Things keep getting better for Xiaomi who simply doesn't know when to quit. The company has enjoyed massive success with both its smartphone and tablet lineup and now they've decided to go full in with it's first ever big sized phablet. We're talking about the Xiaomi Mi Max, a smartphone that's set a new trend by delivering nothing shy of a 6.44 inch display.
Today we're determined to get to know the Mi Max, along with its virtues and drawbacks. With that in mind we set out to explore the pros and cons of the Xiaomi Mi Max, care to join us?
Xiaomi Mi Max Pros and Cons Exposed
Xiaomi Mi Max Cons
A non-replaceable battery, again. This is becoming a very annoying new trend that most manufacturers, big and small, seem pretty keen on following. We're talking about the fact that most smartphones nowadays don't offer the user the possibility to swap out the battery since the user can't actually access the battery section of the phone without taking some pretty extreme measures.
Fortunately for us, one of the pros of de Xiaomi Mi Max is its massive battery life. However, that doesn't take away from the fact that not being able to access the battery easily is still a disadvantage worth pointing out.
Storage is limited if you use the dual SIM option. Again, Xiaomi is following a trend here but basically the Mi Max makes you choose between increasing storage by microSD or opting for a dual SIM smartphone since the actual microSD card goes where the SIM 1 card would go.
This could be an issue with the 16GB model, however, with the 128GB model that boasts 4GB of RAM we don't really see this as such a big issue. That said, the higher end model can be bought with a discount for just $299 using the coupon RostyMax128 on GearBest.
It could be too big. Before taking the plunge and buying the Xiaomi Mi Max its worth considering that this is a pretty big phone. I get that that's kind of the whole point of it but you should be ready.
If you come from a 5 inch smartphone going all the way up towards 6.44 inches can take some getting used to. Remember that in terms of size it's pretty much like a small sized tablet. That said, it's most likely a matter of time and as with everything you're likely to get used to it after a little while.
No NFC and no USB Type C. NFC with Xiaomi phones seems to be a hit and a miss. The company would offer it typically on its higher end phones such as the MI5 but on its mid range handsets they don't seem to keen on integrating NFC support. This is a relevant con of the Xiaomi Mi Max since it will limit you when it comes down to mobile payments, a technology where NFC support is pretty much essential.
It's also worth noting that the Mi Max doesn't bring the latest USB Type C standard to the mix. This could be viewed as either an advantage or disadvantage since many people would rather keep using the familiar microUSB anyways.
No QuickCharge. We could let go of Xiaomi's big sized phone not packing NFC or a USB Type C port but not having quickcharge technology simply sounds wrong, especially when you consider the phone has a massive 4850 mAh battery. Basically, if you're not charging it with a 10W charger prepare to be waiting for a pretty long time.
Pros of the Xiaomi Mi Max
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| Image by TechSpot |
Impressive display. Once we've covered the cons of the Xiaomi Mi Max, most likely the pro you've liked the most about this smartphone is its impressive display. Specifically, we're looking at a Full HD 1920 by 1080 pixel IPS LCD display with Gorilla Glass 4 protection.
Couple this with the fact that it's got a 6.44 inch diagonal and still boasts an impressive battery life well above the two day mark and Xiaomi's accomplishment seems even more remarkable. Obviously it can take some time to adjust to the screen size if you come from more "compact handsets" but once you finally do it's totally worth it.
Snapdragon processor and various RAM and Storage options. I'm gonna be honest here; I did not expect Xiaomi to place Snapdragon processors on this lineup. I didn't expect it because Snapdragon processors aren't particularly cheap and being a relatively low cost lineup I was kind of expecting to see MediaTek processors. Fortunately for us, that's not the case and Xiaomi has placed a couple of Snapdragon processors depending on the model.
In that regard we've got an hexa core Snapdragon 650 working at 1.8GHz and, on the other hand, we've got a Snapdragon 652 with 8 cores working at 1.8GHz. There's also three settings of RAM that go from the cheapest model with 2GB of RAM at 164 euros and the most expensive model with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage that you can get at a discount of 299 dollars (using the RostyMax128 coupon).
Personally I'd pick the 4GB option, mostly because I'm an intensive multitasker. However, if your mobile usage is more casual and you're basically gonna use your phone to send texts, surf the web and take some pictures then the model with 2GB of RAM available for under $180 should be more than enough to cater for your needs.
Fingerprint reader and 4G+ connectivity support. Aside from the obvious advantages of the Xiaomi Mi Max in regards to its processor and display, it's also worth pointing out that the phone packs support for 4G+ connectivity. That means that, through a compatible network, you'll be able to reach download speeds of up to 300 mbps. This is a huge difference from your standard 4G connectivity which covers download speeds of up to 150 mbps.
Another pro is the fingerprint reader, located on the back end of the phone, right below the camera lens. It's pretty handy but mostly a secure and fast way to access your phone without having to worry if someone saw your password.
Stunning battery life. Since the Mi Max has such a pig display that also meant there was enough room to place a big sized battery. We mentioned previously that battery life on this phone was generous but you can't imagine just how generous it is.
In fact, its 4850mAh battery can deliver roughly 20 hours of continuous web browsing, more than 24 hours talking over a 3G network and almost 17 hours of video playback. All of that basically translates into a smartphone that offers a battery life well above the two day mark.
Its got an excellent price point. At the end of the day we can talk long and hard about the smartphones many pros. However, the most important advantage of the Xiaomi Mi Max will be its price point.
Starting off below the 180 dollar mark you get a phone that's got an immense Full HD display, Snapdragon processors, 4G+ connectivity, an impressive battery life, a fingerprint sensor and Android 6.0. That's just really hard to beat and at the end of the day that's likely the phones most prominent pro.
Verdict: Is it worth it? Do the pros outweigh the cons?
At the end of our pros and cons of the Xiaomi Mi Max review we gotta say that the advantages are significantly more present than the drawbacks. Sure, the lack of NFC and Quickcharge hit us hard but at the end these are things we can definitely get over. When you consider the competitive pricing on this phone its hard to believe there's a phablet on the market with a better price/spec relationship. Whichever model you end up choosing, this is an excellent phone in all its variants.