ASUS has successfully created it’s niche in the budget segment with the Zenfone Max series and the Indian market seems to like the Max series. So they are back with the Zenfone Max M2 in the same segment. I spent considerable time with the phone and here is my review of this phone
The Zenfone Max M2 is not designed to win any design awards. It has a practical design and looks and feels decent. It is very easy to hold and grip the phone with one hand. Having said that, there are a number of upgrades that the M2 has over M1. The most important one is the very considerably larger display. The Max M2 has a 6.26-inch size display with a notch — just like the Max Pro M2. The only downside is that the screen is 720p (1520 x 720 pixels) and not full HD. But I am guessing that the pricing has a lot to do with that. Not a major issue considering the whole package. Asus has kept a large notch and the reason for that is the inclusion of every sensor and camera that mid range consumer wants. So again, the notch is fine with me. Decent design and good crafting. Ticks the right boxes for me.
The new ZenFone Max M2 is the first model in the series to use a 15.90cms (6.26) all-screen 19:9 HD+ (1520 x 720px) display. Its 88% screen-to-body ratio that lets users see more at once, taking the viewing experience to the next level. Whether streaming videos, playing their favorite mobile games, or browsing the web, users will find themselves fully immersed in this new display.
The new display also helps keep ZenFone Max M2 remarkably compact and comfortable to hold, with a slim 7.7mm profile all built in a neat and sleek all-metal body. On the front, its display features a full-function notch which includes an LED flash, Camera, Earpiece, Notification LED, Ambient and Proximity sensors, all without sacrificing anything.
At the heart of ZenFone Max M2 is the latest 14nm Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 632 Mobile Platform with up to 4GB of RAM — the first time this processor has been used in any ZenFone. This processor delivers up to 40% higher CPU performance and 10% higher graphics performance thanks to the improved Adreno 506 GPU, than the previous Snapdragon 626 Mobile Platform1. It’s also considerably more power efficient, enabling a smooth and responsive experience without impacting battery life. In my review experience, the phone was able to deliver very decent performance without many hiccups or stutters.
Rear Cameras: The dual-camera system in ZenFone Max M2 has a 13MP f/1.8 wide-aperture main camera that captures clear and detailed shots in any situation. It can shoot 4K videos along with Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) (1080p) also helps to get rid of camera shake for blur-free handheld videos. The second rear ‘bokeh’ camera makes it easy to take natural-looking portraits with artistically-blurred backgrounds that instantly make the subject stand out from the shot. It also features advanced AI Scene Detection that allows the user to concentrate on the subject and get perfect shots every time, automatically recognizing 13 types of scene or subject, and optimizing the photo settings for each shot.
Selfie Camera: The ZenFone Max M2 on the front has a f2.0 8MP camera along with a LED Flash that lets you shoot amazing selfies even in low-light scenes. It can shoot videos up to 1080p, and will soon have EIS functionality that will allow you to shoot shake-free selfie-videos and Portrait mode functionality that will allow you to shoot artistic bokeh selfies. You can also choose to shoot flawless selfies with its beautification mode.
The phone delivers decent pictures consistently. Here are some sample pictures I took with the phone.
Battery performance is a key part of the DNA of the ZenFone Max series. The new ZenFone Max M2 uses a high-capacity 4000mAh lithium-polymer battery custom-crafted to pack maximum performance into an even slimmer body, and which delivers up to 33 days of 4G standby, up to 21 hours of video playback, up to 22 hours of Wi-Fi web browsing, 8 hours of gaming and up to 35 hours of 3G talk time.2 With such power on tap, users can browse more, talk more, or stream their favorite videos all day — without worrying about finding a power outlet.
ZenFone Max M2 now uses a five-magnet speaker with a metal voice coil — a major upgrade over the single-magnet speaker in the previous generation — that’s driven by a powerful NXP low-distortion smart amplifier for crystal-clear sound that’s more powerful and more detailed than ever before.
The ZenFone Max M2 offers rear fingerprint security sensor with 5-finger recognition and Face Unlock for maximum accessibility and for more connections and more storage, ZenFone Max M2 features a convenient triple-slot tray, combining dual 4G VoLTE SIM slots (Dual SIM/Dual standby) with a microSD card slot that allows storage expansion up to 2TB.
ASUS ZenFone Max M2 is now available in two variants namely 3GB / 32GB for ₹.9,999/- and the 4GB / 64GB for ₹.11,999/- exclusively on Flipkart.
Verdict
At a starting price of ₹.9,999, it is very difficult to ignore this phone. The ASUS Zenfone Max M2 is a steady performer at a great price. This is good for an entry-level budget buyer and is definitely better than most other options in the same segment.