What phone are you referring to that is giving you vein popping fears ? Xiaomi or Leeco ? Leeco don't have an SD card slot...well not mine at any rate, and it doesn't really need one with 128 GB on board.
As far as I know Leeco are still operating, although I did hear they went through some difficulty. They have recently launched new phones (LE Pro 3), and they also produce TV sets. But ja, I don't think I will buy another of their phones....they are too slack when it comes to software updates and bug fixing.