Unihertz Jelly Max in test

A big mini smartphone in a familiar design: Unihertz’s Jelly Max is only five inches long, comes with good features and 5G. However, we have some concerns, especially with the camera. The test shows what a cell phone can do.

The concept of the mini smartphone has been somewhat of a discontinued model for the past several years. As is well known, Apple tried it and added a smaller version of the iPhone 12 to its range about four years ago. However, after the iPhone 13 mini (test report), it was over – the smaller iPhone did not sell as expected.

Since then, only a few manufacturers have bucked the trend toward larger smartphone screens. One of them is Unihertz. Your just 3 inch mini smartphone Unihertz Jelly Star (test report) We were able to try it out a few months ago. Now the manufacturer is launching a new version of the smallest smartphone with Android 14 and calls it the “smallest smartphone with 5G.” In testing, we put the Unihertz Jelly Max through its paces.

The Jelly Star already came with an old-fashioned design with a transparent plastic back. The Jelly Max doesn’t look fundamentally different, but it does look a little more stylish. Our model came with a black back, which shows only the individual components of the device’s interior when looked at closely. A large portion of the actual back is also covered with stickers that don’t look out of place. Another disadvantage is that the back is very sensitive to fingerprints. There’s also a fingerprint scanner on the back and a very attractively designed metal camera module, where the speaker is also hidden – a bad decision, as it’s very easy to accidentally cover the speaker while using it.

There is a display on the front, whose corners are rounded and the edges of the display are quite thin. The front camera is located in a punch-hole notch at the top left corner of the display. Two volume buttons are located on the left side of the device, while the power button and an additional freely programmable action button are on the right. Since the size of the smartphone is only 128.7 x 62.7 mm, it is very compact and can be easily operated with just one hand – this is one of the biggest advantages of this form factor. The disadvantage is thickness. It is 16.3 mm, making the smartphone as thick as two normal smartphones placed on top of each other. The smartphone does not have water certification. We have nothing to complain about in terms of processing.

Unfortunately, the screen is no attraction. The 5-inch LCD only meets the minimum requirements that are expected from a smartphone display these days. The resolution is a bit low at 1280 x 720 pixels, but that’s still fine considering the display size. The refresh rate is very low at 60Hz, the same applies to the display brightness of around 500 nits – although this is less dramatic, the display remains readable even indoors and with ample cloud cover. However, the color representation is a bit unnatural, having a light blue hue. But considering the price of the device we can still forgive all this.

As far as the camera is concerned, when we tested it we felt that we were not able to see properly. A main camera is installed whose resolution is 100 megapixels and it gives photos with a resolution of 25 megapixels. Using pixel binning, the camera combines four pixels into one larger pixel. There is also an exceptional telephoto lens in this price range, which enables 3.4x optical zoom and has a resolution of 12 megapixels. Unfortunately, the exact model name for both the sensors is not specified. The resolution of the front camera is 32 megapixels.

In initial testing, photo quality was very poor with extreme color variations. So Unihertz has released a new OTA update. The worst dropouts have been improved, but the camera isn’t entirely convincing. The main camera sometimes shows defective pieces. Background areas in particular appear very blurry, and there is also room for improvement when it comes to image detail. Dynamic range is fine. The telephoto lens has a strong red cast. The image detail of the lens is disappointing. Selfies also look blurry and unnatural.

The features of the Unihertz Jelly Max are at odds with the camera quality. The manufacturer uses MediaTek Dimensity 7300 in this device. It has very high performance for a mid-range processor, as the benchmarks show: in PCMark Work 3.0, the device achieves about 11,000 points. The chip’s graphics performance is almost even stronger – the device achieves 3300 points in 3Dmark Wild Life and at least 900 points in Wild Life Extreme. These are impeccable values ​​for a smartphone in this price range. This is also reflected in everyday life: menus open smoothly, apps load quickly and there are no problems when scrolling. Multitasking is also included, although this can often be a challenge on smaller screens.

We also like that the powerful processor is accompanied by 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage – both features that are rarely seen in smartphones in this price range. Otherwise, the rest of the features on the Unihertz Jelly Max live up to expectations. It has Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS with GLONASS and NFC. Regarding mobile communications, 5G is also available. Apart from dual SIM, it also supports microSD memory card; Hybrid slot is also available for this.

As expected, the built-in USB-C port is also a slower version 2.0 port. It’s a shame that Unihertz didn’t provide Widevine L1 certification for the Jelly Max. This means that videos on platforms like Netflix and YouTube can only be streamed in a maximum quality of 480p. Given the small display, this isn’t a problem. The sound from the rear-installed mono speaker is only mediocre, but could be louder. We have already criticized the position above.

Almost pure Android 14 is installed as the operating system. Unfortunately, at the time of testing in November 2024 the security patch is out of date and is dated July 2024. However, Unihertz’s update policy remains vague, so there is no certainty whether the device will receive Android 15 or even 16.

It ends with a highlight: the Unihertz Jelly Max packs a 4,000 mAh lithium-ion battery – which doesn’t sound that great at first. However, due to the small screen area and efficient processor, the device’s runtime is a full 14.5 hours in the PCMark battery test. This means that you can easily use the smartphone for two consecutive days without worrying about battery life. And when the time comes, it can be recharged in about 40 minutes using the included 66W power adapter – Unihertz has done everything right here.

The Unihertz Jelly Max is an exciting niche product that impresses in some areas with its compact format and good features. Particularly noteworthy are the strong processor performance, generous memory and impressive battery life. The compact form factor makes the device unique, but it also has disadvantages like low display quality and heavy thickness.

Despite updates, the camera remains a weak point – color deviation, blurred background and low quality of the telephoto lens spoil the overall impression. The software is up to date, but the update policy leaves questions unanswered, and the multimedia properties suffer from the lack of Widevine L1 certification.

If you’re looking for a compact smartphone, the Jelly Max is a powerful device with few compromises. It’s less suitable for camera enthusiasts or demanding multimedia users, but it’s worth considering for fans of small smartphones with solid performance and strong battery life.

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