All my current in-use Android devices are stock Eclair or Gingerbread. Subsequently, the manufacturer abandoned any software updates for those models. Custom ROMs have saved those devices from the scrapyard and given them a much longer life. I learned how to DIY. It was an exciting ride, though a bit scary on occasion as I was playing with my daily driver. Many a weekend has been ruined pulling out my hair. Thankfully, I survived along with all those devices.
For now I am still keeping my trusty old smartphone. I am very familiar with all the internals and can rescue myself from disasters. I have accidently bricked and managed to unbrick it, which has given the confidence in this device. I have also managed to eek out a battery life for more than 2-3 days of normal use.
The only reason I need a new phone is to use a new Android versions. The only reason I need a new Android version is because Google insists on killling off older Android versions from their SDK and Google Play/Services strategy. FUD! This reminds me of the evil Wintel strategy compelling us to buy new computers every other year even though we did the exact same thing on a new computer. And now Google has taken over that mantel, having discarded their "Don't be Evil" motto.
Ok Google! What can you do to rescue all your older Android devices from the scrapyard? So many Android devices are being dumped in trash each year, even though they have near perfect hardware. I myself could rescue most of them and give them good homes, if only I had the time and resources.
We are worried about waste plastic bags. We should be even more worried about waste dumping perfectly functioning electronic hardware.
But I should stop ranting about how Google and smartphone companies are increasing toxic wastes, and get back on topic!
Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro
China's largest smartphone company, Xiaomi's flagship model. Some say this is better than the latest iPhone. Yet it is not half as expensive. A testimony to Chinese efficiency unlike the rip-off Wild West economy.
Too Big
First impressions: It is big… too big to feel comfortable or safe in my pocket. I do not think "big is better" anymore. My ethos has changed to "small is beautiful & efficient". I am being told that newer phones do not come in small sizes.
If I have to carry a manbag just to hold my phone, it is no more practically portable for me. My current phone fits comfortably in my trouser pocket without bulging out. It is small enough to safely fit in my hands and not slip out accidentally. It also has a slot for a lanyard which makes it feel more safe and secure.
I am afraid of holding this big new smartphone… constantly worried of it slipping out of my hands. It fell out of my hands in a bus on the very first day. Thankfully, I can't see any scratches or dents.
If I want a bigger device, I would use a smaller tablet or a phablet. A big phone is a #fail, falling at the first hurdle of portability!
My first requirement for my new smartphone was a small size. A smaller screen is also more battery efficient.
Design
The phone is slim and the build feels solid. I'm still afraid of it bending in my pockets. Reminds of the bent iPhone fiascos.
It has a transparent back, giving it a futuristic look. It feels impressive that you can see the smartphone internals, till you realise that is all fake. And to accomodate this extra fake gimmickry, Xiaomi had to reduce the battery size/capacity in their flagship phone. Can you believe that the Mi8 has a 3400 mAh battery, while their more expensive flagship model Mi 8 Pro has only a 3000 mAh battery?
Wonder if Xiaomi are targetting their premium flagship phone at juvenile kids?
My second requirement for my next smartphone was a big battery or rather bigger capacity. I don't want to start salivating every time I see a plug point, like I see some of the friends do all the time.
USB Type-C
This USB port is also used for charging, data cable, and audio. There is no 3.5mm audio jack on the phone to use a standard headset. Xiaomi's flagship phone does not come with a headphone. But they provide USB-C to 3.5mm adaptor in the box.
I don't have any USB-C device, charger, cable, or headphone. Everything I have has just become redundant. But apparently I have no choice as newer devices only come with USB-C. Guess I can't blame Xiaomi for this.
If the world wanted to move away from the brittle Micro-USB standard, I would have chosen Apple's Lightning connector. I find the male Lightning is smaller and more durable than the female Micro-USB/USB-C types. Those pins are fragile and dodgy. I have seem too many connectors break internally and don't last long enough.
MIUI
I haven't yet been exposed to MIUI, which is a layer on top of AOSP. I understand it is lighter than Google's packaged Android. But this phone packs in all the Google bloatware into the system, defeating the efficiency of a lighter Android.
Google apps are frequently updated, and should not be installed on the system partition or as part of the ROM. Those who want any Google App can very conveniently install them and keep them updated. ROMs should only contain static packages that do not need to be updated, unless as part of the ROM updates. I never update pre-installed apps, unless new features are critically useful to me.
Xiaomi has pre-installed many Google apps. And of course these Google Apps have to be updated. Which means yet another copy of these apps is installed in parallel unnecessarily. If you don't (want to) use any of these pre-installed Google apps, tough! Most of them are dogdy and run sneakily in the background. They will consume your battery and data, even if you never start them. You can't uninstall them either if they are pre-installed.
I don't have any particular opinion re MIUI. I usually have a few favourite home launchers that I install and use on whatever ROM that I might have. I don't see much of the MIUI System Launcher.
Granular app permissions are very important to me. Xiaomi gives me this, but not easily. For eg, I have to drill down and individually disable mobile data for every single app. This is very cumbersome, and I can't easily tell whether I have successfully managed to complete this task for all apps. Mobile data is expensive for me, and I only want data access via Wifi. I turn on mobile data only in an emergency, and usually find my bandwidth hogged by dodgy background apps hugrily clamouring for data.
Project Treble
My third requirement for a new phone is satisfied, and I'm happy.
Try this command from adb or a terminal emulator. If it returns true, your device supports Treble.
getprop ro.treble.enabled true
Camera
One of the main reasons I got this gift was for me to start taking more pictures and videos. Xiaomi's flagship model has the best camera they could do… dual 12M cameras with LED flash at the back and a 20M camera in front.
Dual SIM Cards
This phone can use two SIM Cards, both on standby. Either can be used for data access.
The Mi8 Lite can use one of it's two SIM Card slots for an SD Card instead, but this premium flagship phone can't.
SD Card
None! :(
Cost
This is probably the icing on the cake. I want this company to overtake all others. Xiaomi has already become the largest seller in China and India, the two biggest markets in the world.
While the dodgy Wild West comboys running the Western economy seem fascinated with Profit Maximisation strategies (signifying parasites), Xiaomi has made a promise to limit profit margins to 5%. I have always said that Profit Minimisation is what will make our world more efficient and more productive. I have just become a huge fan of Xiaomi.
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