These are the almost always the best phones for their price. I am a firm believer of not spending more than 300$ at a phone, and searching for devices almost always leads me to these. I wonder how they are able to pack so many features at this price, while also delivering software updates for more than 3 years, and why no other manufacturer is able to replicate this model
Nice, they look pretty good. I'd be intersted of a deeper dive of the Note 10, as this will likely be the best seller.
@Leo, there are other alternatives, they just don't go to the US retail so much. Oppo, Honor, Poco, Vivo to name a few have competitive offerings in the Asian/European market. Xiaomi are better known, probably only second to Huawei as Chinese phone brand recognition. If you're interested in what the bargain bin has to offer, try gearbest.com or any such big Chinese retailers. For me, whatever tthat's worth, it worked pretty well so far.
I am currently in India, and even here xiaomi is best value for money, especially the redmi pro series. Similar specced devices from Vivo, oppo etc (poco is branch off from xiaomi too but are usually higher end budget) are priced ₹5000-6000 higher (70-90$)
Their fixation on XIX & XX century business practices stops them realizing the income losses they have to bear.
Once they get to acknowledge such behavioral evolution, we might as well switch the terms and replace those "ambition", "greediness" and similar qualifiers into something more attuned with what stands below their surface: sustainable long term revenue, get things well done, etc.
integrated ads in the operating system and default apps, with lots of data collection. First-time setup is a pain if you want to get rid of some of that. After doing that it's a good phone but still.
Non-tech savvy people are giving all their data and seeing ads all the time, and these ads make money for xiaomi.
to finish my message: I am happy with the phone as I was able to deactivate adds in every app, and install alternative apps instead of using many default ones, and I could deactivate permissions for the ad agent, but I think I'm going to switch to something else when I change my phone the next time. It's just too sketchy.
Less Google adds (by far the worst) better privacy because there are no Google analitic APIs on OS lv. You can still use all apps on Google play (installed as regular app from MIUI store) it's only they won't report back everything and you can't sync or add Google account which isn't really a problem on MIUI. And you have control what's reported back to Xiaomi.
Eh..so chinese data collection only. You have control on whats reported to google too right? Idk if just getting the option to set whats reported back to google or xiaomi actually does it or not. I have found xiaomi ads to be worse though. Atleast they are easy to turn off.
You don't have such choice when it comes to Google analitic. Even open source apps have it on play store. There are striped down of it versions of some on F-Droid but it's a different story when API isn't present on OS lv. Had couple weird experiences with Google and Google only for now regarding personalised adds.
Oh, so the checkboxes at setup do nothing? You sure xiaomi doesnt collect as much or just saying chinese collecting it is better than usa collecting your data? Do devs directly upload the apps to xiaomi store or does xiaomi just rip them off the playstore?
Xiaomi sold outside china come with gms preinstalled though, would have to flash the chinese rom to disable google stuff, might as well flash lineage or something at that point.
What ever Xiaomi collects I am able to delete (logs). Talking about K30 Pro. That's funny and lingue ain't what it used to be. Whose developer you know and how we used to say on XDA we provide you with clean ROM and what you choose to install on it is up to you. It rips of a Google play store (as an app). You should know better, you are a big boy there is no such a thin as nice, caring, loving government. I am talking about corporations which is pretty much a same thing. Xiaomi is pretty much still owned by former and current QC employees. Have a nice day.
You are able to delete before the data reaches their server? If not lineage, theres various other rom since xiaomi is so popular, and way cleaner than whatever comes with miui.
I'm asking if the xiaomi appstore is just getting their apps from the playstore or not, if it is, wont they have the same built in google data collection? Or does it not matter since you need gms installed for the data collection to work?
What do you mean big boy and stuff? Can you answer which is the worst, china or usa data collection? Whatever employees xiaomi has the data still goed to china. Have a nice day
The value is incredible. I have the Note 8 Pro and my wife the Note 9T (global) that just came out. Both are amazing phones for the money. I got mine for 165 euros on a random sale last year and my wife got her 9T for 200 euros. If we don't break them, they should last us around 5 years.
Been using xiaomi devices since redmi 2 prime. Their phones are either hit or miss. My current redmi note 7 which has a LCD panel shows signs of screen retention/ screen burn. They are cutting corners by sourcing screens and components from multiple manufacturers. Its like silicon lottery. You don't know if you'll get a good one. When it comes to software side its kinda confusing. Xiaomi updates their MIUI every year to new versions but it doesn't mean you're getting major android updates every year. The low end devices get only one major android update. Xiaomi usually launches phones quicker than they give software updates. Nobody complains because these phones are dirt cheap compared to what other established manufacturer produce.
Any specific examples, of, say, obvious security loopholes or spying mechanisms (that's not just a "omg sending data to chinese servers they must be stealing our data")?
Poopet001 also gave up on buying any products, software, and services from US companies after the proven offenses of the US government by way of every possible tech. You know, via the largest spying effort known to man, targeting both enemies and allies ;).
The only things he's buying now are shovels, which make it a lot easier to shovel all that ignorant crap. Oh, and an internet connection because shoveling crap isn't fun unless the whole internet can see.
Now of course Chinese products suffer from the same mix of data collection attempts and bad that afflicts most manufacturers these days. It's a matter of if you care China *also* has your data now, not just the US and possibly your own country's intelligence services. If you don't live or plan to go in China I'm fairly certain it's the least of your worries between the mentioned 3 parties ;).
Huawei's entire history is based on stealing and you can readily read about it on Wikipedia. When you are a Chinese company you answer to the Chinese government. You don't get to say "No".
Go read about Meng Hongwei if you want to know what the looks like in practice or go watch a video of the Chinese billionaires that disappear under charges of fraud.
When the Chinese government says "give us the data" you give them the data or you lose your company and/or your life.
Quite frankly, you're not paying much attention if you haven't seen multiple real world examples of this withing the last 5 years.
And the US gov is working to make, and in some cases already has made, "examples" of some of it's citizens also. It's just not well publicized so that we think that we are "free".
I can't believe people equate any westerns government to Chinese government, people in west have rights, people in China don't have any rights, if western government misses data people have options to go to court but in China court is controlled by government. And most of the Chinese companies survive be copying technology created by western companies by investing millions of dollars.
So law enforcement in western countries can lock people up in prison with out due process just like they do in China ? if this is true then sure west is same as China.
Lol, you have a severe intoxication of the China-bashing syndrome my friend. Don't you know that Anti-china is quite lucrative right now? I guess it's rather pointless as you've made up your mind but for snapdragon equipped Android phones, you can always replace the default firmwares with xiaomi.eu clean-up version, so you'll have all the benefits and none of the so-called cons!
And what does Google, Facebook, Twitter, Apple, etc say when CIA come and sais I want data on that group of ppl? F U CIA I have to protect my customers? Lol you are so gullible...
Huawei's Entire History? Really? Are you 100% certain about this generalisation. Do you actually believe that there's absolutely nothing Huawei achieved by themselves?
Anyway the reality also showed us that US companies have to do whatever the US government says. The obvious example is US companies that had to give up the billions of dollars they were getting from contracts with Huawei just because the US government said so. The worse part is that a lot of foreign companies were bullied by the US government to do the same. For example TSMC.
Well, iPhones are made in China (but some are made in India). Samsung and LG (Lucky Goldstar, Goldstar) devices are probably made in South Korea. As for other companies, they might have models built in China and models built in other countries (but you couldn't really be sure until you have the product).
"Proven"? The only proof you have is whatever your government tells you. But wait a minute! Your country isn't a nation, it's a cooperation and your government is just an entity working for big corporates. I can give you hundreds of proofs for these facts, unlike the bulls came out of your mouth. Yeah yeah... Chinese tech companies collect your data but just a tiny fraction compared to Apple, Google or Facebook. But hey what good would it be for them to have your data? You're just a brainwashed zombie who would gobble down anything. Nobody cares if you buy overpriced Apple, Samsung or Google phones but your government will care if you pay the right price for Chinese phones. We all know the reason why. So stop pretending like you care for privacy since you never had any to begin with. By the way, if your spouse send you a picture or a video of your 3 years old kid singing in the bath, I'm pretty sure that your government will put you both in prison for a very long time, while the Chinese government won't do shit. So yeah, I prefer my data in the hands of the Chinese government rather than in the hands of greedy, twisted, irrational, stupid evils.
Chinese tech companies collect your data but just a tiny fraction compared to Apple, Google or Facebook. If a corporation is collecting data then customers have option to choose which product to buy, if government is collecting data then people don't have a choice. China is a surveillance state, no western government can be compared to China.
Well, I'm amazed that your parents let a 5 years old kid like you online making stupid comments. But it's ok. Just be careful not to say anything that might get you in jail. Remember Apple, Google and Microsoft record and store every key stroke, every conversation, every file you send over the internet. They also scan your devices regularly. They would hand your data over to your government in a heart beat when requested WITHOUT A COURT'S ORDER. Nice Police State you're in there. Good luck.
Your strawman is on fire. What a load of twaddle. Apple in particular is regularly at odds with law enforcement, and their phones are encrypted, and all three companies WILL insist on a court order to turn over user data. Google has just announced they're stopping tracking of individuals and getting rid of cookies.
compared to western brand, the price are such a bargain. if you didn't trust the software, you could always slap some GSI or custom ROM that is open source—that you could review the code yourself. since Xiaomi allow unlocking their phone's bootloader, it's easy to change from MIUI.
The hypocrisy of an American pointing out "Chinese government offenses" when America was literally built on the backs of slaves for hundreds of years...
Why are you amazed? Do you honestly expect that majority of people care at all about digital privacy? :) Never once have I witnessed the subject being raised when out and about, other then among the nerds.
I have the Note 8 Pro. The price was fantastic, the phone is quite nice, the performance is good. However, there are some issues with the software: The Compass application wants to access the camera... and location... I mean why? The Cleaner application brings ads There might be other applications that also bring ads (but I don't remember them now).
So, overall a very nice phone (size might be just a little too large - 6.53 inch screen for this version - I can hardly reach the top left of the screen one-handed).
Replying to myself, but if I open the "More apps" folder (which only contains WPS Office and Netflix), I get some "Promoted apps" on the lowest line of tiles. That's MIUI (the company's User Interface) for you... I suspect that they get some kickback from the promoted applications, even though I can't say for sure.
I guess that you got the note 8 pro that has the mediatek chip? I would suggest stay away from mediatek devices, especially on xiaomi phones as if you choose snapdragon equipped phones, you can easily swap the default firmware for the xiaomi.eu firmware which is the best for xiaomi phones right now. They have cleanup all the ads, optimize the perf and so much more.
For the compass, can't explain the camera access, but location may make sense if it offers a true north option? It would need to know where you were to correct where north is.
I mean you have the phone you can test it and see why the compass asks for camera access. It's actually simple, you point the camera at something and it also shows you the coordinates, you can then take a screen shot with that data. If you don't give it camera access it will only show a virtual compass on the screen. There, mistery solved.
The compass app has another function. It can be used as a digital level through camera app, to check if a surface is level. I hope I'm making sense here. The ads are a big problem, its one of the reason their phones are cheap. They are using ads to increase their profit margins. My redmi note 7 had a screen retention issue, which was pretty annoying. They obviously cut corners but nobody complains because they are buried under attractive features and pricing.
Got a note 7 which was amazing value for money and still works well. Looks like I'll wait for the note 11 as it's a bit pointless buying a new phone without 5G.
I used note 8 pro, very good device for the money. It comes with ads in first party apps. I guess that’s how they subsidize the price, just like how my TV so cheap.
Can you include a section on Network Band support? The Xiaomi devices while generally great value for money have sketchy LTE Band support which could affect the users that travel a lot
Yeah, disappointing that they are apparently planning on gatekeeping AMOLED+5G to (I assume) the Mi 11 Lite 5G and the Poco F3, but c'est la vie.
Also lol @ people dissing Chinese tech. The U.S. is much more of a threat than China to most of the world, and even to it's own citizens. Intel openly admits that all their devices have a remotely accessable backdoor to your computer. But your concern is with what chinese private companies on the other side of the Pacific might do with your data.
Intel's is publicly disclosed, you just said it yourself. I think you are trying to reference NSA backdoors. Of the two evils, I'll take the lesser U.S. one. The Chinese have always had more seriously questionable ethics. Noone is perfect, you are right, but when it comes to something that is my daily driver for activities and logins, I'll pass on Chinese tech.
your assumption is that these Chinese companies are not giving data to government, and in west there is independent judicial branch which can help if government misuses data collected, in China government controls the judicial branch. Where is the proof that every electronics gadget has backdoor ? if it is true why is FBI struggling to get at a out of iPhones ? why should they spend millions of dollars to buy Israeli tech to extract data from iPhone ?
..'We' didn't get a version of the Redmi 10X 5G https://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_redmi_10x_5g-10266... which has OLED 5G and Dimensity 820 (as good or better than Snapdragon 732G), and other specs mostly the same (last years camera I think)
..China only, and very cheap. LStarting to wonder if they made that many.
I currently own a Xiaomi phone. Feature set is amazing, great CPU/RAM/specs for it's price, no doubt. However, after 2 years I now have about 10 dead pixels on it and has an occasional bootloop issue. This phone has always been babied it's whole life. Had many phones prior to this that never had any problems. Also, the software is proprietary "Mi" OS. I don't have any immediate objections, but there are tons of services running, many can't be disabled. Given it's a chinese phone, and with a chinese custom os, I have many doubts on privacy and potentially security. For me, it's not worth the risk and I likely won't buy again in the future. This phone is tempting, but I'll pass.
I can see comments that say "there is no proof of security issues." Well, there have been privacy incidents in the past, and I'd rather not wait for the big security disclosure to come out and it be too late. You are welcome to do whatever you want.
Is this phone really considered 'low end'? looking at the specs, it's definitely 'mid range' and would have been considered quite 'high end' just 3 years ago.
Great value phone for the feature set - easily knocks on Samsung's door and other midrangers in the market.
On a sidenote, saddened by why we can't just appreciate technology for consumers without spending $1000 while still getting some excellent specs that only exist on high-end phones such as good image sensors, big batteries, fast charging and AMOLED panels.
The amount of brainwashed individuals when it comes to 'data collection' is worrying - every big tech company such as Facebook, Twitter and Apple also collect data and if you could compare how many users in the West happen to be actively using these platforms compared to the likes of other Chinese brands, then you really need to wake up and stop following the sheep of Anti-China propaganda because getting political isn't get you anywhere.
Funny part is I bought Redmi K30 Pro 8/128 (Chinese version) for some 330€ last month and it maps the flor with entry this year Xiaomi refresh in the same segment (including it's direct successor K40 Pro). Really, really bad.
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leo_sk - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
These are the almost always the best phones for their price. I am a firm believer of not spending more than 300$ at a phone, and searching for devices almost always leads me to these. I wonder how they are able to pack so many features at this price, while also delivering software updates for more than 3 years, and why no other manufacturer is able to replicate this modeldragosmp - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
Nice, they look pretty good. I'd be intersted of a deeper dive of the Note 10, as this will likely be the best seller.@Leo, there are other alternatives, they just don't go to the US retail so much. Oppo, Honor, Poco, Vivo to name a few have competitive offerings in the Asian/European market. Xiaomi are better known, probably only second to Huawei as Chinese phone brand recognition. If you're interested in what the bargain bin has to offer, try gearbest.com or any such big Chinese retailers. For me, whatever tthat's worth, it worked pretty well so far.
leo_sk - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link
I am currently in India, and even here xiaomi is best value for money, especially the redmi pro series. Similar specced devices from Vivo, oppo etc (poco is branch off from xiaomi too but are usually higher end budget) are priced ₹5000-6000 higher (70-90$)damianrobertjones - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link
"why no other manufacturer is able to replicate this model"They're not greedy.
Nexing - Wednesday, June 30, 2021 - link
Their fixation on XIX & XX century business practices stops them realizing the income losses they have to bear.Once they get to acknowledge such behavioral evolution, we might as well switch the terms and replace those "ambition", "greediness" and similar qualifiers into something more attuned with what stands below their surface: sustainable long term revenue, get things well done, etc.
Murloc - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link
integrated ads in the operating system and default apps, with lots of data collection. First-time setup is a pain if you want to get rid of some of that.After doing that it's a good phone but still.
Non-tech savvy people are giving all their data and seeing ads all the time, and these ads make money for xiaomi.
Murloc - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link
to finish my message: I am happy with the phone as I was able to deactivate adds in every app, and install alternative apps instead of using many default ones, and I could deactivate permissions for the ad agent, but I think I'm going to switch to something else when I change my phone the next time. It's just too sketchy.frbeckenbauer - Sunday, March 7, 2021 - link
for installing lineageos, these devices are the best choice thoughmarkiz - Monday, March 8, 2021 - link
No ads in EU. Slightly higher prices though.ZolaIII - Monday, March 8, 2021 - link
All true and still even it has a better privacy control, less adds and generally works better without Google integration on the OS lv.iphonebestgamephone - Tuesday, March 9, 2021 - link
Less ads than what? What better privacy control options? How would it work better without google integration other than just the stock apps?ZolaIII - Friday, March 12, 2021 - link
Less Google adds (by far the worst) better privacy because there are no Google analitic APIs on OS lv. You can still use all apps on Google play (installed as regular app from MIUI store) it's only they won't report back everything and you can't sync or add Google account which isn't really a problem on MIUI. And you have control what's reported back to Xiaomi.iphonebestgamephone - Friday, March 12, 2021 - link
Eh..so chinese data collection only. You have control on whats reported to google too right? Idk if just getting the option to set whats reported back to google or xiaomi actually does it or not. I have found xiaomi ads to be worse though. Atleast they are easy to turn off.ZolaIII - Friday, March 12, 2021 - link
You don't have such choice when it comes to Google analitic. Even open source apps have it on play store. There are striped down of it versions of some on F-Droid but it's a different story when API isn't present on OS lv. Had couple weird experiences with Google and Google only for now regarding personalised adds.iphonebestgamephone - Saturday, March 13, 2021 - link
Oh, so the checkboxes at setup do nothing? You sure xiaomi doesnt collect as much or just saying chinese collecting it is better than usa collecting your data? Do devs directly upload the apps to xiaomi store or does xiaomi just rip them off the playstore?Xiaomi sold outside china come with gms preinstalled though, would have to flash the chinese rom to disable google stuff, might as well flash lineage or something at that point.
ZolaIII - Saturday, March 13, 2021 - link
What ever Xiaomi collects I am able to delete (logs). Talking about K30 Pro. That's funny and lingue ain't what it used to be. Whose developer you know and how we used to say on XDA we provide you with clean ROM and what you choose to install on it is up to you. It rips of a Google play store (as an app). You should know better, you are a big boy there is no such a thin as nice, caring, loving government. I am talking about corporations which is pretty much a same thing. Xiaomi is pretty much still owned by former and current QC employees.Have a nice day.
iphonebestgamephone - Sunday, March 14, 2021 - link
You are able to delete before the data reaches their server? If not lineage, theres various other rom since xiaomi is so popular, and way cleaner than whatever comes with miui.I'm asking if the xiaomi appstore is just getting their apps from the playstore or not, if it is, wont they have the same built in google data collection? Or does it not matter since you need gms installed for the data collection to work?
What do you mean big boy and stuff? Can you answer which is the worst, china or usa data collection? Whatever employees xiaomi has the data still goed to china.
Have a nice day
johnny_boy - Saturday, March 6, 2021 - link
The value is incredible. I have the Note 8 Pro and my wife the Note 9T (global) that just came out. Both are amazing phones for the money. I got mine for 165 euros on a random sale last year and my wife got her 9T for 200 euros. If we don't break them, they should last us around 5 years.Y250 - Monday, March 8, 2021 - link
Been using xiaomi devices since redmi 2 prime. Their phones are either hit or miss. My current redmi note 7 which has a LCD panel shows signs of screen retention/ screen burn. They are cutting corners by sourcing screens and components from multiple manufacturers. Its like silicon lottery. You don't know if you'll get a good one. When it comes to software side its kinda confusing. Xiaomi updates their MIUI every year to new versions but it doesn't mean you're getting major android updates every year. The low end devices get only one major android update. Xiaomi usually launches phones quicker than they give software updates. Nobody complains because these phones are dirt cheap compared to what other established manufacturer produce.prophet001 - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
With the proven offenses of the Chinese government by way of Chinese tech, I'm amazed that people still buy Chinese electronics.Retycint - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
Any specific examples, of, say, obvious security loopholes or spying mechanisms (that's not just a "omg sending data to chinese servers they must be stealing our data")?at_clucks - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
Poopet001 also gave up on buying any products, software, and services from US companies after the proven offenses of the US government by way of every possible tech. You know, via the largest spying effort known to man, targeting both enemies and allies ;).The only things he's buying now are shovels, which make it a lot easier to shovel all that ignorant crap. Oh, and an internet connection because shoveling crap isn't fun unless the whole internet can see.
Now of course Chinese products suffer from the same mix of data collection attempts and bad that afflicts most manufacturers these days. It's a matter of if you care China *also* has your data now, not just the US and possibly your own country's intelligence services. If you don't live or plan to go in China I'm fairly certain it's the least of your worries between the mentioned 3 parties ;).
prophet001 - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
Huawei's entire history is based on stealing and you can readily read about it on Wikipedia. When you are a Chinese company you answer to the Chinese government. You don't get to say "No".Go read about Meng Hongwei if you want to know what the looks like in practice or go watch a video of the Chinese billionaires that disappear under charges of fraud.
When the Chinese government says "give us the data" you give them the data or you lose your company and/or your life.
Quite frankly, you're not paying much attention if you haven't seen multiple real world examples of this withing the last 5 years.
ballsystemlord - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
And the US gov is working to make, and in some cases already has made, "examples" of some of it's citizens also. It's just not well publicized so that we think that we are "free".gund8912 - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link
I can't believe people equate any westerns government to Chinese government, people in west have rights, people in China don't have any rights, if western government misses data people have options to go to court but in China court is controlled by government. And most of the Chinese companies survive be copying technology created by western companies by investing millions of dollars.Nicon0s - Sunday, March 7, 2021 - link
"I can't believe people equate any westerns government to Chinese government, people in west have rights"I don't see what's the problem when it's true.
And yeah people in the west have rights, for example the right to be ignorants.
gund8912 - Monday, March 8, 2021 - link
So law enforcement in western countries can lock people up in prison with out due process just like they do in China ? if this is true then sure west is same as China.Strunf - Thursday, March 25, 2021 - link
You apparently never heard of Gitmo ...gund8912 - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link
So you are saying we don't have proof so we are assuming that western governments are doing same as China ?DanD85 - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
Lol, you have a severe intoxication of the China-bashing syndrome my friend. Don't you know that Anti-china is quite lucrative right now? I guess it's rather pointless as you've made up your mind but for snapdragon equipped Android phones, you can always replace the default firmwares with xiaomi.eu clean-up version, so you'll have all the benefits and none of the so-called cons!ZeroGhost - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link
And what does Google, Facebook, Twitter, Apple, etc say when CIA come and sais I want data on that group of ppl? F U CIA I have to protect my customers? Lol you are so gullible...Nicon0s - Sunday, March 7, 2021 - link
Huawei's Entire History? Really? Are you 100% certain about this generalisation. Do you actually believe that there's absolutely nothing Huawei achieved by themselves?Anyway the reality also showed us that US companies have to do whatever the US government says. The obvious example is US companies that had to give up the billions of dollars they were getting from contracts with Huawei just because the US government said so. The worse part is that a lot of foreign companies were bullied by the US government to do the same. For example TSMC.
Calin - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
Well, iPhones are made in China (but some are made in India).Samsung and LG (Lucky Goldstar, Goldstar) devices are probably made in South Korea.
As for other companies, they might have models built in China and models built in other countries (but you couldn't really be sure until you have the product).
sonny73n - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
"Proven"? The only proof you have is whatever your government tells you. But wait a minute! Your country isn't a nation, it's a cooperation and your government is just an entity working for big corporates. I can give you hundreds of proofs for these facts, unlike the bulls came out of your mouth. Yeah yeah... Chinese tech companies collect your data but just a tiny fraction compared to Apple, Google or Facebook. But hey what good would it be for them to have your data? You're just a brainwashed zombie who would gobble down anything. Nobody cares if you buy overpriced Apple, Samsung or Google phones but your government will care if you pay the right price for Chinese phones. We all know the reason why. So stop pretending like you care for privacy since you never had any to begin with. By the way, if your spouse send you a picture or a video of your 3 years old kid singing in the bath, I'm pretty sure that your government will put you both in prison for a very long time, while the Chinese government won't do shit. So yeah, I prefer my data in the hands of the Chinese government rather than in the hands of greedy, twisted, irrational, stupid evils.gund8912 - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link
Chinese tech companies collect your data but just a tiny fraction compared to Apple, Google or Facebook.If a corporation is collecting data then customers have option to choose which product to buy, if government is collecting data then people don't have a choice. China is a surveillance state, no western government can be compared to China.
Nicon0s - Sunday, March 7, 2021 - link
"China is a surveillance state, no western government can be compared to China."US of A is pretty comparable to China as a surveillance state.
sonny73n - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
Well, I'm amazed that your parents let a 5 years old kid like you online making stupid comments. But it's ok. Just be careful not to say anything that might get you in jail. Remember Apple, Google and Microsoft record and store every key stroke, every conversation, every file you send over the internet. They also scan your devices regularly. They would hand your data over to your government in a heart beat when requested WITHOUT A COURT'S ORDER. Nice Police State you're in there. Good luck.gfkBill - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
Your strawman is on fire. What a load of twaddle. Apple in particular is regularly at odds with law enforcement, and their phones are encrypted, and all three companies WILL insist on a court order to turn over user data. Google has just announced they're stopping tracking of individuals and getting rid of cookies.prophet001 - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
Ignorance and obliviousness is not innocence.Wereweeb - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
I wish I could stop buying seppo tech. They're much more of a security thread to half of the world than the chinese.airdrifting - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link
Go away, Qanon lunatic.Fulljack - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link
compared to western brand, the price are such a bargain. if you didn't trust the software, you could always slap some GSI or custom ROM that is open source—that you could review the code yourself. since Xiaomi allow unlocking their phone's bootloader, it's easy to change from MIUI.gund8912 - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link
it is stolen technology so it is cheaper.damianrobertjones - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link
It's almost like you're posting your comment KNOWING... that people will bite.Samus - Saturday, March 6, 2021 - link
The hypocrisy of an American pointing out "Chinese government offenses" when America was literally built on the backs of slaves for hundreds of years...markiz - Monday, March 8, 2021 - link
Why are you amazed? Do you honestly expect that majority of people care at all about digital privacy? :)Never once have I witnessed the subject being raised when out and about, other then among the nerds.
Calin - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
I have the Note 8 Pro.The price was fantastic, the phone is quite nice, the performance is good.
However, there are some issues with the software:
The Compass application wants to access the camera... and location... I mean why?
The Cleaner application brings ads
There might be other applications that also bring ads (but I don't remember them now).
So, overall a very nice phone (size might be just a little too large - 6.53 inch screen for this version - I can hardly reach the top left of the screen one-handed).
Calin - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
Replying to myself, but if I open the "More apps" folder (which only contains WPS Office and Netflix), I get some "Promoted apps" on the lowest line of tiles.That's MIUI (the company's User Interface) for you...
I suspect that they get some kickback from the promoted applications, even though I can't say for sure.
DanD85 - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
I guess that you got the note 8 pro that has the mediatek chip? I would suggest stay away from mediatek devices, especially on xiaomi phones as if you choose snapdragon equipped phones, you can easily swap the default firmware for the xiaomi.eu firmware which is the best for xiaomi phones right now. They have cleanup all the ads, optimize the perf and so much more.gfkBill - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
For the compass, can't explain the camera access, but location may make sense if it offers a true north option? It would need to know where you were to correct where north is.Nicon0s - Sunday, March 7, 2021 - link
I mean you have the phone you can test it and see why the compass asks for camera access. It's actually simple, you point the camera at something and it also shows you the coordinates, you can then take a screen shot with that data. If you don't give it camera access it will only show a virtual compass on the screen. There, mistery solved.Y250 - Monday, March 8, 2021 - link
The compass app has another function. It can be used as a digital level through camera app, to check if a surface is level. I hope I'm making sense here.The ads are a big problem, its one of the reason their phones are cheap. They are using ads to increase their profit margins.
My redmi note 7 had a screen retention issue, which was pretty annoying. They obviously cut corners but nobody complains because they are buried under attractive features and pricing.
TheinsanegamerN - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
And still no proper US launch, which will be a major issue once VoLTE is the standard. Unless you use Tmobile I guess.Dribble - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
Got a note 7 which was amazing value for money and still works well. Looks like I'll wait for the note 11 as it's a bit pointless buying a new phone without 5G.s.yu - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
Hmmm...can't decide if "ultra premium" or "moon zoom" sounds worse.Bik - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
I used note 8 pro, very good device for the money. It comes with ads in first party apps. I guess that’s how they subsidize the price, just like how my TV so cheap.tapeloadingerror - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
Can you include a section on Network Band support? The Xiaomi devices while generally great value for money have sketchy LTE Band support which could affect the users that travel a lotgfkBill - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
Paragraph 4 needs a cleanup - "isn't nothing to write home about"Unashamed_unoriginal_username_x86 - Sunday, March 7, 2021 - link
It's a lot to write home aboutWereweeb - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
Yeah, disappointing that they are apparently planning on gatekeeping AMOLED+5G to (I assume) the Mi 11 Lite 5G and the Poco F3, but c'est la vie.Also lol @ people dissing Chinese tech. The U.S. is much more of a threat than China to most of the world, and even to it's own citizens. Intel openly admits that all their devices have a remotely accessable backdoor to your computer. But your concern is with what chinese private companies on the other side of the Pacific might do with your data.
techdude80 - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link
Intel's is publicly disclosed, you just said it yourself. I think you are trying to reference NSA backdoors. Of the two evils, I'll take the lesser U.S. one. The Chinese have always had more seriously questionable ethics. Noone is perfect, you are right, but when it comes to something that is my daily driver for activities and logins, I'll pass on Chinese tech.gund8912 - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link
your assumption is that these Chinese companies are not giving data to government, and in west there is independent judicial branch which can help if government misuses data collected, in China government controls the judicial branch. Where is the proof that every electronics gadget has backdoor ? if it is true why is FBI struggling to get at a out of iPhones ? why should they spend millions of dollars to buy Israeli tech to extract data from iPhone ?xol - Saturday, March 6, 2021 - link
..'We' didn't get a version of the Redmi 10X 5G https://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_redmi_10x_5g-10266... which has OLED 5G and Dimensity 820 (as good or better than Snapdragon 732G), and other specs mostly the same (last years camera I think)..China only, and very cheap. LStarting to wonder if they made that many.
Koenig168 - Thursday, March 4, 2021 - link
AMOLED display at this price point with micro SD and 3.5 mm support ticks all the right boxes. This will be my next phone.techdude80 - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link
I currently own a Xiaomi phone. Feature set is amazing, great CPU/RAM/specs for it's price, no doubt. However, after 2 years I now have about 10 dead pixels on it and has an occasional bootloop issue. This phone has always been babied it's whole life. Had many phones prior to this that never had any problems. Also, the software is proprietary "Mi" OS. I don't have any immediate objections, but there are tons of services running, many can't be disabled. Given it's a chinese phone, and with a chinese custom os, I have many doubts on privacy and potentially security. For me, it's not worth the risk and I likely won't buy again in the future. This phone is tempting, but I'll pass.I can see comments that say "there is no proof of security issues." Well, there have been privacy incidents in the past, and I'd rather not wait for the big security disclosure to come out and it be too late. You are welcome to do whatever you want.
HardwareDufus - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link
Is this phone really considered 'low end'? looking at the specs, it's definitely 'mid range' and would have been considered quite 'high end' just 3 years ago.Sharma_Ji - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link
Camera was off center on other reviewers units too (XDA).Btw, what was so odd in 8+128 gb option, it is a common thing
drosi872 - Saturday, March 6, 2021 - link
Great value phone for the feature set - easily knocks on Samsung's door and other midrangers in the market.On a sidenote, saddened by why we can't just appreciate technology for consumers without spending $1000 while still getting some excellent specs that only exist on high-end phones such as good image sensors, big batteries, fast charging and AMOLED panels.
The amount of brainwashed individuals when it comes to 'data collection' is worrying - every big tech company such as Facebook, Twitter and Apple also collect data and if you could compare how many users in the West happen to be actively using these platforms compared to the likes of other Chinese brands, then you really need to wake up and stop following the sheep of Anti-China propaganda because getting political isn't get you anywhere.
ZolaIII - Monday, March 8, 2021 - link
Funny part is I bought Redmi K30 Pro 8/128 (Chinese version) for some 330€ last month and it maps the flor with entry this year Xiaomi refresh in the same segment (including it's direct successor K40 Pro). Really, really bad.IgorDyx - Tuesday, March 9, 2021 - link
108 MP camera is a trick. It's just upscaling. Pretty bad upscaling. All in all the photos still have a lot of blur, noise and look pretty bad.