ASUS Zenfone Max: Smartphone that doubles up as charger for other devices (Tech Review)

As smartphones come out of the league and become powerful with high-definition screens and professional camera technology, they certainly lose when it comes to battery power. With a powerful 5000mAh battery, the ASUS Zenfone Max smartphone is here to help heavy smartphone users on the go.

Zenfone series is one of the popular series by Taiwan-based technology major ASUS which is affordable yet feature rich.

The Rs 9,999 Zenfone Max has 5.5-inch HD IPS display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor, 2GB RAM and runs on Android Marshmallow 6.0.1 operating system.

Here is what works for the device.

Zenfone Max resembles similar looks as previous Zenfone devices from Asus. The device is well constructed, durable and features a gold rim that runs along the body of smartphone, enhancing its look.

The main USP is the 5000mAH battery for those who do not like carrying a power bank. The Power Saver mode helps users manage and extend the battery life even more.

Five battery modes and two smart switches that users can configure to make their own battery optimisation settings help the battery last even longer.

The smartphone also comes with a USB OTG cable that turns the phone into a charger to power up other gadgets, making it a useful everyday companion.

The Zenfone Max with Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz delivered fast and smooth performance, be it playing games or working with productivity apps.

ASUS ZenUI interface on top of Android Marshmallow felt fluidic and is easy to navigate. Apps open up quickly and browsing between these was without any hiccups.

The onboard 32GB storage expandable up to 64GB gives the user ample storage option, making it perfect for storing music, videos, games and other multimedia.

Viewing videos was pleasant and HD IPS display produced good colours and contrast ratios even in darker scenes.

The 13MP rear camera with PixelMaster 2.0 technology and dual-LED flash captured good images that looked great on device. The laser auto-focus technology works well and focuses on an object in as fast as 0.03 second.

The front 5MP shooter is a delight for selfie lovers and 85-degree wide-viewing angle helps get more details into the picture.

The camera app comes with various modes like Manual, Depth of Field, Effect, Miniature, Smart Remove, Time Lapse and Low Light, etc.

The 5000mAh battery easily lasted for two and a half days on mixed usage including social media apps, light gaming and other productivity tools, on a single charge.

What does not work?

Although we liked the HD IPS display, the resolution of 720p for a 5.5-inch screen is low. Other smartphones like Meizu M3 Note, Le 1S Eco in the same price range offer full-HD display.

At this price, a fingerprint sensor would have been appreciated especially when Le 1s Eco and Redmi Note 3 have one -- even affordable smartphones like Coolpad Note 3 Lite are loaded with a fingerprint sensor.

The 5000mAh battery took approximately five hours for a full charge. Once discharged, remember that you need that much time for it to get fully charged. A 'Quick Charge' feature would have been great for such a massive battery.

At 202 grams, the smartphone is bulkier than its competitors.

Conclusion: The Zenfone Max device delivers good overall performance and certainly excels when it comes to battery. The device also has the latest Android Marshmallow which most of us will like to use.

(Anuj Sharma can be contacted at anuj.s@ians.in <mailto:anuj.s@ians.in>)

--IANS

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