How to Distinguish Global Firmware Xiaomi From Chinese

Have you bought a new Xiaomi phone from Aliexpress or any other store from the Celestial Empire? Do you not understand why all the inscriptions are depicted in hieroglyphs? You likely got a smartphone under the Chinese shell MIUI China ROM. This happens often, so the user needs to know how to distinguish the global firmware Xiaomi from the Chinese.

What versions of MIUI firmware are there

MIUI firmware is a great combination of comfort, simplicity, and versatility. But, unfortunately, its main disadvantage for newcomers is confusion.

The user hears dozens of different names and versions, not understanding which one is right for him. So let’s get to the bottom of it.

China ROM

This is the version of MIUI designed exclusively for the domestic Chinese market. It is installed on phones to be sold in China. Moreover, Xiaomi’s new products function first on China ROM. If you want to be among the first to buy a cool smartphone and order it from AliExpress – be prepared to reflash it yourself.

And only a few months after the release of the Chinese firmware appears, Global ROM, which we will discuss below. Why is China not suitable for us?

• This firmware has no multilingual. Living in any European country, you cannot set your phone’s native language. Only Chinese and English are available.
• There are Chinese services, such as the local geolocation service, browsers with limited access to some services (the Great Wall of China Internet), and “dialers” that do not recognize some operators. In the best case, such programs will be useless, and in the worst case, they will refuse to work and slow down the operating system.
• No Google services. Agree that it is hard for Android users to do without the Google Play store, Gmail, Chrome, etc.. When you buy a device with the Chinese shell, be prepared to install the necessary utilities yourself.

But there is an advantage – a lower price. These smartphones are much cheaper than the phones with the global version, with all the features, of course, identical.

Global ROM

This is an international version of the firmware released outside of China. It is the global firmware that is suitable for European users because:

• Multi-language. Almost all languages are supported.
• Availability of Google services. You do not have to introduce yourself to Google Play and endure constant slowdowns in its work.
• No inscriptions in Chinese, and sections, settings, and menus are perfectly translated. There are also no unnecessary programs from the Celestial Empire.

In our separate article, you can find out how to install Global ROM on your device. In the meantime, we continue to look at the features of this version. It is divided into two main types: MIUI Stable ROM and MIUI Developer ROM. And this is where most users get confused.

Developer ROM

This firmware is officially released by Xiaomi developers and contains the latest functionality. It is often beta-testing, during which new features are introduced in the shell. After installing the developer firmware, the user will receive new updates every week, hence the second name of the version – weekly.

But you can’t do without disadvantages. Builds arrive “raw”. No one can rule out slowdowns. Lags crashes in the operating system, and the failure of some applications to work. Yes, the problems will be eliminated after some time, but for people who adore stability and comfort, Developer ROM categorically will not suit them.

If you decided to update your operating system, read our dedicated article and take advantage of helpful tips, instructions and best practices.

Stable ROM

This is the best solution for most users. It focuses on stability and smooth operation of the operating system. Almost all malfunctions are eliminated, but updates come less frequently, about once every two months.

For newcomers who are just acquainted with Xiaomi products, we strongly recommend choosing Global Stable ROM to work comfortably with the smartphone. This will save you from unwanted reflashing and malfunctions with the mobile device.

Vietnamese firmware

The most controversial version of MIUI. It is not official and is often associated with huge harm to the smartphone. The phone’s owners are afraid that such a shell steals personal information and the device can not fully and normally function.

In fact, “self-made” is normal, but you can not get updates. This firmware is usually put on the Chinese models of Xiaomi (not to be confused with the global version), and without unlocking the boot loader, it puts pseudo global firmware.

On detecting such firmware on your phone after purchasing, applying to the store with a claim or reflashing it yourself is strongly recommended.

Custom / localized firmware

MIUI Ported ROM – the second name for the custom firmware. What do they look like? Such versions are made by third-party developers who are not directly related to Xiaomi. Also, firmware can be localized, focusing on a specific region.

The advantages of customization: possible built-in root rights, initially unlocked bootloader, higher version of Android, useful functionality ported from other brands, etc. Updates can come weekly, monthly, or not at all. It depends on the team. Usually, the custom firmware is based on the official versions of Stable ROM or Developer ROM.

How to know your firmware version of Xiaomi

Now let’s get down to practice – how does a user find out exactly which version of Miyuay is on his smartphone? Distinguishing between global and English-Chinese build is quite simple. To do this, go to “Settings”, go down to the “About the phone” section, and see the “MIUI version” tab.

At the top, it says whether you have global or Chinese firmware; at the bottom, it says stable or developer. A more detailed study is described in the article about installing global firmware.

What to do if the phone is with unofficial firmware

After looking at the firmware version, some owners of Xiaomi phones are horrified by the fact that their version is Vietnamese or a low-quality custom one is installed. So what to do?

1. If you have just purchased the phone and discovered such a nuisance, immediately contact the store with presentations. No seller has the right to offer you a “self-made” smartphone at the price of the original! They tell you in the store that they just received such a batch and are unaware of the fake. Then demand the contact details of the supplying company.
2. Did you buy the device from a local store or a Chinese or regional online service? Unfortunately, complaints are unlikely to help here because you can not call the seller after receiving the package.

In the future avoid purchases from unknown sources, and on AliExpress choose only verified sellers with a lot of positive feedback.

FAQ

My smartphone runs on MIUI from Xiaomi EU. Is it worth upgrading to the official global version?

If you are quite happy with the current version – you can continue to use it without any problems. The main thing to pay attention to in such parameters is no frequent brakes, crashes, or operating system crashes. Any updates? Is the power save working for you? If the answer is yes – the firmware is good.

I have a Chinese version of the smartphone. Can I reflash to the global firmware?

Recently, Xiaomi approved a new rule: reflashing from China to the international shell and back is prohibited. Otherwise, you get a brick.

I have a self-made one, can’t reflash to normal firmware, what to do?

This is the main horrible flaw of Vietnam. Try methods via Fastboot or Recovery. As a last resort, go to a good service center.

As you can see, distinguishing global firmware from Chinese firmware on Xiaomi is pretty easy. You only need a little time and attention. Follow our instructions – and everything will work out.