161–170 of 182 posts
Xiaomi is able to make their phones so cheap by making their software as crappy as possible. They collect a lot of data (yes, their calculator app has a privacy policy) and sometimes show ads. You need a Xiaomi account to enable debugging (adb). Though they're still immensely popular here in Russia.
so no account > no adb > no root, right ?
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> it blows the iphone 11 out of the water in camera, speed, responsiveness I have not seen iphone being outclassed by another phone.
Then you haven't been looking very far. Doesn't anyone on HN understand the concept of observer bias? -_-
And you didn't name any phones that outclass the iPhone.
That's because there are none. I say that as not a particular fan of Apple products or their ecosystem. I only buy Android phones as I prefer that ecosystem and interface. Every generation - for the past ~13 years - I research all the phones on the market, those worth bothering with, and it's still exceptionally clear Apple is making the best smartphones. Ecosystem, performance, audio, video, photos, gaming, all aspects remain at elite levels among smartphones. They're the only smartphone maker that has consistently stayed at or close to the top for so long, generation after generation.
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Xiaomi sells a few phones with the "Android One" label, meaning it's mostly standard Android and mine let me uninstall basically all the typical useless apps. Only the Play Store and one or two others can't be removed. Not perfect and LineageOS would still be a bit better, but close enough for me. I don't enjoy using smartphones either way.
AFAIK Android One is barely supported at this point and phones are old. I used to be a supporter of Android One and bought two phones myself, but I wouldn't recommend it now. Google failed this program like it failed numerous programs before. The only reliable way to get standard android without unlocking and tinkering seems to be buying Google Pixel nowadays.
I previously had a different Android One Nokia Phone which was great and well supported.
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> You need a Xiaomi account to enable debugging (adb). Just unlock and root the thing as soon as you get it and Xiaomi will not get any data - either put LineageOS on it or de-fang MIUI by removing the nasty bits. Don't use the phone with a logged-in Mi account, the only valid reason for using the Mi account is to get the unlock code. Once unlocked and rooted you can remove nearly all the Mi-account-related parts fro…
It doesn't help if you're an app developer. All you can do is to keep hacking around Xiaomi's bugs because the users sure won't install LineageOS. The part about preventing adb is just icing on the cake. The nice part is that unlike with Samsung, the users know that they're buying crap and often don't really expect apps to work.
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Never mind "older people", some Xiaomi devices have the same performance as flagships costing twice as much. I have a Xiaomi Mi 9 SE (had it almost 2 years now), and it's the best phone I've ever owned. Previously I'd owned flagship Samsungs and an iPhone 6. It's powerful, the display is excellent, the battery lasts 2 days even with plenty use (unusual these days!), the cameras are excellent, and the device itself lo…
How can it really be that much better than a flagship iPhone? This kind of reads like your a person who hates the price of iPhones? Either that or I read like an Apple fan boy; However, I'm a pretty keen Linux / PC user and I don't think I'm that bias?
It's simply an anecdote from a random HN user who has a Xiaomi device, in a thread about Xiaomi; I figured they'd be relatively rare among HN users, and someone might appreciate a comment from an owner.
I don't hate iPhones, or the Samsung I've owned. They all have different attributes and values: the iPhone 6 was beautiful to look at, and the physical size was great; the last Galaxy I had was a great all-rounder; the Xiaomi I have now is a little larger than I'd like (though that's the way everyone has gone now), but otherwise it's very good in almost any regard. Is it better than an iPhone or the latest Galaxy? I'm not saying that - what I'm saying is that it does everything I need and more, and was half the price of flagships at the time. Way I see it, that's incredible value for an extremely capable device.
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It is sort of like, Yes and No it depends. There are reasons why things are little bit more expensive to make. And those add up quickly. The flexible OLED panel is more than double the BOM cost of rigid OLED even at the scale of Apple. For Apple that is ~$150+ of RSP increase form a single component. It is not only just being rigid, but they are also a higher quality panel. People often only look at " spec " on the s…
Apple’s overall margins are around 35%. Where do you see that iPhone has 60% margins?
Xiaomi is able to make their phones so cheap by making their software as crappy as possible. They collect a lot of data (yes, their calculator app has a privacy policy) and sometimes show ads. You need a Xiaomi account to enable debugging (adb). Though they're still immensely popular here in Russia.
> You need a Xiaomi account to enable debugging (adb). Just unlock and root the thing as soon as you get it and Xiaomi will not get any data - either put LineageOS on it or de-fang MIUI by removing the nasty bits. Don't use the phone with a logged-in Mi account, the only valid reason for using the Mi account is to get the unlock code. Once unlocked and rooted you can remove nearly all the Mi-account-related parts fro…
I loved my Mi A1 A2 and A3. All fantastic phones with stock Android and fabulous value for money. Sadly however they have stopped shipping stock Android. The MiUI is a terrible terrible experience in developing countries like India. See this review by GeekyRanjit. https://youtu.be/jbnxMuBUw0E
Not the best performance or camera, but for what I paid it's an amazing product. Battery still lasts a couple of days.
It's a real shame Xiaomi got out of Android One. I'm probably going to get a Nokia when the A1 dies.
I've got a Xiaomi phone (Mi 10 Lite) and am pretty happy with it. Hardware is great. Software (MIUI) is adware crap, which I knew when I was buying. I tweaked privacy settings as much was possible, and I use almost none of the builtin apps. Instead I use Firefox Focus+Mobile for browsing, Amaze for file management, Dropbox for file storage and PDF view, etc. Overall the entire experience is comparable (for me) to a S…
The camera is mediocre, I am hoping for a gcam port.
I've got a Xiaomi phone (Mi 10 Lite) and am pretty happy with it. Hardware is great. Software (MIUI) is adware crap, which I knew when I was buying. I tweaked privacy settings as much was possible, and I use almost none of the builtin apps. Instead I use Firefox Focus+Mobile for browsing, Amaze for file management, Dropbox for file storage and PDF view, etc. Overall the entire experience is comparable (for me) to a S…
I had an Mi3 and I thought the UI was better that what stock Android was offering at that time. But overtime they kept adding more and more crapware.