With the advent in technology in the field of smartphones, we see new features coming up in smartphones everyday and some major improvements in the existing features. One such feature that has always been in the limelight that is constantly becoming better is the battery life of smartphones. Be it by using better hardware that dont use much batteries or simply by equipping the devices with bigger batteries, the smartphones are getting better and better with the battery usage these days. Many new smartphones such as the Gionee Marathon M5 and the Lenovo Vibe P1m sport enourmous 4000 mAh+ batteries. One such device that we will be talking about today comes from Asus.
So let’s get to reviewing the Asus Zenfone Max.
ASUS Zenfone Max Review:
In The Box:
- Zenfone Max Smartphone
- USB Charger
- MicroUSB Charging and Sync Cable
- USB OTG Cable
Look & Feel:
To begin with, the Zenfone Max looks exactly the same as most other Asus smartphones which makes it difficult to differentiate them. The phone sports the same capacitive buttons we used to see on Asus devices with the concentric rings on the chin.
The phone is available in two colors namely black and white. A golden plastic strip runs along the side of the phone. The rounded back offers a good grip. The earpiece lies on the top of the device while the micro USB port is located at the bottom. The notification LED light sits right next to the earpiece and the front camera on the front. Thr right side sports the volume and power keys. The back, which is made of pretty decent plastic is user removable under which you can see the SIM card and micro SD card slot. The battery being 5,000mAh which is non user-removable but visible under the cover.
The volume keys on Asus devices are usually located on the back. However, in this case the back sports the speaker grill towards the lower portion and the camera, flash and the laser auto-focus towards the top. The back also sports the ASUS logo.
Display:
The device sports a 5.5-inch display with a resolution of 720 X 1280 pixels. This definitely is not decent and results in loss of details and pixelation when zoomed in on images. The resolution has been kept low to make the battery juice long laster as it takes more battery to run a 1080p display as compared to one with 720p resolution. So the phone is basically for battery-centred customers. The color reproduction however is good. The outdoor visibility takes a hit under bright sunlight but at maximum brightness, the text on the screen is somewhat legible.
Specifications and other features:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC
- 2 GB RAM
- 16 GB Internal Memory Expandable Upto 64 GB
- Dual-SIM Connectivity
- USB-OTG
- 5,000 mAh Battery
- Android Lollipop 5.0
- 13 MP camera on the back with auto-focus and LED flash
- 5 MP camera on the front
Performance:
The Zenfone Max is almost identical to the Zenfone 2 Laser except for the larger battery and the performance result says no different. The budget chipset used in the device paired with 2 GB of RAM are not splendid performers by any means but they sure perform good for their specs.
We experienced no crashes or freezes in our days spent with the Zenfone Max. Animations too are pretty decent. We got a score of 24, 648 on AnTuTu which again is pretty decent and better than our expectations. The 5,000 mAh battery used in the device performs very decently and lasts quite long.
Camera Specifications:
Like we said above, the Zenfone is pretty much identical to the Zenfone 2 Laser. This statement applies to the camera department too. The Zenfone Max sports the same 13 MP camera on the back with the laser auto-focus and a 5 MP unit on the front. The camera perfromance too is exactly the same.
Some Pictures shot by us with the camera:
Camera Mode: Auto
Camera Mode: Auto
Camera Mode: Super Resolution
Camera Mode: Depth of Field
The camera app and the functionality are the same as the Zenfone 2 Laser. You have the auto mode and the manual mode which allow you to choose the details of the camera. The camera performs better than we expected indoors, in both well lit and poorly lit conditions. The color reproduction and the details are pretty good.
The performance outdoors too is not bad as long as you dont click areas illuminated by direct sunlight. These areas will appear white and the colors are washed out. On top of that, the laser auto-focus works wonders. It works accurately by focusing on the subject and focuses efficiently on moving and shaky subject.
Our Verdict:
With the increasing demand for larger battery and specs rich smartphones, Asus too has made an entry into this category. Other devices from Gionee and Lenovo are already doing good in the market but this one from Asus is the only one under Rs. 10,000 that offers a battery this big. So if you’re looking for a big battery phone with decent performance in other areas, you have found your device.
Buy Asus Zenfone Max from Flipkart and Amazon.in
Feel Free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Don't forget to follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook Fan Page and Add us to your circles on Google+ to keep you updated with the latest technology news, gadget reviews, launches around the world and much more
