Alternative to DooGee F7 Pro?

[marcusah]

Hello,

Looking at the DooGee F7 Pro for specs. I like the processor, screen size, battery capacity, and the features it has like the SD card reader. I've looked at other phones, and I would like to run Cyanogenmod. With cell phones you get either great software and bad hardware or great hardware and bad software.

I can't have my cake and eat it too. I have a AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Nice phone but locked bootloader screws me. I want CM on it because I have issues with bluetooth always. With CM on my Note II it was a dream I changed as I wanted something newer and faster.

I guess I just have to get screwed until I can have my own phone built for me.

I'd love some suggestions on what phone would be recommended. I'm willing to look anywhere in the world. As long as it does GSM and 4G for here in the USA it's fine.

Thanks

[IMgroot]

The thing is... For your needs, you don't need this powerful of a phone. Not even close. If you told me you planned on playing the best games at 60fps, okay maybe... Otherwise, not.

Your statement about good hardware with bad software or vice versa I find to be untrue. Most carefully chosen China phones and major brand phones are carrying fine hardware and software. It's been a long time since Galaxy S3. Nowadays even $150 MTK phones are very snappy.

Also, you're in the USA, so almost all China phones unless you go with American retail phones are not going to have 4G.

There's an exception, that's the Redmi Note 3 Pro which reportedly has 4G for T-Mobile on one band. http://www.chinaphonearena.com/forum/Thr...Mobile-LTE I can't confirm this, but a few people have.

Many China phones have 3G for T-Mobile and ATT though. Just look for 850 1900 WCDMA and you should have H and H+ which are quite fast.

Based on your criteria, I'd still recommend Redmi Note 3 Pro. It will be more than enough. It's the best value right now and has USA 3G, looks modern, strong components all around, and you might get lucky and find LTE working for you too. Plus you'll be saving $100.

There is one downside and that is that you may need to flash the Global MIUI ROM because they usually come with a ROM specially made for China shops to sell with English and Play Store. Not really a big deal, but if you want you can flash the Global. It's easy to do, especially if you have experience which you seem to have. The bootloader is unlockable too, just need to apply through Xiaomi. The Redmi Note 3 Pro has a lot of custom CM based ROMs for it too.

[marcusah]

Hello,

Sounds good, I should double check as I do need 4G for here in the USA. I like the DooGee F7 Pro as it has nearly all the specs I want that are better than what I have. I'd get a Note 7 if I could know that CM will work on it right away, and not have to wait forever to "maybe" get it. I have the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 from AT&T and got screwed with it. It's a great phone but I could really deal with a better phone and they are snappier sure, but they still have stock firmware and that's an issue for me. If I could get a working CM rom for it I would be happy.

Looks like the DooGee F7 Pro will do LTE Cat 4 ( I have AT&T ) so that'll do for me. It supports all the 4G I need. I think that would be the right phone for me. I've not seen anything better except the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 which I doubt will ever get a custom rom.

Thanks

[Bacon_Puffs]

Hello,

Sounds good, I should double check as I do need 4G for here in the USA. I like the DooGee F7 Pro as it has nearly all the specs I want that are better than what I have. I'd get a Note 7 if I could know that CM will work on it right away, and not have to wait forever to "maybe" get it. I have the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 from AT&T and got screwed with it. It's a great phone but I could really deal with a better phone and they are snappier sure, but they still have stock firmware and that's an issue for me. If I could get a working CM rom for it I would be happy.

Looks like the DooGee F7 Pro will do LTE Cat 4 ( I have AT&T ) so that'll do for me. It supports all the 4G I need. I think that would be the right phone for me. I've not seen anything better except the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 which I doubt will ever get a custom rom.

Thanks

I think you're misunderstanding about how LTE works. The issue is frequency, not category.

Doogee F7 Pro and pretty much all China phones bought from China will not have LTE for USA.

H+ WCDMA is very quick though and many China phones have that for USA.

[marcusah]

Hello,

I ended up looking at the frequencies as you are correct. It appears to have some of the same ones and should do 4G for AT&T as I recall, so I think that's fine, however it does not mean it will. Should with the same frequencies it just depends on what frequencies they are using here in my specific area.

AT&T 4G HSPA and HSPA+ use 850Mhz(Band 5) and 1900Mhz(Band 2) bands but it all depends on area if they own a license. LTE uses Band 17(700Mhz), Band 5(850Mhz), Band 2(1900Mhz), Band 4(1700/2100Mhz) currently

aka 2, 4, 5, 17 1900, 1700 abcde, 700 bc

DooGee F7 Pro has

GSM 850 900 1800 1900

W-CDMA 900 1900 2100

LTE 800 1800 2100 2600

UMTS
EDGE
GPRS
HSPA+
LTE Cat 4

Some of the same bands. Cross fingers and hope it works? haha.

---

Looks like I'm probably screwed on 4G if I go with a phone not made for the USA. This is sad. I didn't know and that is a killer for me, can't get a good phone with good software, just horrible software great hardware at a high price or great software horrible hardware for a lower cost.

I need 4G from time to time, it's important. Uhg. I should just get great phones built for me.

[cookiedough]

There are many China phones with 850 WCDMA too. You will get H and H+. Some companies call this "4G". It's not really. 4G is LTE. It's just marketing, but it's very quick, theoretically H+ WCDMA is capable of DL speeds up to 42 Mbit/s.

If you want to give a China phone a whirl, this phone is 2GB 16GB and only $59 and has the 3g WCDMA for AT&T (850/1900). CPU a bit slow, but a great deal for 60 bucks to test the waters. http://www.chinaphonearena.com/forum/Thr...b-59-phone

If you want to jump in with both feet, I still recommend Xiaomi Redmi Note Pro 3 at $150-165 with Snapdragon 650 is the best deal out there right now.

[marcusah]

Hello,

Awesome suggestion, I really like it. However I don't want to get a phone that has less hardware specs than my AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note 3. This is why I am having an issue. Oh well it's just tough to get a good phone. I really don't care what top phone I get as long as the the hardware is better, and works here in the USA ( root and unlocked bootloader would be nice ).

I'd really like CM you know however whatever works. I like the Note 3 but I need something better. The Note 7 might be good if I could get a rom on it before I start using it.

Thanks

[cookiedough]

I only suggested M5 as a cheap MediaTek phone to try.

I'm not sure why you're so adverse to the Redmi Note 3. For specs, it blows away the Samsung S3 in all regards other than not having LTE, and it's $155, has unlockable bootloader, and tons of custom CM ROMs.

[McT]

Wait for the US version of the Elephone P9000, which will have FDD-LTE bands 1/2/4/7/17 and should be released soon - see here:

http://www.elephone.hk/elephone-p9000-sp...Parameters

The European version has been available for some time and has had excellent reviews. It can be easily rooted and there are alternative ROMs available including CM13.

[ItHurtz]

Wait for the US version of the Elephone P9000, which will have FDD-LTE bands 1/2/4/7/17 and should be released soon - see here:

http://www.elephone.hk/elephone-p9000-sp...Parameters

The European version has been available for some time and has had excellent reviews. It can be easily rooted and there are alternative ROMs available including CM13.

Same as they lied about P8000 American, they're probably lying about P9000 American too. That's what elephone does best, bullshit people.

They've been bullshitting abut CM on their phones for years now and there's just no such thing. All you'll find are "leaked videos" and skinned ROM.

The Elephone P9000 might be a good phone, but don't drink the poopoo koolaid about American version and CM.