Silly spex for silly money and possibility of silly wait for delivery (ships after May 10).
Offer price of 99USD (circa 71GBP) limited to 40 units a day starting at 10am UK (09:00 UTC) Friday 08 April 2016, and if you miss those daily 40 you will be looking at nearer £87. Not clear when the daily counter will be reset but timezone quoted by vendor is UTC which is 1 hour behind current time in UK. Offer pricing may finish 12 April.
Spec summary: 5" anti-smear 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3 screen @ 294PPI 1280 x 720, Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS, 3GB RAM, 16GB storage expandable to additional 128GB, MTK6753 64bit Octa Core 1.3GHz CPU, ARM Mali-T720 MP3 450MHz GPU, dual SIM dual standby, 4G LTE @ 800/1800/2100/2600MHz, unlocked for use with any network, Bluetooth 4.0, 1080p video, 13.0MP rear camera, 5.0MP front camera (not stated if either interpolated), OTG, 0.1second fingerprint unlock, fingerprint sensor, gravity sensor, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, 80% s-b ratio, 140 grammes 142mm x 70.3mm x 7.9mm titanium alloy body, 2800mAh battery, quick charge (probably mains 2-pin charger), FM radio, enhanced speaker.
2G: GSM 900/1900/2100MHz
3G: WCDMA 900/2100MHz
4G: FDD-LTE 800/1800/2100/2600MHz
If pulled by customs, expect circa £22 import fees to pay.
Any requirement for warranty servicing may be problematic as supplier may expect handset to be shipped to HK/China, although you may be able to obtain some financial sympathy from your chosen purchase payment processor.
Potentially great value if you are not a Gearbest hater and are comfortable with a direct purchase from far East.
There may be opportunity to obtain similar 99USD pre-launch price by forum registration. No doubt some informed HUKD member may assist with details.
Possibility of upto 6% cashback for new GB customers; 3% existing customers http://www.topcashback.co.uk/gearbest/
Edit 08 April 2016
Vendor presale webpage now mentions 40 units daily at promo price, was originally 20: http://www.gearbest.com/promotion-vernee-thor-special-527.html
Top comments
wenttoabetterplace
7 Apr 1614#1
Usual pre-order nonsense from Gear Best.
wenttoabetterplace
7 Apr 169#20
You missed my point.
It would take very little for someone to add a keylogger to a Chinese phone rom. A keylogger plus a little networking backdoor would allow people to track exactly what you write. So if you then were to go to Paypal.co.uk, they would be able to see your username and password - and then do whatever they like to your account.
That's just one example.
Point being - Chinese phones quite often come with malware installed...so to just wade in without any concern for the integrity of your data is really asking for trouble.
shadey12
7 Apr 166#19
to be honest I'm more worried about what our government holds on me than some Chinese company or government having a fingerprint
wenttoabetterplace
7 Apr 165#11
~Nothing much wrong with 720p on a 5" phone.
I have a Blu Win HD LTE with a 720p screen, and a Lumia 950 (5.2") with a 1440p screen. Honestly, nice as the 1440p screen is, I'd sooner have the better battery life that comes with a lower resolution.
got one too- looking forward to it now ( 30/4 ship date)
zermattbusby
12 Apr 16#69
Yeah I was tempted at a similar time yesterday, but ended up buying a Redmi Note instead
kevjosant
12 Apr 16#68
Yes I was able to purchase this morning about 10:05 hrs
kevjosant
12 Apr 161#67
Eventually managed to buy one this morning at the pre launch price...anyone else purchase ?
smileypete
9 Apr 16#66
Have a look on Kimovil.com if you've not been there, it allows a search on price and screen size.
Sometimes Ebay and Amazon UK prices can be as cheap as the prices direct from Asia.
AndyRoyd
9 Apr 16#65
Yes, http://www.gearbest.com/promotion-vernee-thor-special-527.html is the URL to directly access the pre-launch opportunity price. Not clear why HUKD has changed the "Get Deal" link to the item product page that has no specific mention of special pre-launch pricing. Maybe HUKD knows something we don't?
Anyone managed to buy one at £71.00?
Tried yesterday but never changed from £87.00
Searcher2
9 Apr 16#61
Thanks - but it's 5.5" on the screen which is a deal breaker for me.
Searcher2
9 Apr 16#60
Really? I have the dual SIM Moto G and find that it drags it's heels a bit. I presume it's the 1GB RAM that's slowing it down. Also the 8GB of internal RAM seems to be limiting the number of apps I can have on the phone - and I don't consider myself to be someone who uses a lot of apps. I am looking for a Dual SIM + SD card slot phone, 5" or less with a very good GPS to replace it.
TKhan
9 Apr 16#59
good specs.... atleast on paper
ukez
8 Apr 16#58
The phone actually looks pretty good for the money
DO NOT TOUCH THIS COMPANY WITH A BARGE POLE. I HAD THE WORST EXPERIENCE WITH THEM AND THEY WERE VERY UNDERHAND. PAYPAL EVENTUALLY SORTED IT. BUT IT TOOK 2 MONTHS.
beanhead4669
8 Apr 16#55
moron
0901salmoc
8 Apr 16#54
Anyone got an answer for this? Can't be bothered to google
smileypete
8 Apr 16#53
I guess if it ships on May 10 and takes 4 weeks from China, could take until early June to get it in your hand.
By that time I expect the better known China phone brands will have similar handsets at comparable prices....
ukez
8 Apr 163#52
Use cash its awesome...
IjustWantNFC
8 Apr 16#51
It's a shame that none of these bargain phones with touchID style fingerprint scanners are equipped with NFC.
I really want to be able to use Android Pay so need the NFC.
sput2001
8 Apr 16#50
The upcoming Vernee Apollo Lite looks like a definite contender.
marteee
8 Apr 16#49
if it had a 1080p screen id have given this a serious look, still good value but I wouldnt want to step down to 720p now
bigsipie
8 Apr 16#48
Like previously said...... There are so many good phones for £99-£150 with a UK backed warranty, their is no need to take the risk with a low quality/security risk/fire hazard no name Chinese brand. Unless risks like above are worth £20 to you.
jeffjack
8 Apr 16#47
he was just trolling.
woodg8
8 Apr 16#46
720p screen otherwise I'd be in. stick to my Nexus 5
Copperface
8 Apr 161#45
Like anything, if you are willing to take a chance and recognise the many shortcomings of ordering from someone like GearBest, and realise that support and warranty mean nothing, then you can get some decent bargains from GearBest and this is no exception.
Get it to play with and update yourself for throwaway money - probably not suitable for someone who wants an easy life with a John Lewis 5 year warranty.....
Sogaaddict
8 Apr 16#44
I think some people regard a phone screen as a substitute for a TV, in fact live their lives around said phone.
ismaildeals123
8 Apr 16#43
no BECAUSE THE COMPANY ARE MESSING AROUND WITH MY COURIER STATING PROLONGING DELIVERY FOR 4 MONTHS . CLEARLY THEY DO NOT WANT TO EVEN TOUCH MY ITEM.
Tafkawac
8 Apr 161#42
Heat for deal, but I couldn't buy one of these. Lacking certain UK 4g bands, along with the potential of yet another imported malware-ridden phone from the world's most unreliable supplier. Just spend £20 more and buy a Moto G.
wouldnt even give a penny to this company
made me pay postage to send faulty item back and been 4 months and still waiting for repair
hukd please ban this merchant here
tfish to ismaildeals123
7 Apr 161#40
why? because YOU decided to buy from China then find it bizarre you have to SEND IT BACK TO CHINA. Amazing
slipd
7 Apr 16#39
Can anyone confirm for me; dual sim AND an SD slot?
Thanks.
tfish
7 Apr 16#38
iv never been charged for gearbest phones by uk customs
benjammin316
7 Apr 16#36
Answer above.
If you're saying the difference between 720 and 1080upwards is negligible, get to specsavers Bro
frostyclock
7 Apr 16#35
If all ok great for the money but if you have the slightest issue your screwed as the after service is shocking, friend still waiting from xmas to have his sons xmas phone replaced, just not getting anywhere, no reply from emails etc.
MrPuddington
7 Apr 162#34
Agreed. I wonder whether there are any Chinese gadgets that come without some kind of malware pre-installed. Certainly my Teclast tablet has it, Lenovo tablets had it, and for Android phones it also seems to be near certain that it will at least send some data back home.
Yes, it is nice to get a good deal, but this is tax evasion and a huge privacy risk. For me that is not worth it, when you can get decent phones in the UK for around 100 pounds.
jjp2701
7 Apr 16#31
how is this company still trading on here. they have products that blow up . when u plug them in. I got a product from these I plugged it in it blew up they didn't even offer to send another 1 out. stay clear of these
shadey12 to jjp2701
7 Apr 161#33
i have had phones, tablets, electronic cigs, android boxes various other stuff including a pipo x8(don't really know what its classed as) and never had a problem apart from once having to wait 6 weeks. always had standard delivery and never got stung by customs. if only I could be so lucky on the lottery.
el_cycliste
7 Apr 16#32
Excellent, real shortage of high spec, well priced 5" phones on the market. Looks a close match with the Ulefone Paris that I'd been looking at:
In front of my face, where people normally use their phones
Waksta
7 Apr 161#3
Can anyone explain the £22 customs charge mentioned above? I thought anything under £135 were not charged customs. You might have to pay VAT on the purchase if its picked up but 20% of £71 is around £14.
wenttoabetterplace to Waksta
7 Apr 161#4
Isn't there a £10 or so handling fee?
AndyRoyd to Waksta
7 Apr 16#5
20% VAT + circa £8 handling fee.
qw3rtyhhng to Waksta
7 Apr 16#29
Anything over £15 can get customs charges
(There are some exceptions though)
jane34
7 Apr 161#28
Thank you smileypete
much appreciated :-)
benjammin316
7 Apr 16#27
You are.
I went from a Note 3 (1080 x 1920) to a note 4 (2560x1440)
And man, what a difference, the clarity is phenomenal
nigelbutler
7 Apr 16#26
Looks good... 5 inch screen and Marshmallow.... I'm guessing from May-June we'll see lots of Chinese Marshmallow phones.
Hopefully smaller 5 inch screens too or 5.2
jane34
7 Apr 16#23
can someone tell me which of the 3 phones
one in post ,
this one XIAOMI Redmi Note 3 Pro
and below, is the best of the 3?
also when it says dual sim card, does it mean i can use 2 networks?, can you switch over ?
thankyou
smileypete to jane34
7 Apr 161#25
Xiaomi will have the best build quality but doesn't have all the UK 4G bands. :disappointed:
Dual SIM means that 2 sims can be on standby to receive a call, though usually only one at a time will work with 3G/4G, the other just on GSM, nowadays this can usually be set in a menu.
'China' phones especially the cheaper ones from lesser known manufacturers can be a bit hit and miss, so if it's the first one after say an iphone I'd recommend buying something more mainstream through a well known UK retailer.
Am not so familiar with what's out there at the moment, maybe a Honor 5x (made by Huawei) from Amazon would be roughly comparable to the Xiaomi. Could try starting a topic on the HUKD forums and I'm sure that will get some good suggestions.
Still if £75 is a fairly small sum to risk then it may be worth giving something like the Oukitel U10 a go. :smiley:
cannibalwombat
7 Apr 162#6
Meh, seem fairly mediocre specs (720p screen, ubiquitous MTK6753 processor, tiddly battery) but decent for the money. The fingerprint sensor and wider than usual 4G band support are nice little bonuses though.
shadey12 to cannibalwombat
7 Apr 161#10
forgive my ignorance but what's wrong with 720 screen
helllraiser to cannibalwombat
7 Apr 161#24
Agreed however 2800mah is good for a 5" and with its 720 screen, one would expect it to have good battery life.
smileypete
7 Apr 161#22
Hot, BUT...
If Lollipop 5.1 instead of Marshmallow is OK, you can pick up an FHD Oukitel U10 from £75 from a UK seller:
as already stated had phones from gearbest for 3 years no problems
wenttoabetterplace
7 Apr 169#20
You missed my point.
It would take very little for someone to add a keylogger to a Chinese phone rom. A keylogger plus a little networking backdoor would allow people to track exactly what you write. So if you then were to go to Paypal.co.uk, they would be able to see your username and password - and then do whatever they like to your account.
That's just one example.
Point being - Chinese phones quite often come with malware installed...so to just wade in without any concern for the integrity of your data is really asking for trouble.
shadey12
7 Apr 166#19
to be honest I'm more worried about what our government holds on me than some Chinese company or government having a fingerprint
dereklogan7
7 Apr 16#18
Z SPEED+ app would probably remove it.
wenttoabetterplace
7 Apr 164#17
Just make sure you run the Malwarebytes scanner whenever you buy these cheap Chinese phones. The scans often flag up little nuggets of code that definitely shouldn't on the phones.
It would be very profitable (and easy) for a crim to get a keylogger added to the rom. Major manufacturers have suffered from similar things in the past - so it is little wonder that these cheap phones are often riddled with malware.
(Things like this have been happening for years. So better to be safe than sorry)
wenttoabetterplace
7 Apr 164#16
I would have once agreed with you - however, there are a number of Chinese phones that come with malware pre-installed (as reported by a number of HUKD users). Some of this malware cannot be removed...aside from by flashing new roms. Given that this is a very obscure manufacturer, I would personally caution against using the fingerprint scanner...at least until a clean rom from XDA etc has been developed.
You shouldn't willingly give away biometric data...
ferrarian
7 Apr 163#12
Good deal for the manufacturer as they can steal all your data and fingerprint for just 70 quid. HOT!
Bushes to ferrarian
7 Apr 164#14
Ah...that old chestnut. All discussions about Chinese phones attracts this cobblers from the ignorant.
shadey12 to ferrarian
7 Apr 16#15
i have had phones from gearbest for at least 3 years with all bank, paypal, dvla, passwords etc. never had any problems
shadey12
7 Apr 16#13
thanks for that. I have a doogee x5 and a umi hammer both 720 and thought I was missing out.
wenttoabetterplace
7 Apr 165#11
~Nothing much wrong with 720p on a 5" phone.
I have a Blu Win HD LTE with a 720p screen, and a Lumia 950 (5.2") with a 1440p screen. Honestly, nice as the 1440p screen is, I'd sooner have the better battery life that comes with a lower resolution.
gbrown42
7 Apr 16#7
I used to deliver for UPS. It was 20% VAT + £11 surcharge.
Wanted to vote cold, but couldn't find a reason. Looks like stock Android so no issues with Play Services or anything like that and supports all UK LTE frequencies. It's a low end CPU but everything else looks pretty decent for this type of money. It's a hot from me.
![Fresh Breakfast Meat Box (Using code) @ Campbells Meat [Haggis / Lorne Sausage / Bacon / Black Pudding & More]](/images/topics/208684_1.jpg)
![[Xbox One] Q. u. b. e: Director's Cut on Deals with Gold](/images/topics/208716_1.jpg)
Opening post
Offer price of 99USD (circa 71GBP) limited to 40 units a day starting at 10am UK (09:00 UTC) Friday 08 April 2016, and if you miss those daily 40 you will be looking at nearer £87. Not clear when the daily counter will be reset but timezone quoted by vendor is UTC which is 1 hour behind current time in UK. Offer pricing may finish 12 April.
Spec summary: 5" anti-smear 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3 screen @ 294PPI 1280 x 720, Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS, 3GB RAM, 16GB storage expandable to additional 128GB, MTK6753 64bit Octa Core 1.3GHz CPU, ARM Mali-T720 MP3 450MHz GPU, dual SIM dual standby, 4G LTE @ 800/1800/2100/2600MHz, unlocked for use with any network, Bluetooth 4.0, 1080p video, 13.0MP rear camera, 5.0MP front camera (not stated if either interpolated), OTG, 0.1second fingerprint unlock, fingerprint sensor, gravity sensor, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, 80% s-b ratio, 140 grammes 142mm x 70.3mm x 7.9mm titanium alloy body, 2800mAh battery, quick charge (probably mains 2-pin charger), FM radio, enhanced speaker.
2G: GSM 900/1900/2100MHz
3G: WCDMA 900/2100MHz
4G: FDD-LTE 800/1800/2100/2600MHz
If pulled by customs, expect circa £22 import fees to pay.
Any requirement for warranty servicing may be problematic as supplier may expect handset to be shipped to HK/China, although you may be able to obtain some financial sympathy from your chosen purchase payment processor.
Potentially great value if you are not a Gearbest hater and are comfortable with a direct purchase from far East.
There may be opportunity to obtain similar 99USD pre-launch price by forum registration. No doubt some informed HUKD member may assist with details.
Possibility of upto 6% cashback for new GB customers; 3% existing customers
http://www.topcashback.co.uk/gearbest/
Edit 08 April 2016
Vendor presale webpage now mentions 40 units daily at promo price, was originally 20:
http://www.gearbest.com/promotion-vernee-thor-special-527.html
Top comments
It would take very little for someone to add a keylogger to a Chinese phone rom. A keylogger plus a little networking backdoor would allow people to track exactly what you write. So if you then were to go to Paypal.co.uk, they would be able to see your username and password - and then do whatever they like to your account.
That's just one example.
Point being - Chinese phones quite often come with malware installed...so to just wade in without any concern for the integrity of your data is really asking for trouble.
I have a Blu Win HD LTE with a 720p screen, and a Lumia 950 (5.2") with a 1440p screen. Honestly, nice as the 1440p screen is, I'd sooner have the better battery life that comes with a lower resolution.
Latest comments (71)
For calls switching from giffgaff to TalkMobile payasyougo 10 pence for an hour to mobile or landline
Cheers for the deal
Sometimes Ebay and Amazon UK prices can be as cheap as the prices direct from Asia.
Tried yesterday but never changed from £87.00
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F307mQ6XPI4&nohtml5=False
By that time I expect the better known China phone brands will have similar handsets at comparable prices....
I really want to be able to use Android Pay so need the NFC.
Get it to play with and update yourself for throwaway money - probably not suitable for someone who wants an easy life with a John Lewis 5 year warranty.....
http://thehackernews.com/2014/08/xiaomi-phones-secretly-sending-users.html
made me pay postage to send faulty item back and been 4 months and still waiting for repair
hukd please ban this merchant here
Thanks.
If you're saying the difference between 720 and 1080upwards is negligible, get to specsavers Bro
Yes, it is nice to get a good deal, but this is tax evasion and a huge privacy risk. For me that is not worth it, when you can get decent phones in the UK for around 100 pounds.
http://www.devicespecifications.com/en/comparison/8d3f6ea95
(There are some exceptions though)
much appreciated :-)
I went from a Note 3 (1080 x 1920) to a note 4 (2560x1440)
And man, what a difference, the clarity is phenomenal
Hopefully smaller 5 inch screens too or 5.2
one in post ,
this one XIAOMI Redmi Note 3 Pro
and below, is the best of the 3?
also when it says dual sim card, does it mean i can use 2 networks?, can you switch over ?
thankyou
Dual SIM means that 2 sims can be on standby to receive a call, though usually only one at a time will work with 3G/4G, the other just on GSM, nowadays this can usually be set in a menu.
'China' phones especially the cheaper ones from lesser known manufacturers can be a bit hit and miss, so if it's the first one after say an iphone I'd recommend buying something more mainstream through a well known UK retailer.
Am not so familiar with what's out there at the moment, maybe a Honor 5x (made by Huawei) from Amazon would be roughly comparable to the Xiaomi. Could try starting a topic on the HUKD forums and I'm sure that will get some good suggestions.
Still if £75 is a fairly small sum to risk then it may be worth giving something like the Oukitel U10 a go. :smiley:
If Lollipop 5.1 instead of Marshmallow is OK, you can pick up an FHD Oukitel U10 from £75 from a UK seller:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Mobile-Smart-Phones-/9355/i.html?_nkw=oukitel+u10&_sop=15
Rest of the spec is pretty much the same.
It would take very little for someone to add a keylogger to a Chinese phone rom. A keylogger plus a little networking backdoor would allow people to track exactly what you write. So if you then were to go to Paypal.co.uk, they would be able to see your username and password - and then do whatever they like to your account.
That's just one example.
Point being - Chinese phones quite often come with malware installed...so to just wade in without any concern for the integrity of your data is really asking for trouble.
It would be very profitable (and easy) for a crim to get a keylogger added to the rom. Major manufacturers have suffered from similar things in the past - so it is little wonder that these cheap phones are often riddled with malware.
(Things like this have been happening for years. So better to be safe than sorry)
You shouldn't willingly give away biometric data...
I have a Blu Win HD LTE with a 720p screen, and a Lumia 950 (5.2") with a 1440p screen. Honestly, nice as the 1440p screen is, I'd sooner have the better battery life that comes with a lower resolution.
https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/143