This is an interesting discussion on export (China) set vs local (sg) set.
http://en.miui.com/thread-339226-1-1.html
I don't agree with everything in that thread (I still prefer Global ROM vs china ROM). But it's a good discussion.
I also want to add a few things.
(1) It is easy to flash an export set to the official Global ROM if one wants to do so. "adb reboot edl" and the latest Mi Flash Tools plus the .tgz containing the ROM. This will deal with all export sets where the seller installs google play store plus some other strange bloatware. Basically you start from a completely clean slate.
(2) Local warranty is over-rated. Anecdotal evidence suggests that some people have encountered terrible service at the official XM service centre. Plus, if you drop your phone and the screen cracks, that is not covered by warranty anyway (screen replacement costs $150 at XM service centre).
Don't forget the export set can be $80 - $100 cheaper as well! (For example, RMN3 Pro 32GB local set is selling at $319 in Challenger, the export set is $215 in Lazada before discount codes.)
(3) Do you need local warranty? It depends on you. If you are a careless user who doesn't take care of his/her phones well, by all means go for it and waste $80 - $100. If you are a careful user like myself, you don't need it. I bought all my export sets from Lazada (about 10 sets for myself and family / friends, which means I saved between $800 - $1000 so far) and none of them have given me any problems. Even if some of the sellers do not provide 6-12 months warranty, Lazada has a minimum of 1-week no-questions-asked full refunds anyway.
(4) Most phones, if they are faulty, will spoil within the first few days. If they are solid, they will easily last past the warranty period. So the Lazada warranty is good enough for me.
