Top 10 highlights of the newly launched Asus Zenfone Max Pro

Asus Zenfone Max series have always been about large battery capacity. The latest version in the series is the Zenfone Max Pro M1 and it has a large 5000 mAh battery contained in a relatively slim body. Asus has launched the mobile in India via their exclusive partner, Flipkart. It will be priced at Rs 10999 for the 3 GB / 32 GB variant and 12999 for the 4.64 GB variant. I have been using this mobile for a few days now and I will tell the top 10 highlights of this mobile, but first here are the key specifications.

• 159 x 76 x 8.61 mm
• 180 grams
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 636
• Adreno 509 GPU
• RAM 3/4GB LPDDR4
• Storage 32/64GB
• Bluetooth 4.2 (with aptX)
• Display 5.99-inch Full HD+
• 13MP, F2.2, + 5MP
• Front 8MP, F2.0
• 4K UHD video recording
• Face Unlock, Fingerprint
• Battery 5000 mAh
• OS Pure Android 8.1 Oreo

1. Compact Metal Body Design

The design identity of the Zenfone Max Pro may not be unique, but it is a sturdy mobile. The Deepsea black variant looks good and feels premium in the hand. Though the mobile has a 5000 mAh battery, it is just 8.61 mm thick. It weighs only 180 grams.

2. Full Vision Display

Zenfone Max Pro has a 5.99″ IPS LCD panel with 18:9 aspect ratio. The bezels on the sides are thin and it offers a full viewing experience. The display is bright and vivid.

3. Powerful Mid-range processor

Snapdragon 636 is an upgraded version of the 625 processors used widely in this segment. It offers better processing power, image processing and connectivity upgrades to the Zenfone Max Pro.

4. DDR4 RAM

Zenfone Max Pro has with 3 or 4 GB RAM, but the RAM is DDR4. DDR4 RAM is normally seen in flagships and with Redmi Note 5 Pro, we are starting to see them in the mid-range as well. There is also a 6 GB variant coming soon.

5. Pure Android

With Asus Zenfone, the Zen UI has been the preferring skin. But with this mobile, the Zenfone Max Pro, Asus has decided to go with Stock UI. It is running on the latest version of Android: Oreo 8.1.0.

6. 5000 mAh battery

Asus Zenfone Max Pro has a 5000 mAH battery. With such a large capacity, the mobile lasts for over 2 days of moderate usage. I also get about 8-9 hours of screen time. In my tests, the battery took about 3 hours to charge from 0 to 100%.

7. Dual Camera Setup

Zenfone Max Pro has a 13 MP camera with a 5 MP depth sensor. The camera app in my mobile is not the final retail unit version, so I didn’t click many pictures with it. Asus promises good portrait mode shots and I will have to test it out.

8. Front camera with LED Flash

The front camera is an 8 MP sensor and like most mobiles these days, Asus has also added a flash to assist it under low light conditions.

9. Audio Experience

The ZenFone Max Pro also gives a good Audio experience. It has a 5-magnet loudspeaker with NXP Smart Amplifier technology. The device also ships with a passive Max-box amplifier which boosts the audio experience by a significant
margin.

10. Competitive Price

Asus has shed it “premium price tag” image and launched this mobile phone at a very competitive price. It will be priced at Rs 10999 for the 3 GB / 32 GB variant and 12999 for the 4/64 GB variant.

Looking forward

I am looking forward to using this mobile in the coming days. It is definitely an interesting mobile from Asus. It is a new direction and a welcome change in Asus’s plan. Asus Zenfone Max Pro will compete in a highly ferocious price segment and the war will be interesting. I will be comparing this mobile with a few other mobiles in this price range, like the Redmi Note 5. So stay tuned for a complete review of the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1.