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MTK6589 Quad Core Cellphones - $143-$200 Incl. Delivery + Others

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MTK6589 Quad Core Cellphones - $143-$200 Incl. Delivery + Others
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Kikkoman56 on 13/09/2013 - 20:24 aud.dx.com (451 clicks)
Last edited 13/09/2013 - 20:38

Well I've been looking to get a cheap china phone lately so I've been regularly checking prices across several websites for awhile now. Given this deal got a relatively positive respone a few months ago, the price has gone down a bit but this includes much faster Toll Shipping. I've checked the prices for these and pretty much all of them are on par with other alternatives shipping with plain airmail. I'll be listing several other alternative MTK6589 mobiles with their respective specs and differences. Understandably now with the nexus 4 being 270$ including shipping some of these might not be as attractive as previously, I thought I might share just incase. Would've posted as a deal but apparently DX is banned from posting as a deal? (I'm not a rep btw.) If this needs to be removed as a result I understand. Thanks Neil, posted as a deal now.

Lenovo A820

MTK6589 1.2 GHz
1 GB RAM, 4 GB ROM
3G: WCDMA 900/2100MHz
IPS 960 x 540 pixels, 4.5 in
2000mAh Battery
$144
Development and Support: here and here

ThL W200

A good well rounded choice, has the upgraded 1.5ghz MTK6589T processor and has been receiving relatively good attention on Whirlpool. Compatible with Telstra Network. The extra clock speed gives it a decent edge over the standard, on antutu it scores about 2000 more.
MTK6589T 1.5 GHz
1 GB RAM, 8 GB ROM
3G: WCDMA 850/2100MHz
IPS 1280 x 720 pixels, 5 in
1750 mAh Battery
$195
Development and Support: Root, XDA Thread

Cube A5300/Talk5

For people looking for a more phablet form factor, this would be a decent cheap choice. Unfortunate it is not a dual-band 3G Mobile. As it is relatively new there isn't much discussion going on about this mobile yet.
MTK6589 1.2 GHz
1 GB RAM, 4 GB ROM
3G: WCDMA 2100MHz
IPS 1280 x 720 pixels, 5.5 in
2500mAh Battery
$192
Development and Support: None so far

Cubot One

If you want to buy a HTC One but can't afford it, this is a pretty well made clone and supports Telstra as well.
MTK6589 1.2 GHz
1 GB RAM, 8 GB ROM
3G: WCDMA 850/2100MHz
IPS 1280 x 720 pixels, 4.7 in
2200mAh Battery
$183
Development and Support: Here

This phone is an exception where cheaper can be found, albeit as a rebadge here named the Tronsmart TS7. Discussions on whirlpool state its from the same factory. Alot cheaper too coming to 155$ with free airmail shipping. Turns out there is a rom, root and cmw guide for this mobile as well here.

I didn't bother including the camera specifications because with most of these budget android phones the camera is the most lied about spec. 13MP cameras are often just 8MP cameras interpolated to output 13MP images, and even when reviewed by professionals these 8MP cameras are rated as about the same as previous gen 5MP cameras in brand name cellphones. Not bad but nothing to get excited about either. I also have to say like with many random chinese phones you're taking a gamble that you won't run into any major issues as there's very little support. So be prepared and understand that these mobiles are not for everyone, do as much research as possible about the model and brand.

Finally, me personally I'm going for the Jiayu G3T. Unlike most other chinese brands they put a massive battery in their mobiles (2750 mAh for a 4.5" or 3000mAh for the G4 4.7") and theyre one of the more reputable brands too. Found this to be the cheapest with DHL shipping coming out to be 203$ USD. I had researched other potential higher end chinese phones such as the aformentioned Jiayu G4, Iocean X7 Elite and compared them to the Nexus 4 but at pretty much the same price it's a tough ask. I'll list the potential advantages and disadvantages here for those who are interested.

Jiayu G4

Pro's
* Bigger 3000mAh Replaceable battery
* Inbuilt USB OTG
* Potentially better camera
* SD Card Expandable
Con's
* Potentially very little support/updates (though I would not be suprised if it did, people are pushing for development on XDA and the previous dual core Jiayu G3 got a custom rom)
* No NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, Easy to find cases
* Slower Chipset
* Single Band 3G

Iocean X7 Elite

Pro's
* 5" Full HD IPS Screen
* Inbuilt USB OTG
* Replaceable Battery
* SD Card Expandable
Con's
* Little to no support/updates
* No NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, Easy to find cases
* Slower Chipset
* Single Band 3G

Suprisngly though there are two reviews from reputable sites here and here both giving the device pretty decent scores.

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closed Comments

  • jv on 13/09/2013 - 20:32

    why ones have been reduced? they all seem like their normal price….

    • Kikkoman56 on 13/09/2013 - 20:43
      +2

      They are "normal price" but include express shipping unlike the competitors, I never said they were all at reduced price. Just simply posting phones that I found were from somewhat reputable chinese brands with respectable specs and a good price. You won't find any sellers online selling these phones for significantly less than their competitors, I highly doubt they make that much from them anyways at these prices. The only exception I can think of is Pandawill with their happy hour which is essentially a competition. Not quite a deal, Anyways like I said this isn't for everyone nor is it an amazing deal. Just simply thought these were cheap and shared what I had found.

  • scrimshaw on 13/09/2013 - 20:38

    Just note: if you want to be able to install and play large games on your phone (e.g Need 4 Speed series) it would be best to avoid the phones with 4GB ROM. I have a 4GB THL W8 and I simply can't work out how to get the phone to use the SD card for application storage, the only method of doing so is rooting the phone and using Link2SD. However if the application won't install in the first place, Link2SD won't work for you.

    Also note Lenovo phones do not have Google Play installed native (unless noted otherwise), so unless you're comfortable with rooting the phone and using CWM Recovery or TWRP, it's best to avoid Lenovo.

    • Kikkoman56 on 13/09/2013 - 20:49

      Yeah unfortunately common with alot of these phones, even in the higher end Iocean X7 review I linked they mentioned they had issues with the memory and installing large games. Gotta be prepared if you want to go with these kinds of phones.

    • zfa on 13/09/2013 - 21:01

      I had a W100 - ended up having to repartition the thing as the 'app' storage was just too small. Don't know why they don't make the app bit bigger seeing as virtually everyone will whack an SD card in it anyway.

    • trunks on 13/09/2013 - 21:55

      I tweaked an Android file to switch the SD card and phone storage after I rooted it and now it has my 32gb microsd as phone storage and the original phone storage as external storage.

    • medium_tight on 15/09/2013 - 09:11

      @scrim,

      THL W100 already use android 4.2.1 - so it can move heavy app to sd card

      I keep my 4GB roms clear from apps since I bought it

  • Make it so on 13/09/2013 - 20:40

    The lenovo was posted recently. Main drawback is lack of camera flash.

    • slackme on 13/09/2013 - 23:08

      also no front camera.

  • zfa on 13/09/2013 - 20:59
    +2

    I had a THL W100 (similar) but got rid despite it being great. Well, it was great for all bar actually being a phone! Call quality was awful (muffled) for those I was speaking to, it was terrible on loudspeaker and it also made my head hurt after prolonged use. Given the lack of SAR ratings for most of these Chinese handsets I was scared it was cooking my brain and my health isn't worth saving a couple of bucks for!

    They're incredibly good value if you don't mind playing with them (a lot of phones with this chipset have GPS issues you have to mess around getting to work) and can live with their failings (internal storage badly allocated which meant I had to flash, root, repartition it to get it usable) but having tried a couple myself (my mate had a W8) I'd rather pay that bit extra and get something like a Nexus 4. It's like luxury compared to what the THL gave me. Unfortunately the downsides (at least with the W100) are only something that come into play when you live with the device for a while and don't fall out of the specs or a cursory play with the device where you're blinded by its AnTuTu results etc.

    • medium_tight on 15/09/2013 - 09:09

      zfa, THL W100 GPS actually is a beast if you know how to set it up. It will lock within seconds (10 seconds avg)

      got to settings, location access, tap GPS satelites (yeeah it looks like a turn off/on toggle but actually not!!!)

      after you tap the GPS satellites , more options will pop up:

      activate:

      GPS EPO assistance, A-GPS

      EPO settings - thick auto download satellite position data and "download button" at the bottom

      WHoala!!! your GPS will up and go :)

  • mycosys on 13/09/2013 - 21:06
    -6

    Just bought the A820 at merimobiles for $133, they have others cheaper too and offer return postage on warranty
    is also $140 at banggood
    also, DX support is amazingly bad

    • KOBH on 13/09/2013 - 21:14

      AU Direct uses Toll Express rather than China Post. If you add $133 + express post will cost a lot more than $143!

    • Kikkoman56 on 13/09/2013 - 21:21

      So there is cheaper, how much if you make it express shipping though? DX offers returns postage as well http://cs.dx.com/FAQ/Detail/121 . My experiences with them have been on par with every other chinese online company.

      • mycosys on 13/09/2013 - 22:01
        -1

        My experiences with merimobiles have been far better than most chinese compnaies, esp given they are Canadian.
        Also for some reason DX does not ship to where I live from their AU site, city half an hour from Newcastle.
        Will Admit I did pay $8 option for sinagpore post - generally a week to 2.
        Also If you get up to $150 the code five will give 5% off, so that saved about $8, would make them ahead with ems.

  • altomic on 13/09/2013 - 21:21
    +1

    6" Octocore from focal price $188US
    http://www.focalprice.com/MH0749B/Presell_Blackview_JK809_60…

    There is probably a voucher out there for 5% off.
    It has reasonable specs.

    • Kikkoman56 on 13/09/2013 - 21:30

      Nice spec's too, never heard of this blackview brand though =/

      • KOBH on 13/09/2013 - 21:34

        It's a generic Chinese brand.

    • KOBH on 13/09/2013 - 21:36

      A cheap knock version of S4 with a bigger screen. It supports FM radio with a good 2950mAh battery. Not bad.

      AU$ 192.37

      • mycosys on 13/09/2013 - 23:43

        not sure lenovo really need to do 'cheap knock off' being one of the top consumer IT manufacturers in the world (after purhasing IBM's conusmer division many years back). They are all based on the reference designs, all look much the same.

    • scrimshaw on 13/09/2013 - 22:17

      That's not Octo core is it?

      Octo Core is MT6592. The MTK6589T is simply a Turbo clocked version of the quad core 6589.

  • bchliu on 13/09/2013 - 22:15
    +1

    Good phones - but the prices arent anything special considering everyone is dropping their prices by $20-$50 depending on model (not just DX). Therefore it realistically isnt a "bargain"..

    • scrimshaw on 13/09/2013 - 22:17

      Yeah, I would hold out a little longer for the new 8-core MT6592 phones. Zopo and Xiaocai are one of the first few manufacturers who will be adopting the new SOC.

      • KOBH on 13/09/2013 - 23:29

        The Xiaocai 8-core MT6592 phone won't be available until end of the year. It'll cost more than $400 and I doubt anyone willing to pay that kind of money for a Chinese phone. At least I won't.

    • bchliu on 14/09/2013 - 01:18

      Not to mention the recent Nexus 4 price drop. The Chinaphones will have to drop the $20-$50 to remain competitive or else there will be no more market.

  • redcreek200 on 13/09/2013 - 22:32
    +4

    A lot of effort went into this post. Thanks OP. Very informative.

    • RedHab on 13/09/2013 - 22:48
      +3

      Yes, thanks OP, well researched!

  • jdas on 13/09/2013 - 23:13
    -2

    The Lenovo A820 is only $129.99 from Focalprice http://www.focalprice.com/MH0633U/Lenovo_A820_45_Capacitive_…

    • jdas on 13/09/2013 - 23:47
      -1

      Err, why neg this comment ? I didn't neg your post.

    • bob19 on 14/09/2013 - 00:13

      It is USD 129.99 which is about $142 - $143 AUD

      • jdas on 14/09/2013 - 01:19

        Didn't realise it was in AUD.

  • photonbuddy on 14/09/2013 - 00:25

    I'm not sure about the Jiayu G3T over the G3, but I do know the G2T had all sorts of issues over the G2. Crappy GPS and bad reception being just 2 of them.

    Make sure you do your research on the T models from this mob.

  • oringal on 14/09/2013 - 02:07

    I have the iocean x7, its pretty good. The screen is really nice quality, though the only bad sides are probably extremely bad gps and touch response is a little hit and miss. i.e. sometimes have to tap something twice to get it to register. and battery life is short. probs medium usage about 12 hours, should bring around some sort of charger or ext. battery.

  • altomic on 14/09/2013 - 03:41

    I bought this from Buy In Coins for $143ish recently when they had 9% off sale- Haipei I9389 - S3 clone . Nice phone reasonable specs. Does everything I want it to do.

    http://www.buyincoins.com/item/32172.html

    Here is another site which sells it to show some reviews + consistency(?) in specs:
    http://www.focalprice.com/MH0672W/HaiPai_I9389_47_Capacitive…

    • KOBH on 14/09/2013 - 08:35
      -2

      Forget about buying phones with 854 x 480 pixels resolution and 4GB Rom. It's completely useless.

  • Captains Gun on 15/09/2013 - 16:16

    Hey OP thanks for your effort, good work.
    I have a easy solution for rom and rooting your china phone (still cant say that with a straight face) www.etotalk.com have a rom and root service for the phones they sell. Its $2.99 USD
    On price they are about $5-$10 more or sometimes less.
    http://www.etotalk.com/faq_info.html?faqs_id=866&fcPath=1
    I bought a Lenovo A789 unromed and not rooted before and took half a day to learn the skill and apply. My partner was so happy with the phone that we bought the second from etotalk and the $8 difference was worth it, everything worked and there rom was better.

  • AirJordan6s on 18/09/2013 - 12:55
    +1

    Found this, free shipping. Checked and they are Paypal Verified. never heard of them tho
    http://www.lenovomobile.cc/jiayu-g3t-mtk6589t-4-5inch-1-5ghz…

    • Kikkoman56 on 18/09/2013 - 17:47

      Damn that's the best price I've seen, just still a bit suspicious… They're using a weird .cc domain (Cocoas Islands?…) and their support and about us pages are either lorem ipsum or nonexistant… Googling their website finds nothing either…

      edit: Found their registrar and whois'd their website on it. http://www.name.com/whois_result_other?domain=lenovomobile.c…

      Seems to be relatively new, only 2 months old so it's excuseable I guess. I'm getting into contact with the customer service via skype at this moment so hopefully I can determine more about them. The fact that they use paypal though seems to make me feel they are legit, rather than some random escrow service like alipay…

      edit 2: I believe they check out, they're simply a new store that is based in Shenzhen, China. She told me they only have a mere 7 employees at the moment. I asked her why the domain is .cc but I don't think she really understood. I'm guessing it's due to it probably being cheaper than alternatives, in any case I'm willing to take the jump with them as they have paypal.

      Chat Transcript:
      [6:04:55 PM] Hedy Wang: Hi
      [6:05:14 PM] Jesse: Hey, thanks for adding me
      [6:05:46 PM] Jesse: Could you tell me about your store
      [6:05:54 PM] Jesse: There is not much information
      [6:05:59 PM] Jesse: on your website
      [6:06:18 PM] Hedy Wang: our store live in Shenzhen,China
      [6:07:09 PM] Hedy Wang: the main product is lenovo smartphone
      [6:07:40 PM] Hedy Wang: and our price all is wholesale price
      [6:08:43 PM] Jesse: ohhh right, so why do you guys use .cc for your website
      [6:08:52 PM] Jesse: it confused me as i wasnt sure where u guys were based
      [6:09:08 PM] Jesse: and yes i have seen, your price for the product im looking for is the cheapest ive found by far
      [6:09:18 PM] Jesse: like 20$ cheaper than your competitors
      [6:09:54 PM] Jesse: how big is your company at the moment? like how many employees
      [6:11:01 PM] Hedy Wang: just 7
      [6:12:19 PM] Hedy Wang: we are very small now
      [6:12:29 PM] Hedy Wang: so the price is low

      • AirJordan6s on 18/09/2013 - 18:28

        Yes I was the same, hence the PayPal check. They have been verified since 2010. I also contacted customer support via their web chat system, and they seemed knowledgable and helpful. Be good to hear how you go, I chatted with Hedy I think.
        -just saw your edited response-
        Did you order from them? I think I might take a punt

        • Kikkoman56 on 19/09/2013 - 11:57

          I haven't bought yet since I'm waiting for my pay to come in. I just found these guys as well and they have actually a tad bit cheaper when you include the $5 coupon for signing up http://www.jiayumobileshop.com/jiayu-mobile-phone/jiayu-g3s-… 175$. I would support the new store but they don't sell the accessories pack http://www.jiayumobileshop.com/jiayu-mobile-accessories/for-… and since I want to get DHL shipping it'd be easier to buy both from the same place than buy the accessories with airmail.

        • AirJordan6s on 19/09/2013 - 14:17

          just wondering, is the G3S the same as the G3T?
          I have bit the bullet and ordered with the new store. It comes with root, silicone case and screen protector. My order number ended 0069 - so I guess its a very new store.
          Protected with Paypal. Will see how it goes.

        • Kikkoman56 on 19/09/2013 - 15:06

          The difference is simply the processor and gpu clock speeds (MTK6589 vs MTK 6589T). Everything else is the same, the difference is 300 MHz more in cpu and about 200 MHz from what I remember in GPU. In practical use I highly doubt it's very obvious between the two. But in antutu the extra oomph tends to score it around 2000 more and I'd be willing to bet the FPS in very demanding games are also a tad higher. Also nice, here's hoping they do well.

    • altomic on 21/09/2013 - 15:30

      The server at www.lenovomobile.cc is taking too long to respond.

  • daver on 22/09/2013 - 07:22

    Can someone expand what N denotes from this line: "G-sensor, L-sensor, N-sensor"?
    I suppose G,L to abbreviate gravity and light sensors.

    Do these sub$200 models build in a 'Magnetometer'- aka digital compass…?;
    Proximity, compass - these supports would be standard items by now, right?

    • Kikkoman56 on 22/09/2013 - 19:24

      I'm not 100% sure about the N-sensor haha but in regards to the digital compass it depends on the phone, it's not uncommmon for them to not be working in these phones. But do your research and look hard. I can help you if you're looking at a certain phone model?

    • altomic on 22/09/2013 - 20:51

      N-sensor - Nano-particle Sensor?

  • daver on 22/09/2013 - 21:22

    Slightly dated for this post, but thoughts on Last year's dual core/ICS ThL W7 MTK6577 - similar to Cube A5300/Talk5 sold@~ 195 > could easily drive movies and browse, no?

    thlmobilemall.com/thl-w7-phablet-smart-phone-
    MTK6577 A9 2X 1.0 GHz
    1 GB RAM, 4 GB ROM ( available 547.8 1.96 GB)
    3G: WCDMA 850/2100 both /HSPA+ WIFI n
    IPS 1280 x 720 pixels, 5.7 in/ x10 mm 225 g
    2300mAh Battery
    12975 Antutu (4core v. add: 26.24<>dx.com ship)
    gravity,distance,light,acceleration&compass
    AU 210.42 /AU 184.18

    1 gb for ~200.oo..dam that ram barrier… but larger screen versus appleiOS 7 by 42%/
    26% by pixels.. could look very sweet for a couple of years.

  • daver on 23/09/2013 - 06:54

    Scrap what I just said.
    Why aren't we all getting in early on 192-dollar Presell_Blackview-6.0 in ?- Surely this must be the most striking clone of a popular brand yet, no? At a third of the cost.

    • I bet those who mid year collected TS7 Glacier don't now regret chancing a no-name for = 30.0 saved +4gb larger ROM cap.

    You know, those people buying in September could come out with an article worth a value $220+AUD. but then I guess Shenzhen Jeko Communication will not as well recognised as Technology happy Life etc.

    MTK6589T > 1.5GHz > 1 G > 8 G > 850/2100 > FM > Java > HD6.0 IPS > 2x3KmAh > 9.9 mm > G/P/L sensors > x2SIM!
    187.26

  • [Deactivated] on 25/09/2013 - 17:11

    Would the 8GB rom cap on this Blackview phone resolve the issue people mentioned earlier about installing large apps/games?

    Someone mentioned their concerns about these phones not having SAR info.

    Could this app help?

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tawkon&hl=…

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