Smartphone Huawei Y Max - advantages and disadvantages

Huawei is undoubtedly one of the top smartphone manufacturers in the world. To date, its most popular models are bright glass devices that have completely filled the market niche of digital technology. Nevertheless, Huawei never rests on its laurels and constantly surprises users with externally and technologically modernized innovations.

One atypical, even by the standards of the presented brand, is the Y Max smartphone, announced by Huawei in November 2018. Although this is last year's novelty, it began to go on sale only at the beginning of 2019. And if the question arose of which smartphone model is better to buy, then you should pay attention to the brand new and fresh Y Max. What can you find under the updated sub-flagship wrapper?

Unpacking the device: delivery package and appearance

By purchasing Huawei Y Max, the user receives a smartphone packed in a compact white box. In addition to the device itself, the device package also includes a power adapter (5V / 1A), a USB / MicroUSB cable and a paper clip for simplified removal of the SIM card.

The presented model of the device is available in three classic colors for smartphones: white, amber-brown and black. Despite the limited range of colors, the design of the flagship can be called modern and stylish.

Let's start with a typical for many modern devices, but comfortable front panel, which has a virtually frameless (with a minimal bezel) screen with a teardrop-shaped cutout. But the updated rear surface of the device deserves special attention. And if earlier Huawei used a glass coating for the back cover, then in the presented model it radically changed priorities, making a bias towards the skin. On the back of the device, the manufacturer has equipped with a dual camera with LED flash and a fingerprint scanner.

It should be noted that Y Max is quite large and has dimensions that are not entirely user-friendly. The weight of the device is 210 grams, and the dimensions are: length 177.6 mm, width 86.2 mm and thickness 8.5 mm. Materials from which the body of the device is made: aluminum alloy with a leather back panel and plastic inserts.

Overview of specifications Smartphone Huawei Y Max

Display

Y Max from Huawei can be figuratively called a “shovel”, as it is a very huge device, the screen diagonal of which reaches 7.12 inches or 18 cm. The display itself occupies almost the entire front surface of the phone, which is approximately 83.5% of its area. But at the same time, the resolution indicators are not particularly impressive 1080 by 2244 pixels. Although it should be noted that the presented size is considered optimal for smartphone screens, as it avoids excessive pixelation.

In addition to the optimal resolution, the touch display of the presented model is characterized by the following features:

• IPS matrix;
• aspect ratio 18.7:9;
• 78.4 mm wide and 163 mm high;
• a density of approximately 350 ppi;
• 24 bit depth and 16777216 colors.

Thanks to decent performance, the Y Max screen provides good quality. It conveys the color palette in volume and is equipped with wide viewing angles. The modern IPS panel allows the device to reproduce clear pictures regardless of being in the dark or in the sun.

Hardware platform and software

As a hardware filling in the presented model, an eight-core Qualcomm SDM660 Snapdragon 660 processor with a 14-nanometer process technology is used. To date, this is the most powerful and productive processor from the presented series, which functions similarly to the Snapdragon 65x. In fact, it's the first low-cost chip to run on the powerful Kryo 260 cores, four of which run at 2.2GHz and the other four at 1.8GHz.

Particular attention should be paid to the phone's graphics accelerator, which is the modern fast Adreno 512. Thanks to it, the smartphone provides high frame rates when using gaming applications, which is undoubtedly a clear advantage for fans of complex and active games.

As for the memory of the flagship, Huawei has provided decent indicators:

• 4 GB (4096 MB) LPDDR4X RAM;
• 64 GB (65536 MB) or 128 GB (131072 MB) depending on the internal memory product version;
• up to 256 GB of additional (external) memory via connection to a dedicated microSD, microSDHC or microSDXC slot.

The high functionality of Y Max is provided by one of the advanced versions of the Android 8.1 Oreo operating system with the EMUI 8.2 shell.

User interface

Thanks to the operation of the smartphone on Android 8.1 Oreo and taking into account one of the latest versions of the EMUI 8.2 shell, we can also say that it is provided with a user-friendly interface with a wide range of different functions. Device features include:

• Modernized menu design: a concise menu that allows the user to quickly search for the desired application, displaying the real battery percentage, displaying the screen time in the main menu, facilitating navigation due to the special design of the various sections of the menu, where each item is placed with the corresponding icons.
• Google Assistant function activated by a large home button with an additional circle.
• Change the background of quick settings (Quick Settings) in automatic mode, depending on the color palette of the desktop.
• Transparency of the quick settings menu, allowing you to see the image of the previous screen.
• Bluetooth accessory battery indicator in quick settings.
• Dynamic icons with a calendar and clock, the appearance of which varies depending on the calendar date and time of day.
• Placement of the device shutdown menu in the upper right corner of the display.
• Picture-in-picture mode that allows you to watch videos (Google Maps, Netflix, YouTube, VLC and Duo) in a small window without leaving the current menu by pressing the Home button.
• Built-in fingerprint scanner gestures.
• Customize the order of standard keys and add two additional buttons if necessary (open control panel and force hide keys).
• Setting the amount of information transmitted over a wireless or carrier network in the “Data Transfer” section.

Y Max is also equipped with one of the latest functional innovations - the ability to use a "virtual console" for a large list of digital equipment. Equally important is the equipment of the device with a system search called by swiping down on the desktop, the option of turning on the silent mode by flipping the display and backlighting with a double tap. The presented model provides a “quick screenshot” function, performed by swiping down the screen with three fingers.

Camera features

Despite the many advantages regarding the display features, the power of the hardware stuffing and the vastness of the user interface, the presented flagship will not be able to boast of the high quality of the cameras. As with almost all modern smartphones, the Y Max has two photo devices:

1. The rear camera with a CMOS BSI (backside illumination) sensor type is represented by two modules with a resolution of 16 MP (4608 x 3456 pixels) and 2 MP. The optics of the devices are f/2.0 and f/2.4, respectively. As a result, you can judge how poorly it takes pictures in the absence of lighting. Although the camera comes with a good LED flash. The functional set of the module: panoramic and HDR mode, autofocus, touch focus, digital zoom, self-timer and face detection.
2. The front camera is equipped with a single module with a resolution of 8 MP (3264 x 2448 pixels) and f / 2.0 aperture. Like most modern selfie smartphones, the device provides a bokeh effect.

Although the devices for shooting have average resolution, nevertheless, the smartphone allows you to take good pictures. An example of a photo taken on the Y Max can be found on the Internet.

The maximum resolution for recording video for both cameras is 1920 x 1080 pixels, and the frame rate when shooting reaches 30 frames per second. This characteristic indicates the absence of interference in the form of slowdown during subsequent viewing of the captured scene.

Battery life

The big advantage of the novelty from Huawei, released to the public at the beginning of 2019, is high autonomy, provided by a non-removable lithium polymer battery with a capacity of 5000 mAh. Of course, if we talk about the huge size of the device, then this is a worthy indicator of the battery, allowing it to work in active mode for at least a day. With less active use, the phone is able to work without recharging up to two or three days.

The phone is charged via the USB input, by connecting a cord and an adapter with an input power of 5V and 9V and a current of 2A. Fast charging function supported.

Sound and multimedia

First of all, it should be noted that Y Max belongs to the category of smartphones equipped with a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a built-in FM radio. Also, the device provides a speakerphone.

The sound of the device works in the modern multi-channel Dolby Atmos format. This professional sound is used by many large cinemas not only in Russia, but also abroad, and its main advantage is that it is the first standard based not on channels, but on audio objects. There is also a built-in active noise cancellation technology when the speakers are in operation.

The device is capable of playing most modern audio formats: AAC, AMR / AMR-NB / GSM-AMR, AMR-WB, eAAC+ / aacPlus v2 / HE-AAC v2, FLAC, MIDI, MP3, OGG, WMA and WAV. Among the codecs for watching videos are the classic AVI and MP4, as well as the common 3GPP, DivX, Xvid, H.263, H.264 / MPEG-4 Part 10 / AVC video, WebM and WMV.

Communication and external connections

This model supports a number of modern communication standards operating on most known frequencies:

• digital mobile communication standard - GSM (850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz);
• the next generation of digital communication with 3G networks - UMTS (850, 900, 1900 and 2100 MHz);
• high-speed communication standard - LTE (700, 800, 900, 1800 and 2100 MHz) and LTE-TDD (1900 (B39), 2300 (B40), 2500 (B41) and 2600 (B38) MHz).

Additional network connectivity options on the Y Max include UMTS (384 kbit/s), EDGE, GPRS, HSPA+ and LTE. The device also supports (depending on the territorial zone) such standards of satellite navigation systems as GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou.

As wireless interfaces on the device are built-in:

• Internet connections: Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct and Dual band;
• data transmission and reception: Bluetooth version 4.2 with A2DP, EDR and LE profiles.

If necessary, the smartphone can be used as a modem by connecting the "access point" function.

Like most smartphones, the presented model from Huawei provides for the use of two SIM cards (dual stand-by), for which two individual nano-type card slots are provided. At the same time, the device is equipped with a separate dedicated slot for a microSD memory card.

Scanners and sensors

The user menu of the Huawei Y Max smartphone is equipped with a number of functional sensors:

• accelerometer;
• gyroscope;
• electronic compass;
• light and proximity sensors.

In addition, the sub-flagship has a fingerprint scanner, with which it is quickly unlocked.

Smartphone pros and cons

• design features: bezel-less display and leather back;
• high performance thanks to the powerful Qualcomm SDM660 Snapdragon 660 CPU and the modern version of the OS - Android 8.1 Oreo;
• an extensive user interface, provided using one of the latest versions of the EMUI 8.2 OS shell;
• reliable high-capacity battery (5000 mAh) and fast charging function;
• high-speed graphics Adreno 512, which is especially important for gamers;
• professional Dolby Atmos sound, 3.5 mm jack and built-in FM radio application;
• support for most modern communication standards;
• availability of wireless interfaces: Bluetooth, enhanced with A2DP, EDR and LE profiles and Wi-Fi connection.

• too large dimensions, creating inconvenience when using the device;
• average camera resolution and LED flash power, which affect such a factor as taking pictures of a smartphone at night, especially in the absence of lighting;
• lack of additional protective technologies (from mechanical damage and moisture).

Device cost

If we talk about how much the Huawei Y Max costs, then although it cannot be classified as a budget device, the price cannot be called too high, especially considering a number of positive aspects. So, for March 2019, the average price for a version of a smartphone with 128 GB of built-in memory is approximately 350 USD or 22,800 rubles. There is information that the initial selling price of the device was about 280 EUR.For most technical parameters, the presented model is the leader within this budget.

Results

First of all, Huawei Y Max will be a godsend for lovers of "shovels", because it is really a huge device with a large seven-inch display, perfect for watching your favorite movies and for spending time in gaming applications. Leather case materials: Of course, at first the leather covering of the rear surface of the device will confuse, but over time you quickly get used to this feature, and then you get a tactile pleasure.

For the price, this is also an acceptable smartphone, although not cheap by budget standards (more than 20,000 rubles), but given the huge functionality, it fully corresponds to the cost. In conclusion, it can be noted that Huawei Y Max is a top-end modern device that will not take the last place in the ranking of high-quality and inexpensive smartphones. Although it is not a flagship, but if you do not take into account the not very best technical characteristics of the cameras, then the device has no other significant disadvantages.