After recently reviewing the Nubia Z11 mini I thought I had finally found my new daily driver but it turns out I have to return that device as it was on loan only, so help me choose a new phone from these 5.
Anyone who know’s me from reading GizChina over the years will know that I like a phone with a decent camera, I also like a feature packed ROM and I do like to have something a little different from the norm, but my latest choice is a difficult one and I want your advice.
Below are 5 phones which I’m considering to pick up as my new daily driver, these will be phones that I buy myself and intend to use for as long as possible. Take a look at the options and let me know which you would choose.
Huawei P9
ItΒ really should be no surprise to anyone that I am seriously considering a Huawei P9, after all it comes with a dual camera set-up that was developed with (a little) help from Leica.
What I like about the Huawei P9 is the slim metal design, the camera, decent build and the fact I can pick one up in the UK for just Β£300. On the flip side, I’m not super blown away with the camera (admittedly I’ve had limited time with it) and it’s a bit bland looking.
ZUK Z2 Pro
I’ve put the feelers out for a ZUK Z2 Pro already, and why not? It has a powerful Snapdragon 820 chipset, a much better looking design than the previous Z1 and it’s price is low (only 2699 Yuan for the 6GB RAM model with 128GB memory).
The bad points are that the black version of the phone isn’t launched yet, and the current phones only come with the non-Google supported ZUI rom so it would be a delay waiting for the black phone then another delay before CM is released for it (if it is even coming).
ZTE Axon 7
Gizchina News of the week
The ZTE Axon 7 will launch on the 26th of this month and already seems to be getting a limited international release too. From TENAA leaks we can see the phone will get a 2K display, Snapdragon 820, 20 mega-pixel camera and 4GB RAM.
I’m a big fan of the Axon’s dual front facing speakers, and HIFI audio, I just hope that the camera will be as good as ZTE’s Nubia phones, as the Axon Mini I have has terrible camera performance.
OnePlus 3
I used the OP2 for a long time, but it quickly developed bugs and the fingerprint scanner is now pretty much useless. I’ve even had the OPX for my daily driver too, but I’ve gotten used to phones with a fingerprint scanner.
The OnePlus 3 looks like a decent phone from what we have seen so far simply because it looks like OnePlus have gone back to rebranding Oppo phones. The OP3 renders leaked look a lot like the current Oppo R9, which could mean really good build, a slender design, super fast VOOC charging and great camera performance.
Oppo R9
Or should I just skip the OP3 and pick up an Oppo R9? The benefits of that would be being able to get the phone right away, and knowing what spec’s I’ll be paying for rather than waiting for the unknown.
There is also a chance that (if the OP3 is just a rebranded R9) Oxygen OS might be easily ported over to the Oppo R9 at a later date too.
Which do you think I should choose?
So those are my current choices based on what phones are either available or are coming soon. Which of the 5 do you think would best suit me? Which would you choose? And do you have any other Chinese smartphone options for me to consider?
Hi Andi, as for me the phones i would look into are:
– ZUK Z2 Pro
– OnePlus 3
Cheers for that. They do both look really promising. Which would you go for if you had to choose?
Well, that is a very difficult one :D…. The ZUK Z2 PRO has no reviews yet, but the paper-spec. and the hands-on videos look amazing and it is backed up by Lenovo, so this seems pretty legit. Also the screen is not enormous and with pretty thin bezels.
The OnePlus 3 has nothing confirmed yet, so in this face off i would choose the ZUK 2 Pro at this point of time, but depends what OnePlus will come out with really.
The OP3 still has most specs to be confirmed and I doubt it can beat the Z2 in terms of value for specs(Not taking into account reseller markup)
The Z2 will likely only get CM though, while the OP3 probably will get bigger rom support
Zuk Z2 pro. 128gb internal storage is what i want. And design looks better than OP3. Ill go for Zuk.
I have now IUNI U3 for 1.5 years, and im happy enough. For next 1 year i will not change my phone I think.
But if need to choose now – maybe LeEco Le 2 Max 6/64 or Vivo Xplay5 Ultimate 6/128…
Hard to choose indeed.
LeEco without 3.5 mm is dumb turn
I think there is an adapter included, at least this vid shows there to be one. https://youtu.be/KPyRZpPuI0s?t=122
Yeah it’s like have a 3G/4G dongle hanging out of a usb port.
Also no NFC was bad. I would have purchased the LeEco 2 Pro if it had NFC.
I think the P9 is a good choice because of immediate availability and price. Im also interested in the Zuk and the Oppo R9, which both have solid specs. The OP3 will be interesting too, but the invite system can be a put off. Definitely a nice selection of chinese devices to pick from at the moment.
Yup, I am leaning towards the P9. It will be interesting to just pick up a Chinese device from a local store rather than online. Quite a novelty π plus the camera and specs….
How much is it going for locally in China (32GB and 64GB version)? Thanks
Huawei are in the top group in manufacturing quality.
Huawei make nice phones but they are heavy on price and somewhat walled when it comes to community.
Pricing in Spain for the P9 is 600 Euros which is steep, UK price is Β£300 which seems pretty good to me.
Yeah 300 pounds is reasonable, especially with Leica team up.
I put a lot of emphasis on external support and community. If a phone doesn’t sell well you could be stuck with buggy or a stale operating system. The next area is features.
Where have you found it for Β£300 Andi? Around Β£350 is cheapest I have seen it in the UK?
Vodafone had them at that price, but as others have mentioned it might have been a one off deal. Will need to check
Here (Β£310 after adding a sim bundle): https://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/pay-as-you-go/mobile-phones/quick-view/huawei-p9-payg?isPlanSelected=
Giffgaff also do it unlocked for Β£369 https://www.giffgaff.com/huawei/huawei-p9/phone-details
Damn, missed it, price gone up to Β£385 (Β£395 with SIM) at Vodafone
Β£300 seems to be a Vodafone special deal. Β£450 is the normal sim-free price in the UK. Β£300 is great value though if you get it but the phone may be locked?
I’m considering the P9 (in Singapore) but the dual-sim functionality is useless as it doesn’t support 4G+3G and the dual-sim variants do not get NFC. Here it’s going to cost S$888 (~Β£450) for the 64GB and S$768 (~Β£400) for the 32GB.
S7 good value here though at S$795 (~Β£400)
S7 is probably still the best value especially if you find one for 400Β£.
I’ve seen some on Kimovil for as little as $490.
ZTE Axon 7 one. 2k+20mpx is my choose.
The 2K kind of puts me off, hope the battery doesn’t take a pounding
Andi just enjoy it. Some devices do get good/decent battery life with 2K. I you say it looks bad or something… well then I see your point in hatting 2K but if it is just to save some battery then it means the S7 the G5 the V10 the 10 and a bunch of other great devices got the memo wrong..???.. don’t think so…
I got a 6″2K screen and I get a 4hour30minutes SOT So I guess it is decent time from a 3500mha battery.
Here is my list:
Leco Le Max 2, Zuk Z2 Pro, Vernee Apollo, Huawei P9, P9 plus, Gionee s8, One Plus 3, Meizu Pro 6, Meizu Edge, Xiaomi mi5 Pro, OPPO Find 9 Advance edition, Vivo x5 plus extreme edition.
For some of them you have to wait a little bit more, I am still in debate myself but I will wait for them to be released and I will decide after.
I have a few Meizu and so far their camera performance has a let down. I tried to go back to my MX5 the other day with the latest ROM and the camera was dreadful. Vernee are too new and have to prove themselves, I have an Xplay 5 sample, but the Gionee is something I totally forgot.
Yup. Try to pull influences and see if the Elife E9 is something to get excited about or if they won’t follow it.
If you are into photography, both the Z11 mini and Huawei P9 have the chops to really compete with the likes of S7 edge and HTC 10. Both Z11 mini and P9 have manual camera modes including shutter speed control up to more than 30 seconds! And both support RAW capture. I have not seen camera reviews for the Z11 mini, but I have seen many reviews of P9 being compared to S7 edge. Both resolves tremendous amount of detail but P9 loses in sharpness, brightness and bit of detail in low-light situations. But this is only with their auto modes, you can easily tweak the settings of P9 to get the best shot out of it.
I have the Z11 Mini on loan now, and while I do like it I feel that if I have to pay for another device I’d prefer to try something else. The S7 Edge is a solid phone too, I did consider getting one just to use in comparisons.
The S7 Edge feels like a slab of glass that you constantly feel is break, very fast and bla bla bla but a good device. For some reason I couldn’t find it any more special than the S6 edge at hand the dual edge feeling of the S7 was like holding an IPhone. Not bad but not crazy good either.
I really want something truly new to come out and blow everything previous to it.
If you wait for Zuk 2 you’ll be zuker (they post that on their Facebook)
Nubia Z11 flagship will release soon, I think more sooner than 1+3, so wait for those ones.
LOL, did they really post that?
Yes!! Hahahaha look here, their official Facebook.
OMG…. haha that is pretty funny
I kinda want to buy it now just to call myself a Zuker!
Seems there will be a lot of Zukers here in coming months hahaha
The black version as usual looks good… And as usual these chinese people sell first the white one, they never learn. ?
Normally I would agree 100% with you, it ticks me off when Xiaomi does that. But in this case I actually love the white one.
After being a Gioner
for long time π
Well played Sir!
Talking of such, shouldn’t Gionee be leaking their stuff already… I mean about their Elife E9, if it is going to be a thing.
What is wrong with Mi 5?
It’s currently my least favourite phone of the current crop of flagships. I have no feeling towards it what-so-ever. Mine is currently covered in dust and junk on my desk.
you can gift it to me π just kidding. i do have similiar feelings towards the mi 5 thats why it wont be my next phone after the mi 4 π but no phone seems perfect this time around π
Send it to me π
Though Im aiming for a 6 GB phone
One of the few phones that support 4G+3G simultaneously if dual-sim is important to you. Annoyingly, for me, most flagship phones do not support this
I have owned every Mi(#) phone since the Mi2s. As a huge Xiaomi fan the Mi5 is a major letdown. Hideous design, poor camera performance (for a flagship), and limited network coverage. For me there are too many better competitors.
Zuk Z2, definitely!
I would love to see a full review of it!
I love everything about that new device, its specs, technology and even its construction, I feel that it is really complete and has everything we need in our daily use, even its camera and new sensors seems to promise a lot!
Do it please, do it!
As for now, P9 seems like the best choice, but I’d wait a little longer to see some reviews of zuk z2 pro and what op3 will be in flesh… They’re definitely the most promising phones in the nearest future…
However, I’d consider gionee s8 too: specs are not flagship-level, but they’re good nonetheless, and the overall looks pretty good in everyday use (camera included)
i’m currently in the same situation, tho with a bit less money :p my candidates are
Honor V8 4/32 350β¬~
Le 2 Pro 4/32 230β¬~
Le 2 Max 4/32 350β¬~
Zuk Z2 4/64 (waiting for the price)
Waiting for the Meizu MX6
or the old MX 5 but not sure
The Le 2 Pro would obv. be the cheapest choice and probably even enough for my needs, just not sure if i can really endure eui..
on the other hand in terms of updates i would be only happy with the honor v8 probably as huawei usually updates their honor phones atleast 1 year..which is more than some other phones out of china
else i would maybe also consider the zte axon 7
A year later the MX5 is still a veru good phone, especially for how cheap you can get one. What about the Mate 8? I have seen some very good deals on those and it’s not too different to the V8.
i’m just a bit worried going all in for a 6″ phone :p and its pretty much the same price as the v8 in the like 3gb version compared to the 4gb ram version of the v8..i’ll wait for reviews to the le 2 pro and v8
The V8 is a 5.7″ phone the difference in size between them really isn’t that much. Take a look at their dimensions:
157.1 x 80.6 x 7.9 mm – Mate 8
157 x 77.6 x 7.8 mm – V8
The height and thickness is almost even between the two, the Mate 8 is just a little bit wider. In your hand they would feel almost the same.
yeah i know what you mean but by that logic i can always go higher up but sometimes there is a limit..i’m still mostly considering 5,5″ phones..the v8 is only in because it seems so nice.. not to say that the mate 8 isnt nice.. i think it looks tgreat and seems to have amazing battery life.
but if i always go a step up because the next phone is only a little bit bigger than the previous one i can also go with the mi max π
By this logic if you placed both phones side by side you wouldn’t even know there was a difference in screen size, especially given they have the same exact height. You really wouldn’t notice a difference in the hand. I only say all this because I think the Mate 8 is the better of the two phones and will receive better support over the long run. The Mi Max is much bigger than both of them.
Plus the Mate 8 has broader LTE band support than the current versions of the V8 do.
well yeah to be fair..i jsut checked reviews and i would probably prefer the mate 8 probably over the v8..the reviews all seem to be really positive
but i couldnt care less about lte..her ein germany lte is really expensive for very limited data volume and after that it gets instantly slowed down to like edge speed..
so i dont care if i surf that 1gb of data with hsdpa+ or lte
the le 2 pro would obv. be the best price/what i get ratio…but the ui..and the le 2 max would add OIS and a 820
but for that money i can also probably get a v8..i will have to see π
i dont mind the black borders of the le 2 phone and from the design i like them a lot with the rose gold
i jsut want a same or slightly better quality camera than my mi4, not the most terrible ui, slightly better performance ofc. even if i’m still happy so 650/helio x20 and above..not because i need antutu points but i just want to go a step further
3 or preferably 4gb of ram because i always have tons of messengers and programs like facebook open (and i hate nothing more thanr eloading apps..everyone got his weakness)
and a bigger screen compared to my mi4 around 5,5″~ probably.
the last le 1 series never received android 6 and so did the recent axon phone they all didnt have so much software support.
thats what i like a bit about miui and maybe eui will be awesome one day. but for now i’m jsut not sure if it will really work for me
do your eally think so? the mate 7 back in the days didnt get much updates or very late i guess..and the honor 7 received excellent software support.
and who knows which camera will be better.
it also starts with 4gb of ram.
if I were you I chill a bit let the Oneplus 3 com out and the Z2 get into the market and also the P9 I not a bad option. Although I’m leaning towards Z2 Pro its complete I tell you.
Oukitel K6000 Premium without thinking
cant resist the Amoled screen and 6000mah battery
You ware not thinking.
oh yes i was
amoled screen is milion times better than all those IPS panels
i can lieve without nfc
just hope the phone will be around 300 usd international
cheers
Just go for Galaxy S7/Edge and the problem is sorted out.
Excellent hardware and a very good camera. But boring/ugly design, terrible UI.
Would actually suggest flat S7 rather.
wait for the Le 2 series, I reckon.
Annoyingly, no current phones are ideal, although I interested to see what a ceramic mi5 in real life and how it changes the feel.
Personally, in the same situation… mostly tied with what works for my employer:
LeEco Le2 and wait see if the iphone7 has dual camera setup and decent design.
A new Nexus tomorrow! If it comes in ceramic/leather maybe, else waiting to see about an IP7.
From the above, if I HAD to choose, P9.
Well, this is apparently it:
Hiy Andi i am since 8 months in a similar situation like you π
First i waited for the lg v10 (very good performance, good camera but not snapdragon 820 so i passed) i used 2 years a ago a oppo 7 (best phone i ever used in my life) but it had one problem it stops some incoming calls so some friends said they can not call me cause my number is not existing so i sold it :
Now i am really excited about the huawei p9+ i love it just amazing phone the spec are the best on the market int storage 64 + 128gb micro sd,design very good but camera only good unfortunately not the best it cant beat the s7 edge or the htc 10 and thats the reason why i will not buy because spending 750 euros i want the best phone (but no iphone no samsung)
i am waiting for oppo 9 but i have to buy a new phone so the decision is hard to wait 1-4 months for oppo 9… π
oppo r9 is ok if it had a super vooc charging i would have bought it, camera still good no question
In my opinion you have to buy p9 or zte axon 7
I also love zte 7 spec and design but not sure how the phone is in real life in usage, is it good or not and how the camera will perform the most importing thing for me
Do you know why you should wait for a SD820 phone instead of getting a SD808 one ? ie. which apps you’re using can’t run on a SD808 ?
Lenovo vib X3 has sd808 and imx230. Any idea how the v10 is doing against vibe x3??
I really don’t know but i doubt Lenovo can compete on the camera part and probably on the sound part too. I’m pretty sure someone did a comparison between this 2 phones somewhere on the internet.
Check the pocketnow review of P9 camera. Its the best.
Wait for OP3 before deciding. I like having all the cards on the table before picking one
Oukitel K6000 Premium
Release date please..
october
Thaanks
So far
You only seem to care about the camera so maybe you need a camera not a phone.
I’d prefer to carry a phone rather than one of my Leica for most things. A phone is much cheaper to replace.
Plus it’s not exactly easy to fit a camera + lens in your pockets lol.
Look who’s talking…
For the same logic he should get a developer board rather than a phone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmCfZ7uexfg
B-)
If you like Leica, then get a Leica phone.. P9. Btw Andi, tell us the result of this article … What did u end up buying. ?
camera ominivision by oneplus or battery with amoled display k6000 premium.
and mi5 ceramic edition.
not a good list to work on i cant see why people are recommending OP3 ZUK and most of these phones arent even out yet so the spec sheet doesnt mean they are good, Andi werent you a bit let down by the mi 5 and look at all the hype it got at the time, the p9 or r9 is the only sensible choice in which id go p9 since there are reviews of it and its interesting, everything else is a leap of faith/waiting game
I was waiting for Z2 and OP3 too, as i have pretty much the same needs as Andi (top camera & flagship specs) , but i grew tired of waiting and I changed my mind for a LG V10.
Top camera/video, SD808 (not a 140k+ antutu score but hey, who gives a f*ck when every app on the market run smoothly), VR ready Hi quality 5.7″ 2k screen + second screen for notifications and multimedia control, HiFi audio, military grade build, quick charge, near-stock international android, LG support… for $500 on Amazon, tax-free.
IMHO no chinese brands can beat this offer atm.
I foresee ppl whining on SD808 not beeing a SD820 but as a Vivo lover, i’m sure Andi will feel this.
I always like the design of LG’s phones. How’s the camera on it? And you are right about Antutu it really means nothing these days.
I tried it yesterday : I went at an indoor contemporary art expo and played with manual mode for 2 hours in artificial/low light conditions. Colors are true (no Sammy magic), image is crisp, focus is fast and accurate, bokeh effect realistic. Low-light pics are great thanks to f/1.8 and manual ISO mode. In fact, V10 camera is G4 camera with a bit of improvment.
Vids are incredibly steady, dual mic and wind filter make marvels with sound.
Last but not least, dual front camera is a game changer : i never took many selfies because i don’t like photos where the subject takes up too much space. Now i can enjoy selfies π
if you’re interested, PM me and i’ll send you some of the pictures i took yesterday.
Post a few of them here as well.
Zuk z2 pro
It depends on what criteria you value most, all of these choices seem more or less equally desirable to me. You’ve listed 5 choices, two with 5.2 inch displays and 3, I think, with 5.5 inch displays. Having tried some larger phones, I am currently into the 5.2 inch size. I would rule out the P9 on cost unless you are really into cameras. Battery life is high on my list. I just took delivery of the new Xiaomi Mi5 and, on my usage, I can get through over two full days. If the Zuk Z2 had been available to order a couple of weeks ago when I ordered the Mi5, I might have bought that one. If you prefer 5.5, again what about price and battery life? I think the OPPO looks nice but it will likely be more expensive then the OnePlus 3. Don’t know about the Axon’s price but the last ones were not cheap. Then there is the new LeTV phones which are a LOT less pricey than the first models. Of the 5 phones on your list, my choice would be the Zuk Z2 – I might even go for the lower priced one as I can’t imagine needing 6GB of RAM or 128GB of storage. If I were looking for a 5.5 inch phone, I would choose the OnePlus 3, or wait for the Meizu MX6
Zuk Z2 Pro or OnePlus 3
No LeEco 2 Pro or Max? Is the camera bothering you?
The Le1S and previous Max weren’t that great so I’m going to give them a miss
You should revisit Le 1s camera if you have the chance, after the last couple of updates the camera improved leaps and bounds, it’s better than Redmi Note 3’s in my opinion.
I did give it a try again a week or so back but still wasn’t quite where it should be.
Simply the Nubia Z11 Max or the Z11. They would meet all your requirements and exceed them in the camera department.
I am in this same dilemma and I have narrowed my search down to the Zuk Z2 Pro, One Plus 3 and Huawei P9.
With regards to the P9 camera I used a friends this weekend and it is not great as a point and shoot camera. It is one you have to really get the settings right for each picture/scene, if you do the results can be amazing. You have to be a control freak to get great pictures. Hopefully some future updates can improve the “auto” mode.
no software will improve camera p9, remember me in the future.
zuk z2 pro nothing important with isocell + samsung, still old primitive tremor camera and bad low light + noise, you need review about ?
Ok Cockroach whatever you save.
oh did the gionee drop out?..but yeah know those struggles π
heard the same about the p9 and from all reviews..that if you go into the settings for each shot you can get way better pictures for example like the s7 but for point ant shoot the s7 will nearly always outperform the p9.
its so hard to look for phones these days with so much choice and there being a minor detail that you dislike about every single one.
I will consider the Gionee S8 when it comes to Blu, because I really want LTE at this point. I’ll also consider the Gionee E9 when it releases.
I know everyone will disagree with me but I will say to go for the P9.
It looks sooo gorgeous that I can’t see anything else.
But if you are a video fan then choose something else.
It doesn’t have 4K a d OIS.
I am suggesting regardless of benchmark scores.
its between zuk 2 and op3 andi. both of these devices should be good for the pocket and not fogetting to mention, custom firmware support in the future. they have strong communities and active updates from manufacturer
wait and test the ones that are not released yet.
C’mon Andi – most of them hardly relaesed yet. Besides, too many of them seem like potential hits – nothing solid can be said until tested.
Most curious I’m of the new Zuk Z2 Pro – this is really intriguing one.
P9 – no way. Bit too dark lens and too much interferance with soft settings required to maka a good picture – this is repeated nearly everywhere.
Lots of people here put heavy emphasis on hardware specs. But for me, the software side is important as well. Base on what we have now, it’s zuk & oneplus that have the most robust software support, both from the manufacturer & the community. The deciding factor for me would be the price. Zuk Z2 price is really good but I’ll wait to see oneplus 3 price before having the final decision.
If you can get a deal on the P9 maybe but I am reading a lot of complaints about the software. Where I live the price difference with the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is minimal. My kid has the Samsung and the phone and the camera are very impressive. So with that budget I go Samsung, no doubt.
But we are at this site because of price/value. So my choices are Leeco, Zuk, Mi5 and maybe most of all, OnePlus. I have read that the invite system will not be used for the OnePlusThree, so if it comes out soon and I can get my hands on it I will probably go for it.
EMUI used to be a horrible UI but it has improved a lot over the years.
It’s a same UI that it whose. Huawei simply whose never brilliant with software optimizations.
Their software has improved a lot since my first Huawei phone the P6.
Yup. But they are complaining about it now as well.
actually everyone i know with a honor/6 plus and 7 all tell me that they are totally happy with the software and have 0 laggs or anything, some use nova launcher because they want an app drawer but i dont get why every ui like miui/flyme/emui gets hated…mostly because of no app drawer.
I love custom full featured UIs. I tend to skip right over the software section of most reviews from the larger sites. Usually instead of actually focusing on what the software is, they fault it for either not being stock or looking too much like iOS. They don’t seem to realize that these custom UI’s don’t try or want to be anything like stock.
Hi Andi, as for me the phones i would look into are:
– ZUK Z2 Pro
– OnePlus 3
Cheers for that. They do both look really promising. Which would you go for if you had to choose?
Well, that is a very difficult one :D…. The ZUK Z2 PRO has no reviews yet, but the paper-spec. and the hands-on videos look amazing and it is backed up by Lenovo, so this seems pretty legit. Also the screen is not enormous and with pretty thin bezels.
The OnePlus 3 has nothing confirmed yet, so in this face off i would choose the ZUK 2 Pro at this point of time, but depends what OnePlus will come out with really.
The OP3 still has most specs to be confirmed and I doubt it can beat the Z2 in terms of value for specs(Not taking into account reseller markup)
The Z2 will likely only get CM though, while the OP3 probably will get bigger rom support
Zuk Z2 pro. 128gb internal storage is what i want. And design looks better than OP3. Ill go for Zuk.
I have now IUNI U3 for 1.5 years, and im happy enough. For next 1 year i will not change my phone I think.
But if need to choose now – maybe LeEco Le 2 Max 6/64 or Vivo Xplay5 Ultimate 6/128…
Hard to choose indeed.
LeEco without 3.5 mm is dumb turn
I think there is an adapter included, at least this vid shows there to be one.
Yeah it’s like have a 3G/4G dongle hanging out of a usb port.
Also no NFC was bad. I would have purchased the LeEco 2 Pro if it had NFC.
I think the P9 is a good choice because of immediate availability and price. Im also interested in the Zuk and the Oppo R9, which both have solid specs. The OP3 will be interesting too, but the invite system can be a put off. Definitely a nice selection of chinese devices to pick from at the moment.
Yup, I am leaning towards the P9. It will be interesting to just pick up a Chinese device from a local store rather than online. Quite a novelty π plus the camera and specs….
Huawei are in the top group in manufacturing quality.
How much is it going for locally in China (32GB and 64GB version)? Thanks
Huawei make nice phones but they are heavy on price and somewhat walled when it comes to community.
Pricing in Spain for the P9 is 600 Euros which is steep, UK price is Β£300 which seems pretty good to me.
Yeah 300 pounds is reasonable, especially with Leica team up.
I put a lot of emphasis on external support and community. If a phone doesn’t sell well you could be stuck with buggy or a stale operating system. The next area is features.
Where have you found it for Β£300 Andi? Around Β£350 is cheapest I have seen it in the UK?
Β£300 seems to be a Vodafone special deal. Β£450 is the normal sim-free price in the UK. Β£300 is great value though if you get it but the phone may be locked?
I’m considering the P9 (in Singapore) but the dual-sim functionality is useless as it doesn’t support 4G+3G and the dual-sim variants do not get NFC. Here it’s going to cost S$888 (~Β£450) for the 64GB and S$768 (~Β£400) for the 32GB.
S7 good value here though at S$795 (~Β£400)
Vodafone had them at that price, but as others have mentioned it might have been a one off deal. Will need to check
Here (Β£310 after adding a sim bundle): https://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/pay-as-you-go/mobile-phones/quick-view/huawei-p9-payg?isPlanSelected=
Giffgaff also do it unlocked for Β£369 https://www.giffgaff.com/huawei/huawei-p9/phone-details
I’ve seen some on Kimovil for as little as $490.
S7 is probably still the best value especially if you find one for 400Β£.
Damn, missed it, price gone up to Β£385 (Β£395 with SIM) at Vodafone
ZTE Axon 7 one. 2k+20mpx is my choose.
The 2K kind of puts me off, hope the battery doesn’t take a pounding
Andi just enjoy it. Some devices do get good/decent battery life with 2K. I you say it looks bad or something… well then I see your point in hatting 2K but if it is just to save some battery then it means the S7 the G5 the V10 the 10 and a bunch of other great devices got the memo wrong..πππ.. don’t think so…
I got a 6″2K screen and I get a 4hour30minutes SOT So I guess it is decent time from a 3500mha battery.
Here is my list:
Leco Le Max 2, Zuk Z2 Pro, Vernee Apollo, Huawei P9, P9 plus, Gionee s8, One Plus 3, Meizu Pro 6, Meizu Edge, Xiaomi mi5 Pro, OPPO Find 9 Advance edition, Vivo x5 plus extreme edition or if you want something cheaper with the best specs for the cash 360 N4, Leco Le 2 or Vernee Apollo Lite.
For some of them you have to wait a little bit more, I am still in debate myself but I will wait for them to be released and I will decide after.
I have a few Meizu and so far their camera performance has a let down. I tried to go back to my MX5 the other day with the latest ROM and the camera was dreadful. Vernee are too new and have to prove themselves, I have an Xplay 5 sample, but the Gionee is something I totally forgot.
Yup. Try to pull influences and see if the Elife E9 is something to get excited about or if they won’t follow it.
I would go for the ZUK. But it’s over my own budget.
every phone is over my Budget :'(
Same here
No it’s not
i have Nokia 105 :p !
hahahhaaha
If you are into photography, both the Z11 mini and Huawei P9 have the chops to really compete with the likes of S7 edge and HTC 10. Both Z11 mini and P9 have manual camera modes including shutter speed control up to more than 30 seconds! And both support RAW capture. I have not seen camera reviews for the Z11 mini, but I have seen many reviews of P9 being compared to S7 edge. Both resolves tremendous amount of detail but P9 loses in sharpness, brightness and bit of detail in low-light situations. But this is only with their auto modes, you can easily tweak the settings of P9 to get the best shot out of it.
I have the Z11 Mini on loan now, and while I do like it I feel that if I have to pay for another device I’d prefer to try something else. The S7 Edge is a solid phone too, I did consider getting one just to use in comparisons.
The S7 Edge feels like a slab of glass that you constantly feel is break, very fast and bla bla bla but a good device. For some reason I couldn’t find it any more special than the S6 edge at hand the dual edge feeling of the S7 was like holding an IPhone. Not bad but not crazy good either.
I really want something truly new to come out and blow everything previous to it.
If you wait for Zuk 2 you’ll be zuker (they post that on their Facebook)
Nubia Z11 flagship will release soon, I think more sooner than 1+3, so wait for those ones.
LOL, did they really post that?
Yes!! Hahahaha look here, their official Facebook.
OMG…. haha that is pretty funny
I kinda want to buy it now just to call myself a Zuker!
Seems there will be a lot of Zukers here in coming months hahaha
The black version as usual looks good… And as usual these chinese people sell first the white one, they never learn. π«
After being a Gioner
for long time π
Well played Sir!
Normally I would agree 100% with you, it ticks me off when Xiaomi does that. But in this case I actually love the white one.
Talking of such, shouldn’t Gionee be leaking their stuff already… I mean about their Elife E9, if it is going to be a thing.
What is wrong with Mi 5?
It’s currently my least favourite phone of the current crop of flagships. I have no feeling towards it what-so-ever. Mine is currently covered in dust and junk on my desk.
you can gift it to me π just kidding. i do have similiar feelings towards the mi 5 thats why it wont be my next phone after the mi 4 π but no phone seems perfect this time around π
Send it to me π
Though Im aiming for a 6 GB phone
One of the few phones that support 4G+3G simultaneously if dual-sim is important to you. Annoyingly, for me, most flagship phones do not support this
I have owned every Mi(#) phone since the Mi2s. As a huge Xiaomi fan the Mi5 is a major letdown. Hideous design, poor camera performance (for a flagship), and limited network coverage. For me there are too many better competitors.
Andi , Z2 Pro looks good … best value for money too if you don’t use NFC.
Yup, I do like the look of it and the specs are really great will need to get my hands on one.
Zuk Z2, definitely!
I would love to see a full review of it!
I love everything about that new device, its specs, technology and even its construction, I feel that it is really complete and has everything we need in our daily use, even its camera and new sensors seems to promise a lot!
Do it please, do it!
As for now, P9 seems like the best choice, but I’d wait a little longer to see some reviews of zuk z2 pro and what op3 will be in flesh… They’re definitely the most promising phones in the nearest future…
However, I’d consider gionee s8 too: specs are not flagship-level, but they’re good nonetheless, and the overall looks pretty good in everyday use (camera included)
i’m currently in the same situation, tho with a bit less money :p my candidates are
Honor V8 4/32 350β¬~
Le 2 Pro 4/32 230β¬~
Le 2 Max 4/32 350β¬~
Zuk Z2 4/64 (waiting for the price)
Waiting for the Meizu MX6
or the old MX 5 but not sure
The Le 2 Pro would obv. be the cheapest choice and probably even enough for my needs, just not sure if i can really endure eui..
on the other hand in terms of updates i would be only happy with the honor v8 probably as huawei usually updates their honor phones atleast 1 year..which is more than some other phones out of china
else i would maybe also consider the zte axon 7
A year later the MX5 is still a veru good phone, especially for how cheap you can get one. What about the Mate 8? I have seen some very good deals on those and it’s not too different to the V8.
i’m just a bit worried going all in for a 6″ phone :p and its pretty much the same price as the v8 in the like 3gb version compared to the 4gb ram version of the v8..i’ll wait for reviews to the le 2 pro and v8
The V8 is a 5.7″ phone the difference in size between them really isn’t that much. Take a look at their dimensions:
157.1 x 80.6 x 7.9 mm – Mate 8
157 x 77.6 x 7.8 mm – V8
The height and thickness is almost even between the two, the Mate 8 is just a little bit wider. In your hand they would feel almost the same.
yeah i know what you mean but by that logic i can always go higher up but sometimes there is a limit..i’m still mostly considering 5,5″ phones..the v8 is only in because it seems so nice.. not to say that the mate 8 isnt nice.. i think it looks tgreat and seems to have amazing battery life.
but if i always go a step up because the next phone is only a little bit bigger than the previous one i can also go with the mi max π
By this logic if you placed both phones side by side you wouldn’t even know there was a difference in screen size, especially given they have the same exact height. You really wouldn’t notice a difference in the hand. I only say all this because I think the Mate 8 is the better of the two phones and will receive better support over the long run. The Mi Max is much bigger than both of them.
Plus the Mate 8 has broader LTE band support than the current versions of the V8 do.
do your eally think so? the mate 7 back in the days didnt get much updates or very late i guess..and the honor 7 received excellent software support.
and who knows which camera will be better.
it also starts with 4gb of ram.
well yeah to be fair..i jsut checked reviews and i would probably prefer the mate 8 probably over the v8..the reviews all seem to be really positive
but i couldnt care less about lte..her ein germany lte is really expensive for very limited data volume and after that it gets instantly slowed down to like edge speed..
so i dont care if i surf that 1gb of data with hsdpa+ or lte
the le 2 pro would obv. be the best price/what i get ratio…but the ui..and the le 2 max would add OIS and a 820
but for that money i can also probably get a v8..i will have to see π
i dont mind the black borders of the le 2 phone and from the design i like them a lot with the rose gold
i jsut want a same or slightly better quality camera than my mi4, not the most terrible ui, slightly better performance ofc. even if i’m still happy so 650/helio x20 and above..not because i need antutu points but i just want to go a step further
3 or preferably 4gb of ram because i always have tons of messengers and programs like facebook open (and i hate nothing more thanr eloading apps..everyone got his weakness)
and a bigger screen compared to my mi4 around 5,5″~ probably.
the last le 1 series never received android 6 and so did the recent axon phone they all didnt have so much software support.
thats what i like a bit about miui and maybe eui will be awesome one day. but for now i’m jsut not sure if it will really work for me
I’m all out for the Zuk Z2 Pro
if I were you I chill a bit let the Oneplus 3 com out and the Z2 get into the market and also the P9 I not a bad option. Although I’m leaning towards Z2 Pro its complete I tell you.
Can anybody help me too, to choose my phone:
1) Dual sim (must)
2) Screen 5.7 inches to 6 inches
3) Dedicated SD card slot
4) Good battery
5) Acceptable screen resolution.
I shall be thankful to you for your help.
What is your budget?
Thanks for your reply. It can be up to $ 600.
I would go for the Huawei Mate 8 but there is no dedicated SD Card Slot, the second sim is hybrid. That is a problem you will run into with a lot of phones these days.
Thanks again. Unfortunately I bought the 128 GB version from geekbuying.com thinking that I will not be needing a memory card and have dual sims. But they cheated me and sent me a 64 GB version. Now the phone is lying idol with me as I have put PayPal dispute. Unfortunate.
Have you tried to contact GB.COM support in first place ? What did they told you ?
I got a wrong product sent to me once, they admit it and get it right quickly. I don’t understand why you’re forced to go by the PayPal dispute… but i’d like to understand why, since I often recommend this site to friends -_-
thanks by advance
I contacted them first off course. They wanted to play foul with me. They told me that as there is a difference of ROM only and the phone is working, so we will offer you $20 and keep the phone. But the thing which really made me mad was that the person who wrote this to me told that “we with difficult made our manager to agree for refund of $ 20” ….then I taught that better to go for PayPal as they think that the other people are fool. They are not good sellers indeed. This was my first interaction with them and that went so bad. I wouldn’t recommend at all. If they would have accepted their fault from the very beginning, I would have returned the phone and replaced it but they taught to fool me.
Thanks, I’ll avoid GB in the future as you seem to be a reasonable person.
I don’t understand they play fool when it’s so easy to confront description of the product you bought on their website and a screenshot from the android’s storage management page…
I hope Paypal will sort it out quickly with this informations in hand.
This is why I’ll forever orefer Aliexpress to Gearbest.
Gearbest has a long record of cheating.
Aliexpress has very reliable sellers you can easily find
We are talking about geekbuying (GB), and not gearbest.
Blu Pure XL
You are welcome.
Ps: ram is at 3gb and 3500mhais+Battery is what you get. But again you are welcome.
Honor V8 2K version.
You’re welcome;)
Thanks. What are the specs?
Very similar to the Mate 8 except these key differences:
Display – 5.7 inches (also a 2k version available)
RAM – All models have 4GB
SOC – 2k model uses the 955 instead of 950
Camera sensor – 12mp (Mate 8 is 16mp)
Battery – 3500mAh (Mate 8 has 4000)
Weight – 170 grams (Mate 8 is 185)
A lot of these you probably wouldn’t ever notice the difference especially with the SoC. Camera will probably be about the same as well.
Dual cameras tho.
I think it is not yet out and secondly the same problem of hybrid slot.
You are going to run into that problem with most phones, or no SD slot at all. The days of dual sim + a separate SD Card slot are all but gone. Very few phones still offer that setup, most have switched to the hybrid slot or none at all.
LeTV LE 1 Pro is great value for money picked mine up for Β£130 2k screen 4 ram cheapest i seen with them specs
Le 1 pro has dedicated sd slot? How many inches screen? Thanks for your reply.
Hello Darren, please tell me, where I can buy LeTV LE 1 Pro for Β£130
Tinydeal.com is were I got mine. The silver is still 130 but gold has gone up. I couldn’t find any discount codes but might be worth looking.
Xiaomi mi note, Xiaomi mi Max
Mi note no sd card and the battery is about average. For mi max it is over 6 inch .so with respect your suggestion is out of consideration.
I think mi note has no dedicated sd slot. Mi max is 6.44 inches. Bigger and has no dedicated sd slot?
Mi max has SD card slot but yes it is bigger. Mi note has no SD but is available in 64GB
gionee m5 plus it is the only option with dual sim 4g and sd card and great 5000 mah battery and amoled display .
Thanks. Where it is available? I am not in India. Any international store selling it?
Yes, I agree with you Gionee M5 Plus is great phone. I have it also π
Blu Pure XL
Gionee Elife E8
Oukitel K6000 Premium without thinking
cant resist the Amoled screen and 6000mah battery
You ware not thinking.
oh yes i was
amoled screen is milion times better than all those IPS panels
i can lieve without nfc
just hope the phone will be around 300 usd international
cheers
Just go for Galaxy S7/Edge and the problem is sorted out.
Excellent hardware and a very good camera. But boring/ugly design, terrible UI.
Would actually suggest flat S7 rather.
wait for the Le 2 series, I reckon.
Annoyingly, no current phones are ideal, although I interested to see what a ceramic mi5 in real life and how it changes the feel.
Personally, in the same situation… mostly tied with what works for my employer:
LeEco Le2 and wait see if the iphone7 has dual camera setup and decent design.
A new Nexus tomorrow! If it comes in ceramic/leather maybe, else waiting to see about an IP7.
From the above, if I HAD to choose, P9.
Well, this is apparently it:
Hiy Andi i am since 8 months in a similar situation like you π
First i waited for the lg v10 (very good performance, good camera but not snapdragon 820 so i passed) i used 2 years a ago a oppo 7 (best phone i ever used in my life) but it had one problem it stops some incoming calls so some friends said they can not call me cause my number is not existing so i sold it :
Now i am really excited about the huawei p9+ i love it just amazing phone the spec are the best on the market int storage 64 + 128gb micro sd,design very good but camera only good unfortunately not the best it cant beat the s7 edge or the htc 10 and thats the reason why i will not buy because spending 750 euros i want the best phone (but no iphone no samsung)
i am waiting for oppo 9 but i have to buy a new phone so the decision is hard to wait 1-4 months for oppo 9… π
oppo r9 is ok if it had a super vooc charging i would have bought it, camera still good no question
In my opinion you have to buy p9 or zte axon 7
I also love zte 7 spec and design but not sure how the phone is in real life in usage, is it good or not and how the camera will perform the most importing thing for me
Do you know why you should wait for a SD820 phone instead of getting a SD808 one ? ie. which apps you’re using can’t run on a SD808 ?
Lenovo vib X3 has sd808 and imx230. Any idea how the v10 is doing against vibe x3??
Check the pocketnow review of P9 camera. Its the best.
I really don’t know but i doubt Lenovo can compete on the camera part and probably on the sound part too. I’m pretty sure someone did a comparison between this 2 phones somewhere on the internet.
Wait for OP3 before deciding. I like having all the cards on the table before picking one
Andi – why not wait for the Vernee Apollo (full not Lite ?). I mean — they already released full sources for Thor (pre-alpha version of CM13 is already running on it and is being developed further by XDA”s member “DerTeufel”). And hopefully will follow with Apollo too.
Spec looks nice, price hopefully too.
With Vernee we need to wait and see how the brand is in regards to long term quality and customer support. I have a Thor arriving this week so I am looking forward to really testing it out. But I would never invest significant money in a new brand.
Agree with Balco on this, I want to see how they really look after their phones once they have launched. They have the makings of a good company but its still too early to tell if they will do well or not
I too have a Thor and must say – it’s an amazing phone, not just for the price – but just a really pro phone and good battery and OS.
Oukitel K6000 Premium
Release date please..
october
Thaanks
So far
You only seem to care about the camera so maybe you need a camera not a phone.
I’d prefer to carry a phone rather than one of my Leica for most things. A phone is much cheaper to replace.
Plus it’s not exactly easy to fit a camera + lens in your pockets lol.
If you like Leica, then get a Leica phone.. P9. Btw Andi, tell us the result of this article … What did u end up buying. π
Look who’s talking…
For the same logic he should get a developer board rather than a phone
B-)
camera ominivision by oneplus or battery with amoled display k6000 premium.
and mi5 ceramic edition.
not a good list to work on i cant see why people are recommending OP3 ZUK and most of these phones arent even out yet so the spec sheet doesnt mean they are good, Andi werent you a bit let down by the mi 5 and look at all the hype it got at the time, the p9 or r9 is the only sensible choice in which id go p9 since there are reviews of it and its interesting, everything else is a leap of faith/waiting game
I was waiting for Z2 and OP3 too, as i have pretty much the same needs as Andi (top camera & flagship specs) , but i grew tired of waiting and I changed my mind for a LG V10.
Top camera/video, SD808 (not a 140k+ antutu score but hey, who gives a f*ck when every app on the market run smoothly), VR ready Hi quality 5.7″ 2k screen + second screen for notifications and multimedia control, HiFi audio, military grade build, quick charge, near-stock international android, LG support… for $500 on Amazon, tax-free.
IMHO no chinese brands can beat this offer atm.
I foresee ppl whining on SD808 not beeing a SD820 but as a Vivo lover, i’m sure Andi will feel this.
I always like the design of LG’s phones. How’s the camera on it? And you are right about Antutu it really means nothing these days.
I tried it yesterday : I went at an indoor contemporary art expo and played with manual mode for 2 hours in artificial/low light conditions. Colors are true (no Sammy magic), image is crisp, focus is fast and accurate, bokeh effect realistic. Low-light pics are great thanks to f/1.8 and manual ISO mode. In fact, V10 camera is G4 camera with a bit of improvment.
Vids are incredibly steady, dual mic and wind filter make marvels with sound.
Last but not least, dual front camera is a game changer : i never took many selfies because i don’t like photos where the subject takes up too much space. Now i can enjoy selfies π
if you’re interested, PM me and i’ll send you some of the pictures i took yesterday.
Post a few of them here as well.
Zuk z2 pro
In my opinion, definetly ZUK Z2 Pro.
couldnt care less…
But you cared enough to comment.
hahahahaha
LOL π
LMAO you got him/her
Zuk Z2 Pro or OnePlus 3
No LeEco 2 Pro or Max? Is the camera bothering you?
The Le1S and previous Max weren’t that great so I’m going to give them a miss
You should revisit Le 1s camera if you have the chance, after the last couple of updates the camera improved leaps and bounds, it’s better than Redmi Note 3’s in my opinion.
Simply the Nubia Z11 Max or the Z11. They would meet all your requirements and exceed them in the camera department.
I did give it a try again a week or so back but still wasn’t quite where it should be.
Zuk Z2 Pro
I am in this same dilemma and I have narrowed my search down to the Zuk Z2 Pro, One Plus 3 and Huawei P9.
With regards to the P9 camera I used a friends this weekend and it is not great as a point and shoot camera. It is one you have to really get the settings right for each picture/scene, if you do the results can be amazing. You have to be a control freak to get great pictures. Hopefully some future updates can improve the “auto” mode.
no software will improve camera p9, remember me in the future.
zuk z2 pro nothing important with isocell + samsung, still old primitive tremor camera and bad low light + noise, you need review about ?
Ok Cockroach whatever you save.
oh did the gionee drop out?..but yeah know those struggles π
heard the same about the p9 and from all reviews..that if you go into the settings for each shot you can get way better pictures for example like the s7 but for point ant shoot the s7 will nearly always outperform the p9.
its so hard to look for phones these days with so much choice and there being a minor detail that you dislike about every single one.
I will consider the Gionee S8 when it comes to Blu, because I really want LTE at this point. I’ll also consider the Gionee E9 when it releases.
I know everyone will disagree with me but I will say to go for the P9.
It looks sooo gorgeous that I can’t see anything else.
But if you are a video fan then choose something else.
It doesn’t have 4K a d OIS.
I am suggesting regardless of benchmark scores.
its between zuk 2 and op3 andi. both of these devices should be good for the pocket and not fogetting to mention, custom firmware support in the future. they have strong communities and active updates from manufacturer
wait and test the ones that are not released yet.
C’mon Andi – most of them hardly relaesed yet. Besides, too many of them seem like potential hits – nothing solid can be said until tested.
Most curious I’m of the new Zuk Z2 Pro – this is really intriguing one.
P9 – no way. Bit too dark lens and too much interferance with soft settings required to maka a good picture – this is repeated nearly everywhere.
Lots of people here put heavy emphasis on hardware specs. But for me, the software side is important as well. Base on what we have now, it’s zuk & oneplus that have the most robust software support, both from the manufacturer & the community. The deciding factor for me would be the price. Zuk Z2 price is really good but I’ll wait to see oneplus 3 price before having the final decision.
If you can get a deal on the P9 maybe but I am reading a lot of complaints about the software. Where I live the price difference with the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is minimal. My kid has the Samsung and the phone and the camera are very impressive. So with that budget I go Samsung, no doubt.
But we are at this site because of price/value. So my choices are Leeco, Zuk, Mi5 and maybe most of all, OnePlus. I have read that the invite system will not be used for the OnePlusThree, so if it comes out soon and I can get my hands on it I will probably go for it.
EMUI used to be a horrible UI but it has improved a lot over the years.
It’s a same UI that it whose. Huawei simply whose never brilliant with software optimizations.
Their software has improved a lot since my first Huawei phone the P6.
Yup. But they are complaining about it now as well.
actually everyone i know with a honor/6 plus and 7 all tell me that they are totally happy with the software and have 0 laggs or anything, some use nova launcher because they want an app drawer but i dont get why every ui like miui/flyme/emui gets hated…mostly because of no app drawer.
I love custom full featured UIs. I tend to skip right over the software section of most reviews from the larger sites. Usually instead of actually focusing on what the software is, they fault it for either not being stock or looking too much like iOS. They don’t seem to realize that these custom UI’s don’t try or want to be anything like stock.
I would go for the ZUK. But it’s over my own budget.
every phone is over my Budget :'(
Same here
No it’s not
i have Nokia 105 :p !
hahahhaaha
OnePlus 3 or maybe the ever elusive Oppo Find 9…
Andi , Z2 Pro looks good … best value for money too if you don’t use NFC.
Yup, I do like the look of it and the specs are really great will need to get my hands on one.
I’m all out for the Zuk Z2 Pro
Can anybody help me too, to choose my phone:
1) Dual sim (must)
2) Screen 5.7 inches to 6 inches
3) Dedicated SD card slot
4) Good battery
5) Acceptable screen resolution.
I shall be thankful to you for your help.
What is your budget?
Thanks for your reply. It can be up to $ 600.
Honor V8 2K version.
You’re welcome;)
I would go for the Huawei Mate 8 but there is no dedicated SD Card Slot, the second sim is hybrid. That is a problem you will run into with a lot of phones these days.
Thanks again. Unfortunately I bought the 128 GB version from
thinking that I will not be needing a memory card and have dual sims. But they cheated me and sent me a 64 GB version. Now the phone is lying idol with me as I have put PayPal dispute. Unfortunate.
Thanks. What are the specs?
Very similar to the Mate 8 except these key differences:
Display – 5.7 inches (also a 2k version available)
RAM – All models have 4GB
SOC – 2k model uses the 955 instead of 950
Camera sensor – 12mp (Mate 8 is 16mp)
Battery – 3500mAh (Mate 8 has 4000)
Weight – 170 grams (Mate 8 is 185)
A lot of these you probably wouldn’t ever notice the difference especially with the SoC. Camera will probably be about the same as well.
Dual cameras tho.
I think it is not yet out and secondly the same problem of hybrid slot.
You are going to run into that problem with most phones, or no SD slot at all. The days of dual sim + a separate SD Card slot are all but gone. Very few phones still offer that setup, most have switched to the hybrid slot or none at all.
LeTV LE 1 Pro is great value for money picked mine up for Β£130 2k screen 4 ram cheapest i seen with them specs
Xiaomi mi note, Xiaomi mi Max
gionee m5 plus it is the only option with dual sim 4g and sd card and great 5000 mah battery and amoled display .
Mi note no sd card and the battery is about average. For mi max it is over 6 inch .so with respect your suggestion is out of consideration.
Thanks. Where it is available? I am not in India. Any international store selling it?
I think mi note has no dedicated sd slot. Mi max is 6.44 inches. Bigger and has no dedicated sd slot?
Le 1 pro has dedicated sd slot? How many inches screen? Thanks for your reply.
Have you tried to contact GB.COM support in first place ? What did they told you ?
I got a wrong product sent to me once, they admit it and get it right quickly. I don’t understand why you’re forced to go by the PayPal dispute… but i’d like to understand why, since I often recommend this site to friends -_-
thanks by advance
I contacted them first off course. They wanted to play foul with me. They told me that as there is a difference of ROM only and the phone is working, so we will offer you $20 and keep the phone. But the thing which really made me mad was that the person who wrote this to me told that “we with difficult made our manager to agree for refund of $ 20” ….then I taught that better to go for PayPal as they think that the other people are fool. They are not good sellers indeed. This was my first interaction with them and that went so bad. I wouldn’t recommend at all. If they would have accepted their fault from the very beginning, I would have returned the phone and replaced it but they taught to fool me.
Blu Pure XL
Gionee Elife E8
Blu Pure XL
You are welcome.
Ps: ram is at 3gb and 3500mhais+Battery is what you get. But again you are welcome.
Thanks, I’ll avoid GB in the future as you seem to be a reasonable person.
I don’t understand they play fool when it’s so easy to confront description of the product you bought on their website and a screenshot from the android’s storage management page…
I hope Paypal will sort it out quickly with this informations in hand.
Mi max has SD card slot but yes it is bigger. Mi note has no SD but is available in 64GB
Hello Darren, please tell me, where I can buy LeTV LE 1 Pro for Β£130
is were I got mine. The silver is still 130 but gold has gone up. I couldn’t find any discount codes but might be worth looking.
Yes, I agree with you Gionee M5 Plus is great phone. I have it also π
This is why I’ll forever orefer Aliexpress to Gearbest.
Gearbest has a long record of cheating.
Aliexpress has very reliable sellers you can easily find
We are talking about geekbuying (GB), and not gearbest.
Andi – why not wait for the Vernee Apollo (full not Lite ?). I mean — they already released full sources for Thor (pre-alpha version of CM13 is already running on it and is being developed further by XDA”s member “DerTeufel”). And hopefully will follow with Apollo too.
Spec looks nice, price hopefully too.
With Vernee we need to wait and see how the brand is in regards to long term quality and customer support. I have a Thor arriving this week so I am looking forward to really testing it out. But I would never invest significant money in a new brand.
Agree with Balco on this, I want to see how they really look after their phones once they have launched. They have the makings of a good company but its still too early to tell if they will do well or not
I too have a Thor and must say – it’s an amazing phone, not just for the price – but just a really pro phone and good battery and OS.
If you are going for Huawei then try the 5.5 inch Amoled, force touch, stereo speakers featured P9 plus, rather than the P9. ZUK Pro 2 is interesting specs wise but i don’t trust Lenovo quality, while the rest are boring.
From listed ones definitely Zuk but give it a good hand job first as I don’t know how good camera will be & I know that is an imperative to you.
I always wanted to give a phone a hand job.
hahaha
Hi Andy, on Zuk z1 + Zui,you can install google services..play store.. maybe is the same with zuk z2.
ahh I wanted to know this, is it an easy process?
Yes, it’s very easy, just install a apk pack and you’ll good to go. The apk can be found in zuk app store preloaded on the phone.
In my opinion, definetly ZUK Z2 Pro.
couldnt care less…
But you cared enough to comment.
hahahahaha
LOL π
LMAO you got him/her
Its a tough one. I’m looking for a new phone too and I still think the ZUK Z2 will offer the best bang for the buck what with the crazy ram and OIS/EIS. I find Huawei EMUI to be average at best and the P9’s dual cameras havn’t impressed really and it is relatively expensive. The Oppo R9 is underpowered and overpriced and far too clone like IMO. The OP3 is an option and you will get decent service from Oneplus but the design is pretty meh and I expect the camera will be too. So the Z2 Pro still seems like a front runner. The issue I have is with the Z2’s use of cyanogen on the international model (if it happens).
I have been using my one plus one for a very long time now and I actually think cyanogen OS is pretty un remarkable. It is still buggy years later and the camera software is also very average at best, I don’t think they have the resources or expertise to compete on cameras with anyone of the big guns if i’m honest. So my question is will eUI be any good on the ZUK Z2? It looks OK in the videos I’ve seen. And will it be possible to install Play services? Because at the moment the Z2 seems like the only really compelling option around from what has been a bit of a lucklustre year so far for chinese flagships IMHO.
On a side note I agree meizu has failed camera wise of late and the pro 6 was a let down with the camera playing a key role in that, along with the battery and cpu choice. But the facts remain that I still think flyme is the best looking and one of the best functioning android versions around out there and meizu still build amazing hardware. Also i’m still intrigued by the Smartisan T2, despite the lowly snapdragon 808 it looks like a very compelling well built and well designed device.
Zuk Z2 Pro
OnePlus 3 or maybe the ever elusive Oppo Find 9…
If you are going for Huawei then try the 5.5 inch Amoled, force touch, stereo speakers featured P9 plus, rather than the P9. ZUK Pro 2 is interesting specs wise but i don’t trust Lenovo quality, while the rest are boring.
From listed ones definitely Zuk but give it a good hand job first as I don’t know how good camera will be & I know that is an imperative for you.
I always wanted to give a phone a hand job.
hahaha
Hi Andy, on Zuk z1 + Zui,you can install google services..play store.. maybe is the same with zuk z2.
ahh I wanted to know this, is it an easy process?
Yes, it’s very easy, just install a apk pack and you’ll good to go. The apk can be found in zuk app store preloaded on the phone.
Its a tough one. I’m looking for a new phone too and I still think the ZUK Z2 will offer the best bang for the buck what with the crazy ram and OIS/EIS. I find Huawei EMUI to be average at best and the P9’s dual cameras havn’t impressed really and it is relatively expensive. The Oppo R9 is underpowered and overpriced and far too clone like IMO. The OP3 is an option and you will get decent service from Oneplus but the design is pretty meh and I expect the camera will be too. So the Z2 Pro still seems like a front runner. The issue I have is with the Z2’s use of cyanogen on the international model (if it happens).
I have been using my one plus one for a very long time now and I actually think cyanogen OS is pretty un remarkable. It is still buggy years later and the camera software is also very average at best, I don’t think they have the resources or expertise to compete on cameras with anyone of the big guns if i’m honest. So my question is will ZUI be any good on the ZUK Z2? It looks OK in the videos I’ve seen. And will it be possible to install Play services? Because at the moment the Z2 seems like the only really compelling option around from what has been a bit of a lucklustre year so far for chinese flagships IMHO.
On a side note I agree meizu has failed camera wise of late and the pro 6 was a let down with the camera playing a key role in that, along with the battery and cpu choice. But the facts remain that I still think flyme is the best looking and one of the best functioning android versions around out there and meizu still build amazing hardware. Also i’m still intrigued by the Smartisan T2, despite the lowly snapdragon 808 it looks like a very compelling well built and well designed device.
In addition i think that despite the lacklustre 1s the LeEco L2 is looking very good from the reviews i’ve seen. OK it is not going to compete with the top flagships but for sub $200 it looks like an extremely strong competitor.
Buy a Samsung S7/S7 Edge instead or HTC 10. They have the best camera so far (DXOMark docet)
No chinese phones in DXOMark : no Huawei, no Oppo, no Vivo.
Obviously Samsung wins ^^
As others said, the problem is availability. Dozens of announcements every week from China but some phones announced in 2015 are still not available. Then, I think you should consider only available options. I’m just waiting for a deal for the HTC 10, which is the phone that I selected to upgrade from my 3-years-old HTC M7.
Dude this is Andi we are talking about! Lord Of The Phones, he has mignons that will scour the Earth and the entire Galaxy should he wish, just to find an extinct phone. Hell he could ask them to build him an Andi phone, customised to his liking!( Dude why haven’t you already? Seriously?). Do not undermine the Andi!
Hahaha… I would buy an “Andy phone” for a fair price. LOL
For looks The R9 by far that thing is a beauty but again the OP3 and the ZUK 2 PRO but none of them are avaialble to know theyre real performance and camera results p9 its a mehh the camera its not that over the charts good but in general my bet is the zuk z2 pro im s7 user and if the zuk has a cyanogen version i will trade my phone straight away and if thecamera is like 80% as good of the s7
mmm my opinion:
1. P9 is quite expensive, the camera is pretty much differ from review to review. Some claim it as good as it was hyped. Some well, not so much but not bad overall. however, most reviewers seemed to agree that the EMUI is getting much better. The only drawback for me is the price tag, with that price tag, you might want Nexus 6p instead.
2. ZUK Z2 Pro, well, SD 820 might be enough reason to get this one, especially with that price point. but most of other factor is unknown. My only worry about this choice, there is too many unknown factor on this. But, most likely the Cyanogenmod even when it’s not official will be available, if you are into that kind of tinkering this might be the best option out of the 5
3. Axon 7.. I don’t know, I never be a big fans of front facing speaker, in fact, I never use any speaker on the phone. Most of the time, I get my headset all the time as I live most of the time in office and even at home, I don’t live alone, so front facing speaker would be a drag for roommates. However, SD 820, might be good enough considering the price.
4. OnePlus 3 is a bit of controversial. I have bad experience with the OP2. the touch response. Some said it was software issue but more suspect hardware issue. pretty much a 50-50 for me
5. R9, well might as well wait for Find 9. If you’re not in a hurry
My personal buy would be Axon, but still wait for more review so ZUK Z2 is more like the best option for now, especially if you’re in a hurry.
Buy a Samsung S7/S7 Edge instead or HTC 10. They have the best camera so far (DXOMark docet)
No chinese phones in DXOMark : no Huawei, no Oppo, no Vivo.
Obviously Samsung wins ^^
As others said, the problem is availability. Dozens of announcements every week from China but some phones announced in 2015 are still not available. Then, I think you should consider only available options. I’m just waiting for a deal for the HTC 10, which is the phone that I selected to upgrade from my 3-years-old HTC M7.
Dude this is Andi we are talking about! Lord Of The Phones, he has mignons that will scour the Earth and the entire Galaxy should he wish, just to find an extinct phone. Hell he could ask them to build him an Andi phone, customised to his liking!( Dude why haven’t you already? Seriously?). Do not undermine the Andi!
Hahaha… I would buy an “Andy phone” for a fair price. LOL
For looks The R9 by far that thing is a beauty but again the OP3 and the ZUK 2 PRO but none of them are avaialble to know theyre real performance and camera results p9 its a mehh the camera its not that over the charts good but in general my bet is the zuk z2 pro im s7 user and if the zuk has a cyanogen version i will trade my phone straight away and if thecamera is like 80% as good of the s7
mmm my opinion:
1. P9 is quite expensive, the camera is pretty much differ from review to review. Some claim it as good as it was hyped. Some well, not so much but not bad overall. however, most reviewers seemed to agree that the EMUI is getting much better. The only drawback for me is the price tag, with that price tag, you might want Nexus 6p instead.
2. ZUK Z2 Pro, well, SD 820 might be enough reason to get this one, especially with that price point. but most of other factor is unknown. My only worry about this choice, there is too many unknown factor on this. But, most likely the Cyanogenmod even when it’s not official will be available, if you are into that kind of tinkering this might be the best option out of the 5
3. Axon 7.. I don’t know, I never be a big fans of front facing speaker, in fact, I never use any speaker on the phone. Most of the time, I get my headset all the time as I live most of the time in office and even at home, I don’t live alone, so front facing speaker would be a drag for roommates. However, SD 820, might be good enough considering the price.
4. OnePlus 3 is a bit of controversial. I have bad experience with the OP2. the touch response. Some said it was software issue but more suspect hardware issue. pretty much a 50-50 for me
5. R9, well might as well wait for Find 9. If you’re not in a hurry
My personal buy would be Axon, but still wait for more review so ZUK Z2 is more like the best option for now, especially if you’re in a hurry.
Andi….I suggest you to wait for zuk z2……
Any news when the Z11 SD820 is expected to launch? If it’s sometime soon, it should be on your shortlist.
Why don’t you consider the Xiaomi Mi5 and RedMi 3 Pro?
Of your list my choices would be Huawei P9, Zuk Z2, OP3, Oppo R9
Andi….I suggest you to wait for zuk z2……
Any news when the Z11 SD820 is expected to launch? If it’s sometime soon, it should be on your shortlist.
Why don’t you consider the Xiaomi Mi5 and RedMi 3 Pro?
Of your list my choices would be Huawei P9, Zuk Z2, OP3, Oppo R9
I’m not a camera man only want a good performance with a nice battery life. So Redmi Note 3 Pro is my best option.
you should have a look at Huawei Honor V8 too, I am eyeing OP3 and V8 for my next phone also have the Mi5 black as a contender
I’m not a camera man only want a good performance with a nice battery life. So Redmi Note 3 Pro is my best option.
Im waiting out for the zenfone 3 as my zenfone 2 runs perfect with no sign of deteriation, just needs a bit of a strip back as full of bloatware, really enjoy the zenUI
you should have a look at Huawei Honor V8 too, I am eyeing OP3 and V8 for my next phone also have the Mi5 black as a contender
Im waiting out for the zenfone 3 as my zenfone 2 runs perfect with no sign of deteriation, just needs a bit of a strip back as full of bloatware, really enjoy the zenUI
I would properly buy the oneplus 3
I would properly buy the oneplus 3
I would go for op3. Seems the best choice to me. Snap 820, good specs, nice look, good community, many roms. The axon an the zuk seems good also but the community isn’t has active. I don’t like oppo because of their high prices, and I wouldn’t buy a Huawei because of the kirin soc. Here is what I think.
No doubt that huawei p9 is the best choice out there ..i have seen that performance of huawei ‘s home grown kirin processor is superior to sd or any other processor …..At times numbers can tell u lie(i mean antu tu and oll that shit out there that claim to measure the performance)…but in real life huawei p9 performs the best ..
i totally agree wz u huawei is the best
i picked up the huawei p9 and really like it. The pictures are better than the Xiaomi note pro, also without special handling, so point and shoot is very nice. Can’t compare to the other models you are considering. I am waiting for the mi5 pro in black ceramic.
There will be no ceramic version. It was planned and later xiaomi decided not to put it on sales.
According to who? Source?
snapshot from an airplane window – the detail is impressive
awesome and great choice
I would go for op3. Seems the best choice to me. Snap 820, good specs, nice look, good community, many roms. The axon an the zuk seems good also but the community isn’t has active. I don’t like oppo because of their high prices, and I wouldn’t buy a Huawei because of the kirin soc. Here is what I think. Personally, I stay with my Redmi Note 3 pro 3gb.
No doubt that huawei p9 is the best choice out there ..i have seen that performance of huawei ‘s home grown kirin processor is superior to sd or any other processor …..At times numbers can tell u lie(i mean antu tu and oll that shit out there that claim to measure the performance)…but in real life huawei p9 performs the best ..
i totally agree wz u huawei is the best
i picked up the huawei p9 and really like it. The pictures are better than the Xiaomi note pro, also without special handling, so point and shoot is very nice. Can’t compare to the other models you are considering. I am waiting for the mi5 pro in black ceramic.
There will be no ceramic version. It was planned and later xiaomi decided not to put it on sales.
According to who? Source?
snapshot from an airplane window – the detail is impressive
awesome and great choice
I would personally go for the Honor V8. Has all of the features at a good price.
Besides that, the Oppo looks more interesting.
Same me but only 2k screen
There is a 1080p screen version(3/32 RAM/ROM, Kirin 950) and the 2k version(4/64 with Kirin 955).
I would personally go for the Honor V8. Has all of the features at a good price.
Besides that, the Oppo looks more interesting.
Same me but only 2k screen
There is a 1080p screen version(3/32 RAM/ROM, Kirin 950) and the 2k version(4/64 with Kirin 955).
If you want to delve into modding and ROMs and whatnot, I’d highly recommend against going with a Kirin/MTK/Exynos phone. Sure their specs are good and prices are low, but their support from the community lags behind Snapdragon’s blaze.
If the P9 was an S820 phone I’d go for that, but at the moment, the best value/price choice is grabbing a cheap LG G5 or an HTC 10.
I don’t consider phones that sell for over $600 value phones no matter how much community support they have.
Exactly
If you want to delve into modding and ROMs and whatnot, I’d highly recommend against going with a Kirin/MTK/Exynos phone. Sure their specs are good and prices are low, but their support from the community lags behind Snapdragon’s blaze.
If the P9 was an S820 phone I’d go for that, but at the moment, the best value/price choice is grabbing a cheap LG G5 or an HTC 10.
I don’t consider phones that sell for over $600 value phones no matter how much community support they have.
Exactly
What about a galaxy s6/edge? It’s a great phone and got cheaper as s7 arrived. Consider it too. From your list i would go with the p9.
The battery is so bad on this phone.
Sooooooo bad
What about a galaxy s6/edge? It’s a great phone and got cheaper as s7 arrived. Consider it too. From your list i would go with the p9.
The battery is so bad on this phone.
Sooooooo bad
Hey Andi, for me i think the best option here is the Zuk z2 pro, its got tons of cool gimmicks, hot body good Memories(RAM &ROM).
Hey Andy. I think the axon is pretty cool. And you get the front facing speakers. And i just love the design.
Hey Andy. I think the axon is pretty cool. And you get the front facing speakers. And i just love the design.
If i was in Andy’s place i would shoot two bullseyes at once by taking OnePlus3. As it seems to be by specs leaked – it is a decent alternative to galaxyS7, xiaomi mi5… So it will be a flagship. Maybe not with the best camera. But Andy, if you will manage to get OP3 first and even make a review, you will get a good phone amd some extra attention π
If i was in Andy’s place i would shoot two bullseyes at once by taking OnePlus3. As it seems to be by specs leaked – it is a decent alternative to galaxyS7, xiaomi mi5… So it will be a flagship. Maybe not with the best camera. But Andy, if you will manage to get OP3 first and even make a review, you will get a good phone amd some extra attention π
take the vernee apollo!!!!
take the vernee apollo!!!!
Z2 pro or Axon 7!!! Another one would be Zenfone 3 deluxe!
Z2 pro or Axon 7!!! Another one would be Zenfone 3 deluxe!
What about the xiaomi mi5? They say it has a really decent battery life
What about the xiaomi mi5? They say it has a really decent battery life
Z2 Pro. By far the best package.
Z2 Pro. By far the best package.
Samsung, but don’t reset it in China
Samsung, but don’t reset it in China
Oneplus3. Now you have to be sure it is worth every penny.
Oneplus3. Now you have to be sure it is worth every penny.
Get Honor v8 2k version best ?
Now that we know everything about Zuk Z2 PRO, One Plus 3 and Huawei P9, you should tell us which one you picked up, Andi !
Now that we know everything about Zuk Z2 PRO, One Plus 3 and Huawei P9, you should tell us which one you picked up, Andi !
Am just a casual hunter for cool gadgets from India and I found and owned LENOVO VIBE X3, with my low knowledge about mobiles, I choosed it and without FFSpk., even iPhone is also a handicapped like one eye or one leg.
Now am enjoying the audio upto the MAX. from a mobile with X3.
similar ZTE here got no Dolby Atmos.
About cam,,,,,, r u sick?,,,,, expecting 4k from toy cams of Mobile simply shows that u r out of mind,,,,,,, π
Getttttt X3 and stop misguiding true gadzetters souls,,,,,
Am just a casual hunter for cool gadgets from India and I found and owned LENOVO VIBE X3, with my low knowledge about mobiles, I choosed it and without FFSpk., even iPhone is also a handicapped like one eye or one leg.
Now am enjoying the audio upto the MAX. from a mobile with X3.
similar ZTE here got no Dolby Atmos.
About cam,,,,,, r u sick?,,,,, expecting 4k from toy cams of Mobile simply shows that u r out of mind,,,,,,, π
Getttttt X3 and stop misguiding true gadzetters souls,,,,,
Oneplus3 is perfect enough for a second to none S7 edge
Oneplus3 is perfect enough for a second to none S7 edge