xiaomi mi note/note pro

[stuknight]

hi after searching for ages on google had mixed results just wondered if anyone can tell me if the xiaomi mi note/note pro will actually work with vodafone 4G as the 3G signal is rubbish in my household so it wouldn't be worth getting one

cheers

[Nabs]

Best I can tell from a Google search the Xiaomi Mi Note Pro only supports LTE(4G) band's 3 and 7.

Vodafone are rolling out LTE on bands 7 and 20 so you may find it will work in some area's where Vodafone are using band 7 but not others. Unfortunately it would be difficult to find out which band Vodafone are using in your area, it's not the kind of information that's publicly avaiable. 

I'd personally look for an alternative device that supports band 7 and 20, or even better a device that supports all LTE bands.

[stuknight]

thanks for the quick reply any other phones you would recommend had an iphone for the last 6 years need a change :robothappy:

[Nabs]

Hi @stuknight

I've been using an HTC M9 since it came out a few months ago and I love it! The build quality is great(all metal construction), performance is fantastic and easily lasts a full day or reasonable use. It's got some great feature like Blinkfeed and if selfies are for you the UltraPixel front facing camera is brilliant! It's a bit smaller than the Xiaomi you were looking at though, only 5" possibly an issue?

If HTC isn't your thing LG might be worth a look. Whilst their phones still tend to be of plastic construction they do have the advantage of removable batteries (though the battery life is impressive anyway) and wireless charging. The OIS Laser autofocus camera LG use is quite good as well, very quick to take an image and almost never blurs! The latest G4 comes with a 5.5" screen so it's almost a match for the Xiaomi. LG devices tend to be slightly cheaper as well, this is down to the fact that they manufacture almost everything in house so they don't need to buy in components from other suppliers.

If you wanted something that was fairly similar to your old iPhone then Samsung may be worth a look. They have the S6 and S6 Edge out at the moment with a new addition to the Note series expected very soon. I've not used a samsung device for a long time so I can't really comment much more than that. I think @drey_p uses Samsung devices though, he may be able to add a few words there.

Another thing to consider (which I haven't mentioned) is a Windows Phone, these would be Nokia or Microsoft branded device. The biggest drawback to Windows Phones at the moment is a lack of app's available though pretty much all the major ones are now available there are still a few missing. @thesoupdragon is a big fan of Windows Phone, i'm sure he will have an opinion on that.

There is one notable thing missing from most mainstream phones that the Xiaomi has and that would be the dual SIM. Is this something that's important to you?

[thesoupdragon]

Thanks @Nabs for tagging me into this discussion.

I'm primarily an Android user but I do have a Lumia 930 which I have the windows 10 preview edition running at the moment.

Win mobile isn't for everyone there are some gaps in what it can provide. If you are heavily into Google apps, it will leave you short, if not it has pretty much everything you might need as a private and business user.

All the native apps work really well and in some cases out perform the competition. If you are into social media consumption, win mobile can seamlessly cross communicate... Start a conversation in Facebook, switch to text and again to twitter all from the people app, very impressive.

I really like how easy win mobile is to use. I think windows 10 holds the key to this platform taking off...

Don't forget about camera... The 930 was the first to have RAW capability. Also none of the other manufacturers can give you real "bracketing" function like the 930.

...and wireless charging... 😉

[drey_p]

It does depend on how much money you want to spend. If you don't like mind not having the latest handset, the Galaxy S5 is still a great handset and you can get some better deals on it than you can the newer S6 and S6 Edge.

If having the latest tech is more your thing, then I would recommend the S6/Edge. Both are great handsets which have a much more premium feel than previous models. I have the Edge and the key thing for me was the design. It looks great and feels great to. The actual Edge display doesn't have as much functionality as it does on th Note Edge, but still sets it apart from other handsets.

Both have good battery life, although the Edge has marginally more capacity than the S6. The only real problem with them is that neither have user expandable memory which means you could get stuck if you don't get one with enough storage for your needs.

The S5 and both S6 models support wireless charging. With the S5 you have to buy a new back and the wireless charger and with the S6 you just need the wireless charger.

All 3 phones have great cameras but if you are wanting a faster more responsive camera, the S6 is more the phone to go for. Comparatively, the S5 does feel a bit slow next to it's newer relative.

[stuknight]

Thanks for all the info, now I've just got to decide on one of them 😄

[drey_p]

Good luck with that - you've got a tough choice on your hands!

Pop back and let us know what decision you make.