Xiaomi Max – Hands on impressions


xiaomi max hands on

Xiaomi launched a new addition to their range of phones with the Xiaomi Max and we have just received one for review. Take a look at this huge screen phone in our hands on impressions.

Xiaomi really did do something a bit out of the ordinary this year and launched the Xiaomi Max. As the name suggests this is a big phone, not only the biggest that Xiaomi have ever made but a whopper of a phone for any manufacturer.

Upfront is a 6.44-inch, 1920 x 1080 display that offers the viewer a pixel density of 342ppi. The massive screen is made slightly larger due to slim black borders around it, but they are tiny as are the white bezels on either side.

xiaomi max hands on

With a massive footprint to build into Xiaomi have managed to get a large 4850mAh battery into the body of the Xiaomi Max while maintaining an overall thickness of only 7.5mm. The phone does look thinner thanks to a tapered design, and in the hand it is surprisingly comfortable to hold (although one handed operation is only for those of you with gigantic hands).

xiaomi max hands on

Externally specs include a rear 16 mega-pixel camera, 5 mega-pixel front, rear fingerprint scanner, a full metal unibody, standard USB and hardware buttons on the chin for getting around MIUI 7. There is also an IR remote in the top along with 3.5mm headphone jack.

Gizchina News of the week


xiaomi max hands on

Speaking of MIUI 7, the heavily modified Android system (based on Android 6.0.1) runs on a Snapdragon 652 chipset with 3GB RAM and 64GB internal memory (there is also a 32GB model with Snapdragon 650 and another higher up version with SD652, 4GB RAM and 128GB memory).

Xiaomi Max hands on – Gallery

Obviously the size is the first thing that grabs your attention. For me it’s a little on the large size, but my wife loves the huge screen and the possibilities of watching the latest Chinese soap operas on it…

Read Also:  Xiaomi POCO C50 is set to launch at the end of November

xiaomi max hands on

Build quality is good, and although it might look similar to a Redmi in terms of design, the quality of the CNC machined alloy chassis and the overall fit and feel is well above the Redmi range, but sits neatly below the Mi Note’s build.

The phone quite literally only arrived moments ago so it’s too early to comment on performance and the camera, but stay tuned later this week for the hands on video and more details about Xiaomi’s largest handset.

If you have any questions about the Xiaomi Max feel free to let me know in the comments below.

Previous ZTE Axon7 to launch 26th May (will be live streamed)
Next Xiaomi MiPad 2 and Pipo X9 offers by Lightinthebox

128 Comments

  1. Hakim Farouk
    May 23, 2016

    Any news on the price Andi?

    • balcobomber25
      May 23, 2016

      The price is around $230 officially, $256 is the lowest I have seen on resellers.

      • Naaga Viper
        May 23, 2016

        256 ? Where, pls ?

        • balcobomber25
          May 23, 2016

          https://www.mifanworld.com/xiaomi-max-1177.html

          I have no experience with this site and have never heard of them until today. I just saw the price on Kimovil.com.

          • Just An Old Regular Guy
            May 24, 2016

            Problem is we really have to be very careful with those unknown /non reputable china re-seller as some of them are cheaters.

            Some horror stories including they never send the goods (after received your money), or they send empty boxes, used phones, broken phones, fake phones, etc etc.

            This is why i prefer to buy from local if they sell locally in my country. Maybe a bit more expensive but at least safer and local warranty is always better than oversea china warranty.

            So far i buy smartphone from pandawill, geekbuying, some of aliexpress shops that i already forgotten which one. So far so good always got delivered nicely (touch wood). I do hear some bad stories about them though so please don’t take my words as a whitelist guarantee they are 100% clean.

            • lildwell
              May 24, 2016

              Every store, even places like wal-mart have horror stories. My rule of thumb is to always pay with PayPal and splurge for the expedited shipping. That way, if shit hits the fan, you should still have enough time to file a complaint and get a refund.

            • balcobomber25
              May 24, 2016

              That’s why you always use paypal. Even some of the more popular sites like the ones you mentioned people have complaints about. PayPal is the closest thing to a 100% guarantee we have. One of the reasons i refuse to use Aliexpress for large purchases is because they won’t accept paypal.

            • arsalan
              May 24, 2016

              Even PayPal is not ? percent good. I had a dispute with geekbuying few days back. They accepted my refund but told me that I have to pay for the return although it was totally fault of the seller to send me wrong phone.
              I had dispute in aliexpress and I got the whole money without sending the item.

            • balcobomber25
              May 24, 2016

              I have never had that issue with Paypal, any disputes I had shipping was always paid for or I didn’t have to send it back and I got a refund very quickly. With Ali I spent weeks fighting for them with no resolve on more than one occasion. I avoid them like the plaques for any purchase over $100.

            • Mr.Flying Zoom3rz
              June 1, 2016

              With that thinking I even wonder what are you doing here. 😀 There are many good China retailers. Also most of the Aliexpress sellers are correct.

  2. Nam Dang
    May 23, 2016

    Speaker quality, camera, fingerprint scanner and ofc battery life will be interesting to me.
    Can you check out the mic quality in terms of windy/loud environment (loud music in car)?

    • Xalis
      May 23, 2016

      Already watched a chinese review, the battery life is just mind blowing, 14 hours of screen time, I think this is one of the few phones that you can unplug in the morning and turn off screen time out and finish your day without ever turning off your screen during the day.

      • Oscar
        May 23, 2016

        Wow! Reminds me of my Asus Zenfone 6, I used to get 10hours screen on time with that phone. It had 6inch display, 720p with 3000mah battery though.

        • Wolvie
          May 24, 2016

          How about nokia 5110. That one the battery can last for a whole damn weeks LOL. My first handphone (not smartphone) and best phone so far.

          Crazy strong, accidentally drop from 2nd floor, it was like scatter around the floor. I though it was a gone case already, nevertheless i just put back altogether, Lo and Behold that son of the bitch still working fine although screen and casing got crack.

          • Lazar Prodanovic
            May 24, 2016

            Especially when you just use it rarely as a plane phone.

      • Nam Dang
        May 23, 2016

        I also watched this chinese review, but I remember it was a Xiaomi official video.
        Don’t forget screen on time can get strongly influenced by mobile data, GPS, Push, etc.

      • Mr.Flying Zoom3rz
        June 1, 2016

        Come on…try playing some heavy online game and the phone will die after a 4-5h. Even for light use 14h sot is ridiculous.

  3. Ibiskus
    May 23, 2016

    It would be interesting to have your thougt about this phone against the letv max 6,33. I want to buy one but i don’t know which is better.

    • arsalan
      May 23, 2016

      That’s exactly my question. I am going to buy one of them. But I am inclined towards Le Max as it has better screen. Andi has reviewed Le Max before. Let’s see if he answers your query.

      • Beloved Chairman Lei Jun
        May 23, 2016

        My dear friend, pls note that phones with the Xiaolong 810 are not good, go buy millet max. thanks

        • Just An Old Regular Guy
          May 24, 2016

          First thing first, Please kindly make sure Xiaomi can supply enough stock for Mi Max for china and oversea users.

          It is very hard for us to wait for months and months until the stock available.

          Buying from china online re seller meaning we need to pay a lot of much more than original price as the percentage they jack off the price for new model is very high

          Again i’ve been WAITING FOR MONTHS months to buy Redmi Note 3 pro from official Mi Singapore online shop and until now still shown as “NO STOCK”.

          So i don’t think you can expect us to wait for 1,2, or 3 years ? Like that then potential buyers will run away and buy other brands that got ready stock.

          • Beloved Chairman Lei Jun
            May 25, 2016

            My dear, I, the Chairman himself have taken control of millet supply chain now, do not worry, you will get the beloved phone soon enough dear. Remember: Its good to wait for the thing you love.

        • Lazar Prodanovic
          May 24, 2016

          Neither mentioned one hire uses old S810.

      • Akimitsui
        May 23, 2016

        Don’t forget the Le Max most likely has a better camera, HIFI audio (major selling point for me), the build quality is way above this one, and in my opinion the phone simply looks better aesthetically than this one. If those things matter to you, get the LeTV Max.

        If you want a better ROM (Leui is still not as good as MIUI), expandable storage, a larger battery, and from my understanding a better SOC, get the Xiaomi Max.

        I personally purchased the 128GB LeTV Max a few days back.

        • May 24, 2016

          The Max is an old phone (using a SD810) and the Max Pro (promised by LeEco in January at CEO) seems to have been replaced before ever actually existing by the Max 2 (which is more like a middle than a max, hence useless).

        • arsalan
          May 24, 2016

          Thank you very much for your reply. I am really inclined to buy le max. Can you please tell me how much is the screen on time. I will be using it mainly for Facebook and Internet. I don’t play games. I need a good looking phone having dual sims and long battery at least 6 to 7 hours SOT… Thanks

        • Lazar Prodanovic
          May 24, 2016

          Then again Samsung A9 or A9 Pro beats both in both Display & camera but it’s priced well higher & available only in China.

          • arsalan
            May 24, 2016

            Hi… I went through the specs and I will consider it along with le max. Do you have the phone. Can you kindly mention the screen quality and screen on time? I shall be thankful to you.

  4. iamsuperandrew
    May 23, 2016

    video review please 🙂

    • May 24, 2016

      yup this week as long as my voice comes back

  5. notsure
    May 23, 2016

    Can you say few words about minimum brightness in the dark ?

  6. Hallex
    May 23, 2016

    There is 800mzh 4G band ? Like LeTV and 810 snapdragon and secret code ? :/

  7. Xalis
    May 23, 2016

    Does the buttons have back light? because in all pics and videos I have seen it looks like Xiaomi went cheap with no back light, does it has Quick Charge 2.0 or 3.0? 2A @ 5V would take like 4-5 hours to fill such battery so this thing better has Quick Charge, is the 16MP camera the same used on the RMN3 Pro? does it has double tap to wake? a phone of this size with a finger print scanner on the back is kind of retarded.

    I already have authorization to unlock a Xiaomi from the time I asked to unlock the RMN3 X10, so I might pick this brick and say good bye to my Zenfone 2.

    • Wolvie
      May 24, 2016

      Mi Max is better to really have quick charge as battery this big will need very darn long time to charge.

      Zenfone 2 is a good phone, don’t sell first before you confirm everything.

      Xiaomi also got bad records in the past where they lied about their hardware specs. If i can remember correctly they promised quick charge on their Redmi note 2 but in the end it was a big lie. Also something about the kind of screen brand that they supposed to use but they never use. They just use cheaper quality screen, etc

      In the end , event big brands also can lie to you. Don’t ever trust big brands without confirming first.

  8. Muhammad Yasir
    May 23, 2016

    who watches CHINESE soaps ?!
    are they REALLY so good ?

    on a serious side , type-c would have been great !

    • Wolvie
      May 24, 2016

      You will be surprise how those hardcore drama/telenovela watcher can do.
      There is 1 taiwanese drama show that i forgotten what is the title, they actually close to 1000 episodes and still aired until now (not finished yet) LOL.

      Damn boring show if you asked me, Just to show the actress crying can take 3-4 episodes. Crazy but again surprisingly people still watching LFMAO.

      So i believe it is the same with korean, chinese, spanish serial drama show.Stay away from them, once you hook up then that’s it man !!

      • Muhammad Yasir
        May 24, 2016

        OMFG … its the same as those in our Neighbor Country , India. their dramas are some of the WORST in terms length. they can last half your life time :’D !!!

        you should really watch some Pakistani dramas. many of our dramas are also aired on Indian channels in India , that is the level and standard of excellence in our dramas , filled with pure artistry and nothing more.

        • deep zpain
          May 24, 2016

          Bull sh*t, No pakistani dramas or channels are aired in India. Stop cribbing about your neighbour’s dramas.

          • Muhammad Yasir
            May 24, 2016

            you must be retarded … i have no idea which side of the border are you from but u sure are a sore one :/

            there was this report in Express Tribune about Pakistani dramas being aired on a MAJOR indian channel. Also Aishwariya Rai HERSELF praised Pakistani dramas just recently.

            don’t be so butthurt , the comment was never meant to be degrading. i was honest to every bit , Indian dramas are RIDICULOUSLY lengthy. Take Kasauti for example , lasted quite a while ,didnt it ?

            • deep zpain
              June 12, 2016

              all dramas aired in indian channels are uploaded in youtube. Show me one pakistani drama uploaded in youtube? then i will accept that i am a retard, butthurt and sore one. otherwise you are no.1s in these categories.

            • Muhammad Yasir
              June 13, 2016

              but they ARE uploaded on youtube … if you were not ignorant enough you would search for them yourself.

              look man , i don’t know what are you hassling for here … but Pakistanis watch Indian dramas and Indians have STARTED to discover Pakistani dramas. where’s the bad element in that ?

      • Duarte Bruno
        May 24, 2016

        Let me guess the name: Tsubasa? Dragon Ball?

      • cyril dieudonné
        May 24, 2016

        Ye, i know this show ; 意难忘.
        This is liquid stincky shit. Crying dudes hitting my nerves each time they start their fake crying sounds… horrible… Anyway, Chinese soap operas are whether about Anciant boring crying ladies in colorful cheap costumes, or about the Japanese invasion/Kuomintang rivalities…

    • cyril dieudonné
      May 24, 2016

      Chinese girls and Korean Girls. And NO, they are not good. NOT AT ALL. It’s PURE SH**.

    • Jan ยาน
      June 1, 2016

      gizchina, please review dramas and soap operas! lol

      • Muhammad Yasir
        June 1, 2016

        lol

        • Yeti hand
          June 4, 2016

          why not XD XD

  9. Hakim Farouk
    May 23, 2016

    Any news on the price Andi?

    • balcobomber25
      May 23, 2016

      The price is around $230 officially, $256 is the lowest I have seen on resellers.

    • Naaga Viper
      May 23, 2016

      256 ? Where, pls ?

    • balcobomber25
      May 23, 2016

      https://www.mifanworld.com/xiaomi-max-1177.html

      I have no experience with this site and have never heard of them until today. I just saw the price on Kimovil.com.

    • Guest
      May 24, 2016

      Problem is we really have to be very careful with those unknown /non reputable china re-seller as some of them are cheaters.

      Some horror stories including they never send the goods (after received your money), or they send empty boxes, used phones, broken phones, fake phones, etc etc.

      This is why i prefer to buy from local if they sell locally in my country. Maybe a bit more expensive but at least safer and local warranty is always better than oversea china warranty.

      So far i buy smartphone from pandawill, geekbuying, some of aliexpress shops that i already forgotten which one. So far so good always got delivered nicely (touch wood). I do hear some bad stories about them though so please don’t take my words as a whitelist guarantee they are 100% clean.

    • lildwell
      May 24, 2016

      Every store, even places like wal-mart have horror stories. My rule of thumb is to always pay with PayPal and splurge for the expedited shipping. That way, if shit hits the fan, you should still have enough time to file a complaint and get a refund.

    • balcobomber25
      May 24, 2016

      That’s why you always use paypal. Even some of the more popular sites like the ones you mentioned people have complaints about. PayPal is the closest thing to a 100% guarantee we have. One of the reasons i refuse to use Aliexpress for large purchases is because they won’t accept paypal.

    • arsalan
      May 24, 2016

      Even PayPal is not 💯 percent good. I had a dispute with geekbuying few days back. They accepted my refund but told me that I have to pay for the return although it was totally fault of the seller to send me wrong phone.
      I had dispute in aliexpress and I got the whole money without sending the item.

    • balcobomber25
      May 24, 2016

      I have never had that issue with Paypal, any disputes I had shipping was always paid for or I didn’t have to send it back and I got a refund very quickly. With Ali I spent weeks fighting for them with no resolve on more than one occasion. I avoid them like the plaques for any purchase over $100.

    • Mr.Flying Zoom3rz
      June 1, 2016

      With that thinking I even wonder what are you doing here. 😀 There are many good China retailers. Also most of the Aliexpress sellers are correct.

  10. Nam Dang
    May 23, 2016

    Speaker quality, camera, fingerprint scanner and ofc battery life will be interesting to me.
    Can you check out the mic quality in terms of windy/loud environment (loud music in car)?

    • Guest
      May 23, 2016

      Already watched a chinese review, the battery life is just mind blowing, 14 hours of screen time, I think this is one of the few phones that you can unplug in the morning and turn off screen time out and finish your day without ever turning off your screen during the day.

    • Guest
      May 23, 2016

      Wow! Reminds me of my Asus Zenfone 6, I used to get 10hours screen on time with that phone. It had 6inch display, 720p with 3000mah battery though.

    • Nam Dang
      May 23, 2016

      I also watched this chinese review, but I remember it was a Xiaomi official video.
      Don’t forget screen on time can get strongly influenced by mobile data, GPS, Push, etc.

    • Guest
      May 24, 2016

      How about nokia 5110. That one the battery can last for a whole damn weeks LOL. My first handphone (not smartphone) and best phone so far.

      Crazy strong, accidentally drop from 2nd floor, it was like scatter around the floor. I though it was a gone case already, nevertheless i just put back altogether, Lo and Behold that son of the bitch still working fine although screen and casing got crack.

    • Lazar Prodanovic
      May 24, 2016

      Especially when you just use it rarely as a plane phone.

    • Mr.Flying Zoom3rz
      June 1, 2016

      Come on…try playing some heavy online game and the phone will die after a 4-5h. Even for light use 14h sot is ridiculous.

  11. Guest
    May 23, 2016

    It would be interesting to have your thougt about this phone against the letv max 6,33. I want to buy one but i don’t know which is better.

    • arsalan
      May 23, 2016

      That’s exactly my question. I am going to buy one of them. But I am inclined towards Le Max as it has better screen. Andi has reviewed Le Max before. Let’s see if he answers your query.

    • Beloved Chairman Lei Jun
      May 23, 2016

      My dear friend, pls note that phones with the Xiaolong 810 are not good, go buy millet max. thanks

    • Akimitsui
      May 23, 2016

      Don’t forget the Le Max most likely has a better camera, HIFI audio (major selling point for me), the build quality is way above this one, and in my opinion the phone simply looks better aesthetically than this one. If those things matter to you, get the LeTV Max.

      If you want a better ROM (Leui is still not as good as MIUI), expandable storage, a larger battery, and from my understanding a better SOC, get the Xiaomi Max.

      I personally purchased the 128GB LeTV Max a few days back.

    • Guest
      May 24, 2016

      First thing first, Please kindly make sure Xiaomi can supply enough stock for Mi Max for china and oversea users.

      It is very hard for us to wait for months and months until the stock available.

      Buying from china online re seller meaning we need to pay a lot of much more than original price as the percentage they jack off the price for new model is very high

      Again i’ve been WAITING FOR MONTHS months to buy Redmi Note 3 pro from official Mi Singapore online shop and until now still shown as “NO STOCK”.

      So i don’t think you can expect us to wait for 1,2, or 3 years ? Like that then potential buyers will run away and buy other brands that got ready stock.

    • Dave Weinstein
      May 24, 2016

      The Max is an old phone (using a SD810) and the Max Pro (promised by LeEco in January at CEO) seems to have been replaced before ever actually existing by the Max 2 (which is more like a middle than a max, hence useless).

    • arsalan
      May 24, 2016

      Thank you very much for your reply. I am really inclined to buy le max. Can you please tell me how much is the screen on time. I will be using it mainly for Facebook and Internet. I don’t play games. I need a good looking phone having dual sims and long battery at least 6 to 7 hours SOT… Thanks

    • Lazar Prodanovic
      May 24, 2016

      Then again Samsung A9 or A9 Pro beats both in both Display & camera but it’s priced well higher & available only in China.

    • Lazar Prodanovic
      May 24, 2016

      Neither mentioned one hire uses old S810.

    • arsalan
      May 24, 2016

      Hi… I went through the specs and I will consider it along with le max. Do you have the phone. Can you kindly mention the screen quality and screen on time? I shall be thankful to you.

    • Beloved Chairman Lei Jun
      May 25, 2016

      My dear, I, the Chairman himself have taken control of millet supply chain now, do not worry, you will get the beloved phone soon enough dear. Remember: Its good to wait for the thing you love.

  12. iamsuperandrew
    May 23, 2016

    video review please 🙂

    • Andi Sykes
      May 24, 2016

      yup this week as long as my voice comes back

  13. Paarkhi Parekh
    May 23, 2016

    where can I find 4GB/128GB?

  14. notsure
    May 23, 2016

    Can you say few words about minimum brightness in the dark ?

  15. Hallex
    May 23, 2016

    There is 800mzh 4G band ? Like LeTV and 810 snapdragon and secret code ? :/

  16. David
    May 23, 2016

    Weight of this phablet please? Kindly also carry out video playback to check how long the battery will last

  17. Guest
    May 23, 2016

    Does the buttons have back light? because in all pics and videos I have seen it looks like Xiaomi went cheap with no back light, does it has Quick Charge 2.0 or 3.0? 2A @ 5V would take like 4-5 hours to fill such battery so this thing better has Quick Charge, is the 16MP camera the same used on the RMN3 Pro? does it has double tap to wake? a phone of this size with a finger print scanner on the back is kind of retarded.

    I already have authorization to unlock a Xiaomi from the time I asked to unlock the RMN3 X10, so I might pick this brick and say good bye to my Zenfone 2.

    • Guest
      May 24, 2016

      Mi Max is better to really have quick charge as battery this big will need very darn long time to charge.

      Zenfone 2 is a good phone, don’t sell first before you confirm everything.

      Xiaomi also got bad records in the past where they lied about their hardware specs. If i can remember correctly they promised quick charge on their Redmi note 2 but in the end it was a big lie. Also something about the kind of screen brand that they supposed to use but they never use. They just use cheaper quality screen, etc

      In the end , event big brands also can lie to you. Don’t ever trust big brands without confirming first.

  18. Guest
    May 23, 2016

    who watches CHINESE soaps ?!
    are they REALLY so good ?

    on a serious side , type-c would have been great !

    • Guest
      May 24, 2016

      You will be surprise how those hardcore drama/telenovela watcher can do.
      There is 1 taiwanese drama show that i forgotten what is the title, they actually close to 1000 episodes and still aired until now (not finished yet) LOL.

      Damn boring show if you asked me, Just to show the actress crying can take 3-4 episodes. Crazy but again surprisingly people still watching LFMAO.

      So i believe it is the same with korean, chinese, spanish serial drama show.Stay away from them, once you hook up then that’s it man !!

    • Guest
      May 24, 2016

      OMFG … its the same as those in our Neighbor Country , India. their dramas are some of the WORST in terms length. they can last half your life time :’D !!!

      you should really watch some Pakistani dramas. many of our dramas are also aired on Indian channels in India , that is the level and standard of excellence in our dramas , filled with pure artistry and nothing more.

    • deep zpain
      May 24, 2016

      Bull sh*t, No pakistani dramas or channels are aired in India. Stop cribbing about your neighbour’s dramas.

    • Guest
      May 24, 2016

      you must be retarded … i have no idea which side of the border are you from but u sure are a sore one :/

      there was this report in Express Tribune about Pakistani dramas being aired on a MAJOR indian channel. Also Aishwariya Rai HERSELF praised Pakistani dramas just recently.

      don’t be so butthurt , the comment was never meant to be degrading. i was honest to every bit , Indian dramas are RIDICULOUSLY lengthy. Take Kasauti for example , lasted quite a while ,didnt it ?

    • Duarte Bruno
      May 24, 2016

      Let me guess the name: Tsubasa? Dragon Ball?

    • cyril dieudonné
      May 25, 2016

      Chinese girls and Korean Girls. And NO, they are not good. NOT AT ALL. It’s PURE SH**.

    • cyril dieudonné
      May 25, 2016

      Ye, i know this show ; 意难忘.
      This is liquid stincky shit. Crying dudes hitting my nerves each time they start their fake crying sounds… horrible… Anyway, Chinese soap operas are whether about Anciant boring crying ladies in colorful cheap costumes, or about the Japanese invasion/Kuomintang rivalities…

    • Jan ยาน
      June 1, 2016

      gizchina, please review dramas and soap operas! lol

    • Guest
      June 1, 2016

      lol

    • Yeti hand
      June 4, 2016

      why not XD XD

    • deep zpain
      June 12, 2016

      all dramas aired in indian channels are uploaded in youtube. Show me one pakistani drama uploaded in youtube? then i will accept that i am a retard, butthurt and sore one. otherwise you are no.1s in these categories.

    • Guest
      June 13, 2016

      but they ARE uploaded on youtube … if you were not ignorant enough you would search for them yourself.

      look man , i don’t know what are you hassling for here … but Pakistanis watch Indian dramas and Indians have STARTED to discover Pakistani dramas. where’s the bad element in that ?

  19. Paarkhi Parekh
    May 23, 2016

    where can I find 4GB/128GB?

  20. Alex
    May 23, 2016

    I want to buy a new phone with Snapdragon and not Mediatek, but does it really matter now? I’m thinking of getting this but i’m curious about phones with X20.

  21. David
    May 23, 2016

    Weight of this phablet please? Kindly also carry out video playback to check how long the battery will last

  22. May 23, 2016

    HI Andi,

    Can you try loading the Google Now launcher and posting a few photos? Also, can you comment on how hard it it to load Google Apps and services?

    • May 24, 2016

      Hi, I have installed Google services and all my ‘must have GApps’ (Photos, Gmail, Music, Maps, Search, etc) and they all work fine. It’s as simple as using the new Google installer 2.0 (I’ll do a write up today). Not tried Google Now Launcher yet, but in the past I remember it being a bit of a pain to set it up as the default launcher, will try it out though.

      • May 24, 2016

        Google Now it actually easy to set up… and it gives you the “cards” that it data mines from gmail, calendar, chrome, etc. I find that it’s REALLY useful when travelling and it’s pulled in my flight and hotel details.

        It’s fairly easy to make it the default launcher. After the first time you launch an app and hit the “O” to return to the launcher, the OS will ask you which launcher to use and whether to make it the default.

        I’m using it on a Nexus 6 now, and used it to make an LG G3 “feel” more like stock Android… in fact it’s main benefit is that it’s the majority of the UI that was replaced by manufacturers mucking around with the launcher. So quickest way to undo their damage is to load Google Now.

        • lildwell
          May 24, 2016

          I remember when I used MIUI and other special ROMs that when you tried to switch the launcher to Google now, it wouldn’t show up.

          • May 24, 2016

            I’ve successfully added Google Now to CM11/12 and LG’s version of Android. I’ve never had a problem… other than not being able to load Google Apps.

            It will be interesting to see if Andi has any problems on MIUI 7 or 8.

            • lildwell
              May 25, 2016

              I have a redmi note 2. It had Gapps installed but I was never able to load Google now. When you opened it from the Play Store it would tell you to go to settings/home and set it as default launcher. When you got into settings/home Google now would not be seen. Press home and Google now would not be an option.

  23. Alex
    May 23, 2016

    I want to buy a new phone with Snapdragon and not Mediatek, but does it really matter now? I’m thinking of getting this but i’m curious about phones with X20.

  24. Dave Weinstein
    May 24, 2016

    Hi Andi,

    Can you try loading the Google Now launcher and posting a few photos? Also, can you comment on how hard it it to load Google Apps and services?

    • Andi Sykes
      May 24, 2016

      Hi, I have installed Google services and all my ‘must have GApps’ (Photos, Gmail, Music, Maps, Search, etc) and they all work fine. It’s as simple as using the new Google installer 2.0 (I’ll do a write up today). Not tried Google Now Launcher yet, but in the past I remember it being a bit of a pain to set it up as the default launcher, will try it out though.

    • Dave Weinstein
      May 24, 2016

      Google Now it actually easy to set up… and it gives you the “cards” that it data mines from gmail, calendar, chrome, etc. I find that it’s REALLY useful when travelling and it’s pulled in my flight and hotel details.

      It’s fairly easy to make it the default launcher. After the first time you launch an app and hit the “O” to return to the launcher, the OS will ask you which launcher to use and whether to make it the default.

      I’m using it on a Nexus 6 now, and used it to make an LG G3 “feel” more like stock Android… in fact it’s main benefit is that it’s the majority of the UI that was replaced by manufacturers mucking around with the launcher. So quickest way to undo their damage is to load Google Now.

    • lildwell
      May 24, 2016

      I remember when I used MIUI and other special ROMs that when you tried to switch the launcher to Google now, it wouldn’t show up.

    • Dave Weinstein
      May 24, 2016

      I’ve successfully added Google Now to CM11/12 and LG’s version of Android. I’ve never had a problem… other than not being able to load Google Apps.

      It will be interesting to see if Andi has any problems on MIUI 7 or 8.

    • lildwell
      May 25, 2016

      I have a redmi note 2. It had Gapps installed but I was never able to load Google now. When you opened it from the Play Store it would tell you to go to settings/home and set it as default launcher. When you got into settings/home Google now would not be seen. Press home and Google now would not be an option.

  25. StuckonDroid
    May 24, 2016

    Can you post pix of you hold it while on calls and fitting in the pocket. Something that will give us idea of how big this really is while holding or for everyday usage.. Just wanted to know if it is really bulky to hold or awkward to use in public.. Can this be everyday’s phone? I got too many questions.. sorry 🙂 coz I want to avoid having multiple devices (tablet and phone, or kindle and phone), this phone seems to fit all.

  26. iamsuperandrew
    May 24, 2016

    Hi Andi, Can you confirm whether Xiaomi Mi Max has a 2.5D Glass panel? Thanks

  27. StuckonDroid
    May 24, 2016

    Can you post pix of you hold it while on calls and fitting in the pocket. Something that will give us idea of how big this really is while holding or for everyday usage.. Just wanted to know if it is really bulky to hold or awkward to use in public.. Can this be everyday’s phone? I got too many questions.. sorry 🙂 coz I want to avoid having multiple devices (tablet and phone, or kindle and phone), this phone seems to fit all.

  28. iamsuperandrew
    May 24, 2016

    Hi Andi, Can you confirm whether Xiaomi Mi Max has a 2.5D Glass panel? Thanks

  29. Duarte Bruno
    May 24, 2016

    Cheers Andi.
    Can you please check if the Camera 2 API is supported by trying to open this raw file on Snapseed?
    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2X9MLFo3YCwNWlOam15dVhYV0E
    Thank you. I appreciate that.

  30. Duarte Bruno
    May 24, 2016

    Cheers Andi.
    Can you please check if the Camera 2 API is supported by trying to open this raw file on Snapseed?
    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2X9MLFo3YCwNWlOam15dVhYV0E
    Thank you. I appreciate that.

  31. Jose Suares
    May 25, 2016

    HI Andy.
    Can you compare with Huawei Mediapad X2 (Honor X2 in Europe)

  32. Guest
    May 25, 2016

    HI Andy.
    Can you compare with Huawei Mediapad X2 (Honor X2 in Europe)

  33. Nam Dang
    June 23, 2016

    When is the full (video) review going to be released?

  34. Nam Dang
    June 23, 2016

    When is the full (video) review going to be released?

  35. Alex Ivanov
    July 2, 2016

    I want to ask about the build quality of the device.. Is it ok or excellent?

  36. Alex Ivanov
    July 2, 2016

    I want to ask about the build quality of the device.. Is it ok or excellent?

  37. Rick
    July 3, 2016

    Not for regular people, but Shaq-sized also need phones:)

  38. Guest
    July 3, 2016

    Not for regular people, but Shaq-sized also need phones:)

  39. Nicholas Joseph
    July 14, 2016

    Hi andi. New reader here with a question.

    1. Is it easily bendable? There was a review on YouTube and it was shown that the phone bends easily.
    2. Is the camera on par or better than Xiaomi redmi note 3?
    3. Are the apps movable to the SD or can I move the download folder for the apps to SD? I was using Mangazone App on redmi note 3 and I don’t know why the download folder was not able to be relocated to the SD. In the end my phone was crying for space.
    4. How is the battery? I am currently using leagoo shark1 and even though the battery is 6k mAh, my redmi note 3 seems to be on par with it.
    5. With bigger ram on mi max 4gb, does it tax the battery?
    6. Are you reviewing the mi max with mediatek or snapdragon processor?
    Hope you can answer those questions. I’m looking forwards to your review. I’m also looking to buy the 4gb mi max on gearbest.

  40. Nicholas Joseph
    July 15, 2016

    Hi andi. New reader here with a question.

    1. Is it easily bendable? There was a review on YouTube and it was shown that the phone bends easily.
    2. Is the camera on par or better than Xiaomi redmi note 3?
    3. Are the apps movable to the SD or can I move the download folder for the apps to SD? I was using Mangazone App on redmi note 3 and I don’t know why the download folder was not able to be relocated to the SD. In the end my phone was crying for space.
    4. How is the battery? I am currently using leagoo shark1 and even though the battery is 6k mAh, my redmi note 3 seems to be on par with it.
    5. With bigger ram on mi max 4gb, does it tax the battery?
    6. Are you reviewing the mi max with mediatek or snapdragon processor?
    Hope you can answer those questions. I’m looking forwards to your review. I’m also looking to buy the 4gb mi max on gearbest.