Everything You Need to Know About Importing a Chinese Smartphone

One mode to debar this gamble connected customs charges is to bargain devices that person already been imported into the country, but chances are the prices connected them volition beryllium higher.

Operating System

All the large Chinese manufacturers person their ain operating systems, though galore of them are built connected apical of Android. While Honor’s Magic OS and Xiaomi’s HyperOS are slick, feature-packed, and comparatively casual to customize, that’s not existent for each Chinese manufacturers. Sometimes you volition brushwood shoddy translations, confusing menus, and quirks that tin beryllium hard to unrecorded with.

The immense bulk volition inactive tally Android apps and games, but the latest Huawei phones tally HarmonyOS. Originally forked from the Android Open Source Project, it is present wholly separate, and Huawei phones tin nary longer tally Android apps. Following its US ban, the institution has developed an autarkic ecosystem of apps and services.

Software Updates

While Chinese smartphone makers person been improving their committedness to Android versions and information updates, it’s important to cheque however galore years of updates you tin expect for your chosen device. You should besides see that it whitethorn instrumentality a agelong clip aft a caller Android mentation is released for your telephone to really person the update.

Bloatware

US phones aren’t immune to bloatware, but it is precise communal connected Chinese smartphones. Any import volition astir apt travel with a full scope of apps and games preinstalled. You tin mostly uninstall thing you don’t privation (I urge doing this instantly aft setup), but you whitethorn beryllium stuck with immoderate of them, peculiarly if you opted for a Chinese exemplary alternatively of a planetary version.

Software Security, Spyware, and Malware

While you bash person to enactment immoderate spot successful your chosen phone’s manufacturer, and they whitethorn petition entree to a batch of information for definite features to enactment correctly, there’s nary grounds to enactment the thought that Chinese phones are riddled with spyware oregon malware. That said, buying used, open-box, oregon off-brand Android phones is risky, arsenic a 3rd enactment whitethorn person installed spyware, oregon a cheap, no-name instrumentality whitethorn person malware installed astatine the firmware level. Pay attraction to the brand, provenance, and seller, and instrumentality to recognized names.

Where to Buy

You whitethorn beryllium capable to bargain straight from the shaper done their website. Failing that, take a retailer with a decent estimation and coagulated online reviews. While we can’t vouch for them, Wonda Mobile and Giztop are precise fashionable options, and immoderate Chinese smartphones tin beryllium recovered for merchantability connected Amazon. I would beryllium wary of listings connected AliExpress oregon eBay. If you bash usage a marketplace website, ever cheque the seller’s reviews.

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