Chinese android phones - point me in right direction please?

SaberX on 23/06/2014 - 11:04
Last edited 23/06/2014 - 11:05

Hi guys, never had a chinese android. Currently on a samsung s3. Wuold like to pick up a chinese manufactured phone that has good quality and specs for its price, without the pricetag of a branded phone like samsung.

Ideally I'm not very clued up about android specs, techs, news etc, and was hoping those more well connected/up to date could point me in the right direction. From what I know current phones in the spotlight as the latest/greatest seem to be: Xiao mi's MI3, LG 2, Oneplus one, oppo find 7??Guy at work got the Jiayu G4S octacore.

I'd love to be able to use the android ecosystem/apps similar to if you bought a samsung, sony etc here in oz e.g. have play store, more of a western style of access than all chinese apps, ecosystems etc. Ideally I've never rooted so would like something out of the box that gives a decent OS experience, and great battery life.

The samsung s3 currently lasts me 2-3 hrs screen time max (closer to 2 now that its 2 years old). From what I hear, and I"d love, screen times can stretch for more than 6-10 hours of use, and get more than a day usage. I'm sick of going from 100% to 70% with an hour of screen time e.g. sms'ing, whatsapp, browsing, not gaming or intensive video etc, just general screen time.

Could anyone suggest something? I'd rather pay more of the premium chinese phones e.g. $300-400 if i have to, rather than $200 if it means a chance of a phone breaking or sub-par performance.

I'm on Vaya now (Optus, switching to telstra soon as I'll be FIFO regional. I think some say chinese phones work differently bandwith wise so not all will work on 3G/4G here?

What else should I look for in a chinese phone? The snapdragon 800 is the most common/best bang for buck processor currently yes? And I need a minimum of 2GB do i for RAM? or is 3gb common/more future proof (my 1 gb samsung s3 soon became chock full , i assume due to the android OS being updated over time, apps taking up more ram/space???)and want to avoid that lagging effect over time as software overtakes the tech?

Has anyone else got anything good/bad to say about the xiaomi mi3, i note the xiaomistore aus is having a sale now some have mentioned.

Note: I generally use my phone for browsing, emails, chatting , light odd game or two, or light video, but i do not play intense games, or videos 24/7. don't know if that will help with any suggestions?

Mobile

Comments

  • samwyze on 23/06/2014 - 11:55

    My advice is to do plenty of online research, so you know exactly what you're getting, especially around warranty/return issues. Also check Huawei and ZTE.

  • ozb-442 on 23/06/2014 - 12:28

    I'm in a similar boat to you, however i just don't want to spend money

    The best phone right now price wise, in my opinion would be the nexus 5 - https://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&tbm=shop&q=nexus+5&oq…

    Only $365 delivered.

    Has 4g, good specs, everything basically, except for expandable memory. That's the only downside really

    However if you're right with 16gb worth of storage, there you go.

    • SaberX on 16/07/2014 - 22:21

      I thought the battery is only 2300mah or something in the low 2000s? I'm really after a battery powerhouse, sick of how my s3 has given me less than 2 hours screen time. i'm just itching for a phone that I can leave over the course of a mornign to night before charging, yet still get a few hours of browsing, app use or whatever if say i'm on the run, on holidays etc. at the moment I use 1 hour (which combines to add up really fast) of use and im down to like 60% or something insane… true i have had the battery/phone for nearly 2 yrs but when i first got it 3 hrs was my max anyway :(

      Hmm 16gb storage does seem abit hard to go by if there's no microsd expansion??? LG manufactures the nexus 5 yes?

      WHat options are you looking at being in the same boat? I saw at Telstra today (I need telstra for my new job) the Sony Z2 is $672 compared to your $800+'s for the others in the group: S5, ONe m8.

      Was considering 1+1 given its price… but this invite system is really annoying /trouble some sounding, like it isnt worth the chase.

  • PVA on 23/06/2014 - 14:33

    make sure you don't buy this brand.
    http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jun/18/chinese-sm…
    Complete with Malware built in.

    I would look at brand names still, i have read the cheaper Chinese ones have really poor battery life.

    • SaberX on 16/07/2014 - 22:25

      Really? I thought they came packed with power and large 3000mah+ batteries these DAYS?

      I'm not sure whether to go with the chinese brands or cheaper alternatives: xiao mi3's, LG G3's etc, huawei, jiayu etc…

      Otherwise I could go with the stalwarts: sony, samsung, htc (although I'm reluctant to go HTC… just seems a notch down in class to samsung and sony).

      If we consider branded stalwarts says the samsung s5 vs sony xperia z2 what comments would you guys make? I drew the conclusion that the z2 with 3300 mah was superior than the sub 3000 mah s5, but someone reckons the sub 10% battery life power saver on the s5 places it at far better battery life (then again I'd prefer it didn't have to get down to the last 10% of black and white before winning in a screen on time).

      I've never used a Sony smartphone or phone (I've gone through iphone, samsung, nokias, htc) and don't know what the design/OS customisation is like. Are they and the quality any good? Its just a brick/square, but if its functional and bang for buck i could be sold?!

      The Z2 seemed to be quite light (sound wise) or maybe the ambience in the CBD telstra store was blocking it out ( I Swear on max the default ringtones still sounded lacklustre). And the cmaera slower than samsungs quick pictures (or maybe im used to that and not the frozen image as it saves on sonys having used a s3 for 2 yrs).

      Can i get a Z2 cheaper than $670 at telstra?

      EDIT: The guy at the store said the note 4 or was it the lg g3 is slated for august 2014 or something? How do you reckon this mobile will go for use and battery life, or is a smaller z2 or s5 etc still better bang for buck if i don't need a massive phone for office/biz use?

    • SaberX on 16/07/2014 - 22:27

      thanks - noted, won't buy that brand. No to cheapness resulting in malware haha. I'd go with only mainstream china/cheaper phones that penetrate into the western markets.

  • polol on 19/07/2014 - 20:06

    Most importantly check out the bands the chinese phones operate on and use this to narrow it down.

    Almost all of the chinese phones don't have 4G. When they do have 3G they might not operate on the same bands as the aus telco you're with.

    http://www.wikiwand.com/en/List_of_mobile_network_operators_…

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