Redmi Note 9 Pro Max MIUI 12.5 update still not out? Here's why

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro Max is the apex of the Redmi Note 9 series but has been one of the slowest from the entire lineup when it comes to updates, since the very beginning.

The device is nearly identical to the Redmi Note 9 Pro, but while the latter was one of the first devices from the series to get treated to Android 11, the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max has been one of the very last.

And the time gap between update releases for both of the devices hasn’t exactly been negligible either.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro first got a taste of Android 11 back in November 2020 which is a far cry from the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max’s Android 11 release date of June 2021.

A reason for the delays wasn’t given out at the time but it likely was due to Android 11 adaptation issues. The same problem has affected a few other models in the past including the Redmi Note 8 series.

However, you see, the update woes for Redmi Note 9 Pro Max users don’t just end there. Sure the device has finally gotten the much-awaited Android 11 update, but it is still based on an extremely buggy MIUI 12.

This comes even as most of the eligible Poco and Xiaomi devices are already running MIUI 12.5. The cheaper Redmi Note 9 has gotten it as well.

Heck, a global rollout of the MIUI 12.5 Enhanced Edition update has now also been announced. Thus, it is not an exaggeration to say that Redmi Note 9 Pro Max users are always left behind when it comes to updates.

But what could the reason be for this? A Mi Community moderator has finally shed some light on the matter.

Turns out the main reason is that the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max is an India-exclusive device. This translates to a lesser number of units in circulation due to which developers do not prioritize it with regards to updates.

This wouldn’t have been the case if the device had a Chinese variant. Take the Redmi Note 9, for example, that is sold as the Redmi 10X 4G in China and is thus always one of the first devices from the Redmi Note series to bag updates.

Thankfully, the lack of a Chinese variant doesn’t mean fewer updates and the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max has always been eligible for MIUI 12.5 and more, just like any other device from its price range.

That said, we will be keeping an eye out for the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max MIUI 12.5 update and will be updating our dedicated MIUI 12.5 update tracker when it goes live, so stay tuned.

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