One of the best parts of new launches is the effort every firm makes to make its launch stand out. For Asus, the launch of the Zenfone Max Pro (M1) was the biggest such launch in a while, and the company has left nothing to chance.
This is an attractive phone that is feature packed, both on the software, hardware and service front, with virtually every partner doing their bit to make sure that the phone ticks every box you can think of.
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Let’s start with the price straight away. The smartphone comes with a price tag of Rs10,999 for the 3GB of RAM and Rs 12,999 for the 4GB of RAM. Both the devices will be available from May 3 exclusively on Flipkart. The phone comes with Meteor Silver and Deepsea Black colour options and it will be exclusively available on Flipkart from May 3. These prices become even more attractive when you consider the details on this phone.
For example, Vodafone customers will get up to Rs 3200 worth of benefits. Prepaid users will get additional free 10GB every month for one full year on recharge of Rs 199 plan and above along with weekly telco and non-telco plans. Postpaid users will also get 10GB free additional data per month for one year with Vodafone RED plan from Rs 399 and above. Further, Vodafone postpaid users will get Vodafone RED Shield device security insurance plan for 2 years. The offer is valid on Vodafone RED 499 plan and above. Interestingly, this is the first smartphone that comes loaded with Flipkart’s Complete Mobile Protection at an introductory price of Rs 49. Users will get Rs 1000 extra off on the exchangeof old smartphone and no cost EMI options as well. The plan stands out, as other than theft, it covers pretty much every eventuality that could happen to your phone, with an assurance of s maximum of a 10 day turnaround time.
Coming back to the smartphone, The major highlight of the smartphone is the new display trend and this is the first smartphone from Asus that comes with pure Android experience along with dual rear cameras and massive battery backup. The Zenfone Max Pro (M1) features a 5.99-inch Full HD+ display with a screen Resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels, 450 nits brightness, 15000:1 contrast ratio and 85 percent NTSC colour gamut.
The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 Processor along with Adreno 509 GPU. The phone comes in two memory options: one with 3GB RAM and 32GB ROM, while other features 4GB RAM and 64GB ROM. With this, the smartphone gives a stiff competition to the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro and its smaller sibling, the Redmi Note 5. The former comes loaded with the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor and it comes with two different storage options: 4GB RAM with 64GB storage for Rs 13,999 and 6GB RAM with 64GB storage for Rs 16,999.The Redmi Note 5 is priced at Rs 9,999 for the 3GB RAM variant, while the 4GB RAM option is priced at Rs 11,999.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro features a dual-camera setup at the rear, which comes with a combination of 13-megapixel primary sensor with f/2.2 aperture, PDAF, 5 element lens, 80-degree wide angle lens, while there is a 5-megapixel secondary sensor for bokeh effects.For the front, there is an 8-megapixel front-facing camera f/2.0 aperture, 85.5 wide angle lens and 26mm focal length.
The smartphone runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with near stock experience and it features a 5000mAh battery with 10W charger. The device also ships with a passive Max-box amplifier which boosts the audio experience by a significant margin. The fingerprint sensor at the back panel works fine in our testing as well. On the connectivity front, it supports 4G VoLTE, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2, dual-SIM, dedicated microSD card slot, GPS and Micro USB port.
All in all, to quote a well-worn cliche, Asus is back!
First Impression of Asus Max Pro( M1)
The Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M1) certainly looks a device that could change Asus’ faith as it bears some really impressive specs for the price point coupled with some premium looking design and near Stock Android experience. The device will surely face a fierce competition with the likes of Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro and from other Chinese players like Infinix, Tecno and more.