Xiaomi Mi Max 2 review

While I had my reservations about getting another Xiaomi smartphones, the Mi Max 2 does have its advantages, one of them was the massive 6.44” screen. My previous Xiaomi phones, the Mi Note 2 and the Redmi 5A all had power button problems thus my reservations. After a while, they become stiff and hard to press. But I wanted a smartphone with big screen and the Mi Max 2, available for less than RM600 on Lazada was an attractive proposition hence why I got it. Sure there’s the newer Mi Max 3 but that’s way out of my budget.







Performance wise, you can’t expect much from a sub 600 ringgit phone. PUBG Mobile runs okay at low graphic setting. Despite the generous 4GB RAM, the Snapdragon 625 processor couldn’t keep up with the latest and greatest games. The Mi Max 2 comes preinstalled with Android 7.1.1 and upgradable to 8.0 Oreo. MIUI is okay I guess although I’d prefer it if they run stock Android like the Android One smartphones that they offer. The one I got is the 64GB version with a slot for micro SD card. If 64GB not enough for you, you can use a micro SD card as adaptive storage. Battery life on this 5300 man phone is alright. Not terrible but not that great either. Just over a day use on full charge.







Watching movies is delightful on the huge screen. However, I couldn’t help but notice the squarish screen and big bezels on top and below it. An eye compared to the rounded corner screen on newer Android phones. Also I couldn’t help but notice the glaring bright golden back on the phone. Wish I could get a white or black housing instead but at the time of purchase, they cost just a tad more which is silly to be honest and goes against my principle. What principle? Why pay more for the same damn thing just because of colour difference. Later I come to regret that decision because even though I use a casing most of the time, the bright golden housing still haunts me in my sleep.







Is it any surprise then when I sold this Mi Max 2 around two months later. Amongst the main reasons were the square screen, sub par performance, huge bezel and golden back cover. The massive screen is great for watching movies or videos but as a second phone, using it during my runs was simply out of the question.