Xiaomi Mi4 vs iPhone 6 Plus

AlfredJ

I'm fed up with Samsung, so I'm moving to a new phone.
Both look about the same, and aren't actually that different, but the Xiaomi Mi4 has a better camera and a few hundred pounds cheaper(I found one at Estnext).
Then again, the iPhone is a fashion statement and well, my mates would be jealous as hell.

What do you think, which way should I go?
I'll be using it for mainly surfing the web and watching shows while taking the tram to work/home. Some music as well, but nothing huge. The battery should be strong enough to last the whole day, my last phone wanted to charge after lunch...

Jon_01

I've just looked at the Mi4 (my son's in China and offered to bring one back for me ).


The spec looks a lot like the LG G2, but with a half shd camera. Its a real snapdragon cpu rather than the MT65xx octa core that a lot of the China phone 'clones' use. For the money I can't see you going wrong as long as you order from one of the better suppliers.

(I didn't get one in the end, only because I have an LG G2 and there didn't seem any point! But when they start to turn out Note 4 clones, I'll be having one!).

seaviewing

I'm a big fan of Chinese phones and Xiaomi phones (especially MIUI -the actual software they use)- but the comparison falls short i'm afraid as the currently available Mi4 isn't 4g..

I have heard a FDD LTE 4g version is likely before the end of the year however.

Here's a quote from a reputable seller of such phones:
"The first Mi4 released will be for WCDMA only, we are expecting other versions later this year which include LTE band support. To be clear, TDD-LTE bands will NOTwork outside of China mainland, if you require European LTE band support you will need to purchase the FDD-LTE version (date not yet announced). We apologize for any inconvenience caused."

Terry98

seaviewing wrote: »

I'm a big fan of Chinese phones and Xiaomi phones (especially MIUI -the actual software they use)- but the comparison falls short i'm afraid as the currently available Mi4 isn't 4g..

I have heard a FDD LTE 4g version is likely before the end of the year however.

Here's a quote from a reputable seller of such phones:
"The first Mi4 released will be for WCDMA only, we are expecting other versions later this year which include LTE band support. To be clear, TDD-LTE bands will NOTwork outside of China mainland, if you require European LTE band support you will need to purchase the FDD-LTE version (date not yet announced). We apologize for any inconvenience caused."

Is 3g the same as LTE band support?

I am thinking of buying a mobile from China and the specs are

'3G networks: China Unicom 3G (WCDMA), China Unicom 2G / mobile 2G'

Can I assume the phone will definitely be ok in the UK even though it will not be able to get 4g!

gjchester

Terry98 wrote: »

Is 3g the same as LTE band support?

I am thinking of buying a mobile from China and the specs are

'3G networks: China Unicom 3G (WCDMA), China Unicom 2G / mobile 2G'

Can I assume the phone will definitely be ok in the UK even though it will not be able to get 4g!

Not really, generally the UK uses GSM, not WCDMA, what 2G mode does it use?


Unless the phone can do GSM or LTE it will not work in the UK for data, and even within the GSM/LTE specs it depends on what frequencies it works on as to how it works with the UK networks. Usually you need the 850, 900,1800 and 2100 Mhz bands for 3G, and bands 1,3,4,7,17,38 and 40 for 4g coverage.


Remember your network will not work on all frequencies so for example although my O2 contract and my IPhone 5 are both 4G capable, the iPhone can only use the frequencies that EE and 3 use, so I can't use 4g.

Terry98

gjchester wrote: »

Not really, generally the UK uses GSM, not WCDMA, what 2G mode does it use?


Unless the phone can do GSM or LTE it will not work in the UK for data, and even within the GSM/LTE specs it depends on what frequencies it works on as to how it works with the UK networks. Usually you need the 850, 900,1800 and 2100 Mhz bands for 3G, and bands 1,3,4,7,17,38 and 40 for 4g coverage.


Remember your network will not work on all frequencies so for example although my O2 contract and my IPhone 5 are both 4G capable, the iPhone can only use the frequencies that EE and 3 use, so I can't use 4g.

Thanks for your reply. It looks like GSM for 2G.

'Also known as Motorola Moto G X1032
Available as Moto G Forte with Moto G Grip Shell back panel

GENERAL 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
CDMA 800 / 1900 - CDMA version
3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
HSDPA 850 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 - for T-Mobile, AT&T'

redux

gjchester wrote: »

Not really, generally the UK uses GSM, not WCDMA, what 2G mode does it use?


Unless the phone can do GSM or LTE it will not work in the UK for data, ...

WCDMA, also sometimes referred to as UMTS, is indeed the 3g method here and most countries.

cookie365

It has UK 3g but no 4g at all.

ZhugeEX

gjchester wrote: »

Unless the phone can do GSM or LTE it will not work in the UK for data, and even within the GSM/LTE specs it depends on what frequencies it works on as to how it works with the UK networks. Usually you need the 850, 900,1800 and 2100 Mhz bands for 3G, and bands 1,3,4,7,17,38 and 40 for 4g coverage.

errr what, I think you've got those mixed up mate.

Basically you need to look at three things.

GSM (2G) frequencies should be:
900Mhz/1800Mhz (Every phone will pretty much support this)

WCDMA (3G) frequencies should be:
900Mhz/2100Mhz (2100 is most important, 900 not so much, again every phone should support this)

LTE (4G) frequencies should be:
1800Mhz (Band 3), 2600Mhz, (Band 7), 800Mhz (Band 20)

In China you will find phones that support all GSM (2G) frequencies and support 2100Mhz WCDMA (3G). Some Chinese phones may also support WCDMA on 900Mhz but not all.

Regarding LTE, You are more likely to find Band 3 and Band 7 support as this is also used in Asia but Band 20 is mainly used in Europe and therefore domestic Chinese phones won't support band 20 but some more international Chinese phones from HTC or Huawei should support band 20.

It's also worth bearing in mind that band 20 is used by Vodafone and O2 almost exclusively so no point purchasing a China phone with just band 3/7 LTE support as they'll only work with 4G on Three/EE and won't work with Vodafone or O2 at all.

Right now LTE is still new in China and the terminals they use won't support all 3 LTE bands in use in the UK. There are only 2 or 3 Chinese phones that support all UK LTE bands, the rest will just support band 3 and 7 for EE/Three. But even then you'd want band 20 on EE and Three for optimal performance.

CDMA and TDD-LTE are not in use in the UK and should be ignored. What you need to focus on is what I said above. So GSM/2G, UMTS/WCDMA/3G & LTE/FDD-LTE/4G.

But anyway, I've just purchased a Moto G 4G for my mum. Far better than what's available in China at the moment in terms of price (import tax etc...) and it also supports band 20.

For me, I'm looking at the Huawei Ascend Mate 7 which will support band 20 and is basically a Galaxy Note 4. More importantly for me though it's a dual SIM 4G device.

gjchester

redux wrote: »

WCDMA, also sometimes referred to as UMTS, is indeed the 3g method here and most countries.

ZhugeEX wrote: »

errr what, I think you've got those mixed up mate.

Yep more mixing up WCDMA and regular CDMA...

Cisco001

Your fred up with samsung. Instead of expesive apple, you still have HTC M8, LG G3, Sony Z2, Moto X, and Nexus X will be next month.

I don't see the point going for 3G Mi4 the money you are going to spend.