There was apprehension when Xiaomi released its 6.44-inch phablet Mi Max last year because of the size of the device but it has done exceptionally well. The company said that 3 million units of the device have already been sold since its release in May last year. Now, it has launched its successor called the Mi Max 2 with a few feature upgrades.
For those of you who are confused whether to buy the one-year-old Xiaomi Mi Max, Mi Max Prime or Mi Max 2, here is feature comparison of the devices to give you a clear picture of what they have to offer:
Also read: Xiaomi Mi Max 2 vs iPhone SE vs OnePlus 2: Which smartphone should you buy?
The Xiaomi Mi Max is priced at Rs 14,999 and its sibling Mi Max Prime at Rs 19,999. However, we still don't know the exact price of the just launched Mi Max 2. It is priced at 1699 Yuan ($247 / €220 / Rs 15,960) for the 64GB model and 1999 Yuan ($291 / €259 / Rs 18,780) for the 128GB variant, so it could be priced between Rs 16,000 and Rs 20,000.
The Xiaomi Mi Max and Mi Max Prime are almost identical except the processor and RAM. The latter is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 chipset and comes packed with a 4GB RAM and 128GB internal storage compared to Snapdragon 650 and 3GB RAM + 64GB ROM seen in the former.
All the three devices from Max series look identical in design with all-metal body except that the Mi Max 2 has the antenna lines in the extreme edges, whereas it is placed in the middle in the other two handsets. They sport a 6.44-inch display with 1,080x1,920 pixels (342 ppi pixel density).
In terms of hardware and software, the Mi Max has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650, 3GB RAM and 32/64GB internal memory (expandable up to 128GB), whereas the Mi Max Prime features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor, 4GB RAM and 128GB internal storage (expandable up to 128GB). Both the handsets run on Android Marshmallow OS. On the other hand, the just launched Mi Max 2 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 4GB RAM, 64/128GB ROM (expandable up to 128GB) and Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS. Xiaomi seems to have used Snapdragon 625 processor for the new device as it is said to be good at multi-tasking without overheating and draining battery.
The Mi Max and Mi Max Prime have a 16MP main camera with f/2.0 aperture, phase detection autofocus and dual-LED (dual tone) flash, and a 5MP front-snapper with f/2.0 aperture. On the other hand, the Mi Max 2 features a 12MP main camera with Sony IMX386 sensor, f/2.2 aperture, PDAF, 1.25µm pixel size and dual-tone LED flash, and a 5MP front-snapper with 85-degree wide-angle lens and f/2.0 aperture.
The Mi Max 2 has a 5,300mAh battery compared to with Quick Charging v3.0 technology (zero to 68 percent within one hour), compared to 4,850mAh battery seen in its predecessors.
Will the Mi Max 2 be released in India?
Xiaomi is likely to release its latest phablet in India as the earlier iterations from the Max series were received well in India. The company's India chief Manu Jain has tweeted that something big will happen on July 23 but it is not known if he was talking about the launch of the Mi Max 2 in the country or some other exciting products. Going by the past trend, the devices could come to India later – perhaps after July.
