Xiaomi Mi Max 3 review

MIUI 9.5, on top of Android 8.1

Even though it's based on a very recent Android 8.0 Oreo core, the Mi Max 3 still runs MIUI 9.5. Xiaomi's software team seems to be hard at work on MIUI 10, at the moment as they aim to release it to a wider assortment of its devices. If history is anything to go by, a large chunk of users, even those on older devices, should, eventually, reap the benefits of the new version of one of the most popular Android skins. It's just that these things take time.

We can't really be too cross with Xiaomi for not delivering the latest and greatest UI, at launch. That being said, we do realize the importance of the MIUI version, since that comprises the main chunk of the actual user UX. Xiaomi does a very good job of creating a platform of its own, hiding away the Android core.

As per usual with Xiaomi devices, we will mention the existence of at least a couple of official software branches and quite a few custom seller modifications of the OS. Our review unit is current on an official Chinese ROM, which means Google Play services do have to be downloaded separately. Xiaomi has a handy app for that on its store.

When you are getting the phone, you do need to pay attention to the particular ROM you are running, however, if you are keen on getting frequent updates. Some branches, especially seller custom MIUI builds often get left behind. Luckily, Xiaomi provides bootloader unlocks and there are easy tools out there to flash over to a proper official ROM (if and when one is available, of course).

Anyway, MIUI users or will feel right at home here. MIUI is traditionally big on feature conservation and continuation. One fairly recent significant addition to the mix is the gesture navigation. Although, it is still an optional thing.

Display settings • Full screen • Gestures

There's an entire Full screen display menu where you get options for gesture navigation. You can replace the navigation bar with a set of swipe actions - swipe up from the bottom for Home, swipe up and hold for the task switcher, and swipe in from either edge to go back. And if you think that last bit would interfere with apps that use the swipe in gesture to access a drawer menu, it doesn't - just swipe in a little higher and you'll get the drawer.

Xiaomi is no stranger to advanced biometric authentication. However, the full-featured hardware scanning tech is still limited to the flagship Mi 8. The Mi Max 3 gets a simpler, although still pretty effective, camera-based facial recognition system. It works well enough in good light. Naturally, accuracy and speed deteriorate with low light.

Facial recognition and fingerprint reader

The Mi Max 3's face recognition isn't as secure as fingerprint recognition, so it's a good thing then that the phone has that too. The sensor is on the back, enrollment is quick, and unlocking is nearly instantaneous.

Once you unlock the phone, you are greeted by a familiar home screen, which is where all your apps live. MIUI adopts a home-screen only approach to Android, opting out of the app drawer. The quick toggles and notification area have remained unchanged in MIUI for quite some time, unlike Google's own which get a redesign for every version. Recent apps look very much like the iOS app switcher. Apps are aligned next to each other, and you flick them up to close them. The split-screen toggle resides here as well.

Home screen • Folder UI • Notification shade • Recent apps • Split-screen

A swipe to the right reveals the App vault pane (also called Guide) with shortcuts to frequently used apps, and a peek at Mi Notes and upcoming calendar events. According to MIUI forums, this page can only be disabled on the Chinese version of the ROM. Since ours is the Chinese version, a bunch of the default cards is rather... foreign to us. Translations aren't great overall in this part of MIUI, but we are happy to report that this is an isolated occurrence.

Home screen settings • App vault • App vault settings • Add new shortcut to App vault

The Security app is a hub that offers you options to scan your phone for malware, manage your blacklist, manage or restrict your data usage, configure battery behavior, and free up some RAM. It can also manage the permissions of your installed apps and allows you to define the battery behavior of selected apps and applies restrictions only to the apps you choose. It's all pretty in-depth, yet quite convenient. We particularly appreciate the shortcuts to the app, positioned within the settings menu.

Security app • Cleaner • Battery management • Managing a single app • Battery Saver

Some other advanced features, include second space, as well as dual apps, depending on whether you need a whole other environment or just a second instance of an app. App lock is pretty self-explanatory. There is also an MIUI lab menu for testing certain features that are not necessarily ready for prime time just yet.

Second space • Dual apps • App lock • MIUI lab

MIUI like to keep things pretty well organized and simple on the surface, which we can appreciate. If you do feel like digging a bit deeper into the accessibility options and a few other secluded corners of the settings menu, there are quite a few other features to explore.

Additional features

Gestures and the Game booster are pretty self-explanatory and universally applicable. Then there is also Mi AI. It seems to be something of a requirement to at least dip your toes into the AI realm in 2018. Unfortunately, we really can't comment on how well Xiaomi's solution currently works and what it is capable of since it is only limited to Mandarin.

Mi AI

MIUI also offers proprietary Gallery, Music, and Video player. If you are running on a Chinese ROM, then the Music and Video app will also allow access to local (paid) streaming services. A ton of handy apps come pre-loaded too - voice/screen recorders, barcode/document scanner, compass/level, file manager, notes.

Gallery • Image editor • Music player • Video player

In the case of the Mi Max 3, in particular, there is an FM radio app and the excellent Mi Remote app, with its extensive code database.

Mi Remote • FM Radio

Synthetic benchmarks

The Mi Max 3 might be standing, proudly wearing the "Mi" logo (Well, not literally, anymore), but, on the inside, it is actually a Redmi on steroids. The internals appear to be mostly borrowed from the Redmi Note 5, in particular.

That means a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 chipset with an octa-core CPU at 1.8 GHz, coupled with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM. Our review unit is the basic tier. While not really a criticism in any way, this choice of internals does necessitate a proper expectation adjustment. As in, we can't really expect flagship performance out of the Mi Max 3, regardless of its massive size.

Picking out competitors to pit the Mi Max 3 against is no easy task. If we take into account the size aspect of things. It really is in a size category of its own. However, on a pure specs basis, there are a few main chipset alternatives and phones to explore, at a similar price point. Huawei has the Kirin 659, found in a plethora of devices and even the Kirin 970 might be within reach, thanks to falling prices.

The Snapdragon 630 and 660 are definitely worth throwing in the mix, as a point of comparison. The same goes for the new Snapdragon 710 and the older flagship 835.

Kicking things off, we have GeekBench and its pure-CPU loads. And, can we just say, that's a nice and consistent set of results if we ever saw one.

GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)

Higher is better

• Motorola Moto Z2 Force
  1915
• Huawei Honor View 10
  1902
• Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
  1890
• Xiaomi Mi Max 3
  1331
• Nokia 6.1 Plus
  1331
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
  1329
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
  1327
• Huawei P20 Lite
  938
• Huawei Mate 10 Lite
  913
• Motorola Moto G6 Plus
  882
• Xiaomi Mi Max 2
  824

The single-core chart shows the Snapdragon 363, inside the Mi Max 3 fall perfectly in-line with other, similarly equipped devices, like the Nokia 6.1 Plus and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5. Lagging slightly behind - Huawei's older 659 and a couple of Qualcomm packages, also showing their age. On top - the Snapdragon 835, pretty much matched by the exciting new Snapdragon 710.

GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Huawei Honor View 10
  6738
• Motorola Moto Z2 Force
  6629
• Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
  5908
• Nokia 6.1 Plus
  4929
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
  4918
• Xiaomi Mi Max 3
  4907
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
  4696
• Motorola Moto G6 Plus
  4160
• Huawei P20 Lite
  3756
• Huawei Mate 10 Lite
  3603
• Xiaomi Mi Max 2
  2445

The multi-threaded synthetic runs seem to paint an almost identical picture, with only the Snapdragon 835 flexing a bit more muscle over the Snapdragon 710.

Moving on to more compound loads and AnTuTu, it's pretty much the same story. We just love it when silicon actually performs as it is intended by market segmentation.

AnTuTu 7

Higher is better

• Huawei Honor View 10
  212708
• Motorola Moto Z2 Force
  209779
• Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
  170218
• Xiaomi Mi Max 3
  119229
• Nokia 6.1 Plus
  115571
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
  115195
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
  107737
• Motorola Moto G6 Plus
  90263
• Huawei P20 Lite
  87431

Basemark OS 2.0 appears to be having a bit more difficulty placing certain devices on a scale. Then again, it is an older benchmark. Plus, the overall conclusion, regarding the Snapdragon 636, inside the Mi Max 3 is pretty much the same - a solid 2018 mid-ranger.

Basemark OS 2.0

Higher is better

• Motorola Moto Z2 Force
  3609
• Huawei Honor View 10
  3164
• Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
  2658
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
  2030
• Xiaomi Mi Max 3
  2013
• Nokia 6.1 Plus
  1951
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
  1925
• Motorola Moto G6 Plus
  1525
• Huawei P20 Lite
  1455
• Huawei Mate 10 Lite
  1408
• Xiaomi Mi Max
  1362
• Xiaomi Mi Max 2
  1107

Graphics on the Snapdragon 636 and consequently, the Mi Max 3 are handled by an Adreno 509 GPU. It is designed to fluently handle FullHD+ resolutions, meaning it should feel right at home driving the massive 6.9-inch, 1080 x 2160 pixel panel.

GFX 3.0 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• Huawei Honor View 10
  65
• Motorola Moto Z2 Force
  61
• Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
  33
• Xiaomi Mi Max 3
  16
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
  16
• Nokia 6.1 Plus
  16
• Xiaomi Mi Max
  15
• Motorola Moto G6 Plus
  14
• Xiaomi Mi Max 2
  9.9
• Huawei P20 Lite
  8.7
• Huawei Mate 10 Lite
  8.1

GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Huawei Honor View 10
  55
• Motorola Moto Z2 Force
  40
• Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
  30
• Xiaomi Mi Max
  15
• Xiaomi Mi Max 3
  15
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
  15
• Nokia 6.1 Plus
  15
• Motorola Moto G6 Plus
  13
• Xiaomi Mi Max 2
  9.9
• Huawei P20 Lite
  8.1
• Huawei Mate 10 Lite
  7.9

Numbers seem to back this up as well. In the grand scale of things, ARM has been advancing so rapidly in performance lately, especially in the top end, that you can easily expect around half of the raw GPU power on a modern midranger, compared to a flagship.

GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• Motorola Moto Z2 Force
  42
• Huawei Honor View 10
  38
• Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
  23
• Xiaomi Mi Max 3
  10
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
  10
• Nokia 6.1 Plus
  10
• Motorola Moto G6 Plus
  9.8
• Xiaomi Mi Max
  9.4
• Xiaomi Mi Max 2
  6.4
• Huawei P20 Lite
  5.1
• Huawei Mate 10 Lite
  4.8

GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Huawei Honor View 10
  35
• Motorola Moto Z2 Force
  22
• Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
  22
• Xiaomi Mi Max 3
  9.8
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
  9.7
• Nokia 6.1 Plus
  9.6
• Xiaomi Mi Max
  9.4
• Motorola Moto G6 Plus
  9.3
• Xiaomi Mi Max 2
  6.4
• Huawei P20 Lite
  4.9
• Huawei Mate 10 Lite
  4.6

The sheer variance in numbers is definitely smaller when it comes to CPU operations. That being said, however, you have to keep in mind the enormous amount of optimization work that goes into today's mobile games. Unless you plan on hitting the Mi Max 3 with heavy moba or battle royal titles, expecting to get a massive advantage out of the big display, you should be fine. Casual games run smooth and with no issues.

GFX 3.1 Car scene (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• Motorola Moto Z2 Force
  25
• Huawei Honor View 10
  22
• Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
  13
• Xiaomi Mi Max 3
  6.3
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
  6.3
• Nokia 6.1 Plus
  6.3
• Motorola Moto G6 Plus
  5.6
• Xiaomi Mi Max
  5.5
• Xiaomi Mi Max 2
  3.5
• Huawei P20 Lite
  3.1
• Huawei Mate 10 Lite
  2.9

GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Huawei Honor View 10
  20
• Motorola Moto Z2 Force
  15
• Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
  12
• Xiaomi Mi Max 3
  6
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
  6
• Nokia 6.1 Plus
  5.9
• Xiaomi Mi Max
  5.4
• Motorola Moto G6 Plus
  5.2
• Xiaomi Mi Max 2
  3.5
• Huawei P20 Lite
  2.8
• Huawei Mate 10 Lite
  2.7

Unlike the fresh and modern CPU setup, the Adreno 509 isn't exactly new and has started showing its age. A point perfectly illustrated by BaseMark X and the odd fact that the original Mi Max, from 2016, has more graphics oomph to offer from its Adreno 510.

Basemark X

Higher is better

• Motorola Moto Z2 Force
  38615
• Huawei Honor View 10
  33499
• Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
  27560
• Xiaomi Mi Max
  15487
• Xiaomi Mi Max 3
  14950
• Nokia 6.1 Plus
  14903
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
  14897
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
  14799
• Motorola Moto G6 Plus
  14357
• Xiaomi Mi Max 2
  10482
• Huawei P20 Lite
  9090
• Huawei Mate 10 Lite
  8721

So, if you plan on getting the Mi Max 3 as a budget alternative to a Nintendo Switch, the GPU might not be able to keep up with your demands. In that case, a budget of around EUR 300 can definitely be better spent.

If that is not the case, it's kind of hard to beat the sheer size of the Mi Max 3's massive panel and the real estate it provides for general productivity tasks.