Generic mobile

[toast1]

How dangerous is it to get a generic, no brand, Chinese mobile?
Could it have spyware in it?

I've never heard of this but it seems reasonable that this can be done, when not using a name brand.

They are very cheap online,  and tempting.

[fdsa]

not "could", but "will" have a malware.

that includes not only smartphones but even "dumb" phones with buttons.

[John Bird]

Every phone has a brand name. If not, then you're probably buying a dummy phone. 

[fdsa]

On 9/10/2022 at 11:55 AM, fdsa said:

not "could", but "will" have a malware.

that includes not only smartphones but even "dumb" phones with buttons.

check here:

 

https://habr-com.translate.goog/ru/post/575626/?_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp

 

https://habr-com.translate.goog/ru/post/163345/?_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp

 

-- if you want to be sure that a random chinese noname phone would not steal your private data nor spend your balance by sending paid SMS's - simply do not buy random chinese noname phones.

 

also "brand name" phones have malware too, so if you want to be completely sure - learn how to flash the bootloader and a custom firmware yourself.

 

I personally recommend LineageOS (simple Android fork, supports a lot of phones https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/ )

and GrapheneOS (hardcore Android fork with lots of security tweaks, however supports just a few Google Pixels only https://grapheneos.org/faq#supported-devices )

Edited September 11, 2022 by fdsa

[Chris.B]

You are worried about being spied on by the Chinese Communist Party?  ????

 

[JayClay]

I've had two issues with Chinaphones in the past. One corrupted the SD card exactly 1 year after the thing was first switched on. In fact this happened to three handsets of the same model, as I'd purchased one for my gf and one for a friend at the same time. They all had exactly the same problem on the same day.

 

The other issue was a phone which, after a few months of use, started serving pop-up adds at random.

 

After that I never bought another Chinaphone again. There's really not much need these days, anyway, with so many perfectly serviceable brand-name budget phones available.

[Eloquent pilgrim]

It might also be prone to spontaneous combustion  ….. best to order a new iPhone 14 Pro Max ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[toast1]

Interesting.

I've seen warnings about Xiaomi, OnePlus and other big Chinese name brand phones also, that the company takes information, which is a pity, as they're often very good quality and much cheaper than Western brands. 

I guess in China, the idea of privacy does not exist.

However, I won't use the phone I ordered on AliExpress. Its a no brand phone, as I guess that's just risky.

Or I'll only use it to watch YouTube one.

 

 

thanks

 

[fdsa]

4 hours ago, toast1 said:

I guess in China, the idea of privacy does not exist.

exactly, everything belongs to the Party, including private data of foreign people who use chinese devices and software.

 

  

4 hours ago, toast1 said:

Or I'll only use it to watch YouTube one.

I hope you won't login to your account from that phone, else your password will end up on some chinese server and your email (if you used the same password on email and youtube) will begin spreading SPAM, as there are no cyber laws concerning hacking/spamming in China.

Edited September 11, 2022 by fdsa

[Will27]

On 9/11/2022 at 9:52 PM, toast1 said:

Interesting.

I've seen warnings about Xiaomi, OnePlus and other big Chinese name brand phones also, that the company takes information, which is a pity, as they're often very good quality and much cheaper than Western brands. 

I guess in China, the idea of privacy does not exist.

However, I won't use the phone I ordered on AliExpress. Its a no brand phone, as I guess that's just risky.

Or I'll only use it to watch YouTube one.

 

 

thanks

 

I've seen a phone I like on Aliexpress and have never used them before.

 

Do you know if there are any import duties on mobiles?

 

TIA.

[sometimewoodworker]

1 hour ago, Will27 said:

I've seen a phone I like on Aliexpress and have never used them before.

 

Do you know if there are any import duties on mobiles?

 

TIA.

I have never paid duty on items from AliExpress.

[Peterw42]

A cheap no name phone or a brand name phones all come out of the same Chinese factories, they all share the same operating systems. 

If you buy into he conspiracy rubbish that Chinese manufactured phones are stealing your passwords, then the conspiracy must include all of the worlds phones, including iPhones, that are manufactured in China.

Edited September 16, 2022 by Peterw42

[steven100]

I've lost count of the mobiles I've had all made in China, I have 4 in the cupboard now that don't work. They're all made in China, most of the phones nowadays are.  They are knockoffs, copies or whatever, they advertise Sansung instead of Samsung, and other brands.

 

Their use is limited especially after 6-12 months as you can't download most apps, you can't open alot of downloaded files including APK's.  They are junk,  but they work and they do provide email, LINE, google, facebook, and all the popular simple apps.  The problem is their Android version is usually 6,7 or 8.0 and becomes obsolete after 6 months for many apps,  whereas you need Android ver 11.0 at present.

 

But, if your worried they will get your info, then don't buy one.  

[KhunLA]

On 9/11/2022 at 9:52 PM, toast1 said:

I guess in China, the idea of privacy does not exist.

Please tell us what country privacy exists ?

 

Simply owning a phone, ANY phone, and you've given up your privacy.

You need a ph#, which means a sim card, which you can't get without providing ID.

 

They now know everything and anything they want to know, if they so chose.

 

This goes with everything.  Why do you think vendors request, most require a ph#, as do most sites, application on your computer.  Apps on phone already have all the info, don't even need to ask.

 

Once you submit your ph# anywhere to anyone, EVERYONE can find out anything about you that they want.

 

THERE IS, AND PROBABLY NEVER HAS BEEN, ANY PRIVACY.  You want privacy, don't use electronics devices.

 

Generic / knock offs ... you get what you pay for.

Xiaomi / POCO fan myself.  Excellent stuff and the only phone maker I'd ever buy from.

Edited September 16, 2022 by KhunLA

[Photoguy21]

It more than likely it will have spyware on it. It will be very well hidden and could need as much as reverse engineering to find it.

[Photoguy21]

On 9/10/2022 at 11:55 AM, fdsa said:

not "could", but "will" have a malware.

that includes not only smartphones but even "dumb" phones with buttons.

Malware and Spyware are different. Just letting you know. You can have spyware and never see a problem with your phone. Malware you will see the effect

[fdsa]

2 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

Malware and Spyware are different. Just letting you know. You can have spyware and never see a problem with your phone. Malware you will see the effect

"spy ware" is just a type of "mal-icious software".

with most kinds of malware you will not see the effect.

[fdsa]

2 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Please tell us what country privacy exists ?

Sweden, Belgium, Iceland, California (if that counts)

 

and we are talking about different things here. Surely authorities know everyone's location by their SIM cards and could steal the private data from everyone's phones by using the hardware backdoors, but still - they are authorities so they are kinda authori-zed to do that.

and the chinese manufacturers are NOT authorized to do that.

[KhunLA]

17 minutes ago, fdsa said:

Sweden, Belgium, Iceland, California (if that counts)

You believe that ?  You might want to join the real world:

 

"Elsewhere in Europe, Pegasus has filled a need for law-enforcement agencies that previously had limited cyber-intelligence capacity. “Almost all governments in Europe are using our tools,” Hulio told me. A former senior Israeli intelligence official added, “NSO has a monopoly in Europe.” German, Polish, and Hungarian authorities have admitted to using Pegasus. Belgian law enforcement uses it, too, though it won’t admit it. (A spokesperson for the Belgian federal police said that it respects “a legal framework as to the use of intrusive methods in private life.”) ????A senior European law-enforcement official whose agency uses Pegasus said that it gave an inside look at criminal organizations: “When do they want to store the gas, to go to the place, to put the explosive?” He said that his agency uses Pegasus only as a last resort, with court approval, but conceded, “It’s like a weapon. . . . It can always occur that an individual uses it in the wrong way.”

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/04/25/how-democracies-spy-on-their-citizens

Edited September 16, 2022 by KhunLA

[Peterw42]

16 minutes ago, fdsa said:

Sweden, Belgium, Iceland, California (if that counts)

 

and we are talking about different things here. Surely authorities know everyone's location by their SIM cards and could steal the private data from everyone's phones by using the hardware backdoors, but still - they are authorities so they are kinda authori-zed to do that.

and the chinese manufacturers are NOT authorized to do that.

please stop spreading misinformation about subjects you have no clue about.

[giddyup]

Don't bother. I bought two from Lazada for round 1100 each, advertised as S21 (samsung) which they're not. Both rubbish, far better buying something like an Oppo for around 4000 baht.

[fdsa]

7 hours ago, Will27 said:

Do you know if there are any import duties on mobiles?

7% or 17% calculated from the sum of phone cost + freight + insurance

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1224885-ordering-a-lenovo-thinkpad-4-weeks/?do=findComment&comment=17488840 and the next comment

 

Edited September 16, 2022 by fdsa

[KhunLA]

No need to spend more than 5k baht for really good phone.  Wife picked up this Xiaomi from Xiaomi store,

50mp camera/4 lens and should keep her going for a few years, till battery kraps out:

[fdsa]

  

5 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

A cheap no name phone or a brand name phones all come out of the same Chinese factories, they all share the same operating systems. 

If you buy into he conspiracy rubbish that Chinese manufactured phones are stealing your passwords, then the conspiracy must include all of the worlds phones, including iPhones, that are manufactured in China.

strangely my answer to this ignorant bullshít was deleted, but the comment itself was not.

well, TiT (this is Thaivisa)

 

I will elaborate further to educate other forum users:

 

1) all phones do not share the same operating systems. not only Android and iOS are very different systems, but even "Android" itself does not mean one single operating system - rather a whole lot of different operating systems built with Android core. Telling that all Androids are same is like telling that all cars are same because they all have a combustion engine inside.

2) the "conspiracy" is a hard reality which you could read about in one of my comments above, there are blog posts where a firmware of several chinese phones was reverse engineered and malicious features were uncovered.

[toast1]

We were looking for a 7.1" large screen, and only cheap Chinese phones provide this. 

However, considering what I know of China, and warnings here, I'll stick to name brands, where I can expect a small amount of security.

Thanks

 

[Photoguy21]

4 hours ago, fdsa said:

"spy ware" is just a type of "mal-icious software".

with most kinds of malware you will not see the effect.

They are different. Not the same in the way they act or what they do.