PSA for those looking for looking for a phone with a lot of specs for a budget price

[will13am]

I have been looking for a budget device with a FM radio feature that I can use when I go on long cycling trips.  I shopped around for 11.11 deals on Aliexpress and ended up getting a Umidigi A13 pro 5G $188 all in.  The value is amazing, 6.5" 90 Hz screen, 128GB storage, 8GB ram, CPU that matches the snapdragon 700 series performance, 48 MP camera (12 MP with 2x2 pixel binning enabled), fully compatible with North American 3G/4G/5G, VoLTE and WiFi calling capable, dual SIM (or single SIM plus micro SD), 3.5mm jack, 5150 mAh battery, android 12...  If anybody is in the market for a phone, I suggest giving this one a good look.  Right after 11.11 sale ended, Umidigi released the max version of this phone with 6.8" screen, 256GB storage, 12GB ram, faster CPU and 64 MP camera (16 MP with 2x2 pixel binning enabled).  If the max was available on the 11.11 sale, I would have paid the ~25% premium.  The pro version is also available on Amazon although I would suggest buying from the Umidigi official store on the Aliexpress shopping portal for the deep savings.  The phone will ship out of Singapore using registered mail with full tracking (track24.net) and will arrive in about 2.5 weeks time.  Avoid using DHL shipping which costs a lot and will also result in sales tax being assessed.  DHL likes to remit sales tax from the buyer so they can make a fee for doing so.  Singapore post has no such ill pursuits.  

[darlicious]

No thanks.....I would rather an open box Google pixel 4 for $229. Newer is not always better?!!

[will13am]

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@rodneyyap wrote:

I gave up on Umidigi phones because they are full of software bugs. One particular bug I found irritating was when I tried to insert a micro sd card, the phone will crash. I retried many times with different micro sd cards but it did the same thing. So no more Umidigis for me. Back to good ole Samsung.

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What phone model was that?  I do have to admit their software support is lacking but generally the hardware is solid.  

[rodneyyap]

I gave up on Umidigi phones because they are full of software bugs. One particular bug I found irritating was when I tried to insert a micro sd card, the phone will crash. I retried many times with different micro sd cards but it did the same thing. So no more Umidigis for me. Back to good ole Samsung.

[will13am]

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@computergeek541 wrote:

The sales tax still need to to be paid if shipping is done by Singapore post and delivered by Canada Post. Theoretically, the sales tax is the same regardless of the shipping carrier. The problem with DHL is with the much higher brokerage and handling fees. With delivery by Canada Post, CBSA doesn't have the resources to assess the value of each package and sometimes don't even bother requesting the sales tax even if the value is properly declared on the package.  They do sometimes though.

I don't like the Mediatek processors and IPS screens.  AMOLED would be much nicer.  $188 is very in inexpensive.  I couldn't imagine paying $1000 (or even up to $2000) for a new Pixel, iPhone, or Samsung S-series device).

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You did not read carefully what I posted.  If the package is processed as regular mail, there is no sales tax, zero, nada.  I know of nobody who bought phones and use regular mail shipping having to pay taxes.  This is what I mean about extracting some savings in exchange for a slightly longer delivery time.  Aliexpress charges a lot for currency conversion, so paying in USD helps especially if you have a USD credit card.  As for mediatek CPUs, they have come a long way.  They hold their own against offerings from the likes of Samsung.  The CPU on the A13 pro 5G is 7 nm and for the max 6 nm.  We are not talking about using Intel chips in the phone lol.  The camera modules come from Sony like that of typical mid range phones.  For a small screen, I don't know that AMOLED is such a big deal.  The cost of AMOLED screens high and can result in sacrifices elsewhere to keep costs down.  You have first hand experience with the Samsung A53.  Long story short, good luck finding better value for around $200.  

[computergeek541]

The sales tax still need to to be paid if shipping is done by Singapore post and delivered by Canada Post. Theoretically, the sales tax is the same regardless of the shipping carrier. The problem with DHL is with the much higher brokerage and handling fees. With delivery by Canada Post, CBSA doesn't have the resources to assess the value of each package and sometimes don't even bother requesting the sales tax even if the value is properly declared on the package.  They do sometimes though.

I don't like the Mediatek processors and IPS screens.  AMOLED would be much nicer.  $188 is very in inexpensive.  I couldn't imagine paying $1000 (or even up to $2000) for a new Pixel, iPhone, or Samsung S-series device).