Hi,
I'm willing to buy a new Android phone.
I'm not so excited about the prices of current flagships models (S3, S4, Nexus, HTC One, etc.) but I like their hardware (obviously!).
About one month ago I discovered a whole bunch of Android phones from China. Their specs are amazing (beside the processors, MTKXXXX).
What I'm asking here is:
is there a phone from these China makers which has:
- a decent processor (not MTK series)
- current flagship phones hardware (1-2gb ram, quad core processor, decent front/back camera, various sensors, etc.)
- availability outside China (I'm from Italy)
- support for custom roms (like Cyanogenmod or any AOSP/AOKP)
?
Thank you
Take a look at Oppo, Meizu and the like. They have great specs and some models are made not only for China but for the rest of the world as well.
cippa lippa said:
thanks would like to see them...so why people buy sony,htc ecc yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Biggest reason that most don't buy those phones is there is no trust of knock off devices.
OP you may find roms for them on other sites but you will not find any here.
Wayne Tech S-III
cippa lippa said:
thanks would like to see them...so why people buy sony,htc ecc yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also, not all of the Chinese smartphones are intended for external market.
Thank you for your answers.
I've asked this question because I'm interested in having a decent piece of hardware (I don't care if it's a knockoff of another phone or if it has original design) AND a ROM that is not the original one. I've read they're full of chinese bloatware and bugs, so the combination I'm looking for is a decent hardware and a rom made by other developers than chinese one (a cyanogenmod?)
But if there is no support here at XDA for any of these phones I think it's not worth to buy any one of those phones.
Bootlaoder language written in chinese
Hi,
I wanted to install ROM but after putting the tablet in bootloader mode, I discovered the language is Chinese. I took picture and is attached here. Any help interpreting or changing to English? This is just frustrating.
It one of those generic tablets made by Speed. The model is MB-Z5S.
Related
Hi!
I'm planning on buying a Chinese copy of HD2. I'm not concerned that it's 100% fake and build quality is not on par with real HTC, cause I really need the dual SIM functionality.
My questions are:
1. can it be SID-unlocked (does it have to be?)
2. will any of the custom WWE ROMs install and run on it?
3. will both SIMs be visible in any custom ROM or do I have to install a specific ROM which supports dual SIM dual standby functionality?
Whoever got to play with these Chinese phones, please let me know!
Thank you!
im pretty sure that it wont even rom stock windows mobile 6.5 i think there will be stock chinese software wich isnt even a smartphone
@ dim4x4
the Oboe Phone is a dual SIM with WM6.5, if u get ur Clone Phone and u can get the ROM dumped, edited and reflashed. i beleive u will be able to make a custom ROM.
WBR
Siemens Lover
there r chinese clones out there with windows mobile 6.5 running but most of the clones i've seen are not even smartphones... they r running chiinese software made to look like winmo. and some runs a chinese special system derived/modified from the latest windows CE builds.
oh ya and definately you cant use any of the roms designed for real HD2 coz the hardware and bios design was diff.
Just grab a (HTC) HD2 and another cheap phone from Ebay if You really need to use 2 sim cards . Thats what I did. You can buy a small handy SE W880i for like 15 pounds in uk and it also supports 3G network. Dont buy a China copy or You will get stuck with a crap phone that can easly develop a fault. Its not worth Your money.
dim4x4 said:
Hi!
I'm planning on buying a Chinese copy of HD2. I'm not concerned that it's 100% fake and build quality is not on par with real HTC, cause I really need the dual SIM functionality.
My questions are:
1. can it be SID-unlocked (does it have to be?)
2. will any of the custom WWE ROMs install and run on it?
3. will both SIMs be visible in any custom ROM or do I have to install a specific ROM which supports dual SIM dual standby functionality?
Whoever got to play with these Chinese phones, please let me know!
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Yes , it can but there´s no need for
2. Google for it. If you detect a custom ROM for that special device you might test it. I suppose there isn´t. And never, never try to flash a ROM for another device. It would certainly brick your phone
3. It depends on your luck to find a ROM for that special device. Otherwise see 2.
Thanks for the advice, guys! Will let you know how it goes.
Hi Dim,
I bought one of these chinese phones... for my chinese wife (because these chinese phones look so cool)
First it's plastic in bad quality! you will get scratches by your fingernails!
Second, the audio quality for talking on caller and receipient side were worse. The speakers are in bad quality: mp3 bad, talking bad, listening bad.
Third, signal strength must be high to work. Often you lose your signal and can't call anyone.
All in one, i can say, that you waste your money. Mine looks like a iPhone 4, but thats all you have on pro's side. On con's side the three points i wrote above.
I bought a new mobile, galaxy from Samsung, and my wife is healed from thinking that the chinese mobiles could be better in any aspect.
Hope this will stop you from buying this crap!
hi
most of people who reply on you,they dont know anything at all about smart chinese phone
and about flashing rom to chinese smart phones will require differant software depends on cpu, because chinese usally use hisillicon cpu or MTK cpu,so when you decide to buy just ask for condation that they send you software and rom.and have fun with cheap and great quilty,and if you decide to buy some model you can ask here for advice
Hi,
With me the same. Still the proud owner of a HTC Universal. I need a "Dual SIM Standby" and came across this chinese vendor. Here are the specs:
-Dual sim card dual standy
-CPU: Huawei Hisilicon K3533, 533MHz,could updated to 600MHz;
-2G ROM+2G bits RAM;
-Windows mobile system 6.5 and Android 2.2(Optional)
-GSM EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
-Support TF card up to 16GB;
-5.0M pixels wtih double cameras;
-WLAN/WI-FI 802.11b/g; *GPS Navigation;
-Support G-Sensor function;
-Support Microsoft Office word/excel/powerpoint etc and email;
-Support IM:MSN,SKYPE,facebook,twitter,OICQ,QQ etc;
-4.3inch WQVGA Touch screen,65,000colors,400x800 pixels;
-Connection:Bluetooth 2.0,WI-FI,EDGE,Active Sync and USB2.0;
-JAVA 2.0, GPRS class 10 and WAP2.0;
-Video Format:3GP,MP4,AVI,ASF,WMV,RM ect;
-Music Format:MP3,WMA,WAV,AMR,ect;
-Photo Format:Jpg,gif,png,BMP,Flash ect;
-Ringtone Format:MP3,WMA,AMR and WAV;
-2PCS Lithium-ion rechargeable Batteries:1650mAh/3.7V;
-Dimensions: 107x51x13mm, 128g weight
So, indeed the CPU is not a 1 GHz Snapdragon™-prosessor, but 533 Mhz Hisilicon. But look at the 2G ROM and 2 Gb RAM! Wonder if this is for compensating on the lower CPU?
But here is the thing. I am not a real "Flasher". I basically kept my Universal as-is, and installed a shell on top to have a new look. I started playing around with new ROMs just to improve the available memory on ROM and RAM.
The question is in this case if most of my WM5 apps will work on this Chinese phone? Second question is then, like "@latersooner" says, who on XDA can assist in flashing Chinese ROMs?
Maybe a suggestion could be to have a seperate entry on the forum list "Chinese clones" or something? Just an idea. I see that they are ahead of the competition in Europe, releasing both dual, 3 and 4 SIM phones, both Windows, Android and other (Symbian?).
dim4x4 said:
Hi!
I'm planning on buying a Chinese copy of HD2. I'm not concerned that it's 100% fake and build quality is not on par with real HTC, cause I really need the dual SIM functionality.
My questions are:
1. can it be SID-unlocked (does it have to be?)
2. will any of the custom WWE ROMs install and run on it?
3. will both SIMs be visible in any custom ROM or do I have to install a specific ROM which supports dual SIM dual standby functionality?
Whoever got to play with these Chinese phones, please let me know!
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
See this http://www.eten-users.eu/index.php?showtopic=21207&st=0&
latersooner said:
hi
most of people who reply on you,they dont know anything at all about smart chinese phone
and about flashing rom to chinese smart phones will require differant software depends on cpu, because chinese usally use hisillicon cpu or MTK cpu,so when you decide to buy just ask for condation that they send you software and rom.and have fun with cheap and great quilty,and if you decide to buy some model you can ask here for advice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely agree. Do your research first guys! There are some very interesting Chinese smartphones out there. If you're only looking for cheap imitation, yes, you're bound to be disappointed.
Having said that, China manufacturers are now starting to make dual sim Android smartphones with excellent specs. Only thing missing is 3G. Must say, I don't really miss it. 2G is fine for social media updates and email. Only for heavy surfing you need 3G.
I'm very pleased with the Flying Star FG8 I bought recently
I have a lot of information on chinese models star A2000, A1000, A5000 and will be making a thread shortly covering everything I know including rooting, fixes, roms and recovery.
i agree , this phone have bad speker and bad accesories
-.- so you need to buy acc agan
Chinese not-fake phones
I live in Africa. There's a brand that is very widespread here called TECNO - Chinese. Several of their phones run Android, the later models being the N3 and N7.
I bought an N3 out of curiosity - at $94 it did not seem to be a big risk. It supports 2 SIMs, one 3g, and the other vanilla. Seems to work OK as an Android phone (Gingerbread). My only real criticism is the camera, which tends to produce purple pictures in bright lighting.
It seems quite well made. I have been able to root it, and can get to it normally via ADB and Fastboot. I've written a few small applications and everything seems to work as expected. However, I have not been able to find a CWM recovery for it that works, and so far have not seen a ROM that claims to support 2 SIMS.
A single SIM phone is a liability here in Tanzania. There's one operator - Airtel - who can do 3G at a reasonable price, but their calls are expensive. The others are GSM, but what everyone you know uses for normal telephony.
So even if I could find a CWM recovery, and flash CyanogenMod, I'd be robbing myself. Why is the rest of the world stuck on this single SIM thing?
britseye said:
I live in Africa. There's a brand that is very widespread here called TECNO - Chinese. Several of their phones run Android, the later models being the N3 and N7.
I bought an N3 out of curiosity - at $94 it did not seem to be a big risk. It supports 2 SIMs, one 3g, and the other vanilla. Seems to work OK as an Android phone (Gingerbread). My only real criticism is the camera, which tends to produce purple pictures in bright lighting.
It seems quite well made. I have been able to root it, and can get to it normally via ADB and Fastboot. I've written a few small applications and everything seems to work as expected. However, I have not been able to find a CWM recovery for it that works, and so far have not seen a ROM that claims to support 2 SIMS.
A single SIM phone is a liability here in Tanzania. There's one operator - Airtel - who can do 3G at a reasonable price, but their calls are expensive. The others are GSM, but what everyone you know uses for normal telephony.
So even if I could find a CWM recovery, and flash CyanogenMod, I'd be robbing myself. Why is the rest of the world stuck on this single SIM thing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pole are working on it just be patient
Sent from my myTouch 4G using xda app-developers app
Hello all ,
Recently I purchased an unbranded Chinese Tablet with Tegra2 chip which is running Android 2.2 At the moment.
I have found out there is no Software lock nor restrictions on changing the ROM on this tablet. So I would like to put a custom ROM on it if possible.
I have two questions :
1- Is there any system requirements I should be aware before putting any custom ROM on my device? for example any specific PBC board/chipset or other component?
2- What is the best custom Adnroid 3 series ROM ( with the most stability and functionality ) which is designed for Tegra2 chipset?
Please go easy on me as I am new and would like to expand my knowledge with productive help of people here
Thanks
If you run an Android 2.2- 2.3 then there's certainly no. At least none with more then a tegra2. I think you could simply run like all ROMs.
Because I am looking for ROMs also, I think I saw something interesting.
But is your tablet copied? Just, tge chinese made it cheaper?
Then you should search on that tablet on XDA
Regards
Sent from my LG-P500 using XDA App
Yea the tablet is copied from other ones , obviously does not have the same specification hence the cheap price. And it has only 512MB RAM which is not a problem for me as I am not a gamer.
But I am sure some ROMs work with certain hardware and setup better than others.
I have to get more hardware detail when I have the tablet in hand.
However I prefer to have more information first. So any help and suggestion is appreciated.
I'm specifically looking for android 3.0 and newer version which is compatible with the device
** Any assistance? ***
Sorry for late reply...
I am really sorry, but I have no experience with tablets and Chinese tablets. I am sorry.
But if you flash recovery with ROM manager nothing can go wrong because you can always go back!
Sent from my LG Optimus One P500 using XDA App
HI
i;m will to by SII galaxy , but i found 2 models in the market 9100 and 9100G , i found only the difference in the chipset and the GUP only , i need to know which one in better and the newest one ? and i read that you are not allowed to install custom rom on 9100G is that right ? and please if there are any other difference between these 2 models tell me ..
Definitely get an I9100.
Has a better processor, capable of faster data speeds if your network supports them due to the better processor. Lots more options on here/elsewhere so far as custom roms/kernels are concerned.
Do a Google search for the exact differences/specs.
You can install custom roms on I9100G, there just doesn't seem to be a lot of them around. That's certainly the case on here, put it that way.
i found a comparison here between the 2 models , like i said in my previous post all the difference i found in 3G speed, chipset and GPU , nothing else... so do you think regarding the previous differences the 9100 is better? by the way is 9100 is newest than 9100G ?
For me, the I9100 is better because there's far more custom roms & kernels for it on here (about a 20:1 ratio). Technically speaking by way of an "inferior" processor, the I9100G wouldn't even be on my radar. We have networks in Australia capable of much faster than 7.2mpbs.
If something is superior processor/GPU-wise, newest has nothing to do with it
sshehab said:
i found a comparison here between the 2 models , like i said in my previous post all the difference i found in 3G speed, chipset and GPU , nothing else... so do you think regarding the previous differences the 9100 is better? by the way is 9100 is newest than 9100G ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MistahBungle said:
For me, the I9100 is better because there's far more custom roms & kernels for it on here (about a 20:1 ratio). Technically speaking by way of an "inferior" processor, the I9100G wouldn't even be on my radar. We have networks in Australia capable of much faster than 7.2mpbs.
If something is superior processor/GPU-wise, newest has nothing to do with it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as i understood from your reply that 9100 is better from custom ROM and kernels perspective but 9100G is better from specification perspective.. Right ?
No. Wrong.
I9100/T has a better processor/GPU and a billion times more custom/rom kernel options.
sshehab said:
As far as i understood from your reply that 9100 is better from custom ROM and kernels perspective but 9100G is better from specification perspective.. Right ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MistahBungle said:
No. Wrong.
I9100/T has a better processor/GPU and a billion times more custom/rom kernel options.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when i was googling i found this nice comparison
That's a good article so far as the specs go, there's a bit of opinion in there tho (the mention of the heat issue with the SGS2, never had these problems running stock & have rarely encountered them running custom roms/kernels).
At the end of the day if having choices so far as different custom roms/kernels are important to you, then you'd probably get a I9100/T. If not, you'd get any other I9100 you like.
With the SGS3 due later this year, the lack of custom firmware available for the I9100G is very unlikely to change, as well as most of the developers living in countries where the I9100/T is the most commonly/readily available device and those devices having seemingly larger userbases (at least on here anyways).
It's entirely up to you.
G = very very BIG no 99% of users regret buying the G model .
But your choice .
jje
here is also another useful comparison see the last paragraph "Which phone to buy?"
OK. So you should have enough info to make an informed choice then.
after a lot of searching and according to my requirements i think 9100 will be suitable for my needs.. Thanks guys for your help..
Definitely the GT-I9100 !!
If you are interested in modding, playing and getting support for ANY phone, NEVER EVER go with models that have been branched-off from initial model. They just cause trouble regarding updating, developer support, and OEM support. They're a cheap sales trick, used by companies (Samsung) who are more interested in selling NEW phones without any long term commitment to support like Apple's 3+ years.
Just look at what happened to the I9000! It is still my opinion the best phone ever created by Samsung, but they already stopped supporting it long time ago, including by Google Android ICS, even though there is no apparent reason for not having that support...
E:V:A said:
Just look at what happened to the I9000! It is still my opinion the best phone ever created by Samsung, but they already stopped supporting it long time ago, including by Google Android ICS, even though there is no apparent reason for not having that support...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not entirely true. Yeah the S1 may not be getting ICS, but support has not stopped.
On the S1 forum the latest firmware is a leaked JVU 2.3.6, same version as the latest S2 firmware. It also has plenty of new changes, including the Note lockscreen & faceunlock
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1431596
Sent from my GT-I9100T
hi,
so after reading about the differences between the two models i feel kinda screwed. after my i9100 got wet i got some cash from the insurance company and went to buy a replacement.
good thing i'm a newb and didn't think about the possibility of a cheap rip-off version of my phone existing. so i just got a new "sgs2". well great. aside from more than lacking custom dev support it's also supposed to be slower and weaker in regards of game performance.
do you guys think, this will improve or should i throw my phone into the sh*tter and try to get another replacement? if they even had any non-g models. i feel cheated! thinking that for only 50€ more i could have gotten a nexus at the same store.
/edit: i do not acutally plan to heavily mod my phone. just use bacis (root) apps and all that. no custom rom or anything. i only fear that updating to non-official android os versions in the future (like when the sgs2 is outdated in ~2 years) might prove difficult. if i can't get ics on this phone i'm going to murder everyone at that store.
My first SGS2 was i9100 but it crashed and seller gave me my money back. So I ordered the same phone from another seller and he sent me i9100G but on his site was clearly said he is selling i9100 with MALI400 GPU.
So I sent it back again and I am waiting for answer from seller now.
Here is my comparison i9100G to i9100 version:
- i9100G was slower in rendering web sites in Chrome and opera
- same battery time
- G was slower in apps
- I had problems with many apps on the G version, they were crashing all the time: opera, email, games...
I didn't like the i9100G at all, it was slower, less powerful phone with crashing apps for the same price.
After years of many & varied devices I'm thinking about taking the plunge into a tablet-esque (4.1 - 5") dual-SIM phone and will probably take a gamble with one of the 'exotic' Chinese brands - there seem to be some great deals around. But that's the problem! There are so many sub-$250 good spec devices that I don't know where to turn.
I'd like to go for one that has a decent community following in terms of future OS updates, rooting, CWM support etc, Can anyone suggest a fairly well supported / open device (or manufacturer) with a track record of being up dateable?
Basic hardware spec is dual core, dual-SIM, 4" or greater display but that's about it.
Thanks,
Steve
steveharman said:
After years of many & varied devices I'm thinking about taking the plunge into a tablet-esque (4.1 - 5") dual-SIM phone and will probably take a gamble with one of the 'exotic' Chinese brands - there seem to be some great deals around. But that's the problem! There are so many sub-$250 good spec devices that I don't know where to turn.
I'd like to go for one that has a decent community following in terms of future OS updates, rooting, CWM support etc, Can anyone suggest a fairly well supported / open device (or manufacturer) with a track record of being up dateable?
Basic hardware spec is dual core, dual-SIM, 4" or greater display but that's about it.
Thanks,
Steve
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately most of these phones while pretty easy to root, and some not all have CWM they often have poor support because manufactures don't release there kernel source code. The few ROMS that do exist for these phones are usually very buggy and the companies offer notoriously bad update support or no support for that matter.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
---------- Post added at 12:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:40 PM ----------
shimp208 said:
Unfortunately most of these phones while pretty easy to root, and some not all have CWM they often have poor support because manufactures don't release there kernel source code. The few ROMS that do exist for these phones are usually very buggy and the companies offer notoriously bad update support or no support for that matter.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would take a look at the Xperia Tipo Dual it's not a specs beast but it has good support and kernel source is available. If you want better specs look at the Acer liquid gallant duo it's around $250.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Hi
I was figuring buying a Spark X. I see the Spark series have no entry here, so I wander I had a good idea. Although, following various links here I think I found the man Porridgek3 works on this X model from a somewhat old COS13.0.2 (comparing to COS13.1.4 for others, e.g. Swift series).
Not being a coder myself I can't read the code at github, so I'd like if this is not stupid question/request to read a thread about what are the changes from stock COS13 to the Porridge custom CM13.
Thank you and happy new year to everyboby at XDA.
The Spark devices are pretty poor. They all have Mediatek processors and updates are much slower than for other Wileyfox devices.
flibblesan said:
The Spark devices are pretty poor. They all have Mediatek processors and updates are much slower than for other Wileyfox devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My aim is not to have a speed daemon. I search something with good and removable battery (Spark X has one and as about same hardware than Spark/Spark+, I guess the autonomy would be better), and I could easily remove the bloatware (stock CN13 would help, I believe, to switch to CMod if exists).
I currently have a Liquid-MT (my first smartphone) for which by chance there was a custom ROM available based on GB-2.3.6, and it was so difficult for me to jailbreak it that I decided to keep it as is until now when mechanical problems with the internal microphone make replacement nearly mandatory.
Also, I'm focused to keep as far away as possible from google and GAFAs I have no confidence in Samsung so I don't even try to know if their devices are easy to make free. That's why I was so happy to discover my target from a single European manufacturer (at least designer) that ships his own with CN, and I easily accept to have a poor camera inside, only 802.11bg and basic 4G. I also know that the Spark X has poor dpi compared to other Sparks because of larger screen, and accept this as a consequence of my decision on battery... an so on...
Not being very much aware in ROMs, I don't know by which tail to catch the beast. I don't really choose for a model, instead I exclude others: GAFA, big Broth, God keeps me away! High end... for tainted kids (or their backward parents), out! Chinese, let's them make phones for ... themselves. So what does remain? Here is my way.
SparkX continued
Hi, how did things go with the sparkx ? I have one here and after no updates for a long time the updates arrived and bumped to nougat and I began to feel like i was signing my life away.
A while back I found an old release of sailfish for my ZTE open C so ive been making steps towards porting sailfish to the sparkx. still in early stages but i am confident it is possible.
1stStep said:
My aim is not to have a speed daemon. I search something with good and removable battery (Spark X has one and as about same hardware than Spark/Spark+, I guess the autonomy would be better), and I could easily remove the bloatware (stock CN13 would help, I believe, to switch to CMod if exists).
I currently have a Liquid-MT (my first smartphone) for which by chance there was a custom ROM available based on GB-2.3.6, and it was so difficult for me to jailbreak it that I decided to keep it as is until now when mechanical problems with the internal microphone make replacement nearly mandatory.
Also, I'm focused to keep as far away as possible from google and GAFAs I have no confidence in Samsung so I don't even try to know if their devices are easy to make free. That's why I was so happy to discover my target from a single European manufacturer (at least designer) that ships his own with CN, and I easily accept to have a poor camera inside, only 802.11bg and basic 4G. I also know that the Spark X has poor dpi compared to other Sparks because of larger screen, and accept this as a consequence of my decision on battery... an so on...
Not being very much aware in ROMs, I don't know by which tail to catch the beast. I don't really choose for a model, instead I exclude others: GAFA, big Broth, God keeps me away! High end... for tainted kids (or their backward parents), out! Chinese, let's them make phones for ... themselves. So what does remain? Here is my way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse