A few months ago, Asus has launched the Zenfone Max Pro M2 & Zenfone Max M2 in India. Asus is the only company along with Nokia who is successfully challenging the influence of Chinese companies in India mid-range segment. Today I’m reviewing the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 & Max M2.
Pros of Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2
- Battery Life
- Eyecatching Design
- Display
- Performance
Cons of Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2
- Front Camera
- Slow Android Update
- Micro USB port & Absense of fast charging
Design & Hardware
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 comes with 6.26″ Full HD+ IPS Notch display with the resolution of 2280 x 1080 and Corning Gorilla Glass 6 for the protection. It has a screen-to-body ratio of about 82% and it’s also the first phone to get the Gorilla Glass 6 protection.
The display is bright and offers good color reproduction. It’s also easy to read the text in direct sunlight.
The curved glass on the back of the phone gives the premium feel.
At the bottom, you’ll find MicroUSB port, 3.5 mm jack and mic. Power & Volume button is on the right-hand side.
Software
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 comes with Android 8.1.0 Oreo. The good things about the phone is that there is no additional UI by the Asus, the phone is completely running on Stock Android. During my testing, I found no lag or hiccups. The phone runs smoothly in all conditions. Apart from Stock Android, Asus added some features like ZenMotion gestures and Smart Screen On which keeps the screen ON when a user viewing it.
Performance
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 features Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 Processor with AI Engine & Adreno 512 GPU. The processing power can be further extended with 3GB/4GB/6GB Options. The phone has enough firepower to push normal day to day apps & games to its limit. During my testing, I often put the games in the background to do some work and when I switch back the game didn’t reset, it’s there where I left.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 really helps when you’re playing heavy games on your phone. In my opinion, the performance is better as compared to another competitor.
Camera
The Zenfone Max Pro M2 packs 12MP rear camera with Sony IMX456 Image sensor, f/1.8 aperture, 6P lens and phase detection autofocus. On the front, it has a 5MP camera.
The rear camera comes with AI detection which can identify 13 different scenes such as Sunset, green field, flowers, sky etc. I didn’t get enough time to play with the phone so can’t comment about how much AI help to improve the shot. In the day time, the phones produce good result especially the HDR & macro shots. The color production is good, white balance is up to the mark and brightness are under control. However, sometimes the photos come over saturated especially in low light, maybe AI pushing to increase the saturation.
Regarding the front camera, the 5MP does not do justice, the picture quality is ok but we compare it with other phones in the same range the sharpness is not up to the mark.
Camera Sample
Battery Life
Battery life is a huge plus point for Zenfone Max Pro M2. It comes with 5000 mAh battery and can easily last for 2 days in normal use which also includes some hours of gaming. The phone doesn’t support fast charging but it comes with 5V/2A charger which charges the phone at a good speed.
Conclusion
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 is a great phone with good build quality, good performance, and impressive battery life. The camera can be improved especially the front camera but it’s not a big deal breaker. Really love the stock android however it would be great if they speed up the update process.
