Xiaomi Mi Max 3 to support wireless charging, iris scanner, Mi Band 3 launch also expected

Over the past few weeks, we have heard rumours of the Mi Mix 2s and Mi 7 flagships that Xiaomi is expected to launch in the coming months. The other phone that has seen some mild rumours but is also just as likely to launch soon is the Mi Max 3, Xiaomi's phablet that will succeed last year's Mi Max 2. Apart from sporting a 7-inch 18:9 display and a massive 5,500mAh battery, a new report suggests the phablet will also support wireless charging and an iris scanner.

XDA Developers found some new information via firmware files obtained by @FunkyHuawei, the person behind FunkyHuawei.club service. According to the firmware files, the Mi Max 3 will be powered by a Snapdragon 660 chipset. However, the report was updated to suggest that the phablet may go with a Snapdragon 636 SoC instead, which will be an upgrade over the Snapdragon 625 chipset powering the Mi Max 2. Additionally, the firmware re-confirmed that the Mi Max 3 will house a large 5,500mAh battery and an 18:9 display, although the screen resolution could not be confirmed.

Notably, the MIUI Keyguard APK revealed strings related to wireless charging, which suggests the Mi Max 3 will get the feature. This won't be surprising since Xiaomi joined the Wireless Power Consortium late last year. Xiaomi's upcoming flagship Mi 7 smartphone is also rumoured to come with wireless charging support and will likely be the company's first smartphone to do so. Apart from this, folks at XDA Developers also found some interesting information regarding the Mi Max 3's cameras. The rear will either feature Sony's IMX363 sensor or Samsung's S5K217+S5K5E8 dual camera setup. The front camera will could get a S5K4H7 sensor from Samsung, but more interestingly, it may also get a sensor for iris scanner.

Reportedly, the front auxiliary sensor resolve be present the Omni Vision 2281 which "leverages a 1.12-micron pixel using PureCel technology to allow exact, trustworthy iris recognitions intended for smartphones, tablets, and notebooks," as per Omni Vision’s authorized page. But, it is quiet uncertain whether the sensor will be prepared for the Mi Max 3 as it is quiet in-development. The firmware also suggests that Mi Max 3 will run Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box. Other minor details revealed include dual-SIM support, dual-SD card support, IR blaster, LED light among other things.

To recall, the mid-range Mi Max 2 was launched in India in July 2017 at Rs 16,999 to compete against the Samsung Galaxy On Max and Honor 8 among others. The Mi Max 3 is also expected to come with a similar mid-range pricing if and when Xiaomi launches the device in India.

Xiaomi Mi band 3 Launch Expected

Separately, Xiaomi is also expected to launch the Mi Band 3 soon as the fitness tracker recently got Bluetooth certified. The certification doesn't reveal much about the Mi Band 3, but it does seemingly confirm Bluetooth 4.2 support. One also expects general fitness features such as heart rate sensor, pedometer, and calorie counter to come with the Mi Band 3. There is no word yet on when Xiaomi plans to launch the Mi Band 3, but we should hear more about the upcoming fitness tracker over the next few weeks.