All Xiaomi smartphones imported into Russia, so many buyers of mobile devices from this manufacturer were never able to receive their parcels. Chinese online retailers and sellers were very understanding and refunded to buyers for undeliverable items. Even despite the fact that thousands of Russians have already filed complaints with several Russian authorities and the CEO of Xiaomi in China, the likelihood of resolving this situation with customs peacefully is extremely small.
The editors of the site carefully analyzed the situation and found two really working solutions that will help buyers from Russia continue to get their hands on Xiaomi smartphones at very low prices. At the same time, the likelihood of any problems with the customs service of the Russian Federation is negligible. If everything is done correctly, then the package is guaranteed to be in the hands of the buyer, bypassing the traps set by Smart Orange, which asked not to let the allegedly counterfeit Xiaomi smartphones through the territory of Russia, since it owns the rights to this trademark.
Agree with a seller or online store
Russian customs is very simple. If there are words like “Xiaomi smartphone” on the postal package, then such a postal item will not reach Russia. All Chinese online stores and individual sellers usually mention the name of the company, so the Russian customs actually provide all the data to complete the task assigned to them.
Before buying a Xiaomi smartphone in China, you should contact the representatives of the online store or the seller in advance, asking them not to indicate the brand name of the smartphone, limiting themselves to the words “smartphone” or “mobile device on Android”. In this case, the customs service will never be able to know for sure which smartphone from which manufacturer is inside. Of course, the package can be opened, but this almost never happens.
Compliance with this simple rule will allow you to still order Xiaomi smartphones from China without overpaying the double price to the Russian representative of the company. At the same time, everything will be on completely legal grounds, since the essence of the premise does not change from this. Customs officers will still understand that there is a mobile device inside, but which one, they can only guess.
Order Xiaomi smartphones from the Mall
As part of integration into the Russian market, the largest Chinese online store, AliExpress, opened a so-called "Mall" a few months ago, where Russian residents can order goods not from China, but directly from their own country. Thus, postal items will bypass customs checks, which means that Xiaomi smartphones can be bought in such a simple way.
Of course, goods from the Mall cost about 10-15% more expensive than those when they are delivered from China, but the confidence in receiving the parcel and the absence of headaches with customs are definitely worth it. We also note that all postal items moving only within the territory of Russia reach the recipients within two weeks, and this is another reason to buy a Xiaomi smartphone through AliExpress Mall.
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More recently, the Xiaomi company was unknown to anyone in the world market of portable electronic equipment. Today it is becoming the leader in sales all over the world, with the help of the CIS countries, which, in fact, are the most frequent buyers of their goods. That is why authorized suppliers of Xiaomi phones began to appear in countries such as Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and others.
So, in the spring of 2017, Smart Orange (a division of the RDC Group) launched its activities in Russia, which officially sells and services Xiaomi smartphones. It would seem that everything is fine and finally it will be possible to buy a good budget smartphone, bypassing all the difficulties of foreign purchases. But alas, not everything is as good as it seems.
Starting in April 2017, indignation began to appear on various Internet resources about the difficulties of crossing customs control with smartphones purchased by users in Chinese online stores. At the same time, employees of several customs control points (Yekaterinburg and Orenburg) simply seize and return, discovering that the package contains a phone under the Xiaomi brand.
The Federal Customs Service explains all these actions by the fact that it was at the end of March that a letter was sent to their address regarding the procedure for importing Xiaomi products, which indicated that Smart Orange was the only representative of the copyright holder in the Russian Federation from Xiaomi. Actually, she and a number of other partners have the right to import Xiaomi products through "portable phones".
Otherwise, Xiaomi customs is obliged to slow down and return the goods to the seller. Even if we take into account that the meaning of the idea is very noble and consists in reducing the goods of "basement" production from the so-called gray sales markets, it is worth noting that the ban also affected the officially ordered products from Xiaomi for personal use, and this, of course, caused a storm of indignation.
Give gifts
Smart Orange company opinion
This company confirmed the information about the application filed with the customs for Xiaomi smartphones, which they are selling on the market of portable electronic equipment in the Russian Federation. They are also ready to cooperate with affected users from such "sanctions", offering discounts on the purchase of any Xiaomi smartphone in their network. After all, it is Smart Orange that can provide high quality products and their further professional service.
Positions of affected consumers
In addition to the fact that most users do not consider smartphones ordered for personal use through online stores to be counterfeit goods, they also believe that Smart Orange's statement regarding the inadmissibility of entering these goods into civilian circulation is illegal. In Yekaterinburg, a whole community “Problem with the Orenburg Customs” was even deployed, in which “colleagues in misfortune” could exchange advice on resolving this issue and problematic moments regarding the Xiaomi market in Russia.
So, the main reason for this is the cost of imported mobile phones from China. The difference between the price of the same smartphone in an authorized point of the Russian Federation and a Chinese online store will differ on average by 30-40%. Wrapping and maximizing prices are the answer to the question about the rapidly growing popularity of Chinese products, which are issued through online stores.
Official suppliers of Chinese electronics and their next steps
Of course, most foreign companies have an intermediary firm in the Russian Federation, but the problem of the "gray" sales market is relevant to any brand. Therefore, there are only two solutions to this issue: 
- Establishing a ban on imported goods through unofficial sources (Xiaomi, Sony) and, accordingly, stopping them, detaining them and returning them to the seller.
- Providing the most affordable and high-quality service by trusted companies (Meizu).
Thus, choosing one of the options, companies create for themselves a certain status of a tough or loyal and high-quality intermediary with good products in the CIS countries.
Xiaomi's safe shopping options through Chinese online stores
And yet, Chinese online stores, which have established themselves in the world market as reliable sources of high-quality equipment with reasonable prices, do not allow the domestic user to calm down. Why should I pay at the prices that are turned up on the Russian market if I can purchase goods via the Internet ?!
This question is asked by many, and the solution is simple - to make purchases through online stores. But taking into account the difficult situation with customs and the possibility of stopping for checking the goods (they were detained only in 2 regions) with a further return to the seller, it becomes much more difficult to use the so-called “gray” market. However, there are several options for more or less secure cooperation: 
- Ask the seller of such a product to send a smartphone through the Singapore post office, which operates through Vnukovo airport, where the percentage of detentions is very low. But do not forget about the growing urgency of this issue, which may entail detailed control throughout the country;
- Offer the seller to label the parcel with a smartphone as a gift, a photo frame, or something else like that. Although the event is risky, since there is a scanner everywhere, it is really working. Just do not indicate the abstract "phone". In this case, they will definitely open it;
- Try to specify the phone number of some other Chinese manufacturer. This is the most realistic option to avoid being detained at customs. However, it is worth considering that more than 5% of all parcels are checked in detail by customs officers, so there is still a risk;
- The easiest option is to purchase a new smartphone at a good discount from Smart Orange and join their fan club.
As a result, we can say that the procedure for buying smartphones on the Chinese Internet market will be relevant in any case. The only thing that intermediary companies like Smart Orange can do is to ensure good quality with an appropriate price (no markups of 200-300%) for a popular product.
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Recent news, which angered ordinary customers, who are accustomed to other large Chinese stores, - the customs began to seize parcels with Xiaomi phones. Yes, these are not rumors, but really true, why is this happening and what to expect next?
As you know, in a short time, the Chinese brand Xiaomi has rapidly gained popularity among Russians and residents of the CIS, mainly due to the availability and quality of manufactured products, which is not inferior to global brands. Without thinking twice, buyers realized all the benefits and started ordering products from the Xiaomi brand on aliexpress, the trend became widespread.
Despite the fact that Xiaomi produces a huge line of products, starting from little things, and the main demand among buyers still falls on smartphones. One of the official Xiaomi distributors in Russia, Smart Orange LLC, has just recently managed to include the brand in the register of intellectual property objects (TRIPS) as the legal representative of the copyright holder. Therefore, from that moment on, mass opening of parcels from China began for the detection of Xiaomi products.
All these measures with the ban on the import of Xiaomi phones are aimed at combating the so-called "gray" phones, at least according to the official version. However, one does not need to have any outstanding ability to understand that in this way the official representative intends to fight against the shadow supply of products of which he is a legal representative. In this case, the fact that you ordered a Xiaomi phone from China for personal use or a whole batch for commercial purposes is not taken into account, both cases are prohibited.
How does customs detect? First of all, special attention is paid to parcels in the customs declaration (CN22) which indicate "cell phone", "tablet" and other names that we are used to seeing when receiving our smartphones from China. Most of such parcels are subject to opening, and if Xiaomi products are found, the addressee is notified of the refusal to import such a parcel.
Of course, it is not possible to identify all the parcels in which Xiaomi equipment is located, but the very fact that the situation has gained massive indignation suggests that this issue has affected many.
At the moment, problems with parcels in which Xiaomi smartphones are located are observed at the Orenburg and Yekaterinburg customs. According to our users, the import of such parcels to Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo is still proceeding normally and does not raise any questions.
Of course, after the purchase, you can ask to pack the phone in a box from another manufacturer or write in the declaration what you need, but this does not guarantee delivery, moreover, from the point of view of the law, it is a violation. Someone will be lucky, and he will receive his parcel with a Xiaomi smartphone, but someone will not, and will have to open it demanding a full refund.
An option that would suit everyone - with the delivery of Xiaomi phones from a Russian warehouse at average prices for aliexpress, but unfortunately there are no such things yet.
After the Russian customs began to seize parcels with Xiaomi phones, one of the announced and the termination of the supply of smartphones of this brand to Russia, moreover, a limit is introduced for Russian buyers - the maximum cost of a parcel should no longer be more than $ 50.
According to the representative of the store, the limit is temporary and they are doing everything in order to find the optimal solution that would suit each of the parties to the conflict. In this case, it is obvious that Smart Orange LLC does not intend to retreat from its position, but has just begun the fight against the “gray” supplies of Xiaomi phones. It should be assumed that in the event of a resolution of the conflict, the buyer, as usual, will be the last one on whose shoulders additional financial costs will fall.
We can only hope that other official Russian representatives of large Chinese brands will not pick up the trend and will not begin to restrict the import of products from brands such as Meizu, Elephone, ZTE, etc.
As you know, all these bans only spur people to "reinvent the wheel", so it is quite possible that soon there will be a tendency to supply Xiaomi smartphones from China in transit through Belarus or Kazakhstan. The first option is certainly unlikely (in Belarus the limit is 22 euros / month for parcels from abroad), but the second is quite real. We will monitor the situation and hope for a civilized solution to this issue.
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Meizu M5
All the fuss with customs restrictions began with the order of the Xiaomi Mi5, but de facto the distributor closed the supply of all models that are officially supplied to Russia. The youngest of them is Redmi 4A.
What this Redmi is, enthusiasts know very well - this is the only truly budget smartphone in the modern Xiaomi model line. That is, not when “we create an inexpensive mobile phone, but here, just in case, eight cores in the processor, a metal case, 3 gigabytes of RAM and a hefty
battery". The Redmi 4A has only the "vital" bells and whistles for a new smartphone - 4 cores / 2 GB of RAM, LTE, HD display, 16 GB on the internal storage. For all this, depending on the color of the case, the Chinese ask 5500-7000 rubles.
The alternative will not please all enthusiasts (the more you know smartphone models, the less choice seems to be), but it is.
Even slightly cooler eggs characteristics, and even the iPhone design is absolutely free. 5.2-inch display (more bright and contrasting), HD, eight Cortex-A53 cores in the processor, this time MediaTek MT6750. Not as respectable as Snapdragon, but MediaTek's eight low-frequency cores are better than Qualcomm's four high-frequency ones. The operating speed of Meizu is noticeably higher, and there is also an option with 3/32 GB for those who are ready to pay a little extra.
The case is about the same quality, but in black it looks very expensive - much more presentable than the black version of the Redmi 4A. Yes, and a fingerprint scanner is present, in contrast to the similarly priced Xiaomi.
The "victims" in comparison with Redmi will be the volume of the sound in the headphones and the volume of the speaker (with it in general trouble), which can only partially be brought back to normal using the engineering menu. Smartphones are roughly equal in terms of camera shooting quality, but Meizu doesn’t have any expanses for firmware lovers (neither does MediaTek, hee-hee) - you certainly will not be able to "put" some Android 9 on an old smartphone after a couple of years. But there is a global multilingual firmware, which does not have to be Russified through "hard-to-reach places", as is the case with Meizu smartphones for the Chinese market.
Options to replace Redmi 3S, 3X, Redmi 4, 4X
The same thing with a different sauce. Models with a 5-inch HD display, Snapdragon 430 processor, unsightly cameras and 4100 mAh batteries. Not much, in fact, differ, except for the design of the cases and the fact that Redmi 3S / 3X are "elite" modifications of the third generation of Redmi, and Redmi 4 and 4X are mid-range fourth generation options.
So that life does not seem like honey to newcomers in the Xiaomi world, all these smartphones are also available in two versions - with 2/16 and 3/32 GB of memory. But still the junior configuration is more popular, because instead of the "luxury" -Redmi 3S, it is much wiser to take the Redmi 4 Prime with a much faster processor and Full HD display. All these models are Chinese
sellers today estimate at 8500 - 11000 rubles, depending on the color, modification and impudence of an individual seller. From here we will dance.
Be mentally prepared for the fact that you will not find a smartphone comparable in autonomy and openness to flashing a smartphone at a similar price; you will have to make compromises.
Meizu U10
In this article, the number of Meizu will certainly set you sore, but there is nowhere to go. Because, excluding Xiaomi, this is one of the few manufacturers that, unlike all sorts of Elephone and Doogee, produce high-quality smartphones without "childhood diseases", but still do not ask for impressive sums for them, like Lenovo and Huawei.
So, Meizu U10 is a "clone" of Meizu M3 / M3s mini in a glass-metal case. The gurus will say that it would be wiser to oppose the symmetrical answer of Meizu - M5s to the average configurations of Redmi, but this model is so “neither fish nor meat” and self-citing M3s mini that it is better to prefer the U-series. Moreover, the smartphone is very beautiful in black.
Everything that has been said about the Meizu M5 is also true for the U10, with the only difference that you get not 5.2, but exactly 5 inches of the display and unprepossessing autonomy ("hold out until the end of the day") in exchange for a much more humane price - about 6700-8000 rubles for models with 2/16 GB on board. The quality of the display, cameras and performance are about the same as in the Redmi's title, the sound is worse, the battery life is worse (alas).
Well, or you can still buy M5s, everything is already quite good with autonomy, and the case is metal. It's time to give Meizu a medal for the ability to "spread" one and the same model into several families, in the best traditions of classic "Zhiguli".
ZTE Blade V7
No need to grin, gentlemen geeks - even if ZTE produces not the most functional and problem-free smartphones for their price, but after Oukitel or Leagoo you will understand that it can be worse.
ZTE tried to sell this model in Russia, but pay 16 thousand rubles for a smartphone, in which the branded shell periodically "hiccups", and the case is cheap, even in appearance, there were few who wanted - everyone was taken away by Huawei and Samsung.
But for 10 thousand - quite an option! Even if there is a little "curve" in color rendering, but still a Full HD display, an eight-core MT6753 processor, a good front camera and "one-day" autonomy. In terms of sound quality, level of GPS / GLONASS reception, design and speed of the system, autonomy, the smartphone is inferior to Redmi, but the display and front-end in it are cooler, the rear camera is similar in quality to Redmi, with performance in applications everything is also good. Equivalent alternative if you don't need custom ROMs or super stamina.
Options to replace Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime (Pro)
Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime
If you should miss any of the Chinese Xiaomi "banned" in Russia, then Redmi 4 Prime is one of the best smartphones of 2016, and an unprecedentedly cool "budget employee". If only because the same combination of a capacious (4100 mAh) battery, display clarity (Full HD) and processor performance (Snapdragon 625) in one model still
so far no one offers. And, by and large, 11-12 thousand in Chinese stores versus 16 thousand in Russian retail no longer look like an outrageous overpayment, but we will not be like the capital's stuck colleagues, for whom 4 thousand rubles is not money. Let's look for alternatives.
ZUK Z2
In all honesty, there is no full replacement for Redmi 4 Prime. Any analogs will be either slow, or not so hardy, or without Full HD-matrix (that is, smell like "economy class"). But if you arm yourself with the idea of \u200b\u200ba model (a powerful geek budget non-phablet), you can find analogues.
For example, the "most exclusive" already now (because Lenovo is burying this subsidiary brand) is a glass smartphone with a flagship processor in 2016, Snapdragon 820, and a Full HD matrix at its core. Exciting? Highly! Against this background
smartphone Redmi 4 Prime is a "brake", especially since Xiaomi looks cheaper even after the Chinese have screwed the design in the style of the spectacular Redmi Note 4 to the younger model. And the cameras in the ZUK Z2, although not masterpieces in themselves , but certainly better than the gloom that wanders Xiaomi's compact state employees, starting with Redmi 3.
But there is no freebie even on Aliexpress (or "especially on Aliexpress," as buyers of fake flash drives would say), so check out the shortcomings of "Beetle" right away, and don't say that we didn't warn you:
- The body is glass and very slippery, so any " bang "Becomes more likely and, more importantly," deadly "for the case panel, even if the smartphone falls on its" back ". Scratches on the case also appear very quickly, even without any extreme. In the Redmi 4 Prime, the durability is much better.
- With the firmware, everything is rather gloomy - new smartphones do not always come with the Russian language pack, the flashing of this model is quite "dreary". Although by the degree of "dirty perversions", nothing beats the modification of a USB cable in order to "fill" the global firmware in Redmi 4A. Everything is relative, but be prepared to modify the smartphone software yourself.
- Display brightness is so-so. Using a smartphone on the street is painful.
By and large, the ZUK Z2 is such a "deteriorated" and more affordable Xiaomi Mi5, but in the absence of fish among the search for replacements for Redmi 4 Prime, it is good in its own way.
Huawei nova
Perhaps, officially imported Huawei will be the main "gravediggers" of Xiaomi in Russia, if smartphones at prices from Aliexpress do not remain on the market. But with foreign models, not everything is so simple - the Chinese carefully "castrate" Huawei and Honor for the Celestial Empire in such a way that they do not function 4G (and sometimes 3G) frequencies in foreign markets. Therefore, it is better to bypass the very attractive Honor 5C and 6X on Aliexpress. Or not bypass, but before that, find the only version that works from the Chinese modifications and make sure that it has multilingual firmware installed. Why live like that?
So grab a rare species - a Huawei smartphone with a Qualcomm processor! The Chinese are importing the American chips with their Kirin, if you don't know. Huawei nova started as a middle-class mobile phone with an emphasis on glamor and your endless selfies-beautification (when the automation removes acne from the "face", widens the eyes and masks the double chin) at a not very adequate price, but now it has dropped in price on Aliexpress to about those the same 12 thousand rubles, which are asked for Redmi 4 Prime. For a smartphone with 3/32 GB of memory with exactly the same Snapdragon 625 processor, no longer budget body materials and incomparably cooler cameras - not a bad exchange, isn't it?
By and large, nova is inferior to Redmi 4 Prime only in speaker quality, sound in headphones and autonomy. All other functions in it work at the same or higher level. And, of course, do not expect LTE Band 20 support in models for the Chinese market, but there are standard B3 / B7 in absolutely any modifications. You can take it without looking.
Options to replace Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro / Note 4 / Note 4X
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
A hardy 5.5-inch phablet with a processor that is very fast by the standards of "state employees" - this is the whole Redmi Note, of any generation. The people, of course, most of all love the Redmi Note 3 Pro with its Snapdragon 650, good endurance and reliability, but the more beautiful Redmi Note 4 with the ten-core MediaTek, which consumes the charge indecently quickly, but "piles" in the benchmarks, is also to their liking. The Redmi Note 4 with Snapdragon 625 processor is frankly not that interesting, but it is exactly the middle ground between the first two models. One way or another, we are talking about smartphones with a Full HD display, a powerful processor, so-so cameras and good autonomy at a price of 10-12 thousand rubles. There are not as many alternative options as we would like, but they are.
Meizu MX6
When MX6 appeared on the Russian market and they were asking for 28 thousand rubles for it, the first thought was - "but who needs you at all?" For almost 30 thousand, it was already possible to swing at much more thoroughbred and fast models, and a beautiful "shovel" with a cheap processor without outstanding features did not impress anything against this background.
But the Chinese sell the same Meizu for 12 thousand, and these, as they say in Odessa, are two big differences. Because the display in Meizu is slightly brighter than in Redmi Note 4, the processor is the same, and the cameras are much better. Autonomy is about the same as that of Xiaomi, the sound in headphones without tuning is better than in Redmi, with tuning it is worse. There are no problems with the firmware (that is, there are, but they are easily solvable), the ranges of Russian cellular LTE networks are supported at the Band 3 and Band 7 levels.
LeEco Le S3 X522
Suggesting a Xiaomi fan to buy instead of LeEco is like giving a pink Volga to a lover of American muscle cars. But after Smart Orange unfolds your package at customs, you might change your mind.
In general, LeEco has not been feeling very well lately - it looks like it will give an oak due to the fact that the cost of promotion was significantly higher than the profit from sales of mobile phones and TVs. Specialists who had previously come to the company from JD and Lenovo "ran" from the Russian LeEco - is the trend clear?
But we are not buying a picture of a classicist artist in order to predict for a few years ahead whether it will be valuable, so we will not delve into the jungle. Let's dive deeper into the new LeEco model - Le S3. Well, as a new one - it is such a "rethought" Le 2, from which custom ("amateur") firmware even fits the new model.
Slightly more advanced smartphone than Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro in terms of hardware - Snapdragon 652 (versus 650 in Xiaomi), a slightly more elegant-looking body and a brighter screen. Disadvantages - sound quality in headphones, less endurance, amputated headphone jack (as an alternative, there is an adapter with USB Type-C). Well, the rear camera is worse. That is, not "so-so" like Redmi Note 4, but "bad".
But this is still a good smartphone, which "knocks all the money" in benchmarks and in real use, and it costs only 9-10 thousand with full Russification and good characteristics. Who knows whether the reliability of budget LeEco has improved since the days of Le 2, but outside of Xiaomi and Meizu in the same class of devices, a more sensible alternative does not come to mind.
Option to replace Xiaomi Mi Max
I do not envy fans of "shovels" - smartphones with a near-tablet display diagonal are already small, and Mi Max among them is one of the best and certainly the best in terms of price / quality / autonomy ratio, if we are talking about
chinese prices. But all this is lyrics, and we have here - "counterfeit", so here are the options for large-sized high-quality smartphones worth 13-18 thousand rubles.
ZTE Nubia Z11 Max
Unpopular phablet, but in vain. Yes, it doesn't have "wow factors" like the standard frameless Z11, it doesn't even have an audiophile chip like the model with a 5.5-inch display. But this is the only model in the 6 and more inches category at a price of up to 20 thousand rubles, which cannot be called a “budget bucket”. Apart from the Mi Max, of course.
ZTE Nubia Z11 Max
At the same time, you can't call Nubia cheap either - it looks much cooler and more expensive than Xiaomi, the proprietary shell is also beautiful, the characteristics are about the same (Snapdragon 652, 4000 mAh, 4/64 GB), except that the display is smaller (6 inches exactly). The Russian language is already included in the firmware, there are no problems with frequency support, the cameras are about the same quality as in Mi Max, or even slightly better. The battery life is worse, but not bad either, and the main problem is the disgrace with software support. For a long time, the owners were content with Android 5.1, and Android 6.0 came out even when the peers of the Z11 Max began to update to Android 7.0 Nougat! And in general, in the case of Nubia smartphones, it is enough when the developers said “oh well, this phone, we changed our mind!”, And users were left “at a broken trough”, sometimes even without custom firmware at all.
