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I've done tons of research for choosing my next phone and the choice basically boils down to these two phones now. They both have massive batteries, which is what I need, although the A9 Pro has a bigger one. I thought I'd be better to get a second opinion from people who've already used the Mate 8 before getting one.
Here's what I've found:
Huawei Mate 8:
Pros:
+Insanely fast and snappy
+64 GB storage (important), even has a 128 GB version!
+Possibly slightly better camera than on A9 Pro (not sure)
+Covers a huge number of bands (pretty important, I will be traveling to many places)
+SloMo video
Cons:
-EMUI
-EMUI
-Subscription to a company that does crappy software
-Fingerprint scanner on the back
-On-screen buttons
Galaxy A9 Pro:
Pros:
+TouchWiz
+TouchWiz
+Subscription to a company that does civilized software
+Still pretty fast, also has 4 GB RAM
+Bigger battery at 5000mAh
+Dual SIM + dedicated microSD slot
+AMOLED screen could be a slight advantage
+Fingerprint scanner on the front
+Physical home button + capacitive buttons (I'm just so used to them coming from a Samsung device, but I'm sure I could also get used to on-screen buttons)
Cons:
- Camera a little bit underwhelming and can be hit or miss in some settings (e.g. G Note 4 camera is better)
- 32 GB storage only (guess I could live with it)
- Doesn't cover nearly as many bands
- No SloMo video, only 30 fps
The Mate 8 is clearly better hardware-wise, but I'm really concerned about the EMUI. I've read varying opinions that Nova Launcher solves most of the problems, but then also that you're still kind of stuck with menus and notification drawer that tries to look like iOS really hard. I'm also not very keen on rooting the phone and flashing a new ROM, I want something stable and that works right out of the box.
Is EMUI really that bad? Is it buggy? Are you having any issues with it? I watched some videos on YT of Huawei Mate 8 with Nova Launcher and it looked pretty good. Some people told me that after setting up the Nova Launcher they can barely tell it's EMUI, and that the notification drawer is customizable.
The A9 Pro does have that big advantage of having a peace of mind that your UI is optimized (inb4 hating on TouchWiz - it's surely way better than EMUI) and will continue to run well in the future. And that monster 5000mAh battery... it's really tempting.
What are your suggestions? Is Huawei Mate 8 still a good phone for me if I don't want to do any rooting or flashing?
Also I'm based in China. Will buying the Mate 8 in China come with any cons vs. buying outside of China? Or I just download and install the Google apks and I'm good to go?
*Disclaimer - I'm also posting this on Galaxy A series subforum to get opinions from Samsung users.
I choosed Huawei Mate 8 over A9pro
The Mate 8 is clearly better hardware-wise, but I'm really concerned about the EMUI. I've read varying opinions that Nova Launcher solves most of the problems, but then also that you're still kind of stuck with menus and notification drawer that tries to look like iOS really hard. I'm also not very keen on rooting the phone and flashing a new ROM, I want something stable and that works right out of the box.
Is EMUI really that bad? Is it buggy? Are you having any issues with it? I watched some videos on YT of Huawei Mate 8 with Nova Launcher and it looked pretty good. Some people told me that after setting up the Nova Launcher they can barely tell it's EMUI, and that the notification drawer is customizable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are plenty of EMUI themes on xda that gives you material design icons , you can just install one or use together with 3rd party launcher like Nova, no need to root or switch rom for this.
The notification and quick settings menu looked nothing like ios, unless you think anything with some transparency effect equals ios. To me they look much better than that bluish-green and busy looking drop-down on touchwiz, although touchwiz does give you a bit more options on what to put on the quick settings panel. The (non-quick) settings menu may have more of a resemblance to ios in UI design, but so what, it looks clean and easy to use. Besides, how often will you be looking at the settings menu?
Overall, I'm generally satisfied with the aesthetics of EMUI 4 (I'd argue some parts better looking than touchwiz or even stock android). The main things I don't like are the stock icons and forced icon boarder, and to a lesser extent the default launcher. These are easily solvable by installing a theme and Nova Prime.
As far as user experience goes, the system runs stable, fast, and not buggy for me (what's with the hating that made you so sure Touchwiz optimized better? ) But there are some things you may want know if you haven't used EMUI before:
By default there will be power-intensive prompts and it will auto-close apps while screen is off. Some people find it unnecessary and annoying, but they can be turned off altogether or be excluded on selected apps. Just adjust it to the way you like in settings.
Some people complained about missing or delayed push notification when the phone has been idle for a few hours, I experienced it as well on early ROM versions, but I no longer encounter this problem since the last few OTA updates, push notifications now come like normal (instantly).
If you rely on on-going notification apps that shows dynamic interactive icon on the top status bar (e.g. an always-on weather app that shows current temperature in its icon), it may not work on the EMUI status bar as it will only show the default app icon. I don't use these kind of things so I'm not affected, but that's just me.
EMUI 4.x has extensive app specific battery-use management, network-use management, and phone/text harassment filter, which are great in general. But I find the harassment filter a little bit lacking in that you can't block text and phone calls using separate rules.
The camera hardware is just meh/passable if compared to other high-end phones, but still better than mid-range phones like the Galaxy a9. The camera app on EMUI 4.0 is good, on EMUI 4.1 it is great (the best I have used). EMUI 4.1 is recently being pushed to some Mate 8.
I don't know if you used 6 inch phones before or not, but I would think that having a back fingerprint scanner rather than a front one is a blessing and not a con on 6 inch devices. I'm a fan of front scanners on smaller phones, but if you tried to hold a 6-inch phone you will know how much more comfortable it is to unlock with your index-finger than with your thumb (unless you have huge hands, or that you use your phone placed on a table much more often than holding it)
If you are a die hard stock/MD fans and can't stand any EMUI design cues, or if you like flashing different roms, then you will have a hard time owning an Mate 8, because it is unlikely that you will find Cyanogen/AOSP rom for this device given that it uses Kirin SoC.
But if you don't like manually flashing roms, the Mate 8 will actually receive better rom support than the a9, because Mate 8 is a much more important product line for Huawei than the a9 is for Samsung. The Mate 8 has been on android marshmallow since the beginning, yet many Galaxy a9 are still on lollipop today (marshmallow for a9 just rolling out for a couple weeks). Mate 8 will likely receive support up to Android N/EMUI 5.0, but for the a9 I'm less confident about it.
Emui is horrible and plagued with old bugs. Install Google launcher or similar for great experience.
I installed twisted mate 8 which is a stock like custom rom.
Sent from my HUAWEI NXT-L29 using Tapatalk
Thanks all for the input, I ended up buying the Mate 8, 64 GB version. I couldn't be more happy, the battery life on that thing is insane and just what I need.
MauriceDz said:
Thanks all for the input, I ended up buying the Mate 8, 64 GB version. I couldn't be more happy, the battery life on that thing is insane and just what I need.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great, you will notice the Touchwiz was the real battery sucker and no matter how big the battery it would manage to drain it quickly. On the other side you have the glorious Mate 8 with the ugly EMUI but the great battery management. Just change the launcher, I personally have Google launcher but if you need more customization then you can choose another launcher but that will surely decrease the battery life.
Bla bla bla
Sent from my SM-A9100
Thinking of swapping my 6T for a Mi 9T but a bit hesitant for a couple of reasons,
Mostly Oxygen OS. Would likely miss that and frequent updates,but
Xiaomi seems to have more features and the new modern design of Mi 9T is appealing with better cameras
Can more or less make a straight swap for the Mi 9T
Has anyone moved from Oneplus to Xiaomi mi 9T/k20
Interested to hear any regrets or positive experiences
manus31 said:
Thinking of swapping my 6T for a Mi 9T but a bit hesitant for a couple of reasons,
Mostly Oxygen OS. Would likely miss that and frequent updates,but
Xiaomi seems to have more features and the new modern design of Mi 9T is appealing with better cameras
Can more or less make a straight swap for the Mi 9T
Has anyone moved from Oneplus to Xiaomi mi 9T/k20
Interested to hear any regrets or positive experiences
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I moved from Op3T to 9T and I really miss the feeling from oos. I don't know how describe it but this is more smooth than fast. You can make it fast without lags but it's a bit different feeling. What about features, MIUI is better. Tons of features. More than on OOS. But I'll probably switch to AOSP soon.
It's definitely not bad but I'm not used to use MIUI as daily driver. It's just my personal opinion. It's also can be caused by different aspect ratio 21:9 instead of 16:9.
Long story short, go for it! It's a fast beast like every OP phone! No lags at all with 0,5 animation speed and when I need something fast,with this beast it's not problem!
Odoslané z Mi 9T pomocou Tapatalku
Pheggas said:
I moved from Op3T to 9T and I really miss the feeling from oos. I don't know how describe it but this is more smooth than fast. You can make it fast without lags but it's a bit different feeling. What about features, MIUI is better. Tons of features. More than on OOS. But I'll probably switch to AOSP soon.
It's definitely not bad but I'm not used to use MIUI as daily driver. It's just my personal opinion. It's also can be caused by different aspect ratio 21:9 instead of 16:9.
Long story short, go for it! It's a fast beast like every OP phone! No lags at all with 0,5 animation speed and when I need something fast,with this beast it's not problem!
Odoslané z Mi 9T pomocou Tapatalku
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure you are definitely feeling good about it coming from a now old op3T. I still have last year's 6T so probably more of a downgrade in my case.
I had the Op3,op6 and 6T,but 7 pro is too expensive. Might make a temporary switch to the 9T for one year then go for a OnePlus 8.
Just have the feeling Ill really miss Oxygen OS updates and getting Android Q fairly fast but on other hand Id really enjoy the bigger battery,AOD,faster fingerprint and cameras on the Xiaomi.
One of the things I really hate about switching phones is having to get cases and screen protectors
Man I hate putting them things on. I only use film protectors too and Xiaomi don't pre install any
manus31 said:
I'm sure you are definitely feeling good about it coming from a now old op3T. I still have last year's 6T so probably more of a downgrade in my case.
I had the Op3,op6 and 6T,but 7 pro is too expensive. Might make a temporary switch to the 9T for one year then go for a OnePlus 8.
Just have the feeling Ill really miss Oxygen OS updates and getting Android Q fairly fast but on other hand Id really enjoy the bigger battery,AOD,faster fingerprint and cameras on the Xiaomi.
One of the things I really hate about switching phones is having to get cases and screen protectors
Man I hate putting them things on. I only use film protectors too and Xiaomi don't pre install any
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt that the fingerprint reader on the Mi9T is faster than the one on the OP6T. Especially when the screen is off it takes some time until it recognizes your fingerprint. At least for me it's the case. I know there are people here that say it's very fast but I have a different experience. About 30 percent of the time I need to place my finger on it a second time for it to recognize it. Maybe it's because of my tempered glass screen protector, I don't know. However if my device is unlocked and I open an App that works with a fingerprint log in then it works every time and very fast too. So it's probably the lack of optimization on Xiaomis side.
Hello,
I'm from the op6. The display and the battery life are better at mi 9t. This is felt as fast as my op6. The camera is with googlecam on the same level. Video is missing the Ois.
By chris
Switching from OP3T to Mi9T.
For me everything is better in Mi9T, except :
- Lack of front notification LED (I don't consider popup camera's LED usable in most situations...). And standard Mi9T's AOD is missing notifications icons for my most used apps (MS Outlook for instance) and for non standard notifications (news, banking, etc...)
- Fingerprint sensor slower
- Lack of App Drawer in stable MIUI (installed POCO launcher as a workaround)
- I miss the DND side button on OP3T. Got really used to it
I have to say that Battery is incredible on Mi9T, this is a real game changer ! (2 full days with normal usage, nearly 3 days with moderate usage)
I moved from Oneplus 6.
Mostly for battery life and I got much better one.
The other things may be irritating right after switching but one can deal with them. Just be strong for 1 week
For 9T>OP6
- battery life
- cameras
- speaker
On par 9T=OP6
- screen
- speed
Against 9T<OP6
- weight, one can feel it
- autobrightness, very poor when dark
- compatibility issues (like Android Auto)
I don't mention fingerprint scanner - it is slower at 9T but having it under the screen gives (me) more comfort.
The system is not so easy to root like OP, but with Youtube Vanced, adblocking browser and an app like SystemUI Tuner you can have root-like experience. Actually, 9T is my first non-rooted phone ever since 2011 and I am suprised how easily I accepted it like it was
dapezzz said:
Switching from OP3T to Mi9T.
For me everything is better in Mi9T, except :
- Lack of front notification LED (I don't consider popup camera's LED usable in most situations...). And standard Mi9T's AOD is missing notifications icons for my most used apps (MS Outlook for instance) and for non standard notifications (news, banking, etc...)
- Fingerprint sensor slower
- Lack of App Drawer in stable MIUI (installed POCO launcher as a workaround)
- I miss the DND side button on OP3T. Got really used to it
I have to say that Battery is incredible on Mi9T, this is a real game changer ! (2 full days with normal usage, nearly 3 days with moderate usage)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this App for the notification LED:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/mi-9t/themes/notification-led-simulation-app-t3950801
Scarface1991 said:
Try this App for the notification LED:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/mi-9t/themes/notification-led-simulation-app-t3950801
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is AOE aswell but it didn't work on my 9T with global rom
Odoslané z Mi 9T pomocou Tapatalku
How's general OS stability.Hearing some bugs but noone really elaborates
Google apps for example,Gmail, photos, notifications,
Are they working okay,syncing data etc.
Everyone knows the features are great but if basics not working properly then I see no point
Dont do that, MIUI is ****, i always have problem with notifications on this system, got mi max3, pocophone f1.
You will have probably custom roms soon but they are so unstable and bugged i tried so many on Poco f1, and they are all bad .
I would pay extra 100$ for normal android like oxygen OS or android one but phone with these systems and good socs are more expensive...
Shlyify said:
Dont do that, MIUI is ****, i always have problem with notifications on this system, got mi max3, pocophone f1.
You will have probably custom roms soon but they are so unstable and bugged i tried so many on Poco f1, and they are all bad .
I would pay extra 100$ for normal android like oxygen OS or android one but phone with these systems and good socs are more expensive...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is my inclination,so it is really that sh*t then.
Would probably drive me mad compared to the stability of Oxygen OS
manus31 said:
This is my inclination,so it is really that sh*t then.
Would probably drive me mad compared to the stability of Oxygen OS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Miui is stable, but it's really heavy system and notifications is not always working best way. I said that custom roms are unstable , especially GSI
Go to xiaomi store, try some phones. Like mi a2 and compare it to same spec/price phone like redmi note 7.A2 would be much smoother.
Don't get me wrong xiaomi have great phones i have ordered one mi 9t too, but this system is rly ****ty xD.If i have more money(2x) i would buy OP/Pixel.
Shlyify said:
Miui is stable, but it's really heavy system and notifications is not always working best way. I said that custom roms are unstable , especially GSI
Go to xiaomi store, try some phones. Like mi a2 and compare it to same spec/price phone like redmi note 7.A2 would be much smoother.
Don't get me wrong xiaomi have great phones i have ordered one mi 9t too, but this system is rly ****ty xD.If i have more money(2x) i would buy OP/Pixel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok.Sounds a bit like if notifications not coming in might be a bit unstable but I get what your saying.Ive made the mistake in the past of buying a phone like the 9T only to realize there's small things that are annoying only to sell the phone and buy something more expensive, Did this last year I think with a Nokia 7 plus only to return it two weeks later for a OnePlus 6.Dont want to make that mistake again with this one
frisky124 said:
I moved from Oneplus 6.
Mostly for battery life and I got much better one.
The other things may be irritating right after switching but one can deal with them. Just be strong for 1 week
For 9T>OP6
- battery life
- cameras
- speaker
On par 9T=OP6
- screen
- speed
Against 9T<OP6
- weight, one can feel it
- autobrightness, very poor when dark
- compatibility issues (like Android Auto)
I don't mention fingerprint scanner - it is slower at 9T but having it under the screen gives (me) more comfort.
The system is not so easy to root like OP, but with Youtube Vanced, adblocking browser and an app like SystemUI Tuner you can have root-like experience. Actually, 9T is my first non-rooted phone ever since 2011 and I am suprised how easily I accepted it like it was
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same I didn't rooted my K20 as well
manus31 said:
How's general OS stability.Hearing some bugs but noone really elaborates
Google apps for example,Gmail, photos, notifications,
Are they working okay,syncing data etc.
Everyone knows the features are great but if basics not working properly then I see no point
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stability is fine here on the global ROM. notifications and apps are working as expected. The only major bug for me is that Android Auto doesn't work.
Also what I don't like is that on the Lockscreen you can't expand notifications.
manus31 said:
Ok.Sounds a bit like if notifications not coming in might be a bit unstable but I get what your saying.Ive made the mistake in the past of buying a phone like the 9T only to realize there's small things that are annoying only to sell the phone and buy something more expensive, Did this last year I think with a Nokia 7 plus only to return it two weeks later for a OnePlus 6.Dont want to make that mistake again with this one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't felt any issue with notifications, they come well and good. If you think notifications aren't working just lock the app on recents or apply no restrictions of battery saver on that app or you can simply disable the miui optimizations in developer settings. You can switch to Mi9T/ K20. Its really a good device, you will get used to MIUI easily, its easy and beautiful. I have been using this device from a week and didn't faced any issue. If you want to have any info you can msg me.
The oneplus has much greater LTE band support. Lacking bands on the K20/9T is my biggest issue with the device =\
From OP1 to Mi9t. I really don't like the fact that xiaomi replaced some android stock features to put their own, like the smart lock.
AOD displays notifications just for some apps, I'd prefer an AOD like samsung, with all the notification icons
It's heavy
I do not like the behaviour of the dnd/silent mode: in op1, you could put dnd AND silent mode. Here they are exclusive, and since you get notification for starred contact in dnd, you cannot have them only on vibrate without modifying the settings
I miss the automation with the profiles, but I solved it with PhoneProfiles
I would have preferred an SD card
Instead, I like the screen, the battery, even the performance.
How would and upgrade compare from a Huawei Mate 10 Pro to the Mi9t?
Especially in regards to the Cameras?
So, after using the Note 8 for the last 2 years, I decided that I wanted to try something new. There was nothing wrong with my Note 8 except for screen burn-in ( I hope this doesn't do the same thing). I was really impressed when I opened the eBay package. Phone, Charger, USB-C cable, "case" and the seller tossed in an international to USA adapter. The initial setup was a typical android. Once I got it set up, there were a few updates and I was ready to roll. The thing that impressed me the most initially was the build quality and display. This phone does not feel like a sub $400 phone. It feels just as solid as my note 8. The next biggest plus was the display.. It's gorgeous!! and compared to my note 8, the colors are more realistic. This was immediately noticeable on Instagram. I'm with T-mobile and it configured everything correctly. I tested SMS, data, and voice. All worked as they should.
Some Pros:
The build and display rival much more expensive phones
The cameras on the back are very good. Video and stills are more than acceptable.
The battery life is AMAZING, I don't know what kind of voodoo Xiaomi is doing, but the phone lasts all day. I felt like I had to constantly keep my note 8 on a charger.
The OS runs really smooth and I've not had any app crashes
Some Cons:
The fingerprint ready can be hit or miss at times... Hopefully can be sorted with a software patch
The Selfie Camera is average, not nearly as impressive as the rear cameras.
Accessories are a bit sparse at the moment ( looking for a good-tempered glass cover)
The UI... This may be a plus for some, but after a few days, I gave up on it and went to Nova, I could not figure out how to remove icons from the desktop and there isn't a app drawer (that I could find). I think I will eventually give it another chance.
No SD or wireless (It can't be that hard to add these)
Summary: While not perfect, It's pretty damn close.. All they need to add is wireless charging and a few tweaks to make this a gem. If you have any questions about features, feel free to ask.
really nice review, agreed on most of the points except the SD thing since 128GB is more than enough for me.
Totaly agree ! I have to say that I don't care about wireless charging since I can't use the phone even for a call while charge xD but I understand, also sound quality is pretty good.
SD card + IP68 and it's really perfect !
walkerl said:
So, after using the Note 8 for the last 2 years, I decided that I wanted to try something new. There was nothing wrong with my Note 8 except for screen burn-in ( I hope this doesn't do the same thing). I was really impressed when I opened the eBay package. Phone, Charger, USB-C cable, "case" and the seller tossed in an international to USA adapter. The initial setup was a typical android. Once I got it set up, there were a few updates and I was ready to roll. The thing that impressed me the most initially was the build quality and display. This phone does not feel like a sub $400 phone. It feels just as solid as my note 8. The next biggest plus was the display.. It's gorgeous!! and compared to my note 8, the colors are more realistic. This was immediately noticeable on Instagram. I'm with T-mobile and it configured everything correctly. I tested SMS, data, and voice. All worked as they should.
Some Pros:
The build and display rival much more expensive phones
The cameras on the back are very good. Video and stills are more than acceptable.
The battery life is AMAZING, I don't know what kind of voodoo Xiaomi is doing, but the phone lasts all day. I felt like I had to constantly keep my note 8 on a charger.
The OS runs really smooth and I've not had any app crashes
Some Cons:
The fingerprint ready can be hit or miss at times... Hopefully can be sorted with a software patch
The Selfie Camera is average, not nearly as impressive as the rear cameras.
Accessories are a bit sparse at the moment ( looking for a good-tempered glass cover)
The UI... This may be a plus for some, but after a few days, I gave up on it and went to Nova, I could not figure out how to remove icons from the desktop and there isn't a app drawer (that I could find). I think I will eventually give it another chance.
No SD or wireless (It can't be that hard to add these)
Summary: While not perfect, It's pretty damn close.. All they need to add is wireless charging and a few tweaks to make this a gem. If you have any questions about features, feel free to ask.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fingerprint works great for me, you have to train it a handful of times and it's perfect.
Selfie camera I'm still tinkering around with Gcam and what not, no opinion on it yet.
The UI + a launcher is fine, in my case im using the microsoft halo launcher.
My problems this being my first Mi phone was that the wifi was going down every few minutes, switched to a 2.4ghz network and seems to be more stable for whatever reason.
Auto brightness ****ing sucks but I think I've found a solution... > Disable automatic contrast.
Notifications / Sreenlock notifications, wasn't receiving any, being used to taking it for granted, figured out I had to activate it "per-app", but there's an easy way to do this Settings / Manage Apps / Permissions / Other Permissions / Permissions (on top) / "Show on Lock Screen"
If you want to go back and use the MI launcher with app drawer, I suggest you download Poco laucher, which has this possibility and enables you to switch off the phone with the double tap, amongst other useful other tweaks.
Cheers
there is a miui launcher with app drawer : https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/xiaom...-launcher-alpha-4-10-6-1025-06141703-release/
source: https://www.xda-developers.com/xiaomi-miui-app-drawer-app-shortcuts/
master66 said:
If you want to go back and use the MI launcher with app drawer, I suggest you download Poco laucher, which has this possibility and enables you to switch off the phone with the double tap, amongst other useful other tweaks.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The halo launcher has this functionality as well.
I use the Xiaomi Poco launcher 2.0. Best launcher out there.
Agree with you with all of those points. What about the vibration for notifications? while in hand feel is great. I find it hard to notice in my pocket.
I had the galaxy s8 before so that's what I'm comparing it against.
Is it that mi9t comes with a MIUI launcher?
As of my K20 indian variant was bundled with the poco launcher instead of MIUI launcher and app drawer etc. Was never a problem for me then.
I cannot find any cons with this phone. Ok, fingerprint is not perfect, but I expected this when coming from a phone with capacitive sensor.I didn't test Oneplus's sensor, but after I tried the one in Galaxy A50, this one is at least 3x better. I really cannot complain about anything else...this could easily be a 600$ Samsung phone, but fortunately it isn't
After using Xiaomi Mi6 for two years it never slowed down, and even now it runs circles around all midrange Samsung/Huawei... phones without a sweat. Sold it because battery backup is around 5hrs Sot, and that is not enough for me anymore.
I tried almost all phone brands, and I can only reccomend Xiaomi and Oneplus....other just don't make sense
Don't expect a "perfect" phone for its price. That's why they don't put a sd card slot and a wireless charging to make the phone a "budget phone".
Well, my thoughts after a few days... it blows the Samsung A50 I had before out of the water. It's like going from very much midrange to the luxury class without paying the luxury price. Sure, there are a few occasions where you can notice the lower cost. But not where it really counts.
For me, it was the fingerprint sensor on the A50 that made me look elsewhere and finally go back to Xiaomi. Still not comparable to a dedicated one even on the cheapest models but lightyears beyond the crap Samsung puts under the display. Also, the Mi 9T doesn't have trouble knowing where it is so Smart Unlock works, as does Face Unlock even when not standing in a brightly lit studio.
Yes, I find that quite important as one unlocks the thing like 600 times per day
The whole experience is much more fluid. Not seeing the need for an alternative ROM - even tho they exist, thanks to the Snappy inside.
My main niggle is an old one with Xiaomi: sound. Why the heck can't they get this right? Everybody listens to music all the time and I know from experience what even the cheaper models are capable of. So why do we get such thin tinny sound out of the box, cable or not? And why does it start distorting the second you touch the equalizer? That's the one thing Samsung's midrange does better; I never saw the need to root the A50 for V4A. With the Mi 9T I very much do (hanging in the waiting period now grrrrrrr). It's generally surprising to me why phone makers don't give more care to this. I mean how hard can it be to include some V4A routines or something? Or am I weird in caring about some bass and body to my music?
Anyway, happy to have made the switch. Good deal.
there is an app drawer on system launcher look at the system setting find the home screen then you will find the regular one and with app drawer. :
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=amirz.rootless.nexuslauncher&hl=en_US
I use rootless launcher as my default, i tried poco but it didnt have the google feed and the stock launcher icons on the home screen was too much to bare with.
full screen gestures also enabled
Hi
I want to buy Nova 5T or Mi 9T. I really like 9T but I have some concerns :
1. How good is AMOLED display build quality? Is it color accurate? How easily can burn in happens? Many people complained about jitter and ghost touch problems on this phone.
2. Many people complain about the battery life after updating to MIUI 11. Is the problem fixed and is the battery life like MIUI 9?
3. Android 11 will definitely come to 9T but what about 12 and 13? I’m not familiar with Xiaomi policy do they make old phones slow on purpose?
And 9T users ... What are cons and pros in the real life usage?
Full explanation here : https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...9t-nova-5t-t4116265/post82852497#post82852497
Thanks
amazing device..definately go for it
Stuttering and worse batery life after update to Miui 11, also bugs... Stay on iphone. I will switch back to iphone this month.
Artaherzadeh said:
Hi
I want to buy Nova 5T or Mi 9T. I really like 9T but I have some concerns :
1. How good is AMOLED display build quality? Is it color accurate? How easily can burn in happens? Many people complained about jitter and ghost touch problems on this phone.
2. Many people complain about the battery life after updating to MIUI 11. Is the problem fixed and is the battery life like MIUI 9?
3. Android 11 will definitely come to 9T but what about 12 and 13? I’m not familiar with Xiaomi policy do they make old phones slow on purpose?
And 9T users ... What are cons and pros in the real life usage?
Full explanation here : https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...9t-nova-5t-t4116265/post82852497#post82852497
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 9t is my first Xiaomi device too, I only owned Motorola devices until now.
1) For my eyes the display is colour accurate, no burn in until now (have to say that I own the device just a few month). No jitter or ghost touch problems.
2) I'm on latest MIUI 11 stable and battery life is just awesome compared to my other devices. I'm a heavy user (lot of SOT, WLAN/mobile data,GPS and Bluetooth) and until now I wasn't able to get under 35-40% after a day.
3) I can't tell you, maybe someone with more Xiaomi experience than I has to answer that.
If you're aware of the Xiaomi typic things like bloatware (can be solved with root privileges or by ADB without root) this device is a really good deal for the money. Camera, Display, overall speed.... I'm very satisfied with it.
Excellent device for its price., Using miuimix room or use miroom for best battery life and performance.
If you're an iPhone user I recommend you buying a Phone with Android stock or close like a Google Pixel or a OnePlus. You'll get a "polished" experience that will remind you iPhones whitout the drawbacks. MIUI, One UI... are less polished, I would not buy them If I were an iPhone user.
Writing from a Mi 9T, the phone is awesome, but maybe not for you
---------- Post added at 11:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:44 PM ----------
If you're an iPhone user I recommend you buying a Phone with Android stock or close like a Google Pixel or a OnePlus. You'll get a "polished" experience that will remind you iPhones whitout the drawbacks. MIUI, One UI... are less polished, I would not buy them If I were an iPhone user.
Writing from a Mi 9T, the phone is awesome, but maybe not for you
I was using iphone XR before moving to Mi 9T.
Hardware wise is great and comparable to phones 2 to 3 times its price (think Oneplus 7T pro).
The only problem I have is with MIUI"s push notifications. There are many articles saying to turn on/off some options to make it work. But there are even more posts/comments saying that push notifications do not work even with those tweaks. After flashing to custom rom, the push notifications started working perfectly without any tinkering.
This is a deal breaker as I need push notifications to work reliably (so I can't use MIUI). With custom roms however, you have to play cat and mouse game with banking apps that keep getting more strict with detecting phones that are not using stock firmware.
1. The display is very good. I've had the phone for a few months now and have had no problems with burn-in or jitter/ghost touch problems
2. I was only on Miui for a few weeks, but the battery life is excellent!
3. I don't think that you will get many major updates, I think the Mi 9T will not even be updated to Android 12. But you will get feature updates (Miui updates).
I've never heard of any Xiaomi phone being slowed down on purpose...
4. A friend of mine used iPhones for years. At the beginning of the year she switched from her iPhone SE to the Mi 9T and has not regretted the change for a second. She quickly found her way around with Android/Miui.
5. I highly recommend the Mi 9T. The best thing is to inform yourself a bit about rooting etc. and change to a custom rom as soon as possible. (Don't get me wrong, Miui is not that bad. But I like stock Android custom roms like Pixel Experience or LineageOS just much better With these roms you will also get Android 12 and 13 etc.) You won't have the possibility to root and flash a custom rom on the Nova 5T, because Huawei has locked the bootloader.
Pros in real life usage:
+excellent battery life (~8h screen on time)
+good cameras (I usually take my pictures with a DSLR... So I don't need the phones cameras very often, but they are quite good!)
+brilliant bezel-less Display
+many Custom Roms available
Cons:
-I'm not a big fan of Miui, but that's a matter of taste.
Artaherzadeh said:
Hi
I want to buy Nova 5T or Mi 9T. I really like 9T but I have some concerns :
1. How good is AMOLED display build quality? Is it color accurate? How easily can burn in happens? Many people complained about jitter and ghost touch problems on this phone.
2. Many people complain about the battery life after updating to MIUI 11. Is the problem fixed and is the battery life like MIUI 9?
3. Android 11 will definitely come to 9T but what about 12 and 13? I’m not familiar with Xiaomi policy do they make old phones slow on purpose?
And 9T users ... What are cons and pros in the real life usage?
Full explanation here : https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...9t-nova-5t-t4116265/post82852497#post82852497
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recommend the MI9T
Great phone so far for me.
Pros:
1. Good display
2. Great performance for the price
3. Good battery life
4. No heating issues. (Im a heavy gamer )
5. Good camera
6. Sexy a*s design. (I get boner starring at it)
7. Fast finger print
Cons:
1. Camera night mode is awful ( u can install gcam)
2. I suggest u use a case cuz the phone is slippery
3. Facial recognition is pretty slow
*4. Thief attractor (phone too beautiful they can't resist getting their hands on it)
5. And then MIUI : dont get me wrong its awesome, I like the features and design . U won't find it hard with MIUI. But u get ads on the ROM and some slight bugs.
I unlocked my bootloader and installed xaoimi.eu ROM on it (miui v12 stable) which fixes almost everything wrong with the official one.
And if u stop receiving updates u can install custom ROMs. We have a great Dev team for this device.
Apart from that great phone.
P.s u can't unlock the bootloader of this Huawei phone
Artaherzadeh said:
Hi
I want to buy Nova 5T or Mi 9T. I really like 9T but I have some concerns :
1. How good is AMOLED display build quality? Is it color accurate? How easily can burn in happens? Many people complained about jitter and ghost touch problems on this phone.
2. Many people complain about the battery life after updating to MIUI 11. Is the problem fixed and is the battery life like MIUI 9?
3. Android 11 will definitely come to 9T but what about 12 and 13? I’m not familiar with Xiaomi policy do they make old phones slow on purpose?
And 9T users ... What are cons and pros in the real life usage?
Full explanation here : https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...9t-nova-5t-t4116265/post82852497#post82852497
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My usage is about 6 months.
1. It's good. Nothing weird with the screen.
2. Performance is still as good as when I first got this phone. Updated to MIUI 11, I got the drain once and a simple reboot fixed it. Never happened ever since. Normally I got 8hrs SOT daily with intense usage. Hours on gaming and media consumption.
3. Nah if u talking about official Android update, getting +1 year is the best thing you can expect. But tbh compared to other Android brands Xiaomi is quite generous in giving MIUI updates (UI updates).
Their 3 years old phone was still getting MIUI 11 so maybe this phone will also get at least 3+ years of MIUI update. But if you able to learn how to flash custom roms, it's possible to update your phone even 5 years later.
If you're from any iPhone lower than X, then you'll probably be ok with this phone. My brother use an iPhone and the only thing I wish this phone is as good as the iPhone is the vibration motor (if u ever use iPhone then you know it's that good) and video camera. Not that the video from this phone is ugly. It's very capable, just not as good as the iPhone. Also I recommend to install gcam. Game changer for photo quality.
Display and fingerprint sensor manufacture
maxbeat93 said:
My usage is about 6 months.
1. It's good. Nothing weird with the screen.
2. Performance is still as good as when I first got this phone. Updated to MIUI 11, I got the drain once and a simple reboot fixed it. Never happened ever since. Normally I got 8hrs SOT daily with intense usage. Hours on gaming and media consumption.
3. Nah if u talking about official Android update, getting +1 year is the best thing you can expect. But tbh compared to other Android brands Xiaomi is quite generous in giving MIUI updates (UI updates).
Their 3 years old phone was still getting MIUI 11 so maybe this phone will also get at least 3+ years of MIUI update. But if you able to learn how to flash custom roms, it's possible to update your phone even 5 years later.
If you're from any iPhone lower than X, then you'll probably be ok with this phone. My brother use an iPhone and the only thing I wish this phone is as good as the iPhone is the vibration motor (if u ever use iPhone then you know it's that good) and video camera. Not that the video from this phone is ugly. It's very capable, just not as good as the iPhone. Also I recommend to install gcam. Game changer for photo quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hulkyboi said:
I recommend the MI9T
Great phone so far for me.
Pros:
1. Good display
2. Great performance for the price
3. Good battery life
4. No heating issues. (Im a heavy gamer )
5. Good camera
6. Sexy a*s design. (I get boner starring at it)
7. Fast finger print
Cons:
1. Camera night mode is awful ( u can install gcam)
2. I suggest u use a case cuz the phone is slippery
3. Facial recognition is pretty slow
*4. Thief attractor (phone too beautiful they can't resist getting their hands on it)
5. And then MIUI : dont get me wrong its awesome, I like the features and design . U won't find it hard with MIUI. But u get ads on the ROM and some slight bugs.
I unlocked my bootloader and installed xaoimi.eu ROM on it (miui v12 stable) which fixes almost everything wrong with the official one.
And if u stop receiving updates u can install custom ROMs. We have a great Dev team for this device.
Apart from that great phone.
P.s u can't unlock the bootloader of this Huawei phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
spring_roll said:
1. The display is very good. I've had the phone for a few months now and have had no problems with burn-in or jitter/ghost touch problems
2. I was only on Miui for a few weeks, but the battery life is excellent!
3. I don't think that you will get many major updates, I think the Mi 9T will not even be updated to Android 12. But you will get feature updates (Miui updates).
I've never heard of any Xiaomi phone being slowed down on purpose...
4. A friend of mine used iPhones for years. At the beginning of the year she switched from her iPhone SE to the Mi 9T and has not regretted the change for a second. She quickly found her way around with Android/Miui.
5. I highly recommend the Mi 9T. The best thing is to inform yourself a bit about rooting etc. and change to a custom rom as soon as possible. (Don't get me wrong, Miui is not that bad. But I like stock Android custom roms like Pixel Experience or LineageOS just much better With these roms you will also get Android 12 and 13 etc.) You won't have the possibility to root and flash a custom rom on the Nova 5T, because Huawei has locked the bootloader.
Pros in real life usage:
+excellent battery life (~8h screen on time)
+good cameras (I usually take my pictures with a DSLR... So I don't need the phones cameras very often, but they are quite good!)
+brilliant bezel-less Display
+many Custom Roms available
Cons:
-I'm not a big fan of Miui, but that's a matter of taste.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
catpuke said:
I was using iphone XR before moving to Mi 9T.
Hardware wise is great and comparable to phones 2 to 3 times its price (think Oneplus 7T pro).
The only problem I have is with MIUI"s push notifications. There are many articles saying to turn on/off some options to make it work. But there are even more posts/comments saying that push notifications do not work even with those tweaks. After flashing to custom rom, the push notifications started working perfectly without any tinkering.
This is a deal breaker as I need push notifications to work reliably (so I can't use MIUI). With custom roms however, you have to play cat and mouse game with banking apps that keep getting more strict with detecting phones that are not using stock firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
electronique13 said:
If you're an iPhone user I recommend you buying a Phone with Android stock or close like a Google Pixel or a OnePlus. You'll get a "polished" experience that will remind you iPhones whitout the drawbacks. MIUI, One UI... are less polished, I would not buy them If I were an iPhone user.
Writing from a Mi 9T, the phone is awesome, but maybe not for you
---------- Post added at 11:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:44 PM ----------
If you're an iPhone user I recommend you buying a Phone with Android stock or close like a Google Pixel or a OnePlus. You'll get a "polished" experience that will remind you iPhones whitout the drawbacks. MIUI, One UI... are less polished, I would not buy them If I were an iPhone user.
Writing from a Mi 9T, the phone is awesome, but maybe not for you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wolfcity said:
The 9t is my first Xiaomi device too, I only owned Motorola devices until now.
1) For my eyes the display is colour accurate, no burn in until now (have to say that I own the device just a few month). No jitter or ghost touch problems.
2) I'm on latest MIUI 11 stable and battery life is just awesome compared to my other devices. I'm a heavy user (lot of SOT, WLAN/mobile data,GPS and Bluetooth) and until now I wasn't able to get under 35-40% after a day.
3) I can't tell you, maybe someone with more Xiaomi experience than I has to answer that.
If you're aware of the Xiaomi typic things like bloatware (can be solved with root privileges or by ADB without root) this device is a really good deal for the money. Camera, Display, overall speed.... I'm very satisfied with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your replies. I read that Xiaomi gets AMOLED screens from two companies one Samsung and the other one is Visionox. ( VDE ID.40049450 & VDE ID.40050054 )
People say Xiaomi display is a lottery and also for the fingerprint they used another company’s sensor after the launch. ( First units get a nice FPC one that works great every time, then they silently introduce models with Goodix fingerprint readers instead which just aren't on par. )
https://www.reddit.com/r/Xiaomi/comments/c0hqqk/mi_9t_has_amoled_instead_of_samsung_amoled_should/
Is there anyway to find out which display is used before I buy a phone and open the package?
The thing is I’m on budget right now and I don’t want to sell my iPhone 7 and get a defective phone.
Artaherzadeh said:
Thanks for your replies. I read that Xiaomi gets AMOLED screens from two companies one Samsung and the other one is Visionox. ( VDE ID.40049450 & VDE ID.40050054 )
People say Xiaomi display is a lottery and also for the fingerprint they used another company’s sensor after the launch. ( First units get a nice FPC one that works great every time, then they silently introduce models with Goodix fingerprint readers instead which just aren't on par. )
https://www.reddit.com/r/Xiaomi/comments/c0hqqk/mi_9t_has_amoled_instead_of_samsung_amoled_should/
Is there anyway to find out which display is used before I buy a phone and open the package?
The thing is I’m on budget right now and I don’t want to sell my iPhone 7 and get a defective phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never heard of that and I have no idea how to detect in advance which display/fingerprint reader is used.
But I checked mine and it says goodix fingerprint, which is the cheaper one, and I'm satisfied with it...
Probably the display will also be the "cheaper" one, but I have absolutely nothing to complain about it! ?*
Screen is on top!
Camera is average nowadays (I got a View 20 it's miles away for pictures quality)
I got it for 1 week and got to say I'm only satisfied with Lineage OS custom ROM. The MIUI ROM is so bloated and buggy I almost returned the phone after a few days ? I would not suggest this device to someone coming from iPhone. Better go for a OnePlus device.
But if you love flashing and tweaking phones, go for it ? the price/quality ratio is good.
I'd recommend buying Nova 5T. Davinci is a good phone, but you need to debloat it after buying, then you may face UI performance issue (my phone was laggy but after deleting App Vault app update it worked properly, overall it is a rare problem). This is still a really good phone, I really enjoy using it. Also, it has better cameras and makes better photos with GCam than Nova does (my friend bought Nova and we compared). But Huawei has a more powerful CPU and no bloatware, usable out of the box so to say. Also, you should be familiar with EMUI as it copies IOS in many aspects. So, if you don't take too many photos at night and not going to root your phone or flash any custom ROM, I think Nova 5T is better than MI 9T
spring_roll said:
Never heard of that and I have no idea how to detect in advance which display/fingerprint reader is used.
But I checked mine and it says goodix fingerprint, which is the cheaper one, and I'm satisfied with it...
Probably the display will also be the "cheaper" one, but I have absolutely nothing to complain about it! ?*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which app you use to detect your fingerprint (hardware) type?
zgfg said:
Which app you use to detect your fingerprint (hardware) type?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Device Info HW
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ru.andr7e.deviceinfohw
spring_roll said:
Device Info HW
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ru.andr7e.deviceinfohw
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks
Touchscreen works excellent (goodix_ts) but fingerprint (goodix_ts) is practically of no use, total sh...(MIUI 10,11)
screen jitter and ghosting have been fixed for a while now, I haven't experienced those problems in a very long time. Mi 9T is very good for basically everything if you're a normal or heavy user, if you are a serious gamer or modder I would recommend the pro. Display has no issues and I have overclocked it and done tons of risky stuff with my display. Your milage may vary so don't take me for granted.
Artaherzadeh said:
Thanks for your replies. I read that Xiaomi gets AMOLED screens from two companies one Samsung and the other one is Visionox. ( VDE ID.40049450 & VDE ID.40050054 )
People say Xiaomi display is a lottery and also for the fingerprint they used another company’s sensor after the launch. ( First units get a nice FPC one that works great every time, then they silently introduce models with Goodix fingerprint readers instead which just aren't on par. )
https://www.reddit.com/r/Xiaomi/comments/c0hqqk/mi_9t_has_amoled_instead_of_samsung_amoled_should/
Is there anyway to find out which display is used before I buy a phone and open the package?
The thing is I’m on budget right now and I don’t want to sell my iPhone 7 and get a defective phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have to say, fingerprint sensor is not that fast. My only con.
About jumping to android. You definetly have to bee open mind and curious to get the most of it. Unlock bootloader, root and, most of all, debloat, is a must to have the best experience.
About Xiaomi. I reallly like miui, but this is a matter of taste. I had a redmi note 5 before and I see that it is steel being updated. So, about that, don't worry.
So I bought the OnePlus 8 Pro with the intention to replace my OnePlus 7 Pro as my work phone. The phone is incredible but in the end I will be keeping the OnePlus 7 Pro. Being a Verizon user, there are quite a few hurdles to using a OnePlus phone as well. Here is a breakdown of my experience:
PROS of the OnePlus 8
+Much more comfortable to hold, due to narrower size, lighter weight
+The sharper curved screen looks and feels much better than the OP7 Pro
+Wireless charging
+Much improved battery life
+Improved Camera
+Several months ahead on updates
CONS of the OnePlus 8 Pro
-No WiFi Calling on Verizon; delayed text notifications
-OnePlus Gestures (excellent) were replaced by Google's buggy default gestures, the 7 Pro still has them.
-Image retention is a major problem on 120 Hz. In Dark mode, ghosted images can remain for anywhere from 5 seconds to 10 minutes. No issues on 7 Pro
-The hole punch is annoying, not because of its existence, but that OnePlus gives no options without a custom rom
-Android 11 is buggy and needs quite a bit of work
All in all, I'm sad to be returning the OnePlus 8 Pro. It's a gorgeous phone with solid build, and so much potential for customization but I can't justify the cost over keeping the OnePlus 7 Pro with its many annoyances. The OnePlus 7 still has no WiFi calling with Verizon, but is otherwise polished. I hope this helps anyone debating the same upgrade.
Guyinlaca said:
So I bought the OnePlus 8 Pro with the intention to replace my OnePlus 7 Pro as my work phone. The phone is incredible but in the end I will be keeping the OnePlus 7 Pro. Being a Verizon user, there are quite a few hurdles to using a OnePlus phone as well. Here is a breakdown of my experience:
PROS of the OnePlus 8
+Much more comfortable to hold, due to narrower size, lighter weight
+The sharper curved screen looks and feels much better than the OP7 Pro
+Wireless charging
+Much improved battery life
+Improved Camera
+Several months ahead on updates
CONS of the OnePlus 8 Pro
-No WiFi Calling on Verizon; delayed text notifications
-OnePlus Gestures (excellent) were replaced by Google's buggy default gestures, the 7 Pro still has them.
-Image retention is a major problem on 120 Hz. In Dark mode, ghosted images can remain for anywhere from 5 seconds to 10 minutes. No issues on 7 Pro
-The hole punch is annoying, not because of its existence, but that OnePlus gives no options without a custom rom
-Android 11 is buggy and needs quite a bit of work
All in all, I'm sad to be returning the OnePlus 8 Pro. It's a gorgeous phone with solid build, and so much potential for customization but I can't justify the cost over keeping the OnePlus 7 Pro with its many annoyances. The OnePlus 7 still has no WiFi calling with Verizon, but is otherwise polished. I hope this helps anyone debating the same upgrade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a shame that. Do you have to use Verizon, it seems that they force people to do what "they" want rather than what "you" need.
I wouldn't give them the time of day personally.
Haven't had any image retention issues on my device, but I have heard this mentioned, seems to be more prevalent in the states than Europe? Not sure why.
Oh and the punch hole.
Lol check the image, I've found a way to make it look decent.
Also 11 for me has been superb, I hated it at first but I got used to it and now I couldn't go back, especially with the under keyboard gap now being removed.
Shame, but good luck with whatever you get next, I'd certainly consider ditching Verizon and going with another provider, they seem to be extremely counter intuitive
I only got the 8 Pro for 5G but prefer my 7 Pro and Volte worked on that
Shipoftheline said:
I only got the 8 Pro for 5G but prefer my 7 Pro and Volte worked on that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me 5G has been awful.
I only use 4G got mine for the performance and the camera is brilliant
dladz said:
For me 5G has been awful.
I only use 5G I got mine got the performance and the camera is brilliant
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually found the camera's on the 7 Pro just as good, really not seen any improvement and as for 5G
I'd say my old 7pro is better than my 8pro. Display doesn't have green tint, camera about the same and 7pro still has Widevine L1 (8pro dropped to L3 on its own)and no cam cut out on display. 8pro upgrade wasn't worth it for me.
Shipoftheline said:
I actually found the camera's on the 7 Pro just as good, really not seen any improvement and as for 5G
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol the camera is not better on the 7 mate, I wouldn't say that.
I used to be able to get 300+ on 4G. No one needs more than that
dladz said:
Lol the camera is not better on the 7 mate, I wouldn't say that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We'd have to agree to disagree on that
Shipoftheline said:
We'd have to agree to disagree on that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it's highly dependent on the person doing the shooting.