Any experince with buying cell phones from China?

[freemind]

I want to start a thread here, because these phones are starting to gain buyers.

I have been a guy that got my phones either from ATT or from buying them used, with the ATT lock on them.

To be clear, I like my Samsung stuff, but I feel it is overpriced and just plain bloated with all the shit that samsung and ATT load on these phones.

So, I have been looking to maybe move into a phone made over in China. I have seen some reviews on youtube and some videos on GearBest, but I'd really like to hear what people here have experienced with these phones.

Maybe @VaporJoe or @TygerTyger could speak up. I know they have said in the past, they buy a lot of stuff from China.

I have some apprehensions about them, security, being the biggest concern. Since I have not heard from anyone OTHER than a reviewer, I'd really like to hear from the people that buy them and use them.

 

[Kevin H.]

First....You'll want to make sure that the phones that you are looking at will support 4GLTE. Most of the phones on the Chinese websites are GSM phones, and will mostly work with ATT and T-Mobile, whereas Sprint and Verizon run on CDMA (and not all will work with them). I've bought a few phones from China sites (GearBest and another one that slips my mind). After you determine if they will run what you need them to (4GLTE and whatever features that you need), I would pick a phone from a better rated manufacturer. For example, I've purchased the brand Leagoo, and would NOT purchase that brand again (I've had one crap out after 8 months of use). The better brands seem to be Huawei (3rd largest cellphone maker behind Apple and Samsung), and Xiaomi. I currently have an UNLOCKED Huawei Honor 5x that I purchased from Best Buy (on sale @ the time) for $160.00. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles that an iPhone or Galaxy has, but for the price, I feel that it's a better choice for people that are tired of shelling out $800.00 for a phone (that they will most likely replace in a year). Amazon or Best Buy or other "big box" retailers might be the best place to start, so that you can actually see the phones, and ask questions/read real reviews, etc. Hopefully, this little bit of info. helps ya .

 

[freemind]

Thanks.

Some of that, I already knew. I'm just really looking to hear of the experience other people are having with whatever phones(s) they have bought.

I have a phone saved in my wishlist of FastTech. It seems pretty much what I am looking for.

I want a phone that has these features, minimally.
Gorilla Glass
Water proof to some extent.
Newer version of Android software
2-4 GB of RAM
32+ GB of storage and/or expandable storage
16+ MP back camera
3000+ MAH battery.
fingerprint scanner for phone security.

And I'm not willing to give 500+ dollars for one either. If I have to pay more than 300, I'll just buy another Samsung. Too many good used phones, can be had at 3-4 hundred bucks.

 

[Kevin H.]

Most of what you want/require for a new phone from a China site is feasible for under $300. The only thing that I haven't seen a lot of, is the waterproof/water resistant feature in that price range. One that I was thinking about purchasing (based on specs. and reviews) was the Oukitel K6000 Pro, on Gearbest (about $145- $153 depending on color). That one may be worth a look for ya. Best of luck to ya.

 

[nightshard]

You can get the Oneplus 3 which has everything you're looking for besides being waterproof, for around 500$
https://oneplus.net/global/3

 

[freemind]

500 is too much.

I found this one at fasttech.
https://www.fasttech.com/product/4808601

Unless I find something better, I'll probably end up buying it by month's end.

 

[forza]

Personally, the best phone I ever had was a Blu. I think they are made in Florida? That phone was freaking AWESOME. Tough, dual Sim capable, not too big but big enough, 4glte, unlocked, att compatible.

And only about $250 or so.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

 

[nightshard]

500 is too much.

I found this one at fasttech.
https://www.fasttech.com/product/4808601

Unless I find something better, I'll probably end up buying it by month's end.

My mistake it's around 400$ not 500$ and there's the older Oneplus 2 for 300$

 

[VaporJoe]

I want to start a thread here, because these phones are starting to gain buyers.

I have been a guy that got my phones either from ATT or from buying them used, with the ATT lock on them.

To be clear, I like my Samsung stuff, but I feel it is overpriced and just plain bloated with all the shit that samsung and ATT load on these phones.

So, I have been looking to maybe move into a phone made over in China. I have seen some reviews on youtube and some videos on GearBest, but I'd really like to hear what people here have experienced with these phones.

Maybe @VaporJoe or @TygerTyger could speak up. I know they have said in the past, they buy a lot of stuff from China.

I have some apprehensions about them, security, being the biggest concern. Since I have not heard from anyone OTHER than a reviewer, I'd really like to hear from the people that buy them and use them.

A lot of the higher end phones made in china use cloned chips. I haven't bought one from China. However, there are tons of youtube reviews on them.

 

[freemind]

A lot of the higher end phones made in china use cloned chips. I haven't bought one from China. However, there are tons of youtube reviews on them.

Thanks Joe. I thought you and Tyger were buying lots o stuff from China, and figured you had got a few phones by now. Guess not.

 

[freemind]

My mistake it's around 400$ not 500$ and there's the older Oneplus 2 for 300$

Well, problem is for about 300 I can get a Samsung phone, used. So I really don't want to spend more than a few hundred on a China phone at this point.

Even in this thread, not many people are speaking up in favor of them. Not much user feedback means a lot less trust from me, for them.

At this point, the waterproof feature is likely the most important. I am an otterbox freak, because I like the protection. When I get a China phone, the case options tend to be almost non existent. Being that my business works with water, a waterproof/resistant phone is pretty important.

For my wife, she could give a shit less what phone. So long as Facebook works....... And it has a decent camera.

 

[nightshard]

Let's just say that almost 2 years ago I got a Oneplus 1 to replace my old Iphone 5 and it was enough for me to turn my back on apple forever.

The higher tier Chinese brands like Huawei, Xiaomi and Oneplus and not dirt cheap but are still much cheaper then a Samsung or an Iphone.

 

[freemind]

Let's just say that almost 2 years ago I got a Oneplus 1 to replace my old Iphone 5 and it was enough for me to turn my back on apple forever.

The higher tier Chinese brands like Huawei, Xiaomi and Oneplus and not dirt cheap but are still much cheaper then a Samsung or an Iphone.

I have no doubt, some of the higher end Chinese manufactures have good phones. One glaring difference is USUALLY the camera. You can't usually get awesome cameras in Chinese phones. Software is usually weird too.

I also have a hard time paying several hundred for a PHONE. A desktop or a laptop can be bought for less.

 

[OldGrump]

I am also pissed off at all the pre loaded crap you get on store bought phones in Au. However if my phone becomes defective where do I go for warranty claim?

Damn sure I would not be mailing it back to no o/s dude.

At least here if my ph needs repairs under warranty then they give me a loan phone and my business does not suffer.

Moving towards a tobacco free World!

 

[conanthewarrior]

I can only chime in with experience of my best friend a few years ago-he bought a Chinese phone, I am sorry I do not remember the name, and it was fantastic.
It did everything a more expensive phone would do, for a fraction of the cost- a good alternative if you are worried about China phones is the MOTO G, I myself have vowed to never spend more than £200 on a smartphone since their launch-the latest has a 1.5GHZ Quad core processor, 2GB RAM(4GB for the Plus model), and depending on model 16,32 or 64GB of storage, all expandable with an SD card.

The newest one, which is the fourth generation, is only £160- an equivalent phone from samsung or similar would probably be £400+.

I got rid of the 24 month contracts, and now am on a monthly plan-you pay if you want to, if not you don't, and it works out a lot cheaper than a contract that includes a phone.

EDIT: I realise the US uses both phones that take SIM cards (GSM) as well as CDMA-the Moto G is GSM, so if you did go for one, make sure you get the correct model-as long as you buy it from where you live you should be fine though.

 

[nightshard]

I am also pissed off at all the pre loaded crap you get on store bought phones in Au. However if my phone becomes defective where do I go for warranty claim?

Damn sure I would not be mailing it back to no o/s dude.

At least here if my ph needs repairs under warranty then they give me a loan phone and my business does not suffer.

Moving towards a tobacco free World!

You can buy a Chinese phone from a local store/importer and get a proper warranty, just like you could with an Iphone, it would just cost a lot less to begin with.

 

[OldGrump]

You can buy a Chinese phone from a local store/importer and get a proper warranty, just like you could with an Iphone, it would just cost a lot less to begin with.

So where you see them. Never seen them in a Telstra, Optus or Vodaphone store. Not buying one on the net sight unseen. Did that with a tablet once biggest load of crap ever.

Moving towards a tobacco free World!

 

[freemind]

I am also pissed off at all the pre loaded crap you get on store bought phones in Au. However if my phone becomes defective where do I go for warranty claim?

Damn sure I would not be mailing it back to no o/s dude.

At least here if my ph needs repairs under warranty then they give me a loan phone and my business does not suffer.

Moving towards a tobacco free World!

Another one of the worries with buying China phones.
Either I'll have to wait forever for the warranty repair, or I'll have to take it to a phone repair place, and wait forever for them to get parts in, should I need to fix the phone.

But, I always have a "spare" phone in case one breaks or dies. I have never been offered any loaner phones.

 

[freemind]

You can buy a Chinese phone from a local store/importer and get a proper warranty, just like you could with an Iphone, it would just cost a lot less to begin with.

In America, I think that is going to be an obscure shop in large metro areas, or ebay/amazon/internet sales.

It does seem though, the mark up from buying in China to buying in America tends to be significant. So, if I bought what I wanted in America, they better have fast, awesome service.

 

[conanthewarrior]

In America, I think that is going to be an obscure shop in large metro areas, or ebay/amazon/internet sales.

It does seem though, the mark up from buying in China to buying in America tends to be significant. So, if I bought what I wanted in America, they better have fast, awesome service.

I don't live in the US, but I have to say, if Evolv's customer service is like most places in general-I wish the UK was as good!

They took in both of my hotcigs(at different times), and they had it in, repaired it, and shipped it out the very same day. It was probably on the plane longer than it was with them! That is probably the best customer service I have ever experienced- I have had refunds and such in the UK, but never a repair that fast.

 

[kross8]

Thanks.

Some of that, I already knew. I'm just really looking to hear of the experience other people are having with whatever phones(s) they have bought.

I have a phone saved in my wishlist of FastTech. It seems pretty much what I am looking for.

I want a phone that has these features, minimally.
Gorilla Glass
Water proof to some extent.
Newer version of Android software
2-4 GB of RAM
32+ GB of storage and/or expandable storage
16+ MP back camera
3000+ MAH battery.
fingerprint scanner for phone security.

And I'm not willing to give 500+ dollars for one either. If I have to pay more than 300, I'll just buy another Samsung. Too many good used phones, can be had at 3-4 hundred bucks.

i can appreciate all of the bells and whistles you want,, below is an item $10.33 @amazon i was looking at for just video/vacations.--the reason i liked it so much is that i could plug it right into the phone and the computer later to transfer everything to the cloud/computer.

i am 1 of those people who overdosed on cellphones and not by choice. for the better part of a decade i have had so many company smart phones.. all nice at the time... it was the avg 33 calls/texts/emails per hour 24/7 that drove me nuts...i had to respond asap......once i got away from that industry.. the phone became my tool instead of me being the tool for the phone.

so when it came time to buy my own phone,, and my newfound appreciation to controlling the activity of the phone... i ended up going with a smart trackphone for $100 and service for about $150 year. (my husband is about $100 a year).. now mine is not finger print security.............but i only need to worry about my dog dialling lol,, i dont know how much memory is in the phone or that little chip i put in it,,,,,,,,but it has 100's of pics and not full yet. as for waterproof,, well,, i just dont pull it out in the rain (hahaha/or near toilets/sinks). i am sorta 'old school' i like real keyboards, so i dont cruise the net on my phone,, yes i can,, and yes i do check my bank account or search google,, get emails. but boards like this and facebook are more for my leasure time at home.

anyway,, just rambling to you ... hope you find what you are looking for
SanDisk Ultra 32GB USB 3.0 OTG Flash Drive with micro USB connector For Android Mobile Devices- SDDD2-032G-G46
by SanDisk
4.3 out of 5 stars 2,099 customer reviews
| 369 answered questions

 

[Kevin H.]

Another one of the worries with buying China phones.
Either I'll have to wait forever for the warranty repair, or I'll have to take it to a phone repair place, and wait forever for them to get parts in, should I need to fix the phone.

But, I always have a "spare" phone in case one breaks or dies. I have never been offered any loaner phones.

So, that's what happened to me. My phone died after 8 months of regular use. I was sent an address in the USA to send the phone in for repair (shipping at my cost). If they could've fixed it, they would have sent it back to me on their dime. After about a month, I emailed them to see what was going on (since I hadn't heard from them). Since they couldn't fix it, they let me pick a new replacement phone (within reason). The one that I picked was a better phone than the one that I had, and I just received it a few days ago. It took a little while, but I ended up getting a better phone, and the only thing that I had to spend was the $10-$15 to ship the old one to the repair center. Now.....I have a "backup phone".

 

[Kevin H.]

i can appreciate all of the bells and whistles you want,, below is an item $10.33 @amazon i was looking at for just video/vacations.--the reason i liked it so much is that i could plug it right into the phone and the computer later to transfer everything to the cloud/computer.

i am 1 of those people who overdosed on cellphones and not by choice. for the better part of a decade i have had so many company smart phones.. all nice at the time... it was the avg 33 calls/texts/emails per hour 24/7 that drove me nuts...i had to respond asap......once i got away from that industry.. the phone became my tool instead of me being the tool for the phone.

so when it came time to buy my own phone,, and my newfound appreciation to controlling the activity of the phone... i ended up going with a smart trackphone for $100 and service for about $150 year. (my husband is about $100 a year).. now mine is not finger print security.............but i only need to worry about my dog dialling lol,, i dont know how much memory is in the phone or that little chip i put in it,,,,,,,,but it has 100's of pics and not full yet. as for waterproof,, well,, i just dont pull it out in the rain (hahaha/or near toilets/sinks). i am sorta 'old school' i like real keyboards, so i dont cruise the net on my phone,, yes i can,, and yes i do check my bank account or search google,, get emails. but boards like this and facebook are more for my leasure time at home.

anyway,, just rambling to you ... hope you find what you are looking for
SanDisk Ultra 32GB USB 3.0 OTG Flash Drive with micro USB connector For Android Mobile Devices- SDDD2-032G-G46
by SanDisk
4.3 out of 5 stars 2,099 customer reviews
| 369 answered questions

Thanks!......Think I'll grab one of these.

 

[kross8]

Thanks!......Think I'll grab one of these.

64gb for $16...at least you know you have access to all of your pics/docs/videos... my last phone died to the point i couldnt get anything off the phone even with a brand new battery.---hence i dont like to save stuff to my phone much ,, try to transfer it asap

 

[freemind]

i can appreciate all of the bells and whistles you want,, below is an item $10.33 @amazon i was looking at for just video/vacations.--the reason i liked it so much is that i could plug it right into the phone and the computer later to transfer everything to the cloud/computer.

i am 1 of those people who overdosed on cellphones and not by choice. for the better part of a decade i have had so many company smart phones.. all nice at the time... it was the avg 33 calls/texts/emails per hour 24/7 that drove me nuts...i had to respond asap......once i got away from that industry.. the phone became my tool instead of me being the tool for the phone.

so when it came time to buy my own phone,, and my newfound appreciation to controlling the activity of the phone... i ended up going with a smart trackphone for $100 and service for about $150 year. (my husband is about $100 a year).. now mine is not finger print security.............but i only need to worry about my dog dialling lol,, i dont know how much memory is in the phone or that little chip i put in it,,,,,,,,but it has 100's of pics and not full yet. as for waterproof,, well,, i just dont pull it out in the rain (hahaha/or near toilets/sinks). i am sorta 'old school' i like real keyboards, so i dont cruise the net on my phone,, yes i can,, and yes i do check my bank account or search google,, get emails. but boards like this and facebook are more for my leasure time at home.

anyway,, just rambling to you ... hope you find what you are looking for
SanDisk Ultra 32GB USB 3.0 OTG Flash Drive with micro USB connector For Android Mobile Devices- SDDD2-032G-G46
by SanDisk
4.3 out of 5 stars 2,099 customer reviews
| 369 answered questions

My phone isn't just used for my private use, it's also used for my business. So, I don't want anyone being able to just get into my phone. I can live without a finger scanner, as long as there is some type of tough security feature.

I'd prefer one that takes a card, so all the pics and documents can be stored there, instead of internal memory. I like keeping my music on the internal memory. I think I have about 5 gigs of music on my phone now. But those files are also backed to a flash drive, would my phone, desktop, tablet, or laptop, just die and fry.

While the flash drive you showed is cool, I have a pile of them now. I back my files, pics and everything imaginable, up to them. Mine are all USB 2.0 drives, now. I don't really want one just for my phone.

Thanks though, for pointing it out. Hopefully it helps someone else.

 

[UncleRJ]

Personally, I would not feel comfortable purchasing high end electronics from China.

I want local support.

 

[TygerTyger]

I want to start a thread here, because these phones are starting to gain buyers.

I have been a guy that got my phones either from ATT or from buying them used, with the ATT lock on them.

To be clear, I like my Samsung stuff, but I feel it is overpriced and just plain bloated with all the shit that samsung and ATT load on these phones.

So, I have been looking to maybe move into a phone made over in China. I have seen some reviews on youtube and some videos on GearBest, but I'd really like to hear what people here have experienced with these phones.

Maybe @VaporJoe or @TygerTyger could speak up. I know they have said in the past, they buy a lot of stuff from China.

I have some apprehensions about them, security, being the biggest concern. Since I have not heard from anyone OTHER than a reviewer, I'd really like to hear from the people that buy them and use them.

Never bought a phone from China, so I'm afraid we can't advise..... but nice to see you've gotten some good advice

 

[kross8]

Personally, I would not feel comfortable purchasing high end electronics from China.

I want local support.

youtube seems to be my 'go to' for 'local help'

 

[freemind]

This has been a great thread so far. Thank you all, and keep the comments coming.

 

[Kevin H.]

I know that this is an old thread, but I wanted to let everyone know my positive experience with Huawei phones. First, I have a Huawei Honor 5x that I've been using since September 2016. I purchased the Honor 8 for my wife for this past Christmas. They are good, solid phones!....and can be purchased through USA companies like Amazon, BestBuy, and Newegg (even though Newegg is owned by Chinese, shipping is usually from USA). The specs. on these phones are different between the (3) models that I have mentioned here, and you could see what fits your needs. The 5x is currently about $165 (16gb) , the 6x is about $230 (32gb), and the Honor 8 is about $325 (32gb). Most people like the Huawei phones based on the reviews.... I do! These phones are unlocked and work on GSM networks (like AT&T and T-Mobile in the USA). They will NOT work on Sprint or Verizon networks (that use CDMA networks). If you're looking for a way less expensive alternative to the iPhone or Galaxy, then the Huawei Honor line may be for you. They are NOT exactly the same as an iPhone or Galaxy, but then, they are NOT $600-$900 either. Just letting anyone know, in case you're looking for a good quality unlocked phone. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you have any questions about the Huawei Honor phones.

 

[conanthewarrior]

I actually have a Chinese phone myself, a Xiaomi redmi note 3, and it is a really good phone.

Xiaomi are known as 'the apple of the east', I was sent the phone for free by Gearbest as I was doing reviews for them and my phone broke, so they offered to send me one as a gift.

Works with 4G, runs the latest android, Camera is good quality, fingerprint to unlock, and it only costs around £120-150! It is not their flagship and a newer note is out now, but it runs fast and has done me well, and does everything I need it too.
Games are good on it as well due to the large screen, GTA San andreas runs perfectly with all settings on high, as does real racing 3, and other demanding games run great.

I imagine their flagship to be really good, and up there with the likes of Samsung and similar brands we are used too.

If you are buying a phone from China, do check the frequency bands it supports. On my network 4G is supported, but not all of the UK networks run on the same frequency so 4G won't work on them all.
There are choices of bands to choose from, with international and worldwide versions, so always make sure it will run where you live.

I will very likely buy Xiaomi's in the future. I did used to buy Apple phones, until I lost one, and got a Moto G that ran android.
It did everything my Iphone did at 1/5th of the price, so I stuck with the Moto G's for a while.
The Xiaomi's are even better value than those, so as long as I can get them safely I will continue to do so.

 

[conanthewarrior]

Reading online, I am actually a bit baffled with GTA San Andreas running so well with the cost of the device.

A few years ago, people were complaining about it not running well on a HTC one and other high end phones. I know this is a few years later, but the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 pro is not a brand new phone, and costs a hell of a lot less than those phones.

I usually run it with the normal settings, as I don't notice much difference and gather it will reduce battery life, but for a phone you can get for just £120 that can run things perfectly well does make me wonder why exactly high end phones cost so much.
The camera is great- it's not DSLR quality, but we are talking about a phone camera here, and they are perfectly good for printing- all of my photos I upload are taken with the phone, such as this-

I think that is good enough quality for the majority of people out there, with the main point well in focus.

Apart from the Moto G line of phones, which are fantastic value, it seems a lot of the time you are paying for the brand name more than the slight increase in performance.

If you are not tied to a phone with a contract (or even if you are, but want an upgrade- just put your SIM card into the new phone), I really do suggest trying a Chinese phone from Xiaomi. I don't know of many other Chinese brands, but know they are good and well known.

EDIT: Just checked the specs, mine has 3GB of ram, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 64bit Hexa Core 1.8GHz processor, 16MP camera rear camera, 5MP front camera- for the price I don't think you can beat that.
Their flagship has 6GB ram, a 2.45GHZ octa core processor and very high specs. They aren't fake specs either, but the flagship is pricy. I would go for the Redmi line- the Redmi note 4 has a faster 2GHZ processor and is around £150, but even the one I have I could use for a few years easily.