Xiaomi’s Mi Max 2 is the company’s fourth smartphone launched in India this year after the Redmi Note 4, Redmi 4A, and Redmi 4. Much like its predecessor, the Xiaomi Mi Max 2 bets big on a large display, and a massive battery.
At the Mi Max 2 launch event earlier this week, Xiaomi claimed that it has grown massively in terms of revenue in India compared to same period last year. We can safely assume that these figures more or less reflect the popularity of the low-cost Redmi series. There’s no doubt that the Chinese company has seenpositive response to its recent Redmi series launches, but at the same time there hasn’t been any buzz around the higher-end Mi series in India. In fact, the company is yet to decide whether the Mi 6 flagship will even launch here. The Xiaomi Mi Max 2 is the first premium model that this company has launched in over a year, following the Mi Max in June 2016.
The original Mi Max stood out in the category of phones with screens larger than 6 inches, and now we have a few other choices including the Lenovo Phab 2 Plus (Review), at the same price level. Apart from its huge display and big battery, the Xiaomi Mi Max 2 offers decent set of specifications. The big question is whether a phone like this is right for you. Let’s find out.
Xiaomi Mi Max 2 design
There have been some significant design changes in the Mi Max 2 compared to the original Mi Max(Review), despite the fact that their screens are the same size. The all-metal body of the Mi Max 2 is more appealing and now features rounded edges that make it easier to hold. The 2.5D glass across the front gives it a more premium look, although the metal back is somewhat slippery. The antenna bands are more discreet, blending in with the colour of the back.
The Mi Max 2 is big for any kind of pocket, and we had some trouble carrying it around. We have used many 5.5-inch phones, and it was still hard to adjust to the Mi Max 2. During our time with this device, we found that it easily attracted people’s attention just because of its sheer size. Apart from its size, weight is sometimes an issue. At 7.6mm thick, the Mi Max 2 is sleek enough and offers good grip but 211g is a lot for a phone. This is something that might (or might not) bother you.
In our experience, it was uncomfortable to use this phone while walking or trying to juggle other work. We had to be extra cautious while holding it with just one hand during our review period. Typing with just one hand is a tough task, and we advise users not to try unless they are very sure of their grip.
The Xiaomi Mi Max 2 has backlit capacitive buttons at the front placed just below the display. There’s a front-facing camera and sensors above it, accompanied by the earpiece which also doubles up as a loudspeaker. The power and volume buttons are on the right, while the hybrid dual-SIM tray is on the left. The USB Type-C port is on the bottom between two grilles, but we noticed that only one was an actual speaker while the other was just a design element.
The phone has an Infrared emitter on the top panel, accompanied by the 3.5mm audio socket. We found that we could reach the fingerprint scanner on the back while holding the phone with just one hand, but we have to point out that people with smaller hands might have trouble with this.
In terms of construction quality, the Mi Max 2 looks solid. Fortunately, the back panel is not a fingerprint magnet, which means you won’t need to worry about wiping the phone from time to time. The Mi Max 2 has slimmer screen borders than the original Mi Max, and this means less distraction when watching videos.
Xiaomi has launched the Mi Max 2 only in black, and it looks stunning, but we can expect more colour options to be released over time. Inside the retail box, you get standard set of documentats, a SIM ejector tool, a USB Type-C cable, and a charger, apart from the phone itself. Xiaomi doesn’t ship earphones with any of its phones.
