Cell Phones

XIAOMI REDMI NOTE 3 Worth It?

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Deal Guru
Dec 10, 2004
13194 posts
7650 upvotes
Kanata
divx wrote:
goofball wrote: Rumour has it the Redmi note 4 will have a 652 processor due to not being able to sell MTK in India. Wonder what the pricing for it will be.
what's wrong with mtk? also, the 652 barely sounds like an improvement over the 650. what's the deal with snapdragon chips naming scheme anyway? they have their 910 and 920 while there is also the 650. is the 9xx series basically i7 and 6xx series like i5?
There's a patent issue in India with Xiaomi and MTK processors.

The 652 pretty much just adds 2 more A72 cores to the 650.
The 810 and 820 are the higher end CPU's, or rather, flagships. The 65x series are the higher end for midrange devices. The 61x are the lower end for mid-range devices. The 4xx are for low end devices.
Deal Expert
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Oct 26, 2003
39338 posts
6341 upvotes
Winnipeg
goofball wrote:
divx wrote:
goofball wrote: Rumour has it the Redmi note 4 will have a 652 processor due to not being able to sell MTK in India. Wonder what the pricing for it will be.
what's wrong with mtk? also, the 652 barely sounds like an improvement over the 650. what's the deal with snapdragon chips naming scheme anyway? they have their 910 and 920 while there is also the 650. is the 9xx series basically i7 and 6xx series like i5?
There's a patent issue in India with Xiaomi and MTK processors.

The 652 pretty much just adds 2 more A72 cores to the 650.
The 810 and 820 are the higher end CPU's, or rather, flagships. The 65x series are the higher end for midrange devices. The 61x are the lower end for mid-range devices. The 4xx are for low end devices.
what about the 808? you said the 808 is slower than a mid tier 650?
Deal Guru
Dec 10, 2004
13194 posts
7650 upvotes
Kanata
divx wrote:
goofball wrote:
divx wrote:

what's wrong with mtk? also, the 652 barely sounds like an improvement over the 650. what's the deal with snapdragon chips naming scheme anyway? they have their 910 and 920 while there is also the 650. is the 9xx series basically i7 and 6xx series like i5?
There's a patent issue in India with Xiaomi and MTK processors.

The 652 pretty much just adds 2 more A72 cores to the 650.
The 810 and 820 are the higher end CPU's, or rather, flagships. The 65x series are the higher end for midrange devices. The 61x are the lower end for mid-range devices. The 4xx are for low end devices.
what about the 808? you said the 808 is slower than a mid tier 650?
Yes, the 808 has older A57 cores (2) whereas the 650 has A72 (2) cores, which are faster. They both have 4 x A53 cores for the less intensive tasks. The 808 is a weird CPU in that respect, as it's not really high end fast but carries the 8xx moniker as being part of the high end.
Jr. Member
Jun 9, 2007
163 posts
17 upvotes
Ottawa
@goofball, thanks for the analysis. That was my next question -- would I be able to install CM13 on the G4. Guess you answered that question. Except that:

http://www.xda-developers.com/134361-2/

According to the above you can unlock the boot loader and root your G4.
Deal Guru
Dec 10, 2004
13194 posts
7650 upvotes
Kanata
wprager wrote: @goofball, thanks for the analysis. That was my next question -- would I be able to install CM13 on the G4. Guess you answered that question. Except that:

http://www.xda-developers.com/134361-2/

According to the above you can unlock the boot loader and root your G4.
That's for the European H815 model and the H811 model (T-Mobile) which can have the bootloader unlocked. The Canadian H812 model has no unlockable bootloader and LG could care less to do it.
Member
Oct 19, 2012
250 posts
126 upvotes
Burlington
I also had the G4 and got rid of it within about a week. I use my phone for a GPS when I drive on around on weekends and the G4 had a serious issue where it would severely overheat to the point that the battery would die crazy fast but I couldn't charge it because it got so hot that when I tried to plug in the charging cable, the phone wouldn't charge because it was way too hot and overheated. As a result, the phone would die and I obviously couldn't continue with that. I thought the first time it was just an unlucky weird isolated issue until it happened again the next time.

I also had Bluetooth issues where it would frequently disconnect when I tried to stream music through the car or in our house which became annoying pretty quickly. Also, don't forget about the faulty motherboard issue where the phone will be bricked and there is absolutely nothing you can do to fix it as it was reported to be a faulty motherboard or some other hardware with all G4's manufactured up until around September 2015 and then G4's in October and after are supposed to be unaffected as LG admitted there was a faulty hardware component and made the necessary changes.

I really did like the way the G4 felt though and like goofball said, the camera was awesome! When not using GPS, I found the battery to be pretty good as well and got about the same as goofball with around 4-5hrs of SOT. I tend to lean towards me just getting a lemon G4 with the GPS, Bluetooth and overheating issues but the potential bricking is quite real with it documented all over the internet.
Current Cell Plan
Rogers: 100GB CAN/USA Infinite 2022 BF Deal ($55 + tax)
Deal Guru
Dec 10, 2004
13194 posts
7650 upvotes
Kanata
soljah12 wrote: I also had the G4 and got rid of it within about a week. I use my phone for a GPS when I drive on around on weekends and the G4 had a serious issue where it would severely overheat to the point that the battery would die crazy fast but I couldn't charge it because it got so hot that when I tried to plug in the charging cable, the phone wouldn't charge because it was way too hot and overheated. As a result, the phone would die and I obviously couldn't continue with that. I thought the first time it was just an unlucky weird isolated issue until it happened again the next time.

I also had Bluetooth issues where it would frequently disconnect when I tried to stream music through the car or in our house which became annoying pretty quickly. Also, don't forget about the faulty motherboard issue where the phone will be bricked and there is absolutely nothing you can do to fix it as it was reported to be a faulty motherboard or some other hardware with all G4's manufactured up until around September 2015 and then G4's in October and after are supposed to be unaffected as LG admitted there was a faulty hardware component and made the necessary changes.

I really did like the way the G4 felt though and like goofball said, the camera was awesome! When not using GPS, I found the battery to be pretty good as well and got about the same as goofball with around 4-5hrs of SOT. I tend to lean towards me just getting a lemon G4 with the GPS, Bluetooth and overheating issues but the potential bricking is quite real with it documented all over the internet.
You sound cursed with phones, lol. Axon 7 and LG G4. I had no issues with using GPS on the LG G4 and left it plugged in while driving for hours with no problems. I did not have any bluetooth connectivity issues either, it stayed connected to my speaker while I worked away in the garage for an hour.
That said, I'm very curious to see what the Redmi Note 4 (Pro?) will cost. Seems like mostly just a processor bump, storage increase, and minor screen change to 2.5D curved glass, which drives me crazy since finding an edge to edge tempered glass protector is near impossible without a halo effect.
Deal Guru
Dec 10, 2004
13194 posts
7650 upvotes
Kanata
wprager wrote: http://www.smartphoneclinics.com/root-l ... ootloader/

Apparently you can root the Canadian variant.
Yes, as long as you're on Android 5.x.x. You can't root Marshmallow. That article is from a year ago before MM was released for the G4. Now, I suppose you could attempt to roll it back to Android 5.x.x if you wanted to, I never did that as I just stayed on 5.1.1 until I sold it. Some were able to do so, others said they weren't able to after a certain point, though again, I never tried it myself.
Jr. Member
Jun 9, 2007
163 posts
17 upvotes
Ottawa
I feel so conflicted. On the one hand I really wanted to try out CM, and the full-metal body and fingerprint scanner would be very cool. But on the other hand the camera on the G4 is fantastic (and the screen is much nicer, too). I suppose I could buy one in the US but then not getting the 175,000 in PC points has to be taken into account.
Member
Oct 19, 2012
250 posts
126 upvotes
Burlington
Whatever you do, if you decide to go with the G4 just make sure the manufacturing date of the G4 is October 2015 or after so it doesn't die on you out of nowhere and you lose all of your data.
Current Cell Plan
Rogers: 100GB CAN/USA Infinite 2022 BF Deal ($55 + tax)
Deal Guru
Dec 10, 2004
13194 posts
7650 upvotes
Kanata
wprager wrote: I feel so conflicted. On the one hand I really wanted to try out CM, and the full-metal body and fingerprint scanner would be very cool. But on the other hand the camera on the G4 is fantastic (and the screen is much nicer, too). I suppose I could buy one in the US but then not getting the 175,000 in PC points has to be taken into account.
The camera is great though you may want to tweak some of the settings. The smoothing effect is almost too heavy handed, imo, and can really make some pictures of people look like they have been airbrushed.

In all honesty, you probably wouldn't lose much money if you went with the Xiaomi, then sold it within a couple of weeks if you didn't like it. I think I might wait for the Redmi Note 4 since it should be released in Q4 2016.
Member
Sep 1, 2011
327 posts
247 upvotes
Toronto
Hey all, I'm thinking of getting a phone specifically for travelling to the US (to use on Roam Mobility) -- I'm torn between a used Moto X Play, and a Note 3 Pro. Opinions?
Jr. Member
Jun 9, 2007
163 posts
17 upvotes
Ottawa
Note 4 should be available soon (if not already) I thought the Note 3 prices would come down a bit. Haven't seen that happen yet.
Deal Expert
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Nov 28, 2013
21329 posts
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Oakville
wprager wrote: Note 4 should be available soon (if not already) I thought the Note 3 prices would come down a bit. Haven't seen that happen yet.
I've found with ChinaPhones, prices don't really drop that much when a new model comes out (unless the new model is significantly cheaper). Many of the stores don't seem to keep much stock on hand once the initial excitement for a model recedes, so they don't have a huge incentive to drop prices dramatically. Usually you see the occasional flash sale to try and clear out their last 10 items, but otherwise prices tend to stay around launch price.
Jr. Member
Jun 9, 2007
163 posts
17 upvotes
Ottawa
The Hongkong Goldway listing talks about China and International version. The China version is 150mm long versus 152mm and you can add a glass film, which is not available for International. There are other differences outlined toward the bottom of the page (I'm attaching a screen cap). I think the glass film is important to have, I don't mind where I get it, just a little concerned that I could end up getting one that doesn't fit 100%. Is there any problem getting the China version (so I can get the glass film from day one)? I'm most likely going to be using this on PC Mobile pre-paid (which uses the Bell network).
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Jr. Member
Jun 9, 2007
163 posts
17 upvotes
Ottawa
I tried the willmyphonework.net site and (assuming I entered the right values) the result says it won't support 2G but is ok for 3G and 4G. I'm confused because the screencap I attached shows identical info in the 2G row.
Jr. Member
Jun 9, 2007
163 posts
17 upvotes
Ottawa
Also, one last thing, I promise. The option to add glass film adds more than $13 to the order. When I search aliexpress for "redmi note 3 glass film" I get tempered glass film for $2.50. I saw someone buying a tempered glass cover for a iPhone at a store recently and they were paying $40-ish. So I think I want the $13 one and not the $2.50, but does that mean I have to get the China version to make sure the fit is right?
Deal Guru
Dec 10, 2004
13194 posts
7650 upvotes
Kanata
wprager wrote: Also, one last thing, I promise. The option to add glass film adds more than $13 to the order. When I search aliexpress for "redmi note 3 glass film" I get tempered glass film for $2.50. I saw someone buying a tempered glass cover for a iPhone at a store recently and they were paying $40-ish. So I think I want the $13 one and not the $2.50, but does that mean I have to get the China version to make sure the fit is right?
Seems as though you're right, the international adds 2mm, which is odd.
The $13 one, is it a nillkin? They are typically more expensive than the non-branded versions.
I'm trying to hold out for the Note 4 SD version but this Note 3 sounds like a real fun phone to have.

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