Design
- Good build quality
- Good, premium design - looks good and feels good - you get a metallic finish at the back and rounded edges around the corners make it comfortable to hold in your hands
- Light-weight, which is a pretty commendable achievement considering the large battery
- The fingerprint scanner is well positioned and is easy to reach
- Fast face unlock
Display
- Good display - the phone features a 5.45-inch HD+ display with a screen resolution of 1440 x 720 pixels, 18:9 aspect ratio - the display delivers good colour output and the viewing angles are decent as well - outdoor visibility of the phone is pretty decent too
Software
- Runs a fairly clean, bloat-free version of Android, which is always good to see - it mostly runs smooth in daily use - there are some useful add-on features like Mobile Manager (helps in scanning the device, controlling app data usage, cleaning unwanted apps and cache files, and managing security & permissions of apps), Power Master (helps in Battery management), twin app support, and Game Genie (optimises gameplay)
Performance
- This is one area where the Max M1 falls behind the top competition - it's powered by an old Snapdragon 430, which while its able to handle basic day-to-day use well, is not quite meant for heavy apps and games - the likes of Lenovo K9, Xiaomi Redmi 6, and the Realme C1 offer better chipsets and better performance
Camera
- Decent selfie camera - especially has a good software portrait mode for bokeh shots
- Average rear camera - can sometimes struggle to lock focus on the subject, especially, when you want to click some macro or close up shots - colors are also sometimes dull - low light performance is average as well
Battery
- Very good battery life with a 4000mAH battery pack - will comfortably last the day even with heavy use - and with moderate use, will give you a day and a half
More
- Overall, while the Max M1 is a decent option with good design, display, software and battery - it does lag a bit in the performance and camera departments - you might find better value phones in this price range from the likes of Xiaomi and Realme