Related
I started with iPhone many moons ago, then transitioned to Android / Samsung back around the S3 days. Been with Sammy ever since, but they are starting to get like Apple in that they are VERY unfriendly to the mod community and they go to great lengths to stop it. They are also killing their phones with Bloatware.
I am toying with going to the G4 with my next upgrade (coming from Galaxy S5). Does LG tend to have a major security war with their users or are they a little more lax? Does rooting void their warranty like it does with Sammy?
Thanks in advance.
~Vol
All root voids warranty first of all, that's why many go back to stock when returning or getting a insurance replacement. Lg is by far one of the easiest phones to get root compared to Samsung even within an app as well. Go with lg, plus the software is by far simpler and not complicated like touchwiz
So LG hasn't pushed anything into their design like that stupid Knox hardware fuse from Sammy that can't be reset once tripped? I have my final choices narrowed down to the G4 or the HTC M8/M9. Since I've never had anything other than Sammy, I'm taking my time deciding here. I'll be stuck with whatever I choose for the next 2 year cycle.
I was a long time Samsung user. I've he Galaxy S2 through S4. I opted for the G3 over the S5 and don't regret it at all. I currently have an AT&T G4, and love it so far....just waiting for root!
If root and unlocked bootloader are essential, I'd wait to get the phone. LG has replied to several queries indicating that they won't be offering an officially unlocked bootloader for any model other than the 815 variant. I haven't seen anything indicating that they'll be fighting the users like Samsung does, but they're not precisely welcoming or accepting that we want to unlock and root our phones either. I'm sure the devs on xda will work around it, but there's no time frame as to when this will happen and it's not guaranteed.
That's helpful info. Root will definitely be essential as I have a car stereo interface app where it's required. Ugh. I hate technology decisions! There's never a black & white winner.
Vol4Ever said:
That's helpful info. Root will definitely be essential as I have a car stereo interface app where it's required. Ugh. I hate technology decisions! There's never a black & white winner.
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Are you me?
Seriously, I got an H815 but it's a US model with locked bootloader and it's really a drag. I can't decide between this phone or my S5 with everything unlocked and a plethora of ROM options. The camera is soooo good :-\.
Get the g4 and be patient like the rest of us all. You can go and get the m9 but all up to you.
Vol4Ever said:
That's helpful info. Root will definitely be essential as I have a car stereo interface app where it's required. Ugh. I hate technology decisions! There's never a black & white winner.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to go off topic.... tell us about your car stereo interface app that requires root - if you don't mind. Or you can simply PM me if nobody else is interested. Thanks!
Thanks for all the comments. I tried to thank everyone with the links, but the web site tells me I can only do 8 per day.
rfarrah - I have one of the new Pioneer NEX model radios. Pioneer puts out their own interface software, but it is horrid (and has been for years . . . . . . . never any improvements). I use AR Liberator which is awesome, but it has to have root to work. There is another popular third party app called AppRadio Unchained, but I've never messed with it since it costs freakin' $30! Maybe I'm just a cheapskate.
today morning I saw a listing in taobao.com , regarding bl unlock for droid turbo 2 , for 75$ , but soon they removed listing ,if its true then we all will be the happiest people in this world , if any one gets the update related to BL unlock for turbo2 then post here
I remember a time where unlocking the bootloader and gaining root was a fun thing to do for those of us who like to tinker. I remember when devs made awesome ROMs for fun (and donations), back before Cyanogen became mainstream. Now to think we have to pay, especially something like $75 to gain full access to our own device... It is sad. But hey, for $20 I'll do it, but no way am I spending $75 unless I get a whole lot of ROM choices.
Sent from my Turbo 2 using Tapatalk.
aneeshmbabu said:
today morning I saw a listing in taobao.com , regarding bl unlock for droid turbo 2 , for 75$ , but soon they removed listing ,if its true then we all will be the happiest people in this world , if any one gets the update related to BL unlock for turbo2 then post here
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Click to collapse
Did you made an order before they removed it? If so let us know if it worked.
No unfortunately I missed it waiting to re list .. always searching Unlocked turbo2 .. in taobao..
Once you unlock it, which recovery are you going to use?
don't know
dinkoh said:
Once you unlock it, which recovery are you going to use?
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You would use the moto x force recovery
Exleh said:
I remember a time where unlocking the bootloader and gaining root was a fun thing to do for those of us who like to tinker. I remember when devs made awesome ROMs for fun (and donations), back before Cyanogen became mainstream. Now to think we have to pay, especially something like $75 to gain full access to our own device... It is sad. But hey, for $20 I'll do it, but no way am I spending $75 unless I get a whole lot of ROM choices.
Sent from my Turbo 2 using Tapatalk.
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I completely agree $20 or 25 i would pay but not $75!
$75 is steep, but for the control I just may do it. Of course I'd much rather spend $20-25.
Exleh said:
I remember a time where unlocking the bootloader and gaining root was a fun thing to do for those of us who like to tinker. I remember when devs made awesome ROMs for fun (and donations), back before Cyanogen became mainstream. Now to think we have to pay, especially something like $75 to gain full access to our own device... It is sad. But hey, for $20 I'll do it, but no way am I spending $75 unless I get a whole lot of ROM choices.
Sent from my Turbo 2 using Tapatalk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gaining root or unlocking bootloader was much easier before, less number of devices to make rom for, etc. Now is completely opposite. Unlocking bootlader requires a lot of knowledge now and it's understandable that someone wish to monetize it. Cannot find
I would blame vendors or in this case carriers for locking our own devices. But I also understand why. IMO, solution is what Moto and some others do, offer official unlock with losing warranty. Would be nice to keep warranty but nothing is perfect.
something like this happened 2 years ago, it was a chinese motorola worker who unlocked the phones.
Jaocagomez said:
something like this happened 2 years ago, it was a chinese motorola worker who unlocked the phones.
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Yup this is how I got my xt1080m moto maxx unlocked
Jimmy8881 said:
Yup this is how I got my xt1080m moto maxx unlocked
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ME too but it cost 40 bucks 75 is steep and no roms available yet or ever.
Zeljko1234 said:
Gaining root or unlocking bootloader was much easier before, less number of devices to make rom for, etc. Now is completely opposite. Unlocking bootlader requires a lot of knowledge now and it's understandable that someone wish to monetize it. Cannot find
I would blame vendors or in this case carriers for locking our own devices. But I also understand why. IMO, solution is what Moto and some others do, offer official unlock with losing warranty. Would be nice to keep warranty but nothing is perfect.
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That is very true. But I doubt Moto will be up for fighting with Verizon about that.
Jaocagomez said:
something like this happened 2 years ago, it was a chinese motorola worker who unlocked the phones.
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Click to collapse
he didn't unlock the phones, he was distributing the unlock codes from a stolen/pirated data base.
I plan to wait until Sunshine has turbo2 support. Might take a while but its only 25...
during a live chat & twitter @jcase told they will not working on it anytime soon .. no support ,
Exleh said:
That is very true. But I doubt Moto will be up for fighting with Verizon about that.
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Never say never
http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_be...unlocks_on_verizon_moto_x_2014-news-16006.php
aneeshmbabu said:
during a live chat & twitter @jcase told they will not working on it anytime soon .. no support ,
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Again, please keep our names out of your "mouth". You do not represent us. We don't discuss future support (as we told you over and over when you were asking about droid turbo 1,you kept submitting the same question FOUR times in our support system).
I have all records of your support tickets, and I have records of your chat (Which you ended up getting banned from).
We wont comment on future device support, and we certainly wont give you insight to our private operations.
jcase said:
Again, please keep our names out of your "mouth". You do not represent us. We don't discuss future support (as we told you over and over when you were asking about droid turbo 1,you kept submitting the same question FOUR times in our support system).
I have all records of your support tickets, and I have records of your chat (Which you ended up getting banned from).
We wont comment on future device support, and we certainly wont give you insight to our private operations.
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Amen. Lol
I got this phone mostly because the hardware specs were top notch and my old Zenfone 2 (Z00A) had amazing CM support and even an official bootloader unlock. The ZS570KL still has yet to get so much as a root. Going from CM to the bloated, ugly stock ROM hasn't been fun and I can't wait to get something better. I've prodded ASUS for info on a bootloader unlock and they have basically just said that they can't comment on a release date, or if it's even coming at all.
Is there any active development for this phone or is it just dead?
it's active, but what you see here, is all answered questions that we ask already, so there isn't much we can do , until we get from asus. And then alert every develop out there to start making custom roms for this phone.
I think many people like myself are waiting on the bootloader unlock before buying. If they are going to release it, it better be soon. Else they risk newer phones coming out that trump the specs of this phone that ARE developer friendly. This ship had almost sailed to be honest. What are they waiting for?
Rhokk said:
This ship had almost sailed to be honest.
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Yeah, I'm almost regretting buying it to be honest. I really expected it to be popular in the dev community especially given ASUS' history and that bootloader unlocks are already available for the non deluxe ZF3 and even the ZS550KL. The LG V20, the other phone I was heavily considering waiting for, came out almost a month after this phone already has some ROMs coming out.
This phone has amazing specs and design but is just let down so much by terrible firmware and a completely dead dev community. It's a shame.
Your absolutely correct. Such a shame that a beast of a phone goes quietly in the night. It would've been such an upgrade from my Nexus 6P.
My wild guess is that Asus will release our unlock around April-June when phones are starting to come out with the next snapdragon chipset and 6gig ram is all over the market. At that time, the qualities that make this special will be gone. I don't understand this logic at all.
I really like this phone but all the ways Asus tried to kill its success boggles my mind. The lack of an official bootloader when all their other models have one is just another nail in the coffin of an otherwise really good phone. I thought Asus had learned their lesson... guess not.
The 3 biggest reasons for failure in the dev community:
1. No Bootloader (yet)
2. Price
3. Availability
Its dumbfounding. Such a beautiful phone with amazing specs and Asus care absolutely zero about marketing this phone outside Asia. I had to buy it online because they decided not sell it in Canada. And even online the availability is limited to Taiwan only with every reseller getting it from there in short supply. I don't even think there is a north american model. Why not have faith in your brand? Asus said they didn't think the deluxe would do well in north america with all the competition so they abandoned it. They also thought the phone would not sell because its too expensive but then realized demand for it exceeded the supply and decided to increase production.
freestyla85 said:
Its dumbfounding. Such a beautiful phone with amazing specs and Asus care absolutely zero about marketing this phone outside Asia. I had to buy it online because they decided not sell it in Canada. And even online the availability is limited to Taiwan only with every reseller getting it from there in short supply. I don't even think there is a north american model. Why not have faith in your brand? Asus said they didn't think the deluxe would do well in north america with all the competition so they abandoned it. They also thought the phone would not sell because its too expensive but then realized demand for it exceeded the supply and decided to increase production.
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Seems like a surefire recipe for failure to me....
I have the SD821 versian, I had to pay through the teeth to get it then when it gets shown to others thet all want to know where to get it and how much it cost. Word of mouth is a great way to do business but the product MUST be available.
I had the subforum tab open to check up on this later, but I'm updating some software right now and noticed this post title... I still have the phone unopened in the box Amazon shipped it in. I guess this is Asus' loss releasing a phone during the only extended return period of the year. I've read a few negatives on the ZF3 Deluxe like low headphone volume and intermittent Bluetooth, but unlocking is what I want.
Since I have until the end of next month to return it to Amazon I figured I would pick up the OnePlus 3T and give it a try - free 15 day return period. I thought, what the heck - I paid more for the ZF3 so why not get the 128GB 3T? Added it to my cart and on the checkout page it gave an estimated date (was within 9 days). I wanted to see what I said the ETA would be on the 64GB model that was listed as shipping within 3 weeks and removed the 128GB model. Went to add the 128GB model back in less than a minute after checking the 64GB model...sold out and it's been like for the last 2 weeks. Talk about frustrating! I ended up ordering the 64GB model and figure I can just send it back to OnePlus when the 128GB's are back in but I'm afraid they still won't be available to order at the end of January. So here is this ZF3 D I don't think I really want. :/
jsheradin, you said the bootloader is unlocked for the other ZF3 models - any idea why not this version of the Deluxe?
If it made any sense, there would be no doubt Asus wanted the ZF3 to fail.
Toki_Wartooth said:
jsheradin, you said the bootloader is unlocked for the other ZF3 models - any idea why not this version of the Deluxe?
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Yep, the unlock is available for everything but the 820 and 821 variants. I assume it's simply that these processors require a little more work to make an unlock utility for, but I'm just guessing at that point.
jsheradin said:
Yep, the unlock is available for everything but the 820 and 821 variants. I assume it's simply that these processors require a little more work to make an unlock utility for, but I'm just guessing at that point.
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Click to collapse
Actually, the Deluxe 5.5" (ZS550kl) screen has an SD820 and it has the bootloader unlock app. It's just the 5.7" ones that don't.
If I had the SD820 in the 5.7" variant I might try to unlock but I have the SD821...
ultramag69 said:
Actually, the Deluxe 5.5" (ZS550kl) screen has an SD820 and it has the bootloader unlock app. It's just the 5.7" ones that don't.
If I had the SD820 in the 5.7" variant I might try to unlock but I have the SD821...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On Asus site it is said that the zs550kl as a Qualcomm s625 so be careful with what you write...
Sent from my ASUS_Z016D using XDA-Developers mobile app
jsheradin said:
Yep, the unlock is available for everything but the 820 and 821 variants. I assume it's simply that these processors require a little more work to make an unlock utility for, but I'm just guessing at that point.
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I love the phone only had it a week but so far i have had only 1 issue with the BT disconnecting from my gear S3. only reason i want to unlock is so i can use titanium backup, if there is a good back up without root please let me know.
ultramag69 said:
Actually, the Deluxe 5.5" (ZS550kl) screen has an SD820
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Click to collapse
It does not. The ZS550KL has a single version and it is a snapdragon 625. It has the same processor as the non deluxe ZF3 (Z3520KL) which came out before the deluxes. They probably already made the unlock for the non deluxe and it required very little work to make it work for the 5.5 deluxe. The 820/821 versions did not have that luck and they likely have to make the unlock from scratch.
Hey, I agree with all on this thread. I have the Zen 2 deluxe SE with Cyangenmod and its a great phone. Purchased the Zen 3 but have yet to use it because I cannot root. I also read that Cyangenmod is no longer offering custom ROM or am I not understanding their changes? Does this mean the chances of a custom rom for Zen 3 is out? I also upgraded my wife's phone (S5) to the same Zen 3 deluxe (ZS570KL / 256gb hd / 6gb ram / 821 chip) and she hates it... calls keep dropping signal is low and it does not even say LTE. I did a speedtest comparison betwen her Zen 3 and my Zen 2 and it was faster. Hers is also disconnecting from cellular (AT&T) data and does not show 4G anymore along with no push notifications of emails.
Anyone else having these issues?
Joining in on the bandwagon to vent (really)... This was my # 1 phone to get in 2016, despite the lack of Quad HD screen (especially for the price), but Asus botched it BIG TIME! The price on the SD821 model, even more frustrating, the lack of availability, even during the holiday season, and of course, now announcing their new 2017 models, with no unlocked BLs or Root... what an opportunity missed! Would have been such a strong jab against the 3T, but they ruined it!
I bugged Asus again via email and received this response, again:
"Temporary we haven't got the accurate time the unlock tool would be released for this ZS570KL.
But we will transfer customers' wishes to the related department for further development.
Also please note that ASUS does not actually asssit with unlocking of the Android Bootloader. I must advise that you do so at your own risk, as once the boot loader is unloked it will void your warranty."
I'm just hoping there is an unofficial unlock at this point. The stock ROM seems to somehow get more buggy and slow day by day. Is anyone else having issues with the screen taking forever to turn on after using fingerprint/pressing the side button?
jsheradin said:
I bugged Asus again via email and received this response, again:
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Hey do you mind posting your email so I can send a similar one (I'm not sure what to say ) The squeaky wheel gets the oil after all
autoreleasepool said:
Hey do you mind posting your email so I can send a similar one (I'm not sure what to say ) The squeaky wheel gets the oil after all
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Click to collapse
I used this form to submit it: https://vip.asus.com/VIP2/Services/QuestionForm/TechQuery?lang=en-us
I just said, "When can the bootloader unlock utility be expected to be released?"
They responded promptly yet disappointingly. Hopefully if enough of people ask they will finally get around to making/releasing it.
Does anybody know if there is unofficial unlock work being done?
If an unlock is ever made we just need to get someone who knows TWRP to build a recovery and ideally somebody from Lineage OS to start ROM support. I've built TWRP before for a different device and may be able to do the same for this phone but I wouldn't know where to begin to get a ROM working. I feel like no devs even know this device exists. :crying:
I just said, "When can the bootloader unlock utility be expected to be released?"
They responded promptly yet disappointingly. Hopefully if enough of people ask they will finally get around to making/releasing it.
Does anybody know if there is unofficial unlock work being done?
If an unlock is ever made we just need to get someone who knows TWRP to build a recovery and ideally somebody from Lineage OS to start ROM support. I've built TWRP before for a different device and may be able to do the same for this phone but I wouldn't know where to begin to get a ROM working. I feel like no devs even know this device exists. :crying:
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Click to collapse
The biggest question we should all ask ourselves... "Why did ASUS build this phone in the first place if they didn't have a bootloader unlocker for it?"
hey guys, hope you all are well and enjoying your devices.
I am about to buy a new phone to replace my samsung galaxy note and the mate 20 x 4g is the most attractive device for me right now, i do have quite a few options within the same budget range
the mate 20 x 128gb for 579 euro ( global ) or the 256gb chinese version for 666 euro which isnt so far above the global standard one or the samsung galaxy note 9 128 gb for 620 euro or one plus 7pro for 660 euro for the 256 gigs version.
my wife is currently in germany and i will be asking her to buy it from there since its not available here.
tbh the mate x is the one that makes me wanting to buy a new phone but anything else can wait so there for comes my question, which version of the mate x should i buy and why ?
i will be using the device between egypt and germany . the chinese version seems very appealing for the more ram and storage. i am not an intense gamer by any means and i dont need the 256 as i never have filled my note 64 gigs, the thing to me is more about long term usability and mostly the ram more than the storage and having my phone smooth for my usage .
i dont play games on my phone bc they kinda lag and lag annoys the heck out of me, i use uber most times am on the road and definitely google maps, google search/ now for my searching for whatever and nova launcher as my most loved launcher for years now and always went back to it, gmail as my default email ,social media ofc fb, whatsapp, instagram, twitter, youtube and definitely watching something on the go or viewing pics ( i always have lots of pics on my phone ) , music and for sure photography, rarely shoot videos. i also use swiftkey as my main keyboard with only arabic, english and german on it.
i have my note 5 rooted and debloated from every useless app that i never use or would ever need and it does help keeping my phone somehow fast and light
please if you can state clearly what problems have you ever had with the chinese model ? or what do you like about the chinese model that makes it worth buying ?
are the issues on the chinese version easy to ignore for the sake of more storage and ram and also the ota updates that seems similar ?
were you able to remove chinese bloatware and enjoy a similar experience to global ?
how good is the screen specially its only fhd+ ? and how is smooth is your experience with the 6gb ram ? specially if playing demanding new games .
i usually keep my phone for quite a long period of time, i have my note for 4 years now. I like the mate for the ginarmous 7.2, small bezels, flat screen (no useless side curves ) , am an architect with ocd so symmetry is a big freaking deal,the huge battery, small notch, physical fingerprint reader, somehow manageable price , it fits most of my design elements and also budget , so your answer will really matter, will definitely appreciate more clear direct details, thank you in advance guys and sorry for my long post
I love my EVRL29 version...this is by far the best phone I have used hands down.
I purchased mine from Amazon.com and have the protection of Amazon. I purchased the AL00 first as I had the EVRL29 previously (6 months ago but sold it to get the P30Pro) but I ended up missing my Mate 20X so much I had to sell my P30Pro and get back to my Mate 20X. The AL00 was easy to remove the bloat etc but I couldn’t get all Google to work including some of the Google back ups. I couldn’t get Google Pay to work but actually activating the Google apps was very easy. I had to return the AL00 though as I just didn’t want a fantastic phone that only half worked...maybe not half but you get the picture. I reordered from the Amazon.com dealer and the phone was shipped the following day Thursday and I had it in my hands Friday afternoon. The pick up time was Thurs at 3pm and delivered the next day by noon, from Hong Kong to Victoria, B.C literally overnight. Anyways I also have received 4 updates since I got the phone and I would 100% get the EVRL29 model as everything works including Google Pay, back ups, everything...I love this phone!
imapfsr said:
I love my EVRL29 version...this is by far the best phone I have used hands down.
I purchased mine from Amazon.com and have the protection of Amazon. I purchased the AL00 first as I had the EVRL29 previously (6 months ago but sold it to get the P30Pro) but I ended up missing my Mate 20X so much I had to sell my P30Pro and get back to my Mate 20X. The AL00 was easy to remove the bloat etc but I couldn’t get all Google to work including some of the Google back ups. I couldn’t get Google Pay to work but actually activating the Google apps was very easy. I had to return the AL00 though as I just didn’t want a fantastic phone that only half worked...maybe not half but you get the picture. I reordered from the Amazon.com dealer and the phone was shipped the following day Thursday and I had it in my hands Friday afternoon. The pick up time was Thurs at 3pm and delivered the next day by noon, from Hong Kong to Victoria, B.C literally overnight. Anyways I also have received 4 updates since I got the phone and I would 100% get the EVRL29 model as everything works including Google Pay, back ups, everything...I love this phone!
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Click to collapse
i get it, am just intrigued by the more ram and storage which is always good to have, can you use nova launcher ? am not planning to root at all thats aside for the mostly locked bootloader etc and seems on the chinese one cant use nova and gotta stick to huawie, am planning to change the dpi if possible like on my note to get more of the screen etc.
what are the issues you have ran into from the chinese model ? aside from what you mentioned ofcourse
I am pretty sure you can run Nova on it, I seem to recall having it on my old mate 20 x.
The AL00 had issues such as getting the updates I would have to have Hicare set up and set to China as the region then click on updates to 'request' the download then have to go to system updates to see if it actually was there. With the EVR-L29 it just shows up in the updates OTA with no effort. The notifications never fully worked as you wouldn't get the ability to expand the notification, you would just click on it and it would take you to the app for example and you couldn't delete the notification.
Like I said for me anyways, it only ever half worked.
imapfsr said:
I am pretty sure you can run Nova on it, I seem to recall having it on my old mate 20 x.
The AL00 had issues such as getting the updates I would have to have Hicare set up and set to China as the region then click on updates to 'request' the download then have to go to system updates to see if it actually was there. With the EVR-L29 it just shows up in the updates OTA with no effort. The notifications never fully worked as you wouldn't get the ability to expand the notification, you would just click on it and it would take you to the app for example and you couldn't delete the notification.
Like I said for me anyways, it only ever half worked.
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so , am leaning towards the international version now after the research i made , but do you think this phone or worth getting ? i dont have a chance to experience it in person and only seen it in videos ...
have you noticed pixels in the screen ? and what about gaming , can it handle anything ? honestly i have always wanted such a ginormous phone with tiny bezels and nothing on the market comes close specially at this price point but the screen does kinda worry me
Get the China Version. More RAM and Storage. The screen is FANTASTIC. It's one of the best things about the phone. Plus it gets updates way faster. Updates are OTA. U don't need Hi Care. Getting the Chinese Bloat off is simple. Many threads on here to assist u. I'm in Canada and have had zero issues. Best phone BY FAR I've ever had.
G
Sent from my HUAWEI EVR-AL00 using XDA Labs
def-g said:
Get the China Version. More RAM and Storage. The screen is FANTASTIC. It's one of the best things about the phone. Plus it gets updates way faster. Updates are OTA. U don't need Hi Care. Getting the Chinese Bloat off is simple. Many threads on here to assist u. I'm in Canada and have had zero issues. Best phone BY FAR I've ever had.
G
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After researching a lot about the differences, am convinced with the Chinese version despite the fact that I don't need the extra storage. My only issue right now is if buying it is the right decision at the moment specially with the huawie ban and I don't know how things will go in the soon future. This is the only phone on the market that makes me feel am getting more than the typical.
Honestly if the phone never got another update. It would still be a keeper. It's that good. I've had this phone almost a year and even loaded with apps and music. It's as fast has the day I got it. No other phone I've owned( Sammy, LG, Google) did that. They all slowed down. Pull the trigger. U won't regret it.
Sent from my HUAWEI EVR-AL00 using XDA Labs
def-g said:
Honestly if the phone never got another update. It would still be a keeper. It's that good. I've had this phone almost a year and even loaded with apps and music. It's as fast has the day I got it. No other phone I've owned( Sammy, LG, Google) did that. They all slowed down. Pull the trigger. U won't regret it.
Sent from my HUAWEI EVR-AL00 using XDA Labs
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i totally feel you man, thing with me is now the chinese is only option and the version i want would cost 650 euro with shipping so i just wanna make sure that my phone and the apps and services would work and now the mate 30x is said to come with harmony os !!!! so its a tight situation , either way i do have a bit of time before i buy anyway but i always like to hear different prespectives
MO11 said:
i totally feel you man, thing with me is now the chinese is only option and the version i want would cost 650 euro with shipping so i just wanna make sure that my phone and the apps and services would work and now the mate 30x is said to come with harmony os !!!! so its a tight situation , either way i do have a bit of time before i buy anyway but i always like to hear different prespectives
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Hi, in the end did you went ahead with it?
Zegnalabel said:
Hi, in the end did you went ahead with it?
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Hey, I went for the global version when I found a good deal on Amazon UK for 580 euros with the pen and the flip case.
Am loving my device and the phone is totally worth it. Good luck.
Sent from my EVR-L29 using Tapatalk
def-g said:
Get the China Version. More RAM and Storage. The screen is FANTASTIC. It's one of the best things about the phone. Plus it gets updates way faster. Updates are OTA. U don't need Hi Care. Getting the Chinese Bloat off is simple. Many threads on here to assist u. I'm in Canada and have had zero issues. Best phone BY FAR I've ever had.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for this info, though I am 2 months late in seeing this.
I'm also contemplating if were to go for the China version due to the 256GB storage. However after much research on XDA and in fact everywhere on the net, I saw there are several challengers for me to overcome with the china version. A summary of my findings as follows. Appreciate if you have further insight.
China version and Global version bands are exactly the same. This is a plus point.
China version no playstore but can be easily installed. Another plus point.
China version bootloader can be unlock => but no use as huawei stopped providing unlock code since last year(?). Even paid unlock code no longer work or are for sales. While L29 don't even have any function for OEM unlock. Therefore this point is a tie between China vs global.
China version "access to voice match" doesn't work and no solution found on XDA to-date. Its okay for me since voice unlock in not necessary but a good to have. So I'm leaving this as a tie.
china version widevine L3 no HD netflix. Not a showstopper for me as I can just stop watching netflix on mobile and turn to downloading and playing tv series via VLC.
China version does not allow replacing launcher. For me, changing to Nova prime is a must have. And this is a likely show-stopper. Although there are method on XDA to use ADB to uninstall the huawei launcher but along with that the stock full navigation gesture is lost. Got to separately install fluid gesture, full screen gesture, etc. app but those aren't as smooth as original huawei gesture.
China version problem with google pay or adding international visa/mastercard even though NFC is working. Can't find any other info around this if it is really a problem.
China version hivoice and hiboard even though can be uninstall via ADB but needs to be uninstall each time after every update. Further problem - after replacing hivoice with google voice assistance, android will keep asking for default assistance prompt once google voice assistance auto closed. Currently no way to make google voice assistance persistent. Not even pinning in recent menu cause it to stay open.
---------- Post added at 06:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:13 PM ----------
MO11 said:
Hey, I went for the global version when I found a good deal on Amazon UK for 580 euros with the pen and the flip case.
Am loving my device and the phone is totally worth it. Good luck.
Sent from my EVR-L29 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply. I would have gone for L29 too had it not be the 256gb storage way too tempting... lol
Zegnalabel said:
Thanks for this info, though I am 2 months late in seeing this.
I'm also contemplating if were to go for the China version due to the 256GB storage. However after much research on XDA and in fact everywhere on the net, I saw there are several challengers for me to overcome with the china version. A summary of my findings as follows. Appreciate if you have further insight.
China version and Global version bands are exactly the same. This is a plus point.
China version no playstore but can be easily installed. Another plus point.
China version bootloader can be unlock => but no use as huawei stopped providing unlock code since last year(?). Even paid unlock code no longer work or are for sales. While L29 don't even have any function for OEM unlock. Therefore this point is a tie between China vs global.
China version "access to voice match" doesn't work and no solution found on XDA to-date. Its okay for me since voice unlock in not necessary but a good to have. So I'm leaving this as a tie.
china version widevine L3 no HD netflix. Not a showstopper for me as I can just stop watching netflix on mobile and turn to downloading and playing tv series via VLC.
China version does not allow replacing launcher. For me, changing to Nova prime is a must have. And this is a likely show-stopper. Although there are method on XDA to use ADB to uninstall the huawei launcher but along with that the stock full navigation gesture is lost. Got to separately install fluid gesture, full screen gesture, etc. app but those aren't as smooth as original huawei gesture.
China version problem with google pay or adding international visa/mastercard even though NFC is working. Can't find any other info around this if it is really a problem.
China version hivoice and hiboard even though can be uninstall via ADB but needs to be uninstall each time after every update. Further problem - after replacing hivoice with google voice assistance, android will keep asking for default assistance prompt once google voice assistance auto closed. Currently no way to make google voice assistance persistent. Not even pinning in recent menu cause it to stay open.
---------- Post added at 06:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:13 PM ----------
Thanks for your reply. I would have gone for L29 too had it not be the 256gb storage way too tempting... lol
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Click to collapse
Oh yes I know the temptation about the storage and ram but man I just love nova even tho after dealing with the stock launcher I would have been fine with it, I also had a note 5 64 gigs that I never used it all so I now have like 70 gigs free on my phone [emoji16].
Also I didn't want to have to go through lots of workaround for somethings specially soon I will move to Germany and want everything to work with no hassle especially banking stuff.
Also if I wanted to get the cn version I would have to get it from China which to me is a risk I do t see no point in taking.
And after seeing the bundle offer on Amazon UK, I was all decided.
So after having the phone, the extra ram and storage would have been useless to me.
Sent from my EVR-L29 using Tapatalk
Welcome to the Club. Still the Best phone out IMO.
G
Sent from my HUAWEI EVR-AL00 using XDA Labs
I've posted this review on the c.mi forums, There isn't anywhere in the review section that I can find to post a full review so I'm posting it in discussion, mods feel free to move it if there is a better category.
But, I felt someone in the same situation as me that bought this phone to get [back] into android development might find this useful.
Hello all, After having a Redmi Note 8 Pro and using it as my daily driver for a little over a month, I've decided it's time for me to write a review.
First, I'll give you all a little background on me, I'm a developer of everything from webpages to hardware, and tech enthusiast of all kinds. I'm from the US(NA market) so my knowledge of the Indian and Chinese markets are a bit limited although I do know pretty much how the EU market works as they're normally marketed to the almost the same way as the NA market, at least when it comes to tech. I started developing for Android with my Google G1 way back in 2008 and have been on an off developing for different android phones since then on a variety of forums. From the now gone SDX-Developers to XDA and Android Forums.(Through many different accounts as everywhere but SDX seems to end with me getting in an argument and deleting my account.) This is my first Xiaomi phone. I will be giving a review both as a user and a developer.
Marketing:
In the NA market this phone is marketed as a budget flagship, or "flagship killer" if you will. Pushed mostly towards tech enthusiasts and developers.
Their marketing technique is very similar to that of OnePlus, however without the strong reputation behind it that OnePlus has. If Xiaomi wants to continue using this marketing technique here they have a lot of make up for, and a lot of work to do for reasons that will become apparent later in this review.
User Review:
As a user I'm moderately happy with my purchase, the phone itself feels quality and is beautiful(I have the pearl white one). The price was decent, costing me $225 USD for the 64GB/6GB version. The processor is quick and the UI is gorgeous and snappy. The screen has really nice Darks and the HDR implementation is really good looking....When it works(Fixed in the new A10/M11 release). However, the software is really buggy with MIUI optimizations turned on, which is a shame because they make quite a difference to the snappiness and feel of the device. Apps sometimes don't work properly, refuse to show in portrait mode, or just won't use the keyboard(such as the newegg app which I use to order hardware quite often). There are a significant lack of updates, having just now as of today(28th May 2020) recieved my first OTA(Which is useless to me, more on that later). This has been a problem that the community seems quite aware and little angry about for good reason, seeing as how my device is still on the Dec 2019 security patch, with multiple high-threat CVEs being released since then. The IR blaster is nice, but the Mi Remote app needs a lot of work. I remember it being much, much better when it was "Peel Smart Remote" and using it on my Samsung Galaxy S5. The gallery app misses most downloaded pictures, and is quite the pain to get working. This is a shame as it's the only way to change the lock screen background, other than the theme app. -1 point for broken DRM and bugs -2 points for lack of updates.
Oh I forgot there are Ads throughout the system. This is UNACCEPTABLE in the NA and EU markets, to date this is the only phone I HAVE EVER SEEN put ads in the system framwork. I have owned at least 150 different android phones. This is becoming more and more forced by tech companies throughout different devices, specifically Chinese oriented ones and will not fly for long in Western Markets(especially the EU which already limits advertising). We paid for our hardware, you've got your money, now it's just being greedy, intrusive, and posing a risk to device security. (e.g The "security" app that puts ads in your package installer) It's easy enough to disable, but not everyone is going to know how, or want to do that. -2 points just for the ads, and honestly should be more taken off, the quality of the hardware is what's stopping me from dropping it -4 points.
Overall User Rating: 5/10
Developer Review:
Let me start off by saying, once again, that in the NA market this phone is marketed as an Unlocked device for enthusiasts, or a budget flagship(Which personally I have seen very little of this advertising for) It's on the front page of the XDA forums. Rooting and development is an important part of the Android Community, in what I've seen ALL MARKETS globally. We will begin at the rooting process. Unlocking the bootloader comes with a wait time. This is due to unauthorized retailers flashing chinese and indian varients to global and selling them, filled with [more] ads. So the fact that there is a 168 hour wait time to unlock the bootloader is completely understandable and I will take away no points for that. They're protecting their reputation in the least intrusive way they could, you know what? I'll even give them an extra point for the way they handled that part, +1. Now let's go to install TWRP, where right on the website is says "WARNING: This device hard bricks really easily for unknown reasons. Restoring device without spending real money is impossible as of now. " -2 points. This should have been my first warning to buy a different device. A somewhat large, reputable, and rooting advocate development team is warning users not to use their product, that's a red flag, and should never be something you have associated with your device or company as a whole. TWRP has backlight bug which can be fixed with an adb command, and really isn't a big deal seeing as how TWRP probably went through multiple devices getting their recovery out. Then flash Magisk. That's it you're rooted. I have to give them a hand, rooting really isn't a big deal. But let's pretend we're a new user and accidentally flashed TWRP to the boot partition, well you're SOL now, you have a $225 brick. There is no coming back from this unless 1, You have an authorized MI account, which you almost certainly do not. or 2, you pay some sketchy person halfway across the world to RDP into your computer and use their authorized account to unbrick you, as well as the 80% chance they're going to drop a keylogger, ransomware or they're going to syskey your computer and now you're still SOL, but you might have your phone unbricked, not very useful without a computer and an empty bank account though. They handled the way unbricking works terribly, and without cause. -8 points To add salt on the wound they release the source code like they're doing the development community a favor when it's 100% useless without a reliable unbricking method. -2 points for putting on a show. Which is sad, because otherwise the phone would be a pleasure to develop for. For example, you're in a bootloop something in /system got messed up. You can just flash the system.img from twrp and recover without any data loss or bloatware reappearing. That's amazing! the phone is partitioned very well, and has lots of xml, props and stuff to tweak from the start. Also, a really cute fastboot screen as a plus. Unfortunately, Xiaomi.eu has dropped all support for this device, as well as any other MTK based phones.
Thankfully, some totally awesome person at Xiaomi "leaked" an engineering preloader which can help prevent bricks as long as it's not overwritten and you stay on android 9. But, the downside is, No Android 10, No MIUI 12, No anything other than MIUI 11 Pie. If they would release more lks along side the updates for developers this would be insanely helpful, and breath some life back into the RN8P/8/T development community.
Still, as a developer, and a normal person, I'm afraid to do too much to this device, or develop kernels, recoveries or ROMS because i'm terrified I'm going to be out $225 and my daily driver phone, that I can't afford to replace if something bad happens.
Development Score: 0/11
Guy who leaked preloader score: 10000/10
tl;dr If you're not into rooting or development this is a pretty decent phone with quality flagship hardware, if you can live with ads in your system, and the bug in some apps. There are ways to remove most of the ads without root, and it does still get updates, although rare. It's worth $180-$200 USD if you find it for a good deal. Although you could just get a used OnePlus 7 Pro for around the same price maybe $50-$100 USD more(depending on market) and be much happier all around.
Nice review, such detail
I wish i had read this before, i've bricked my phone trying to flash new ROM after i spent hours getting to a lower firmware and then getting TWRP to work, finally flashed android 11 rom to get a brick
0/10 rating by more than average user who was sick of MIUI
ezequielfilipesantos2000 said:
I wish i had read this before, i've bricked my phone trying to flash new ROM after i spent hours getting to a lower firmware and then getting TWRP to work, finally flashed android 11 rom to get a brick
0/10 rating by more than average user who was sick of MIUI
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Well, What a cocindence, I just gave someone a solution to install TWRP and root their stock ROM. Not a custom one though.
Kenora_I said:
Well, What a cocindence, I just gave someone a solution to install TWRP and root their stock ROM. Not a custom one though.
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Sure is, was that user using the latest miui version (android 10, miui. 12.0.5 i believe?)
I was also having problems flashing the TWRP ( latest one) recovery
I flashed but i didn't have sucess, it went into Redmi-Recovery 3.0
I had to get a old fastboot version of android 9.0 with muiu, flash it using miflashpro tools then, i had to flash the preloader ( https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/guide-info-psa-redmi-note-8-pro-megathread-cfw.4056527/ )
Then i was able to flash the TWRP recovery and it worked
After that I tried flashing (after a wipe obviously, not going to flash dirty) Pixel Experience (AOSP) rom and it resulted in a bricked phone
10/10 I highly recommend the drama
Yeah the latest one.
Kenora_I said:
Yeah the latest one.
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How did you manage?
Was i doing something the wrong way? ( or all of it? ) ahahaha