B28 Chinadroids

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  alz on 13/08/2016 - 15:33

  I only know of the Redmi Note 3 International version http://www.aliexpress.com/item/International-Version-Xiaomi-…

  • 

    nandystam on 13/08/2016 - 15:34

    I did see that one, but I don't think anybody has confirmed that it does actually have B28.

    Plus it seems the "Xiaomi Authorised Store" is not really authorised by Xiaomi either, which makes the whole thing a bit suspicious..

    • 

      alz on 13/08/2016 - 15:36

      It's for real, read this and judge for yourself.

      http://en.miui.com/thread-299743-1-1.html

      • 

        nandystam on 13/08/2016 - 16:12

        Interesting. I guess it all boils down to the seller being legit?

      • 

        nandystam on 13/08/2016 - 16:41

        This is where it gets confusing. The seller lists models with 2GB ram, and according to the thread you linked to, the special edition has the 3GB of RAM, and that is the only one that supports the additional bands (including B28).

        So either the seller has the right model with the wrong specs advertised, or is trying to mislead people into buying a different model to the one they expect…

      • 

        Kangal on 13/08/2016 - 20:25

        @nandystam:

        There are 4 versions of the same phone:
        1) ~AU$180 2GB/16GB, x10 SoC, no Band 28, "Pro" model
        2) ~AU$230 3GB/32GB, x10 SoC, no Band 28, "Prime" model
        3) ~AU$220 3GB/32GB, QSD 650 SoC, no Band 28, "Pro" model
        4) ~AU$280 3GB/32GB, QSD 650 SoC, Yes has Band 28, "Prime/Global/Special Edition" model

        http://willmyphonework.net

        I would go for option 4, as it has Band 28/700MHz, but its limited in stock right now.
        Also the 3GB QSD 650 uses less battery, AND is faster than the Helio X10 versions.
        It has a development community just know the bootloader is locked.
        So far there's root, TWRP, Kernel, and ROMs… but AOSP builds are alpha-stage.
        Not sure how the device will age "long term".

        If you can get one around AU$250, it's worth it.
        Anything more doesn't look like it's worth it, because you can get the Nexus 5X (H791) for ~$300 mark these days (if you're lucky)…. and the Nexus has a much better camera and speakers, and longest-term support.

      • 

        nandystam on 14/08/2016 - 10:18

        So as I thought, the only special edition with B28 is the one with 3GB of RAM, which makes me seriously wonder if that aliexpress seller has got it wrong.

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  elusive on 13/08/2016 - 20:15

  Is there anything specific you're looking for?

  The Taiwan variant of the Asus ZenFone 3 has great band support (also does LTE-A) and is $400 at qd_au, but it's only a Snapdragon 625.

  • 

    nandystam on 13/08/2016 - 20:26

    Not really, just a list of what's available, since there isn't that many to start with.

    So far the Xiaomi Rednote 3 "Special Edition" looks like the clubhouse leader as it supports a lot of different bands, but finding one seems to be a challenge. Not sure if the Aliexpress one is legit or not, unless someone has brought one already?

    • 

      elusive on 13/08/2016 - 20:42

      Seems to have good band support, yea.

      Note that it does not seem to have Carrier Aggregation. While LTE cat4 technically is capable of 150/50 on a single carrier, in practice (Sydney CBD) I've found you only really get speeds of up to 50/30 on a single carrier Optus and Vodafone (more typically ~12/10) - you need aggregation to get more. If higher speeds matter to you, and you're in a congested area, this might be worth paying extra for.

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  matt-ozb on 18/03/2017 - 15:08

  Updates? Have there been any releases of Chinadroids with Band 28?

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  baybaboy on 12/04/2017 - 21:59

  Xiaomi note 2 Prime (global version) has the b28