- 0 Posts
- 8 Comments
Regarding the US reception, I don’t know. 🤷♂️ But,
The 4G has this Xioami spec:
-
2G: GSM: 850 900 1800 1900MHz
-
3G: WCDMA:1/5/8
-
4G: LTE FDD:1/3/5/7/8/20/28
-
4G: LTE TDD:38/40/41
The 5G has this Xioami spec:
-
2G: GSM: 850 900 1800 1900MHz
-
3G: WCDMA:1/2/4/5/8
-
4G: LTE FDD:1/2/3/4/5/7/8/20/28/32
-
4G: LTE TDD:38/40/41
-
5G: n1/3/5/7/8/20/28/38/40/41/77/78
So, for connectivity, 5G is the way to go.
If I were to buy my own cheap phone, from my preferred local store, I would be limited to pretty much Samsung, and Chinese phones such as Xiaomi.
From experience using an extended Wifi (open area, multiple routers and extenders), Samsung models seem to have the most problem on the edges. People with Chinese phones (and in general, iPhones) don’t seem to have this problem. So, Samsung is out for me. I would consider Samsung if my regularly-used Wifi signal is strong.
These damn phones last more than 3 years. Having a 2-3 year update policy (normal for cheap Chinese phones) are pretty wasteful. Therefore, the phone should be likely to support custom ROMs. For this purpose, Xiaomi is it.
Xiaomi models come with either MediaTek or SnapDragon CPUs. Since phones are often used a security device (2nd factor and such), having a hardware-backed storage is something to be desired. For this purpose, SnapDragon is it.
Two models I end up with:
XIAOMI Redmi Note 12 4G (8+256) ~USD$ 172
- CPU : Snapdragon 685 (Octa-Core 2.8GHz)
- RAM : 8GB LPDDR4X
- ROM : 256GB UFS2.2
- Display : 6.67" AMOLED 120Hz
- Back Camera : 50.0MP + 8.0MP + 2.0MP
- Front Camera : 13.0MP
- OS : MIUI 14 (Android 13)
- Battery : 5000 mAh
XIAOMI Redmi Note 12 5G (8+256) ~USD$ 245
- CPU : Snapdragon4 Gen 1 (Octa-Core 2.0GHz)
- Back Camera : 48.0MP + 8.0MP + 2.0MP
- OS : MIUI 14 (Android 12)
- Rest same as above.
Sorry about no price ranges. This store usually sells phones on the lower half of the spectrum, though. So, let’s say they are mid prices.
I would personally would grab the 4G version. Faster CPU. Possibly newer Android. I am on Wifi most of the time. Don’t need 5G.
Check out this link to report app:
I dislike my apps being dropped by the OS at 8GB, so I personally think a 2GB upgrade is worth it. 128GB would be enough for me too, though. Overall, I think 6GB is usable, but I personally would upgrade.