Why Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 could be a hit
Since its entry into the smartphone manufacturing business, Asus has played a central role in the revolution that has transformed the budget segment. Its Zenfone and Selfie series have been at the forefront of its efforts to woo buyers looking for power-packed phones at affordable prices.
However, over the last year or two, such efforts have not borne fruit as the Taiwanese smartphone maker's devices have got lost in the sea of new smartphones available in the market. The likes of Motorola and Xiaomi have dominated the budget segment of late, with the latter recently coming up with what has been widely described as the budget segment king, the Redmi Note 5 line-up – consisting of two Note 5 and Note 5 Pro variants.
But it looks like Asus is ready to come back with a bang. Signalling its intent, the Taiwanese smartphone maker on Monday (April 23) upped the ante when it announced its Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M1) as a direct rival to the Redmi Note 5 and 5 Pro. The phone comes with a number of features and an aggressive price tag that is sure to give the Redmi Note 5 line-up a real run for its money.
Design and display
The Max Pro borrows from the DNA of the phones that Asus has created in the past. At the centre of it all is a 5.99-inch bezel-less display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The FullHD+ (2160x1080) display covered by the 2.5D glass on top merges seamlessly into the phone's metal frame.
The phone's industrial design sees Asus add a vertically mounted dual camera set-up on the top left corner and a fingerprint scanner at the back of the device. The phone's power buttons and volume rocker are placed on the right hand side.
Specifications and performance
In terms of specs, the phone's frame packs a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC paired with up to 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. Though the 6GB+ 64GB variant is yet to be given a sale date, Asus has for now launched two variants of the phone – 3GB+32GB and 4GB+64GB RAM.
Like many of its competitors, the phone offers dual-SIM (Nano) slots. In terms of connectivity, it supports 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n with Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.2 (with aptX), GPS/ A-GPS, BDS, GLONASS, Micro-USB, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The package is powered by a massive 5,000mAh battery that supports fast charging. Asus claims the battery can offer over 30 days of stand-by time, over 25 hours of 1080p video playback, and up to 35 hours of 3G talktime.
Camera
This is where things start to get interesting. The Zenfone Max Pro M1 brings with it a dual camera setup consisting of PDAF ad LED Flash equipped a 13-Megapixel (f/2.2 aperture) + 5-Megapixel depth sensing lens. At the front, the ZenFone Max Pro M1 comes with an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash. To take on the Redmi Note 5, the front camera on the phone can also shoot software-assisted bokeh photos.
The upcoming 6GB RAM and 64GB storage version of the phone, however, will improve further in the camera department and as Asus explains will ship with a 16-Megapixel+5-Megapixel rear and 16-Megapixel front setup.
Should you buy it?
The Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1, in all honesty, is the Redmi Note 5 and Note 5 Pro killer that many of us didn't expect to see this year. The phone comes with powerful specs that are sure to make it appealing for buyers. However, what makes it an absolute winner is that runs on stock Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box and will get Android P and Android Q upgrades.
This promises arguably better performance than the likes of the Redmi Note 5 and 5 Pro which boast of the same specs but run Xiaomi's MIUI-based OS. Further, it also saves users from having to deal with the bloatware-ridden ZenUI.
With the Max Pro M1, Asus has also nailed the pricing as the line-up starts at Rs 10,999 for the 3GB RAM variant and goes up to 14,999 for the 6GB RAM. This aggressive pricing that betters even the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 paired with the stock Android promise and powerful hardware makes this phone an absolute value-for-money offering, one that could, in the coming days, become a major hit with buyers.