got the 32gb version for £190 from a seller on aliexpress,came in 5 days from China and no import tax guaranteed by the seller also installed Google play and got rid of all the Chinese apps and installed the multi language rom great service!

Gearbest are a terrible company, I ordered two things from them. They took the money for one which they never had in stock, eventually I had to get them to reverse the payment and lost out on the FX. The other item I ordered was full of Chinese spyware and bloatware and the screen was unresponsive, they promised a partial refund if I closed the Paypal case and then reneged. It is only a matter of time before they get banned from here.

​http://m.aliexpress.com/item/32597684693.html this seller here,if you don't want the box opened for Google play to be installed remember to message the seller and tell them.

anyone who bought from the no eu customs one frmo aliexpress receives a funny shipping notification, basically asking me to video when I take receipt of it. Pretty difficult if DHL delivers to a neighbour.

I thought you could just put official rom on the root and flash with the built in updater app?

I followed the instructions here

http://en.miui.com/thread-235865-1-1.html

First I put the chinese stable rom on and then repeated the process putting the global one on. It looks quite daunting but its not too bad, just read everything thoroughly. The biggest issue I had was the phone being recognised by my PC as an Android ADB device.

All you need is a WIndows PC running x64 (64 bit operating system).

If you don't reflash and wipe any of the phones you get from resellers you're mental, well documented a lot of them come loaded with malware and keyloggers. Doubly stupid when this actually has an official global rom.

How did you do it please?

Thanks for your help, all sorted now with global rom installed

flashing these things is a lot more difficult than I thought, I'm pretty competent but I cant even get my phone to be recognised by my PC in ADB mode to even start thinking about flashing it :confused:

Mine is 7.2.1.0 stable. So what's that then?

Have you tried downloading the global stable rom, then flashing through erect very or the miui pc tool? Instructions here http://en.miui.com/thread-247543-1-1.html

The official global rom is V7.1.8.0.LHOMICL

If you've got something other than this the likelihood is that the seller has installed their own rom onto the device. You might want to look into flashing the official rom direct from the miui site so you know that you haven't gotten something with hidden aware on (it does happen). It'll probably be more stable as well.

http://en.miui.com/download-301.html

the nilkin case looks a bit cheap. Anyone have any other good suggestions to properly protect this thing? :smiley:

Yes, I was surprised too, maybe the ebay reseller also "resealed" them after putting the global rom on, difficult to tell without comparing it to another boxed unit

I can't set mine to UK
Maybe in next firmware update ?

My Pro 32GB came from Everbuying, sealed box with MIUI Global 7.1.99.99. No problems so far, apart from not being able to set my locale to UK, (anyone else have this problem, or know of a solution please?).
As for cases, I got one of these, probably not to everyone's taste, but they do loads of different styles and it fits well.
http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/STUFF4-Case-Cover-for-Xiaomi-Redmi-Note-3-Camera-Vintage-/272117793944?nav=SEARCH

Sealed but has a global rom on it? i was under the impression that wasn't possible

So I've looked for the cases, but amazon looks like fake reviews, whats a good case for this? The aliexpress has optios to get tempered glass cover or a case. Was thinking of getting the tempered glass cover and buy a case from amazon. Also do you have to pay in USD on aliexpress?

Got a feeling I'm going to have problems with this. I got a tracking number from gearbest 6 days ago, but it's not showing on the tracking system. Have they sent me a fake tracking number?

Phone came today had about an hour on it.
Coming from HTC M8 feels quicker ,build quality feels good
impressed

I've got gold 3gb version for sale in S63 area. Bought two but my sister said it's too big... If anyone interested pm me

it was the ebay 20% off code

Yes I have had loads of problems with Gearbest too. For two phones I ordered, they took the money from my card and then never sent anything. A tablet I ordered was full of spyware, they renege on their offer to settle once you close a Paypal case. I was watching a Youtube review yesterday where in the comments people were complaining about Gearbest manipulating the reviews on their site. They seem cheap so every day there are Gearbest items on here, but they really should not be allowed on this site, it is just a matter of time.

Great post, very informative, thanks for taking the time to write it and hope everything works out for you.

Xiaomi devices are excellent, but before buying consider that they come with little to no warranty: Xiaomi only deals with warranty claims within China, so it is up for the retailer to deliver on its promise about any sort of warranty, which doesn't mean much in case of Gearbest; Even if the claim is successful, this involves sending the device back to China for a pretty hefty postage fee and they try to make you as vulnerable as possible in the process.

Currently I'm in a dispute with Gearbest: A few weeks ago I got a Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 16GB for my SO, which was brilliant up until the point when the battery got sucked down from 50%-ish to 0% to the point where it no longer took in charge nor powered on. After trying every conceivable fixes, I opened a claim on Gearbest, where customer support was responsive, but their guidelines were pretty dodgy: They ask me to declare the wrong amount on the parcel when returning which would screw up any possible insurance claim and asked me to return the item to a non-verified PayPal address, further stripping me of any protection from PP. They try to do everything by their terms, stating I can't use DHL or any courier as it might cause the package being hit by customs charges, and they strongly suggested these charges would be subtracted from my refund. Being concerned, I ended up calling PayPal where they strongly suggested to open a claim, so that's where I am now. Gearbest's representative flat out declined the refund request twice, while constantly trying to steer me away from doing the process PayPal. I have read plenty of similar experiences with Gearbest, so make sure you know what you are dealing with.

Furthermore, they bought tons of fake reviews on Trustpilot, so I have some idea how much they censor and manipulate reviews on their own site. Yes, they are legit, deliver fairly quick, and possibly good at buying cheapo little things from, but I would not risk getting high value items from them in the future.

Got 32gb version from eBay using 20% off code for £169.60 delivered from UK
Any good cases about ?

Are you using the Chinese rom, or have you got the global rom on there? First Impressions?

... recommend and will use this seller again. (sorry, fat fingers!) :wink:

I've received my 32GB Pro version today from the seller recommended at the start of this thread by kta93. I can't fault the service or communication and it only took a week from ordering to receiving. I was a bit dubious about importing from China but I would definely

Do customs charges come immediately after delivery, or is there sometimes a delay?

Cheers :-)

anyone recommend a good case for this?

Paid for the phone on the Friday from the UK warehouse and it still has not been shipped. I know its been a bank holiday and I am guessing they have had a lot of orders to go through so I am hoping it does ship sometime today as I am without a phone at the minute.

Did it come in factory sealed box with original ROM installed?

Sorry, Honorbuy.com

http://www.honorbuy.com/680-xiaomi-redmi-note-3-pro-32gb.html

Honorbest have the 32gb model at their EU warehouse, total cost incl delivery would be £216. More than Aliexpress, but I guess your guaranteed no customs duty.

Never ordered from a Chinese seller before, is customs likely to be charged?

7.1.9 i think. its quality

Mine took 34 days from payment lol. I was promised a sealed box but it definitely had their custom software on it. It's fairly easy to flash the fastboot version of the global ROM, plenty of tutorials on the MIUI forums. I would recommend the 32gb version to anyone, it's a great phone for the money, especially the battery life.

Great that they have put the global rom on. I did it the other day and got an OTA update to the latest version 7.1.8.0 (LHOMICL). What is yours running?

It came pre installed with it.

[/quote]Hi. No, gear best. Was really worried after seeing all the bad comments about them and malware issues, but it seems fine. Just waiting for the experts on here to approve the global ROM that I have installed now . Seems fine to me![/quote]

You sound like some of the IT guys I've worked with in the past, install, THEN seek approval !!

Hi. No, gear best. Was really worried after seeing all the bad comments about them and malware issues, but it seems fine. Just waiting for the experts on here to approve the global ROM that I have installed now . Seems fine to me!

Was yours from Everbuying?

Got a 32GB one arriving from China today apparently (according to Yodel) from Everbuying. It's taken 8 days (inc weekend and yesterday's bank holiday) on an expedited delivery. Total inc shipping and insurance was £181.00.
I'll let you know how the phone is, and whether or not I get VAT, import duty etc charges, I went for the (probably too gangsta for a 51-Y-O) gold version.

Mines come installed with a global ROM miui 7.1 stable. And android 5.1 do I need to flash it?

Mines here!

Anyone know what Screen Protector will work for this phone and maybe a case? I just ordered the 16gb model.

​There are loads of guides on the Internet for that, just have a look.

​There are reputable sellers who don't put malate on but the problem with all these "multi language" roms that are installed is that they are not official and are not supported. I would recommend flashing the genuine Global rom..

nice

thinking of importing the 32GB version but im not sure about roms and updates
i want the latest updates but google store aswell?

​i got mines installed from the seller and have to say I've had no problems with malware etc they also installed the multi language rom for me as well

32gb model is the best bang for your money in the market no doubt and will order mine from aliexpress I think with no duties etc from the seller was mentioned on this thread earlier

i got mine from mobilehike.com but they seem to have vanished now i had'nt used them before i paid £162 with dhl express delivery had a 10% off code so should have been £178 but i also had to pay £25 customs vat so would have been £203 without the 10% code there is one uk seller on amazon selling the 32gb model for £229.99 plus £9.99 delivery has six in stock at the moment heres link http://www.amazon.co.uk/Xiaomi-Redmi-Note-Snapdragon-4000mah/dp/B01C5YGFS4?ie=UTF8&keywords=xiaomi%20redmi%20note%203%20pro&qid=1458902050&ref_=sr_1_5&sr=8-5 so £240 but perhaps for peace of mind its on amazon so should have better protection if you want to chance buying from china which will be cheaper then have a look at this site cant recommend them as never used them http://www.xiaomidevice.com/xiaomi-redmi-note-3-pro-4g-lte.html but in my opinion even at £240 from amazon i would say its a bargain mine scores 78000 on antutu while my sons galaxy s6 edge + scored 81000 but his cost £589

​where did you get yours from ?

does anyone know if this works with a giff gaff sim. I know some chinese phones are using the wrong "bands"

OK ! Get that ! I will PM back to you as soon as possible

Brilliant site!

​thanks

Yeah, by the time you get your phone they'll probably make it even easier :smiley:

Simple app flash - just follow the steps

​ID:T16021107622

​http://m.aliexpress.com/item/32597684693.html the link there

got the 32gb version for £190 from a seller on aliexpress,came in 5 days from China and no import tax guaranteed by the seller also installed Google play and got rid of all the Chinese apps and installed the multi language rom great service!

Oh, it has quick charge 1.0. Son not very quick then.

Easy? Well yes if you can read and follow instructions from here
http://en.miui.com/thread-235865-1-1.html

However it is involved and if you get it wrong you can brick your phone. Only attempt if your PC/Laptop is running a 64bit version of Windows 7 and above.

However you don't need to run the global rom. The China rom, with Google services installed and as much Chinese stuff removed or hidden, works fine and gets updated quicker.

Just make sure that, no matter where you get it from, you get it with the original Xiaomi ROM in a sealed box. You do not want anyone to "install Google" for you as it will be a custom rom that will never be updated and could have malware installed. As soon as I booted mine up it did an update and the update to MIUI 7.2 has just landed (although I am flashing back to 7.1 Global tonight).

The specs are better than the RN3 Mediatek - 16mp and f/2.0 vs 13mp and f/2.2. I haven't got the Meditek version so I can't compare. However it takes fairly decent pictures for the price. Obviously it can't compete with my wife's G4 but it does the job.

Let's spam all Gearbest deals till Admin gets the message.......

Gearbest are a terrible company, I ordered two things from them. They took the money for one which they never had in stock, eventually I had to get them to reverse the payment and lost out on the FX. The other item I ordered was full of Chinese spyware and bloatware and the screen was unresponsive, they promised a partial refund if I closed the Paypal case and then reneged. It is only a matter of time before they get banned from here.

i am a chinese. i checked the xisomi website, there is no redmi note 3 pro! why？

I find this link for checking network compatibility for chinese handsets pretty handy.

http://willmyphonework.net/

Its not the 4G UK supports as the UK requires 800 Mhz bandwidth

Review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDg19oSj2CM

Is it easy to do- bit of a noob here lol

​yeah I ordered it on the 10th.was dispatched on the 11th and arrived on the 16th,the seller even put in extra gifts eg a case and screen protector

was it seller with the thumbnail of item declaring "no tax" and ships by DHL ? 32gb currently showing £155, bit dubious how can guarantee No Tax

note. I bought a tablet from gearbest mid January. still not arrived. sent and logged about 20 messages. not one reply. be very careful when buying from this company.

With free delivery? Can't say I have ever experienced that level of speed with any order from Aliexpress. Banggod got my Meizu MX4 Pro to me in 15 days, though. Which surprised me having waited a month (usually) from Gearbest China.

If some have had issues with Gearbest and some have not then that sounds like going on a date, and not an important and integral purchase in most peoples lives, I.e: a smartphone. If the same could be said of EBay, would we all be buying from there? With GB you pays your money and its pot luck. Those of a nervous disposition or limited finance should perhaps ignore them in favour of others. I got shafted by Gearbest, but, hey, I had heard they were a 'mixed' bag. Still, in this day and age its a little strange that we allow a somewhat dodgy retailer to continue supplying us (or not) as the case may be.

+malware. Yes, its still happening.

3 days usually from gearbest EU. Fantastic company

​plus there's a much better seller than that one on there for this phone

​takes 5 days to come from China.gearbest is a terrible.company

No it really wouldn't! Orders from GBs EU warehouse should take no longer than 7 days to arrive. Having said that, if you can wait you can get this phone for #132 less 5% Quidco from Aliexpress

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Original-Xiaomi-Redmi-Note-3-Pro-4G-LTE-Metal-Body-Fingerprint-Mobile-Phone-Snapdragon-650-Hexa/311331_32596046648.html?aff_platform=data-feeds&sk=JYJQJYByj%3A&cpt=1458779424585&aff_trace_key=1f1d8123aee74fc4847a4bb7b353e82d-1458779424585-02646-JYJQJYByj

How long would it be for Gearbest to ship this from the EU warehouse? It's in London, isn't it?

Fantastic price from EU warehouse! Heat added. See what you can get for this price from a mainstream UK-sourced mobile manufacture and weep lol. Granted, there's effectively no warranty on this but worth the risk for the incredible bang for buck imo.

Does this phone support quick charge as seen some people saying it does and some saying it doesn't

>>>>>>
Global ROM!!! for Snapdragon version !

http://en.miui.com/thread-242026-1-1.html


<<<<<<<<

yes looks like you are right it is misleading in about us it says it is a professional retail shop of xiaomi so not the same as official xiaomi shop

​thats not xiaomi. just another trader. xiaomi would not offer customers to send phone as a gift with a value of 50usd to avoid customs

cheaper at xiaomi itself $199.99 heres link http://www.xiaomidevice.com/xiaomi-redmi-note-3-pro-4g-lte-smartphone.html thats the 16gb the 32gb $239.99 should be a lot safer than gearbest or aliexpress if you have doubts about them and cheaper

​a get 4g on 3

​Thanks now I know :smiley: And what about the camera? Is it better than the RN3?

​no that's one of the draw backs of getting a Chinese phone as certain bands are missing which means it won't work on all networks best to check first bit it does work on 3

I has band 3 & 7 which EE use. Band 3 is by far and away the most important for EE at the moment (and Three). However no band 20 support so no good for O2 or Vodafone. Of course it fully supports 3G HSPA+ and 2G.

why is this better than the note 3 with the helio x10?

I got the same phone from the same seller and can confirm that no extra charges or tax was payable even though it came via DHL. It seems to work like this:
I got one DHL tracking number that was for 5 items. These went from China to Gatwick via a circuitous route - I think there were 23 entries. This was then delivered to and signed for by "Jay".
Then I got another tacking number for just one item (my phone I guess) and it went on another merry dance of UK airports - another 17 entries - before being delivered to me in 5 days.
What I suspect might be happening is that this seller has someone in the UK who acts as the EU distributer. I don't know how they are avoiding customs but they are avoiding customs (maybe they pay them on the first delivery).

​thought it be something like that as lot Chinese will do this if requested, just never really promoted as guaranteed and you can't guarantee much in life.

only bought telephone 8000 what's seems like few months back but possible closer to a year, and liking it but no Miui ROM,

Don't really want get addicted to importing phones, ( bit addicted to importing Lego minifiqures, but they are cheaper)

32gb version on gear best for 161.

http://www.gearbest.com/cell-phones/pp_308823.html

below are the dhl customs guidelines from dhl site

Link arrow DHL Global | Link arrow Express | Link arrow Customs Services and Support | Link arrow Duties and Taxes | Receiver's Guide to Duties and Taxes
Receiver’s Guide to Duties and Taxes
Learn the fundamentals about duties and taxes to understand who pays and why.
Goods Purchased Online
FAQs
Goods Purchased Online for Personal Use

You may be charged customs duties and taxes for something purchased online because:
Duties and taxes are most typically not included in the price of the goods you purchase online, and might not be included in the overall shipping costs you pay to the online retailer.
When purchasing goods online, some or all of these goods may not originate in the country you reside in, therefore are subject to a customs duty, which is a tariff or tax imposed on goods when transported across international borders.
When goods are not shipped domestically (within your country) or within a single customs union, such as the European Union, you are liable to pay any inbound duties and taxes which your local customs authority deems appropriate.
To ensure the DHL courier can deliver your goods in shortest possible time after entering your country or customs union, DHL pays the customs authority on your behalf for any duties and taxes that are due on the goods.
Once the duties and taxes are fully repaid to DHL the goods will be delivered to you
What is payable, if anything, depends on where the goods are sent from, the type of goods, their transactional value and the weight of the package
When buying goods online, you should always check whether they are either being sent to your address from:
Your country
Another country
Outside your customs union country

​well a got it delivered in 5 days and didn't pay a penny more,didn't pay vat or anything extra

the seller says no custom duty that is correct as there is no duty on mobile phones but if you use DHL express service you will pay V.A.T i bought this phone 5 weeks ago from another chineese seller for £162 including DHL delivery charge of £9 but then had to pay £25 V.A.T to DHL who paid the V.A.T at customs this is the 4th chinese phone i have bought and always use DHL and have always had to pay V.A.T at customs by the way the phone is superb best phone i have had scores 78000 on antutu my son has galaxy s6 edge + which scores 81000 on antutu but cost him £569 having used this phone for 5 weeks now i would highly recomend and i put google services and play store on myself its easy there are excellent tutorials to be found online
should have said i had the 32gb version not 16gb

You should post this as a seperate deal, seems like a good deal so may be useful to others.

​try XDA http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3341102

check etotalk.com about 180£ dhl 2-7 days delivery

​thanks, that's the seller was looking at (but was put off by claims tax free), take it with buying 3 your liking the phone

​http://m.aliexpress.com/item/32597684693.html this seller here,if you don't want the box opened for Google play to be installed remember to message the seller and tell them.

Can you remember which seller you used? (I'm looking for alternatives to Gearbest)