# is xiaomi reliable?



## asaza (Jul 2, 2018)

i need a mid-range phone
so what do u think of *Xiaomi Note 5 (32gb version)*
*are their phone reliable overall?*
*can they die quickly? *


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## Space Lynx (Jul 2, 2018)

I would avoid it personally if you live in the states.  I just upgraded to this phone here:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...75220076&cm_re=asus_5q-_-75-220-076-_-Product

It just came out. has same specs as $450-500 phones. I needed a big screen for netflix and such as its my main movie watching device, lol


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## Supercrit (Jul 2, 2018)

Xiaomi is the Apple of China, high quality and good reputation, and unlike Apple, prices are not bad except the high end. I personally own many of their products and they don't disappoint. Only problem? You have to deal with the lack of English, if you don't read Chinese you better avoid it.


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## Nuke Dukem (Jul 2, 2018)

I bought my dad a Xiaomi Redmi 1S in 2014, it's still running fine, it's a great budget phone, zero complaints. Regular updates, running stable. I also played around with my colleague's Xiaomi Mi4 - I had to replace the cracked glass - it's one of the best built phones I've had to fix, a solid device. A friend of mine has a recent model Xiaomi Note, don't remember which model exactly, but he's pretty happy with it, too.

If you want one, get one. Just make sure you can take advantage of the warranty before buying, depends on where you're going to buy it from. Ask the seller.



Supercrit said:


> You have to deal with the lack of English, if you don't read Chinese you better avoid it.



Every Xiaomi phone I've seen has had an English menu. I can't say for sure if the manuals have an English section, but they should. Even then - who really bothers reading them anymore? 
Even if you decide to purchase the phone from some Chinese site, the site is in English, the sellers contact you in (yes, often admittedly bad) English. I've yet to deal with Chinese.


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## _UV_ (Jul 2, 2018)

Note 4 4/64 and Note 5+ 4/64 owner here (same hardware Snapdragon 625, second phone for my gf). With low usage per day (my usual activity is like 15 min talking and 20 min WiFi Internet) may last up to 10 days on 1 charge. Very good camera for its price range. Overall very good quality. I don't play games, so idk how it performs, for internet and YT more than capable, at least this year, in next 2 who knows.

PS
Almost forget the main question: Note 4 is about 1 year in use, no issues in software or build quality/battery life, 5+ is fresh 2 months, but feels same.
PPS
do not buy model with 3GB RAM, only 4 is future proof enough in next 2 years, especially with WEB browser appetites.


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## micropage7 (Jul 2, 2018)

I bought note 4 and in a year it dead, so i put xiaomi on the last list, i better pay higher but get better stuff than lower but questioning the quality


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## xkm1948 (Jul 2, 2018)

Pretty good quality I gotta say. My sister has one and it is surprisely one of the least bloated android experience.


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## silkstone (Jul 2, 2018)

I have a Mi 5X and really like it. Good build quality and a good price. The OS, MIUI, has the option to set up in English. There are some residual apps left over in Chinese, but they are not generally stuff you would use and you can just change the Launcher to get a full English experience. A lot of their phones have Android roms available on XDA as well, if you want to root the phone and have stock android.
In terms of build quality, I'd put them up there, if not above, Samsung's that are twice the price.


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## Vya Domus (Jul 2, 2018)

Everything can brake or die, if it has warranty go for it. I honestly kind of regret buying an S8+ last years , I mean it's great and all but certainly not worth the money.



Supercrit said:


> Only problem? You have to deal with the lack of English, if you don't read Chinese you better avoid it.



Pretty sure Xiaomi started to ship phones with regional languages as default for a while now , don't know for US though but I would imagine you can change the language anyway.


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## Caring1 (Jul 3, 2018)

Supercrit said:


> Xiaomi is the Apple of China, high quality and good reputation, and unlike Apple, prices are not bad except the high end. I personally own many of their products and they don't disappoint.


Plus one to this


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## theFOoL (Jul 3, 2018)

I'd go with asus phones. Good enough and rootable. Those china phones are good but the bands and support isn't there *Yet


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## asaza (Jul 3, 2018)

thanks all


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## Komshija (Jul 4, 2018)

Xiaomi is a good brand and you cannot go wrong with it.


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## R0H1T (Jul 4, 2018)

Where are you living? Depending on your location ASUS, OPPO, Lenovo, Meizu might be better alternatives. Xiaomi stopped making good VFM phones a while back, they're just recycling the same design & specs (SD625 in dozens of models) over & over again. If you want better specs then I suggest go to Gsmarena & see some of the recent launches, otherwise Mi is a relatively safe option.


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## Apocalypsee (Jul 6, 2018)

I'm using Mi A1 since its release last year. It has been dunk in pail full of water twice. It refuses to charge at first but still charge when the phone is off. What I did to fix it to just do a clean installation of stock ROM. It still live till this day. My mum and sister use Redmi Note 4 for roughly a year and works fine too


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## opojare (Jul 6, 2018)

I have mid-range Mi 4i since 2015.
If you ask about 'die', no it is still functioning normally.
That being said i will not buy from them again as software support simply suck.
Dunno about higher end.


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## ShurikN (Jul 6, 2018)

Vya Domus said:


> Everything can brake or die, if it has warranty go for it. I honestly kind of regret buying an S8+ last years , I mean it's great and all but certainly not worth the money.


No single phone out there is worth $800+

Back to topic.
Every Xiaomi phone has 2 versions. Chinese and Global. They first release the Chinese version, Global follows soon after.
You CANNOT change language on the Chinese version. Only option is flashing Global rom on it (which a lot of people do)

I have a Redmi 4 Prime for a year+ now and have been really happy with it. Buddy of mine had Mi5 and had no issues (he eventually sold it bc he likes to change phones often)

Build quality is good, and software is not that much bloated. There are lots of custom roms on XDA if tinkering is your thing.

If I were to look for a new phone, it would probably be Mi 8 SE, first SD710 phone on the market. 
Or if large screen is your thing then wait for Mi Max 3. That one will have same chip, 6.9" screen and 5400mAh battery.


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## Space Lynx (Jul 6, 2018)

$800 yikes... with my student discount I could have gotten a Samsung S9 for $640 lol...


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## lZKoce (Jul 6, 2018)

I bought my wife Xiaomi RedMi Note 4x ( 32GB ROM + 3GB RAM) for 140 bucks or so ( from Aliexpress) . I love it!!!! This thing rocks, I tried an OTG cable as well, it recognizes everything: keyboard, mouse, gamepad. Also the USB provides enough electricity to even run a portable fan I received as gift (while all other phones I had in the house, including Apple) couldn't start the thing. I also have their fitness bracelet and I am very happy with it. I couldn't recommend these guys enough. I am about to get myself one too.


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## RejZoR (Jul 21, 2018)

Xiaomi Mi5 user here. Can't complain. I really like the design of it, it's super convenient and software is amazing. Some will call it "bloated", but it just isn't. You can remove most of preinstalled apps (especially Google ones) using an app called System Apps Remover, designed for Xiaomi phones specifically. What I especially like is very long term software support. They were just recently pushing out updates for phones from 6 years ago (Xiaomi Mi2). If they continue this trend they got a loyal user here, because software support for other companies just plain stinks like rotten donkey ballz. The amount of updates I received just with Mi5 is more than all the phones I had combined. And some were quite big ones, last one being update from Nougat to Oreo. I hope I'll see the Android "P" one day which might be a likely thing. If I had any other big brand name I most likely wouldn't even get Oreo... So, there's that.


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## FreedomEclipse (Jul 21, 2018)

A lotta my family are using their phones so I'd say yes. 

Im just being the black sheep with my huwaei


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## R0H1T (Jul 21, 2018)

RejZoR said:


> Xiaomi Mi5 user here. Can't complain. I really like the design of it, it's super convenient and software is amazing. Some will call it "bloated", but it just isn't. You can remove most of preinstalled apps (especially Google ones) using an app called System Apps Remover, designed for Xiaomi phones specifically. What I especially like is very long term software support. *They were just recently pushing out updates for phones from 6 years ago* (Xiaomi Mi2). If they continue this trend they got a loyal user here, because software support for other companies just plain stinks like rotten donkey ballz. The amount of updates I received just with Mi5 is more than all the phones I had combined. And some were quite big ones, last one being update from Nougat to Oreo. I hope I'll see the Android "P" one day which might be a likely thing. If I had any other big brand name I most likely wouldn't even get Oreo... So, there's that.


And yet I'm stuck on Marshmallow for 2 years, albeit on a mid range phone. If you're not buying their flagships, they're no better than any other OEM.


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## RejZoR (Jul 21, 2018)

Sure, but how many high ends get updates for so long after release? For most, 2 years is a stretch, 4 years a miracle and 6 years mark doesn't even exist. I've had 2 flagships and both disappointed me in this regard. Galaxy S2 was rubbish when it comes to software and so was Huawei Ascend P7. Both were pretty good hardware wise, but software support was basically non-existent. And I liked Huawei quite a lot. Xiaomi on the other hand really surprised me. If they get even Android "P" to it, then they are just superior in this regard.


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## silentbogo (Jul 21, 2018)

R0H1T said:


> And yet I'm stuck on Marshmallow for 2 years, albeit on a mid range phone. If you're not buying their flagships, they're no better than any other OEM.


But the community support more than compensates for it. Got a Mi4c for cheap a few years ago, and I was surprised to see that it has so many excellent firmware options on XDA.
Currently running Lineage OS 14.1and OTA autoupdate works like a charm. Wanted to upgrade to LOS15 at some point, but so far had no time or compelling reason. Basically it's a perfect choice for an android enthusiast.

I am currently settled on Nokia 8, but I still use Mi4c as a secondary "work" phone, cause if I drop it and break the screen - it'll only cost $15 to fix it (self-repair I mean).


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## R0H1T (Jul 21, 2018)

RejZoR said:


> Sure, but how many high ends get updates for so long after release? For most, 2 years is a stretch, 4 years a miracle and 6 years mark doesn't even exist. I've had 2 flagships and both disappointed me in this regard. Galaxy S2 was rubbish when it comes to software and so was Huawei Ascend P7. Both were pretty good hardware wise, but software support was basically non-existent. And I liked Huawei quite a lot. Xiaomi on the other hand really surprised me. If they get even Android "P" to it, then they are just superior in this regard.


I think you're talking about MIUI updates, including security patches. What's the last OS update pushed for Mi 2 ⚁

I think most reputable handset manufacturers push security updates for as long as they possibly can, for Mi in particular it's relatively easier because they didn't have too many handsets back then. It'd be worthwhile to see what they do to lower end phones in the next few years, given that they've released like a 1000 similar models (proverbially speaking) in the recent past.





silentbogo said:


> But the community support more than compensates for it. Got a Mi4c for cheap a few years ago, and I was surprised to see that it has so many excellent firmware options on XDA.
> Currently running Lineage OS 14.1and OTA autoupdate works like a charm. Wanted to upgrade to LOS15 at some point, but so far had no time or compelling reason. Basically it's a perfect choice for an android enthusiast.
> 
> I am currently settled on Nokia 8, but I still use Mi4c as a secondary "work" phone, cause if I drop it and break the screen - it'll only cost $15 to fix it (self-repair I mean).


Yes but Mi doesn't get credits for that. With RN3 I'm stuck on Android M. I can't root this device because lots of important apps don't work with root.


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## RejZoR (Jul 21, 2018)

I think it's Nougat based MIUI 9 for Mi2. Even if in the end, it's just MIUI updates, that's better than nothing. I too don't understand this need to saturate market with 500 versions of phones. It's idiotic. Make 3-4 models and call it a day.


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## silentbogo (Jul 21, 2018)

R0H1T said:


> With RN3 I'm stuck on Android M. I can't root this device because lots of important apps don't work with root.


Don't sweat MIUI 10 comes out in 2 days.


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## RejZoR (Jul 21, 2018)

You sure MIUI 10 comes that soon? It usually takes a bit longer. I did get 9.6 few days ago out of the blue and it was Oreo 8.0. Had Nougat before. It kinda surprised me. But I won't complain if it really comes in 2 days. For all phones or just some models?


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## silentbogo (Jul 21, 2018)

RejZoR said:


> You sure MIUI 10 comes that soon? It usually takes a bit longer. I did get 9.6 few days ago out of the blue and it was Oreo 8.0. Had Nougat before. It kinda surprised me. But I won't complain if it really comes in 2 days. For all phones or just some models?


Official public release date is July 23rd. The full list is not set in stone, but as far as I know it includes most 2013++ phones, including Redmi note 3/4, Redmi 3S and X, and my Mi4 w/ variations. Newer devices probably got the update after June 14th (Mi5/6 and newer).


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## RejZoR (Jul 21, 2018)

Not really. My Mi5 didn't get MIUI 10 yet. Just MIUI 9.6. Also be aware that they always make grand announcement for BETA version (developer chinese), then they do the developer global and then they rollout final chinese and final global.


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## Crusti (Sep 10, 2018)

As for me I like it a lot. Use for 2 years already and never had any issues. Even the screen is unbroken nevertheless it was falling numerous times. It's the best choice for such money.


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## RejZoR (Sep 11, 2018)

Only thing you need to be aware of with Xiaomi, particularly with their older devices is that they generally have a limited 4G/LTE band support for Europe. What this means is that you'll have a worse reception if your device happens not to support all the bands used by your service provider because it'll have to work on a limited set of bands.

The other thing is some kind of cryptographic "engine" that is used to decode video content like Netflix. Even latest Xiaomi Mi8 only has a lower level support (I forgot how it's called, but there are several levels of it and Xiaomi doesn't support higher levels of it) only which means you won't be able to watch 1080p or 4K Netflix on Xiaomi Mi8, only lower SD (576p) quality levels.


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## kastriot (Apr 18, 2019)

^^ Necro thread


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## olddatsunfan (Apr 18, 2019)

I've been running a gen 1 Mi Max for 3 years now and it's been fine with a few caveats.  I do have the International Version, however, they did not include my country, Canada, in the the regions.  It has limited 4g support for Canadian carriers, I've been using it on 3g+ fine though.  It's still a viable phone running Mui 10.2 on the Nougat core.  The battery is still holding out, but, starting to show signs of aging, but, after 3 years that's expected.  I'm waiting for the Mi Max 4 release before I decide on a replacement or not.  My wife's Note 5 lasted 2 years and now she's rocking a Note 6.  My daughters Note 4 lasted 2 years also.  This is before battery degradation caught up with them.  They still are viable phones, if I replace the batteries though!


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## siluro818 (Apr 18, 2019)

I've been using their Mi A1 for well over an year and have literally zero complaints. This kind of quality could easily warrant a higher price, but since Xiaomi apparently only charges 5% above component cost & manufacture, their devices end up almost suspiciously cheap.
Of course the A1, A2, etc. models have the added benefits of running pure Android and no MiUI, so you don't have to deal with any potential "Chinese" peculiarities that may come with it.


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## GreiverBlade (Apr 18, 2019)

Horam_Zarri said:


> I have a Xiaomi pocophone F1 and works fine


indeed a Necro but that make 2 of us ... with a Pocophone F1 (although Pocophone is the brand but Poco/Pocophone is what Honor is for Huawei but for Xiaomi ) and that one is without any contest the champ mid range priced flagship spec'ed of end 2018 and probably still a long way into 2019



kastriot said:


> ^^ Necro thread


^^ single line sentence  (not that the thread was only 6 month and 1 week old ... not much of a Necro but well, it was inactive indeed )

well, for my own experience, all band covered (LTE/4G+ no issue no matter where i go ) for my country, top notch performances (a SD845 is already overkill for anything you throw at it ) excellent build quality (well, when Samsung used Polycarbonate their shee... fans were praising them because Apple had glass back and they deemied it fragile and impractical ... now : 180° turn around for their fan "Glass iz teh besteh" ) and hard to beat on the price ... 350$ for 6.18" 2248x1080  IPS SD845 6gb/128gb 4000mAh dual sim (or single + up to 256gb uSD)  is godlike

complaint about the screen not being AMOLED or the resolution being W1080P are dumb ... 1. no burn in risques 2. W1080p  is enough up to 8"

in the beginning i would complain about the chin and notch, but the chin is useful for slide up gestures and, me who was a notch hater, grew accustomed to that ... and the argument as the notch is too big compared to other phones that host tons of captor in it for facial recognition ... is also dumb ... in the notch you have 1. front cam 2. IR cam 3. IR blaster (both IR are for the face unlock and work real fast ) 3. speaker (that double as a dual speaker with the one on the bottom ) 1mm bezel are too much? good edge to edge screen are impractical


as for the true Xiaomi roster, well the Mi 8 and Mi 9 are good value (380€ and 450€) and if compared to Samsung, well they offer same for way less (i would even recommend the F1 or Mi 9 over the OnePlus 6T the famous dethroned "flagship killer" that cost 200$ more than a F1 and 100$ more than a Mi 9 which use a SD855 unless you really need some extra LTE bands covered by the 6T ofc ...)

almost forgot the F1 use GG3 whereas other mostly use 4 and 5 ... well GG3 is slightly more scratchproof than the newer variante ... i guess that a plus


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## dom99 (Apr 18, 2019)

Had a Xiaomi redmi note 4 32gb for about 2 years. Excellent phone build quality is great you wouldnt think it cost £100 delivered.

My son even threw it in the paddling pool last summer and after being dead for a couple of days it came back to life on it's own and still works perfectly.

All 4G bands are supported and I've never seen a single bit of chinese, the muiu OS is fine I've never had an issue with it, I even like it


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## puma99dk| (Apr 18, 2019)

Personally if I was to go with Xiaomi I would get one of their Android One phones or the Poco F1 and install Pixel Experience Rom on it to get the Pixel phone experience.

I was actually looking at a Xiaomi and Oppo phones when I went back to Android in back in febuary this year but the prices for the phones I was looking at around Europe and from China did that I actually ended up with a OnePlus 6T in Thunder Purple with 8GB Ram and 128GB storage because I could get it locally at authorized dealers in my country and OnePlus having relationship with Oppo because the former Oppo Vice Presidents Pete Lau and Carl Pei I was sure I wouldn't be disappointed because I had Oppo a couple of Oppo smartphones in the past their Find 7 and 7a.

OnePlus also promised like 3years update on their 6T and with the teardrop notch it looks so much more stylished then the big notch from Apple, Xiaomi's Poco F1 phone and so on.


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## Robotics (Apr 20, 2019)

Xiaomi brand is nice only  with stock Android series. If you dont like stock avoid. Some series have satalite band issues in some countries. If you decide between Huawei and Xiaomi your way is the Huawei.


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## GreiverBlade (Apr 20, 2019)

Robotics said:


> Xiaomi brand is nice only  with stock Android series. If you dont like stock avoid. Some series have satalite band issues in some countries. If you decide between Huawei and Xiaomi your way is the Huawei.


oh the Pocophone F1 stock look is nice and the Poco launcher is close enough to what i get with Nova Launcher Prime ... (and that one is a satElite of Xiaomi ... and i also had countless Honor device, the one from Huawei, without any issues either ...   )



puma99dk| said:


> and with the teardrop notch it looks so much more stylished then the big notch from Apple, Xiaomi's Poco F1 phone and so on.


Poco/Pocophone F1 Notch has a purpose : face ID, yeah yeah same argument as apple but oneplus 6T and Xiaomi with the Mi 9 ditched that (no IR camera and Illuminator ) but that's trivial  (well not 100% trivial for me tho ... i prefer less stylish and 200-300$ less for same internal, with some plus sometime since 1. the 6T usually is 64gb instead of 128gb for the difference i mention and 2. the Mi 9 has not uSD slot  )


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## olddatsunfan (May 6, 2019)

I am still awaiting the release of the Mi Max 4 this month.  I'm still using my original gen 1 Mi Max to this point and I'll need a replacement!


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## Kr2019 (Jun 13, 2019)

What do you think about Xiaomi phones? Are they good? Samsung phones are so expensive. Even Samsung Galaxy A40 for 250 EUR is so slow. What about screen - Xiaomi IPS vs. Samsung AMOLED? Phones with AMOLED screen are so expensive.


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## bug (Jun 13, 2019)

Ok hardware, not so overpriced, Android skinned to look like iOS. Depending on where you are, it can be difficult to get them serviced.
I like Nokia better lately.


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## JovHinner123 (Jul 5, 2019)

Did not try it personally, but based on the feedback of a couple of friends, it works just as intended, and some had the Xiaomi phones for more than a year now. Saw power issues online, but have yet to hear anything from people I personally know.


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## johnny-r (Aug 7, 2019)

Xiaomi Redmi's pretty good, I have a Redmi 5 Plus for a year now, great phone and still can't believe how affordable ! I'll stick with it for now !


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