ASUS is making changes based on the user requirements and finally, they have started launching smartphones with Snapdragon processors and some stock android UI which makes it super snappy. One such device ASUS Zenfone Max Pro M1 was launched in the market and it was competitively priced. The specifications look promising along with the astonishing design. The model with higher memory competes with Redmi Note 5 pro. Let us check out ASUS Zenfone Max Pro M1 full review. I have used this device for around 2-3 weeks with gaming, and normal usage too, so here are my thoughts about the same.
ASUS Zenfone Max Pro M1 full review:
Design
ASUS Zenfone Max Pro M1 has a good design with all metal back, a bit of plastic on the top and bottom for the antennas. It has the dual cameras vertically aligned in the corner with ASUS logo in the center. The phone is quite sturdy and the grip is average. You can hold it with no problem as such but it is always better to avoid keeping it on your lap while working. The back of the device manages to attract fingerprint smudges due to which it requires a bit of cleaning every now and then. Still, the matte finish helps to avoid them fingerprints and it is always better than a complete glass back. The phone is rounded on the edges which helps for a good grip and amazing looks on the front too. The button arrangements are pretty standard with power button & volume rockers on the right. Sim card slot on the left with total 3 slots – 2 dual SIM and one dedicated microSD card slot which is a great feature. The micro USB port, 3.5 mm audio jack & speaker are on the bottom of the device. The navigation buttons are on the screen itself. On the back above the logo, you will find the fingerprint scanner. The device weighs about 180g due to the fact that it has a larger battery pack as it is from the PRO series. But the thickness and weight don’t feel much when you hold it in your hands. There is no mention of any screen protection so it is better to have a case and tempered glass. Overall design wise the phone looks just great.
Display
Again one of the strong points of ASUS Zenfone Pro M1 is the 6-inch full HD IPS display. It has the 2.5D curved glass on the edges which makes the phone look premium from the front. The aspect ratio is 18:9 on this device with 450nits brightness so that you can see it in daylight too. Though I feel the brightness could have been increased a little bit. The navigation buttons are on screen so you can always change the position as per your habits. The touch is quite responsive but there is no mention of any specific protection on the screen. In my rough usage, the screen just got a very few minor scratches and nothing much so it can sustain a few falls from pocket height.
Performance
ASUS Zenfone Max Pro M1 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 chipset with Kryo octa-core processor. It has different variants in memory, the first one comes with 3GB RAM and 32GB ROM while the other comes with 4GB RAM and 64GB ROM. It has a Qualcomm Adreno 509 GPU for gaming. You can extend the memory of the phone by inserting microSD card up to 2 TB with the dedicated card slot. The overall performance is snappy as the phone runs on stock Android and this time you don’t get any trace of ZEN UI. The RAM management is also good and ASUS keeps on pushing OTA updates which constantly improves features. Tried playing a few games which did run well and the phone didn’t face heating issues. The back just becomes a bit warm when you play games continuously for quite some time. The device comes with Android Oreo 8.1 out of the box which is completely stock and the experience is just great.
Camera
Zenfone Max Pro M1 has a dual camera 13+5 MP on the back and 8 MP on the front. The LED flash is on the back below the rear camera. The primary rear and front camera have a f/2.2 aperture. There is a softlight LED flash on the front too. You can shoot 4K UHD videos with this smartphone and 1080p FHD video at 30/60 fps. The Bokeh effect on the rear camera is decent while the photos from the front camera are not that impressive. Overall the camera quality is decent considering the price point, but there is still a lot of improvement if they want to kill this segment with a smartphone. The video quality is good in daylight but indoors it is normal. Also, they don’t have support for EIS so the videos will be shaky if you are moving while shooting videos.
Sound and connectivity
The sound of the ASUS Zenfone Max Pro M1 is good with single speaker(5-magnet) setup. The amplifier used with the speaker is good and thus it produces decent loud music. They have provided a smartphone holder which is magnetic and is meant to boost sound quality and volume. The audio quality is good in earphones too.
The phone comes with almost all common sensors leaving NFC as you will not find it in this range. The device can connect to WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS etc. The main differentiating feature with this device is it supports true 4G that means both the slots will have 4G network if the SIM is 4G enabled. This helps especially the JIO network as it currently is 4G only. So using it as secondary SIM was not an option, but now the life would be much easier with true 4G. The network coverage was average as in some low-coverage network areas I got poor connectivity if compared with other devices. Other places with a full network I didn’t have any problem with the device.
Battery
The battery is again a strong point of this device as it is from the ASUS Max series. Zenfone Max Pro M1 has 5000mAh huge battery pack. In spite of the fact that it has this huge battery, the device has a thin form factor and is not that bulky. The battery will last for more than a day if you are an average user, but it may last for a day or less if you are doing heavy gaming. It takes about 90 mins to charge the phone up to 70% and a full charge takes about 2 hrs 45 mins. The charger is a standard 5V 2A 10W charger. ASUS claims it supports fast charging, but considering the time it takes, it tells otherwise. Though I feel that for a 5000mAh battery device the charging time is decent and not too much.
Price
ASUS Zenfone Max Pro M1 is available on Flipkart for INR 10,999(3GB+32GB) and INR 12,999(4GB+64GB). It is available in Grey and Black color. One needs to buy this device through the flash sales.
Verdict
One can definitely go for this device, as of now this is one of the best devices under 15000 INR that you can consider buying. For someone going for a slightly better camera can opt for Redmi Note 5 Pro by paying some bucks extra. Zenfone Max Pro M1 will not disappoint you in terms of display, battery, the stock Android experience, and the performance.