Asus Zenfone Max Pro review: Power-packed mid-range Android phone

• Asus Zenfone Max Pro is most cost-effective mid-range in the market
• It comes with 5000mAh battery, which is more than enough to last two full days under mixed usage

In 2015, Taiwanese technology major Asus was a force to reckon in the Indian market. It dominated the mid-range segment with the feature-rich Zenfone series, but in the following years, the company began to target the Rs 20,000 price range with Zenfone 3 and Zenfone 4 in 2017. Though the devices were of top-notch quality, they failed to garner consumer interest. Just when everybody began to write-off Asus, it has made a strong comeback with the newly released Zenfone Max Pro (M1) in India.

The new mid-range Asus phone boasts powerful Qualcomm processor, sumptuous 3GB/4GB/6GB RAM, 32GB/64GB storage, dual-camera on the back and a massive 5,000mAh battery and most importantly, it comes with an unbeatable cost-effective price tag. It is available in three configurations—3GB RAM + 32GB storage, 4GB RAM+ 64GB storage and 6GB+ 64GB storage—for Rs 10,999, Rs 12,999 and Rs 14,999, respectively

But, does the Zenfone Max Pro live up to the reputation of its tag phrase "Unbeatable Performer". Let check it out.

Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M1) full review:

Design and build quality:

Asus Zenfone Max Pro series comes with simplistic and yet, elegant design. It features rectangular candy bar-shaped body with rounded edges around corners and also the use of 2.5D curved glass on top of the front-panel makes the device visually appealing.

As far as the build quality, it has metallic shell and rim around the edge. When held in hand, we can feel the premium material and gives us the confidence that this can sustain accidental drops with back on the ground, but can't vouch for the glass display on the front to survive a similar instance. But, we have to say, no brand can guarantee their mid-range or even flagship phone's display stability when dropped front facing.

Display:

The new Zenfone Max Pro comes with a 5.99-inch LCD IPS screen with 2160x1080p resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. The screen is bright and vibrant enough to see the contents even when viewed under direct sunlight. With a wider screen, it is a treat to watch multimedia content and play games. And adding to the fact that it comes with 5,000mAh battery, Asus phone owners can binge watch on TV series or movies on streaming apps such Amazon Prime Video and Netflix for several hours.

Performance and storage:

For its price, Zenfone Max Pro has the best configuration in the mid-range class. It is powered by Snapdragon 636 octa-core processor with 3GB/4GB/6GB RAM and 32GB/64GB storage.

It works fine while doing the daily chores such as calling, messaging, browsing, switching between multiple apps, launching the camera and playing games. Thanks to Qualcomm processor, Asus phone never exhibited any signs of lags whatsoever. It scored 1,13,669 points on AnTuTu benchmark-testing mobile app. And on Geekbench, it scored impressive 1330 and 4,926 points on single-core and multi-core tests, respectively.

The best part of the Asus phone is that it runs pure Android with only three third-party apps onboard leaving extra space in the inbuilt storage and even if that isn't enough; you can expand it through microSD card. Guess what, the Zenfone Max Pro is one of the very rare phones in the market to have dedicated three slots to accommodate two SIMs and memory card.

Camera:

Asus Zenfone Max Pro comes with the dual-camera module, one primary 13MP sensor and secondary 5MP snapper with phase detection autofocus and LED flash on the back.

It takes pretty good pictures in the bright daylight and even Bokeh blur effect too is of fine quality. But, the autofocus loses speed as light begins to fade. Its a pain to get the focus on the subject during the night. Having said that, the picture quality taken by the Zenfone Max Pro M1 is good for a mid-range phone. [See sample shots below]

On the front too, it houses an 8MP shooter and takes decent selfies. It also features soft LED flash and helps in capturing good quality images under low-light conditions. Recently, it received a software update which brings face unlock feature. During testing, it was pretty quick in terms of detecting the face and unlocking the screen.

Battery life:

In this aspect, the Zenfone Max Pro M1 beats all competition by a mile. It offers insane battery life up to 48 hours under mixed usage, which includes voice calling, few minutes of video chat, gaming, streaming videos from Netflix or Amazon Prime Video service, web browsing and other day-to-day stuff we do on the mobiles. If used more conservatively, you can get an additional half a day of battery life.

With a 5,000mAh cell capacity, you can even binge watch a single season of Game of Thrones if not more continuously in a single full charge.

Final thoughts: High on features, low on price

The new Zenfone Max Pro M1 ticks all the boxes for an ideal mid-range phone. And, the price makes Asus phone even more tempting. This is a tailor-made mobile for price-conscious salaried class and college-going youth.

If you are looking for a mid-range phone with latest Android software and long lasting battery-life, look no further than Zenfone Max Pro M1.

Pros:

• Insanely long battery life
• Pure Android with no bloatware
• Good build quality
• Decent display

Cons:

• The camera could have been better, but it can be enhanced with a software update. The company actually released a couple of firmware during the review period. There was a significant improvement in terms of photography experience. So, it's not a deal breaker. If you are planning to buy the Zenfone Max Pro M1, go ahead.

Key specifications of Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M1):

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