That is interesting indeed, but that one is Waaaay out of my budget so it’s a no go for me.
I have an LG V50 and even though T-Mobile said it was gonna stop working a month or two ago, it’s still working great. Also totally usable without internet as just a DAP if you just wifi it and download music to it. One of my best friends still uses his LG V20 as a DAP and loves it.
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That is exactly what I do with my V40. It’s also a streamer if I so choose. It’s a fantastic device and I doubt I will ever have a better one.
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Let me revive this topic, also right now guys I am in a bit of a conundrum when it comes to getting a new phone for I’ve decided to help my grandma out who is in need of a backup phone and I’ve decided to sell my current phone to her. The problem is that I don’t know which one should I go for, and there are two phones that entices me right now, that would be the Redmagic 10S Pro and the OnePlus 13, for both are excellent phones.
Here is the problem though, I like the Redmagic 10S Pro due to it having a headphone jack and as well as its overall aesthetics, and the chipset that it has but with the huge trade off with it being IP54, and the 1 year update support for its OS not to mention the bootloader is hard or just impossible to unlock. I love the OnePlus 13 as well almost same as the 10S Pro in terms of specs but it is IP69, also since it is OnePlus I presume the Bootloader is much easier to unlock making it viable for Custom ROM and rooting and I love doing those a lot on my previous phones.
So yeah I am in need of help on what phone to choose, and any input and reasoning would be appreciated.
I would go for the oneplus 13 for the better software support (4 years iirc), 1 year is way too short. The headphone jack is indeed something I would miss (I have the xperia 5V) but honestly it will probably be extinct from phone sooner or later so just a matter of getting used earlier or not…at least tiny dongles like the jcally ja3/ja3t makes this easier.
Design wise I also like that oneplus a lot more, that redmagic looks…too nerdy/gaming for me.
Althogh IMO I probably would not buy new phones anymore…its just too expensive, find a used unit/refurb and you save a lot of money…or go for 1-2 old phones. Example the pixel phones drop in prices rapidly.
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Not exactly too sure what you want for your use case but one year of update support and maybe 3 years of security patches for a phone is like super low and I rather you not have to deal with that. Gonna agree on the advice that Riku gave on used phones I find if you just have a more flagship chip set from the past few years you will do fine for most gaming needs unless you go the pixel route. Pixel is a little bit underpowered for the first two generations of their tensor processor though you can find a pixel 7 or 8 for around or under 300 bucks easily. In terms of horsepower I honestly would not be surprised if in day to day use and some gaming you notice a difference between something like a Snapdragon Elite found in a Oneplus 13 and a Snapdragon 8 gen 3 chip found in a Oneplus 13r. Also both the oneplus devices and pixels have much better overall community support so if you have an issue it would most likely be easier to find a fix not to mention good camera and other goodies.
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I don’t want a new phone. I have an LG V40. It’s like 7 years old now! It does everything I need, it’s the right size, the audio circuit is fantastic, and it has a 3.5mm jack. It’s really a shame they don’t make phones anymore.
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I do understand that but might grandma told me that she wanted a backup phone that she can use and her main phone is like slowing her down currently. So I have decided to give her my current phone for her to use, therefore I’m gonna choose between the two.
So far it’s been OnePlus 13 so far for most people that I have asked today, yet the Redmagic 10S Pro is appealing to me as well for I game a lot and it has a headphone jack overall. So yeah, I guess I am going to have to decide this one later with a coin toss.
Yeah I get that and I did researched that ZTE is just fucking terrible on unlocking its bootloader and I am one of the guys who used to root his own phone all the time for more customization, hence I am trading that option off if I get the Redmagic. OnePlus seems to be still ok though with the Custom ROM access and rooting for I would love to do that in order get out more from my phone. Cameras are not really my concern since I am not the usual guy that takes a lot of photos and often when I have a lot of free time/during breaks when I am like at work, I game a lot hence why the Redmagic to me is appealing and it has a headphone jack which I wish for the 13 to have for that would have been a done deal already.
So yeah I guess I am just gonna leave it with a coin toss for my decision, best of 3.
Also this link helps a lot to those who are looking for an idea if their phone’s bootloader is whether unlockable or not.
if you dont need camera, oneplus 13 should be more than enough for you. Else the Oppo X8 Ultra and Vivo x200 Ultra still best regarding camera while the xiaomi 15 ultra trails bit behind. You can also maybe get the ROG Phone 9 Pro if gaming is really important to you. It also has 3.5mm jack
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If you want to mess around do consider the pixels as they are the only phones that support this custom OS:
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Oh got I forgot to mention, I was originally gonna go for the OnePlus 13 until I have discovered that the one I am willing to buy was the CN version, therefore it got me wondering on why it was so cheap, and now I get it after researching the version.
But please do correct me if I am wrong about this, it means Google play is a no no for this one since CN bans google from their place, Chinese apps apparent to the version obviously, it uses ColorOS which I really like and what I am a bit worried is this if I ever get this version, I am not sure if my local SIM is gonna work on it, hence I’ve halted myself from buying it. This phone however seems a bit easier to unlock its bootloader and to be rooted for it’s possible to replace its OS with the OxygenOS version, but if I want updates it requires me to do so via ADB if I am gonna do that which I really don’t mind at all, for those were the usual tinkering that I used to do with my old Samsung phones back then.
I think this site kinda shows what bands are missing on the phones and you can put any country into it.
https://www.kimovil.com/en/frequency-checker/US/oneplus-13
It should help with comparing the global version and Chinese versions when it comes to theoretical coverage though your carrier may just block a device from activating if they want to even if it technically compatible. The chinese version I do know does not support Esim which is a big difference and even if you do flash it you might not be able to get stuff like Android auto to work. Glancing at forums and stuff you prob have to have some root work arounds but then it would break other applications such as banking apps but if you are fine with the compromises then by all means save money. Personally I value convenience and reliability especially for a device that is used with sensitive information or connecting with clients but can’t walk away from a good deal.
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Google play works on it dont’ worry. I have Vivo X200 Pro Chinese Version and it works perfectly with all google stuff, even android auto supposedly. Regarding SIM you can lookup oneplus 13 on tradingshenzhen and check with their compatibility checker. They will have no E-Sim tho so if thats important for you then you should skip it. I think its also possible to flash Oxygen OS but not recommended bcs I think it could have errors and stuff iirc. Unlocking bootloader and rooting should work tho unlike with Vivo
I also have a Vivo (X100Pro) and everything Google related works Like a charm, camera is excellent 
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So I have checked the suggestion you have gave me in regards to the CN version of the OnePlus 13 and much to my good news, it’s really compatible with my Sim card, and apparently Google and the other stuff that I want is also pre-installed even if the phone is the CN version.
Man, yeah I think this is gonna be my next phone once there is a final decision made.
I will be real, I prefer those ones for I can just slam it down when I am angry at a call. I cannot even do that with my current phone, for phones are too expensive lol.
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Ok guys, thank you for all the suggestions and I have now officially decided on the new phone that I’ll get. I have now decided with the OnePlus 13 CN version as my next phone, for it won unanimously with the coin toss, Heads for the Redmagic 10S: 0, Tails for the OnePlus 13: 2
So yeah there we go and thank you again for suggesting me that one instead. I hope I can pull off some customization with this since GitHub - melontini/bootloader-unlock-wall-of-shame: Keeping track of companies that "care about your data 🥺" according to this, OnePlus is at least safe for now when it comes to unlocking its bootloader and rooting.
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