512gb version

In the USA you can register for your S21 in the Samsung Shop app. Looks like you get an extra $70 store credit for registering. Can't wait to get the S21 ultra!

droidrev71 said:
In the USA you can register for your S21 in the Samsung Shop app. Looks like you get an extra $70 store credit for registering. Can't wait to get the S21 ultra!
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Click to collapse
The thing I like about Samsung out here in India is that with perks of cashbacks & coupons(if prebooked) the pricing becomes eqivalent to the USA pricing(has been so far) ..
I'm finding the news [email protected] S21 series interesting too. Will get "Exynos" but highly it feels like it would be on par this time around, if not better, excluding the GPU.

I seriously hope the LTPO on the S21 series is far more superior to the one on Note 20U.
I had serious banding/green tint issues and a horrible battery drain problem due to it. The 60fps video recording also had hunting issues even with laser auto focus.
I'm back to S20U, the display feels a lot more stable and a long lasting battery.

2003vstrom said:
yeah its only .100" smaller, too me that`s not a big thing for me, but the thing is it will have the LTPO display which I guess is supposed to give better contrast to black colors, also I`m not sure but i have heard talk of the fingerprint reader being 2x faster...... so well see, I`ll be ordering one in the unlocked in black the 512gb version
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We're coming from S10+ getting the Ultra cause of the specs and my husband likes the camera features. It'll probably be to big for me but I am getting it. We won't upgrade for a while so I want the best of the bunch.

Do you think there will be any discounts with pricing if you don't trade in? I have a S9+ right now and am waffling back and forth between getting the S21 Ultra or getting a Note 20 Ultra ($800 thru work).

Have pre-reserved for S21 series because I thought we'd get the Buds Pro and Smart tag as preorder offers alongwith the free case. That is what the leakers had said a few days back but not it seems Buds Pro won't be part of the offer. Also coupled with missing charger and possible missing SD card and extra charges for SPen, will it be worth spending so much extra to sell my Note 20 U for the S21U?
P.S. The only reason I was willing to upgrade was because my Note 20 U is getting heated up a lot + because of the Exynos 2100 finally catching up to SD.

zaydenQ said:
Have pre-reserved for S21 series because I thought we'd get the Buds Pro and Smart tag as preorder offers alongwith the free case. That is what the leakers had said a few days back but not it seems Buds Pro won't be part of the offer. Also coupled with missing charger and possible missing SD card and extra charges for SPen, will it be worth spending so much extra to sell my Note 20 U for the S21U?
P.S. The only reason I was willing to upgrade was because my Note 20 U is getting heated up a lot + because of the Exynos 2100 finally catching up to SD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You got the VIP pass for the next Galaxy after you pre reserved it?
In India prebooking is of no use, last time for the Note 20U the cashback and freebies were offered even to customers who did not prebook and bought the phone well after the prebook purchase window. (craze for flagships in India are at an all time low, thanks to OnePlus and Samsung themselves).
Also the Note 20U was up in the corporate program with 5% discount in a matter of few days including the 9k cashback and freebies.
I will get the S21U only during the first week of Feb.

I'm expecting the price to be around 90k for S21U 256gig, anything more than that, I might as well wait for Z flip 2/3 later in April.

Kiran-Kumar said:
You got the VIP pass for the next Galaxy after you pre reserved it?
In India prebooking is of no use, last time for the Note 20U the cashback and freebies were offered even to customers who did not prebook and bought the phone well after the prebook purchase window. (craze for flagships in India are at an all time low, thanks to OnePlus and Samsung themselves).
Also the Note 20U was up in the corporate program with 5% discount in a matter of few days including the 9k cashback and freebies.
I will get the S21U only during the first week of Feb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I didn't get any VIP pass. Was I supposed to? If I don't like what I see tomorrow, I am going to just refund my ₹2000 and wait for Feb/March to buy it. The only thing keeping me from the flip/fold is that the camera is always a generation behind in these devices.

I for one, do no find these "pre-registering"(or any other name) hulabaloos fascinating at all given that it's a Samsung flagship.
Irrespective of card/cash or other payment methods, I've been getting Samsung flagships on the very 1st day of market release buying from small retailers for a much lower price than the price quoted by bigger retailers or the biggest retailers with a fixed price or buying directly from Samsung online or offline for quite sometime now. The cost everytime turns out to be the lowest this way in comparison to the cost combined with any other CC/DC cashbacks/corporate offers/exchange offers/finance schemes etc... you name it.
Samsung tends(or "pretends" to be precise) to be strict with such retailers but being consumers all we need is a genuinely sourced product and a proper invoice. It makes sense because once we want to sell it later, the resale value will not at all differ based on which store we bought it from.
+
In my case, prebooking offers are always applicable in the first place as one or the other re-seller does pre-booking taking the required credentials after me getting bombarded with calls soon after official announcement of the flagship.

Virgo_Guy said:
I for one, do no find these "pre-registering"(or any other name) hulabaloos fascinating at all given that it's a Samsung flagship.
Irrespective of card/cash or other payment methods, I've been getting Samsung flagships on the very 1st day of market release buying from small retailers for a much lower price than the price quoted by bigger retailers or the biggest retailers with a fixed price or buying directly from Samsung online or offline for quite sometime now. The cost everytime turns out to be the lowest this way in comparison to the cost combined with any other CC/DC cashbacks/corporate offers/exchange offers/finance schemes etc... you name it.
Samsung tends(or "pretends" to be precise) to be strict with such retailers but being consumers all we need is a genuinely sourced product and a proper invoice. It makes sense because once we want to sell it later, the resale value will not at all differ based on which store we bought it from.
+
In my case, prebooking offers are always applicable in the first place as one or the other re-seller does pre-booking taking the required credentials after me getting bombarded with calls soon after official announcement of the flagship.
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Smaller retailer like non Samsung but authorized dealers like Sangeetha Mobiles, Chroma, Reliance Digital?
By how much you get a discount on the selling price, I have never tried this as I always get it from the Samsung Cafe.
I kinda feel awkward asking for a discount in Samsung Cafes

Kiran-Kumar said:
Smaller retailer like non Samsung but authorized dealers like Sangeetha Mobiles, Croma, Reliance Digital?
By how much you get a discount on the selling price, I have never tried this as I always get it from the Samsung Cafe.
I kinda feel awkward asking for a discount in Samsung Cafes
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No not those big formats, they don't as they don't need to and they can't either. Smart cafés can but they will not.
Instead, approach a few small multibrand players if you have time for it. They need flagship buyers to stay alive in the eyes of big brands for their own promotion/survival and to do so, they let go of it for extremely thin margins.
I happened to purchase two N20U units costing 90k each from two diff. sellers(when it was 1st released) - that's one example.

Virgo_Guy said:
No not those big formats, they don't as they don't need to and they can't either. Smart cafés can but they will not.
Instead, approach a few small multibrand players if you have time for it. They need flagship buyers to stay alive in the eyes of big brands for their own promotion/survival and to do so, they let go of it for extremely thin margins.
I happened to purchase two N20U units costing 90k each from two diff. sellers(when it was 1st released) - that's one example.
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Thank you...Will go out and look for such small time dealers tomorrow and establish a comfort zone before end of this month.

zaydenQ said:
No I didn't get any VIP pass. Was I supposed to? If I don't like what I see tomorrow, I am going to just refund my ₹2000 and wait for Feb/March to buy it. The only thing keeping me from the flip/fold is that the camera is always a generation behind in these devices.
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Click to collapse
Thatz true, the cameras on the flip and fold were bad.
Since we do not have a Note 21 this year, hope flip and fold are equipped with better camera system.

Kiran-Kumar said:
....... I always get it from the Samsung Cafe.
kinda feel awkward asking for a discount in Samsung Cafes
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AFAIK, Samsung smart cafe franchises actually get the highest profit margins for each product they sell compared to other resellers. And it's the marketing skills and subsequent illusions created by the staff that make one feel awkward to ask for a discount.... Nope? The one running the franchise CAN give big discounts, but doesn't want to. They actually ended up giving me discounts a few times in the past but then I stopped visiting them lately as altogether I don't find it worth it.

Virgo_Guy said:
AFAIK, Samsung smart cafe franchises actually get the highest profit margins for each product they sell compared to other resellers. And it's the marketing skills and subsequent illusions created by the staff that make one feel awkward to ask for a discount.... Nope? The one running the franchise CAN give big discounts, but doesn't want to. They actually ended up giving me discounts a few times in the past but then I stopped visiting them lately as altogether I don't find it worth it.
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I have shortlisted a few small time detailers, will visit them tomorrow...btw Amazon has already started selling S21plus/ultra cases. They also have a video which shows the phone in its entirety
ESR Metal Kickstand Case Compatible with Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 6.8-Inch 2021, Slim Silicone with Matte Finish Portrait and Landscape Stand Back Cover -Translucent Black : Amazon.in: Electronics
ESR Metal Kickstand Case Compatible with Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 6.8-Inch 2021, Slim Silicone with Matte Finish Portrait and Landscape Stand Back Cover -Translucent Black : Amazon.in: Electronics
www.amazon.in

No microsd card slot....pretty much I'm out of it. thank you Samsung

Keep it or sell it?

I have a flawless P5 (other than a degraded battery) with nary a scratch or flaw other than normal use. I just bought a Pixel 6a and received a trade-in value of $138 from Google. Swappa is currently selling them in good condition for close to $200 but after fees and shipping it's probably not much different. So should I keep the P5 for a backup in case something happens to the P6a or bite the bullet and send it back? It's sitting here wiped clean but looking pretty good on the table next to the trade-in box. Just some random thoughts would be appreciated.

When the phones I currently own depreciate that much in value - I usually gift them to family members who need them since I always keep them in pristine condition.
If a phone sells for a net profit of $100-$200 and I spent anywhere from $600-$1400 (some unlocked intl. versions of high end SAmsungs have gone even more than $1400), I might as well just gift it to one of my family members. That would make me feel a lot better than selling it for a small profit.

bobby janow said:
I have a flawless P5 (other than a degraded battery) with nary a scratch or flaw other than normal use. I just bought a Pixel 6a and received a trade-in value of $138 from Google. Swappa is currently selling them in good condition for close to $200 but after fees and shipping it's probably not much different. So should I keep the P5 for a backup in case something happens to the P6a or bite the bullet and send it back? It's sitting here wiped clean but looking pretty good on the table next to the trade-in box. Just some random thoughts would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dang P5 was $400 when I last checked, and $280 with crack screen IIRC. I actually think $280 was lowest.

andybones said:
Dang P5 was $400 when I last checked, and $280 with crack screen IIRC. I actually think $280 was lowest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know, that's what I thought. I was surprised at the Google offer of only $138 too. Just checked again and mint P5 is only a little over 200 now with 'good' selling at around $180 and a lot of them from major sellers. At this point I'll keep it for a backup device since both my wife and I have the P6a now and just in case... damn slippery phone. lol. Only problem with the P5 is that it's a VZW phone and you know what that means... no rom playing. Both the 6a are bl unlockable for the future.

andybones said:
Dang P5 was $400 when I last checked, and $280 with crack screen IIRC. I actually think $280 was lowest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And just like that Google is offering $400 for the P5 for the P7 trade in. That makes the phone $99 plus tax. This is nuts. How can you turn down a P7 for that price?

bobby janow said:
And just like that Google is offering $400 for the P5 for the P7 trade in. That makes the phone $99 plus tax. This is nuts. How can you turn down a P7 for that price?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love my P5.. idk what to do.
I had to replace my back camera myself. its fine close shots but not far..
so idk what they will do.
i wish they'd let me do the black friday $499 + the $100 promo code I got one from a friend.
I'd do that all day.
but it wouldn't allow me to do it.
I'll have to play with the P7, I haven't seen it in person, if I like the size, I'll do it.
My 2016 htc one m8 will have to be my backup LOL

andybones said:
I love my P5.. idk what to do.
I had to replace my back camera myself. its fine close shots but not far..
so idk what they will do.
i wish they'd let me do the black friday $499 + the $100 promo code I got one from a friend.
I'd do that all day.
but it wouldn't allow me to do it.
I'll have to play with the P7, I haven't seen it in person, if I like the size, I'll do it.
My 2016 htc one m8 will have to be my backup LOL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I LOVED my M8. That's the phone that made me an active member here and where I started learning WAY more about Android and rooting. Became a member here a couple of years before that with the Galaxy s3

andybones said:
I love my P5.. idk what to do.
I had to replace my back camera myself. its fine close shots but not far..
so idk what they will do.
i wish they'd let me do the black friday $499 + the $100 promo code I got one from a friend.
I'd do that all day.
but it wouldn't allow me to do it.
I'll have to play with the P7, I haven't seen it in person, if I like the size, I'll do it.
My 2016 htc one m8 will have to be my backup LOL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The P7 is large for sure. Without any case it's doable but bound to drop and crack. It's just the way things are. But I did pull the trigger and order it, just too good of a deal to pass up. I'll keep my P6a but I'm not really sure what will become my carrier device yet. Worst case scenario I'll trade in my 6a for the 7a and.. heck I have no idea what I'm doing. Why does Google do that do that to me? But nonetheless I will have 2 great phones to play with. And pretty inexpensive to boot. This might also be a great time for me to play around with unlock and root which I haven't done in years. Bottom line I have a P6a and a P7 total cost $400.

bobby janow said:
And just like that Google is offering $400 for the P5 for the P7 trade in. That makes the phone $99 plus tax. This is nuts. How can you turn down a P7 for that price?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh man... why did you have to tell us about this amazing deal lol lol? Really tempting to trade my P5 for the P7. But the size and weight of P5 is on another level. One of the best designed phones I've ever used

andybones said:
I love my P5.. idk what to do.
I had to replace my back camera myself. its fine close shots but not far..
so idk what they will do.
i wish they'd let me do the black friday $499 + the $100 promo code I got one from a friend.
I'd do that all day.
but it wouldn't allow me to do it.
I'll have to play with the P7, I haven't seen it in person, if I like the size, I'll do it.
My 2016 htc one m8 will have to be my backup LOL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My bro.... I am on the check out step of my P7 purchase and it's giving me the option to get that $100 Google store credit for myself and you will get it too if you complete the purchase using my code... Want to do that? I hope Google is not lying lol... because that's what I'm reading at the checkout page.

how does Google send the code? Via e-mail or did I miss something? First pixel I buy through the Google website

antonio_d25 said:
how does Google send the code? Via e-mail or did I miss something? First pixel I buy through the Google website
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you purchase, I recommend using a burner account specifically for buying from Google Store. If you hang around in https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/ there are hundreds of horror stories of people receiving an empty box (delivery drivers stealing it) and Google refusing to refund or replace, making it exceptionally stressful for you. If you do a chargeback, Google will deactivate your account in retaliation. Against a huge company like Google, you don't really have any recourse.
I always recommend buying from a retailer so you are better protected with consumer laws (you can do a lawful chargeback without the retailer retaliating) and you can pick up the device in person so you know for sure the box has a phone inside it. But sometimes, a promotion is only valid through their official website in which case I recommend using a secondary account that you don't mind being nuked for whatever reason.
Back to the original topic, I'd probably use my P5 until it dies. Pay someone to replace the battery in a few years. It's the perfect size with pretty good battery life based on my usage. I don't game on my phone and mostly only use it for listening to music via bluetooth and some social media. There are no other modern phones that fit in one hand. All the other phones are too big and require both hands to operate. The only downside to this phone is that cell service is really bad. It drops down to 3G in malls meanwhile a Galaxy S9 (2018) has full bars of 4G+. If they release a phone that's the same size as P5 but with the newer P7 hardware, I'm all in.

antonio_d25 said:
oh man... why did you have to tell us about this amazing deal lol lol? Really tempting to trade my P5 for the P7. But the size and weight of P5 is on another level. One of the best designed phones I've ever used
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, the devil made me do it. but you are correct. There is nothing like the P5 for size and weight. I still have it right here looking at me longingly but it's time to give up the ghost. I have been using the 6a now since it came out. I traded in my P6 (cracked case) and got $300 for it. I hated the P6 and was glad BB offered me the trade-in. The real story here is that the P5 is my wife's phone and I had to pry it from her cold dead hands in order to get her to try the 6a. It was $299 plus a trade-in of $138. The battery on the 5 was shot to heck and she uses it all the time for news/email/social. I let her use my 6a for a day and she finally said ok, it wasn't bad and we bought it. She does like it even though it's a bit larger. It fits in her pockets and running gear (has to use Strava) which I do too. I traded in my P5 for the P6 and regretted it from day one.
But then they came up with the $400 vs $138 and well how can you turn that down with a hundred off on the 7? That phone is just too large to carry but it will be a great phone for the house on either wifi or with my eSim which I rarely use any longer. I mean it's $99 bucks and I'd use it without a case. So there's the two phones, 6a and 7 for 400 dollars. When the 7a comes out I will probably get it if it comes in at the same size as the 6a (or smaller) and they accept a 6a trade-in. But that's a long way off for now.
@swangjang I've seen the stories about the returns. I've probably sent back for trade-in and replacements about 6 or so times over the years. And not to jinx it but never had one problem. I'm going to take the leap of faith again simply because BB is only offering $315 for the P5. That's an $85 difference and nothing to sneeze about. I count in beers and that's about 20 drafts on happy hour. I tried appealing to BB corporate but they didn't budge so Google it is. Anyway, to make a long story short.

bobby janow said:
Sorry, the devil made me do it. but you are correct. There is nothing like the P5 for size and weight. I still have it right here looking at me longingly but it's time to give up the ghost. I have been using the 6a now since it came out. I traded in my P6 (cracked case) and got $300 for it. I hated the P6 and was glad BB offered me the trade-in. The real story here is that the P5 is my wife's phone and I had to pry it from her cold dead hands in order to get her to try the 6a. It was $299 plus a trade-in of $138. The battery on the 5 was shot to heck and she uses it all the time for news/email/social. I let her use my 6a for a day and she finally said ok, it wasn't bad and we bought it. She does like it even though it's a bit larger. It fits in her pockets and running gear (has to use Strava) which I do too. I traded in my P5 for the P6 and regretted it from day one.
But then they came up with the $400 vs $138 and well how can you turn that down with a hundred off on the 7? That phone is just too large to carry but it will be a great phone for the house on either wifi or with my eSim which I rarely use any longer. I mean it's $99 bucks and I'd use it without a case. So there's the two phones, 6a and 7 for 400 dollars. When the 7a comes out I will probably get it if it comes in at the same size as the 6a (or smaller) and they accept a 6a trade-in. But that's a long way off for now.
@swangjang I've seen the stories about the returns. I've probably sent back for trade-in and replacements about 6 or so times over the years. And not to jinx it but never had one problem. I'm going to take the leap of faith again simply because BB is only offering $315 for the P5. That's an $85 difference and nothing to sneeze about. I count in beers and that's about 20 drafts on happy hour. I tried appealing to BB corporate but they didn't budge so Google it is. Anyway, to make a long story short.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the P5 in Aug 2021 for $420 - brand new condition and I never game or use it for any demanding apps or anything like that. I installed a custom ROM and custom kernel in it and chose the most conservative battery parameters and this bad boy can easily go 2 days without a charge in my case. Battery is still running great.
Like I mentioned before - I've always used power units before - I have pretty much owned and used all the Note and Ultras from samsung and I gave my S21 Ultra to my mom. I am a strong believer that big screen phones are tailored to women lol... they never carry their phones in their pockets. But that thing was such a pain to carry around - so heavy and it would tire my hands holding it.
Then I switched to the P5 and the size and weight are amazing. I like the bezels and the shape a lot too. Even though the P5 is a great device overall you could tell that it is still a midranger performer. Switching apps, recording, camera (imo) or doing something that requires power you can tell that it doesn't perform as the power units. And I tried using kernels that were tweaked for performance -it still fell short.
I made the switch to the P7 also - it was a really good deal to pass up and the reviews are very positive thus far. Never held the device or looked at it live but the size shouldn't be too bad. I only hope that it feels nice in the pocket or when walking. I know that it is heavier but hopefully it won't feel like the Samsung bricks lol

antonio_d25 said:
My bro.... I am on the check out step of my P7 purchase and it's giving me the option to get that $100 Google store credit for myself and you will get it too if you complete the purchase using my code... Want to do that? I hope Google is not lying lol... because that's what I'm reading at the checkout page.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes!
I keep trying and it's saying coupon code invalid.
I also did a chat w them the other day.
https://i.redd.it/st3drw26xp0a1.png?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
https://i.redd.it/d2qr4536xp0a1.png?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Maybe things have changed.
Let's try it!

andybones said:
Yes!
I keep trying and it's saying coupon code invalid.
I also did a chat w them the other day.
https://i.redd.it/st3drw26xp0a1.png?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
https://i.redd.it/d2qr4536xp0a1.png?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Maybe things have changed.
Let's try it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not trolling or anything but they said they were going to send me the $100 Google store coupon but they never did. And I checked spam/promotions folder in my gmail and still nothing. I might reach out to them also and see what's going on with that. But I read your correspondence with them - maybe they realized they were giving too many discounts with the purchase of the P7 so they took that away (by saying it's an ongoing issue and all those excuses).
Let us know if they ever "fix" your request but I'm assuming they will never give the $100 Google store credit anymore...

Meanwhile here in Canada I just got a 7 Pro for $428CAD through my carrier ($319 in USD). Black Friday deals ftw!

I wonder if you guys ever considered the Zenfone 9... that one seems like a perfect phone also considering its size and performance

xunholyx said:
Meanwhile here in Canada I just got a 7 Pro for $428CAD through my carrier ($319 in USD). Black Friday deals ftw!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, great deal. Trade-in or straight away? Carriers will sometimes give those deals and give credit over 2 years. I got a free P5 that way but had to wait the two years to fully realize it.

I'm perfectly happy with my P5 still. I bought my P2 about a month after it was released and didn't replace it for 4 years until I got my P5, 6 months after the release date. I most likely won't replace my P5 until Google comes to their senses and goes back to the plain slate styling instead of that horrible camera bump.