[MINI REVIEW] Xiaomi Mi Max 2 Pros and Cons

W

wwwwe

Senior Member
Jan 11, 2015
62
28
38
Jun 27, 2017 at 10:59 AM
I got my Xiaomi Mi Max 2 five days ago. I unlocked the bootloader, rooted the device and installed weekly XIAOMI.EU rom to the device (according to this guide). I am very happy with the purchase. My previous device was Oneplus One, which was destroyed by dropping it to the ground. I was very happy with Oneplus One. I was kind of looking into buying Oneplus 5, but decided that it is not really worth the price. Here I am going to list some of the the software and hardware pros and cons of Xiaomi Mi Max 2:

Pros:
  • Good Screen. 1080p is the right resolution for this size of screen. 6.44 inch could be the perfect size for me, even if my hands are fairly small. It is also enough bright in direct sunlight of southern Germany and enough dark in the night. The auto brightness seems to work fairly well.
  • Battery life is amazing and it charges quickly.
  • Camera is pretty good. Only complains are frequent refocusing and low mic volume during video recording (perhaps can be fixed by software update).
  • Quality to price ratio is amazingly high.
  • Software seems fairly stable and has a lot of features. There are many features that help using the device with one hand. However, it is too risk to use it with one hand without protective cover (unless you are a World class finger acrobat).
  • Fingerprint reader works good. I can use it to unlock screen. I can also lock some of the apps such as gmail, which can be unlocked with another tap. This is very useful, when giving phone to kids. They can use only the apps of my choice.
  • The device does not get too warm. I don't play games, but some other devices, such as, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 got really hot even doing simple tasks.
  • Loud stereo speakers.
  • Snapdragon 625 is hated and loved by some. I personally think that it is an excellent processor. It has enough speed, does not overheat or throttle. Makes battery life almost immortal.

Cons:
  • Easy to muffle the speaker on the bottom with the holding hand.
  • 4G support is lacking, however, it worked well in simple web browsing in Munich, Germany.
  • No Xposed (just like in all Nougat devices).
  • I could not find any way to toggle flashlight, when screen is off. In Oneplus One, I used Xposed Torch to toggle the flashlight by pressing volume up button for a couple of seconds. It is very uncomfortable for eyes in the night to have to first unlock screen and then press buttons to start the torch.
  • Battery saving seems quite aggressive (is also a pro). However, most apps seem to work after you disable it for them. However, flashlight widget, Skype and Hangouts do not work for some reason, even if I disabled battery optimizations and enabled autostart for them. I tried wifi and network.
  • Sometimes the fingerprint scanner stops working. I need to input the password to make it work again. This happens randomly without restart.
  • Because the device is not sold in Europe, I did not get protective cover yet.
  • Charger does not have EU-plug, so I have to use converter until I get another charger that I ordered separately.
  • As expected, it is very difficult to use the device with one hand. However, I think that the immersive experience of the big screen outweighs the cons.
  • Capacitive buttons on the bottom have fairly narrow area to press. It takes some time to get used to their locations.
  • Fingerprint scanner location is not good. Front would be the best, so the device would not have to be lifted from table. Even having the scanner lower would make more sense. Reaching to it with one hand ain't a simple task.
  • The size makes it difficult to fit to pocket. Well can't really expect anything else.

As a summary, there are some cons, but I guess most of them can be fixed with software update. Awesome device.

*Update: I managed to fix Skype by giving all permissions from settings. Hangouts still does not work. It is even that bad that I have to restart phone,when I try to make call. The mentioned fingerprint scanner stopping working bug starts to get to my nerves. It happens very often. It can happen even by pressing power button and immediately trying to unlock with fingerprint scanner.
*Update: Fingerprint scanner stopping bug disappeared. I do not know the reason. Perhaps, I changed some setting, uninstalled some app or somehow having a protective cover helps. I have not seen it happening in several days.
*Update: I have a new protective cover for the device (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B071CXRY9V/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). I fear now much less that it is going to break, but it does not have as much protection as my Spigen cover for Oneplus One had.
*Update: I installed style ring (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/360...s-Samsung-HUAWEI-Smart-Phone/32801740801.html) and pop socket (also from Aliexpress, but not on sale anymore) to the back of the cover. In addition, I installed Floating Menu to reach most used function easily (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ksxkq.floating). Now I can use the phone for most of tasks with one hand. Looks kind of ridiculous but who cares.
 
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I

ikecomp

Senior Member
Oct 24, 2013
62
8
0
Jul 5, 2017 at 6:56 PM
wwwwe said:
I got my Xiaomi Mi Max 2 five days ago. I unlocked the bootloader, rooted the device and installed weekly XIAOMI.EU rom to the device (according to this guide). I am very happy with the purchase. My previous device was Oneplus One, which was destroyed by dropping it to the ground. I was very happy with Oneplus One. I was kind of looking into buying Oneplus 5, but decided that it is not really worth the price. Here I am going to list some of the the software and hardware pros and cons of Xiaomi Mi Max 2:

Pros:
  • Good Screen. 1080p is the right resolution for this size of screen. 6.44 inch could be the perfect size for me, even if my hands are fairly small. It is also enough bright in direct sunlight of southern Germany and enough dark in the night. The auto brightness seems to work fairly well.
  • Battery life is amazing and it charges quickly.
  • Camera is pretty good. Only complains are frequent refocusing and low mic volume during video recording (perhaps can be fixed by software update).
  • Quality to price ratio is amazingly high.
  • Software seems fairly stable and has a lot of features. There are many features that help using the device with one hand. However, it is too risk to use it with one hand without protective cover (unless you are a World class finger acrobat).
  • Fingerprint reader works good. I can use it to unlock screen. I can also lock some of the apps such as gmail, which can be unlocked with another tap. This is very useful, when giving phone to kids. They can use only the apps of my choice.
  • The device does not get too warm. I don't play games, but some other devices, such as, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 got really hot even doing simple tasks.
  • Loud stereo speakers.
  • Snapdragon 625 is hated and loved by some. I personally think that it is an excellent processor. It has enough speed, does not overheat or throttle. Makes battery life almost immortal.

Cons:
  • Easy to muffle the speaker on the bottom with the holding hand.
  • 4G support is lacking, however, it worked well in simple web browsing in Munich, Germany.
  • No Xposed (just like in all Nougat devices).
  • I could not find any way to toggle flashlight, when screen is off. In Oneplus One, I used Xposed Torch to toggle the flashlight by pressing volume up button for a couple of seconds. It is very uncomfortable for eyes in the night to have to first unlock screen and then press buttons to start the torch.
  • Battery saving seems quite aggressive (is also a pro). However, most apps seem to work after you disable it for them. However, flashlight widget, Skype and Hangouts do not work for some reason, even if I disabled battery optimizations and enabled autostart for them. I tried wifi and network.
  • Sometimes the fingerprint scanner stops working. I need to input the password to make it work again. This happens randomly without restart.
  • Because the device is not sold in Europe, I did not get protective cover yet.
  • Charger does not have EU-plug, so I have to use converter until I get another charger that I ordered separately.
  • As expected, it is very difficult to use the device with one hand. However, I think that the immersive experience of the big screen outweighs the cons.
  • Capacitive buttons on the bottom have fairly narrow area to press. It takes some time to get used to their locations.
  • Fingerprint scanner location is not good. Front would be the best, so the device would not have to be lifted from table. Even having the scanner lower would make more sense. Reaching to it with one hand ain't a simple task.
  • The size makes it difficult to fit to pocket. Well can't really expect anything else.

As a summary, there are some cons, but I guess most of them can be fixed with software update. Awesome device.

*Update: I managed to fix Skype by giving all permissions from settings. Hangouts still does not work. It is even that bad that I have to restart phone,when I try to make call. The mentioned fingerprint scanner stopping working bug starts to get to my nerves. It happens very often. It can happen even by pressing power button and immediately trying to unlock with fingerprint scanner.
Click to expand...
Not sure if you mentioned it but do you have the Chinese version or the global/international version? From what I understand the global version should be more stable.
 
M

myxcon

Senior Member
Jul 12, 2008
697
120
0
Jul 11, 2017 at 4:42 PM
On my nexus phones, if I dont use the phone for more than 4 hours, the device needs pin or patter unlock , even if fingerprint is setup, for added security. Maybe they added this in MIUI that you are running on Max2 (it is not available on latest beta/global miui for max 1). Just saying...
 
I

ikecomp

Senior Member
Oct 24, 2013
62
8
0
Jul 11, 2017 at 9:46 PM
myxcon said:
On my nexus phones, if I dont use the phone for more than 4 hours, the device needs pin or patter unlock , even if fingerprint is setup, for added security. Maybe they added this in MIUI that you are running on Max2 (it is not available on latest beta/global miui for max 1). Just saying...
Click to expand...
Hmm, not sure what nexus device you're using (I have a nexus 6P) and the only situations it still asks for your pin/pattern in addition to your fingerprint are
1) When you unlock the phone for the first time after it's been rebooted
2) 48 hours after you last unlocked it using your pin/pattern
3) Your fingerprint isn't recognized after multiple tries
4) You switched to a different user on the device

To your point, it shouldn't do this after only 4 hours. It should take one of the other conditions listed above or 48 hours before it asks you for your pin again.
 
V

Versi38

New member
Jul 14, 2017
3
0
0
Jul 14, 2017 at 5:16 AM
The 'bug' with the fingerprint scanner not working until you input your password is due to false reads. If it fails your fingerprint 5 times in a row, it will lock and only allow password input. The Xiaomi Mi Max 2's fingerprint reader is pretty sensitive, so it's very easy to set it off even 5 times just while putting it in your pocket. With a protective cover, the reader is a little bit more recessed so it doesn't happen so often.
 
P

Prasanhavalad

Member
Sep 20, 2016
11
0
0
Jul 15, 2017 at 6:25 PM
Thanku for the true review, I'm going to buy this next week., It's being launched in India on 18th July..
I'm bit scared about its big size.. how does it feel for handling.?
 
I

ikecomp

Senior Member
Oct 24, 2013
62
8
0
Jul 15, 2017 at 9:07 PM
Prasanhavalad said:
Thanku for the true review, I'm going to buy this next week., It's being launched in India on 18th July..
I'm bit scared about its big size.. how does it feel for handling.?
Click to expand...
Make no mistake it's a big phone. I have fairly long fingers but I still find the phone large but I love it. You should watch some videos on youtube where people test the size of the phone putting it in their pockets. That will be a bigger issue. If you wear normal jeans you should be fine but if you wear tight/skinny jeans you may only be able to fit the phone in your back pocket.

But if you can get beyond the size it's a great phone.
 
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wwwwe

Senior Member
Jan 11, 2015
62
28
38
Jul 15, 2017 at 9:16 PM
It is big but I have zero regrets about buying the device. I can use it with one hand for most tasks with the style ring mentioned at the end of the review. However, the other hand is occasionally needed. Typing with the keyboard is much more accurate than with smaller devices. Battery is amazing. Only once during the 3 weeks that I owned the device, I went below 50 % battery. That time I went to 40% battery with about 8 hours screen on time.
 
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Prasanhavalad

Member
Sep 20, 2016
11
0
0
Jul 18, 2017 at 5:03 PM
Okay thanku.. then I think I should wait for Redmi note 5, until that launchs I should switch for Redmi note 4.. as both Max 2 and note 4 are similar except display size and camera technology
 
O

oatcooky

Senior Member
Mar 17, 2013
435
107
0
Jul 21, 2017 at 4:49 AM
It's not a big phone, it's a huge phone! I'm using the original model and it's hard to hold without a case. I would put on a rugged case and that style ring to make it easier to hold and use the phone. I'm jealous of you guys getting crazy long battery life ;)
 
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