Xiaomi has announced the launch of a 6.44-inch smartphone Mi Max starting at RMB 1499 (3GB/32GB) in China along with refreshed MIUI 8. The company based in China has announced three variants of Mi Max in various RAM and storage combinations.
Commenting on the launch of MIUI 8, Xiaomi CEO and founder Lei Jun disclosed that there are over 200 million users of MIUI worldwide. Moreover, there are 21 apps on the MIUI platform with over 10 million active users daily. The Mi AppStore, which comes preinstalled on all Xiaomi devices in China, has so received over 40 billion app downloads since its launch in March 2016, which is 16 percent increase when compared to that of 2014 figures.
On the specifications front, the Mi Max features a 6.44-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 652/650 processor, Adreno 510 graphics, up to 4GB RAM, up to 128GB internal storage (expandable up to 128GB) including a fingerprint sensor. Xiaomi has released three variants of the device with different storage capacities like 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB. Combined with an optional 128GB microSD storage, you will be able to shoot the device up to a maximum of 256GB, which is sufficient for storing plenty of images and videos.
Powered by a 4850mAh battery, the 6.44-inch IPS display enables you to watch movies and TV shows even under bright sunlight display. The display is capable of producing accurate colors even in bright conditions.
Unlike competing smartphones, the Mi Max is manufactured using a full metal body with gently curved edges of the front 2.5D glass surface. Despite large display, the Mi Max weighs only 203 grams with a thickness of 7.5mm.
The new MIUI 8 released simultaneously with Mi Max features a refreshed design in bold colors, interactive animations, system fonts which include Mi Lanting font. You will be able to perform advanced activities such as cloning apps including management of multiple accounts on the same device with a different password, fingerprint, address book and call history.
The latest build of MIUI 8 offers a simplified approach to capture screenshots, improvements in calculator app, enhancements to the photo gallery in addition to the integration of scanning technologies beyond QR code.
Responding to media, Xiaomi CEO and founder Lei Jun revealed that MIUI 8 is one of the best the company has ever produced and features innovative breakthroughs. Jun further added that the current version is a result of hard work and dedication by the product team and they have developed the software based on customer feedback.
While Mi Max will be available in China starting May 17, the beta testing for MIUI 8 will commence on June 1. Xiaomi is expected to release developer ROM on June 17 with support for all the available Mi handsets.
Even though the base price is fixed at RMB 1499, the Snapdragon 652 variant with 3GB RAM, 64GB storage is priced at RMB 1699. However, the 128GB storage variant ships with 4GB RAM at a price tag of RMB 1999.
We expect the launch of Mi Max and MIUI 8 in India by the end of Q3 2016.
