OVERVIEW: Xiaomi Mi Max - a huge, thin and easy to use smartphone

The first rumors about a new smartphone with a diagonal of 6.44 inches appeared on the Internet a few months before the official release and spread with incredible speed. This is not surprising, because previous range PHABLET Xiaomi was presented a ruler Note, that an inch smaller Mi Max.

PHABLET very popular in China. But European user side diagonal greater than 5.5 inches: Only some devaysa manages to succeed.

But Xiaomi engineers seem to have been able to create a device that will repeat the success of the Xperia Z Ultra.

Appearance and equipment

Like other devices Xiaomi, Mi Max rich set does not shine. In simple white box with brief information about the version of the smartphone is the phone itself, the charger and cable. Front and rear gadget closed protective films. Characters on them talk about the function keys and warn that you can not open the device.

Due to the thin bezel around the display, 6.44-inch Xiaomi Mi Max is only slightly larger than smartphones from other manufacturers with a diagonal of 6 inches.

Keep PHABLET convenient: it contributes to and small thickness, and fillet housing at the side of the frame. With this new Xiaomi seems to the best male and angular.

Most of the front surface of the display takes. Located at the top of the camera and the LED. At the top end - audio jack (3.5 mm mini-jack) and the infrared port.

At the bottom are touch keys "Menu", "Home", "Back" with white backlight. The lower edge of the center - grates two speakers. Between them - microUSB connector for charging and data transfer.

The rear panel is made of metal. Top and bottom - a small plastic insert required for wireless connectivity and cellular communication. In the upper left corner of a millimeter camera stands, protected metal rim and glass Gorilla. Next to it - two-color flash (warm / cold). Circular recess - a fingerprint scanner.

On the left side located slot for SIM-card, configured as an integral metal plate. On the right - the volume rocker and power on / unlock button. They are fairly low, and therefore use the device easier to use than other smartphones with a diagonal of 6 inches.

Characteristics

Now on sale two versions of the Xiaomi Mi Max. One - a processor Snapdragon 650 3 GB and 32 GB or 64 GB internal memory. The second is 4 GB and 128 GB of internal memory, as a chipset uses more advanced Snapdragon 652.

We have in our hands the first option (3/32 GB).

Display

Almost the entire front surface of the screen is occupied by Full HD. Matrix - IPS. Screen protected sapphire glass Gorilla Glass 4 with rounded edges (2,5D). The air gap between the glass and the screen is not (OGS screen). Display Frames are minimal (for the price category Mi Max, of course).

pixel screen density is 342 ppi - points and grid indistinguishable. Image clear and bright. Viewing angles corresponding statement. color distortion is detected. The sun at maximum brightness the display remains readable and does not fade. Automatic adjustment of fast and the transitions from dark indoors to outdoors works instantly without causing any inconvenience. Multitouch - 10 touches.

Performance

Thanks to the Snapdragon processor and sufficient RAM size of even younger version shows good results of synthetic benchmarks.

The highest recorded temperature of the back cover is 57 ° C - excellent result that throttling is not possible. The interface works smoothly without slowing down. Any recent games show a good level of FPS. In the test version - 3 GB and 32 GB-volatile memory - the user can use 1.7 and 22.4 GB respectively.

The fingerprint reader is much better than the competition. Setting is carried out for 15-20 seconds and captures the pad to the nail. Of course, with such a detailed image of the smartphone is unlocked instantly at the first attempt.

Operating System and Software

Xiaomi Mi Max running MIUI 8. The box has information about language packs: Chinese or English. Russian language is supported out of the box and using the English language unit is installed in minutes.

In the system there is nothing superfluous - only the traditional Google services and MIUI superstructure. Despite the differences from the AOSP-assembly, the interface is easy and intuitive, even for those who have never used a proprietary shell Xiaomi. Customizable beautiful and more convenient system than the stock version. All elements are intuitive and are located where they expect to see. And all will be able to set up even a beginner, totally unfamiliar with the intricacies of the work * NIX-systems. Well thought out alerts. And by the way, there is a built-in equalizer, which can enable the desired preset for your favorite headphones Xiaomi.

Perfectly implemented one-hand operation. You can choose a convenient area of ​​the diagonal arrangement of controls or turn Touch Assistant - additional floating multifunction key.

camera

The main chamber 16 is used megapixel module unnamed producer. Lovers of mobile photography should look at the flagship model Xiaomi Mi5. All other rear camera is sure to impress. Examples of photographs and artificial light, and can be seen below in the bright sun.

A native app for shooting pleases plenty of options. Supports filters, blur, fish eye effect, the definition of the persons age and gender. And even - the elimination of flickering screens, and it is possible to select refresh rate.

The flash is sufficient not only for shooting but also for use as a flashlight. Maximum quality video - 1080p (Full HD, 30 fps). The front camera lets you make great selfie.

autonomy

Representatives Xiaomi promised phenomenal during operation. In fact, Mi Max does not set records, but his bad results can not be named.

When playing video Full HD to the average brightness while the screen is 10 hours. When the maximum luminance - 8 hours. Half an hour into the game World Of Tanks via Wi-Fi reduces battery charge 7%. In mixed mode (using included LTE / GPS / Wi-Fi and an average brightness) lasts for smartphone 4 chasa surfing on the Internet and in correspondence messengers, 1 hour of play, 3 hours of music playback in headphones. If necessary, the voracity of the gadget can be lowered directly into the system.

A full charge takes more than 4 hours. However, the process can be accelerated. Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology allows to charge the battery for 80% over 30 minutes due to the increased voltage and amperage. True, it is necessary to use a company or a certified Qualcomm charger.

Wireless interfaces and communication

Voice communication works perfectly. Interlocutor is heard clearly, it is - is not complaining. Disruptions of cellular communication of the test is not seen, working protocol corresponds to coverage areas. In the presence of the coating LTE smartphone stably shows good speed of the Internet, if necessary immediately passing to 2G for making calls. Unfortunately, VoLTE, promising standard voice networks fourth generation in Russia is not yet implemented, so it is not able to test.

Communication satellites stable. GPS is turned on for 20 seconds when there is no information about the location of satellites and for 3-5 seconds if any.

With the help of infrared and MiHome applications or ZaZaRemote ( «remote control master") can manage home appliances how gadgets Xiaomi, as well as the usual TV or air conditioning.

results

Despite the huge size, Xiaomi Mi Max turned out to be extremely convenient smartphone with a good stuffing and optimized software. In the near future is expected firmware updates that will increase autonomy. But now, taking into account the current exchange rate is the replacement of Xperia Z Ultra.

The basic version, considered in the review, now costs about $ 250. Flagship Mi Max (4 GB and 128 GB of internal memory) Russian buyer would cost approximately $ 305. Intermediate option on 3/64 GB worth 251 dollar.

Performance smartphone enough for another couple of years. In general, the need PHABLET - choose Xiaomi.