I am using a Leagoo Elite 1 since 2 years and I am very satisfied with it. I had a problem with it once (self inflicted) but I found efficient and useful help from the AE store where I bought it.
I bought (when it was new) Xiaomi RedMi 1. It still server as my childs first phone.
Upgraded it to Cyanogen.
I upgraded to Mi5 a year ago but I made a mistake when ordering (Aliexpress, HongKond Goldway is a good seller) and took the chinese ROM. Should have taken the Global ROM.
It is possible to change it but not the easiest task.
Ordered to my friend a Xiaomi RedMi 4 pro-prime and he has been especially pleased to battery runtime after his Sony.
Recently ordered RedMi 4A to my other son and a replacement to redmi1, RedMi 4 pro to my older son.
These later times I took the Global ROM and no issues this time 
Oh… They are also available locally here in Finland so warranty is possible BUT it adds 50EUR to price to buy locally a chinese 100EUR phone so I have not bothered to think about the warranty…
Kids seem to drop their phones anyway sooo…. 
I vote for Xiaomi too. I’ve been using Xiaomi phones (Redmi 1s, Redmi Note 3 pro) for years.
- MIUI OS
- OTA update
- lightning fast GPS, Glonass, Beidou positioning
- good display & battery
I purchased my Huawei Mate 9 from www.swappa.com at a cheaper price compared to BestBuy.
Worth to take a look at swappa.com for good deals
I’m in the market for a new phone myself so I’m also interested in peoples opinions. I use T-Mobil’s pay as you go plan and don’t have data. Presently I’m using a Microsoft 640 LTE that I bought direct from MS and have never had any kind of service warrant, and I’m okay with that. I almost never make phone calls and seldom text so those things aren’t really priorities in a cell phone. Mostly I use my phone as a camera, and for podcasts, and audiobooks. I’ve been looking at the Xiaomi’s, and most people have good things to say about those.
I’ve had my LG G5 about a year now and it’s a great phone. The “friends” that interchange are a joke, but once you are past that, it was last year’s cutting edge phone from LG with stats that matched all other providers, AND…it is dirt cheap now since L6 has been released. Available for just over $200 on eBay. I have bought 2 more just as backups. I still love the removable battery but it also fast charges to 80% in about half hour. Gets updates PDQ also.
Still happy with my 1+ one (now running LineageOS 14.1) and if I did upgrade it would be a 1+ five.
+1
I have been using my Mi6 for around 4 months and couldn’t be happier, apart from losing the headphone jack. (Did they really need to copy apple?)
For friends and family, I always suggest the Redmi note 4 Pro, one of the best phones under AU$200 /US$150 in my experience.
Parts like screens are easily available and not too costly, with the Redmi Note 4 Pro LCD selling for around $25.
Replacement is quite simple too.
The only downside with the Mi6 is no Band 22 LTE, however I still get full strength LTE connection on other bands.
I believe some variants of the Redmi Note 4 with the SD625 SOC do have this band.
Always check your LTE bands when buying from China.
-John
International is not global.I was looking at Xaomi phones and then read some reviews.Only one review made it clear that for all your 4G bands,you need the global version.For France,my carrier uses 3,7 and 20.
International edition seems to mean that Android is in your chosen language without Chinese start pages etc,nothing to do with band frequencies.I learn something every day.
The Redmi Note 4 feels a little heavy and slippery with the metal back.
As others have said, make sure the LTE bands are compatible with your carrier’s.
I use straight talk because the big phone companies pillage your wallet and I get the same services for $50 a month. Without a contract you don’t really have much of a warranty anyways so I just buy phones used. The latest flagship phones cost too much brand new, $400 and up. I just use 2 gens ago. Samsung Galaxy S6 used for $180 and it works great.
I’d try a Xiaomi, but I never knew anyone that owned one.
Dunno what that covers, whether data, too, or just voice/text.
For me, I got 2 prepaid accounts:
TMobile for 100bux/yr (100bux at 10¢/min, so 1000min and a 1yr expiration). So if all I expect to do is yak for a few min, I’ll use that. Also for texts back’n’forth when it might not be possible to talk.
AT&T at 2bux/day if there’s any activity that day (even a 1min call or 1 text counts). So if I expect to use it for more than 20min (eg, people at work bugging me), I’ll use that phone/acct instead. 25bux or more buys a 90day expiration, so that’s the same effective rate per year as the TM acct. So basically I pay 200bux/year total, for about, what?, 17bux/mo?
I’m definitely not a Phone Guy™, so people know enough not to bug me on the phone, and just send email or something. And I’m one of those who can sit right next to a phone when it’s ringing and not be inclined in the slightest to pick it up. 
Ymmv.
I wonder if anyone else has realized how the capabilities of a decent ‘smartphone’ exceeds the desktop computer from 10 yrs ago. My ageing 1+ one has a quad core 2.4GHz processor, 4GB ram, and 64GB storage. Cheaper than the core2 duo I built and overclocked to 3.6 GHz shortly before (although the desktop did have 2TB storage but I couldn’t carry it in my pocket).
My “desktop system” was going to be a monitor with a Raspberry Pi stuck to the back. Wireless keyboard w/ touchpad, plus wifi, means everything’s self-contained and connects directly to the ’net with nothing else required.
Then they go and break the vpn at work so that it no longer works with anything but winblows. 
—
I can only imagine some connector to get video-out from a phone, and be able to use a wireless kb through bluetoof. That would be tres kewl…
microsoft and samsung has done it, it’s lumia continium and samsung dex station
but IMO, phone will never replace laptop/desktop computer, if i have to carry a phone and a dock, and a keyboard, no thanks, i will carry my surface pro
The
Xiaomi Redmi 4X Global Edition 5.0 inch 3GB RAM 32GB ROM Snapdragon 435 Octa-core 4G
is quite good. Also there is an official LinageOS ROM (former Cyanogem Mod).
If you need to check LTE bands of a device
google: device gsmarena spec
Normally the first entry gives you a feature table
I have Xiaomi Redmi 4x global, MI4C and Redmi Note 4.
No problems whatsoever. Bootloaders unlocked, rooted.
I also have Moto Z Play, SGS6.
Xiaomi keep up the pace with much smaller budget.
Next phone will be Xiaomi hands down.
Mike
+1 for Xiaomi, they can’t be beat on the price/quality and they actually have official rom updates for their phones, rare for a chinese maker, i have a Note3, a Note4 and a redmi 4x.
This morning I pulled the trigger on a Xaomi 4X global from GB,only available in gold :confounded: at $128, but it will live in a case so ok