This is 99% true. And to add to that "trust me". Jk You really do get what you pay for. Example. I bought from a well known online site 2 iPhone charger cords. Were only $2.99 each. They arrive in the mail and I happily open the package. First observation is the 1/2" heat shrink that supports the cord to the plug was not heat shrunk. It was lose and slid down the cord. 1st cord lasted a whole 1 week before it quit charging the device. The 2nd one lasted a whole 3 weeks. I decided to buy an Apple made charger cord for $14.99. That one is a champ and is still working over a year later. Proven fact you get what you pay for. I will add this, made in China tag you see when you rec the product is #1 sign that it will fail, just saying.
Its really worth it, the best phone i ever had! Xiaomi mi5 will be the best on the market acroding to benchmark. And its pretty cheap.
Which HTC device did you have? Regarding Xiaomi. The mi4 you mentioned has amazing specs and I would highly suggest getting it. Things I think are great about it: -5 inch screen size -Full HD 1080p screen res -Planned upgrade to android marshmallow 6.0 -The 3gb of ram woooottttt -Fast charging tech, boi... 60% in 30mins -3080mah battery, basically anything over 300mah is best I haven't tried the miui but that device, the mi4 will be getting the latest updated version of android indefinitely. I think I watched a video displayed its current os and it's not bad, for an oem skin. Also might want to watch reviews regarding your device beforehand.