Global Version Redmi Note 9 Pro 6GB 128GB - $229USD+ shipping&duty

with 41$ shipping fee...

I used to buy these in the past (and had a bad experience of one only lasting a year), but even that aside, I don't feel it's worth it nowadays to buy these for the simple reason that companies like Samsung have stepped in with entry to mid-level models at comparable prices, once you factor in exchange, shipping, duty, etc involved with the Chinese brands. The Samsung A51, for example, you can get on discount for $383.99 (SPC or Perkopolis, but even failing that, there are reputable sellers on eBay selling for a few bucks more). Yes, the specs vary a bit here and there (25% larger battery on the Xiaomi is a big one) but by and large, these phones are still getting fairly good reviews. I'm assuming people that buy these phones are not all that nit-picky and are just looking for a few key things.

Some years ago there weren't as many options (from Samsung in particular) and these kinds of models only existed in other markets, so you would have to source them from non-Canadian sellers, leading to additional shipping costs/same hassles with warranty, etc.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41

Those numbers are precisely why these phones suck in Canada for the majority of providers.

XiaoMi has better Pixel Experience support so I personally buy them over mid-range Samsung as I want a more stock android feel.

A51 would be the obvious pick if the Exynos 9611 wasn't so dusty. As it stands it's Note 9 for build quality/feel, faster storage, faster charging and better performance. Or A51 for screen, warranty, a few extra bands and probably a better camera.


I would go with the Realme 6 pro over both of them

I buyed 2 redmi note 8 pro yesterday, its a good deal but the 9 is too big for me

When i click op link it shows 299 not 229. Can you tell me how to get this price

I will say just avoid ordering from Aliexpress for now, ordered a Honor Watch 2 in March and it's been in transit ever since. It's from the official store but stuck due to Convid.

Ruciz wrote: ↑ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41

Those numbers are precisely why these phones suck in Canada for the majority of providers.

Actually those numbers will give you 4g access to all the providers except FM. And I know that sometimes 12, 13, and 17 are used, but those are rare occasions AFAIK. While most Chinese phones rarely have the needed Canadian bands, Xiaomi phones usually have them.

The down side of this phone is under sunlight.

Here's a video review of this phone.



If you want a good mid-range phone for a fair price, I recommend buying the 6 GB RAM / 128 GB storage model of the Redmi Note 9 Pro global version from an AliExpress seller which offers free or reasonably priced standard shipping as an alternative to DHL. One such listing is located here. My Redmi Note 5 (whyred) global version phone which I bought from AliExpress in 2018 is still running beautifully on the Pixel Experience Plus 9.0 (Pie) custom ROM.

Xiaomi devices are great if you're on a supported wireless carrier and don't mind unlocking the bootloader and flashing a custom ROM for better performance than MIUI. However, unlocking the bootloader on newer phones will cause the SafetyNet security check to fail which disables Google Pay usage for tap-to-pay transactions.

Agreed almost no escaping duty with DHL, with standard shipping a lot more go through as sellers often mark it down as an ereader or something.

GabbyWC wrote: ↑ If you want a good mid-range phone for a fair price, I recommend buying the 6 GB RAM / 128 GB storage model of the Redmi Note 9 Pro global version from an AliExpress seller which offers free or reasonably priced standard shipping as an alternative to DHL. One such listing is located here. My Redmi Note 5 (whyred) global version phone which I bought from AliExpress in 2018 is still running beautifully on the Pixel Experience Plus 9.0 (Pie) custom ROM.

Xiaomi devices are great if you're on a supported wireless carrier and don't mind unlocking the bootloader and flashing a custom ROM for better performance than MIUI. However, unlocking the bootloader on newer phones will cause the SafetyNet security check to fail which disables Google Pay usage for tap-to-pay transactions.

I also have a Redmi Note 5 (whyred) and disagree with your comment that unlocking and flashing something non-MIUI is necessary for a good experience. In fact, I prefer MIUI over Pixel Experience/AOSP.

I'm sharing this opinion not to be argumentative with you, I'd just like to share an alternative perspective. I don't believe the average lurker will need to go through all the extra hoops you've suggested to enjoy their phones software.

@Otters11
Any particular reason why you'd pick Realme 6 pro over other?

Pecopls wrote: ↑ I also have a Redmi Note 5 (whyred) and disagree with your comment that unlocking and flashing something non-MIUI is necessary for a good experience. In fact, I prefer MIUI over Pixel Experience/AOSP.

I'm sharing this opinion not to be argumentative with you, I'd just like to share an alternative perspective. I don't believe the average lurker will need to go through all the extra hoops you've suggested to enjoy their phones software.

I didn't say that a custom ROM is needed for a good experience. It can improve things from good to great, however, and I definitely won't go back to MIUI on my Redmi Note 5 after using Pixel Experience for years. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and some people think that MIUI is fine but that doesn't change the fact that Xiaomi's mobile operating system comes preloaded with plenty of unnecessary apps and questionable behavior with regard to privacy. The average user may not even know what unlocking a bootloader means so it's obviously not for everyone. It's nice that Xiaomi provides that option for power users, though, in contrast to other companies that don't allow bootloader unlocking or make it unnecessarily difficult.

M1sho2000 wrote: ↑ Actually those numbers will give you 4g access to all the providers except FM. And I know that sometimes 12, 13, and 17 are used, but those are rare occasions AFAIK. While most Chinese phones rarely have the needed Canadian bands, Xiaomi phones usually have them.

Without bands 12, 13, 17, and 29 you'll miss out on the high low carrier aggregation combinations and max LTE speeds. Ever since the 700mhz spectrum auction, they've been deployed along with the high end spectrums to support the LTE-A or LTE+ network.

Also, if you ever roam in the USA it won't work on the LTE network for Verizon or AT&T.

A-Town wrote: ↑ Without bands 12, 13, 17, and 29 you'll miss out on the high low carrier aggregation combinations and max LTE speeds. Ever since the 700mhz spectrum auction, they've been deployed along with the high end spectrums to support the LTE-A or LTE+ network.

Also, if you ever roam in the USA it won't work on the LTE network for Verizon or AT&T.

Sounds like you know what you are taking about, and I'm not going to argue, since I'm not an expert. From what I read though, even 3g speeds are good enough, for what most people use their mobile data.

GabbyWC wrote: ↑ Here's a video review of this phone.



If you want a good mid-range phone for a fair price, I recommend buying the 6 GB RAM / 128 GB storage model of the Redmi Note 9 Pro global version from an AliExpress seller which offers free or reasonably priced standard shipping as an alternative to DHL. One such listing is located here. My Redmi Note 5 (whyred) global version phone which I bought from AliExpress in 2018 is still running beautifully on the Pixel Experience Plus 9.0 (Pie) custom ROM.

Xiaomi devices are great if you're on a supported wireless carrier and don't mind unlocking the bootloader and flashing a custom ROM for better performance than MIUI. However, unlocking the bootloader on newer phones will cause the SafetyNet security check to fail which disables Google Pay usage for tap-to-pay transactions.

This is extreamly misleading for those never having purchased Xiaomi devices. The stock software works great -- your post suggests otherwise.

Also 6gb is overkill. I don't get why a phone with a mid-range chip needs 6gb. Unsure what it can do more then a 3gb or 4gb of ram.

toguy wrote: ↑ I used to buy these in the past (and had a bad experience of one only lasting a year),

Did you break it? I had the Redmi Note 4 and Redmi Note 7 and both lasted until I wanted to upgrade. Don't understand how you only got a year out of it when I just read a few days ago someone's parent is still rocking the 4?

toguy wrote: ↑ but even that aside, I don't feel it's worth it nowadays to buy these for the simple reason that companies like Samsung have stepped in with entry to mid-level models at comparable prices, The Samsung A51, for example, you can get on discount for $383.99

$383 is still more expensive than this phone by quite a bit. I also got my 7 shortly after it came out for $195usd so these Chinese phones are still much cheaper than the low-to-middle entry phones from the name brands.

toguy wrote: ↑ once you factor in exchange, shipping, duty, etc involved with the Chinese brands.

The exchange is done through my CC and some have 0% forex charges, shipping was free, no duty charged. If you meant DHL or the upgraded shipping then yes, it costs money and they charge duty but what's the point when you can avoid all that just by waiting a week or two longer. It's gotten a lot better anyways, my 7 took eight days:


2019.07.24 12:15 (GMT-7): Delivery successful
2019.07.24 07:33 (GMT-7): Shipment at local distribution center
2019.07.21 12:56 (GMT-7): Shipment at local distribution center
2019.07.21 12:56 (GMT-7): Accepted by Last Mile Carrier
2019.07.21 12:55 (GMT-7): Arrived at destination country
2019.07.17 23:30 (GMT-7): Departed country of origin
2019.07.16 15:04 (GMT-7): Shipment left country of origin warehouse
2019.07.16 15:04 (GMT-7): Shipment accepted by airline
2019.07.16 10:16 (GMT-7): Shipment at country of origin warehouse
2019.07.16 09:46 (GMT-7): Shipment dispatched

toguy wrote: ↑
Yes, the specs vary a bit here and there (25% larger battery on the Xiaomi is a big one) but by and large, these phones are still getting fairly good reviews.

25% battery is just one of the better specs but can't be downplayed, 25% is a lot! Processing power, RAM, memory are all things that are lacking with the middle tier brand name phones.

toguy wrote: ↑
I'm assuming people that buy these phones are not all that nit-picky and are just looking for a few key things.

Yes, powerful processing, lots of storage, and long lasting battery. Everything else is sequential. The only thing I've ever really hated with the Redmi line is the shitty microphone and lack of NFC. I also think the camera could be better with some more features (stabilization, slo-mo, etc.) but overall, it still takes wicked pics and a lot of people comment about the high quality.

toguy wrote: ↑
Some years ago there weren't as many options (from Samsung in particular) and these kinds of models only existed in other markets, so you would have to source them from non-Canadian sellers, leading to additional shipping costs/same hassles with warranty, etc.

Agreed about the warranty hassles but luckily I've never had to go through it. Also the privacy issues surrounding chinese phones. All-in-all, these phones are still the best bang for your buck IMO.