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  tofei

  

  Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G

  Global · 6GB · 128GB

  11 months ago

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  Great display, good specs overall, average camera performance

  Tested 2 units for 3 whole days each. Comes with pre-installed screen protector and free clear jelly case. 120Hz amoled display is bright enough and gives crisp colors to my casual experience. Camera performance is average, well lighted subjects and scenes are mostly OK, outdoor night shots even on night mode still looks terrible even if you compensated with better lighting. A bit disappointed that Xiaomi's own Game Turbo app was not included on the MiUI14 it came with but I was able to play Arknights well and a bit of Genshin Impact with acceptable graphic hiccups here and there. Wifi, mirror/cast, BT, GPS, mobile signals and FM radio works well. MicroSD and OTG also working fine. Sounds and audio quality on the single speaker are OK too but maybe tinny for audiophiles. The 5000mAh battery can last a day of moderate mobile phone usage and the included 33-watt charger and USB-type C cable charges from <10% to full in about 1.5 hours or so.

  Pros

  • 120hz AMOLED display
  • Widevine L1
  • 5000mAh battery with 33 watts Mi Turbo charger

  Cons

  • mediocre to average camera performance overall
  • some lags and glitches here and there
  • not 5G still, no NFC

  • 7
  • Screen7.0
  • Performance6.3
  • Camera5.5
  • Connectivity6.6
  • Battery7.0

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  tofei

  

  vivo V9

  Global · 4GB · 64GB

  1 year ago

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  Mediocre price-performance ratio IMHO but good cameras

  Good display but the notch was so pre-2020ish. Front and rear camera performance were actually good on well-lighted subjects and scenes, nighttime shots are just plain good enough so take that as you will. Good mobile signal reception, same goes with the wifi, Bluetooth, FM radio (with headset plugged-in) and GPS location. Bottom speaker and mic just OK for calls and media. Fingerprint scanner works fine most of the time but not very snappy. OTG also working but still on microUSB which seems take forever to charge the degraded anemic 3000mAh battery that I had to replace it with an OEM battery so I could get better battery endurance, and at least make it through the end of the day with moderate phone usage.

  Pros

  • nice camera performance
  • good enough display
  • I find the Jovi Smart Scene actually useful

  Cons

  • battery sucks
  • no IP rating
  • some lags here and there

  • 6.5
  • Screen6.5
  • Performance6.3
  • Camera7.0
  • Connectivity6.0
  • Battery9.0

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  tofei

  

  Asus ZenFone 4

  Global · 1GB · 8GB

  1 year ago

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  Just OK small and budget smartphone of it's time

  I got the T00I model or A400CG version as a hand-me-down from my brother 7 years ago. I recently found it again on one of my storage boxes and it's still working! I was able to update to Android 5.0 Lollipop before I stored it away last time, and every other software updates or tweaks are held up to that. The ZenUI still looks OK but it's sluggish now, had a bunch of bloatware that I had uninstalled or disabled to help the 1GB RAM and free the rest of the tiny internal 8GB storage. Using it now in 2023 both the cameras are terrible but back in it's time it was good to have at least. Wifi, bluetooth, FM radio, mobile signals, microSD, OTG, sounds, the tiny speaker all still work fine and the haptic feedback is still great. The removable and measly 1600mAh battery is now wonky and sometimes won't charge properly as it's showing it's age, microUSB charges quickly to full but to maximize battery endurance even on simple standby I had to turn on the ultra-saving mode so the full charge can be stretched to at least a day or close to the next day.

  Pros

  • Good price point for budget entry at time of release
  • Small enough for one hand
  • Still working after almost 9 years from release

  Cons

  • it's old, nuff said
  • tiny everything: screen, RAM, internal storage
  • anemic battery

  • 5
  • Screen6.0
  • Performance6.0
  • Camera3.5
  • Connectivity5.0
  • Battery9.0

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  tofei

  

  Xiaomi Redmi Note 11

  China · 6GB · 128GB

  1 year ago

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  AMOLED on budget for 2022

  AMOLED screen is good, AOD is still at 10 seconds timeout but could be enabled to actually stay on under Developer Options. 90hz provides smooth transitions and animations but may drain battery more quickly. Confirmed Widevine Security Level is 1.
  
  Camera and video performance are also satisfactory, good shots on daylight or well lighted subject or scenes, night or low light shots is more miss than hits so illuminate subjects/scenes well first.
  
  Fingerprint unlock is quick and snappy. Dual speakers are great IMHO. Mobile signal and data, WIFI, BT, GPS, FM Radio, USB OTG, microSD, IR and cast/mirror works well as expected.
  
  The 5000mAh battery will get you at least through the day of moderate usage but will be less if you crank up to 90hz display. Advertised 60 minutes full charge using the supplied 33W charger is true as average charging time I got was an hour and some extra several minutes from 1-5% to full charge while powered off, once I even timed it to just 59 minutes!

  Pros

  • AMOLED 90hz display
  • 5000mAh battery, 33w fast charging
  • Dual speakers
  • Widevine Security Level 1

  Cons

  • Mediocre lowlight/night camera performance
  • Not 5G yet
  • No NFC on my unit version

  • 9
  • Screen8.0
  • Performance8.6
  • Camera8.0
  • Connectivity8.0
  • Battery9.0

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  tofei

  

  Xiaomi Redmi 9C

  Global · 4GB · 128GB

  2 years ago

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  Just OK Redmi 2020 budget phone

  Price-performance ratio in my opinion is just OK, good enough for basic and casual phone tasks and not much else. Display is just OK too. Camera performance are mediocre to average and just good enough for just everyday casual shots, takes daytime/well lighted pictures satisfactorily enough but night time/low light shots are as expected poor. Sounds and audio will get you by for most tasks. Mobile data, wifi, bluetooth, GPS, cast/mirror, microSD, USB OTG and fingerprint sensor are working well. Bought from online shopping platform and was advertised with NFC but the unit I received got no NFC so I was bit miffed about it. Big battery but no fast charging support and still on microUSB.

  Pros

  • Just OK price-performance ratio for budget phones
  • At least have fingerprint sensor
  • Good endurance on the big battery

  Cons

  • No fast charging and still on microUSB
  • Cameras are just meh
  • No IP rating. no notification LED

  • 6
  • Screen6.0
  • Performance5.6
  • Camera5.7
  • Connectivity6.0
  • Battery7.0

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  tofei

  

  Samsung Galaxy M12

  Global · 4GB · 64GB · SM-M127F

  2 years ago

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  Very good 2021 Samsung budget phone

  Good, wide IPS display for watching videos and playing games but mediocre to average readability outdoors depending on where you read it. Game tested the 90hz display on Arknights, good performance there while Genshin Impact is at least playable. Good daylight photos on both front and rear cameras, 48MP mode shots are just about OK, while night time/low light performance are (again) average for a budget camera phone. Sounds, audio and speaker performance are good. Side fingerprint recognition is quick and snappy. Mobile signals, wifi, bluetooth, GPS, USB OTG, microSD, FM radio and mirror/cast are also working satisfactorily within expectations. No notification LED but the camera LED and the screen can be used for light notification. The 5000 mAh has a very good endurance that it will last more than a day on moderate usage, unfortunately even with Samsung's adaptive fast charging, >10% charge to full will take over 2 hours!

  Pros

  • Good IPS 90hz display
  • Excellent price-performance ratio in my opinion
  • Good camera performance for it's price

  Cons

  • Samsung's adaptive fast charging sucks for this phone
  • No notification LED
  • No IP rating

  • 7
  • Screen7.0
  • Performance7.0
  • Camera6.5
  • Connectivity7.0
  • Battery7.0

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  tofei

  

  Infinix Hot 10 Play

  Global · 4GB · 64GB

  2 years ago

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  For a budget phone it's just barely OK

  Comes with clear hard case and a screen protector that you have to DIY to install. Good wide display for videos but average readability outdoors. The processor and RAM are adequate for social media consumption and activities. I don't play multiplayer mobile games so I didn't try those but I tried Arknights, it was playable but laggy while Genshin Impact didn't load at all. Acceptable daylight photos on both front and rear cameras but nighttime/low light is just meh. Sounds, audio and speaker performance are also just OK. Fingerprint recognition works most of the time but not that quick and snappy. Mobile signals, wifi, bluetooth, GPS, and FM radio are working satisfactorily within expectations. MicroSD works but won't read portable media and wants to format it every time I insert it. No USB OTG support. The big battery has a very good endurance on moderate usage that it takes a whole day to drain with some charge left to spare at the end, unfortunately charging at 2A max takes an average of three hours at least to fully charge.

  Pros

  • Just OK price-performance ratio in my opinion
  • Good display for it's price
  • Big battery with good endurance
  • At least have a fingerprint scanner

  Cons

  • Not for playing heavy or graphic intensive games
  • No fast charging support
  • Mediocre fingerprint scanner performance
  • No USB OTG support & still on micro USB

  • 5.7
  • Screen5.7
  • Performance5.6
  • Camera5.5
  • Connectivity6.0
  • Battery7.0

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  tofei

  

  Xiaomi Redmi 9T

  Global · 4GB · 64GB · No NFC

  2 years ago

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  Good 2021 budget phone

  Comes with a free clear jelly case and pre-installed screen protector. Good IPS display but not so good readability under full daylight outdoors. The processor and RAM are more than adequate for social media consumption and activities, will run light casual games just fine but not graphic-intensive ones. Excellent daylight photos on both front and rear cameras but nighttime/low light performance is about average so either you get a good, acceptable shot or not. Sounds, audio and speaker performance are just about OK. Fingerprint recognition is quick and snappy for waking the display. Mobile signals, wifi, bluetooth, GPS, IR, FM radio, microSD, USB OTG and charging are working satisfactorily within expectations. Battery endurance on moderate usage takes about a day and a half to totally deplete while quick charging with the 22.5W charger takes about an hour and a half or so to fully top it off.

  Pros

  • USB Type C, IR
  • Fast charging, big battery with good endurance
  • Good price-performance ratio in my opinion

  Cons

  • Water-repellent coating but no actual IP rating
  • No notification LED
  • No NFC on my review unit

  • 7
  • Screen7.0
  • Performance7.3
  • Camera7.2
  • Connectivity7.0
  • Battery9.0

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  tofei

  

  Infinix Smart 5

  India · 2GB · 32GB

  2 years ago

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  Some issues but good enough for a budget phone

  Actually got the 3GB/64GB configuration. Display is large and good for watching videos but my unit has a small LCD bleed on the lower third center and 1 dead pixel perpetually lit green on the upper third center, not noticeable most of the time but annoying when you do notice it after sometime staring at the screen. Ul is smooth but there are frequent lags here and there, mostly on app loading and switching. OK for casual gaming but not on graphic intensive mobile games. Bloatware and pre-installed apps can be uninstalled, if not disabled. Mobile signals, wifi, bluetooth, GPS, cameras, fingerprint, FM radio and speakers work fine. Camera and video shots are acceptable with well-lighted/daylight subjects while low-light scenes are just meh, even the dual front LED lights are of no help on low-light selfies. Sounds are overall OK but the speaker during calls is weak. Big battery takes a day on moderate usage and may extend to another day on minimal usage. Still on micro-USB and no fast charging support, so charging it back to full will take a while.

  Pros

  • Very budget friendly
  • Daylight/well-lit camera photos are mostly OK
  • Big battery

  Cons

  • The display of the one I got has issues
  • MicroUSB and no fast charging
  • Laggy on app loading and switching

  • 5
  • Screen5.5
  • Performance5.0
  • Camera5.0
  • Connectivity6.0
  • Battery7.0

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  tofei

  

  Xiaomi Redmi 8

  Global · 3GB · 32GB

  3 years ago

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  2019 bang for the buck budget phone

  Got it for about 112USD in a local ecommerce platform flash sale back in December 12, 2019. The performance of the processor, 3GB RAM and 32GB internal are good enough for almost all basic mobile tasks except graphic heavy mobile games. Dual sim mobile signals, dedicated microSD, wifi, bluetooth, GPS, IR, front/rear cameras, microphone, and speakers are all working OK. The wireless FM does work without headphones unlike the Redmi Note 8 which still asks for a headphone to be plugged in the 3.5mm jack. The big battery takes a while to drain so it will last a full day of moderate usage like a champ!

  Pros

  • Mostly good internal specs
  • Big battery with fast charging support
  • Type C usb

  Cons

  • No NFC
  • Splash resistant but no IP rating
  • No LED notification

  • 8.1
  • Screen7.5
  • Performance7.0
  • Camera6.7
  • Connectivity7.3
  • Battery9.0

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