6 advantages and disadvantages of buying a Xiaomi cell phone

Choosing a new cell phone always leads us to prioritize some things over others. This is natural, since every choice in life is also a renunciation of what was not chosen. And that applies when you choose to buy Xiaomi, obviously.

There are advantages and disadvantages, it doesn’t matter if you think about importing or buying a Xiaomi cell phone that is already in Brazil. Indeed, this issue is just one of the aspects to take into account. Even because the products themselves have their positives and negatives.

Canaltech lists some of the advantages and disadvantages of buying Xiaomi. You may or may not agree with some points, but it’s good to keep them in mind. After all, a smartphone is not a cheap product, and making the choice consciously can be essential to get it right.

Advantages of buying Xiaomi

1 – Performance

It is undeniable that Xiaomi cell phones usually offer superior performance to models in the same price range. Of course, not all of the brand’s devices ‘fly’, but most run everything.

This is clear from the benchmark scores of the brand’s devices. The Poco F5 Pro, which has a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, scored about 200 thousand points less than the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The CPU and GPU scores make it clear that Xiaomi manages to extract the hardware maximum.

Anyone who has used a Xiaomi cell phone and models from other brands with similar hardware knows that there is a difference. The fluidity of the Chinese brand’s models is impressive and remarkable when you compare them side by side.

2 – Price on AliExpress

This point has already been a major advantage in the past, but it is still true in some cases. Buying Xiaomi on AliExpress means saving a good amount when compared to similar models. This is because the Chinese marketplace is able to offer much lower prices than those seen in other markets.

Let’s take the Poco F5 Pro as an example. It even has slightly better hardware than the s22, as it features the Plus version of Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. And it costs around R$2,300 in the Chinese marketplace, while the S22 is around R$2,900 in Brazilian online retail .

And that’s in the version with 256 GB of storage, twice as much as Samsung’s cell phone at the quoted price. Thinking only about performance, the value of the Poco F5 Pro seems much more interesting, despite still having possible fees. And the warranty could be an issue, but I’ll get to that shortly.

I used this just as an example. You can always compare the price on AliExpress with a similar cell phone in Brazilian online retailers. Generally, thinking only about hardware, it is more worth buying Xiaomi, as the cost will be lower.

3 – MIUI and special features

MIUI is one of the Android interfaces that most resemble iOS when it comes to operating mode. Don’t like the app drawer? No need to use. Want a control center? Here you go. Want lots of widgets? It has all kinds. Okay, most of these features are in other Android.

But there are some advantages over Apple’s operating system, too. The level of appearance customization is unlimited. You can change wallpaper, fonts, colors, everything. And very easily, with themes downloaded in a native app.

Another great feature is the second space. With it, you can have completely different areas on your cell phone. One to use at home and another on the street, for example. And you can configure it to open the first one with a fingerprint and the second one with another.

And it has infrared, an uncommon feature on cell phones from other brands. But almost every smartphone from Xiaomi has it. And it allows the user to control televisions, air conditioners and any device with remote control by cell phone.

Disadvantages of a Xiaomi mobile phone

4 – Import x guarantee

Among the disadvantages is the issue of warranty. In the Chinese marketplace, as well as in Brazil, the seller usually gives 90 days for exchanges due to manufacturing defects. Technology companies with official representation here offer a 12-month warranty, including repairs.

And then there are some extra problems, especially for those who buy direct from China. To make an exchange, you have to send the device back, and only when it reaches the seller, does he send another one. This process can be quite time consuming.

For those who have a secondary cell phone and can afford to wait, it’s not a big problem. But for those who only have one device, it’s a risk to be without one for months. Of course, the chance of a smartphone having a problem is small, considering the amount that is produced per year.

But it does exist, and it’s good to keep that in mind before deciding to buy Xiaomi direct from China.

5 – Updates

Xiaomi cell phones usually receive even a lot of updates. But these are usually MIUI bug fixes or new interface features. The operating system itself rarely changes, even if the MIUI version changes.

Also, the company does not give a very clear schedule of updates for its devices. At most, it releases a list of those who will receive a new version of the interface. It is true that the list is quite long, but I repeat: it changes MIUI, but it does not always change Android.

Some people might even argue that this is not a problem, because the resources come anyway. But there are some problems, ranging from applications that may lose compatibility to security issues.

6 – Bugs

Bugs on Xiaomi phones have been a much bigger problem in the past. Problems such as screen retention or ghost touch on the Redmi Note line, for example, are already less common. The updates that bring more headache than news are also less and less frequent.

However, it is always good to talk to a lot of people who buy Xiaomi to find out how things are going. I’ve read reports from some users about bugs in Poco phones, mainly. But, considering the amount of devices that are manufactured, I believe it is more a bad luck of these people than an oversight of the brand.

Even so, I see many users reluctant to update their Xiaomi mobile precisely because they are afraid of having problems. The tip to avoid this is to wait a few days after a new update comes out to see if there are many reports. Especially if you can’t afford to be without your cell phone for awhile.

At least now Xiaomi is officially present in Brazil and can now provide greater assistance to the consumer. At least in the models launched here, of course, which is not the entire line. That is, one more tip is to buy models that the brand has in its national catalogue, as this way it is easier to “cry” a support.

🛒 See the price of Xiaomi cell phones in Magalu

🛒 See the price of Xiaomi cell phones on Mercado Livre

🛒 See Xiaomi cell phone price on Amazon