Need a mobile under 20k, 128 GB internal storage, with custom ROM support

O

1. Budget?
- Under 20k, possibly near 15k.

2. Display type and size?
- Full HD, above 6 inches, 6.5 is better

3. Dual sim?
- Yes

4. Preferred choice of brand?
- maybe Samsung. No Chinese brands, as far as possible, but ready to accept Chinese ones if none other are available

5. What camera option you want (flash, front facing camera)?
- no preference

6. Preferred operating system? (Android, iOS,Stock Android etc).
- Android, with Custom ROM support

7. Preferred connectivity options (Dual 4G,802.11AC/5Ghz(not 5g mobile network) wifi).
- no preference

8. Primary use of handset (multimedia, camera, internet, gaming etc)?
- regular use - calling, whatsapp, etc.

9. Any specific mobile phones in consideration?
- I've found two that match my criteria - Realme 2 Pro, and Redmi Note 9 Pro, but both are Chinese.

10. Any other info that you want to share
- The main thing I want is a phone with 128 GB internal storage, and the ability to install Custom ROMs when required. This means only phones with Snapdragon processor, as far as I know.

The main reason I want a 128 GB phone is because my Whatsapp folder is very large and my current 64 GB phone keeps hitting storage limit. If there is a method to copy the media folder of Whatsapp to the SD Card --without rooting--, I'll settle for a 64 GB or even 32 GB phone, as long as I am able to install a custom Rom later. I'll use the phone in its factory setup until warranty expires, then install a custom ROM.

I dont think you have to root to copy Files. I usually go to WhatsApp > Media folder and copy files accordingly. You can also backup chat to google drive. Sorry cannot help you with mobile query as i am out of loop with it.

O

Yes, for just copying files, you don't need root. But to make Whatsapp work using the SD Card as storage, you need root and then use a method like XInternalSD. Without root, I don't think there's any method to make this work.

O

Samsung Galaxy M30s is available for 17K. It has Exynos processor, still there's a ROM available on XDA. From what I understand, only Snapdragon processors have ROM as they release the source code.

I don't think there is custom rom support for samsung phones now because of Exynos and Knox.

Oppo/vivo/huawei/honor don't have it because of arrogance.

Realme users get duped because oppo disables fingerprint in bl unlock devices (correct me if I'm wrong).

Only options in
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk

SaiyanGoku said:
Realme users get duped because oppo disables fingerprint in bl unlock devices (correct me if I'm wrong).

You are right, No fingerprint and VoLTE.

OP can get a poco phone, as it has good rom support. Or get a asus zenfone max pro m1/m2, or wait for m3 as they do have good custom rom supports, But M1/M2 does not have 128GB sttorage.
But, M3 is not coming anytime soon.

O

Redmi Note 9 Pro has dropped on Amazon:

Interstellar Black, 4GB RAM, 128GB Storage was 15,999 yesterday, it is 14,499 today.
Interstellar Black, 6GB RAM, 128GB Storage was 16,999 yesterday, it is 15,999 today.

Any reason why prices dropped by 1500/1000 today? Is it just because of the sale, or is something else going on, like getting rid of stocks because of the current India-China problem?

On Flipkart, the price is much higher.

Poco M2 Pro, available at this point only on Flipkart, is 15,999, and has the same specs as Redmi Note 9 Pro, other than having fast charging. Between the Redmi Note 9 Pro and Poco M2 Pro, which would you suggest?

OrrBitt said:
Redmi Note 9 Pro has dropped on Amazon:

Interstellar Black, 4GB RAM, 128GB Storage was 15,999 yesterday, it is 14,499 today.
Interstellar Black, 6GB RAM, 128GB Storage was 16,999 yesterday, it is 15,999 today.

Any reason why prices dropped by 1500/1000 today? Is it just because of the sale, or is something else going on, like getting rid of stocks because of the current India-China problem?

On Flipkart, the price is much higher.

Poco M2 Pro, available at this point only on Flipkart, is 15,999, and has the same specs as Redmi Note 9 Pro, other than having fast charging. Between the Redmi Note 9 Pro and Poco M2 Pro, which would you suggest?

Its more than 6 months old, nothing unusual. Redmi Note 10 series is close to launching.

Go for Poco M2 Pro over Note 9 Pro as Poco claims to have ad-free MIUI (still there are recommendations which you need to disable, guides available online to make MIUI ad free). Not sure about its custom ROM support. Since banks started not working in rooted devices, I stopped using ROMs as well. Moreover, it always needs some maintenance, a good stock ROM works well. I recently factory reset my 3 year old S8 & now it runs faster, not much "maintenance" was done on OS for 3 years.
How to Disable Ads, Bloatware, and Notifications in MIUI 11 | Beebom
How to Remove Bloatware from Android without Root [Guide] | Beebom

If you can, maybe get Moto One Fusion+, good device at 16k or maybe Poco X3 (bulky though).

O

Do I need to install tempered glass, since it already has gorilla glass?

OrrBitt said:
Do I need to install tempered glass, since it already has gorilla glass?

Gorilla glass is scratch-resistant, not scratch proof, so yes, it can be scratched. Use protection if you can.

OrrBitt said:
Do I need to install tempered glass, since it already has gorilla glass?

This is same as asking 'Do I need to wear seatbelt even if the car is a Level 5 autonomous vehicle?"

SaiyanGoku said:
This is same as asking 'Do I need to wear seatbelt even if the car is a Level 5 autonomous vehicle?"

lol

O

I went to a mobile shop to get tempered glass installed. The shop wala also suggested a back part lamination, saying it would prevent scratches, and since it was just rs. 100, I got it done. Later, I saw that he had removed a sticker on the back of the phone which contained two IMEI numbers and a serial no. This is how it looked (the photo is from flipkart):

*rukminim1.flixcart.com/blobio/1243...007_657dc181951f41d1ad50467c6a7720b1.jpg?q=80

The shop wala probably threw it away, but I started wondering, can those numbers, especially the serial no. be misused?

OrrBitt said:
I went to a mobile shop to get tempered glass installed. The shop wala also suggested a back part lamination, saying it would prevent scratches, and since it was just rs. 100, I got it done. Later, I saw that he had removed a sticker on the back of the phone which contained two IMEI numbers and a serial no. This is how it looked (the photo is from flipkart):

*rukminim1.flixcart.com/blobio/1243...007_657dc181951f41d1ad50467c6a7720b1.jpg?q=80

The shop wala probably threw it away, but I started wondering, can those numbers, especially the serial no. be misused?

Imei numbers can be misused. Should've bought a case instead of getting the phone laminated.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk

OrrBitt said:
I went to a mobile shop to get tempered glass installed. The shop wala also suggested a back part lamination, saying it would prevent scratches, and since it was just rs. 100, I got it done. Later, I saw that he had removed a sticker on the back of the phone which contained two IMEI numbers and a serial no. This is how it looked (the photo is from flipkart):

*rukminim1.flixcart.com/blobio/1243...007_657dc181951f41d1ad50467c6a7720b1.jpg?q=80

The shop wala probably threw it away, but I started wondering, can those numbers, especially the serial no. be misused?

Can you post a pic of how the lamination looks, not sure I have seen it before.

Also, could anyone explain about the last line on that sticker, "To protect your consumer rights, ..." ?

O

omega44-xt said:
Can you post a pic of how the lamination looks, not sure I have seen it before.

I could take a pic but there's nothing visible. It's a transparent plastic cover kind of thing. The same as the tempered glass at the front. So if you take a photo of the tempered glass at the front, you won't be able to see anything, in the same way, you can't see anything at the back. When the shop wala fitted it, he used some kind of plastic tool to press it hard against the mobile. The result is that any damage will be suffered by the lamination and the mobile body will be scratch free.

Take a look at these two items on flipkart; the one I have is similar, only it's completely transparent compared to the ones being sold on flipkart:

*www.flipkart.com/fad-e-front-back-...Lq+XjZFdg==&ppt=sp&ppn=sp&qH=d8acddb9a886e7b0

*www.flipkart.com/vaimi-front-back-...qhz7cwzwwxz41604418513628&qH=d8acddb9a886e7b0

TheSloth said:
Also, could anyone explain about the last line on that sticker, "To protect your consumer rights, ..." ?

This is another thing I was wondering about. How does keeping the sticker protect your consumer rights?

I got the thing laminated a week ago, and noticed the loss of sticker afterwards. Then I thought I'd go and ask him about the sticker to see if he's kept it, giving the reason that I might have problems with warranty if the sticker is not there, but I decided against it as he would probably find it strange. He must be laminating many mobiles everyday and probably wouldn't keep all the stickers. When I had gone to the shop, there was another person who had got her phone laminated, and had also got camera lens protector installed, a small plastic square that fits on the lens, like this one.

*www.amazon.in/Dainty-Protector-Tem...bile+camera+protection&qid=1604419458&sr=8-11

This was also new for me. I only knew about tempered glass till now.

Different marketing gimmicks to make money from accessories.

OrrBitt said:
This is another thing I was wondering about. How does keeping the sticker protect your consumer rights?

See, that sticker has your IMEI no. on it. That no. is used for identification while claiming warranty/reporting theft against insurance(if you have).

So if you loose it, you are screwed.(not that much until third party is available.) But before panicking just check the box, and the bill(if you bought offline, as the online resellers do not print IMEI on their bills) Usually, u will find that sticker in box also. Not only in the box but on the outside of box also, where MRP is written. So if you still reain the box, you are safe.

Next time, just peel that sticker and put it in your box.

RumbaMon19 said:
See, that sticker has your IMEI no. on it. That no. is used for identification while claiming warranty/reporting theft against insurance(if you have).

So if you loose it, you are screwed.(not that much until third party is available.) But before panicking just check the box, and the bill(if you bought offline, as the online resellers do not print IMEI on their bills) Usually, u will find that sticker in box also. Not only in the box but on the outside of box also, where MRP is written. So if you still reain the box, you are safe.

Next time, just peel that sticker and put it in your box.

So if one just remove the sticker off the phone then is it safe and would not create problem while claiming warranty or other issues? those are just IMEI numbers and can be seen in phone settings then why sticker is needed? or is it for the reason SaiyanGoku mentioned above, we should not lose the stickers with IMEI numbers?

TheSloth said:
So if one just remove the sticker off the phone then is it safe and would not create problem while claiming warranty or other issues? those are just IMEI numbers and can be seen in phone settings then why sticker is needed? or is it for the reason SaiyanGoku mentioned above, we should not lose the stickers with IMEI numbers?

Actually, Handsets in the past had removable backs allowing manufacturers to print all the information inside. And it made sense. Today the scenario is different. Almost every smartphone today is sealed or essentially cannot be opened by the user that easily. This left smartphone makers with two choices, print the information on the device or use a sticker.
It would be a good if you keep the sticker in some safe place as it has details about the hardware which might be useful while claiming warranty in case the phone doesn’t turn on.

So if you have that sticker, or if there is any such sticker in the box (Manufacturers give 2, one is pre-applied, another one is in the box with manuals. u also have one outside the box, with MRP), U will not face any problems. The sticker has serial no. and IMEI no.. If the serial no. on MoBo of phone matches the sticker, only then the warranty can be claimed..

But serial no. is also present on box and the Bill.

Yes, the software does gives it, but it can be easily edited, Hence cant be believed.

As far as IMEI misuse, there have been a lot of cases earlier of that. In some cases manufacturers like vivo used same IMEI no. on 600-700 devces, but in the other, some criminal was using stolen IMEI's to prevent tracking.

O

RumbaMon19 said:
So if you loose it, you are screwed.(not that much until third party is available.) But before panicking just check the box, and the bill(if you bought offline, as the online resellers do not print IMEI on their bills) Usually, u will find that sticker in box also. Not only in the box but on the outside of box also, where MRP is written. So if you still reain the box, you are safe.

I checked the box, it has both IMEIs and the serial no. Thanks for giving this info.

I just downloaded the invoice and found that it contains the first IMEI number, not the second one or the serial number (but there's no signature at the bottom).

I had the same question as @TheSloth - why require the sticker when you can get the info from the phone - and I would consider the output given by the mobile as more trustworthy than some sticker. But as @RumbaMon19 says, IMEI numbers can be changed in the phone. Manufacturers should hardcode an identification number in the phone so that it cannot be changed by software.

I'll visit the shop where I got the lamination done, and ask, maybe he has kept the sticker.

OrrBitt said:
I checked the box, it has both IMEIs and the serial no. Thanks for giving this info.

I just downloaded the invoice and found that it contains the first IMEI number, not the second one or the serial number (but there's no signature at the bottom).

I had the same question as @TheSloth - why require the sticker when you can get the info from the phone - and I would consider the output given by the mobile as more trustworthy than some sticker. But as @RumbaMon19 says, IMEI numbers can be changed in the phone. Manufacturers should hardcode an identification number in the phone so that it cannot be changed by software.

I'll visit the shop where I got the lamination done, and ask, maybe he has kept the sticker.

I think IMEI sticker is a regulatory requirement.

Don't worry if you lose the sticker. You can still claim the warranty.
The only thing is that the IMEI might be misused for other Chinese phones.

You only need the Bill/Warranty card for claiming warranty.

kaiz said:
I think you should check out the xiaomi 10T

Is that even under 20k?

RumbaMon19 said:
Is that even under 20k?

Nope, not sure what that guy was high on.