I hope you know about Xiaomi’s huge Mi Max devices. The aim of the Mi Max series devices, which it introduced years ago with the concept of “large display, bigger battery”, was to offer a screen size that isn’t found in other devices with a long screen-on time.
So what is this Mi Max series? How many devices are there? Let’s get started then.
Xiaomi Mi Max (hydrogen – helium)
Mi Max (hydrogen), one of Xiaomi’s first huge devices, was introduced in May 2016. Since devices at that time weren’t as large as they are now, this series was the only one of it’s kind and was very popular. There is a Prime (helium) version of the device available. Specifications of both devices are listed below.
- 6.44″ FHD (1080×1920) IPS 60Hz Screen
- Snapdragon 650 (MSM8956) – Snapdragon 652 (MSM8976) (Prime variant)
- 2GB/16GB and 3GB/32GB RAM/Storage (eMMC 4.1) variants available. 3GB/64GB and 4GB/128GB RAM/Storage (eMMC 5.1) variants available only Prime version.
- 16 MP, f/2.0, PDAF Main Camera and 5 MP, f/2.0 Selfie Camera. Supports 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, 720p@120fps video recording.
- 4850mAh Li-Ion with QC 2.0 10W (contrary to this information, most users charges with 18W) fast charging support.
- Front glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 4) and case is aluminum. Rear-mounted fingerprint available.
The device came out of the box with MIUI 7 based on Android 6 (V7.3.15.0.MBCCNDC – V7.5.3.0.MBCMIDE). Latest version is MIUI 10 based on Android 7 (V10.3.2.0.NBCCNXM – V10.2.2.0.NBCMIXM). Launch price was around €150, which is pretty cheap for hardware. A true mid-range price/performance device. Now it’s time to take a look at the second device of the series.
Xiaomi Mi Max 2 (oxygen)
Mi Max 2 (oxygen) device, introduced in May 2017, comes with a better CPU, larger RAM/Storage and a larger battery than predecessor. Design and screen size are considered the same. Specifications are listed below.
- 6.44″ FHD (1080×1920) IPS 60Hz Screen
- Snapdragon 625 (MSM8953)
- 4GB/32GB, 4GB/64GB and 4GB/128GB RAM/Storage (eMMC 5.1) variants available.
- 12 MP, f/2.2, 1/2.9″, 1.25µm, PDAF Main Camera and 5 MP, f/2.0 Selfie Camera. Supports 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, 720p@120fps video recording.
- 5300mAh Li-Ion with QC 3.0 18W fast charging support.
- Front glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 4) and case is aluminum. Rear-mounted fingerprint available.
Device launched with a price of €200. The device came out of the box with MIUI 8 based on Android 7.1 (V8.5.6.0.NDDCNED – V8.5.4.0.NDDMIED). Latest version is MIUI 11 based on Android 7.1 (V11.0.2.0.NDDCNXM – V11.0.2.0.NDDMIXM). Better CPU, bigger battery and 18W support in the same price band continued to make Mi Max 2 mid-range killers. Time to look at the last Mi Max device.
Xiaomi Mi Max 3 (nitrogen)
Mi Max 3 (nitrogen), the last device of Mi Max series, was introduced in July 2018. Device comes with a slightly better CPU, a slightly larger battery, an even bigger screen, stereo speakers and dual-camera than it’s predecessor. The design is still same. Xiaomi seems to have made a good ending to Mi Max series. Specifications are listed below.
- 6.9″ FHD+ (1080×2160) IPS 60Hz Screen
- Snapdragon 636 (SDM636)
- 4GB/64GBand 6GB/128GB RAM/Storage (eMMC 5.1) variants available.
- 12 MP, f/1.9, 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, PDAF Main, 5 MP, f/2.2 (Depth) Second and 5 MP, f/2.0 Selfie Camera. Supports 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, 720p@120fps video recording.
- 5500mAh Li-Ion with QC 3.0 18W fast charging support.
- Front glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 4) and case is aluminum. Rear-mounted fingerprint available.
Device launched with a price of €310. Device came out of the box with MIUI 9 based on Android 8.1 (V9.6.7.0.OEDCNFD – V9.6.4.0.OEDMIFD). Latest version is MIUI 12 (MIUI 12.5 only China) based on Android 10 (V12.5.1.0.QEDCNXM – V12.0.1.0.QEDMIXM).
All three devices have received 3 MIUI updates. However, if we count MIUI 12.5 from main updates, this Mi Max 3 device gets an extra 4. update. I think Xiaomi has done a last favor to Mi Max 3 users. The strange part is that first Mi Max device received 1 Android update. The second Mi Max device hasn’t received any Android updates. Last Mi Max device has received 2 Android updates! Xiaomi surprises us again.
Why was the Mi Max Series Abandoned?
After July 2018, Xiaomi users began to wait for a new Mi Max 4 device. However, things didn’t go as expected. In a statement to Xiaomi Fans, Redmi General Manager Lu Weibing reported that a new Mi Max device won’t come and Mi Max series has been abandoned. No step has been taken by Xiaomi regarding Mi Max.
Actually, reason for this is that the concept of Mi Max devices was “big screen – big battery”. But, if we look at Xiaomi or other brands in 2018 and beyond, these “big” devices were already being produced. In other words, the smartphone market has already turned to devices with large screens and bigger batteries. In this case, there was no need for a special “big” phone series. Therefore the Mi Max series was discontinued and Xiaomi focused other series.
Stay tuned to be aware of agenda and learn new things!
