Crucial Warning: Flashing via flash_all.bat reformats internal eMMC 5.1 flash storage, permanently erasing all downloaded apps, saved media, user accounts, and local documents. Packages carrying the hydrogen identifier belong strictly to the Snapdragon 650 Mi Max (16GB/32GB variants). NEVER flash packages meant for the Mi Max Prime (helium, model 2016007), which runs an octa-core Snapdragon 652 with 4 Cortex-A72 cores; doing so triggers CPU kernel scheduler panics, fails camera HAL sensor discovery, corrupts modem radio calibration, and causes persistent bootloops. In addition, do not cross-flash with the Mi Max 2 (oxygen) or Mi Max 3 (nitrogen).
Download Firmware for Xiaomi Mi Max
Global Stable Channel (MI / Worldwide) 2 packages
hydrogen_global_images_V10.2.2.0.NBCMIXM_20190426.0000.00_7.0_global_3dab3a213d.tgz
Final official factory Global Fastboot firmware release for Mi Max based on Android 7.0 Nougat with MIUI 10. Contains complete partition binaries for unbricking and full restoration.
MD5: 3dab3a213d79db43b5144cf255346500
⬇️ Download (2 links)
miui_MIMAXGlobal_V10.2.2.0.NBCMIXM_642ad81312_7.0.zip
Final official factory Global Recovery package for stock updater app or Mi-Recovery installation. Retains user data when updating across matching Android 7.0 builds.
MD5: 642ad813127e3b8f2f5648850b41a470
⬇️ Download (2 links)
China Domestic Channel (CN) 2 packages
hydrogen_images_V10.2.2.0.NBCCNXM_20190424.0000.00_7.0_cn_d8ea74c60d.tgz
Final official factory China Fastboot firmware release for Mi Max based on Android 7.0 Nougat with MIUI 10. Contains complete domestic partition binaries.
MD5: d8ea74c60d39e0c6f26aa30ac4f4353c
⬇️ Download (2 links)
miui_MIMAX_V10.3.2.0.NBCCNXM_a513f4849b_7.0.zip
Final official maintenance China Recovery package for stock updater app or Mi-Recovery installation. Features updated MIUI 10 domestic software build.
MD5: a513f4849b8ace0a0c1f2ad13796894c
⬇️ Download (2 links)
Community Multilingual & Custom Recovery 3 packages
xiaomi.eu_multi_MIMAX_V10.2.1.0.NBCCNFK_v10-7.0.zip
Community xiaomi.eu multi-language recovery release based on official China stable base. Stripped of Chinese bloatware, preloads Google Play Services, and adds European languages.
MD5: b149f65e91a7a968bae008bae28f0b70
twrp-3.7.0_9-0-hydrogen.img
Official Team Win Recovery Project (TWRP) custom recovery image for hydrogen. Supports ext4 partition management, full Nandroid backups, and custom ROM installation.
MD5: 956951879fdbe91b4191aafe17ef0d91
OrangeFox-Unofficial-hydrogen.zip
Unofficial OrangeFox recovery environment package for hydrogen. Includes built-in Magisk survival, aroma support, and advanced backup encryption options.
MD5: 08169667c4884c7a12b5b0f14933c6c1
Flashing Overview for Xiaomi Mi Max
- Verify your phone codename is hydrogen using fastboot getvar product.
- Extract the .tgz archive twice using 7-Zip until flash_all.bat and the images folder appear.
- Power off the phone and hold Volume Down + Power together until the FASTBOOT screen displays.
- Open Mi Flash Tool, select the extracted firmware root directory, and choose "clean all".
- Click "Flash" and keep the phone connected while partitions stream into eMMC 5.1 storage.
Expand preparation checklist for Xiaomi Mi Max
- Verify your device codename is 'hydrogen' by executing 'fastboot getvar product' from a command line while in Fastboot mode.
- Confirm that your phone has 16 GB or 32 GB internal storage (Snapdragon 650) and is not the 64 GB/128 GB Snapdragon 652 Mi Max Prime (helium).
- Install official Qualcomm HS-USB QDLoader 9008 drivers and updated Android SDK Platform Tools on a 64-bit Windows PC.
- Ensure the 4,850 mAh battery holds at least 50% charge before beginning the flashing process to prevent shutdown during partition writes.
- Extract the .tgz archive twice using 7-Zip until flash_all.bat and the images directory appear in the root path.
- Connect the phone via a quality microUSB 2.0 data cable directly to a rear motherboard USB port to avoid communication drops.
Compatibility & Bootloader Notes
Official Fastboot flashing requires an unlocked bootloader through the Xiaomi Mi Unlock utility. Early units could be unlocked through Mi Community permissions; subsequent MIUI 9 and MIUI 10 builds strictly enforce bootloader verification. Hard-bricked units can be recovered via Emergency Download (EDL 9008) mode; the Snapdragon 650 platform on hydrogen does not require authorized server firehose authentication.
Ready to Flash This Firmware?
Full step-by-step instructions for Xiaomi Mi Max, including prerequisites, error fixes, and screenshots, are on FlashGuideHub's Mi Flash Tool guide.
Can also be flashed via Fastboot: Open Fastboot Guide →
Frequently Asked Questions
The Snapdragon 650 (MSM8956) is built on TSMC's 28nm HPM process node and features a 64-bit hexa-core CPU cluster with ARM big.LITTLE scheduling: two high-performance Cortex-A72 cores clocked at 1.8 GHz for intensive compute tasks and four energy-efficient Cortex-A53 cores at 1.4 GHz for background processes, paired with an Adreno 510 GPU running at 600 MHz. In Android 7.0 Nougat with MIUI 10, Qualcomm's Energy Aware Scheduling (EAS) dynamically migrates workloads between the A72 and A53 clusters, balancing responsive UI performance on the 6.44-inch display with exceptional battery longevity from the 4,850 mAh cell.
While the standard Mi Max (hydrogen) and Mi Max Prime (helium) share identical external dimensions and 6.44-inch screens, their system-on-chip architectures differ fundamentally. The standard Mi Max (hydrogen, 16GB/32GB) runs the hexa-core Snapdragon 650 (MSM8956, 2x A72 + 4x A53). The Mi Max Prime (helium, 64GB/128GB, model 2016007) is powered by the octa-core Snapdragon 652 (MSM8976, 4x A72 + 4x A53). Flashing helium firmware onto hydrogen causes CPU core scheduler panic because the kernel attempts to initialize four big Cortex-A72 cores when only two exist physically, triggering immediate kernel panics and bootloops.
The Mi Max houses a 6.44-inch Full HD (1920x1080) IPS LCD panel with 450 nits peak brightness, 1000:1 contrast ratio, and Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection. The display pipeline relies on Qualcomm's Mobile Display Processor (MDP) engine within the Snapdragon 650 to handle real-time Sunlight Display hardware pixel-level contrast adjustments and Reading Mode blue-light filtering. Official factory Fastboot packages restore the factory panel timing profiles and digitizer calibration lookup tables stored in the persist partition if third-party kernels have modified display rendering.
The Mi Max integrates a Qualcomm Snapdragon X8 LTE modem supporting Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS) via one micro-SIM slot and one hybrid nano-SIM/microSD tray. Critical RF calibration values, factory IMEI numbers, and carrier band parameters are permanently stored in protected non-volatile partitions (modemst1, modemst2, and fsg). Flashing official stock Fastboot firmware with flash_all.bat writes updated cellular protocol binaries (NON-HLOS.bin) to the modem partition while strictly preserving these NVRAM radio parameters.