@SomeGadgetGuy
Xiaomi makes great bang for buck hardware, but their MIUI OS is always bloated and full of spyware. Luckily custom rom support is good for their devices but it usually takes a year after intro for this to get put out for a phone.
@SomeGadgetGuy
Even the MIUI global mods have system apps with lots of embedded trackers that are granted a ton of permissions (I did an audit for a couple of devices). But there are a bunch of custom ROMs that can give a minimal (and in some cases even a "de-Googled") install for lots of Xiaomi's offerings. I use "vanilla" Bliss OS on my Redmi Note 9 Pro, amazing battery life and no "phoning home" with this.
@TotalSonic id love to see that audit. The most recent study conducted I could find, showed very little activity on recent global ROMs, and that largely Chinese phones complied with European security regulations about as well as other brands. https://arxiv.org/pdf/2302.01890.pdf
@SomeGadgetGuy
It was my own informal tests, nothing official or that I documented, just using the App Manager and TrafficControl apps (available from tbe F-droid store) to see what trackers were embedded in the pre-installed apps, how many permissions were granted to these, how much data was sent out by each, and to what nations this went to. It wasn't "clean" by any means.
@TotalSonic well phones are rarely "clean" LOL. I think it's important to detail those differences in global versus Chinese ROMs, and it would seem so far, that regulations are changing Chinese phone manufacturers behavior for devices sold in regions with stricter regulations.
Lemme know your thoughts on the published study. If you can collect your data, it would be helpful over just the anecdote of "China bad".
More collected data is always helpful.
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