Samsung is tight-lipped on its upcoming next-generation device dubbed as the Galaxy Note 7, but several details, including release date and specifications, have been leaked ahead of its launch. It has now emerged that the company could be working on a new variant of its upcoming device.The South Korean technology giant is expected to launch the Galaxy Note 7 early next month. A teaser has claimed that Samsung is hosting an event at 11 a.m. EDT on Aug. 2 in New York, giving a hint that it’s “next big thing” could be released on the day.

Samsung has the tradition of releasing its flagships simultaneously in India, and it should be the case with its upcoming handset too. Now, a device with model number SM- N930R4, believed to be the Galaxy Note 7, has been spotted on Zauba, a website that tracks imports and exports in India, for testing. Interestingly, the device sports a 6-inch screen, contradicting earlier reports that it could have a 5.8-inch screen. This has thrown up a possibility of Samsung working on a new variant of the Galaxy Note 7 with a bigger display. It was earlier rumoured that the upcoming device could come in two variants, one with a flat display and the other with a curved screen.

It is reported that the Galaxy Note 7 will sport a 5.8-inch display with 2,560×1,440 pixels, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 823 processor, and run Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. It is expected to come packed with a 64GB/128GB internal memory, a 10 nanometer 6GB RAM, and a 4,000mAh battery. There are also reports that the Galaxy Note 7 edge version will feature a dual camera.South Korean website ETNews has reported that Samsung will begin mass production of the flagship handset in July to meet its aim of manufacturing 5 million units for the initial supply.

Xiaomi launched the company’s biggest smartphone to date, the Mi Max, in India on June 30.The device arrived to our office a couple of days ago, and we have been using it as a secondary phone since then. Here’s our initial impression on the mammoth Xiaomi phablet.The enormity of the metal-clad Mi Max’s size is such that there is not a single brand in the market to stand up against it in the mid-range phablet class. If we were to compare Xiaomi’s mammoth phone to any mythological character, it perfectly epitomises Wun Wun, the popular giant in the ‘Game of Thrones’ TV series. Its massive 6.44-inch screen makes the standard 5-inch smartphones look puny.

Mi Max looks very large to the eyes, but it does have a sleek body. It measures 7.5 mm in thickness, just10mm more than Apple’s iPhone 6S Plus. Anybody can wrap their hand around the phone’s edges, and it can easily slip into the pocket. But it’s not meant to be kept in the back pocket, since it gets really uncomfortable and can also get bent, despite featuring a metal-shell.
Xiaomi Mi Max First Impression: Screen size comparison- Xiaomi Mi Max (6.44-inch) v Redmi Note 3 (5.5-inch) v Sony Xperia X (5.0-inch)Rohit KVN/ IBTimes India

Performance:

The review unit we received comes with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 650 hexa-core processor having Adreno 510 GPU, 3GB RAM and 32GB inbuilt memory. It runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow-based MIUI v7.5.2.The device consistently delivered a fine performance in terms of loading of apps, multi-tasking, playing graphic-heavy video games and other tasks as well.

We will file the benchmarking test results in the full review, which we will be posted in the coming days.

Battery:

The company has incorporated a massive 4850mAh battery in the Mi Max. When we started using the device, it had 85 percent battery life. We put it to moderate use, and surfed the internet, read articles and played some videos on YouTube. On the third day, Mi Max still had got 29 percent battery life left.

Camera:

Xiaomi Mi Max houses the same camera hardware, as is seen in the company’s bestselling phablet Redmi Note 3. It features a 16MP primary camera and 5MP snapper on the front.

Also read: LG G5 Review: First impression

As expected, the Mi Max primary camera performs well in the open space in bright light conditions. But in a closed environment, there is no improvement despite the company claiming that the imaging hardware of Mi Max has been developed by a different engineering team.

Initial impression:

During our testing, we found Xiaomi Mi Max impressive in three key areas — build quality, display and battery.The 6.44-inch Mi Max, which comes with full HD (1920x1080p) resolution, offers rich media viewing experience. It is certain to attract youngsters who use smartphones as the primary device for entertainment.