Should I buy a Poco X3 NFC? - UK VoLTE calls?
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Hi all,
Due to no VoLTE call possibility on mt OnePlus 5T, I'm looking at changing my handset as I am simply struggling to make/receive calls these days. I recently had to deal with an emergency situation, and found this quite a critical issue, and simply need to resolve it.
I am in the UK, and use "1pMobile" as my supplier, who use O2's network. I am tied to providers on O2's network as this is the only network we've found to work where we live.
Does anyone have any experience in the UK of a Poco X3 NFC? Someone on the UBPorts [English] Telegram group suggested this as a handset I should look into, but the UT devices page still lists VoLTE as a global issue on the Poco page, various posts suggest it's now working? I'm a bit confused/conflicted: https://devices.ubuntu-touch.io/device/surya/
The Poco X3 NFC handset is within my budget range, I can't really stretch to the cost of the Volla 22 or Fairphone 5 as also suggested to me to work with VoLTE calls.
Any advice is really appreciated before I spend on a handset, ie; it has to be the right move..
Many thanks, Scott.
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@scottbouch I think all devices still say that VoLTE is unsupported. This was explained somewhere as being because it's still in beta, and the website will be updated when VoLTE is more fully rolled out.
Can't speak to UK, but having recently needed a new phone, and with 3G sunset looming in Canada, I was in a similar position. The Poco X3 NFC sounds like a great port. One small issue with the camera taking slightly off-coloured photos (on device's gitlab there are photo examples). But it sounds very well supported, and people report good success with VoLTE.
I wound up buying a Redmi Note 9 Pro, as there was a cheaper deal for a new in box one (the Lithuanian seller I bought from on eBay still had two others recently).
Beyond Fairphone and Volla, these are the two phones that I know of where VoLTE seems to be working (as well as other Miatoll devices similar to Redmi Note 9 Pro).
But of course officially VoLTE is in beta. If one could wait longer, maybe the landscape would become more clear. Not always an option to wait though, I know.
Sounds like you'd be wise to check into network compatibility with each phone too.Hopefully a UK user can offer an experience.
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@scottbouch I can confirm the Poco X3 NFC does work well on UK networks (EE and Tesco mobile (Tesco mobile use O2)). I also have a Redmi Note 9 pro running on GiffGaff with 4G that again is working well. Both devices (surya and joyeuse) are well supported within the UT community.
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Thank you both for the help..
I'll compere the Poco to the Redmi and decide on the best one to buy.
Does the Redmi have similar camera/photograph issues to the Poco?
Cheers, Scott
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@scottbouch I am not a photographer and if I was I wouldn't use a phone camera (30+ years of dealing with professional photographers and even they don't get it right with top range camera kit).. I like them working on the device as it is part and parcel of the hardware and they do work. Whether or not it is to the satisfaction of your eye, that is a different matter
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@scottbouch the gitlab page for miatoll (Redmi Note 9 Pro, Note 9S, etc) doesn't list it as an issue.
But it might not be an issue for you on Poco X3 anyway. If you use Waydroid, people have a way to use the camera there without the issue. And the photos work with UT camera app, colour can just be off. There are sample photos in the Issue on the Poco X3 Gitlab page and linked from this forum post. -
@scottbouch
I use the camera on my Redmi Note 9 Pro Joyeuse.
On Focal, the focus time is a bit long.
But the results are fine.
Sometimes (rarely), the camera is black and I have to restart it (the camera app, not the phone so it takes 2 seconds).
On Noble, the camera has been improved and works like on Android: immediate focus and good quality photos.
I have no issues with this smartphone, whether with VoLTE (in Belgium with Orange), SMS, MMS, sensors or Waydroid.
I am so satisfied with it that I bought a second one (new) on Amazon and use it as a backup device and to test Noble OS.
For UT, it's a very good phone. My only criticism is that I would prefer a slightly smaller size (like the Huawei P30, for example), but that's just my personal preference.
