Make sure to go over apps preinstalled (system apps) and disable them or take away their network permission, if nothing else.
NetGuard, NoRoot Firewall, Glasswire are some of the apps that let you do that.
The amount of Sinophobia on here is ridiculous.
Its good hygiene to rid of apps you have no use for. Note: Pre-installed apps on OHA devices include Google's, too: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/07/googles-iron-grip-on...
> Because it's Chinese?
- Because its Android: https://techscience.org/a/2015103001/
- Because its Xiaomi: https://thehackernews.com/2014/08/xiaomi-phones-secretly-sen...
Huawei, OnePlus, Nokia have been caught spying on users, too. Lenovo, famously, MiTMd TLS on their laptops. So, really, its the OEMs. And also the SoC vendors and Carriers: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17081684 I digress.
> The amount of Sinophobia on here is ridiculous.
Not sure about that, but you might be onto something.