The Xiaomi Mi Max 3 is a bigger, more powerful smartphone than its predecessor
“The Mi Max 3 is a bigger, more powerful smartphone than its predecessor”
Xiaomi is now fast becoming the brand that has something to offer to everyone. Its vast lineup includes everything from ultra-affordable handsets to high-end flagships. The Mi Max series — which was launched back in 2016 — was aimed at offering a large screen and massive battery in the mid-range. Today, the brand has lifted the veils off the third generation Mi Max device – the Xiaomi Mi Max 3. It’s natural to wonder what does the latest launch brings to the table, especially when compared to its predecessor, the Mi Max 2 ( review). Stay with us to find out.
With the Xiaomi Mi Max 3, the brand is going with the latest trends. For starters, the company has managed to fit an even bigger display in the same footprint as the Mi Max 2 by embracing the bezel-less design. The display measures 6.9-inches diagonally with a screen resolution of 2,160 x 1,080 pixels in comparison to the 6.4-inch panel with a conventional 16:9 aspect ratio and FHD resolution on the Mi Max 2. In terms of the design however, the Mi Max 3 comes with the same metal-clad design, but has minimal bezels around the screen.
Hardware-wise, the Mi Max 3 also gets an upgrade over the Mi Max 2, as it comes with the Snapdragon 636 chipset as compared to the Snapdragon 625 SoC powering its previous iteration. As per Qualcomm, SD 636 brings a 40 percent performance boost over the Snapdragon 630 chip, so we can expect the brand’s latest to be smoother. As for the RAM and storage, the Mi Max 3 is available in 4GB + 64GB and 6GB + 128GB options. The Mi Max 2 on the other hand, is available in 4GB + 32GB and 4GB + 64GB variants.
In the imaging department, the Xiaomi Mi Max 3 comes with a dual-camera module on the rear panel comprising a 12-megapixel primary shooter and 5-megapixel sensor. On the contrary, the Mi Max 2 has the same primary sensor but misses out on a secondary shooter. The Mi Max 3 also comes with a better 8-megapixel selfie snapper as compared to the 5-megapixel unit on Mi Max 2. The selfie camera on the newest smartphone from Xiaomi is also accompanied by a soft LED flash.
Further, the Mi Max 3 comes with a slightly bigger 5,500mAh battery, as compared to a 5,300mAh unit its previous avatar. On the software front, Xiaomi’s latest boots Android 8.1 Oreo-based MIUI, while the Mi Max 2 ships with Android 7.1.1 Nougat-based MIUI.
By now, it’s clear that the Xiaomi Mi Max 3 is a whole new device and it comes across as a major upgrade over its predecessor. Therefore, there are not many similarities between the two as such. However, both smartphones are constructed out of metal and come with USB Type-C port at the base.
Moreover, both the Mi Max 2 and Mi Max 3 come with a hybrid SIM slot, which means you need to let go of the secondary SIM functionality if you want to use a microSD card. Another common feature shared by these handsets is the support for Quick Charge 3.0.
The Xiaomi Mi Max 3 has been launched in China at RMB 1,699 (~Rs 17,300) for the base model and RMB 1,999 (~Rs 20,400) for the 6GB RAM variant. While there’s no word at the moment about the global launch, we can expect it to land in India considering the brand brought its predecessors in the country. And as and when it does, the Mi Max 3 is definitely a worthy upgrade over its predecessor.
