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Xiaomi Note 5 *Pro* 32/3 GB RAM/5.99"/Snapdragon 636/4000mAh/$138 USD

  • Last Updated:
  • Feb 5th, 2019 10:55 am
Deal Expert
Aug 22, 2011
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Center of Universe
htauthority wrote: Thanks guys.

So it's dead zones not due to this phone itself, got it.
From my experience so far, yes, just the normal dead zones.
Even though it's only been a couple of days, this phone meets all expectations and this is coming from experience with an older Samsung Note 3 (which is still rock solid) and iPhones, including the newer X.
Deal Fanatic
Nov 23, 2008
7140 posts
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repatch wrote: That's cottage country. When you have such a spread out population, with terrain, and bursts of population using bandwidth during weekends you end up with that exact situation.

This is why having 700MHz LTE coverage is important if you frequent rural areas. Without B12/13/17 coverage your phone will only have B5 (if on Bellus, if deployed in your area) for LTE. Otherwise you'll be stuck on B5 3G (H+ is 3G), which will be VERY congested since aside from others who don't have 700MHz LTE support, it's the band that will be carrying all the voice calls (which have 100% priority).

Also, just because you have a couple bars (it's best to download a signal app to get dBm figures, "bars" are frankly a useless measure from phone-phone comparisons), it doesn't mean you'll get anything useful. The reason in rural areas distance and obstructions become a major problem, and on fringe areas it's very likely that your phone will "hear" the cell site fine, but the cell site will barely "hear" you, resulting in 2 or 3 bars, but no useful service.

The big 3 are relying on 700MHz spectrum (and eventually the 600MHz spectrum) to serve data in rural areas. If you frequent rural areas, and are not near a cell site wherever you regularly stay, you basically have to get a phone with 700MHz LTE coverage.
hmm.... thanks for the detailed info. I'm learning a lot. This stuff is real tricky.

I do have the LTE discovery app. I just don't really know how to interpret its numbers.

Right now in the big city I have LTE: -113dbm / GSM: -95dbm
I "think" when I was out in cottage country I was getting around the -100 range on both

Your congested B5 band reasoning could make sense in my case because I was able to eventually get the webpage to load with an airplane mode cycling in/out, which means I must have connected successfully to some band out there, but it was not particularly reliable.
Deal Guru
Mar 5, 2007
10208 posts
11271 upvotes
SomeOtherDude wrote: And could also be network congestion, as I could eventually get the webpages to load when airplane mode was cycled in/out.
I don't frequent cottage country much so it won't be a dealbreaker for me.
Absolutely, that's another major issue in cottage country. It's common to be in the exact same place on a weekday and have great download speeds, and yet on the weekend you can't even load a webpage, and that's with devices that support B12/13/17.

In addition, there is priority given based on devices. A rocket hub type device, on the same provider as a cell phone, will have lower priority for data. I've seen this behaviour where over the rocket hub, with better signal, couldn't load a page, yet my cell phone, on it's own data plan, could. On weekdays, same situation? Zero problems on both.

No idea how tablet plans are prioritized, wouldn't be surprised if they were lumped in with rocket hub type plans on the priority side.
Deal Guru
Mar 5, 2007
10208 posts
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SomeOtherDude wrote: hmm.... thanks for the detailed info. I'm learning a lot. This stuff is real tricky.

I do have the LTE discovery app. I just don't really know how to interpret its numbers.

Right now in the big city I have LTE: -113dbm / GSM: -95dbm
I "think" when I was out in cottage country I was getting around the -100 range on both

Your congested B5 band reasoning could make sense in my case because I was able to eventually get the webpage to load with an airplane mode cycling in/out, which means I must have connected successfully to some band out there, but it was not particularly reliable.
-113dBm is on the weak side.

Generally anything below -110dBm you're going to have a degraded experience. Below about -117dBm you're pretty much toast, I wouldn't expect much reliability with signal strength that low.

A VERY strong signal is in the -60dBm range, -80dBm is more typical, being in the -90dBm range is good, and -100dBm is still very usable, but getting weak.

The fact that your GSM was at -95dBm while your LTE connection was at -113dBm tells me you either had connected to different sites, or if in a rural area were on different bands (i.e. the LTE connection was on B4 while the GSM connection was on B5).
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Feb 18, 2013
5659 posts
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BC
JustBob wrote: Ordered mine July 16th, tracking hasn't changed since the 23rd:

Depart from transit country or district
2018-07-23 17:16:15

Not even sure what that means.
Means it's in transit, left China on the 23rd. Probably on a boat somewhere. Who did you order from?

I ordered from 'Xiaomi MC Store'

-placed order july 22
-shipped july 26
- arrived in BC July 31
-out for delivery Aug 2

They must have ave noticed all the disputes and improved their shipping Face With Tears Of Joy
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Aug 29, 2011
5259 posts
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Westmount (Montreal)
repatch wrote:
If rural is your regular game you need 700MHz (B12/13/17) support for a good experience, no way around it.
At least Belus is deploying band 5 in more and more place.

I was quite surprise to find it in the middle of the wood in a no men's land.

I tried some personal test for speed test between band 17 and HSPA+in different areas. Band 17 gave me in average twice the speed of HSPA. It was usually 3-5 Mbps for HSPA and 6-7 for band 17. I can live with HSPA+ speed when no band 5!
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Nov 23, 2008
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repatch wrote: -113dBm is on the weak side.

Generally anything below -110dBm you're going to have a degraded experience. Below about -117dBm you're pretty much toast, I wouldn't expect much reliability with signal strength that low.

A VERY strong signal is in the -60dBm range, -80dBm is more typical, being in the -90dBm range is good, and -100dBm is still very usable, but getting weak.

The fact that your GSM was at -95dBm while your LTE connection was at -113dBm tells me you either had connected to different sites, or if in a rural area were on different bands (i.e. the LTE connection was on B4 while the GSM connection was on B5).
hmm..... well that's a little worrying, because I'm sitting right in the north end of Toronto proper right now, and I'm getting -113 LTE
Although I seem to have no problem at all with my internet. its lightning fast.
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Oct 29, 2014
1148 posts
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Grey County, ON
BooR4dL3y wrote: What screen protector do you use with this phone?

I ordered the phone with the tempered glass screen protector (which was an additional cost). It works, but it's a horrible fit as it doesn't cover all the way to the edges due to the curve of the screen. Also, due to the curve screen edge, it's got that look of not being adhered to around the edges of the screen protector. And being tempered glass (thicker), it's a bit uncomfortable when using the gesture-based full-screen controls (swiping left/right from the edge) as you hit the edge of the screen protector (making it not a comfortable swipe).

I would have ordered only the phone and saved a few extra dollars if I knew the screen protector was such a crappy fit. Xiaomi store seems to charge 2-3 times more for the similar protector found from other vendors/ebay.
I use the nano-clear screen protectors sold here.
myjbox wrote: Unlocked, Installed TWRP and rooted.
Working good. Anyone know any better custom ROM now?
You can't go wrong with Pixel Experience.
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Aug 29, 2011
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By the way i did a speed test on band 5 and got 50 Mbps!

Got 160 Mbps on band 4.

That eat a data plan quite fast though, so i did not tested it in many areas!
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Mar 5, 2007
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SomeOtherDude wrote: hmm..... well that's a little worrying, because I'm sitting right in the north end of Toronto proper right now, and I'm getting -113 LTE
Although I seem to have no problem at all with my internet. its lightning fast.
Don't be. Chances are you are connected on B7. B7 is the "most wanted" band by your phone. Being shorter range, it allows for much higher reuse. The result for the provider is higher total bandwidth served over a region.

The phones (and the providers) steer things such that your phone will stay on the highest capacity bands as long as possible (highest capacity roughly correlates to highest frequency). In your case, you're sitting at -113dBm, a relatively weak, but still useful signal strength. The fact that you're getting "lightning fast" speed says that you're good to go, and sticking with the -113dBm connection is the right thing for the phone to do.
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Jan 26, 2010
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Milton
Ordered July 22, delivered this morning. Used the free shipping option, no duties. Used the Singapore route.

Really liking it. I have an IP8 and the screen looks tiny compared to this big boy, and it doesn't even feel huge in my hands.

My 16yr old will love this.

Thanks OP and everyone else who contributed to the thread. First experience with Xiaomi and I'm impressed.
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Jun 14, 2006
761 posts
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GTA
So i have gone through the thread and figured out which one to get, i believe this one below will work :

Phone Link

It says the standard package comes with the case, just curious if anyone knows what kind of a case (is it clear)?
Also just validating if this is the correct version, so if someone can be kind enough to say yay or nay Smiling Face With Open Mouth
Sr. Member
Jan 3, 2013
719 posts
336 upvotes
Winnipeg
Steinbok wrote: So i have gone through the thread and figured out which one to get, i believe this one below will work :

Phone Link

It says the standard package comes with the case, just curious if anyone knows what kind of a case (is it clear)?
Also just validating if this is the correct version, so if someone can be kind enough to say yay or nay Smiling Face With Open Mouth
Yes it's the correct one. I'm using it on Fido in Winnipeg and happy. The case is really thin and kind of smokey color. I have the black version. The case offers no accidental protection other than scratch prevention on the back and sides. It's really thin and more of a phone condom.
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Nov 23, 2008
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zeon64 wrote: The case offers no accidental protection other than scratch prevention on the back and sides. It's really thin and more of a phone condom.
"phone condom" now there's first....... sounds too restrictive. I prefer to feel every slight sensation on my bare skin.
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Aug 22, 2011
41802 posts
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Steinbok wrote: So i have gone through the thread and figured out which one to get, i believe this one below will work :

Phone Link

It says the standard package comes with the case, just curious if anyone knows what kind of a case (is it clear)?
Also just validating if this is the correct version, so if someone can be kind enough to say yay or nay Smiling Face With Open Mouth
I bought the black one and it came with a smoked rubber case.
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Feb 18, 2013
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SomeOtherDude wrote: "phone condom" now there's first....... sounds too restrictive. I prefer to feel every slight sensation on my bare skin.
Feels awesome till an accident happens.

Wait what are we talking about again?
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Jun 14, 2006
761 posts
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GTA
zeon64 wrote:
Yes it's the correct one. I'm using it on Fido in Winnipeg and happy. The case is really thin and kind of smokey color. I have the black version. The case offers no accidental protection other than scratch prevention on the back and sides. It's really thin and more of a phone condom.
vkizzle wrote: I bought the black one and it came with a smoked rubber case.
Thank you, appreciate the responses.
Member
Feb 16, 2007
322 posts
310 upvotes
Ordered July 23rd, received August 2nd.

Used the free shipping option. Incurred no duty tax.
Sr. Member
Sep 9, 2014
627 posts
594 upvotes
Vancouver
peakingduck wrote: Means it's in transit, left China on the 23rd. Probably on a boat somewhere. Who did you order from?

I ordered from 'Xiaomi MC Store'

-placed order july 22
-shipped july 26
- arrived in BC July 31
-out for delivery Aug 2

They must have ave noticed all the disputes and improved their shipping Face With Tears Of Joy
Using the free shipping option? And you are in BC?

Did Canada Post finally stop taking forever once the parcel is here?

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