Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 review: Mid-range phone king in the making

Earlier in the year, Asus launched a feature-rich mid-range phone Zenfone Max Pro M1. It had a right mix of high-end hardware and pure unadulterated software, yet the price was affordable compared to rival brands. Expectedly, it was runaway hit among consumers. Following the success, the Taiwanese consumer electronics major brought in its successor M2 series on 11 December in India.

Prior to launch, I had the privilege of getting my hands on the Zenfone Max Pro M2 and have been using for close to a week. Here's what I think about the new Asus mobile.

Design, build quality and display:

I received the Zenfone Max Pro M2 review unit in the blue shade and it's gorgeous. The smooth glossy 3D glass shell with Aegean blue is sure to make you stand out in the public when you hold the phone to the ears for answering a call. The company has done an amazing paint job and also need to be applauded for the craftsmanship, as the colour on the back blends so seamlessly with a metallic frame.

The only qualm is that the rear-side attracts fingerprints easily and it has to be wiped every time. But, if you put the shell-case, which by the way provided free of cost with the retail box, will help to keep it clean and also thanks to transparent nature of cover, it will preserve the visual appeal of the phone.

On the front, it flaunts a notch-display and is protected with Corning's latest and sturdiest Gorilla Glass 6 shield on the top, a first for any mid-range phone and there are less than a handful of phones in the market.

Even though it has a notch on top with 19:9 aspect ratio, it won't trouble you much, as most apps including YouTube hides it and offers immersive and FullView experience on the big 6.26-inch full HD+ screen.

As far as readability is concerned, I didn't face any discomfort to my eyes when viewing messages or browsing the internet or watching videos on the screen under the direct sunlight and also while in the dark.

Performance:

Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 is an absolute beast in terms for performance for a mid-range phone. Thanks to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 660 processor, it was able to

all day-to-day tasks with butter-like smoothness. And even when filming 4K UHD video, it showed no sign of lag-ness.

The new Zenfone Max Pro M2 worked flawlessly whatever I tried on it such as the playing games for extended sessions, watching videos and switching between multiple apps.  

I appreciate Asus sticking with clutter-free Android user-experience for the Zenfone Max Pro M2. It has just three third-party apps such as Facebook, Instagram and Facebook Messenger, while the rest are all of Google's proprietary applications. Sifting through the Asus phone is such a joy for a Pure Android enthusiast like me. It would be great if the company brings the latest Android Pie software update.

I also like to point out that both the fingerprint sensor and Face ID features worked flawlessly during the tests and also, both had a very low False Rejection Rate (FRR).

It can be noted that the Zenfone Max Pro M2 comes in three configurations-- 3GB RAM +32GB storage, 4GB RAM+64GB storage and 6GB RAM+128GB storage.

Camera:

As far as the photography is concerned, Zenfone Max Pro M2 is such huge improvement over the predecessor. The new phone's camera is fully optimised and never once it hanged during the photo & video recording session and the auto-focus is steady at all light conditions, which to me is the two most important aspects for enriching photography experience.

I am was pleasantly surprised with the low-light photos, as the camera was able to get crisp images of the subject and also retaining near-accurate natural colours. I also loved the Portrait Mode shots captured by the Asus phone.

Even the front camera is also impressive and thanks to dedicated LED flash, it can take good sharp photos even the dark environments. But, sadly there is no Portrait mode for selfies. Hopefully, the company releases a software to bring this feature soon.

For the uninitiated, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 sports a feature-rich dual-camera module, one primary 12MP with Sony IMX486 sensor, F1.8 aperture, 6p lens, 1.25µm lens and a dedicated 5MP depth sensor. It also boasts Electronic Image Stabilisation and 4K Video recording and LED flash.

On the front, it features a 13MP with F2.0 aperture, 1.12µm sensor and a LED flash, which will help get good quality images even in dark light condition.

Battery life:

Like the predecessor, the Zenfone Max Pro M2 comes with same 5,000mAh cell. I am not complaining at all because it offers long marathon battery life compared to any in its class. During the tests, it was able to run for more than a day easily despite me streaming multimedia content like TV series on Amazon Prime Video for around an hour on Wi-Fi and also watched cricket on sports apps via mobile data and made audio calls, SMS, WhatsApp, social media browsing and other normal day-to-day chores.

It has to be noted that the full day's battery life has to be taken as active hours of the author (from 5:30 am to 10:30 pm). Asus Zenfone Max Pro 2 had more than 30% before I could retire to the bed for the day. If used conservatively, it can easily last one and half days if not more.

Final thoughts:

Asus has done a master masterstroke with the new Zenfone Max Pro M2 and is the undeniably the best value-for-money phone in the market. It ticks all key features consumers look in a phone. It has got gorgeous exterior looks, decent build quality, time-tested Snapdragon 660 octa-processor and is an absolute beast in terms of battery life and no other rival brand can match it right now. Even camera is also impressive for a mid-range phone.

Despite having huge upgrades in almost all aspects, Zenfone Max Pro M2 pricing is the same as the predecessor.

If you are looking for new phone this Christmas just go for the Zenfone Max Pro M2, you won't regret it.

Pros:

• Visually appealing design language with decent build quality (also comes with shell-case with the package)
• Long lasting battery life
• Terrific camera hardware especially the primary dual camera
• Clean user interface
• Three dedicated slots for SIM-1, SIM-2 and microSD card.

Cons:

• There is no Portrait mode in the front camera, but it's not a deal breaker as there seems to be no issue with the camera hardware and company can bring it through the software update.

The Zenfone Max Pro M2 will go on sale exclusively on Flipkart on 18 December. It comes in three configurations-- 3GB RAM+32GB storage, 4GB RAM+64GB storage and 6GB RAM+128GB storage for-- Rs 12,999, Rs 14,999 and Rs 16,999, respectively.

Key specifications of Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2:

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