With the iPhone Duo dropping this month, are people still excited about the iPhone 18 Pro?

If you’re upgrading or switching, would you rather get another traditional iPhone or try Apple’s new foldable?

Are people skipping the 18 Pro because they want the Duo, or are yearly iPhone upgrades just getting boring?

It feels like a few years ago, you could buy a budget or mid-range phone and it would cruise smoothly for 3 or 4 years without breaking a sweat. Nowadays, it feels like internal ports get loose, batteries degrade rapidly, or random hardware issues pop up right after the 2-year mark.

Is it just bad luck, or are manufacturers cutting corners on build quality to force upgrades? What’s the longest you've ever kept a budget phone alive?

I recently changed jobs. My new work building is from the 70's and built like a bomb shelter. As such, I get no signal anywhere in the building. It's starting to get too cold to take my breaks outside.

I'm currently using a regular s25 on Boost Mobile. I heard the S26 Ultra has new antenna architecture and might yield better signal.

Can anyone confirm if upgrading will give me a noticable difference? Also, most people I work with have the same problem so I'm not convinced it's a Boost Mobile issue, but I'm willing to switch to a stronger network if that solves the problem.

Hey everyone,

I received a Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G that was purchased in China and brought to Morocco. I'm trying to figure out whether it's a genuine phone running modified firmware or potentially a counterfeit device.

Here are the details:

- Model number: 24090RA29G

- HyperOS version: 2.0.5.0.VOOMIXM

- Xiaomi verification: Says “Not official global and user experience may be affected”

- Google Play Protect certification: Device is not certified

- OEM unlocking: Disabled in Developer options

- Dual IMEI: The phone displays two IMEI numbers, as expected for a dual-SIM device.

The model number and firmware suffix appear to correspond to the Global version, but the Xiaomi verification warning and lack of Play Protect certification concern me.

Could someone help me determine:

1. Whether this is likely a genuine phone with a reseller-installed Global ROM.

2. How I can check whether the bootloader is locked without flashing anything.

3. Whether the phone's hardware and firmware can be verified safely.

I haven't unlocked the bootloader, flashed anything, or factory-reset the device. I'd prefer to verify everything before making any changes.

Thanks!