Missing B20 support is a little annoying. Otherwise pretty good.

Just sharing this in case useful for anyone... I've been searching the web for information on the 1 year warranty that is automatically added by AliExpress, and I've been considering whether to remove it using the trick of setting US delivery first.

If you check the warranty page on AliExpress, it doesn't actually list the UK as being included. However, I have contacted AliExpress and The Warranty Group, and I've been told that the UK is included. Here are the T&C from the Warranty Group, which includes a version specific to the UK for AliExpress customers:
https://www.thewarrantygroup-cares.com/aliexpress/ConsumerTC?language

If you need to make a claim, you need to go here:
https://www.thewarrantygroup-cares.com/aliexpress

I searched the web to find some stories about people trying the claim on the warranty (none from the UK unfortunately), and the recurring story seems to be that people send the phone off, it often goes "missing" for a month, then it is found, then the customer is told that AliExpress will give a refund, then there is little/no further communication... however, for the people brave enough to return to AliExpress to purchase a replacement phone, they have found a credit on their account equal to the cost of the original purchase. Having now found the T&C document, this makes some sense, since it talks about credit vouchers from AliExpress... however, communication seems to be lacking when this has been applied.

Anyway, take what you want from this... I hope at least the two links here might be useful to someone.

Personally, I was going to skip the warranty to save money, but now I think I'm going to pay it. Also, if I was forced to ask my credit card company to bail me out, I wonder what their position would be if I willingly dodged a warranty that is meant to be compulsory.

​You don't always need B20 at all. Mine doesn't have it and works perfectly. Anyway, it's good to see you back. How you doing? How've you been? Do you fancy a pint?

You have to select usa but gbp then on shipping change it to uk, warranty is not there then.

Missing B20 support is a little annoying. Otherwise pretty good.

I'm sure that they will do a full international version soon like with the 3 pro, this is great if you don't need b20

Do you need to have the smarts to remove everything on these phones and load android onto it? Or is it ready to go out of the box?

The only thing I don't like about the redmi 4 Pro are the black bezels around, unless you have this phone in gray. I had the redmi 3 pro gold (smaller black bezels) and the device is really good, but after loading few apps, it wasn't as smooth. The Snapdragon CPU in redmi 4 pro is much better then the Snapdragon in redmi 3 pro.

Currently I'm using the redmi note 3 pro with the Snapdragon 650 and I like it, yet I'd prefer the redmi 4, because it's smaller.

Is this better than the redmi note 3 snapdragon 650 version?
This has a sd 625 processor right?

​The Note 4 is 5.5 inches, the same as the note 3

Just to clarify, this is a "Note" yes, the most current iteration of the Redmi Note 4?

It seems to be a problem with the mii phones from xiaomi there is so many models and variants, then they launch the global versions that the likes of Ali express and bang good ship to UK customers who can't get them, then there's compatibility with UK networks and all the spec and features to take into consideration.
To be fair, most sub £130 phones from them are leaps and bounds ahead of what spec level you'd get in the UK price equivalent, but for first time users jumping in the whole experience can be a little daunting to say the least.

B20 is handy, no doubt, though many hukders are happily using 3 (and other networks) without it. 2 of the 3 Xiaomi mobiles we have do not have band 20 and work perfectly.

​You don't always need B20 at all. Mine doesn't have it and works perfectly. Anyway, it's good to see you back. How you doing? How've you been? Do you fancy a pint?

Confused are u talking about the note 4 or this the redmi 4 pro as they are different phones

Mainly just about the Snapdragon 650 vs the 625 ... looks like I may have been wrong about this phones size, but the bulk of my comment was just CPU Vs. CPU (and again: it's all second hand information form the internet I've not used a SD 625 phone yet)

Price is wrong, unless you can see how to remove the replacement warranty, which I cant, even tried on the app.....seems like you are forced into the unwanted warranty

best deal on mi5 in black w/ 64gb? seems out of stock everywhere

The b20 Note 5.5" available at £129.42 albeit the gold version. I went for the b20 option, my first Chinese phone.
Good price, heat added.

I don't always need b20. I hardly ever use mobile Internet. I Mostly rely on WiFi at home or at work. If I need mobile Internet outside of these locations I would still get 3g Internet. The 3g speeds are perfectly fine for me on these occasions. For power users on 3 network it's not a big deal either as they'll get their 4g most of the time without b20.

As has been suggested before on many of these imported phone deal threads, but worthwhile reminding those that may not be aware, always always always use PayPal and/or a Credit Card if you want any chance of getting your money back if anything goes wrong with these lower cost high spec imported phones.

I am early in the process of trying to get my money back on a Redmi 3S that has in just under 6 months of faultless use, stopped working as a phone, as the mobile network chip / function. has gone tits up. No incoming or outgoing calls / texts or mobile internet, tried different known working SIM's . Reinstalled it, put in new APNs nothing, so it looks to be a hardware issue. ThankfulIy paid via PayPal so fingers crossed I will at least get my money back. :disappointed:

O2 and half of Vodafone are the only U.K. Networks that use band 20.

People are commenting thinking this is the Xiaomi Note Pro 4 5.5'' flagship phone when this is the mid range version with the SD625 chipset.
That's just wrong. The SD625 is a mid range chipset that superseded the SD617 (same as you get with the moto G4). The SD650 you get in the Xiaomi Note Pro 3 is a new chipset (was when it was released) and is a complete different beast altogether.
When the SD650 was released it was the second most powerful chipset on the Qualcomm family (SD820 you see in all of the 2016 flagship phones being #1) SD820<--SD650<--SD810 (2015 flagship chipset).

Will banking apps work on this, NatWest in particular?

No they're not, Three and EE also now use B20 in some areas, which means all networks will benefit from it in most instances.

http://www.4g.co.uk/4g-frequencies-uk-need-know/

​?????
they do the 3 series with band 20. Stands to reason the 4 series would eventually follow

Yup. Snapdragon 650 performance easily beats out the 625. This review has a comparison between the SD625 in the RMN4x and the SD650 in the RMN4P. The 650 wins out basically
https://www.xda-developers.com/redmi-note-4-xda-review/

O2 includes its MVNOs giffgaff and tesco mobile.

Plus Three and EE now use band 20 too in some rural areas to improve 4G coverage. If you are with them you will not get 4G in some areas

Kramvic, haven't quite got to that stage yet, but based upon what I have seen others comment on HUKD about PayPal returns / refunds I will most likely have to ship it back to Spain ( I purchased via a EU warehouse so Spain is where the phone was shipped from ). Thankfully with the possibility of this exact situation in mind at point of purchase I paid a few €'s for insurance to cover return of the phone, although I think PayPal may cover the costs of the return up to €15 anyway. Perhaps other with more experience of imported phone returns may be able to confirm.

Thanks for the reply, hope you get it sorted.

​isnt the821 #1?

and although the 650 appears better I wouldn't say it 'easily' beats it, there's not a huge amount in it.

Had this phone three weeks and already looking for my next upgrade. Came from the Redmi Note 3 Pro and now realise this is a downgrade. It seems to have gotten sluggish in the short term of owning it. The screen has a curved edge so screen protectors don't sit correctly. My head phone jack doesn't detect when headphones are removed so have to repeatedly insert the jack to correct it.

Bought a 3S Prime as a gift to someone but the international one because band 20 is a critical thing really for most UK networks. It's surprisingly good. Wouldn't bother one without band 20 though.

Good price,except the grey version is an extra £29 :neutral_face:

I have got a Redmi Note 3 global version which I bought earlier(couple of months ago) going through one of the deals on HUKD, the phone is very nice spec wise and for the money you pay but it has an issue with the mic when you connect your headphones. People on the other side can hardly hear me.
I searched the MIUI forum and found out that it is a common problem that most of the Redmi phones have and MIUI is aware of it and they are working on it.
Links below refers to the issue that I am talking about, just want people to be aware before ordering.
http://en.miui.com/thread-208294-1-1.html
http://en.miui.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=509847&highlight=mic

You dont need band 20 if you are on 3

My son has the RN3 pro, he had the note 1 and 2 and has never had a problem

I'm on EE does 4 g work ok? What's camera like ? Wifi calling ? And is it better than a s5?

I have been using an Elephone p8000 for approx 18 months now, still very happy with it except running out of storage. If it had the marshmallow update then I would be happy to stay with it with the adaptive storage. Unsure what would be a step up with marshmallow at a good price. Any ideas?
Thanks.

I moved from an Elephone p7000 to an Xiaomi Mi Max, I had the p7000 since launch and did quite like it - but I dropped it one too many times and it stopped working. My main criteria for the replacement was at least a 5.5" screen and a good battery, the Mi Max was a gamble as I didn't know if I could cope with a 6.44" screen. I've had the Mi Max 2 months now and think it's a brilliant phone, it makes the Elephone look really 2nd rate in every aspect - even the software is streets ahead of Elephones.
I'd certainly recommend an Xiaomi as a big step up from an Elephone - just need to decide what screen size you want.

Bah. Am on o2 and need a new phone. Why do all these Chinese phones not include band 20 ??

Ordered a similar phone off Aliexpress on 19th Dec and it's still not arrived yet. I'm hoping if I need to claim a refund it won't be an issue. Probably the last time I'll buy off Aliexpress.

​look for the redmi note 3 se. it has band 20. awesome phone.

I think there is a lower range redmi 3s which also does but has a 5 inch screen

Try this, this solved my problem with my phone.

Go to setting/Google/Search/Voice/''OK Google'' detection (uncheck everything)
Go to setting/Google/Search/Voice/Hands-free/ For Bluetooth devices (check) For wired headsets (Check)
Go to settings/Sim cards & mobile networks/VoLTE enabled (uncheck)

Cheers infiltrator, 5-5.5 inch but no bigger. Will take a look. Cheers.

Whats your budget, preferred screen size, other preferences? Last week I received my Xiaomi mi5 64 GB version. It's a superb phone and I can recommend it. You can buy it for £188 (- 8% TCB cashback)off Aliexpress. Powerful SD820 processor, nice camera, looks great, Nougat on the way.

TBH, like I say I'm happy with the P8000 except the lack of storage so at least same specs would do providing it is on marshmallow. Wouldn't want to spend over £120. Thanks.

​why spend money on an 'upgrade' for a same spec phone just to get nougat?

the newer is is hardly an upgrade. I'm sure if you check XDA or similar there will be a nougat is available

I will try this out. Thank you for your suggestions.

Will have a look. Cheers.

​Could you help recommend a model for me? all these models are getting me very confused lol.
I'm after a 5.5​"+, 3gb ram/64gb, fingerprint sensor, GPS (I read a few models are having problems with gps), 4g compatible (if possible on the EE network) but not desperately needed.

edit * forgot to say SD card slot is s must also, thanks in advance.

Budget is £200, would stretch abit more if needed

This one or moto z offer at John Lewis for 299.99
Please advice
Thx

It's easy to recommend the xiaomi redmi note 3 se which has band 20 though only 3/32GB (has SD) at £130ish. Mi max can be had with 3/64GB though no band 20 or global rom iirc for £170ish if you can handle 6.44"(my current phone until my Letv x829 arrives at least).

The moto z by far though the xiaomi represents much better value.

The redmi note 3 pro special edition is still $159.00

around £128

For £5 more, you're better off the with Note 3 SE:

- B20 support
- 1080p 5.5"
- better camera
- 4K video

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Official-Global-Version-Xiaomi-Redmi-Note-3-3i-pro-prime-special-Version-Smartphone-5-5-Inch/2178148_32717858702.html

Is this exactly the same phone? Coming out at £113

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Original-Xiaomi-Redmi-4-Pro-Prime-32GB-5-MIUI8-Snapdragon-625-4G-FDD-Smartphone/302136012042?_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982&_trkparms=aid%3D888007%26algo%3DDISC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D41433%26meid%3D11d92b64dd2e4474bf21cd3041864c81%26pid%3D100009%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D2%26sd%3D172463758296

Any review of the Note 3 SE? Cant find any.

Yep, the Redmi 3S is the 5 incher with the Note 3 having the 1080p 5.5-inch screen. Between me and OH we have both, very pleased with both of them. MIUI is great, lots of nice extra bits (like free cloud storage and I like if I cancel an alarm (say for a day off work) it asks if I want to cancel it for the following day only). Both of ours are Band20 (on o2 and VF) and 4G works fine. Battery life is great too.

Thanks for the suggestion, i also read about a new model coming out on the 1st of march, is it worth me waiting?

Edit* misread that, its just the new colour of the note 4 thats being released.

Damn I only got the Redmi 3s pro in October & already a new one is out :/ had the same happen when I bought the mi1 and not long later the mi1s was released

I used the Xiaomi mi 1 for 4 years in the UK. I've now had the Xiaomi redmi 3s prime since October. Both were bought in China (non-global version) and both have worked perfectly fine

expired

Redmi 3s here had it 5 months or so fantastic phone

​No it hasn't.

​wouldnt worry, xiaomi are doing a Sony. flooding devices out left right and centre with only slight upgrades.

the software still keeps getting updated and thats the main thing. just enjoy your phone.

I have a Redmi pro but it's not Redmi 3 pro or 4 pro. It's been used for nearly 4 months and dropped for more than 15 times. Still working well. Not bad.

Xiaomi phones are usually out of stock, haha

Damn, I just bought Redmi 3S.
what's difference in spec?

Fellow P8000 user here and I'm very happy with it although there are certain quirks that annoy me (can't send multiple texts, Youtube runs the battery down in 2 hours, still on 5.1, my Podcast software stutters a problem with the software but it's a known issue on just a few phones.)

While I'm still very happy with my P8000, my son broke his phone so I'm looking an upgrade and give him my P8000. How does this phone and Mi Max compare spec and battery wise to the P8000? I'm developing my own Android App but my app will require a days heavy use (roughly 8 hours of screen use) so battery life is vital.

6.4" would certainly appeal to my app but it's not essential. My app is developed with 5" in mind. Spec wise is not as important but I wouldn't want lower spec than my Elephone.

I don't think it's difficult at all. The best thing anyone can ever do with these phones is simply download Nova Launcher from the play store. It's super easy to use and looks like stock android.

Got my Redmi 3S prime 2 months ago.

For the price it is an absolutely phenomenal phone. Xiaomi are fantastic and can honestly see me buying my next phone from them again.

I came to the conclusion that I was better off buying a branded 2nd hand phone from almost two years ago than buy these Chinese makes.

After owning a Lenovo, ZTE, Xiaomi in the past.

after i bought last year xuaomi Mi Max for 119£ i thing i got the phone for next 2-3 years whitout looking for another one... and after theese 3 years i can sell it for no less than £60..

next phone which i am after will be Mi Max 2:)

Do you remember which seller?
Thanks

Dreami store. Website kept changing to Portuguese or some other language but I managed to purchase it. Came securely wrapped, tracking was provided. The phone came with Global ROM + Google apps. They throw in free gel case, screen film, adaptor.

​Where did you learn that. Three and must be stupid to pay millions of pounds for it. Don't tell porkies.

​Because they are made to work in China and India and not UK. China and India have different bands and have different type of 4G called TDE. Not FDD.

​EE network has the most 4g bandwidth in UK and therefore best 4g in UK. Three and O2 suck because they gave very less 4G bandwidth.

Agreed. B29 not required.

EDIT this is a 4 note. Soz

Oh no. Looks like samOFlondon has escaped the loony hospital!

Beware of this AliExpress and Xiaomi combo. I'm still waiting for my phone which almost certainly seems to be lost now. But I still have to wait for a certain length of time before they decide to refund me or send out another one.

Been a month already

​He slips out every now and then.

any recommendations for a sub £200 5.7- 6" phone the mi5s plus is ideal but out of my price range

If you don't need sd or band 20, the Letv x829 Le Max 2 is very cheap for the spec.
http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/letv-leeco-le-max-2-x829-5-7-inch-4gb-ram-64gb-rom-snapdragon-820-quad-core-4g-smartphone-2622692?p=30123068

Thanks. Unfortunately I need band 20

Any problem with customs? Since here in Greece already started all the packages to reach the customs office.

​people have better luck using the China postage rather than dhl, but not guaranteed

got one of these for sale for £115 brand new of anyone is looking :smiley:

Can anyone recommend a Xiaomi phone at least 5.2" with a good camera? Don't want to pay more than £160. They all seem to have poor cameras. Just wanted to point out that Aliexpress don't accept PayPal as a payment method.

​redmi is the budget range. look for thinks like mi5. not sure you'll get on your budget

Thanks.

Doesn't exist, only Xiaomi phone with a decent camera is the Mi5s @ £250+ even then it doesn't perform as good as it should, it's the same camera as the google pixel apparently, but doesn't get near it in the tests I've seen.

It's the one area that the budget Chinese manufacturers don't seem to be able to have any success.
My Mi Max will take some decent pictures, but the conditions need to be perfect, and low light is the usual rubbish.

Made my mind up. Will probably have to go for the Moto G4 plus, unless anyone can suggest something better? I've been looking for weeks. I dropped my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the screen is now useless. Trying to avoid buying another Samsung as although I love them, their screens break too easily and cost a fortune to repair.

The Moto G5 (and G5 Plus) were recently announced and expected to be released this month so if you're thinking of G4 Plus, I'd suggest waiting a while. Depending on pricing, the G5 Plus could be more appealing and if not, it might reduce the current cost of G4 Plus a bit, if you still decide on that.

Hi Dan, I'm interested in the phone!
I was just wondering what the colour of the phone is?
And if possible could you send me pictures of it ?
Thanks.

Just sharing this in case useful for anyone... I've been searching the web for information on the 1 year warranty that is automatically added by AliExpress, and I've been considering whether to remove it using the trick of setting US delivery first.

If you check the warranty page on AliExpress, it doesn't actually list the UK as being included. However, I have contacted AliExpress and The Warranty Group, and I've been told that the UK is included. Here are the T&C from the Warranty Group, which includes a version specific to the UK for AliExpress customers:
https://www.thewarrantygroup-cares.com/aliexpress/ConsumerTC?language

If you need to make a claim, you need to go here:
https://www.thewarrantygroup-cares.com/aliexpress

I searched the web to find some stories about people trying the claim on the warranty (none from the UK unfortunately), and the recurring story seems to be that people send the phone off, it often goes "missing" for a month, then it is found, then the customer is told that AliExpress will give a refund, then there is little/no further communication... however, for the people brave enough to return to AliExpress to purchase a replacement phone, they have found a credit on their account equal to the cost of the original purchase. Having now found the T&C document, this makes some sense, since it talks about credit vouchers from AliExpress... however, communication seems to be lacking when this has been applied.

Anyway, take what you want from this... I hope at least the two links here might be useful to someone.

Personally, I was going to skip the warranty to save money, but now I think I'm going to pay it. Also, if I was forced to ask my credit card company to bail me out, I wonder what their position would be if I willingly dodged a warranty that is meant to be compulsory.

Guess it depends on the true value of the phone to you, in my case I didn't bother with the warranty, my Mi Max was £135 delivered, less if quidco pays out - not holding out much hope for this though. The Mi Max has excellent reviews and no reports of any common faults, it's also the Mi brand rather than the Redmi which uses cheaper components. So it's a gamble really, and one that I think is in my favour. Had I bought the Mi5s plus for £300, I'd probably have gone for the U.K. Warranty as another route to protect my £300.
Had it now 3 months and it's been faultless, if it lasts 12 months then I'll be happy that it was worth the cost, if it breaks in month 11 I'll flog it for spares and never go near an Xiaomi phone again.

I have same problem on my RN3P, absolutely gutted it was an awesome phone till then.

​yeah I've got a post up on the fs forums

​its black 32gb 3gb ram

IMHO Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 pro would be a better choice for the money.

Do you have a link for this? I can see the global one on ali express, at $185

Do you have a link for this? I can see the global one on ali express, at $185

Moto g5 in a few days.. otherwise tempting. if they drop the price on this further would be tempted more..

With the Snapdragon Processor or the Helio x20?

​snapdragon, weird I log on seconds after you reply lol

Are you sure you aren't confusing this with the Redmi Note 4? This deal thread and the phone he is selling is the 5" Redmi 4 Pro which is only Snapdragon 625 (or SD430 for non Pro) and doesn't come in Helio x20 like the 5.5" Redmi Note 4.

Original Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro Snapdragon 650 Hexa Core 5.5" Mobile Phone 1920x1080 16MP 4000mAh 4G LTE Metal Body Fingerprint

Any Chance of some photos?

I'm big fan of Xiaomi redmi note series but I couldn't resist and bought ZTE Axon Mini Android 5.1 MSM8939 1.5GHz Octa-core 3G RAM 32G ROM FHD 1920x1080 5.2 Inch instead. £136 and Lollipop but with amoled 5.2" screen! (from gearbest.com)

Not a dig at you, but how the f**k is 5.2" mini? I'm getting annoyed at smart phone companies pretending to make small phones. I want another decent 4.7". Rant over!

So tempted by this but also by the other redmi phones that do band 20

i use the note3 on voda and tbh the speed the phone browses and vids play is spot on on 3g. the phones specs make the 3g experience spot on tbh.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro 4G Phablet - GLOBAL VERSION GOLDEN 5.5 inch Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 3GB RAM 32GB ROM
£144.30

when selecting the gold, it now says it comes with a new screen with a "normal screen edge". Any ideas what that means? No 2.5D curved glass?

Probably something to do with this:
https://www.gizmochina.com/2017/01/17/new-production-models-redmi-4-thinner-screen-borders/

Anyone ordered and received this yet?
Waiting since Feb 27th for mine. I know that's not an unexpected duration, but counting every day due to my current phone being on it's last legs.