ASUS seems to be taking good care of the budget segment of smartphones of India. The Taiwanese company has launched a couple of budget devices in the country, the ZenFone Max M1 series being one of them. Now, after a couple of months, the company has unveiled the successors to the devices- the ZenFone Max M2 and the ZenFone Max Pro M2 at an event in New Delhi, India.
I got to use the elder sibling for some time, and here is what my first impressions for the same are:
ZenFone Max Pro M2 Design:
The Zenfone Max Pro M2 is a new, decent member in the ASUS family. With its good looks, the smartphone also has a weight that’s a lot less. Available in the Blue and Titanium color options, the smartphone has a metal+glass chassis.
The ZenFone Max Pro M2, at the back, has a vertical dual-camera setup at the top left corner along with the LED flash. In the middle, lies the ‘ASUS’ logo.
Coming to the front of the device, it has the small notch (which embeds the LED flash, the selfie camera, and the proximity and ambient sensors) at the head of the smartphone along with the notification LED and earpiece above the notch. The notch ensures thin bezels for the device.
The right side of the smartphone has the volume rocker and the power on/off button, while the left side houses the dedicated SIM slot. While the top end is left bare, the bottom end has the micro-USB port, the 3.5mm audio jack, and the speaker grill.
Although my take on the design is good, the smudge-prone rear end was a total turn off for me.
Display:
The ZenFone Max Pro M2 features a 6.3-inch Full HD+ All-Screen display with an aspect ratio configured at 18:9. During the short period I used the device for, the brightness appeared pretty decent. The app icons were well lit, and the display seemed well balanced. Additionally, the smartphone is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 6.
Cameras:
The ZenFone Max Pro M2, much like its predecessor, has dual cameras at the back, standing at 12-megapixel and 5-megapixel with Sony IMX486 sensor, bokeh effect, and 6p lens. The rear snappers support AI-based Scene Detection of up to 13 scenes and subjects. The one at the front is rated at 13-megapixel and supports Beauty mode, Softlight LED, 5p lens, and Portrait mode.
Starting with the rear cameras, the images captured were decent and the colors were balanced. However, on zooming in, the images lost the intricacies and appeared grainy.
As for the front snapper, the resultant pictures (both in normal and Beauty modes) were decent but processed.
It is too early to comment on the entire camera performance as the usage period was limited.
Tech Specs:
The ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 mobile platform and comes in three RAM/ROM configurations: 3GB/32GB, 4GB/64GB, and 6GB/64GB. The device is powered by a massive 5,000mAh battery and runs stock Android 8.1 Oreo, upgradable to Android 9.0 Pie (January 2019). Among others, the smartphone has a 5-magnet speaker, rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, and Face Unlock feature which couldn’t be tested due to the lack of time.
You can find the complete spec sheet and Max Pro M2 and Max M2 comparison in our original launch story.
Conclusion:
The ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2 (starting at INR 12,999) is a good-looking budget device, people with a budget might want to consider. With decent specifics and design, the device stands in the ring against the Nokia 6.1 Plus and the Realme 2 Pro.
However, we really need to put the device to a long litmus test before we give out our conclusions. A full review will be coming up real soon, so stay tuned to Fossbytes!
Also Read:Â How Does Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 Stand Against Competitors? [Spec Comparison]
