(Update: Rs. 14,999) Xiaomi Mi Max launching in India on June 30th

Update, July 1: Xiaomi announced that the Mi Max will go on sale in India from July 13, via Xiaomi’s own store and partners like Amazon, Snapdeal and Flipkart. The 3GB/32GB/Snapdragon 650 model will cost Rs. 14,999, and contrary to our expectations, that’s actually a little cheaper than the price of the same version in China. The 4GB/128GB/Snapdragon 652 version will cost Rs. 19,999. Any takers?

Original post, June 16: The phablet market has grown considerably since its introduction. At one point in time, Dell’s 5-inch Venue was considered to be an unwieldy brick. Shortly thereafter Samsung gave birth to its Note brand and with it, the so-called phone tablet class began to bloom.

Since then, there have been relatively few offerings that have pushed the envelope past the 6-inch mark, but Xiaomi is once such challenger, with its Mi Maxx.

The device, which was announced last month in China, is now being teased by the company for consumers in India:

As specified above, the phone is expected to launch on June 30th, as tweeted by none other than Hugo Barra himself.

The Xiaomi Mi Max comes in two configurations. The higher end model packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 SoC and either 4GB of RAM and 64GB of on-board storage, or 4GB of RAM and 128GB of on-board storage. The lower end model has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 SoC with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of on-board storage.

The remainder of the specs are the same for both however: a 6.44-inch Full HD display (342 ppi), a 16-megapixel rear camera sensor with phase detection auto-focus that seems similar to that found on the Mi 5, and a 5-megapixel front facing camera capable of capturing wide-angle (85 degree) selfies. Power-wise, the metal-made phone packs a gigantic 4850 mAh battery. Xiaomi’s MIUI user experience is layered on top of Android.

Pricing in China was set as follows:

• 3GB RAM/32GB + Snapdragon 650 – RMB 1499 ($230)
• 4GB RAM/64GB + Snapdragon 652 – RMB 1699 ($260)
• 4GB RAM/128GB + Snapdragon 652 – RMB 1999 ($307)

However, as was seen with the Xiaomi Mi 5 at the end of March, Indian customers should probably plan on paying more to purchase this product.

What do you think? Does the plus sized phablet look to be a potentially promising purchase? Is it too big for its own good? Leave a comment below!