Coolpad F1 8297w - Review / Info / Software / Custom Roms

[Guest shaiju]

On 5/3/2016 at 3:07 AM, matejsolid said:

Any news of MIUI v7 updates ?

Found this one from facebook group. It is for Himax Polymer Octa Core. I am running it currently on my A311. Nice rom, superb battery backup. Working fine without any bugs.

Camera has more filters and modes with HDR Pro and HDR Live options.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8P05PSrakZBZzlsMGs0Q0lpN0E/view?usp=drivesdk

[Guest dalyer]

This will work on the Coolpad F1 I presume?

Is the only difference between the F1/Micromax A310 and the A311 that the latter has 16GB ROM?

http://www.phonebunch.com/compare-phones/micromax_canvas_nitro_a310-1713-vs-micromax_canvas_nitro_a311-1830/

[Guest KennyPowers]

On 09/05/2016 at 4:59 PM, dalyer said:

Any use?

http://www.modaco.com/forums/topic/376892-leeco-letv-le1-x600-info-software-custom-roms/?do=findComment&comment=2273534

Just got a Xiamoi RedMi Note 3 Pro myself but haven't had a chance to play with it yet...

Which store did you get the Xiamoi from? Might get that one, but need to find out if it will take Google play store, and a Tesco SIM!

I've also been hit with customs charges when buying something from the US recently, so either customs are actually check more parcels now, or I'm unlucky :(

[Guest dalyer]

I bought it from gearbest - the link is in the other thread.

It came with Play Store and other Google apps installed.

But I think it's a vendor MIUI 7 ROM and not the official Xiaomi MIUI 7 judging by the version number and comments on various forums.

I'll probably flash the official one once I figure out what I might need to do about bootloader unlocking and rooting etc.

One way or another Google/Play Store will work on it.

And I'm sure it'll work with a Tesco SIM - check here: http://willmyphonework.net/

As mentioned in the other thread the package arrived with a yellow sticker which suggests that I may face VAT/customs charges later but I thought that if these were due they normally collected them on delivery...

Edited May 11, 2016 by dalyer

[Guest shaiju]

20 hours ago, dalyer said:

This will work on the Coolpad F1 I presume?

Is the only difference between the F1/Micromax A310 and the A311 that the latter has 16GB ROM?

http://www.phonebunch.com/compare-phones/micromax_canvas_nitro_a310-1713-vs-micromax_canvas_nitro_a311-1830/

This will work, because in my A311 it is working fine. You can give a try.

[Guest KennyPowers]

2 hours ago, dalyer said:

As mentioned in the other thread the package arrived with a yellow sticker which suggests that I may face VAT/customs charges later but I thought that if these were due they normally collected them on delivery...

Don't think they would have given you the package without payment first, if it had customs duty/VAT due on it.

I just got stung on a Region 1 DVD from the US, was only a couple of pounds over the £18 limit. Got charged nearly £4 VAT, and £8 Royal Mail delivery fee. Probably the most expensive DVD I own now!

[Guest dalyer]

1 hour ago, KennyPowers said:

Don't think they would have given you the package without payment first, if it had customs duty/VAT due on it.

I just got stung on a Region 1 DVD from the US, was only a couple of pounds over the £18 limit. Got charged nearly £4 VAT, and £8 Royal Mail delivery fee. Probably the most expensive DVD I own now!

I'm in Ireland. I'm not sure how it works here. Some people have mentioned getting an invoice for charges after delivery but I would have expected it to be demanded at the time. I'll just have to wait and see... :-)

[Guest KennyPowers]

The yellow sticker on the box you got may have been talking about the fact the phone isn't CE marked, and is not for sale in Europe. Products sold in the EU must have a CE mark to state it meets the required safety and electrical standards. A lot of stuff from China also has fake markings on anyway!

[Guest dalyer]

Yes - but this link (and a few others if you Google) suggest that it's a declaration (by whom I don't know - hardly Gearbest so probably the postal service - in this case NL Post on arrival into the EU or An Post (Irish postal service) on arrival in Ireland?) that the goods are/may be liable for VAT/duties.

https://thomas.vanhoutte.be/miniblog/explained-yellow-sticker-on-package-goods-do-not-meet-the-requirement-of-article-9/

Judging by the article and the comments it was probably NL Post who put the yellow sticker on it as it arrived into the EU from China. They then passed it on to An Post (Ireland) - as it happens their delivery sticker was actually stuck on slightly over the yellow one. I can't recall the value declared by Gearbest but it may have been something like $15-20 (ahem! :-) so maybe An Post saw the sticker, saw the declared value and concluded that nothing was due on it. I certainly hope so! :-D If anything was due then I would have expected delivery to be withheld until I paid it. Just that I saw some people saying that they got a bill in the post after delivery for the VAT/duties due... Hope that doesn't happen but I guess I have no control over it now... 

Edited May 11, 2016 by dalyer

[Guest dalyer]

On 11/05/2016 at 9:49 AM, dalyer said:

But I think it's a vendor MIUI 7 ROM and not the official Xiaomi MIUI 7 judging by the version number and comments on various forums.

I'll probably flash the official one once I figure out what I might need to do about bootloader unlocking and rooting etc.

One way or another Google/Play Store will work on it.

Just FYI - I flashed the latest stock/official MIUI 7 ROM (Global v7.2.5.0.LHOMIDA) using this guide - quite a few steps but it worked fine even if I didn't read it 4 times as advised... :-)

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

I have applied to Xiaomi for a bootloader unlock:

http://xiaomitips.com/guide/unlock-redmi-note-3-bootloader/

but this can take time so I may try the unofficial way instead:

http://en.miui.com/thread-253680-1-1.html

I'll then root but I'll probably stick with stock/official MIUI 7 for now as it looks OK.

BTW - the global stock/official ROM includes Google Play Store and other apps.

Only gotcha I noticed so far is that wifi seems to switch off after a reboot/power cycle which is odd.

Don't have a SIM in it yet but I'm on an MVNO here in Ireland (48 Months).

Edited May 12, 2016 by dalyer

[Guest KennyPowers]

Keep us posted on how it goes, might end up importing one of these bad boys soon, if they still do a 32Gb version.

If you get around to it sometime, could you check the GPS out for me, as I use my phone as a satnav.

Thanks dalyer

:)

[Guest dalyer]

How would you like me to test GPS?

BTW - I'm not going to try the unofficial bootloader unlock as it's too prone to issues.

I'll wait and see if I get the official authorization and that works.

I'd just like to have the BL unlocked and have root access.

For now though I will probably stick with MIUI official to try it out.

Still not using the phone daily as I haven't yet migrated from my Coolpad F1.

[Guest KennyPowers]

If you got Google Play on it, you could try an pp called GPS Test, see how long it takes to lock onto sattallites and GT a 3D fix?

[Guest dalyer]

I'm not sure how to time it accurately but when I'm outdoors it gets a 3D fix almost instantaneously. Maybe 1-2 seconds max.

Indoors it's naturally slower.

Is that any use?!

I didn't do any GPS optimization - e.g. using Faster GPS etc.

Just to clarify the official/stock MIUI global ROM has Google Play and other apps installed by default.

Edit: I just noticed that GPS Test has a screen where it lists the first fix time. Doing outdoor tests this consistently comes up as 1sec.

Edited May 14, 2016 by dalyer

[Guest KennyPowers]

Thanks for the info, thats just what I wanted to know.

Might get this phone soon then, sounds like the default ROM installed on it is perfectly livable, albeit  probably with some Chinese apps.

[Guest dalyer]

No Chinese apps in the global stock/official MIUI.

[Guest KennyPowers]

Hi dalyer,

I found one on aliexpress that claims you pay no customs duty if they send via DHL. Is it worth getting a maxed out Pro Prime with 32Gb of memory, or is there a microSD slot you can add your own? I already have a spare 32Gb microSD card I could use.

[Guest dalyer]

I thought that you were MORE likely to get hit with import/customs charges if you used a courier rather than regular (slow!) post?

Maybe that's not true.

By the way I haven't heard anything more about that at my end - as I mentioned above I suspect that NL Post stuck the yellow sticker on it because it was coming from China but they and/or An Post in Ireland just took the declared value (c. €15) and so didn't open or hold it. :-)

I got the 32GB version for the extra space. I'm fed up with messing with sdcards. 

But it does take an sdcard up to 128GB as far as I know even if many sites say 32GB max.

[Guest KennyPowers]

[Guest dalyer]

Unless they are shipping it from an EU warehouse I honestly can't see how they can guarantee no charges on arrival.

Some sellers offer insurance for a small fee - if you get hit with import charges in line with the laws/tax code of the relevant country - then they refund it.

Who is the seller? Link?

[Guest KennyPowers]

Aliexpress listing

I've been reading some of the reviews online, and the comments people write at the bottom. There does seem to be reports of quite a few bugs at the moment with MIUI 7 on the phone, and that simple things like accessing the phone via a PC requires MIUI software (rather than just appearing as a USB drive) etc.

Could be good with a stock android rom I guess...

[Guest dalyer]

Haven't played with it enough yet to comment.

But if you mean USB access to the phone storage then no problem with that.

Bear in mind that many phones come with a hacked vendor MIUI installed and you're as well to install the latest stock/official MIUI.

Usually global stable but maybe global or Chinese developer in order to do the bootloader unlock first.

Haven't received my BL unlock yet - still waiting... 

FWIW I bought from Gearbest who had a good price at the time (check Kimovil for price comparisons), took PayPal (I wouldn't trust anything else) and I had no problem other than a wait of a few weeks for it to arrive.

Edited May 18, 2016 by dalyer

[Guest korekore1]

Hi dalyer,

I found one on aliexpress that claims you pay no customs duty if they send via DHL. Is it worth getting a maxed out Pro Prime with 32Gb of memory, or is there a microSD slot you can add your own? I already have a spare 32Gb microSD card I could use.

Here in Greece if you get DHL'ed you are screwed,its gonna double the price.But some sellers say it will be shipped with DHL just for marketing reasons and they send it via regular mail.You have to make that sure with the seller before ordering.

[Guest dalyer]

Some of the comments on that AliExpress seller's page are from EU customers who DID get hit with import charges/VAT in spite of the guarantee so I remain skeptical.

I normally take my chance with regular post - slow but anecdotally less likely to get hit.

[Guest KennyPowers]

I guess unless it's from a Eurpeon warehouse, or the customs is prepaid, then not sure how they can guarantee no customs. Unless the seller reimburses you if you get charged or something.