[OFFTOPIC] China Phone Discussion - UPDATED 30/10/2013

[Guest JetKun]

For £145 plus shipping I'd buy it, but not more than that.. an OTG cable with extended micro usb connection, to fit through your case, only costs £1.49 from ebay and I got it next day.

well, on its own it's $224, or £143? with gizchina code gizG4A

[Guest Rico_89]

well, on its own it's $224, or £143? with gizchina code gizG4A

Really.. is that with shipping..??

[Guest]

Really.. is that with shipping..??

No shipping is extra add at least $12 for shipping to the UK (12-18 days) or $18 for fast shipping (3-5 days).

[Guest]

I read somewhere that the Jiayu G4 buttons capacitive buttons don't have a back light.

Does anyone know if that is true? Seems a bit strange not to have that, although I can only compare it with my G300.

[Guest kieranswhite]

I read somewhere that the Jiayu G4 buttons capacitive buttons don't have a back light.

Does anyone know if that is true? Seems a bit strange not to have that, although I can only compare it with my G300.

yeah apparently it doesn't it seems to be stopping many people from buying it

[Guest Wacky.ddw]

My xiaomi mi2 doesnt have backlit buttons eighter i thouht it would be a downside but actually once you known where the buttons are it doenst matter.

[Guest JetKun]

My xiaomi mi2 doesnt have backlit buttons eighter i thouht it would be a downside but actually once you known where the buttons are it doenst matter.

Hey wacky, any luck with the mentoo problem in the end?

[Guest Rico_89]

My xiaomi mi2 doesnt have backlit buttons eighter i thouht it would be a downside but actually once you known where the buttons are it doenst matter.

I agree my Vowney V5 buttons light up but whether they did or not wouldn't have factored in my decision to purchase.

[Guest keevre]

Do you think the Goophone i5s is a good choice? It's only 512MB but that's not a problem to me since I only use it to calls and texting and I really like the looks of iPhone 5

[Guest Colossae3.23]

This looks interesting...

http://www.gizchina.com/2013/06/19/meizu-8-core-next-generation-mx/

all the power is impressive, but what really caught my eye, was that Meizu is working on a rom that you can use one handed! That's exciting because they are trying to find a balance between usability and the optimum screen size, for like the internet and movies. But, you still got to get it your pocket, though...

[Guest Stu C]

New to this discussion... interesting the hear the opinion on the MT6589 struggling with FHD screens; and definitely interested to see how the MT6589T can cope.

I've been looking around for options with MT6589T, and found the following:

ZOPO C2 16GB Platinum - $280, with possible shipping from Italy warehouse.

iOcean X7 Elite - $283, also has 2GB RAM

Thoughts?

[Guest Sere83]

New to this discussion... interesting the hear the opinion on the MT6589 struggling with FHD screens; and definitely interested to see how the MT6589T can cope.

I've been looking around for options with MT6589T, and found the following:

ZOPO C2 16GB Platinum - $280, with possible shipping from Italy warehouse.

iOcean X7 Elite - $283, also has 2GB RAM

Thoughts?

Personally I'd go Zopo C2 if you want 1080p as it has gorilla glass and they are a slightly more reliable brand. Its also ludicrously slim at 8.5mm. If you do go 1080p make sure you have 2Gb ram and MT6589T. I have also heard mixed reports about how MT6589 handles 1080p displays, but more power will no doubt help. However you can also get Xiaomi MI2A for close to that price, and while its only 720p and 1gb ram, performance is likely to be much improved as it uses a snapdragon s4 pro and MIUI.

Jiayu G4 is good bet for 720p display also but the front buttons don't light up. If you want to go dirt cheap, Vowney V5, some development already under way but does have some shortcomings, I will post a review at some point too.

Edited June 20, 2013 by Sere83

[Guest arranhs]

I read somewhere that the Jiayu G4 buttons capacitive buttons don't have a back light.

Does anyone know if that is true? Seems a bit strange not to have that, although I can only compare it with my G300.

Nope they have no back light. But seriously, you don't know where the home, back and menu buttons are? ;) I don't see them having no back light as a problem.

New to this discussion... interesting the hear the opinion on the MT6589 struggling with FHD screens; and definitely interested to see how the MT6589T can cope.

I've been looking around for options with MT6589T, and found the following:

ZOPO C2 16GB Platinum - $280, with possible shipping from Italy warehouse.

iOcean X7 Elite - $283, also has 2GB RAM

Thoughts?

Quote from dakok:

Zopo C2 is no-no at present. I`ve been reading thru their forum and found this:

- they have 3-4 different versions distinguished by stickers inside battery compartment and back color and can`t explain to customers version difference

- they have problems with battery charging

Edited June 20, 2013 by arranhs

[Guest trashbat]

Nope they have no back light. But seriously, you don't know where the home, back and menu buttons are? ;) I don't see them having no back light as a problem.

to be honest i think that its a good thing, when i have a screen filter on in the dark the buttons can be a load brighter than the screen.

Anyone ordered a g4 using the offer code?

[Guest Sere83]

Incidently ibuygou have got the vowney now at the ludicrous price on $170/£110 with free shipping...

http://www.ibuygou.com/p-vowney_v5_quad_core_android_4_2_5_0_inch_smartphone_mtk6589_hd_screen_otg_ota-5057-usd.html

[Guest Stu C]

Personally I'd go Zopo C2 if you want 1080p as it has gorilla glass and they are a slightly more reliable brand. Its also ludicrously slim at 8.5mm. If you do go 1080p make sure you have 2Gb ram and MT6589T. I have also heard mixed reports about how MT6589 handles 1080p displays, but more power will no doubt help. However you can also get Xiaomi MI2A for close to that price, and while its only 720p and 1gb ram, performance is likely to be much improved as it uses a snapdragon s4 pro and MIUI.

Jiayu G4 is good bet for 720p display also but the front buttons don't light up. If you want to go dirt cheap, Vowney V5, some development already under way but does have some shortcomings, I will post a review at some point too.

Thanks for the input. The Zopo C2 Platinum only has 1GB of RAM, though I have read reports that the MT6589 does not leverage extra performance with 1 vs 2GB RAM.

Xiaomi MI2A sounds good, with a S4 Pro - can Android be put on? I don't want MIUI.

Jiayu G4 runs a MT6589, but I would prefer MT6589T.

Quote from dakok:

Zopo C2 is no-no at present. I`ve been reading thru their forum and found this:

- they have 3-4 different versions distinguished by stickers inside battery compartment and back color and can`t explain to customers version difference

- they have problems with battery charging

Does this apply to the Zopo C2 Platinum? If buying directly from Zopo (see the link I gave), then I would expect them to stick to the product desciption provided.

I do keep wondering, when considering these phones priced around £180, is it better to spend the extra for a Nexus 4? The Chinese phones have a number of attractive specs, but does the horsepower and RAM of the Nexus 4, plus better OS support, make it a better option even at the higher price?

[Guest Sere83]

Thanks for the input. The Zopo C2 Platinum only has 1GB of RAM, though I have read reports that the MT6589 does not leverage extra performance with 1 vs 2GB RAM.

Xiaomi MI2A sounds good, with a S4 Pro - can Android be put on? I don't want MIUI.

Jiayu G4 runs a MT6589, but I would prefer MT6589T.

Does this apply to the Zopo C2 Platinum? If buying directly from Zopo (see the link I gave), then I would expect them to stick to the product desciption provided.

I do keep wondering, when considering these phones priced around £180, is it better to spend the extra for a Nexus 4? The Chinese phones have a number of attractive specs, but does the horsepower and RAM of the Nexus 4, plus better OS support, make it a better option even at the higher price?

MI2A is android but MIUI, there is stock rom but don't think it has continued to be developed. But MIUI is an amazing rom though very fast and some great advanced options and weekly rom updates.

This was part of the reason I ordered a vowney v5, because I didn't want to spend much at all on an MT6589 phone as it is not a particularly powerful Cpu in comparison to a phone like the Nexus 4 with S4 pro. Even the MT6589T phones are no match for the s4 pro, it's a much stronger CPU, plus the Nexus 4 is optimized by google, is particularly fluid, plus you get OTA updates direct from google etc. I hear in real world perfromance it is closer to the Galaxy S4. But lets not forget though it is still around £100 more for a nexus 4, so the better performance etc is reflected in the price.

I think 180 is really the roof price worth paying for MTK6589/T, after that it loses its bang for buck value in my opinion. In my opinion in terms of actual price to power ratio, the MI2A or the vowney V5/other sub £130 MT6589 handsets are the leaders really.

Edited June 20, 2013 by Sere83

[Guest JetKun]

Has anyone bought from To2C.com before?

[Guest ChrisPNE]

I got home from work tonight to find my Vowney V5 waiting for me. :)

From dispatch to arrival took less than five days with the free shipping!

[Guest blaster99999]

I got home from work tonight to find my Vowney V5 waiting for me.

From dispatch to arrival took less than five days with the free shipping!

Welcome to the vowney club, and 5 days with free shipping that's mazing thought mine was quick at 11 days , where you order from

[Guest aliaird]

So with all the V5s out there now has anyone played around with any different ROMs yet?

[Guest ChrisPNE]

Welcome to the vowney club, and 5 days with free shipping that's mazing thought mine was quick at 11 days , where you order from

I ordered from Merimobiles. It took about 6 days to be dispatched but was quick to arrive once it had been. I think they had probably run out of stock just before I ordered, hence the delay.

So with all the V5s out there now has anyone played around with any different ROMs yet?

Things are beginning to kick off in the Vowney thread in 'Other'.

Edited June 20, 2013 by ChrisPNE

[Guest Sere83]

So with all the V5s out there now has anyone played around with any different ROMs yet?

Yeah just flashed CMW and Tillaz slightly tweaked version of the latest rom from the vowney forums, only rom around at this stage. GPS issues looking much better, location via Data/wifi working now, GPS locking (gonna test further tomorrow though), new option in the camera for 12MP snaps, looking good so far.

My only misgivings about this phone at this time is that the ear speaker is a bit tinny and low and the camera flash makes a small rattling sound when you shake the phone around. Also the screen is bad in direct sunlight and the front camera is rubbish. For the price its just amazing though. Black back cover shipped from merimobiles today too!

Edited June 20, 2013 by Sere83

[Guest bryfly]

Mine were posted 21st and 23rd no tracking and no phones yet, i'm still within their timescales, but getting really hacked off now.......... :angry: looks like a PayPal dispute could be on the horizon

Well the Newman k1 posted on 21st may with tracking not working never arrived, after few emails with Merimobiles had to raise paypal dispute, today merimobiles refunded my money.......just got to decide what to buy now?

[Guest bryfly]

Vowney V5 on sale here for £108 also got it in black....it says.

http://www.buysku.com/wholesale/vowney-v5-android-4-2-mtk6589-quad-core-5-0-inch-hd-ips-screen-dual-camera-gps-1gb-4gb-3g-smartphone-white.html?currency=GBP

Don't know if they are any good though

think the site got there conversion wrong in $175.98, convert to £ 108.16.....think they made error of £10 should be nearer £118

Edited June 22, 2013 by bryfly