The Official Xiaomi Thread

pinkscorpio68 said:
XioaMiTool is the only software you need for your Xiaomi Mobile device... It works...!

For both Non-Rooted and Rooted devices

If you have registered to have your phone unlocked, this Tool will assist you with that too (after registration).

http://www.xiaomitool.com/
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[05 Apr 2018]
It's been a long time since latest update. The tool is still partially functional but I supspended the development of it. I did because I have less and less time to dedicate to it and the tool has a very messy structure in code because I originally developed it as a macro/script tool. If I get enough time I will work on a new similar tool with new features and less bugs from next week (it will take a while to develop though). Thank you all for appreciation.
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Finally received my Redmi Note 5 yesterday from Gearbest.

For anyone wondering:

Model: Global Black 4/64
Price: $230
Ordered: 28 April 2018
Received: 29 May 2018

Total cost:
Phone - $230
Shipping (Priority - Aramex) - $5
Insurance - $5
Total Paid to Gearbest = $240 (R3055 at current exchange rate)
Customs, VAT, duties, handling, clearance etc = R335.

Total Cost = R3410.

You could get it for cheaper if you look out for flash sales and email-only deals (they had the 3/32 model for $169 a 2 days ago in an email deal).

The delays in getting the device was it due to not being in stock for about 1.5 weeks, and then customs had my package for a full 5 working days.
 
abdul89 said:
Finally received my Redmi Note 5 yesterday from Gearbest.

For anyone wondering:

Model: Global Black 4/64
Price: $230
Ordered: 28 April 2018
Received: 29 May 2018

Total cost:
Phone - $230
Shipping (Priority - Aramex) - $5
Insurance - $5
Total Paid to Gearbest = $240 (R3055 at current exchange rate)
Customs, VAT, duties, handling, clearance etc = R335.

Total Cost = R3410.

You could get it for cheaper if you look out for flash sales and email-only deals (they had the 3/32 model for $169 a 2 days ago in an email deal).

The delays in getting the device was it due to not being in stock for about 1.5 weeks, and then customs had my package for a full 5 working days.
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Awesome. Please post a review after you used it for a while with pros and cons.
 
pinkscorpio68 said:
I ordered via Amazon an item not related to this channel, but they used Aramex, my order took 6 days from the States (Kentucky) to Pretoria.

I was impressed by the speed of Aramex.
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I've had the complete opposite experience with them. Ordered stuff from Gearbest and they lost both packages.
 
RedViking said:
Awesome. Please post a review after you used it for a while with pros and cons.
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Initial impressions after using it for about a week:

I came from a OnePlus 3, so that is typically my point of reference when I compare things.

Build Quality - $200 dollar phones build quality has seriously improved over the years. I had a Moto G in the past which cost about the same as this, and it had nowhere near as good build quality. I was concerned about the fit and finish, and the quality of the buttons mainly, but I'm actually really impressed. Buttons are metal and nice and clicky. The only downside are the plastic caps on the top and bottom of the back - I wish they went with a unibody.

Screen - I was most concerned about the screen, having come from a OnePlus which uses great Samsung AMOLED panels. The screen is LCD, but is surprisingly very good. The obvious downsides of an LCD are present , but otherwise I have no complaints about it. It's very pleasing to look at.

I also always thought 18:9 is a gimmick and doesn't make sense. Im still of the opinion that on smaller screen sizes, 18:9 is a bad choice. But on a large 6" screen like this, im really glad for the 18:9 and it ensures that the device doesn't get too wide. Also, it's really nice having so much vertical screen real estate for social media, reading, messaging etc.

Performance - coming from a SD820 on an AOSP based 8.1 Oreo build and 6gb ram, the performance is not as good as my OP3. It's not as fast or smooth. But it's still decent and it doesn't bother me (yet). It has its moments where it's really smooth and then it also has its moments where it gets slightly stuttery. On the whole I think if you are used to using low or mid range processors , this will be an upgrade and you will enjoy it. All of this refers to daily tasks and normal apps, I don't play games so can't comment on that.

Battery - still a bit early to give a verdict, but I get about 24 hours of use with about 5-6 hours SOT. Haven't got anywhere near the 8-11 hours some people claim. I'm sure i could get about 8 hours SOT in about 12 or so hours of use. The only reason I got this phone was for the battery - the fact that I can go a full day (meaning more than 14-16 hours) with my type of usage means it's living up to my expectations so far.

Software - it's MIUI. I've come from years of using AOSP based ROMs and Nexus devices. It's a big change. But I'm fine with it and actually like some of the added features. I won't be flashing any ROMs just yet.

Camera - haven't used it enough to really judge. Daylight photos are very good. Low light is quite bad (compared to OP3 with Gcam which admittedly is amazing at low light). Video stabilisation at 1080p is amazing. I don't take selfies so can't comment on front cam.

Misc - something odd which I noticed is that the WiFi performance on this device is amazing (or my OP3 was just bad). Standing in a room where I usually get 4-8mbps (on a 40meg line) on my OP3, this phone does 30megs down 20 up, consistently. Really nice bonus which I wasn't expecting.

Overall I am blown away at what R2800 can buy (excluding shipping etc). It seriously makes one wonder how people can spend R15k + on a phone. I'm really enjoying using this phone and I don't have any major gripes. As most reviewers have said, this really is the best choice at this price range and what you get for your money is a seriously well rounded package.

I could easily see myself just buying the new model each year.
 
Great Review [MENTION=104662]abdul89[/MENTION]. Sounds like a good phone, just the battery I'm worried about seeing that we easily get more than 2-3 days (charge in the evening of the 3rd day) with the Note 4X.
 
Adoxographist said:
Did a priority shipping and it said "middle east express". Anyone know what that is?
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Aramex has multiple different services and Aramex Express is the most expensive and quickest. Middle East Express is a slower service but still being shipped with Aramex and not airmail. The package goes from Honk Kong->Dubai->South Africa. Due to it being a bit of a slower service, it is also cheaper. This is the main reason why they can take a bit longer to fetch the package but once received, it still reaches South Africa in 5-7 days. Customs still take 2-3 days to clear which is sad but there is not much that can be done about it.
 
GearBestZA said:
Aramex has multiple different services and Aramex Express is the most expensive and quickest. Middle East Express is a slower service but still being shipped with Aramex and not airmail. The package goes from Honk Kong->Dubai->South Africa. Due to it being a bit of a slower service, it is also cheaper. This is the main reason why they can take a bit longer to fetch the package but once received, it still reaches South Africa in 5-7 days. Customs still take 2-3 days to clear which is sad but there is not much that can be done about it.
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It does NOT use airmail ?? then how does it cross the oceans ? by sea ? then surely that would take 3 months ?
 
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