So here’s my full review of the Xiaomi Mi Max. It’s a huge 6.44″ mobile, that is very similar to the Redmi Note 3 Pro I reviewed. As this model has the same spec apart from the screen. Please see the below time codes to skip ahead to parts of the Xiaomi Mi Max review that interest you most. This is a long review.
00:52 – Design And Build
02:30 – Size comparison
03:14 – Screen and Sunlight Test
03:52 – ROM & MIUI 7
07:58 – Browser Test
09:16 – Benchmarks
10:56 – Play Store & eBook Test
11:57 – Live GPS Test
12:15 – Quick Charge Support & Times
13:56 – Battery Life
15:19 – Hybrid SIM Tray
16:01 – Fingerprint Reader
16:59 – Cameras With Samples
20:42 – Audio
22:56 – Gaming
25:42 – Surface Temps
26:42 – Conclusion
27:38 – Pros and Cons
The Mi Max Pros and cons:
The Good:
Bright 1080p 6.44″ screen
Good performer for the price group
4GB RAM and 128GB storage options
Amazing battery life
Decent loudspeaker and 3.5mm output
Great qaulity for the price
The Bad:
It’s huge and hard to pocket (Obviously!)
Slow to charge. Fast charge support?
The odd wifi disconnection
4k video has artifacts
Poor low light camera performance
Camera samples:
4k video sample:
Ralph Averbuch
What’s this like with the news MIUI 8 software? Is that available now?
Cheers
Ralph
Paddy
Hi Chris, thanks for the answer, you think give here a installation instructions, for install the rom? I wait now the xiaomi mi max 128 gb i become, but delivery is in delay.
Chris G
I won’t know until it’s released how to install it. I think it’s from the MIUI updater, just selecting it.
Paddy
in the settings, have the language german swiss? thanks for the answer.
Chris G
Hi, not on this ROM. When the global ROM is released (1-2 months away) you’ll have all the Android 6 language options.
Amulya
Thanks for the review, But i would really appreciate in-depth camera review and/or camera samples.
That’s a request.
Chris G
Added to the post!
Mircea Codrea
hello Chris, during this review I saw a phone on a stand in the background reflected by the glossy xiaomi max’s screen; can you tell me what phone is this which you have used for capture in 1080p? I see great sharpness with a lot of fine details, that’s why I’m asking; thanks
Chris G
For this review I used a Sony AX33 and S6 Edge+ As seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_PC4FRMWh4 Sold my Note 5, but it’s the same camera as the S6 Edge+ and I find the quality of it is really good for capturing tablet and mobile screens. Better than the Sony AX33 4k camcorder I have! Audio was recorded with a Rode external mic.
Jakob Schmidt Rasmussen
we got two of these big handset in our household and they are about same sizes as this 6.4.
but its Huawei last seasons flagship..
the P8max 64gb silver version, and a 32gb titanium grey version.
Its 6.8 LTPS IPS screen.. and I personally love that screen.. its looks amazing, and kudos for priotising an quality
panel instead of an medioocre 2k panel. in an android-world fhd quality panel is optimal, imo.
pro & cons of this 6.8 dual-lte-phone..
pro..
impressiv OIS effect with 1.2 and is double as much OIS-effectiveness as in fx Iphone6+ wich manage 0.6 degrees in its OIS drift.
Also cherise its low light results.. where it takes advantage of W+RGB sensor as in most others only is funded in only RGB, and not the white plus the benefit of an dedicated DSLR signal image processor. and it does perform pretty impressiv in optaining light or taking an longshutterpicture of the nightsky.
-and the overall feel of the phone, is topnudge.. the finish and quality-materiel looks amazing and the 0.6mm and something in width.. just feels like an thin piece of high quality metal your handling.
but you got the annoyment with chinese here and there, like is the case when importing..these days Huawei is roling out EMUI4.0 Android6 to this handset.
cons.. the CPU is pretty potent with Kirin935 2.2ghz, but the GPU is nothing to write homeabout when checking in 3dmark etc.. the snappiness is solely the CPU potentness.
Anybody here familiar with Huawei cloud (hicloud).. cant connect from other product to my huawei cloud and get access to my things.. on the phone itself it works like an charm, and like onedrive etc.. where it uploads big an small..
and on Huawei premium line.. they got some Bronze, Silver & Gold classes.. and on topclass ” gold”there is included 165GB 2year cloudservice there is an great feuture to take advantage of.. ewen thiw its seems to be primarily Chinese customers.. but it also work for others..
any others here using Huawei Hicloud and what apps do you use to connect to your cloud-stuff from other products?
winston smith
That’s the main con for remix os. They lock their launcher which don’t have widget abilities [why ? why?] plus they also lock the kernel to make sure you don’t root the tablet in order to unlock the the launcher. You either have to root from a permissive stock kernel [boot.img] either introduce root files directly in an unpacked file system before flahing it.
I don’t get the reason for such design…
Gavin
I just wish it had band support for 4g on att here in the U.S..
EROLoLICON
Thanks Chris! Really detailed review.
Since it was reviewed here, should we consider it as a tablet? 😀
Will you review the Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra too? It will probably be the Mi Max challenger.
Chris G
Well it almost is a tablet! I do often review mini pcs and mobiles that interest me. Not just tablets. Not sure if I will get that Zenfone 3 Ultra as I hate all the bloatware ASUS install on their phones.
EROLoLICON
Fortunately you’re interested in cool stuff! 🙂
I have to choose between those two but 128gb version because of 4gigs of ram. Probably I will buy the Mi Max as it is cheaper BUT is it true that you cannot put widgets on the home screen and cannot root it, as has said Winson Smith up there?
Olivier Barthelemy
Very informative review. Thank you !
Daniél Lecoq
One thing I don’t like with MIUI and similar IOS like skins like the EMUI on my Huawei P9 which also is without a launcher, is that ALL apps and widgets gets an icon on the screen. Sure, the launcher ain’t that super important, I assume most people, just like me, makes folders with their most used apps, “Games”, “Media”, “Social Media”. But with the launcher less skins, you need to make yet another folder with “Crap I don’t use” for pre-installed bloatware, widget-apps and stuff running in the background.
If I install, for example, the “Snowstorm Weather Widget”. It will give me an app icon on the home screen, which of course is just a waste of space, since you NEVER would start that app from the icon, you’d setup a widget. Or stuff like 3G watchdog or GPS monitor, which are apps you setup once, and then run in the background.
Chris G
I don’t like it either and I mention it in the video, but there is an easy fix. I just installed Nova launcher and now it’s much better with an app drawer and folders when I put my games, GPS, Maps and another for utilities. No clutter now.