Xiaomi has launched today its biggest smartphone in China knowns as Mi Max. This phone flaunts a huge 6.44 inch full-HD (1080×1920), 342ppi display. Xiaomi has also announced its new MIUI 8 user interface.
The Mi Max comes in three variants : 3GB RAM and 32GB storage, packed with 1.8GHz hexa-core Snapdragon 650 processor; 3GB RAM and 64GB of storage, powered by a 1.8GHz octa-core Snapdragon 652 processor, and with 4GB RAM with 128GB of storage with Snapdragon 652 processor. These three variants are priced RMB 1499, 1699 and 1999, respectvely which if converted to Indian Rupees work out to approximately Rs. 15,500, Rs. 17,500 and Rs. 20,500 respectively.
The internal storage of this phablet can be further extended upto 128GB via microSD card support.
The newly announced Mi Max will be available in mainland China starting 17 May through online channels including Mi.com, and across the country’s Mi Home outlets. Their is no word when this phone will debut in India.
Mi Max has a metal body with curved edges on the front 2.5D glass surface. According to Xiaomi, ”even with a much larger display than most other smartphones, Mi Max is as thin as many 4.7-inch phones with a thickness of just 7.5mm. At 203g, it is only slightly heavier than many 5.5-inch models”. This phablet will be available in Dark Grey, Gold, and Silver colours.
On the imaging front, the Mi Max comes with 16MP rear camera with an f/2.0 aperture, PDAF and LED flash. It also houses a 5MP front camera with a f/2.0 aperture.
The other highlight of this phablet is that it is packed with massive 4850 mAh battery, which according to the company can support up to 14 hours of streaming video (via Wi-Fi) in a single charge.
The Mi Max also incorporates a fingerprint scanner which is located at the rear panel and this device supports Dual-SIM, 4G LTE with VoLTE and also offers connectivity options of Bluetooth 4.2, GPS/ A-GPS with Glonass, Wi-Fi 802.11ac with Mimo etc.
Xiaomi has also unveiled new interface MIUI 8 today for its mobile devices with a refreshing redesign and several innovative new features. MIUI 8 features an overhauled design as seen in the bold colours, interactive animations and system fonts including Xiaomi’s very own Mi Lanting font.
MIUI 8 also introduces the ability to take long screenshots beyond what can be seen on the screen, which is very useful for sharing long articles in just one image. The calculator app has also been improved with more advanced functions such as bank loan and mortgage interest calculation, as well as currency and unit conversions.
Photo gallery is one of the most-used apps in MIUI, and it now comes with several optimisations. With quick share controls, users can swipe up to share and change filters with a tap. They can also doodle on photos, add stickers, and make use of enhanced video editing tools with various effects and music.
In MIUI 8, scanning capabilities have been expanded tremendously to go beyond QR codes. Users can now scan documents to get an image output, scan business cards to add to their contacts, scan physical objects to search and shop for similar items on Taobao, and even scan mathematics questions for step-by-step solutions.
Beta testing for MIUI 8 in China will start on 1 June, while the developer ROM will be released on 17 June with support for Mi 2/2S/3/4/4c/4S/5/Max, the entire Redmi and Redmi Note series, as well as the Mi Note series.
