First of all - I am aware the gold and silver are cheaper. But I am not a fan of the colours and as I use it most days, I want one I like the look of. After searching eBay, Gearbest, Banggood, and AliExpress, this is the cheapest available for that colour.
By visiting the mobile site you don't have to pay for the additional warranty. The price will be in $USD but add it to your basket.
Then go back to http://www.aliexpress.com, change your currency to £GBP (top right) and head to your basket and it should show £131.24 (might vary slightly due to exchange rate.
I am aware there are other good deals on 3GB RAM octa-cores, such as the P9 Lite, but I don't want larger than 5". Therefore this was the best 3GB, 8-core, snapdragon I could find in my price range and to my spec.
TCB successfully tracked
*
**
Not from Xiaomi, just an unofficial store using their name, albeit one with ok reviews.
*
- dcx_badass
Top comments
dcx_badass
3 Jan 173#23
This phone only came out in November 2016 so no you didn't.
Latest comments (70)
Neo12
19 Mar 17#70
From reviews I've seen, the redmi 3s prime seems to do better than the newer redmi 4 prime in camera n video ,,. I noticed they did release redmi 3s prime global version with band 20, but they haven't yet done that on redmi 4 prime! I'm not a gamer at all, but the newer redmi 4 prime has better screen I hear. What would u advice redmi 4 prime or redmi 3s prime (if u can still get it , I don't no!)? My usage is more multimedia music streaming, art, ECT,, so a decent listening experience is important, and a fluid device I guess, thanks for your help.
Neo12
19 Mar 17#69
Hi, oh it's all good then, I thought there might be an issue without band 20 in rural areas. Many Thanks for your help. Cheers.
Neo12
17 Mar 17#67
Hi, I'm really interested in buying redmi 4 prime 5", I see that it's missing band 20, I'm on three network and live in North Wales area, do you think I would have connectivity issues if I buy this phone? Thanks for your help.
asc91 to Neo12
19 Mar 17#68
Hi,
I'm on 3 Mobile and have no problem at all. I live in Exeter and work in North Dartmoor - if that helps.
k31ron
23 Jan 17#66
See the following, lot of people seemed intent on doing it in a more complicated fashion, not sure why some people don't use the built in app, but some options etc in this thread
Open question - Has anyone managed to flash the phone with the Official Global ROM and if so do you have a walkthrough for it?
I've tried several times but it just fails.
k31ron to majaboll
23 Jan 171#64
yes, dead easy (far easier then many phones anyway), download it to pc, copy to phone , use the built-in updater app on the phone....sorted
lots of info on the MUI forum if you get stuck
asc91
12 Jan 17#62
Nice. Just asked 3 to replace the sim for me, which they've done. but picking up one of these isn't a bad idea just incase.
I suspect it will have a 'shop' ROM when you get it ... Official global did come out today, so recommend switching to it when you get one.. Did mine this morning, very easy, download it to phone then use built-in MI updater app no complex recovery or fastboot procedures required
dcx_badass
11 Jan 17#59
Right ok, so even if it came out yesterday, it wasn't on a Device you just received...
asc91
11 Jan 17#58
It was on the website yesterday. If you went through the main ROM search it wasn't there, but you if you went through their guide to flashing your device you could download the Redmi 4 Prime Miui 8 ROM. It was weird.
dcx_badass
11 Jan 17#57
If it came with Google Play on it then it isn't the official rom as has been said multiple times. As per the post above me, the official global rom with google play was only released today.
Came with very little on it to be honest. No chrome, no maps, no facebook - as one often gets. Google play and gmail were on there. There's a few you can't uninstall (many of which, such as 'phone' and 'settings' are clearly necessary). I'll list all the uninstallable things I found on it: contacts, calculator, clock, mail, FM radio, Mi account, Recorder, Updater, Feedback, Scanner, Downloads, Compass, Settings, Phone, Messaging (texts), Camera, Calendar, Explorer (file explorer) Notes, Music, Weather, Gallery, themes, security, browser, voice search
p.s. no pre-downloaded music. The only 'media' seem to be the stock Miui themes and ringtones etc.
That looks like a long list, but it's less than half of what my HTCs have.
Given that it's an official Miui 8 ROM, the process of flashing it and putting the stock android on it will be as easy as it can be. But from reading up people mostly prefer Miui to Android stock anyway.
Set up was pretty straightforward. Google accounts linked quickly, no issues setting up WiFi and receiving good phone signal (often don't get any in my office at all).
Early days though!
p.s. Minor inconvenience is that the second sim slot is for nano-sim or micro-sd. The first sim slot is for a larger. So I need to get a replacement sim before I can fit my micro sd
asc91
10 Jan 17#53
Confirmed - mine came with MIUI 8 ROM preinstalled.
majaboll to asc91
10 Jan 17#54
asc91 Thanks for the update. Any bloatware to report ?
colgrigson
10 Jan 171#52
Just select India or falklands
asc91
10 Jan 17#51
Received mine today... choose language and then choose locale... UK, GB, England, Britain - even the USA, all not on the list for locale.
Otherwise... build quality, amazing. Fingerprint scanner is actually useful and really good. Everything else seems good for now. Just debating flashing the rom or not.!
dreadzone101
8 Jan 17#50
You can use it out of the box, although not many would recommend it because it's definitely an unofficial modified vendor ROM. Discussion about it in this thread. Some say they've been using a vendor ROM so far with no issues and one person mentioned theirs was from Gearbest and that it was clean so any unwanted stuff within the ROM could vary depending on the seller.
dcx_badass
8 Jan 17#49
We'll there isn't a global official rom for this phone so make of that what you will...
Also the listing says multiple times: "OS MIUI 8 Android 6.0.1 , Custom ROM, Multi Language + Google play store"
little_green
8 Jan 17#48
Yeah that's what I was thinking so now confused, would I still need to flash a clean ROM or can I use this out box
techsavvy
8 Jan 171#47
Well for this one the supplier explicitly says - global OFFICIAL ROM WITH GOOGLE PLAY STORE, and support OTA
Chinese software only on these so no Google Play, if it comes with Google Play then you're on modified software and most of those are virus/spyware ridden and will never get an update. If you get one of these phones you NEED to reflash it yourself, either to the official Chinese software then add google play or unlock the bootloader and flash the xiaomi.eu rom.
arora
7 Jan 17#45
Silver is also available but at 118. Note 3 screen size is 5.5 but this one is 5 inch. Also if you go for 16gb note 3 ram is only 2gb and this one is 3gb. But note 3 32gb comes with 3gb ram. Nothing much difference otherwise. I dont know about google play as i never used bought these phones myself.
little_green
7 Jan 17#43
damn would have preferred grey or silver...
how does this compare to the redmi note 3?
arora
7 Jan 171#42
Select gold colour with phone only option with currency in GBP on top
arora
7 Jan 17#40
price now is £113
little_green to arora
7 Jan 17#41
ummm where....
dan123000
5 Jan 171#37
got a brand new one of these for sale for 120 if anyone interested
techsavvy to dan123000
5 Jan 17#38
Hey hi, i am looking to buy one , pm me you details
luccasvr to dan123000
6 Jan 17#39
I'm interested as well. If you haven't sold it, pm please. Thanks.
alcurtis93
4 Jan 17#36
redmi note 3 Pro I got
featch
4 Jan 17#35
Good article. Thank you for sharing.
featch
4 Jan 17#34
Thanks again. From what I can gather 1800MHz is Three's default frequency for 4G and that 800MHz will be used for new services such as Super Voice. Some good commentary here: http://www.4g.co.uk/three-4g-network-summary/
Think I'm now satisfied enough to buy this. Highly unlikely that I'll want to switch to a Vodafone or O2 carrier any time soon.
anonimousse
4 Jan 17#33
A short answer: No.
It will not make any difference even if you somehow managed to acquire this sensitive information. It is a given that most operators who have been allocated frequency in different parts of the spectrum will aggregate two or more bands to provide a faster, reliable and accessible service. I won't go into the details of paired/unpaired or the impact it has on the usage scenarios. However, suffice to say that Three will be using their tiny allocation to achieve some kind of happy medium and since this phone is Cat 7 (downlink) compatible it should be able to support Carrier Aggregation features of LTE-A.
If you still wish to play detective, you can search for Ofcom reports on consumer satisfaction, where someone literally travels around the country to find the best and worst signal based on real world usage. Good luck.
asc91
4 Jan 17#32
I'm on 3 and am buying it. However I might be swapping network as I can get a the same package for £5 less elsewhere.
Although I do love the feel at home thing 3 have. I live in central Exeter so shouldn't be on band 20 there as it's a lower quality signal.
Sorry I can't be of more help
Also potentially possible to unlock band 20 with some computer wizardry
featch
4 Jan 17#31
Thanks. I was are of this but I was wondering if there was a way of determining which frequencies are available by location. I am a Three customer so interested in knowing if 800MHz and/or 1800MHz are available in my area.
featch
4 Jan 17#29
Currently £130.67 at Gearbest. Really tempted but not sure if I can rely on 1800MHz alone for 4G.
Does anyone know if there is a way to check Three (or another provider) to see what bands are available by area?
I know that the Redmi 3S has band 20 support but it has an inferior chipset.
cheers asc91 and colgrigson
I will choose phone supporting band 20 then. I'm looking to replace my S5 with more memory on board min 32GB and supporting memory extension. Maybe Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro?
rev6 to msciazko
3 Jan 17#25
That would be the Special Edition.
asc91 to msciazko
3 Jan 17#26
Don't know much about the Note 3 so can't help. But worth keeping an eye out for the Galaxy S6 on O2 refresh or perhaps the p9 Lite?
This phone only came out in November 2016 so no you didn't.
msciazko
3 Jan 17#20
To use it with 4G Vodafone will be ok? Or find phone supporting Band 20 as well?
Vodafone
2G 900MHz & 1800MHz
3G 900MHz & 2100MHz
4G 800MHz & 2600MHz
asc91 to msciazko
3 Jan 17#21
Vodafone 4g 800MHz is band 20. That's the low quality 4g you get out in the countryside (O2 do the same). So you might lose out on 4g when you're away from towns and cities. Possible to open up band 20 on the device, but not entirely confident as to how.
colgrigson to msciazko
3 Jan 171#22
Depends really on where and how you use your phone. Vodafone use Band 7 and Band 20
◦800MHz (Band 20)
◦2600MHz (Band 7)
The lower the frequency of the band the further it can travel, so the 800MHz band is the best for travelling over long distances, which means users can get a 4G signal even when they’re a long way from a mast. This becomes particularly useful in rural areas where masts are likely to be quite spread out.
However, it also has some advantages in cities, because low frequencies are also good at passing through walls and other physical objects. So the 800MHz band is good for indoor coverage and for heavily built up areas where a signal might otherwise struggle to travel.
On the other hand it has a comparatively low capacity, as it was only available in small 5 and 10MHz blocks, which means that it can’t always deal brilliantly with lots of people trying to connect at once. So even in places with a good connection it may not always deliver consistent speeds, especially in urban areas where there’s likely to be a lot of data traffic.
The 2.6GHz band is essentially the opposite of the 800MHz band. So it’s not great at travelling over long distances, meaning that masts need to be closer together to deliver reliable coverage and as such it’s not so suited to rural areas.
It’s also not all that adept at penetrating walls so indoor signal on the 2.6GHz band won’t always be perfect.
But on the other hand with 35MHz blocks available it has a high capacity. So it can cope with thousands of simultaneous connections, which in that sense makes it a good fit for cities and other busy areas.
Ideally for Vodafone, you'd want a phone that can utilise which ever is available wherever you are but in reality you'll still get some 4G coverage using the 2600 frequency.... Or look for the Redmi 3S/3N with the International gubbins so it will do 800 and 2600.
majaboll
3 Jan 17#17
That's an interesting point that Marker makes about flashing the device, are you asc91 going to flash yours (no pun intended) straight away or see what the install looks like ?
asc91 to majaboll
3 Jan 17#19
It's (supposedly) from the Xiaomi store, so I'm hopping I won't need to. However if it's not a standard ROM I will flash it, yes.
k31ron
3 Jan 17#18
ordered one before xmas, still waiting on delivery but wondered what others are going to do re flashing roms etc
Marker
3 Jan 17#16
Excellent phone, got mine from Gearbest for £126 (gold colour) about a month ago. It was a bit bigger/heavier than I was expecting when comparing to my wife's Mi4C but all aspects of it are great -- speed, screen, build quality, battery life, etc.
It was a bit of a faff unlocking the bootloader and reflashing it with a Xiaomi.eu ROM to get rid of the dodgy Gearbest ROM, but only needs to be done once.
ACunningPlan
3 Jan 17#15
It is more expensive post brexit :stuck_out_tongue:
slipd
3 Jan 17#12
Has anyone been able to find the exact spec of this handset on GSM Arena?
asc91 to slipd
3 Jan 17#14
See link. Sometimes referred to as prime, sometimes pro, same handset though.
I may be wrong but I think you're confusing phones.
I don't think the Redmi 4 was available before the referendum... I think you're probably thinking of the Redmi 3
alcurtis93
3 Jan 17#11
i paid £112 for this phone for my sister before brexit
simonhzero
3 Jan 171#10
It would've been £115 at the pre-referendum rate of $1.45:£1 rate
asc91
3 Jan 172#9
Yep still cheap, but would have been cheaper without Brexit as the price is in USD and £:USD is weak at the moment.
I'm fun at parties.
bellboys
3 Jan 171#8
And here's me thinking Brexit was going to make stuff like this much more expensive :stuck_out_tongue: Heat added.
majaboll
2 Jan 171#7
Thanks for this asc91 I've been looking for the past couple of days and felt like I was going in circles !
Very nicely laid out and easy to follow. Plus its even cheaper, I just paid 130.63.
Cheers for your help.
damadgeruk
2 Jan 17#6
Missed the missing Note, probably as I don't cope with such small phones. :wink:
dcx_badass
2 Jan 17#5
But none of us mentioned or want a Note with a 5.5" screen, but yes the Qualcomm Note 3 is better than the Mediatek Note 4.
SClub
2 Jan 171#1
Looks a great phone. Hoping they bring out a band 20 version at some point, like they did with the 3s prime. Will upgrade my Redmi 3 Pro then (which is excellent BTW).
dcx_badass to SClub
2 Jan 171#2
Same thing I'm waiting for, International version with Band 20. Be nice to see some custom roms aswell.
asc91 to SClub
2 Jan 17#4
Hoping band 20 won't be a big issue for me. On 3 mobile so it's not a primary band they use.
Apparently there's a somewhat long winded 'hack' you can do to unlock the band, not sure if I'll be up to it though.
damadgeruk
2 Jan 171#3
Surely the Note 3 with snapdragon 650 and band 20 is a better bet than the Note 4 Mediatek?
![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
First of all - I am aware the gold and silver are cheaper. But I am not a fan of the colours and as I use it most days, I want one I like the look of. After searching eBay, Gearbest, Banggood, and AliExpress, this is the cheapest available for that colour.
Comes from the Xiaomi store.
To get that price go to:
https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32763245357.html?
By visiting the mobile site you don't have to pay for the additional warranty. The price will be in $USD but add it to your basket.
Then go back to http://www.aliexpress.com, change your currency to £GBP (top right) and head to your basket and it should show £131.24 (might vary slightly due to exchange rate.
I am aware there are other good deals on 3GB RAM octa-cores, such as the P9 Lite, but I don't want larger than 5". Therefore this was the best 3GB, 8-core, snapdragon I could find in my price range and to my spec.
TCB successfully tracked
*
**
Not from Xiaomi, just an unofficial store using their name, albeit one with ok reviews.
*
- dcx_badass
Top comments
Latest comments (70)
I'm on 3 Mobile and have no problem at all. I live in Exeter and work in North Dartmoor - if that helps.
http://en.miui.com/thread-471064-1-1.html
I've tried several times but it just fails.
lots of info on the MUI forum if you get stuck
https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/mb6/Noosy-Standard-SIM-Adapter-Iphone-Samsung-Galaxy/B00D8WC9Q0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1484175159&sr=8-4&keywords=phone+sim+adaptor
http://en.miui.com/thread-471064-1-1.html
p.s. no pre-downloaded music. The only 'media' seem to be the stock Miui themes and ringtones etc.
That looks like a long list, but it's less than half of what my HTCs have.
Given that it's an official Miui 8 ROM, the process of flashing it and putting the stock android on it will be as easy as it can be. But from reading up people mostly prefer Miui to Android stock anyway.
Set up was pretty straightforward. Google accounts linked quickly, no issues setting up WiFi and receiving good phone signal (often don't get any in my office at all).
Early days though!
p.s. Minor inconvenience is that the second sim slot is for nano-sim or micro-sd. The first sim slot is for a larger. So I need to get a replacement sim before I can fit my micro sd
Otherwise... build quality, amazing. Fingerprint scanner is actually useful and really good. Everything else seems good for now. Just debating flashing the rom or not.!
Also the listing says multiple times:
"OS MIUI 8 Android 6.0.1 , Custom ROM, Multi Language + Google play store"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw9kA83eGSE
how does this compare to the redmi note 3?
Think I'm now satisfied enough to buy this. Highly unlikely that I'll want to switch to a Vodafone or O2 carrier any time soon.
It will not make any difference even if you somehow managed to acquire this sensitive information. It is a given that most operators who have been allocated frequency in different parts of the spectrum will aggregate two or more bands to provide a faster, reliable and accessible service. I won't go into the details of paired/unpaired or the impact it has on the usage scenarios. However, suffice to say that Three will be using their tiny allocation to achieve some kind of happy medium and since this phone is Cat 7 (downlink) compatible it should be able to support Carrier Aggregation features of LTE-A.
If you still wish to play detective, you can search for Ofcom reports on consumer satisfaction, where someone literally travels around the country to find the best and worst signal based on real world usage. Good luck.
Although I do love the feel at home thing 3 have. I live in central Exeter so shouldn't be on band 20 there as it's a lower quality signal.
Sorry I can't be of more help
Also potentially possible to unlock band 20 with some computer wizardry
Does anyone know if there is a way to check Three (or another provider) to see what bands are available by area?
I know that the Redmi 3S has band 20 support but it has an inferior chipset.
I will choose phone supporting band 20 then. I'm looking to replace my S5 with more memory on board min 32GB and supporting memory extension. Maybe Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro?
http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/doogee-y6-piano-black-5-5-inch-fingerprint-4gb-ram-64gb-rom-mtk6750-octa-core-4g-2573390?p=29730137
http://www.hotukdeals.com/visit?t=2591651&hukdm=353&d=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hotukdeals.com%2Fdeals%2Fxiaomi-redmi-3s-pro-prime-5-inch-fingerprint-3gb-ram-32gb-rom-snapdragon-430-octa-2592043%3Fp%3D29733535
http://www.hotukdeals.com/visit?t=2591651&hukdm=353&d=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hotukdeals.com%2Fdeals%2Fxiaomi-redmi-note-3-pro-5-5-fhd-snapdragon-650-3gb-4000mah-gold-band20-kate-global-2591476
Vodafone
2G 900MHz & 1800MHz
3G 900MHz & 2100MHz
4G 800MHz & 2600MHz
◦800MHz (Band 20)
◦2600MHz (Band 7)
The lower the frequency of the band the further it can travel, so the 800MHz band is the best for travelling over long distances, which means users can get a 4G signal even when they’re a long way from a mast. This becomes particularly useful in rural areas where masts are likely to be quite spread out.
However, it also has some advantages in cities, because low frequencies are also good at passing through walls and other physical objects. So the 800MHz band is good for indoor coverage and for heavily built up areas where a signal might otherwise struggle to travel.
On the other hand it has a comparatively low capacity, as it was only available in small 5 and 10MHz blocks, which means that it can’t always deal brilliantly with lots of people trying to connect at once. So even in places with a good connection it may not always deliver consistent speeds, especially in urban areas where there’s likely to be a lot of data traffic.
The 2.6GHz band is essentially the opposite of the 800MHz band. So it’s not great at travelling over long distances, meaning that masts need to be closer together to deliver reliable coverage and as such it’s not so suited to rural areas.
It’s also not all that adept at penetrating walls so indoor signal on the 2.6GHz band won’t always be perfect.
But on the other hand with 35MHz blocks available it has a high capacity. So it can cope with thousands of simultaneous connections, which in that sense makes it a good fit for cities and other busy areas.
Ideally for Vodafone, you'd want a phone that can utilise which ever is available wherever you are but in reality you'll still get some 4G coverage using the 2600 frequency.... Or look for the Redmi 3S/3N with the International gubbins so it will do 800 and 2600.
It was a bit of a faff unlocking the bootloader and reflashing it with a Xiaomi.eu ROM to get rid of the dodgy Gearbest ROM, but only needs to be done once.
http://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_redmi_4_prime-8263.php
I don't think the Redmi 4 was available before the referendum... I think you're probably thinking of the Redmi 3
I'm fun at parties.
Very nicely laid out and easy to follow. Plus its even cheaper, I just paid 130.63.
Cheers for your help.
Apparently there's a somewhat long winded 'hack' you can do to unlock the band, not sure if I'll be up to it though.