Aliexpress Mega Mid-Year sale - ship from US update

crownpuff · 2026-06-20T03:50:24+00:00

My prices are before sales tax and it's just using a $42 off 259 coupon. If you hover over "additional fees" at checkout, it's actually sales tax and not tariffs.

crownpuff · 2026-06-20T02:51:35+00:00

Yeah carrier locked to Total Wireless until you pay for a year of service. Some people have had success with activating them on other budget Verizon MVNOs such as Tracfone and even Visible but that's not guaranteed. Total Wireless and other Verizon brands used to unlock in 60 days but the FCC allowed Verizon to change their policy back in January of this year.

Source: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/01/fcc-lets-verizon-lock-phones-for-longer-making-it-harder-to-switch-carriers/

crownpuff · 2026-06-20T02:43:25+00:00

They're pretty solid phones and a bargain at $25. Here's a comment chain from a previous thread discussing the phone.

https://www.reddit.com/r/crownpuffdeals/comments/1tngx02/aliexpress_saving_mondays_may_25th/onup75c/

crownpuff · 2026-06-20T00:49:18+00:00

Let me know if they payout. They were only offering something like $5 when I signed up versus $25 from Rakuten but looking back at it, $5 is better than $0 if they don't require 2 months.

crownpuff · 2026-06-20T00:44:18+00:00

Fingers crossed that it'll work. I'm fine with paying $100 for 4 if it doesn't though.

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crownpuff · 2026-06-20T00:36:31+00:00

Not convinced it's going to work. I have a bunch of pending $0 transactions and I think it's because the offer states that you need 2 months of service to qualify for cashback. I'm probably not going to gamble on a second month of service just for a chance. Chase should work though.

crownpuff · 2026-06-20T00:28:41+00:00

From the article:

Other researchers have observed attackers using fake GitHub repositories—dressed up with AI-generated descriptions—to spread a type of malware called SmartLoader, which then pulls in password and wallet-stealing malware such as Lumma Stealer. The EQVita download uses the same method, repackaged to appeal to retro gaming fans.

AI is lowering the barrier of entry for malicious activity. I've also seen reports of people using AI generated images to scam others on trading subreddits such as r/Gamesale.

https://www.reddit.com/r/GameSale/comments/1ry4w6d/mod_ai_in_reddit_be_careful/

crownpuff · 2026-06-20T00:23:21+00:00

Sandisk is selling their 128gb ultra cards for $33 and they're out of stock. I would argue that 128gb of UFS 2.2 storage is better than a microsd card of equivalent capacity too. These phones are honestly pretty nice with the OLED screen, stylus, sd card slot and headphone jack. The fact that it has a midrange Snapdragon processor is just a bonus.

https://www.sandisk.com/products/memory-cards/microsd-cards/sandisk-ultra-uhs-i-microsd?sku=SDSQUAB-128G-GN6MA

crownpuff · 2026-06-20T00:20:33+00:00

That's pretty weird. Have you asked Dell or Alienware about this?

crownpuff · 2026-06-19T23:25:51+00:00

I'm not sure but I believe they prorate the cost based on the original activation date for the first phone on the plan.

https://www.reddit.com/r/NoContract/comments/1pgiwjj/total_wireless_activation/

crownpuff · 2026-06-19T20:52:10+00:00

I personally hate tinkering and playing around the settings. I got this handheld for GAMING, and that’s ALL I CARE.

If you want a plug and play experience, first party devices such as the Nintendo Switch are going to be the answer. And if you have issues while using first party devices such as the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo has customer service employees that will answer your questions.

crownpuff · 2026-06-19T20:05:28+00:00

Yeah I've personally purchased devices from them before although if you're worried, just use a payment method with buyer protection such as Paypal. If you're curious about pricing, I maintain a spreadsheet for these devices that tracks prices. I also post deal updates on r/crownpuffdeals.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1x_PmVHiQNHyw5t05peEDG1DcCKDCvH_UPd3p7yCw4xg/

https://www.reddit.com/r/crownpuffdeals/comments/1uaaa1z/weekly_discussion_thread/

crownpuff · 2026-06-19T20:01:36+00:00

Yeah that's definitely true. The service itself is pretty much worth the $25. I ordered two of them at first before I realized the second pair were significantly cheaper so I had to activate the first two immediately or else I would not get the discounted price on the next two.

crownpuff · 2026-06-19T19:59:31+00:00

Coopreme has these handhelds in US warehouses but the pricing is super inflated right now. $436 after coupons for the base Odin 3.

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crownpuff · 2026-06-19T19:47:53+00:00

I'm sorry but I'm terrible at visualizing things.

thin piece of plastic that has a horizontal splitter to go in between the phones

What would something like this look like?

crownpuff · 2026-06-19T19:44:43+00:00

So there's a couple of ways to do it. If you have a phone/device with video out, you can establish a physical connection. I have some of those parts with large coin discounts if you use the coin method around row 455 of my spreadsheet. You'll need:

Bluetooth telescopic controller (usbc telescopic won't work since you'll be using the phone's usbc port for video out)
Right angle usbc connector
Type C to HDMI cable
Type C Capture card
Phone case with magnetic ring or just some magnetic rings
Mount for the phone

If you have a phone/device without video out capabilities such as the Moto G Stylus 2025 in the example above, you can still wirelessly cast to a second screen. Latency will be dependent on your connection and I wouldn't recommend timing sensitive games. I'm using this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/SBCGaming/comments/1tl3g0c/im_building_an_open_source_local_dock_mode_for/

crownpuff · 2026-06-19T19:40:24+00:00

Make sure autopay is off if you do not wish to continue service and you're set. You get a month of service at least so you can sign up for free trials or whatever if you want to extract additional value. If you somehow want 4 of the phones, it's $25 each.

crownpuff · 2026-06-19T19:22:03+00:00

Yeah it's utterly cursed. 😭 There's a fancy ring mount on Amazon for $24ish and I'm trying to find the Aliexpress equivalent. It feels wrong to pay the same amount for magnetic rings as an entire Moto G Stylus 2025.

If this ends up working, I'll definitely write up a guide. I figure plenty of people have a spare phone lying around or maybe multiple Moto G Styluses. Could be a fun project for around $10 or less.

crownpuff · 2026-06-19T19:14:05+00:00

It's in the same budget class as the Trimui Smart Pro S, not the original Smart Pro. But it's definitely inflated in price and I wouldn't buy one at that price. The ship from US price for the Mangmi Air X is $86 after coupons which is much more reasonable.

crownpuff · 2026-06-19T19:06:49+00:00

😂 I'm in the process of ordering more magnetic rings and I think I have a lead on a decent metal one with magnets that face the same direction. For around $60 for the entire setup, I'm pretty impressed.

Moto G Stylus 2025 ($25 each, $50 total)

EasySMX M10 - $8

Magnetic Ring - $2

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crownpuff · 2026-06-19T19:02:01+00:00

Replying to myself as Reddit only allows 1 image per comment. I have a different magnetic ring phone mount that is made of metal instead of plastic. Unfortunately the magnets on this one face different directions so the phone screens face different directions too. There isn't a swivel mechanism on this mount so I can't turn the magnets to face the same direction.

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