Just when we thought that phablets have finally become passé, Hugo Barra and team have surprised us once again with the Mi Max, a new phablet now available in India for R14,999. We haven't seen one of these for a really long time, so the first obvious question was: is there a market for this? We think, very much so. There are many curious souls out there — some in our own workplace — eagerly waiting to get a look at the device. So, we are not going to debate the validity of phablets today, but whether or not the Mi Max lives up to expectations. The device goes on sale on Flipkart.com on July 13

Build and design (8/10): The Mi Max gets an all-metal build with brushed-metal job. The edges get a slanted finish which adds to the charm. There's a 3.5mm port placed at the edge of the top left corner, whereas the USB port finds space between two speaker grills at the bottom. The device gets a clean back with the rear camera placed at the top left edge along with the LED lights, a fingerprint sensor at the upper half and the Mi logo at the bottom. The device weighs 203g, which is expected of a phablet. Overall, it has a strong build, but you can't shed the fear of dropping it accidentally. We recommend a protective silicon case along with the device. It's also wide at 83mm and long at 173.1mm. It's available in silver and gold colours.