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Good, cheap phones, but packed to the brim with spyware.
Not if you buy the ones with Android One
When i bought my Redmi 4a, as a backup phone, i had to root it and flash with lineageos, because the amount of telemetry that phone was sending somewhere was straight up absurd. Same story with Mi 8.
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Not if you buy the ones with Android One
iirc, they stopped producing phones with Android One around a year ago. So if you want to buy a new one you will have to get one with miui. Which is, like i said, is packed with spyware. When i bought my Redmi 4a, as a backup phone, i had to root it and flash with lineageos, because the amount of telemetry that phone was sending somewhere was straight up absurd. Same story with Mi 8.
WAY cheaper and still do everything you want a modern mobile phone to do. This could have been a race between Xiaomi and Huawai but trump decided against that.
Didnt Huawei locked their bootloader when they started to get big? I wonder if xiaomi will do that as well.
If Xiaomi went ahead and locked bootloaders on their own will (instead of gov't requiring it), they would be crushing the same thing that allowed them to become successful.
https://www.mi.com/global/service/support/security-update-1....
The only exception is Xiaomi's Android One "A" line, which is now discontinued.
Xiaomi gained market share by pricing its phones competitively, but cut corners by only releasing security updates quarterly (instead of monthly). https://www.mi.com/global/service/support/security-update-1.... The only exception is Xiaomi's Android One "A" line, which is now discontinued.
So if you want a Xiaomi and care about security, simply remove the bootloader lock and install LineageOS. Some models are officially supported by LineageOS.
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I still don't understand why they thought that's a good idea. Or why any of them thinks it is.
I think locking the bootloader can prevent rogue shops installing malware (I heard this was an issue in china). But if that is the reason, manufacturer could give devs and consumers method to unlock. I did wonder then if locking bootloader could be at request of govt (cue Huawei paranoia). Perhaps it is a feature not used often enough to justify costs of warranty service/complaints to manufacturer (kids bricking thei…
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Huawei phones have always had a high price point. Huawei and Xiaomi have never competed.
In the China brand lifecycle, Xiaomi was just at a different phase of the cycle than Huawei. Now they also have €1000+ phones to compete with Samsung and Apple flagships. Similar story happened with OnePlus.
Xiaomi gained market share by pricing its phones competitively, but cut corners by only releasing security updates quarterly (instead of monthly). https://www.mi.com/global/service/support/security-update-1.... The only exception is Xiaomi's Android One "A" line, which is now discontinued.
That is true. However, Xiaomi is one of the only major sellers that allows you to unlock your bootloader, and they even allow you to re-lock your bootloader after. So if you want a Xiaomi and care about security, simply remove the bootloader lock and install LineageOS. Some models are officially supported by LineageOS.
LineageOS provides timely Android security updates, but only the manufacturer can provide vendor security patches even when a custom OS is installed. If Xiaomi did this monthly, its phones would be as hacker-friendly as Google's Pixel phones.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
That is true. However, Xiaomi is one of the only major sellers that allows you to unlock your bootloader, and they even allow you to re-lock your bootloader after. So if you want a Xiaomi and care about security, simply remove the bootloader lock and install LineageOS. Some models are officially supported by LineageOS.
That's a good point. Xiaomi deserves praise for keeping the bootloader user-friendly. LineageOS provides timely Android security updates, but only the manufacturer can provide vendor security patches even when a custom OS is installed. If Xiaomi did this monthly, its phones would be as hacker-friendly as Google's Pixel phones.