By Sourabh Kulesh
New Delhi: Phablets -- devices within the 5.5-7.0 inch display range -- have an altogether different user case scenario in the overcrowded Indian smartphone market. With 6.44-inch Mi Max, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has now unveiled a device for a longer immersive experience.
The Rs 14,999 device with 3GB RAM and 32GB onboard memory (or 4GB RAM/128GB memory at Rs 19,999) claims to be the start of a new era of big screen devices.
Let us see what works for the device.
Clearly, Mi Max is for those who want a bigger display, good battery life and, most importantly, a device that does not cost a bomb.
Mi Max is slim and slides easily into the pocket though it might be uncomfortable for people who wear skinny clothes.
It comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection and a metal body with chamfered (finely sloped) edges and buries in the hand easily despite its humongous size.
It has super immersive sunlight display that delivers accurate colours even in bright conditions.
With a 4,850 mAh battery, the device gives two-day backup -- that is with internet on for over a day and a four-hour video playback with full brightness.
Watching movies is bliss on Mi Max's Full-HD display. Want to read books on this? No problem. Just enable the "Read Mode" from the drop down menu. The best part of the mode is that it does not strain your eyes.
Mi Max is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor (4GB RAM variant runs on Snapdragon 652) and has a hybrid SIM card slot which supports a microSD card of up to 128GB.
The device has almost 1.5GB of RAM free. Under heavy usage, it often drops to 850MB but that does not really affect the overall performance.
The fingerprint scanner works just fine. The loudspeakers have good quality and output through the 3.5mm jack is outstanding.
For people who do not want to use the power/lock button to lock the device may use "Quick Ball". This is an iPhone-type feature which can be used to access various options/features with one touch.
Running on the Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system, Mi Max comes with a 16MP primary camera with dual-tone flash and Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF) and a 5MP front shooter for selfies.
What doesn't work.
Xiaomi has been very particular about its camera technology but it seems to have given it a slight miss in Mi Max. Result: The camera quality is slightly disappointing.
Conclusion: For Rs 14,999, Mi Max is a value phablet. Nothing extraordinary, but if you are a movie buff and play videos, this device will ensure a sureshot theatrical experience on the go.
(Sourabh Kulesh can be contacted at sourabh.k@ians.in)