Asus Zenfone Max M1 and Lite L1: Capable performers in budget phone segment

Taiwanese smartphone brand Asus has a slim portfolio of smartphones across segments. Unlike most of its Chinese counterparts, the company launched only a couple of devices this year – the Zenfone Max Pro M1 (review) in the budget segment and the Zenfone 5Z (review) in the midrange segment. With festive-season sales in sight, Asus recently launched the Zenfone Max M1 and Zenfone Lite L1 budget smartphones at Rs 8,999 and 6,999, respectively.

Though these Flipkart-exclusive devices have the same screen size, processor and design, they have different camera modules and battery. The Zenfone L1 Lite, being the more cost-effective one, also trades off some other features of its premium counterpart, such as the fingerprint sensor for unlocking the phone and reverse battery charging.

Business Standard reviewed the Zenfone Max M1 and Zenfone Lite L1 to test how these devices fare in day-to-day operations. Here are our observations:

Design and display

The Zenfone Max M1 and Zenfone Lite L1 have curved unibody designs with a metallic finish. While the Max M1 has curved sides that give it a more uniform appeal, the Lite L1 has arch-shaped sides, which makes it somewhat pointed from the edges. Though the phones look identical on the front, the curved glass on top of the screen in the Max M1 feels better in terms of operability, compared to the flat glass in the Lite L1.

Both the phones have 5.45-inch screens of an HD+ resolution, stretched in a tall 18:9 aspect ratio. The display covers most of the front but leaves huge bezels on the top and bottom. Although, the top bezel area is utilised by accommodating the earpiece, sensors, front camera and a front-facing LED flash, the bottom bezel is left unused. It would have been better of the company had used this space for capacitive navigation keys.

Apart from aesthetics, the display in both the phones is vibrant and the touch response is optimal. The screen remains visible under direct sunlight and has a good contrast and saturation. The HD+ resolution on the 5.45-inch screen estate is also satisfactory, if not class-leading. Even as other smartphones in the same segment are shifting to the fullHD resolution, Asus’ decision to stick to HD+ makes sense, as it reduces load on the processor and that is evident while using the device.

Overall, the devices feel light and comfortable in the pocket and in hand. You would not need both your hands to operate it.

Performance

The smartphones boot Android Oreo under the ZenUI 5 skin. Among the pros of the software, the user interface looks cleaner and more polished than previous versions of the skin. More than cosmetic ones, the new skin sheds bloatware to a great extent and comes loaded with just two third-party apps – Facebook and Messenger. The pre-installed apps from Asus have also reduced to a bare minimum, making the user interface light and swift.

Both phones are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 system-on-chip, paired with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage in the Lite L1, and 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage in the Max M1. While the processor is no powerhouse, it has enough muscle to keep these devices going without any glitch or lag. In regular use, we did notice a little lag sometimes but nothing major to ruin the experience. Being budget smartphones with an entry-level processor, these phones are optimised to deliver sleek performance in day-to-day operations.

Camera

This is one area where the two smartphones use modules of different configurations. Though both have a 13-megapixel primary lens of an f/2.0 aperture and 1.12micron pixel size, the Max M1 has an 8MP selfie unit and the Lite L1 has a 5MP selfie unit. The 8MP selfie lens in the Max M1 has the same aperture and micron pixel size as its primary camera. However, the 5MP selfie lens in the Lite L1 has f/2.4 aperture and 1.12micron pixel size.

The primary 13MP rear camera in both the phones has phase detection auto-focus (PDAF), which works optimally in good light conditions. Though the primary camera unit is same in both phones, it works differently in the Max M1 and Lite L1. The Max M1 works well in most cases, whereas the Lite L1 shows flickers, especially in closed environments like cabins.

The primary camera is on a par with what other smartphones in the same segment offer. In day light, the camera shoots images with good details, sharpness and contrast. There are features like the HDR mode, portrait mode and panorama that give more flexibility to the user to explore and experiment. The addition of the beauty mode and live beauty mode makes it suitable for social media enthusiasts.

The 8MP front camera in the Max M1 captures more details than the 5MP selfie lens in the Lite L1. Both the cameras also support the portrait mode. However, the segmentation is not up to the mark and the photos come out with unfiltered bokeh effects. In day light, the front camera on both phones works well but the quality takes a beating during low-light conditions.

Battery

Powering the Max M1 and Lite L1 are 4,000 mAh and 3,000 mAh batteries, respectively. Both smartphones stay up for more than one day on normal usage with light browsing, an hour of YouTube video streaming, calls and WhatsApp messaging. Battery charging times for both phones is unnecessarily long. Though the Max M1 comes with a 10W charger, the Lite L1 has a 5W. The former still takes more than two hours to power-up the battery from zero to 100 per cent. The Lite L1 battery charging time varies between 2 and 3 hours.

Verdict

The Asus Zenfone Max M1 and Zenfone Lite L1 are capable budget smartphones with something in store for everyone. The Lite L1 performs as good as the Max M1, but has a less capable front camera and a battery of a lower capacity. The Max M1, on the other hand, is a complete package with strengths across areas.