The Chinese are starting to make high quality cheap phones

I received the Doogee one now. It has Android 5.1. It is a very very good phone for the price too.

In fact there is only one thing that really bothers me with these phones, the system encryption doesn't work. On the Elephone P7000 it just stalls at the Android logo when you start the system encryption, and on the Doogee flat out isn't there.

Honestly I'm starting to think it is due to the Communist Party. I know that China regulates encryption in commercial products very strictly. From what I have seen they aren't banned in mass-market products (Apple sells the iPhone there after all)… but since these are Chinese companies they could have agreements or could be pressured by the Party to keep the encryption feature away, for phones geared to the Chinese domestic market at least.

It's a shame because it otherwise ruins two truly great phones. However I refuse to use a device that I cannot fully encrypt. I don't want anyone to be able to extract my confidential data and files from my devices. I also cross the border sometimes, where you have almost no rights. I usually encrypt my phones, and format them before crossing the border. If this isn't done they could confiscate the phones for no reason and extract the data at their office in Ottawa. I've met some of the people who do it through my job and I know how it works.

Maybe someone will release a Cyanogen build where it works for these phones. If not I'm going to throw them both in the St Lawrence river.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Nov 16, 2011
Messages
2,006
Location
Trois-Rivières, Québec
Encryption should be a software feature - I'd have thought most independent ROMs will have it.

Maybe someone will release a Cyanogen build where it works for these phones. If not I'm going to throw them both in the St Lawrence river.

No, they should be publicly stoned, to make an example of them.
 
Joined
Nov 8, 2014
Messages
12,085
Well there is no volcano here so it will have to do. I will remove the batteries though.

Sure it's a software feature but the problem is that these phones use largely closed-source MediaTek system-on-a-chip chipsets, meaning that more or less the only ones who can come up with roms are the manufacturer themselves. I've seen some people in the community try to have a crack at it but new iterations these Chinese phones are released so quickly that it's hard to keep up interest. There seems to be more interest for the P7000 so maybe, I don't know. I will wait for a long while and see what happens.
 
Joined
Nov 16, 2011
Messages
2,006
Location
Trois-Rivières, Québec
I see. But as someone interested in the privacy of one's phone, I'd have thought that hardware precluding the possibility of independent ROMs would be a non-starter anyway.
 
Joined
Nov 8, 2014
Messages
12,085
I thought the Mediatek chipset would be available by that time. Now it looks like the phone will be abandoned too quickly, and there are many issues with engineering. Fantastic device, but shoddily made.

I've decided to give it to a small cousin, he will be very happy with it and has no need for this feature. I like iOS but I just can't commit to paying $1150 every four years for a phone (which is what the plus does cost with taxes here).

I'm replacing it with the Zenfone 2 from Asus. It has custom roms and an active community, a North American warranty, good reviews, looks reliable, and it has a really really low price even in Canadian currency. It's the next best choice.

The funniest part is that this failed experiment STILL cost me half of what a new iPhone would've costed, LOL.
 
Joined
Nov 16, 2011
Messages
2,006
Location
Trois-Rivières, Québec
Interesting new project from the KDE team. A privacy-concious, open-source phone OS that can also run Android apps. Remains to be seen if it's any good - I don't think much of the current state of Ubuntu Touch.
 
Joined
Nov 8, 2014
Messages
12,085
I doubt the implementation will be any good, it will probably be the same thing as Ubuntu. For instance the battery life is terrible. There is no incentive for any manufacturer to support it.
 
Joined
Nov 16, 2011
Messages
2,006
Location
Trois-Rivières, Québec
The main problem I find with Ubuntu Touch is the bizarre concept of 'scopes' instead of apps. These data feeds are constantly updating, and bogging everything down .
 
Joined
Nov 8, 2014
Messages
12,085
I thought the Mediatek chipset would be available by that time. Now it looks like the phone will be abandoned too quickly, and there are many issues with engineering. Fantastic device, but shoddily made.

I've decided to give it to a small cousin, he will be very happy with it and has no need for this feature. I like iOS but I just can't commit to paying $1150 every four years for a phone (which is what the plus does cost with taxes here).

I'm replacing it with the Zenfone 2 from Asus. It has custom roms and an active community, a North American warranty, good reviews, looks reliable, and it has a really really low price even in Canadian currency. It's the next best choice.

The funniest part is that this failed experiment STILL cost me half of what a new iPhone would've costed, LOL.

So true on the iPhone cost :) It is definitely easy to play around with other phones for much cheaper.

Can you get the Motorola E (4nd gen) up there for cheap? I played around with that - cost me $50 - and it was a decent device for Verizon as a carrier.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
14,912
A lot has happened since this time. I received the Asus, and it was a great phone. Probably the best price/quality ratio. However I noticed it had a small white stuck pixel, and since I had rooted it I had voided my warranty. So I gave it to my wife, whose iPhone was on its last legs. She loves it.

It's a great device, but I came to realize unless my phone has a great screen with great colors and contrast ratio, I will be annoyed. I stare at my phone hours every day so it is very important to me.

I ordered a Nexus 6 on sale and absolutely loved it, along with the greater screen size. However I returned it not because of the size, but because of the weight. It makes it very inconvenient to lift your phone with your hand every time you have a text message, or to hold it in your hand for hours.

I looked long and hard and ultimately settled for a LG G4 on sale. It looks like the overall best phone on the market to me: great screen with superior colors and contrast ratio to other LCD screens (LG is a manufacturer and has great expertise in this regard), removable battery, the best camera on the market, relatively bloat-free interface, decent battery life, doesn't get hot... the only downside is that the CPU is a bit less powerful but I don't care for this. I fully encrypt my device so it's never going to run that smoothly anyway.
 
Joined
Nov 16, 2011
Messages
2,006
Location
Trois-Rivières, Québec
I ordered a Nexus 6 on sale and absolutely loved it, along with the greater screen size. However I returned it not because of the size, but because of the weight. It makes it very inconvenient to lift your phone with your hand every time you have a text message, or to hold it in your hand for hours.

I hope I don't come of as a jerk but really? To inconvenient and heavy to left for a text.

I own the nexus 6 and can't imagine it ever being to heavy to lift for texting.
 
A lot has happened since this time.

haha - you make me realize you have a tech-lust problem :D Or perhaps that a phone really doesn't matter that much to me ;) Or something ... :)

For me ... still happy with my iPhone 6+, picked up another iPad Air 2 on a sale (happy to have it back), and the wife and kids are quite happy with their iPhone 6.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
14,912
haha - you make me realize you have a tech-lust problem :D Or perhaps that a phone really doesn't matter that much to me ;) Or something … :)

For me … still happy with my iPhone 6+, picked up another iPad Air 2 on a sale (happy to have it back), and the wife and kids are quite happy with their iPhone 6.

You seem to be spending more time buying and selling gadgets than you do actually using them for interesting things :)
 
haha - you make me realize you have a tech-lust problem :D Or perhaps that a phone really doesn't matter that much to me ;) Or something … :)

For me … still happy with my iPhone 6+, picked up another iPad Air 2 on a sale (happy to have it back), and the wife and kids are quite happy with their iPhone 6.

Well if you use it for multiple hours every day it can be important to find something that truly fits your needs. I don't see it as a problem.

Frankly I would have remained with a iPhone 6 Plus but the severe drop of the Canadian dollar made it way too expensive. Also a QHD resolution improves image quality over FHD much more than I thought. Apple, OnePlus One and others who say "no one tells the difference beyond 1080P" have it plain wrong because it is significant.
 
Joined
Nov 16, 2011
Messages
2,006
Location
Trois-Rivières, Québec
Now that I have spent a long while with the LG G4 I can say it is truly worth it. Finally I feel home. The screen is indeed much, much superior than any other IPS smartphone screen, and it has by far the best colour rendering I have seen in any screen. However I must say I still prefer AMOLED screens such as featured in the Samsung Galaxy line because the contrast ratio is much greater and the blacks much deeper. LG says their Quantum technology diminishes this factor and it is true but there is still a significant difference.

It also has the best camera out of any smartphone by far. It is quite compact for its size.

The difference between QHD and FHD is not that fantastic but it is still significant. The one inconvenient is that the text or icons in some apps becomes far too small. If I had to get a 1080p smartphone I would be OK with it but I will sure enjoy this great screen.
 
Joined
Nov 16, 2011
Messages
2,006
Location
Trois-Rivières, Québec
Interesting thoughts on the LG G4 - I have heard very mixed reviews: vey good camera, average screen, abysmal battery life (with no fast charge) seems to be the overall consensus. Will be interesting to hear what you think over a longer time - does it have a dual-SIM option so you can travel with it?

Also - in the US it is only ~$40 less than the full-price iPhone 6 or Galaxy S6 ($610 vs. $649). How is pricing in Canada?

Thought you would be interested in the Blackphone - have you heard about it? Very security centric (http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/blackphone-2-news/)

Last year’s Blackphone featured a forked version of Android called PrivatOS, but it’s now known as Silent OS. PrivatOS was based on KitKat, so we can only presume that Silent OS is based on Lollipop. The downside to PrivatOS was that it didn’t offer Google services, but Silent OS does, so you will now get all the same Google apps that Android users are familiar with like Chrome, YouTube, Maps, and of course, Google Play.
A new feature called Spaces allows users to create multiple, separate “virtual phones” on the device. Each virtual phone can be customized to your liking and no data is shared between them. This is perfect for work, play, and other family members. Blackphone 2 is also compatible with Google’s Android for Work program.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
14,912
I don't know where you've heard it has an average screen, every single review I have seen says it has a killer screen that is neck and neck with the Galaxy S6. It is truly remarkable. It has by far the best color reproduction on the market and annihilates an iPhone. And it does have fast charge.

It doesn't have dual sim no. Personally I don't care. Also dual sim phones don't allow you to use data or the fastest modes on both sims. To me this is pointless, I would rather just take my old sim card out when I travel, much simpler.

For pricing in Canada you are forced to take a contract if you buy it from within the country, so I ordered mine from a site called Expansys, it sells international versions of the latest smartphones at reasonable prices.

As for the Blackphone I don't like and don't trust it. First it is extremely overpriced for what they give you. Also it mostly seems like a trojan horse for Silent Circle's services so you pay them endlessly. I would rather just use Cyanogen and TextSecure + Redphone from OpenWhispers, which are free to any Android phone.

If it ends up breaking too early, however, I am truly completely done with higher range phones forever.
 
Joined
Nov 16, 2011
Messages
2,006
Location
Trois-Rivières, Québec
http://forum.xda-developers.com/g4/general/screen-coating-issues-t3134029

Well I seem to have really cursed luck… I found out my phone has the issue described in this thread. It seems pretty widespread too, it really looks like a flaw with more or less all G4s to some extent. The phone is a joy to use and immensely beautiful… but I don't want to pay so much money for something flawed like that.

If I return it I will likely get another unit with the same problem, so I'll just return it and get a refund entirely. Back to square one. How frustrating.

I think I'll just get a Oneplus Two from a seller on Aliexpress, it will cost significantly less money and it looks like a very good price/performance ratio. The specs are high performing, battery life is decent, and the camera with the latest updates is quite good though (honestly I prefer to use my Sony RX100 rather than any smartphone camera). You usually need an invite to buy a Oneplus Two… but many Chinese e-tailers already sell the Chinese version for barely more money, and there are videos on YouTube showing how to easily convert the Chinese model with the Chinese ROM to the North American ROM (it is called OxygenOS). OxygenOS is actually made by ex-developpers from the Paranoid Android ROM, and it shows. It's very close to stock Android but it has many convenient features added into the mix. Also the advantage of Aliexpress is that they have great buyer protections. If the seller tries to scam you or pull a fast one on you, he's screwed.

This time I'm really forever done with expensive phones, these things have so many flaws that I'd rather not spend/waste a lot of money in case of getting a dud.

My second choice would be the Moto X Play but from what I've seen it won't be available in the US, only in Canada and Europe, and in Canada that's only if you get a contract with a carrier, so screw that.

This time my search will be over, I can't wait for it to end. But I suppose it will have been a fun adventure in and of itself.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Nov 16, 2011
Messages
2,006
Location
Trois-Rivières, Québec
Back
Top Bottom