Pre-Buying Meizu M8 SE questions

Hey guys! I used to be part of this forum a LONG time ago and simply forgot about the Meizu M8 when it was listed that it was only DUALBAND and wouldn't work here in the States. However, over a year, here I am looking to buy a new M8 SE.

Can anyone here verify that they're using T-Mobile in the USA? If so, how is the coverage and data on it?

The new firmware looks very good, much better than the original. Any glitches or errors that are currently a pain? What's your general opinion on the device?

Also, where did you buy yours from? eBay looks to be selling theirs for around $350 which seems steep to me. I could get a used iPhone for that...

Thanks for your help guys. Maybe I'll be joining the owners club soon.

So, you got the message about the shop, now about the phone :-)

It depends what you want to use it for.
I use it for messages, calls, MP3's and some games, and it works perfectly for me. I don't know about the internet though, you need to wait until some Americans can tell you more about coverage/speed/etc.
The phone quality is surprisingly good (e.g. battery cover), so is the sound quality, whereas the touchscreen may occasionally cause problems (but I don't know if that only applies to older models). Also it doesn't like the cold weather, sometimes it gets very laggy when it is too cold...

To be honest, if I didn't dislike Apple's policy of "Apple-only" software that much, I would be very tempted to buy an iPhone if they cost about the same. Because the iPhone is, in my opinion, still superior in terms of quality.
Also remember, there is no official support outside of China for the M8. Of course, if you buy it at the shop I suggested, you can go to them for help, but in case something breaks, you have to send it to China. Also the software is mostly in Chinese, there are many apps translated to English, but most or all of it is done by the fans.

So maybe you want to browse the forum a bit more to find more opinions about the M8. I do not say it is a bad phone, au contraîre, I would probably buy it again, just because it is unique and really easy to use :-)

I use my phone to text (A LOT), call obviously, get email, listen to music (the 8GB built in memory is huge to me) and occasional browsing. Other than that, I'm happy.

The new UI looks very nice but man, the bugs involved with this are terrifying.

I use T-mobile in the US with no problem. The only thing you can't do is send Picture messages. I can send sms fine. Firmware is still in question but it is usable. The official one you get off Meizu site or if you look in the fireware section here, not the leaked tester versions that pop up every three to four days. Most people don't read what it is they are doing when they install and that's the one they get. Making there first M8 usage not a good one. However, this is a very good made piece of tech. Once Software and translations catchup it should be a real force. I put an antenna in mine and the call recept and signal strength is solid.

I got mine off ebay 16 gb model first addition but I believe it has SE stuff installed. It all depends on you, the phone will get better. However, keep a backup if you do a lot of business dealings there is nothing I have seen as far as portable spreadsheet, Word, etc. But it's coming.

For better or worse, I just ordered my black 8GB Meizu M8 SE.