Atom Maximus review: This phone has a personality disorder
Priced at Rs 27,999, this is not even remotely close to the giant-killing Maximus whom we know from the film Gladiator
The Atom Maximus has good components that don’t get along well
If smartphones could suffer from a mental illness then Atom Maximus would be showing every symptom in the book for multiple personality disorder. On its day, Maximus functions without any glitch. But on most days it behaves like it has been paralysed by a migraine attack.
Example: if you are typing a message, Maximus takes over the task and starts punching random characters on the touchpad like a phantom playing a piano.
The Maximus was kept under my observation for a week and here is my medical report.
Design: Underneath the rear flap, you will find a 3500 mAh battery, two SIM slots and a micro-SD slot. The flap is a thin plastic piece that could easily break in the process of removing or inserting a SIM card. And, much to my chagrin, you must remove the battery every time before you can access any of the three slots. On top of it, you are forced to hold the phone using your left hand because the back button is placed on your right. Unless you don’t mind exercising your thumb it is poor design in my opinion. Maximus has two small openings at its rear-bottom for the speakers, and its sound output isn’t necessarily the best. Treble often trumps bass. And if you have sweaty palms then fret not, it comes with a stylus pen.
Screen: The Maximus lives up to its name in this segment. The display is Full HD and 480dpi. However, we cannot vouch for its capacitive, IPS panel. The display can be Maximus’ strength and its Achilles heel.
Performance: Armed with a 1.5 GHz MediaTek quad-core processor you would expect Maximus to run like Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump. But nay! It is slower than an octagenarian, so slow that it might as well use its stylus as a walking stick. Browsing the web on Maximus is an experience peppered with multiple face-palms that might leave you with a fractured skull even before a page loads. And Maximus has a mind of its own. It twitches like it has been placed under the Cruciatus curse. It revolts against even the simplest of commands. Its mood swings are worse than a teenager going through puberty.
Battery: The Maximus comes with a 3500 mAh battery. With that kind of juice we can normally power two 4-inch mobiles. Oddly, the battery heats up easily and drains quickly than it should.
Camera: The Maximus had outsourced its camera components. Its 13 MP primary camera and 5 MP secondary falter even in a well-lit area. Auto-focus seems like an effort and clicking pictures is a drag.
Verdict: The key components in the Maximus like camera, screen and processor are not manufactured by the parent company, Atom. Something must have gone wrong while integrating all the components. Because when pieced together it looks like a 6.5 inch Frankenstein, but stand-alone you will notice the quality in the components. The only positive is the phone’s display which allows you to watch stunning HD videos in their full glory. Priced at a premium Rs 27,999, this is not even remotely close to the giant-killing Maximus whom we know from the film Gladiator. Maximus, the phone, cannot even slay a low-end Android phone let alone a giant. It is just a badly wired piece of plastic loaded with high-end components. We suggest you look at the Atom Supremus, which is a far better phone.
SPECS: 6.5′ FHD (1920x1080p), 5MP front facing camera and FHD AF 13 MP rear camera, 9.5mm super slim, 3500 mAh battery, 1gb RAM, 16 GB ROM expendable up to 32GB, Android 4.2.1 OS, 3g,WiFi 802.11b/g/n, bluetooth 4.0, EDGE,HSDPA, HSUPA, GPS/ AGPS
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