With the launch of Xiaomi Mi Max last year, Xiaomi proved that there was still space for massive smartphones (read “really big phablets”) in the tech world. The Mi Max with its huge size not only stretched hands, but also did manage to turn a lot of heads around. Which is why the Xiaomi phablet legacy is not fading away anytime soon, and the company has decided to launch the device’s successor, the Mi Max 2 in India. While it comes with the same 6.44-inch display as the original Max, there are quite a few changes not just under the hood but in the hood itself. All of which earn it the “2” attached to its name.
Six of the most significant upgrades, and six reasons why the Xiaomi Mi Max 2 is better than the Mi Max are:
Bigger battery: Five grand juice!
If there was one thing people totally crushed over the Mi Max, it had to be the battery of the smartphone. It offered a massive 4850 mAh battery. And if you also loved the Mi Max for its battery, be prepared to graduate to the head over heels kind of love now because the Mi Max 2 comes with a even bigger battery. The Xiaomi Mi Max offers a 5300 mAh battery which is definitely one heck of number to have on your spec sheet. Not just this, the phone also comes with QuickCharge 3.0 which means, you can easily get a couple of hours of battery life in 15-20 minutes. But the more the mAhs, the heavier the phone, right? Well, not really. Xiaomi might just have found a magic formula to keep the Mi Max 2 almost the same weight as the Mi Max. Yes, the size and the weight of the phone are almost the same (the Mi Max 2 is slightly bigger, but hey, read the next point!)
Design: Big is beautiful
With big phones often comes rather mediocre design – design has mostly been a sacrificed aspect in the phablet world. And while the original Max was not a bad looking phone, it attracted attention more because of its size. But with the Max 2, the company has taken the design game of the phablet up by a notch. The Mi Max 2 does come with the same 6.44 inch display but with much smaller bezels. While the front seems largely the same, the back simply does not. The antenna bands that ran on the back of the smartphone are gone and are now placed on the top and the base of the phone, (just like the iPhone 7). Unlike the Mi Max which was boxy, the Mi Max 2 curves around the edges giving it a very sleek and stylish look. And in black, this one is an out and out looker!
New chip, more RAM, more storage: Memory-able!
The Xiaomi Mi Max was powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor while the Mi Max 2 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor.Some might think that this is a step down but is it really? One of the biggest USPs of the Mi Max has been the battery of the phablet, and we sense that Xiaomi has decided to build on that aspect with the 625 processor which is reputed for battery management. Will gaming take a hit? We don’t know as yet, but multi-tasking is unlikely to, given that the Mi Max 2 also offers more RAM – 4 GB as compared to the 3 GB on the base variant of the Max. And finally, there is more storage to go around too – 64 GB as compared to 32 GB on the base model of the Max.
Better camera: Big Cheese time?
The camera was not really the strength of the Xiaomi Mi Max. The phone came with a 16 megapixel primary camera which was steady at best and mediocre at worst. The Xiaomi Mi Max 2 comes with a 12 megapixel rear camera. The megapixel numbers might have dropped, but the camera seems a step up from its predecessor, given that it uses a Sony IMX386 sensor, which is known for turning in some very good shots. Perhaps it will give us chance to say cheese to the big screen as well!
USB Type C: the latest port of call
The USB Type C port finally makes an appearance in a sub-Rs 20,000 device in the Xiaomi portfolio. The company claims that this will lead to faster data exchange and better charging. We will see if that is the case in our review, but it definitely makes the device future proof and is in line with its more premium appearance. Micro USB ports are so 2012!
Stereo speakers: the sound of music, finally!
The Mi Max 2 comes with stereo speakers, which could make the phone a multimedia monster. Yes, the Mi Max too had a big display and a big battery, but its sound was on the tinny side. The Mi Max 2 now scores on that front with its stereo speakers, making it a great device to carry along if you wish to watch videos and films.
