Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Software
Xiaomi has launched the Mi Max 2 with MIUI 8.5 based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat which happens to be a first for the company. Xiaomi’s MIUI is a full custom skin that offers a slew of features for the users. Dual apps allow users to sign two accounts into a single app. So, for examples you have two phone numbers and want a WhatsApp account for each of them, the Dual apps feature would let you do just that. Along with this, MIUI 8 enables users to take longer screenshots of pages. There’s also a built in Caller ID app that uses MIUI’s database and shows users information about flagged numbers.
Some India specific features include the action buttons below messages from a business. If a user receives a message from their telecom operator regarding their data allowance being finished, MIUI will suggest the user to recharge or if a message arrives after booking a movie ticket, the MIUI will ask users to add the event to their calendar.
Another feature called the one-handed mode allows users to shrink the display interface to sizes 4.5-inch, 4-inch and 3.5-inch. Though even at 4.5-inch, the display falls short of accessibility. It would have been nice if a larger, say 5-inch screen option were present. Such nitty-gritty features make the MIUI stand out against all other custom UI’s and that’s why it commands a huge developer base.
The user experience on the Mi Max 2 is fluid as it's customised for the skin and anyone who has had a previous experience with MIUI knows that they can do so much more customizations without any lags.
Verdict
Xiaomi knows that not everyone will buy their second iteration of the Mi Max and the company doesn’t want that in the first place. It knows that the targeted user base are people who want a big screen smartphone that serves its purpose of being humongous. As such, the Mi Max 2 takes in all of Xiaomi’s best and enlarges it to suit that demand. The Max 2 is larger than life because it is made for people who want a big and bright display, excellent performance, great camera, lots of storage space and least of all, a big, really big battery capacity. The Mi Max 2 represents the best of Xiaomi, yet.
