ASUS today launched the advanced version of one of its best-selling smartphones in the country – Zenfone Max. Known for its 5000 mAh battery and stylish looks, the smartphone is meant for users who are always on the move and demand superior performance along with an elegant style. Zenfone Max with 2GB RAM is available for INR 9,999 and can be pre-ordered on Flipkart while Zenfone Max with 3GB RAM is available for Rs. 12,999 and can be purchased from Amazon, Snapdeal and Flipkart. The 3GB RAM variant will also be available at ASUS Exclusive stores and all other retail stores across India, at a later date. Here are our first impressions of this device
The New Zenfone Max has two improvements over it’s predecessor. The new Zenfone Max is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 Octa-Core processor and provides the users an option to opt for a 2GB or 3GB RAM. The internal memory of the phone has now been increased to 32GB, in addition to an expandable memory of up to 64GB. So ASUS have upgraded the processor and increased the internal storage to double over the previous version of this device.
The 5000 mAH battery is a definite plus and the company claims that it can run for a minimum of 3 days on sigle charge! Not only that, with the OTG cable that is available in the box, you can use your Zenfone Max as a powerbank that can charge another phone. This is very convenient!
ASUS is back with the 13 MP rear camera with laser autofocus. The camera gets focused very very fast and it’s nice that ASUS has taken this segment breaker forward with the New Zenfone Max. This is something that made the Zenfone Laser also a mega hit with the buyers! More when we have spent more time with it.
As you can see, there is no need to fiddle with SIM slots to add more storage, it has a seperate micro SD slot that can support up to 64GB expansion. The faux leather black back was good and felt nice to grip.
Specification Sheet:
| Zenfone Max ZC550KL | ||
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 1.5 GHz, Octa-Core | |
| Modem | GSM/GPRS/EDGE; WCDMA/HSPA+/DC-HSPA+; FDD-LTE, DSDS | |
| Peak Data Rate | DC-HSPA+ (DL/UL): 42/5.76 Mbps; LTE CAT4 (DL/UL): 150/50 Mbps | |
| RF Band Support | IN GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 WCDMA: 1/2/5/8 ; TDD-SCDMA: 34/39 FDD-LTE Band: B1, B3, B5 TD-LTE: 38/39/40/41(2555-2655MHz only) |
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| OS | Android M 6.0.1 | |
| Display | 5.5″ TFT LED Backlight (Typ 450 nits ) ; 1280 x 720 HD IPS | |
| 16:9 , Wide active matrix; Glare type | ||
| GFF Touch panel (Directly Bonding): Capacitive touch panel with 10 points multi-touch with 60ms response time | ||
| Dimensions | 156*77.5*10.55 | |
| Weight | 202g | |
| Battery Pack & Life | Typ:5000mAh, non-removable polymer battery | |
| Memory | LPDDR3 2GB/3GB | |
| Storage | eMMC 32GB | |
| Micro SD Card Support (Up to 64GB) | ||
| Sensor | 1. Accelerator 2. E-Compass 3. Proximity 4. Hall sensor 5. Ambient light sensor |
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| WLAN | Integrated 802.11b/g/n; WiFi-Direct | |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth V 4.0 (EDR + A2DP) | |
| Bluetooth Profile: A2DP + AVRCP + HID + PAN + OPP | ||
| FM Radio | Support | |
| GPS | Support GPS, aGPS, Gloness | |
| Interface | Micro USB | |
| Front Camera | 5M wide view F2.0 / 85 degree | |
| Main Camera | 13M auto focus F2.0/ 75 degree, | |
| Flash LED | Dual Flash Real Tone LED & laser focus(40cm) | |
| Vibrator | Yes | |
| Audio | Codec integrated into PMIC | |
| Microphone | Microphone*2 (one for de-noise) | |
| SIM | Micro SIM*2 | |
| Button | Power and Volume Up/Down | |
| Accessories | Standard USB Cable , Adaptor, User Manual, Warranty Card, OTG cable | |
| Color | Black/ Orange/Blue | |
| Adaptor | 5W | |
| Features | Support ─ Power Bank, ASUS Zenflash, USB flash disk, USB Keyboard, USB mouse. | |
| OTG | ||
The best thing about this device is the fact that the huge 5000 mAH battery does not make it thick and heavy, it has a manageable weight and thin profile. It also comes with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow out of the box. At Rs 9,999/- it is a very good deal. More when we review this device in detail!
