What is the difference between global firmware and non-global firmware? Other firmware versions

Twitter

Xiaomi phones that can be officially purchased outside of China usually come in three versions. In this article we will look at which regional versions Xiaomi phones are there?

Phone versions Xiaomi Redmi differ in their support for LTE frequency bands, while the Mi phone versions are identical in hardware and only come in a different box. Most Xiaomi phones only have Chinese versions, for example Mi 5X or .

Xiaomi smartphone versions

Let's take a closer look at how the Chinese version differs from international Xiaomi to understand what phones are sold on AliExpress and unofficial stores.

Chinese version

The devices are made in China and come with a box with all the inscriptions on Chinese. Also in Chinese there may be factory films on the back panel, and a protective film on the smartphone screen with the model name.

The kit includes a NEMA power adapter, which cannot be used for charging in our outlets without an adapter.

The phone is on with pre-installed Chinese firmware China Stable ROM. But it’s worth considering that many sellers on Aliexpress can sell Chinese versions of Xiaomi phones with Global Stable ROM firmware. Therefore, you should not rely on firmware alone.

On the plus side, the Chinese version is cheaper.

Indian version

These phones are manufactured and sold in India. The devices come in a box in English with a standard power adapter and pre-installed global stable firmware.

Indian Redmi phones support significantly fewer LTE bands than Chinese versions. Because in India only a small part of them is used. Therefore, the manufacturer deliberately does not include support for many bands.

On the box of the Indian version, you will find a red “Made in India” sticker at the top. This distinctive feature such phones.

Example of models released specifically for India: Redmi Y1, Redmi Y1 Lite, Redmi Note 5 Pro, Redmi Y2.

Global version

Such smartphones are manufactured in China for sale to the rest of the market (i.e. outside China and India).

The language of the box and the power adapter plug depend on the region where the phone will be sold in the future. In most countries, phones are sold with inscriptions in English and an MDY-08-EO (5V/2A) Euro plug.

In addition, the global version is distinguished by a red “Global Version” sticker on top cover boxes.

Smartphones are supplied only with the global version of stable firmware. For 2018 models, this is MIUI 9 Stable Version 9.2, 9.5 and higher.

Also, global Redmi phones support more LTE bands than Chinese ones. For example, there is support for the popular . Such models work more stably with local operators mobile communications, 4G network speed is higher. Therefore, many users prefer to wait until the global version of the new Xiaomi model is released rather than buy a Chinese one.

Answers to frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the official and Chinese versions of Xiaomi smartphones?

Everything is simple: box (inscriptions and markings), support for frequency ranges and firmware (but not required).

Differences between the global version and the Chinese Xiaomi Redmi 4x?

In addition to the obvious signs (the presence of hieroglyphs in the Chinese version, etc.), which were described above. Let's compare the two phones in practice. Will the difference really be critical?

Global Redmi 4x was released only in the 3/32 GB version. Therefore, there is no international 2/16 GB option.
Convenient Euro plug that does not require an additional adapter.
The appearance is absolutely identical, the only difference is the stickers on the rear panel, which are glued at the factory.
Support 4G networks. Since there are Band 7 and Band 20. The Internet will work stably on both versions of the phone for many 4G operators.
There is a difference in display specification on some devices. In Chinese it is installed - BOE Display. It has better brightness and white balance. On the international one there is an Ebbg screen, on which a yellow tint predominates.

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus difference from the global version?

After the smartphone was officially presented, it has not yet begun to be sold in Russia. Many users were faced with the fact that they could not understand which version they had. The sellers on Ali insisted that they only sold “global ones,” but in fact they sent Chinese versions with the appropriate markings. Disguising such phones using installed unofficial Russian-language firmware (“flip-flops”).

This information may be interesting, and perhaps even extremely useful. Not everyone understands the differences between firmware versions. What is global, and how does it differ from development? We will answer these questions below.

In this article we decided to conduct short review MIUI firmware and help you understand the whole variety of firmware, so that in the future you will know what it is “weekly”, “homemade” and what to expect from the firmware. All MIUI firmware is divided into several types and subtypes.

BY ORIGIN

Initially, MIUI is presented in two versions: English-Chinese (China ROM) And global (Global ROM).

China ROM, "Anglo-Chinese" the version is aimed at China and is equipped various functions and software relevant only for China. From available languages it contains only English and Chinese, as the name suggests. We are not interested in her.

Global ROM, she's the same "Global", "Multilingual" in turn, is aimed at users outside of China and is not supplied with services for China, but on the contrary, they are installed Google services. There are many more languages available, including Russian.

BY TYPE

Developer ROM, she's the same “Weekly”, “Developer”, "Beta". The developer firmware is the most current and innovative, as it receives all the innovations first. This firmware is official from Xiaomi itself and primarily it was created for advanced users to test innovations. It is updated every week, usually on Friday, with the exception of Chinese holidays and the presence of serious bugs, when the developers delay the release of the update. However, don't be alarmed if you encounter an error; most likely, it will be fixed by next Friday. And many users use the weekly firmware without worrying about bugs.

The name of the developer firmware release is the date of its release. For example, the firmware is called MIUI 8 6.11.3, which means that it was released on November 3, 2016. The first digit is the year, the second is the month, the third is the day.

Stable ROM, she's the same “Stable”. This firmware, like the Weekly one, is official and released by the MIUI development team at Xiaomi. It is the main assembly and is a kind of standard: it is stable, all functions are debugged and optimized in it, all bugs that are found in the weekly firmware are fixed. It is recommended to install it if you do not strive for all the innovations and associated bugs, but you need stable operation of the system without surprises. The name of stable firmware versions is not tied to the release date, but to the accumulated updates, so it is updated irregularly. Updates can come either once every two weeks or once every three months.

Ported ROM, she's the same “Custom”, “Unofficial”. Custom builds include various localized versions from third-party development teams, enthusiast builds, and firmware versions for smartphones from other smartphone brands. Custom builds are always based on the Stable or Weekly official builds. They can also be updated either once a week or from large interval. Many Custom builds are not updated over the air, so you will have to install them yourself each time.

Samopal ROM- this is a kind of subspecies, an offshoot from Custom firmware. We apologize for such a free interpretation of the names of these “versions” of the firmware, however, in Lately There are even more of them and unscrupulous sellers do not hesitate to install them on the smartphones of gullible buyers. Basically, these are homemade firmware with disgusting translation, frequent mistakes and ubiquitous bugs. Stable work Such firmware is absolutely not guaranteed and often spoils the impression of the device. It is always recommended to install assemblies of the first three types, or better yet, just Stable.

Other firmware versions.

There are several other types of firmware that are no longer so common. TD ROM And WCDMA ROM- firmware created for a specific type of communication in a specific country. For example, the TD version was created for the same type of 3G connection only in China. Phones with TD ROM will only work within China, and in our region they will be of little use Above zero. Phones with WCDMA ROM created for 3G communications, widespread throughout the world. However, there are some varieties such as WCDMA HK, WCDMA Singapore, WCDMA Taiwan, WCDMA Malaysia, which also will not work outside these countries.

TO SIZE

Full ROM, aka “Full firmware package”. This full file firmware, which is usually used when installing software from scratch or for the first time. Also, installing firmware by downloading the full package often helps eliminate some errors that were previously in the device. Full version The firmware includes all applications and services, even those that did not change in the update. Usually full package updates weigh from 600 MB to 2 GB.

Incremental ROM, aka “OTA update”, “Renewal”. Includes only new files, as well as updates, fixes and additions. Typically, this is the kind of update that comes to devices via OTA (over the air). Such updates, as a rule, are not significant and weigh from 20 MB to 200 MB.

Thus, you receive both Developer firmware and Stable firmware in the form OTA updates, and if you wish, you can download the full firmware package from standard application Updater of your device.

UPDATE

Official (global, English-Chinese / weekly, stable) firmware is always updated over the air, except in cases incorrect installation or any other incorrect actions user, which could lead to damage to system files. In case your official firmware does not want to update, you need to install the firmware in manual mode. You can download official and some custom builds of MIUI from the official MIUI forum.

Many lovers of new products in the field of smartphones have long paid attention to.

However, figuring out all the know-how on your own is not so easy, which is where the question arises: what is it for? global firmware So what's this.

Contents:

Definition of global firmware

In technical parlance, firmware means the operating system that is used as the core material for running any smartphone.

Since manufacturers are constantly working to improve it, the phone periodically offers to update the firmware version so that the user can appreciate the new capabilities of his gadget.

The product developed by the company has become a leader in the field safe storage data.

However, with the development of the Chinese market, row technical devices along with all the “stuffing” was replenished. Based on the existing Androind base, manufacturers such as , Flyme, (Xiaomi) decided to create their own versions of global firmware.

The initial form of the new invention was planned to be used exclusively in Chinese, since there was no such forecast that could calculate such a large popularity in the competitive market.

In the first version, there were only two languages: national and English, only relevant applications for the Chinese population were used, and it was not available.

The common people called this version of the firmware “Chine ROM”.

Since the demand for Chinese smartphones soared to the skies main task manufacturers began to expand the available characteristics. Thus, the firmware appeared in many languages, hence the name global firmware (Global ROM).

Types of firmware, considering origin

The initial firmware has two versions: standard (China ROM, available in two languages: Chinese and English) and global (Global ROM, available for use in many languages of the world).

1 China ROM as the name implies, it is relevant for the local population in China, since it has a number of its own characteristics. It has applications installed functionality taking into account cultural interests. In addition, there are language restrictions, since the firmware only supports two languages: Chinese and English

2 Global ROM means multi-spectrum, focusing on other cultures. IN in this case There are no applications relevant for the first option. Most services are present, which is especially common in the USA and Europe.

Classification by type

1 Weekly (Developer ROM). The most popular type of firmware, since everything last changes possible to obtain through its use. It is an official legacy from the developer Xiaomi. Generally, updates occur every week until Friday, excluding Chinese public holidays. Often, if in new firmware There are some errors, don’t worry, because they will be fixed in the next weekly update

2 Stable (Stable ROM). As in the first version, it is an official creation Chinese developer MIUI (protégé of Xiaomi). However there is a difference: this firmware contains exclusively measured parameters and functions, the operation of which is maximally debugged. The best option for those who are not chasing new bugs and are not involved in testing technical innovations. Important difference from other versions of global firmware - inconsistent updates, since it uses exclusively well-established mechanisms

3 Unofficial, custom (Ported ROM). Built on many functions and programs that were created by third-party specialists. Standard, proven firmware is used as the basis. In this case, updates do not occur constantly, so calculate specific date impossible. Sometimes the interval is up to several months

4 Samopal. It is not an independent category of global firmware. As a rule, these firmwares are presented at the lowest possible cost, since they are assembled by amateurs with numerous errors, an inconvenient interface, and poor-quality translation. Since the quality of this type leaves much to be desired, it is most reasonable to use one of the three options presented above

Global firmware sizes

It is customary to highlight all two size ranges of existing firmware:

Full (Full ROM). A complete adapted package, which is most often installed when using the gadget for the first time. It contains everything necessary programs and applications that will be needed to work with the device. As a rule, the weight of such a package is no more than 2 GB
Update (Incremental ROM). As the name implies, such firmware is focused exclusively on new services, applications and bug fixes previous versions. It is important to note that due to its light weight (up to 200MB), almost every smartphone has technical support similar package.

Differences between Chinese firmware and global firmware

Many users are confident that, apart from the lack of support for the Russian language in the English-Chinese version, the rest of the program is no different from the global one.

China ROM is indeed characterized by a lack of support for the Russian language. But there are also models with basic firmware that have completely eradicated this drawback. However, it is important to understand that when using such patches, any security is completely absent. Therefore trust personal information, means taking really serious risks
Everyone's favorite is also missing, and converting your own gadget is only possible using unofficial versions
China ROM contains exclusively services intended for use by the Chinese population, so the question of how relevant they are for residents of other countries remains open. It is also worth noting that the operation of such a gadget is characterized by lower productivity. Errors occur frequently
There are situations when a manually installed one refuses to continue working., due to the fact that the system recognizes it as malware, so it is unlikely to be fully exploited.

Updates

All types of official firmware can be updated over the air. The only exception can be the moment when problems or errors occur during the downloading process.

If automatic updating does not occur, then there is Alternative option– download in manual mode.

To prevent the risk of virus infection or downloading unwanted programs, it is recommended to use only reliable sources.

The most popular is the official website of the MIUI manufacturer. As for custom options, they can only be found in unofficial sources.

If we talk about custom firmware, then it is impossible to use it in the same way as the official one. A download from the resource will be required.

The situation when the operating system becomes outdated and is not able to efficiently load new games or applications is typical in nature.

If the phone starts to work incorrectly or freezes, then this is the first sign that it’s time to change the firmware. In this case, in order to expand the capabilities of the gadget, you should not resort to downloading the official global firmware, since in the end the same result will be obtained. They help increase the phone's performance.

However, such firmware still has its advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages:

The main advantage of custom firmware is regular update, which involves the use of completely new features or the improvement of old functions. It is worth noting that third party developers often visit forums with discussions and read into the wishes of customers who carefully monitor new software or updates. This is extremely important, since feedback helps make the next version an order of magnitude better by changing parameters or improving them. For example, the user can indicate that the battery charge indicators are displayed incorrectly. In this case, the unofficial developer will make every effort to correct such a defect.
However, users who keep up with the times note another advantage of custom firmware - the absence of additional garbage that clogs the phone's memory unnecessary programs. The performance of the phone increases with changes in the firmware, since the initially existing code is considered optimized, which means you can download an upgrade at any time. Since the firmware does not allow data to be saved third party applications, then charging the gadget will last much longer.
By using custom firmware you can install the most latest version. It is worth noting that not a single manufacturer producing smartphones or gadgets is engaged in updating operating system, so put the most new version only possible with the support of unofficial firmware.

Flaws:

First of all, the most important drawback is related to the fact that each user must have advanced capabilities of the copyright holder, which may not always lead to the desired consequences. As an opposite effect, there is always the possibility of getting together an ordinary plastic brick that will not respond to even the most trivial commands. Therefore, before you start filling, you need to read and thoroughly study all the information about the firmware.
If your phone breaks down, it is important to understand that after flashing, warranty service no longer possible, so repairs can cost quite a large sum. Sometimes it turns out that taking risks and installing an unofficial version of the firmware is not so important, since the user may have enough of the existing functions, so there is no point in doing such things unnecessarily.
Before downloading the firmware, it is recommended to find out how you can more information about her. There are many forums on the Internet where advanced users discuss this or that version, what its disadvantages are, what doesn’t work after downloading, and whether there are viruses. It is not advisable to take risks and download firmware from a source unknown to anyone, since they may be scammers.

There are 3 main versions of smartphones on sale:

1 Version for the domestic Chinese market (global firmware with Russian language installed)
2 European version. The product name indicates: "Global Version" or "EU"
3 Version Rostest. The product name indicates: "RosTest Version"

As you know, Xiaomi, Meizu and others Chinese companies, release their products not only to the international market, but also to domestic consumers. In this regard, there are modifications of smartphones both for the Chinese themselves and for everyone else. How does the Asian version (for the Chinese market) differ from the international (European) version of the smartphone?

Packaging and firmware

Smartphones intended for the international market have the inscription Global Version on the packaging and inscriptions on the box on English language. This implies that they already have a global version of the firmware preinstalled at production. In the version for the Asian market, the inscription on the box is in Chinese, but the firmware does not come from the factory in Russian. Therefore, our engineers install global firmware in such phones, the same as in European versions. When purchasing from us, you always receive a 100% Russified phone, the firmware of which does not differ from the European version.

Together with the global version of the smartphone in included charger with the familiar “European” plug. At the same time, Chinese modifications are sold with charger their sample and are equipped with an adapter for “our” sockets.

LTE (4G) support

Smartphones for the Asian market support LTE frequencies Band 1, 3, 5 and 7, and for the European market - Band 1, 3, 5 and 7, as well as B4 and B20.
At the same time, Band 4 (AWS) is practically not used in Russia and is actively used only in some countries of the world (for example, Colombia, Chile, Uruguay, Mexico), and Band 20, due to its low frequency (800 MHz), is not capable of providing high capacity and speed, is used only as an additional frequency in cities, as well as in extremely sparsely populated areas.
Even with the additional B20 frequency, the difference in speed between the European and Asian versions will not be noticeable in practice, because Russian (as well as foreign) operators transfer data to high speeds frequencies used are B3 (1800), B7 (2600 FDD) and B38 (2600 TDD). Before purchasing, you can always install your SIM card in your phone and check its operation on 4G networks.

ROSTEST version

Now let's figure out what Rostest and Eurotest are. Eurotest is a certification that all gadgets receive. It operates all over the world, with the exception of a few countries and Russia.
In Russia, Eurotest certification is superimposed by another one - Russian. Thus, Rostest is a certification of a product already certified in Europe. Of course, this additional certification is included in the price of the gadget and for this you have to pay approximately 20% of the cost of the product. In return, you get the right to repair the gadget during the warranty period in official service centers countrywide. A phone with a certificate from Eurotest is listed all over the world. Nowhere in the world do they overpay 20% of the price for an additional guarantee.

However, when buying equipment with Eurotest certification, you do not risk being left without a warranty. In this case, the store provides its own 1-year warranty on smartphones. And you can get your device fixed for free by simply bringing it to any of our stores. In general, buying a Eurotest is the same as if you went to another country and bought a phone there at a lower price. Only in this situation, due to a warranty case, you would have to return to this country or have it repaired for money. And if you purchase Eurotest from us, you immediately have a free guarantee.

Comparison table:

	ROSTEST (PCT)	EUROTEST (Global Version)	Chinese version
Instructions	Russian	Manufacturer countries	Manufacturer countries
Guarantee	Throughout the Russian Federation	In any of our stores	In any of our stores
Charger	Suitable for Russian networks	Suitable for Russian networks	Adapter included
Quality	Same factory	Same factory	Same factory
Russian language
Software (firmware)	Global with Russian language	Global with Russian language	Global with Russian language
Work in 4G networks
Price	20% higher than Eurotest	20% lower than Rostest, but higher than the Chinese version	The lowest price!

Conclusion: The differences in smartphone versions are minor, and the price savings are significant, especially if you decide to buy from the ivtelefon online store.

Happy shopping!

If you have just switched to Xiaomi smartphones or are just preparing for such a step, then you have probably already heard how fast and functional MIUI shell. However, if you dig deeper, you can think about the problem of choosing a firmware version, since their choice is huge. For this reason, someone may be afraid to update their phone, or wait for an update that will never appear. This problem of choice has led us to this review of the main MIUI ROMs. Now you will have clear instructions for all versions of MIUI with brief description possibilities, pros and cons.

How are MIUI firmware divided by region?

First of all, let's divide MIUI firmware by region. Everything is very simple here.

Two versions are officially released:

for the domestic market, also known as Anglo-Chinese – China ROM;
for the international market, global – Global ROM.

These are two basic versions MIUI firmware, on the basis of which custom firmware is created. Below is a little more detail about each of the two.

MIUI Global ROM (global firmware)

This firmware is intended for smartphones and tablets manufactured outside of China. The international version of MIUI already has pre-installed applications and services from Google. There is a choice of languages, including Russian.

MIUI China ROM

This version is released exclusively for smartphones sold in the domestic market. The firmware has 2 pre-installed languages - Chinese and English; there are also no Google services and installed software that works only in China.

How do MIUI firmware differ by type?

So far everything seems very simple, but MIUI is also divided by type:

MIUI Developer ROM – for developers, beta version of MIUI;
MIUI Stable ROM – stable firmware version;
MIUI Ported ROM are unofficial versions of MIUI firmware, supported by developers in local markets;
homemade firmware based on MIUI - the same as custom ones, but often their “creators” are unknown;
regional MIUI firmware - usually released for models that support a specific type of mobile connection.

MIUI Developer ROM

These firmwares are released officially by Xiaomi developers. Initially, such assemblies are intended for more experienced users, for whom it is important to be the first to gain access to new functions of the operating system. Developer ROM is designed for testing innovations and often contains various shortcomings.

That's why updates appear weekly on Fridays (except holidays). As soon as errors are discovered, they are quickly corrected and next version MIUI usually does not have any previously identified flaws.

It is very easy for developers to figure out the firmware – even by name. For example, if you see that the build is called MIUI 8 7.21.4, then it was released on April 21, 2017.

MIUI Stable ROM

With these firmware versions everything is much simpler. They are also produced by the Xiaomi development team, but these builds are official, stable, tested, with fully functioning functions and without obvious glitches that are eliminated in developer builds.

You can safely install such firmware on your phone, but you will not be among the first to gain access to innovations. Here the choice is made in favor of stability. Stable ROM firmwares are updated without a specific schedule, so you may see an update every couple of weeks, or even not receive anything new for months.

MIUI Ported ROM

Most custom builds belong to this type of MIUI firmware; of course, they are all unofficial. You can often encounter such firmware for one main reason - outside of China on Xiaomi smartphones They usually install localized versions of MIUI compiled by third-party developers.

We also include high-quality builds of enthusiasts who port MIUI to devices from other manufacturers besides Xiaomi to this type of firmware.

Basically Ported ROM MIUI is assembled based on stable version firmware, or on the developer's side with bug fixes. Often these custom builds are updated on a specific schedule, but installation will be done manually.

Custom low-quality MIUI builds

Still, we have to distinguish a separate subtype from the general picture of custom MIUI firmware - homemade assemblies, pop-up on “gray” Xiaomi smartphones. Often such firmware has a terrible translation, terrible optimization and contains uncorrected bugs.

If this is your first time encountering MIUI firmware of this type, then your impression of the operating system and the phone as a whole will probably be spoiled for a long time. Never use such assemblies.

Regional MIUI ROM / Other versions

These are far from the most common types of MIUI firmware. We noted above that these are mainly regional localized assemblies intended for a specific type of mobile communication or for specific operator. The most well-known firmware are WCDMA ROM MIUI and TD ROM - the first will work on models only with support for 3G WCDMA communications (more or less common), and the second - only on the domestic market of China.

We can also divide MIUI firmware according to the simplest criteria - size.

Full ROM is a full-fledged version of the firmware that you can safely install from scratch on your smartphone. Often, installing such an assembly eliminates all errors and other problems that could not be dealt with in other ways. This MIUI package offers everything necessary services, because of which the firmware file will not weigh so little - up to 2 GB.

Incremental ROM is just an addition to the firmware, updating it with the necessary fixes. You can often get them via OTA (downloading via WiFi) if you have the official one installed MIUI firmware– stable or for developers. These updates are small - from 20 to 200 MB.

And in conclusion, we note the implicit division of MIUI firmware according to the update method - by OTA or manually.

Any official MIUI firmware has the ability to receive an update over the air at any time, but only if you have not manually changed anything in system files. Because of this, there may be a problem with the OTA update. You will have to fix the problem manually - by installing the assembly, which can always be downloaded from the official Xiaomi MIUI forum.