Seeking suggestion for buying a smartphone

[Cynical]

Can anyone suggest me a smartphone that costs under BDT 13,000? I won't play any games on it so 5 inch display, 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage will be sufficient for me but the phone's audio and camera quality should be good. I know decent quality phones made by popular brands like HTC, Samsung, LG aren't probably available in this price bracket but how reliable are Huawei or Xiaomi smartphones? I heard that these Chinese phones have some issues with charging and network connection (USSD, MMI bug etc.). I've been suggested Xiaomi Redmi 4X but I don't know much about its quality.

[sensei]

you should go with the xiaomi 4x this brand have earned a lot respect recently plus there is almost no option you can get better than this unless you go with 2nd hand one plus one or xperia flagships

[Cynical]

@sensei

Yeah, I guess I'll have to go with Redmi 4X since I won't buy pre-owned phone. I am bit surprised that none of the reputed phone manufacturers (e.g. Samsung, HTC, Motorola) are making super affordable smartphones anymore and budget smartphone market is pretty much ruled by Chinese phone manufacturers in Bangladesh. Moreover, I've noticed Chinese flagship phones like OnePlus 3T and Mi Mix are getting lots of praise from the enthusiasts so may be these companies are actually good smartphone manufacturers.

[djrock]

@sensei

Yeah, I guess I'll have to go with Redmi 4X since I won't buy pre-owned phone. I am bit surprised that none of the reputed phone manufacturers (e.g. Samsung, HTC, Motorola) are making super affordable smartphones anymore and budget smartphone market is pretty much ruled by Chinese phone manufacturers in Bangladesh. Moreover, I've noticed Chinese flagship phones like OnePlus 3T and Mi Mix are getting lots of praise from the enthusiasts so may be these companies are actually good smartphone manufacturers.

Many Nokia Lumia phones are sold brand new around 13k ,even i sold one a month ago around that price .So Not every phone are pre owned sold in Bikroy ,So look for them

[Cynical]

@djrock:

I won't buy a Lumia device for now and I prefer buying a new device from a brick and mortar retail store rather than buying online.

[Iskander]

Redmi Note 4x @13
Huawei GR5 Mini @ 15

Avoid Walton, Symphony even Samsung (except their flagship units) at all cost.

[VANGUARD]

13k takay kono smartphone kenar chaite 4k diye valo feature phone kine use kora better. You can use the rest of the money elsewhere.

[furiousTaher]

vanguard is misleading, xiaomi redmi note 4 prime or 4x is quite good phone... both looks and processing... camera is ok.

[VANGUARD]

vanguard is misleading, xiaomi redmi note 4 prime or 4x is quite good phone... both looks and processing... camera is ok.

Xiaomi is never a good phone or a good brand. I have been using this brand for last 2 years thus i know. Currently using an Mi Max and previously Mi 5 and 3s Prime. All sucks.

[furiousTaher]

Xiaomi is never a good phone or a good brand. I have been using this brand for last 2 years thus i know. Currently using an Mi Max and previously Mi 5 and 3s Prime. All sucks.

wrong, xiaomi has best price/perf in some categories. xiaomi has quite good build quality, except for few phones :v

to the best of my knowledge it has a very low fail rate, probably lower than any other android brands.

but i admit when buying xiaomi phones in BD, it can give u some problems with 3g network and stuff.... sybaris probably knows how to fix it.

i also admit miui isnt for everybody, its too heavy, have customization but lacks some new android features that were added in marsh and naugat

[Cynical]

@Iskander:
I would love to get the GR5 Mini but I can't stretch my budget that further. Under 13K budget, it seems Xiaomi phones are quite good. Thanks for the suggestions.

@VANGUARD:
Thanks for the comment, feature phones aren't bad at all for regular use but I have no choice but to get a smartphone in this budget. I wish known brands would make more smartphones with better specification in mid/low-range budget.

@furiousTaher
I really don't like the aesthetics of MIUI rom, I've also read that their roms are really resource hungry and full with stuffs that most users don't need at all. Is there any way to install a custom rom (which is light on resource usage) based on stock Android 6.0 or Android 7.0? I am thinking about getting the Redmi 4X, Note 4X is nicer but 5.5 inch display would be overkill for me.

[furiousTaher]

there is lineage os aka cyanogen for xiaomi qualcomm, for mediatek people mostly use mi ui roms.... most people using other android brands either flash cyanogen or miui rom into their phone some people flash paranoid rom

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can u tag sybaris

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@Sybaris Caesar
assume you bought a xiaomi phone from BD or from china, what do you need to do to make sure it never has problem with gp or robi 3g,
and how u flash googple play apps etc. ?

[sensei]

there is lineage os aka cyanogen for xiaomi qualcomm, for mediatek people mostly use mi ui roms.... most people using other android brands either flash cyanogen or miui rom into their phone some people flash paranoid rom

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can u tag sybaris

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@Sybaris Caesar
assume you bought a xiaomi phone from BD or from china, what do you need to do to make sure it never has problem with gp or robi 3g,
and how u flash googple play apps etc. ?

just buy the global version that's it -_-

[Iskander]

@Iskander:
I would love to get the GR5 Mini but I can't stretch my budget that further. Under 13K budget, it seems Xiaomi phones are quite good. Thanks for the suggestions.

Like furiousTaher said, MIUI is a heavy custom rom but also feature rich like Second Space,MIUI Remote,Wireless Display (I use those frequently).
Rules for buying Xiaomi smartphones
1. Ask the shop owners to install the Global Stable Rom(MIUI)
2. Apply a good quality screen protector before using it , since Xiaomi's budget series unit has fragile display
3. Try to get the Qualcomm variant(not MTK). Later if you want put a lightweight custom rom like lineage os, qualcomm unit has wide range of support
4. Those who are facing 3G or networking related issues, basically their smartphone comes with China Developer/Stable Rom, so make sure you have Global one.

***I own Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 MTK unit

[furiousTaher]

ok question is- there are some mobile with global version, indian version and china version, which version is better for network?

so somebody should get global version with global rom? chinese version with chinese rom okay or not okay? indian version with indian rom okay or not okay

[Cynical]

@Iskander:
Those are some great tips. Thanks again.

[Sybaris Caesar]

@furiousTaher I'm flattered that you think I'm knowledgeable enough for you to mention me but I'm not. I have very little knowledge about android. But like vanguard said chinese sets are hit and miss. mostly network problems or ROM QoL issue here or there you'll discover after long term use. Ofc nothing is perfect that's why you customize. So that's that. IIRC you have request via email to Xiaomi to unlock your bootloader I think.

Like OP I don't do heavy lifting on my phone. After my Lenovo P5 got stolen (great chip loved to play hq games on it while it lasted, shiity camera) I got a shiity symphony v75. 5.5", 1gb ram and 8gb internal storage only. Just browse internet, watch movies and pоrn, read ebooks, do some quick editing on PicsArt. Serves my needs perfectly. Marshmallow is very light. Cost me only 6k or sth. Good thing I've covered the back and the front doesn't have any brand etching. Who would respect me if they knew I run a shiity symphony?

p.s. maybe that's why Samsung removed their logo from galaxy s8. nobody wants to know you own a shiity samsung.

[furiousTaher]

wait a minute are u saying xiaomi chinese versions and international versions have bootloader locked? i thought they mostly sell unlocked xiaomi here.

[Dracu_JeF]

How about Nokia 3 ? According to a news article on prothom-alo, it's gonna release in June and will cost like 12500.

[Iskander]

ok question is- there are some mobile with global version, indian version and china version, which version is better for network?

so somebody should get global version with global rom? chinese version with chinese rom okay or not okay? indian version with indian rom okay or not okay

There is nothing like Indian rom but they do have Indian variant like Note 4 SD for Indian market & Note 4 MTK for BD market.
For network stability Global Stable MIUI is best. Since Global Developers updates comes every single week, so you might face bug issues.

Updates

All Xiaomi in Southern Asian market comes with locked bootloader. But it also has the easiest method to unlock it, but one have to wait 1-2 weeks to get it unlocked

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Meizu has one of the best Custom Rom of Android after stock version.