Originally launched in May in China, Xiaomi's much awaited Mi Max 2 made its debut in India on July 18.
The new Xiaomi Mi Max 2 comes with huge upgrades both in terms of the design and internal hardware with a cost-effective price of Rs. 16,999, which makes it a formidable rival to popular Moto G5 Plus, Asus Zenfone 3 and Vivo 5s, among others.
During the unveiling event, we had an opportunity to get our hands on the Xiaomi Mi Max 2 and here's our initial impression.
Also Read: Xiaomi Redmi 4 review: Undisputed king of budget phones
Xiaomi Mi Max 2-Display and design:
Mi Max 2 sports a 6.44-inch screen same as that of the first generation model but the similarity ends right there. Its design language is not only pleasing to the eyes but also ergonomically crafted to offer proper grip to the hand. Despite its huge size, we were able to wrap our fingers around the device on the two sides to operate the phone with a single hand. If your palm is small, it can still be used as a normal phone thanks to MIUI software which allows users to adjust operational area into smaller screen size.
As far as screen resolution is concerned, it features full HD (1920x1080p) display and offers a good viewing experience with its big screen.
Xiaomi Mi Max 2-Performance and battery capability:
Xiaomi Mi Max 2 comes with a 64-bit class 2.0GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core (8x ARM Cortex A53) CPU backed by Adreno 506 GPU, 4GB RAM and 64GB storage.
Some might think why Xiaomi has downgraded the processor in the phone, considering the fact that Mi Max is powered by 64-bit class Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 Hexa-core (ARM Cortex A72 dual-core + ARM Cortex A53 quad-core) with Adreno 510 graphics engine.
Yes, in terms of the numerical chronological order, Mi Max 2's Snapdragon 625 series processor seem sub par compared to 650 series, but it is a more advanced CPU in terms of design, as the former is 14nm (nanometer) FinFET architecture-based whereas the latter is a 28nm architecture.
The main advantage is that the Mi Max 2 will consume less power to operate and there by last much longer (battery life wise) compared to the Mi Max.
The new Mi Max 2 houses a 5,300mAh cell, 10 percent more battery capacity than the first generation (4,850mAh). With a power efficient CPU, it is certain to last really longer than the former and if the company is to be believed, Mi Max 2 will run more for than two full days under mixed usage. Further, it offers up to 18 hours of video playback, 57 hours of talk time and over 31 days in standby mode.
Another notable upgrade is that it also comes with advanced Type C USB port with fast charging technology that makes the phone get charged from zero to 68 percent in just one hour.
Xiaomi Mi Max 2 Camera:
Xiaomi Mi Max 2 boasts feature-rich 12MP camera with Sony IMX386 sensor, 1.25µ sensors, dual-LED flash and during the brief time we spent on the phone, it took good snaps. Even the 5MP front camera with Beautification mode is decent enough to capture nice selfies.
But, both the cameras need to be tested in other light conditions and reserve the final verdict to our complete review.
Xiaomi Mi Max 2 Initial Verdict:
In 2016, first generation Mi Max set a new benchmark in the affordable phablet segment. Now, its successor, the new Mi Max 2 goes a notch up with bigger battery capacity and yet comes with much slimmer body compared to the first generation model.
Also read- Xiaomi Mi Max Review: XL version of Redmi Note 3 for mobile entertainment buffs
The camera and processor specifications too are praise worthy, but we will pass the final judgement on those parameters and other aspects, once we are done with the full review of the device.
We have received the Mi Max 2 for the review and we expect to complete it before this month-end. If you have any queries or want us to perform any test on the device, please feel free to communicate with us in the comment section below.
For those unaware, the Mi Max 2 will be available from July 27 across India, both online (Amazon.in, Flipkart, Tata Cliq, and Paytm Mal) and brick-and-mortar (Poorvika, Sangeetha, BigC, Lot Mobiles, Ezone, Hotspot, Vijay Sales) and Mi's Preferred Partners of Xiaomi, along with mi.com and Mi Home.
