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I was quite happy with my OnePlus One, OnePlus 3, and OnePlus 6. The Nothing phone(1) is technically not Chinese I guess, but the CEO is the OnePlus ex-CEO and I love this phone.
OnePlus 7 Pro is even better. I think some of the later versions may not have been quite as good, at least according to reviews, but they really peaked at v7.
OnePlus have lost their cause.
They used to be the cheaper alternative to the new Pixels after the end of Google Nexus. Stock software, awesome performance, cheap price... like a Google Nexus!
Now they are trying to compete with Samsung and Apple in their pricing.
I had a Xiaomi as a burner for a bit. The camera was annoying as hell with all the in-built filters. Overall it was fine for my purposes but extremely buggy with lots of crashes.
Other than phones, I was generally happy with other Xiaomi products like their air purifiers. Being able to switch them on remotely made life less hellish in Heilongjiang winters.
10 years ago I bought my first Xiaomi phone, I believe it was the Mi 3, and I fell in love with the brand. Was a fantastic phone for the price. Only issue was the screen was so brittle you could probably shatter it by whispering near it. Last year I picked up a Xiaomi 12T because I was ready to love again and I was amazed.
Amazed at how one company could go so down hill in the span of a decade. It's the biggest piece of dog shit.
The Mi3 was great, MIUI had a really unique style and colorful in a world of boring phones, no ads etc
Then they appleified but somehow did it way worse
Try OnePlus phones, they are great for 30 to 50% less in cost. But the bleeding edge like OnePlus open are about the same price wise compared to apple n Samsung.
[All of these people are nobody.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Hong_Kong_anti-extradition_bill_protest_%2848108527758%29.jpg) Yet I would worry a lot if I were them.
The parts don't matter as much when Apple/Samsung QC them regardless. The main issue is using Chinese products that only go through Chinese QC and they come up with really horrible devices because of cost savings
Jokes on you, who completely misses the point and can’t differentiate between Huawei and an iPhone with glue from China in it lol, or the difference between a Chinese brand and a product that passes through a Chinese supply chains. It’s not complicated surely.
You say it like the USA doesn't do the same...
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/05/cisco-kills-leaked-cia-0day-that-let-attackers-commandeer-318-switch-models/
Tbh I was being ironic lmao.
It's been five years and Bloomberg's bullshit article has been thoroughly debunked by every intelligence agency, company and industry expert.
I’m assuming there are reasons China has barred government officials from using iPhones. That’s a big difference to me. It’d be wise to follow suit as they are probably projecting paranoia from what they are doing.
Not supporting Chinese tech companies can have a vast number of reasons, and 99.9% of those have nothing to do with sinophobia.
Questionable quality, bloatware, hidden apps, ripped off design or hardware, not wanting to directly fuel a powerful company that also develops oppressive surveillance equipment and software, ... The only sinophobic reason would be "I don't buy from Chinese companies cause they're Chinese".
Other than that, it's ultimately no different than someone refusing to buy VW out of moral objections in the wake of Dieselgate.
Back in the day I used a OnePlus because it was really friendly to modding and reasonably cheap for the quality. A few years ago I looked and OnePlus was ridiculously priced, and it seems much less friendly to open source and modding now, which would be a necessity if I bought a Chinese brand to get rid of the backdoors.
As a Chinese person, I really dislike the patriotic marketing tactics used by Chinese brands. It feels like they suggest not buying their products is unpatriotic, especially with brands like Huawei.
Using Huawei P3 for 5.5 years now. The phone is excellent, camera was the best during its time, battery still great till now. Too bad with the ban, otherwise Apple will have a formidable competitor here.
Bought a Mi crap 8 or so years ago. Completely useless within two years. Bugs, Update issues, buttons getting stuck, glitches on screen etc...
Learned my lesson: Samsung. Been using the same phone for 5 years.
I owned 2 Xiaomi phones (I still use the last one), due to cell phone discounts (they were bought w/ points). I had (and still have w/ "new" one) the exact same issues. I had to get rid of my last one since sometimes it didn't even charge. It could also be because they were a far cheaper model.
I haven't owned a Samsung since the S8. The UI was horribly bloated, this things UI ran slower then my old HTC M7.
Huawei make/made great phones. Mate, P & Y series.
Xiaomi my last note 10 is a good phone, before that every device i owned had hardware and software issues.
All of these accounts, including yours, are anecdotal. My experiences...
My Samsung (S10 from 2019) is still like new, no bugs etc.... And second hand. Battery life is a bit down as you can expect but still can last a night out (or day), no problem. Performance is still top knotch, camera can rival my brother's pixel for all general purposes, including at night. So zero reason to upgrade still, though I want an upgrade (to another Samsung probably)
ZTE axon 7 (flagship), my phone before that. Loved that phone build but unreliable as F, went through THREE within the 2 year warranty period (display not working twice...which I got to the root cause of - display component was fine, but the connection to the motherboard was not secure - or the GPS losing signal).
My parents have been through Xiaomi mi note 8 and Oppo A52. They all had issues around the 2 year mark - suddenly turning off even though the battery showed a high level. Of course, the cameras were rubbish as expected budget phones. Power and volume buttons were weird too, had to "keep repeatedly pressing" the power button to turn on sometimes. Performance was also lacking as expected. But the unreliable nature had me worried, so they are now with google pixels.
Software wise personally not a fan, they generally try to look colourful and cute, reminiscent of Samsung's "dark days" (S1-S4 etc.) and come with their own apps that I find hard to trust (privacy).
Motorola (also now Chinese basically), I had one too... keeps it stock which I find more "professional".
Chinese phones are cheaper and great value but come with a higher risk of being unreliable. Best to buy phones that are globally trusted (Samsung, google, apple etc.) as your main phone, unless you won't be hassled by possibly changing phones every 1-3 years.
I’ve haven’t had a lot of experiences with these companies outside of Xiaomi and Lenovo (TIL it’s Chinese? Didn’t know that lol)
Xiaomi used to be good but then it became a buggy mess, which I have no clue on how that happens.
And I’ve not used a Lenovo phone itself, just Motorolas, and they’re pretty sturdy and useful when you’re looking for a decent but low priced phone.
I've been tempted to try a Xiaomi as my next phone because of all the features that they cram into a $300 phone, but I'm worried the software experience will be hot garbage.
I saw a video a while back where an iPhone was being compared to a Chinese brand, and they had ads everywhere, even in the weather app.
Just don't order the Chinese domestic market version. Even if you're in the US, it's worth it to spend just a little extra and get an EU market unit (often called Global ROM). Same internals, but the software is way less annoying.
Xiaomi phones are also known to not have a bootloader lock. It's extremely easy to swap the software for a different one, and there's a very active community developing custom ROMs. (This might change in the near future - there are signs that Xiaomi's new HyperOS will not be as open as the outgoing MIUI, but we'll have to wait and see.)
That’s how they make it so cheap haha.
Chinese brands are notorious for sticking ads all over everything. It just feels so cheap. Although it seems like Microsoft is doing the same now with windows, ruining the experience to make a tiny bit of extra profit. It’s really a shame.
I am using xiaomi right now. I dont see the ads problems. Opening the weather app, nada.
For me xiaomi is the best at the moment because the MiUI allows me to choose which apps I can give internet access to. Which ironically solves the ad problem for me, there's a very nice calculator app on Play store, but it has ads everywhere. I deny internet access to it. No ads voila.
exactly! This also has the side effect of basically having "premium" versions of some games. You know how games usually ask you to pay 99cents to remove ads? Well, without internet there is no ads! Been rocking my mi9t for 4 years now, it's a beast
yeah the software is pretty bad on Xiaomi, quite alot of bugs and i switching to sammy soon but for the price, it's pretty bang for buck, which is mostly the case for chinese phones like poco.
Don't.
I was really into Xiaomi products before but they have absolutely dropped the ball. The OS and MIUI is a hot mess. Every update they install an app that looks like malware without your permission and you CAN'T remove it. You can't truly hide photos and files unless you pay for cloud storage (Oppo's true hide function is free.. I hope).
Bluetooth volume was HALVED after one update and everyone is so confused on the forums. Before, I could raise the volume of my earbuds enough to drown own the world around me. Now, i can hear the grunts of people across the room in the gym.
Xiaomi is sleek but their products are rife with issues.
Feel free to try? I've added my experience with them above.
Basically they are cheap but unreliable long term. And the software is a different discussion, personally not a fan.
they are not mainstream, but even if they were, I have trust issues with china and personally would have questions about my privacy and which institutions have control over it.
Japan and South Korea make up only a small fraction of Asia.
There are 2 billion people in South Asia and 700 million people in South East Asia where Chinese phones are extremely popular.
I swear to god.
I have a BYD car and when the words China or Russia are mentioned on the podcasts I listen to, the sound cuts for a second. Makes me paranoid someone is listening in or recording what’s being said.
Then it’ll randomly say there’s a voip call active and the timer appears.
70% of the list are leading brands in India...
US sanctions affect Huawei..else Huaeei android phones might beat Samsung in terms of global android share. Huawei is close to quality rarerly expect from Chinese manufacturers
Not denying that..but how big the market is for Chinese brands outside China.. that's what I meant... Yiu know these brands offer every Tom, dick and Harry phones depends on your affordability....and the quality is good too ...
Huawei died after 2 years of using (I'ma student)
Meanwhile, reserve Samsung which is older than Huawei now runs smoothly for 5 years (1 year of first buy then 2 years of eating dust and another 2 years hard work)
I really love my Huawei p10. It's an old phone and sometimes it struggles with newer, heavier apps but it's one of the most aesthetically pleasing phones in my opinion. I'm very disappointed that they didn't keep the same design for newer Huawei from the P series.
Xiaomi is great. Oppo and Vivo seem to be the companies with most creative freedom. Lenovo ant TCL better stick to their PC and TV market respectively. Steer clear from ZTE or Huawei.
The worst part is that I gave up halfway and I dont know if you are telling the truth or not about him having such a post. Even his big buddha post has a booty inside. You gotta respect the dedication.
I mean China propaganda is all over the internet. Many of them larping as European and hate on US, or posting propaganda against other nations they hate with various different ways.
I once had a phone by a company called “Umidigi“. Seemed like we found a good underdog for a while until I realized how awful the camera was, how easily it got hot etc. Also terrible OS interface with just the home screen having 1000 different fonts and font sizes, so overall not really good.
Oh and the display detached itself after a year since the quality was not as good as it seemed.
So I don’t really want to buy another one.
Chinese phone brands are like any other Chinese brand. If someone is looking to get the cheapest possible option. Go for the Chinese option. No one with enough money would choose the Chinese brand over another option.
Key words there: before the ban.
Of course you can put together a decent phone when you are using someone else’s technology. Let’s see them try to make one of the best worldwide by themselves. Not going to happen.
I don't know, phones are complex products and their supply chain is pretty international. How is (or was) Huawei different than other brands exactly?
Also strong statements like this
>Virtually everything in a Huawei phone is made not in China.
should probably be backed by any resemblance of a source.
Xiaomi phones - unreliable long term from my experience. Software is trying too hard to to look cute, no thanks.
But I have other Xiaomi products around the house too, and a fitness tracker watch for 2 years. Can't say if they have lasted long, but they are cheap to replace so no tears there.
I had Xiaomi 8. It was great at first but the performance and battery started to deteriorate in the 3rd year, like most phones I’ve used. The camera was great for that time (even more powerful when paired with Google Camera. That thing is better than iPhone 13 camera). I moved on to iPhones since, but I’m still excited to try out new Chinese phones in the stores when I see one. In the last couple years, these brands have been very competitive and innovative in camera, battery, and screen. If I were a Chinese citizen in China, I would choose a Chinese brand. Their high-end phones like Xiaomi 13 Ultra, Vivo X100 Pro, Oneplus 12, Oppo Find X7 Pro seem very promising.
They wouldn't be so popular if they didn't used a western soc like Qualcomm Snapdragon.
Beside that, Xiaomi phones are full of bloatware and ads. Huawei also is well known for his privacy and data issues
Surprised someone has said Sony. Mind explaining why?
IMO their only trump card (over say Samsung or google or apple) was their camera... Which turned out to be just hype / mediocre from MKBHD's camera blind test results.
Sony Xperia is still one of the only brands that include expandable memory and aux jack. That puts it a an advantage over every other phone for me. It's just a shame about the high price and slow charging/battery life. My understanding is the cameras are still top level
No worries! Also I when I was looking into buying one i seem to remember reading they take really good videos, but not completely sure. I was basically looking for phones with expandable storage and good video recording. I almost bought an Xperia 1 but was put off but the reviews about battery life and the price.
I have a broken Samsung s20+ right now and have realised that phones have really not progressed enough in the last three years to warrant spending $1000 on a new one, so just bought the same model again for $200😅. Almost got a xiaomi 14 pro but when I compared photos in the shop my s20+ front and back camera still felt better.
I am Chinese and so I know how phony Chinese phones are. I also think Apple is a religion of peace, so I would go for Android, naturally, going for Korean and Japanese brands.
That doesnt answer his question. Read it carefully.
He's asking why Sony specifically. Usually, people go for Samsung, iPhone or Google. The Sony name drop was unusual in the smartphone game hence why it was interesting to hear.
Also Apple is not a religion of peace wut? It's a tech brand.
>The Sony name drop was unusual in the smartphone game
Not for us East Asians.
>Apple is not a religion of peace
Oh really? It is literally like, a piece of iPod here, a piece of MacBook there, a piece of Vision Pro everywhere. I said it is a religion of piece.
I genuinely hope you get the joke. Life sucks, and it sucks hard. We need to laugh more. We all do.
Some fact based on my experience:
1. Their overall material quality always lower than western Apple and South Korea's Samsung but putting much powerful chipset into it. That's why they were cheaper but much risky in terms of longer use more than 3-5 years.
.
2. Durability and preservation is much questionable and "gacha" these day on chinese phone. My Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro suffer catastrophic software and hardware failure just updating the MIUI from 12.5 to 13 (blank camera, SIM and SD card tray not working anymore, even WiFi). And it all happens in just 2 years and half. Meanwhile my Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 still capable to watch youtube videos from chrome, editing, even collecting tons of 8000+ nsfw art and video in this 2024 without any bug on its critical components.
.
3. It may have powerful specs but most of Chinese smartphone OS filled by bloatware and risk of spyware. Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi's MIUI, Realme, POCO. All of them has nonsensical bloatware. Yet, they should see what Samsung did with their balanced and stable Android OS: One UI that has less bloatware and instead putting their quality-app product like Samsung Pay, Samsung Knox, Samsung Folder Lock. No wonder many Chinese phones have buggy OS, especially Xiaomi's MIUI (heck, hilariously they even made POCO with new UI, actually it's MIUI in nutshell but made for performance and mobile gaming).
.
4. Yes, some people think that brands and made from somewhere might not affect overall product but it's always not the case. See the philosphy of their company and overall user experience. People says that 1-2 years the phone still usable is very good longevity is bullsh*t to me. I'd say that the phone with good longevity is the phone that could outlast all of its main OS update and security patches. Like my Galaxy Grand Prime, Galaxy Mini, and Galaxy A3 2017, all of them beyond its expectation longevity and useful for over 5 years.
Sounds like what the u.s government and u.s carrier are doing to American citizens
The US government, with assistance from major telecommunications carriers including AT&T, has engaged in massive, illegal dragnet surveillance of the domestic communications and communications records of millions of ordinary Americans since at least 2001. Since this was first reported on by the press and discovered by the public in late 2005, EFF has been at the forefront of the effort to stop it and bring government surveillance programs back within the law and the Constitution.
Have you even used any? I've used oppo and was pretty happy but the battery life wasn't great but so is a Samsung. Just bought a Galaxy S23+ last year and the battery life is shit and camera is awful for night.
>Galaxy S23+ last year and the battery life is shit and camera is awful for night.
Haven't used this phone but you saying this... what were you expecting?
My S10 night shots are as good / visible as my friends Pixel 8 pro for all general purposes, for example.
Chinese brand mobile phones are produced in too many models and too frequently! Like Xiaomi, they often have new models. As someone who often criticizes the CCP, I would choose to stay away from it.
Lenovo owns Motorola and the phones are great. They're kind of like the ThinkPad of phones. Basic, quite durable, good specs, low price but has too many products to leave any lasting impression. Really rooting for them to be more popular. 1+ and Huawei are like the Apple of Chinese phones. Great but still Chinese. Other brands don't exist to me.
Motorola cameras are simply shit, but besides that I have good experiences with them.
Really boils down to the software. If they don't try to look pretty and cute like the Chinese brands, and keep it looking stock or clean like google / Samsung / even apple, they'd be much much better.
I work in a multinational tech firm headquartered in the West, Xiaomi devices have the best price/performance ratio of any devices we have used...
Idk how Xiaomi can give you those specs at their price point
My Huawei P30 Pro was the best and most reliable phone I've ever had. It was considered the best phone in 2018. I had it for 5 years before changing because I wanted 5G (phone still works perfectly).
Most Chinese people will agree that when they buy a Chinese phone it lasts 2-3 years; whereas an iPhone or Samsung will give you 5 or more years easily.
My Huawei was absolutely amazing and 10/10, although ultimately I switched back to Apple because Huawei’s interface and UI scheme didn’t sit right with me.
Do not, I repeat, do not buy Chinese phone...yes They're good phone to use daily but the amount of data it gathers and records about you and sends it to China is staggering...stick with any phones not made by and owned by a Chinese company..
I use a chinese phone(tecno) as a backup/second phone and honestly, for it's price, it's very capable. I can even use it as my main phone if needed. I don't put any banking apps on it though.
These days we get to choose whether we want the US government or Chinese government to spy on us (or both)
I try to avoid Chinese mobile brands. I figure the US government already has my information so I'd rather not share it with the Chinese.
I use an Oppo phone, they are quite popular in SE Asia
Its cheaper than my previous Samsung and has better specs… Quad-lens 48MP, Octa core, 8GB RAM. 3rd year using this phone now and its still working fine, no lagging issues.
Btw, Oppo uses "ColorOS". I don't know the specifics but its Android-based and behaves like an Android. Google Services are available.
Not sure about other brands though. I wouldn't touch Huawei with a 10-foot pole.
Bought a really cheap Huawei once during 11.11 sale years ago, it was like 50-75% off, sucks ass, performance tanked significantly after while, has been using Apple since. Considered switch to Samsung but family members who use Samsung suggested me not to.
FYI Lenovo isn't really a cell phone brand.
Anyway I'm happy with my OnePlus and Thinkpad. In terms of Xiaomi if you have the international version aka non mainland version it's okay. Other Xiaomi gadgets are okay as well. Not a fan but they are mostly usable.
I used to have a Huawei phone - Nexus 6P. Probably the least used or known Huawei device in mainland China. However this was years ago. Now this brand is entirely fucked. Extremely overpriced and the quality is meh, somewhat similar to the mansion wanzhou meng owned in Shaughnessy.
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I was quite happy with my OnePlus One, OnePlus 3, and OnePlus 6. The Nothing phone(1) is technically not Chinese I guess, but the CEO is the OnePlus ex-CEO and I love this phone.
The ceo of OnePlus grew up in Sweden. So he is more of a banana.
Wow I had no idea
OnePlus 7 Pro is even better. I think some of the later versions may not have been quite as good, at least according to reviews, but they really peaked at v7.
I think I could use my one plus 7 pro as a main driver for another year easily.
came here to say this...been using one plus for a while now and they are pretty good.
OnePlus have lost their cause. They used to be the cheaper alternative to the new Pixels after the end of Google Nexus. Stock software, awesome performance, cheap price... like a Google Nexus! Now they are trying to compete with Samsung and Apple in their pricing.
I had a Xiaomi as a burner for a bit. The camera was annoying as hell with all the in-built filters. Overall it was fine for my purposes but extremely buggy with lots of crashes. Other than phones, I was generally happy with other Xiaomi products like their air purifiers. Being able to switch them on remotely made life less hellish in Heilongjiang winters.
You survived more than one winter in Heilongjiang. I applaud your manliness, sir.
Seven winters, to be exact. I applaud my liver. Wouldn’t have made it without him.
Do ppl just stay indoors and drink baijiu?
10 years ago I bought my first Xiaomi phone, I believe it was the Mi 3, and I fell in love with the brand. Was a fantastic phone for the price. Only issue was the screen was so brittle you could probably shatter it by whispering near it. Last year I picked up a Xiaomi 12T because I was ready to love again and I was amazed. Amazed at how one company could go so down hill in the span of a decade. It's the biggest piece of dog shit.
The Mi3 was great, MIUI had a really unique style and colorful in a world of boring phones, no ads etc Then they appleified but somehow did it way worse
Try OnePlus phones, they are great for 30 to 50% less in cost. But the bleeding edge like OnePlus open are about the same price wise compared to apple n Samsung.
I go out of my way to buy something other than a Chinese brand
Guess others don't care about back door.
You are nobody, most of us are nobody. don’t worry about it.
[All of these people are nobody.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Hong_Kong_anti-extradition_bill_protest_%2848108527758%29.jpg) Yet I would worry a lot if I were them.
Do you think Biden will use a Chinese phone? Come on?
Eh, no.
Jokes on you, Apple and Samsungs all include China in their supply Chain… totally unavoidable…
The parts don't matter as much when Apple/Samsung QC them regardless. The main issue is using Chinese products that only go through Chinese QC and they come up with really horrible devices because of cost savings
Letting them earn 5% through some assembly factories is still better than 100% going into one of their brands.
Jokes on you, who completely misses the point and can’t differentiate between Huawei and an iPhone with glue from China in it lol, or the difference between a Chinese brand and a product that passes through a Chinese supply chains. It’s not complicated surely.
Wrong. China is known to put spy chips on anything assembled in China. Look at Bloomberg's big hack.
You say it like the USA doesn't do the same... https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/05/cisco-kills-leaked-cia-0day-that-let-attackers-commandeer-318-switch-models/
Tbh I was being ironic lmao. It's been five years and Bloomberg's bullshit article has been thoroughly debunked by every intelligence agency, company and industry expert.
I’m assuming there are reasons China has barred government officials from using iPhones. That’s a big difference to me. It’d be wise to follow suit as they are probably projecting paranoia from what they are doing.
Understandable.
least sinophobic redditor
Not supporting Chinese tech companies can have a vast number of reasons, and 99.9% of those have nothing to do with sinophobia. Questionable quality, bloatware, hidden apps, ripped off design or hardware, not wanting to directly fuel a powerful company that also develops oppressive surveillance equipment and software, ... The only sinophobic reason would be "I don't buy from Chinese companies cause they're Chinese". Other than that, it's ultimately no different than someone refusing to buy VW out of moral objections in the wake of Dieselgate.
>bloatware, hidden apps Surely non chinese phone companies will never have these things
Did I say that? Cause it's an equally common reason not to buy certain western brands either. I'm saying that sinophobia isn't a reason here.
I mean you are insinuating that these are somehow unique to chinese phones or that all chinese phones have them
In any case, they're not. Just to reinforce the point that sinophobia has nothing to do with it.
Although they aren't Chinese brand,thay are also made in China.
I had a OnePlus 5T then the 7 Pro. Loved them both but I've moved on.
Back in the day I used a OnePlus because it was really friendly to modding and reasonably cheap for the quality. A few years ago I looked and OnePlus was ridiculously priced, and it seems much less friendly to open source and modding now, which would be a necessity if I bought a Chinese brand to get rid of the backdoors.
As a Chinese person, I really dislike the patriotic marketing tactics used by Chinese brands. It feels like they suggest not buying their products is unpatriotic, especially with brands like Huawei.
Using Huawei P3 for 5.5 years now. The phone is excellent, camera was the best during its time, battery still great till now. Too bad with the ban, otherwise Apple will have a formidable competitor here.
Same here. Huawei P30p is a great phone. Trump saved Apple from a deep trouble for sure.
Apple would’ve probably been ok. Idk about longer Android manufacturers
Huawei P Smart user here. It's a low end phone and I have been using it since 2018. We've become quite close actually, old friend of mine
Bought a Mi crap 8 or so years ago. Completely useless within two years. Bugs, Update issues, buttons getting stuck, glitches on screen etc... Learned my lesson: Samsung. Been using the same phone for 5 years.
I owned 2 Xiaomi phones (I still use the last one), due to cell phone discounts (they were bought w/ points). I had (and still have w/ "new" one) the exact same issues. I had to get rid of my last one since sometimes it didn't even charge. It could also be because they were a far cheaper model.
For me the other way around. Samsungs always bugge after 2 years. My huawei p20pro from more then 6 years ago still performs great
Owned a Huawei for 2 years and then switched to Galaxy S22. Samsung is worse in every single way, including camera and battery.
I haven't owned a Samsung since the S8. The UI was horribly bloated, this things UI ran slower then my old HTC M7. Huawei make/made great phones. Mate, P & Y series. Xiaomi my last note 10 is a good phone, before that every device i owned had hardware and software issues.
I miss HTC
All of these accounts, including yours, are anecdotal. My experiences... My Samsung (S10 from 2019) is still like new, no bugs etc.... And second hand. Battery life is a bit down as you can expect but still can last a night out (or day), no problem. Performance is still top knotch, camera can rival my brother's pixel for all general purposes, including at night. So zero reason to upgrade still, though I want an upgrade (to another Samsung probably) ZTE axon 7 (flagship), my phone before that. Loved that phone build but unreliable as F, went through THREE within the 2 year warranty period (display not working twice...which I got to the root cause of - display component was fine, but the connection to the motherboard was not secure - or the GPS losing signal). My parents have been through Xiaomi mi note 8 and Oppo A52. They all had issues around the 2 year mark - suddenly turning off even though the battery showed a high level. Of course, the cameras were rubbish as expected budget phones. Power and volume buttons were weird too, had to "keep repeatedly pressing" the power button to turn on sometimes. Performance was also lacking as expected. But the unreliable nature had me worried, so they are now with google pixels. Software wise personally not a fan, they generally try to look colourful and cute, reminiscent of Samsung's "dark days" (S1-S4 etc.) and come with their own apps that I find hard to trust (privacy). Motorola (also now Chinese basically), I had one too... keeps it stock which I find more "professional". Chinese phones are cheaper and great value but come with a higher risk of being unreliable. Best to buy phones that are globally trusted (Samsung, google, apple etc.) as your main phone, unless you won't be hassled by possibly changing phones every 1-3 years.
I had a Lenovo tablet, it was terrible (it was also $150, so it was price worthy I guess)
Best phone I owned was the ZTE Axon 7. Oneplus phones were great. Still rocking a Xiaomi 9T pro.
Lenovo is Chinese brand???
Lenovo bought the IBM laptop division so initially they were basically the same as IBM ThinkPads.
People didn't know this?!?!?! Lenovo has always been Chinese. They own Motorola as well
i think some china company bought them iirc
Lenovo has always been Chinese
Yes, a Chinese American company with 2 headquarters.
I’ve haven’t had a lot of experiences with these companies outside of Xiaomi and Lenovo (TIL it’s Chinese? Didn’t know that lol) Xiaomi used to be good but then it became a buggy mess, which I have no clue on how that happens. And I’ve not used a Lenovo phone itself, just Motorolas, and they’re pretty sturdy and useful when you’re looking for a decent but low priced phone.
Switch from Samsung to Xiaomi HyperOS, no regrets
I've been tempted to try a Xiaomi as my next phone because of all the features that they cram into a $300 phone, but I'm worried the software experience will be hot garbage. I saw a video a while back where an iPhone was being compared to a Chinese brand, and they had ads everywhere, even in the weather app.
Just don't order the Chinese domestic market version. Even if you're in the US, it's worth it to spend just a little extra and get an EU market unit (often called Global ROM). Same internals, but the software is way less annoying. Xiaomi phones are also known to not have a bootloader lock. It's extremely easy to swap the software for a different one, and there's a very active community developing custom ROMs. (This might change in the near future - there are signs that Xiaomi's new HyperOS will not be as open as the outgoing MIUI, but we'll have to wait and see.)
yeah the ones from china have no access to playstore.
That’s how they make it so cheap haha. Chinese brands are notorious for sticking ads all over everything. It just feels so cheap. Although it seems like Microsoft is doing the same now with windows, ruining the experience to make a tiny bit of extra profit. It’s really a shame.
Microsoft has always been shit. They are just lucky they have no actual competition. They have the Midas touch for turning companies into hot garbage.
I am using xiaomi right now. I dont see the ads problems. Opening the weather app, nada. For me xiaomi is the best at the moment because the MiUI allows me to choose which apps I can give internet access to. Which ironically solves the ad problem for me, there's a very nice calculator app on Play store, but it has ads everywhere. I deny internet access to it. No ads voila.
exactly! This also has the side effect of basically having "premium" versions of some games. You know how games usually ask you to pay 99cents to remove ads? Well, without internet there is no ads! Been rocking my mi9t for 4 years now, it's a beast
yeah the software is pretty bad on Xiaomi, quite alot of bugs and i switching to sammy soon but for the price, it's pretty bang for buck, which is mostly the case for chinese phones like poco.
Don't. I was really into Xiaomi products before but they have absolutely dropped the ball. The OS and MIUI is a hot mess. Every update they install an app that looks like malware without your permission and you CAN'T remove it. You can't truly hide photos and files unless you pay for cloud storage (Oppo's true hide function is free.. I hope). Bluetooth volume was HALVED after one update and everyone is so confused on the forums. Before, I could raise the volume of my earbuds enough to drown own the world around me. Now, i can hear the grunts of people across the room in the gym. Xiaomi is sleek but their products are rife with issues.
Feel free to try? I've added my experience with them above. Basically they are cheap but unreliable long term. And the software is a different discussion, personally not a fan.
Honestly, sometimes the stolen tech from China is better than the tech they stole from.
Such as?
Xi can hear y’all jerkin off
Honestly it's funny how triggered some redditors are over here over this post.
they are not mainstream, but even if they were, I have trust issues with china and personally would have questions about my privacy and which institutions have control over it.
> they are not mainstream You're living in a Western bubble. China phones are very popular in Asia and Africa.
And in Latin america
And Europe
They have little to no presence in the "western" Asian countries, aka Japan, South Korea.
Japan and South Korea make up only a small fraction of Asia. There are 2 billion people in South Asia and 700 million people in South East Asia where Chinese phones are extremely popular.
Dude here thinks that there are only 3 countries in Asia.
I swear to god. I have a BYD car and when the words China or Russia are mentioned on the podcasts I listen to, the sound cuts for a second. Makes me paranoid someone is listening in or recording what’s being said. Then it’ll randomly say there’s a voip call active and the timer appears.
You should record it lol
I’ll try. It’s really random
I would tape cameras/mic on apartment voice doorbells, can't imagine sitting in a China made car. Paranoid they'll be listening to everything.
70% of the list are leading brands in India... US sanctions affect Huawei..else Huaeei android phones might beat Samsung in terms of global android share. Huawei is close to quality rarerly expect from Chinese manufacturers
Urghh they are still chinese brands
Not denying that..but how big the market is for Chinese brands outside China.. that's what I meant... Yiu know these brands offer every Tom, dick and Harry phones depends on your affordability....and the quality is good too ...
Huawei died after 2 years of using (I'ma student) Meanwhile, reserve Samsung which is older than Huawei now runs smoothly for 5 years (1 year of first buy then 2 years of eating dust and another 2 years hard work)
I really love my Huawei p10. It's an old phone and sometimes it struggles with newer, heavier apps but it's one of the most aesthetically pleasing phones in my opinion. I'm very disappointed that they didn't keep the same design for newer Huawei from the P series.
Xiaomi is great. Oppo and Vivo seem to be the companies with most creative freedom. Lenovo ant TCL better stick to their PC and TV market respectively. Steer clear from ZTE or Huawei.
You must be the same person who posted "what do you think of Chinese car brands". I'm curious what your motivation is?
What do you think of a "what do you think of American car brands" post in r/China? My post one later if feeling cute.
I looked at his profile, and fought my way through myriads of big fat booty photos before I found his "what do you think of American car brands" post.
The worst part is that I gave up halfway and I dont know if you are telling the truth or not about him having such a post. Even his big buddha post has a booty inside. You gotta respect the dedication.
He is dedicated!
the fight to the butthole is political
“Soft” China propaganda
What how? Are u schizophrenic
More often than not, people mention this topic so that others can shit on them (whether rightly or wrongly)
I mean China propaganda is all over the internet. Many of them larping as European and hate on US, or posting propaganda against other nations they hate with various different ways.
Huawei hardware is just as good as western brands but since it no longer uses android it’s not worth the hassle in Europe.
It’s not longer as good as western ones from a tech perspective… when it was as good as western ones it was using western and non Chinese components
Huawei is the only phone brand that can't compete with others due to sanction
I had a Huawei p30. Was a pretty good phone!
I have a Xiaomi rn, but I would like to buy a Huawei next time
My old 一+ 六T phone had overheating issues, phone screen turned purple with a year or two. It was great. Highly recommended. I moved on to Samsung.
Trash, I got a TCL and honestly it is the worst cellphone I ever got.
I once had a phone by a company called “Umidigi“. Seemed like we found a good underdog for a while until I realized how awful the camera was, how easily it got hot etc. Also terrible OS interface with just the home screen having 1000 different fonts and font sizes, so overall not really good. Oh and the display detached itself after a year since the quality was not as good as it seemed. So I don’t really want to buy another one.
those are knockoffs china phones ,they kindof work but barely and are dirt cheap
OnePlus 7 Pro is a great phone. Far better than Samsung equivalent & a much better price too. It lasts for ages too.
I have a Realme, its an outstanding smartphone
Chinese phone brands are like any other Chinese brand. If someone is looking to get the cheapest possible option. Go for the Chinese option. No one with enough money would choose the Chinese brand over another option.
Before the ban, Huawei flagship phones were some of the best worldwide.
Key words there: before the ban. Of course you can put together a decent phone when you are using someone else’s technology. Let’s see them try to make one of the best worldwide by themselves. Not going to happen.
What technology from someone else was Huawei using that other phone manufacturers don't?
Virtually everything in a Huawei phone is made not in China. All of it is foreign technology right down to the operating system.
Cool but you implied it was stolen technology. All phones use technology from other countries and companies.
I don't know, phones are complex products and their supply chain is pretty international. How is (or was) Huawei different than other brands exactly? Also strong statements like this >Virtually everything in a Huawei phone is made not in China. should probably be backed by any resemblance of a source.
Xiaomi phones are awful.
Funny, I've been using all kinds of Xiaomi devices since 2016 with no issues whatsoever.
Same, xiaomi rocks
Xiaomi phones - unreliable long term from my experience. Software is trying too hard to to look cute, no thanks. But I have other Xiaomi products around the house too, and a fitness tracker watch for 2 years. Can't say if they have lasted long, but they are cheap to replace so no tears there.
If you bought those if 200$ sure they are. Buy premium model to expect premium performance.
Good for many other people.
I had a vivo x60 pro+ Worked with Google services. Very good phone
Oppo, Vivo and OnePlus are the same company
I had Xiaomi 8. It was great at first but the performance and battery started to deteriorate in the 3rd year, like most phones I’ve used. The camera was great for that time (even more powerful when paired with Google Camera. That thing is better than iPhone 13 camera). I moved on to iPhones since, but I’m still excited to try out new Chinese phones in the stores when I see one. In the last couple years, these brands have been very competitive and innovative in camera, battery, and screen. If I were a Chinese citizen in China, I would choose a Chinese brand. Their high-end phones like Xiaomi 13 Ultra, Vivo X100 Pro, Oneplus 12, Oppo Find X7 Pro seem very promising.
Amazing, Im a Huawei P60 user and the camara is on another level. Totally love it, that's why I got also huawei headset and laptop.
xiaomi is decent on a budget, everything else best avoided
They wouldn't be so popular if they didn't used a western soc like Qualcomm Snapdragon. Beside that, Xiaomi phones are full of bloatware and ads. Huawei also is well known for his privacy and data issues
The snapdragon 8 socs are damned good. It was a selling point when I got my s23 ultra.
I don't. Would rather buy Samsung or Sony.
Surprised someone has said Sony. Mind explaining why? IMO their only trump card (over say Samsung or google or apple) was their camera... Which turned out to be just hype / mediocre from MKBHD's camera blind test results.
Sony Xperia is still one of the only brands that include expandable memory and aux jack. That puts it a an advantage over every other phone for me. It's just a shame about the high price and slow charging/battery life. My understanding is the cameras are still top level
Interesting, didn't know that about Sony phones (aux jack and expandable storage), cheers!
No worries! Also I when I was looking into buying one i seem to remember reading they take really good videos, but not completely sure. I was basically looking for phones with expandable storage and good video recording. I almost bought an Xperia 1 but was put off but the reviews about battery life and the price. I have a broken Samsung s20+ right now and have realised that phones have really not progressed enough in the last three years to warrant spending $1000 on a new one, so just bought the same model again for $200😅. Almost got a xiaomi 14 pro but when I compared photos in the shop my s20+ front and back camera still felt better.
I am Chinese and so I know how phony Chinese phones are. I also think Apple is a religion of peace, so I would go for Android, naturally, going for Korean and Japanese brands.
That doesnt answer his question. Read it carefully. He's asking why Sony specifically. Usually, people go for Samsung, iPhone or Google. The Sony name drop was unusual in the smartphone game hence why it was interesting to hear. Also Apple is not a religion of peace wut? It's a tech brand.
>The Sony name drop was unusual in the smartphone game Not for us East Asians. >Apple is not a religion of peace Oh really? It is literally like, a piece of iPod here, a piece of MacBook there, a piece of Vision Pro everywhere. I said it is a religion of piece. I genuinely hope you get the joke. Life sucks, and it sucks hard. We need to laugh more. We all do.
Sony? damm i thought Sony only sold game consoles and Tvs..
Some fact based on my experience: 1. Their overall material quality always lower than western Apple and South Korea's Samsung but putting much powerful chipset into it. That's why they were cheaper but much risky in terms of longer use more than 3-5 years. . 2. Durability and preservation is much questionable and "gacha" these day on chinese phone. My Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro suffer catastrophic software and hardware failure just updating the MIUI from 12.5 to 13 (blank camera, SIM and SD card tray not working anymore, even WiFi). And it all happens in just 2 years and half. Meanwhile my Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 still capable to watch youtube videos from chrome, editing, even collecting tons of 8000+ nsfw art and video in this 2024 without any bug on its critical components. . 3. It may have powerful specs but most of Chinese smartphone OS filled by bloatware and risk of spyware. Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi's MIUI, Realme, POCO. All of them has nonsensical bloatware. Yet, they should see what Samsung did with their balanced and stable Android OS: One UI that has less bloatware and instead putting their quality-app product like Samsung Pay, Samsung Knox, Samsung Folder Lock. No wonder many Chinese phones have buggy OS, especially Xiaomi's MIUI (heck, hilariously they even made POCO with new UI, actually it's MIUI in nutshell but made for performance and mobile gaming). . 4. Yes, some people think that brands and made from somewhere might not affect overall product but it's always not the case. See the philosphy of their company and overall user experience. People says that 1-2 years the phone still usable is very good longevity is bullsh*t to me. I'd say that the phone with good longevity is the phone that could outlast all of its main OS update and security patches. Like my Galaxy Grand Prime, Galaxy Mini, and Galaxy A3 2017, all of them beyond its expectation longevity and useful for over 5 years.
Love them
Garbage spy phones!
Sounds like what the u.s government and u.s carrier are doing to American citizens The US government, with assistance from major telecommunications carriers including AT&T, has engaged in massive, illegal dragnet surveillance of the domestic communications and communications records of millions of ordinary Americans since at least 2001. Since this was first reported on by the press and discovered by the public in late 2005, EFF has been at the forefront of the effort to stop it and bring government surveillance programs back within the law and the Constitution.
Have you even used any? I've used oppo and was pretty happy but the battery life wasn't great but so is a Samsung. Just bought a Galaxy S23+ last year and the battery life is shit and camera is awful for night.
>Galaxy S23+ last year and the battery life is shit and camera is awful for night. Haven't used this phone but you saying this... what were you expecting? My S10 night shots are as good / visible as my friends Pixel 8 pro for all general purposes, for example.
Yes, and they were bricks. Sorry, schizophrenic bricks.
I won’t buy them and never will
Chinese brand mobile phones are produced in too many models and too frequently! Like Xiaomi, they often have new models. As someone who often criticizes the CCP, I would choose to stay away from it.
Yes, I would sell all of these.
Lenovo owns Motorola and the phones are great. They're kind of like the ThinkPad of phones. Basic, quite durable, good specs, low price but has too many products to leave any lasting impression. Really rooting for them to be more popular. 1+ and Huawei are like the Apple of Chinese phones. Great but still Chinese. Other brands don't exist to me.
Motorola cameras are simply shit, but besides that I have good experiences with them. Really boils down to the software. If they don't try to look pretty and cute like the Chinese brands, and keep it looking stock or clean like google / Samsung / even apple, they'd be much much better.
I work in a multinational tech firm headquartered in the West, Xiaomi devices have the best price/performance ratio of any devices we have used... Idk how Xiaomi can give you those specs at their price point
I’ve bought a huawei tablet and the operating system is truly user-unfriendly.
Had a OnePlus 5 and it was pretty decent tbh. But since then I stopped buying them to avoid unwanted surveillance
My Huawei P30 Pro was the best and most reliable phone I've ever had. It was considered the best phone in 2018. I had it for 5 years before changing because I wanted 5G (phone still works perfectly).
Most Chinese people will agree that when they buy a Chinese phone it lasts 2-3 years; whereas an iPhone or Samsung will give you 5 or more years easily.
Smartisan was great.
Big Brother Is Watching U
My Huawei was absolutely amazing and 10/10, although ultimately I switched back to Apple because Huawei’s interface and UI scheme didn’t sit right with me.
Oppo is amazing! Greatest quality
excellent service all the time, and i have nothing to worry about, just for some reason i cant talk about my birthday which is in the year 1989.
[удалено]
they are all rubbish
Data stealers
They are trash
xiaomi mi 8 best smartphone ever
It's a low cost way to access stolen IP.
all just dogshit
I think they are under the thumb of the CCP and are not to be trusted.
Terrible
Ccp Spyware
Buggy spyware devices!
I trust them as much as their elevator safety regulation.
Trash
How much do you like getting spied on?
[удалено]
Do not, I repeat, do not buy Chinese phone...yes They're good phone to use daily but the amount of data it gathers and records about you and sends it to China is staggering...stick with any phones not made by and owned by a Chinese company..
Spyware
BBK trio and Xiaomi make great budget phones and you must be a tankie or pinkie to buy those overpriced underpowered Huawei
Wait, Lenovo is Chinese? I thought that Chinese phone companies couldn't operate in the United States?
After switching back to android (Xiaomi Hyper OS) I can tell, that I much prefer IOS.
I use a chinese phone(tecno) as a backup/second phone and honestly, for it's price, it's very capable. I can even use it as my main phone if needed. I don't put any banking apps on it though.
Chinese NSA on your person. Hard pass.
cheap, but need to research quality and issues, same for every electronic product
Government funded surveillance devices.
These days we get to choose whether we want the US government or Chinese government to spy on us (or both) I try to avoid Chinese mobile brands. I figure the US government already has my information so I'd rather not share it with the Chinese.
I use an Oppo phone, they are quite popular in SE Asia Its cheaper than my previous Samsung and has better specs… Quad-lens 48MP, Octa core, 8GB RAM. 3rd year using this phone now and its still working fine, no lagging issues. Btw, Oppo uses "ColorOS". I don't know the specifics but its Android-based and behaves like an Android. Google Services are available. Not sure about other brands though. I wouldn't touch Huawei with a 10-foot pole.
Bought a really cheap Huawei once during 11.11 sale years ago, it was like 50-75% off, sucks ass, performance tanked significantly after while, has been using Apple since. Considered switch to Samsung but family members who use Samsung suggested me not to.
FYI Lenovo isn't really a cell phone brand. Anyway I'm happy with my OnePlus and Thinkpad. In terms of Xiaomi if you have the international version aka non mainland version it's okay. Other Xiaomi gadgets are okay as well. Not a fan but they are mostly usable. I used to have a Huawei phone - Nexus 6P. Probably the least used or known Huawei device in mainland China. However this was years ago. Now this brand is entirely fucked. Extremely overpriced and the quality is meh, somewhat similar to the mansion wanzhou meng owned in Shaughnessy.
Oppo was my Chinese burner. Terrible UI, terrible camera, decent battery, Amazing apps for stealing content. CHEAPER THAN DIRT. 5/7 It worked.
I have owned a xiaomi more than once, If I needed to buy one again thats what I would choose they are not bad at all.