Xiaomi’s giant half-tablet is back

If you’ve seen someone holding a huge device to their ear for a call, that could well be the Mi Max, which, if Xiaomi’s figures are right, was surprisingly popular for something that large and unwieldy. It’s a whole 6.44 inches of screen and almost makes it to tablet territory. But don’t dismiss it out of sheer horror at the size — it presents a nice alternative to a full tablet.

Actually, I remember using the original Mi Max for many months before finally moving on. I liked to lounge around with it at home. Just those few inches separated it from my tablets, but it made a difference and I often enjoyed reading on it, browsing or watching something on YouTube or even quickly tackling my email. It’s when I needed to make calls without using the speaker phone that I bumped into a problem. Obviously though, enough customers liked it for Xiaomi to have confidently launched an upgraded version.

In its second coming, the Mi Max 2 is all black and smooth and professional looking. It’s still very much 6.44 inches and now houses a 5,300 mAh battery, so it’s not exactly a lightweight, though it could have ended up being much heavier. But it isn’t so much the weight as it is the weight-size ratio, especially the width, that makes the Mi Max 2 a little difficult to hold for someone with smaller hands. Men with big hands may not have a problem, but I found myself getting a bit tired holding on to it because the rounded off sides necessitate a consciously strong grip unless you want the thing to slide right down to the floor. Even from the front, the glass is curved into the sides and while this may look good, it makes it slippery. The software allows for a one-handed mode and you can even choose between three sizes with which to put a phone within a phone, but you still have to be a bit careful.

You can’t really compare the Mi Max’ display with those of expensive flagships. It’s just a 1080p screen, but looks more than good enough. There’s no compromise on the viewing angles or the colours and brightness of the screen. You won’t miss an impossibly crisp hi-res screen if you’re not expecting it. It does the job, including for watching the movies you’re likely to use the device for.

The rest of the specs are livable with as well. There’s the proven Snapdragon 625 chipset, which could have been stepped up, but isn’t doing a bad job. You have 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB storage. Xiaomi’s interface, MiUi 8.5 sits on top of Android 7.1.1 and should soon upgrade to version 9. The interface is getting increasingly filled up with this and that so if you’re looking for a pure Android experience, this isn’t it. It works fine except that I did encounter the occasional crash. Nothing persistent.

The 12 MP and 5 MP cameras are average. As usual, they do the job in daylight but get murky and noisy in low light.

It’s a pity there isn’t a great camera on the Mi Max because with that large screen acting as a viewfinder, it might have been fun. The main selling points of the Mi Max 2 are its mammoth battery, complete with quick charging, and its unique size, being a great in-between device for some people.

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