xiaomi phones - advice please

[hab1966]

My current plan (Samsung S8 on EE) comes to an end shortly and i'm looking to go SIM only and perhaps change my phone by buying a new one outright.

I've been looking at Chinese phones for a while as you seem to get more for your money; if you take the risk. Id be buying from either Aliexpress or Gearbest.

Id look to buy the phone with the Global ROM installed. Is this a trusted Xiaomi ROM or a hacked one from a third party? Will my bank apps be happy running? Or is it like a rooted phone where bank apps wont run?

I like the Mi 9, though would also consider the Mi9SE or MI9Lite, trouble is without wading through lots of specs on different web pages there's no easy comparison table. Then this week i've seen the Redmi Note 8 Pro, which is also of interest.

Does anybody have either a Xiaomi or Redmi phone and what are your experiences?

I did see a sole user review that said he returned his phone (Mi9) due to the adverts. I wasn't aware that there were ads on these phones?

[grumbledoak]

I have a Xioami Mi A2 Lite, bought SIM free from a physical Mi store. Android One, all my apps work. Very happy.

No ads - I've never even heard mention of ads on them.

[LHRFlightman]

Not had that make, but I'm currently running an Honor 8x and can't fault it.

Regular updates, runs all apps, no adverts. Worked perfectly in the USA and Europe. All good!

[anonymous-user]

Bought my Xaiomi mi 9 "global" version recently. From Eglobal.

All apps work including:

Halifax
Santander personal
Santander business
Nationwide

Don't confuse it with Huawei in regards to app store issues.

It's just another phone!

This "Chinese phone" is made in the same country as your Samsung's, apples, Motos etc. All phones are "Chinese phones" :-)

Great phone. Amazing cameras, great value.

[AJB88]

Depending on who your bank is depends on if it works, Barclays is the worst app out there for not supporting OS or claiming its rooted.

[ocrx8]

I’ve used a Mi A2 for a couple of months. Bar the average battery life I’ve been really impressed.

[hab1966]

AJB88 said:

Depending on who your bank is depends on if it works, Barclays is the worst app out there for not supporting OS or claiming its rooted.

My main account is with Barclays but i also use Starling. Phone would need to work with both of them,

[AJB88]

I have Barclays, N26 and Metro. Barclays works on my Pixel devices as long as its a public release and not BETA but back in the day with other devices it has been hit and miss.

[AlexC1981]

Check to see if an official global ROM is available from Xiaomi. Don't buy one with a Chinese ROM that has been modified to work in English as you might not get updates. You'll need to do a bit of research. The reviews on AliExpress can help.

I can't see any difference between a Galaxy S8 and a Mi 9 SE that makes paying for an upgrade worth it unless your S8 is buggered.

https://www.kimovil.com/en/compare/samsung-galaxy-...

[jimmythingy]

I've got a MI9 se and all apps running great with no problems. I'm a complete numpty with tech and found it easy to change and I came from an Apple. It does come with adverts when you open some miui apps but these can be disabled easily.(Google miui adverts disable) Everything hardware wise is fantastic, screen is clear. A few quirks but mainly Apple Vs Android type things. I love it, cheap phone and no two year contracts.

[anonymous-user]

I have a pocophone f1, i have the barclays app, sometimes it can be unstable if plugged in or low battery but maybe 10% of the time.

[C0ffin D0dger]

Have a Xiaomi Mi A1 bought from Banggood. Absolutely no problem with it, even came with a UK charger. Regular updates, all banking apps work, been a great phone for the money.

Xiaomi do have a UK presence now if you don't want to go down the import route: https://www.mi.com/uk/index.html

[I-A]

I've had Redmi Note 4 (Global Version) since release a few years ago - still going strong!

I'm considering treating myself to the Redmi Note 8 once the Global Version is released (Band 20).

No issues at all, very quick and impressive battery life.

[okenemem]

i had a a2 lite , and the phone was fine ,

but i had a few weird glitches which i had enough of ,

sometimes the phone would go slow or the screen would just go really dark and many other things , just forgotton what else it would do