On the looks department, Zenfone Max Pro M1 follows the design aesthetics of Max M1. Featuring executive minimalist style measuring at 6.25 inches in height, 2.99 width inches and in 0.33 inches diameter, still one of Slimmest Smartphones with 5000mAh Battery.
On the bottom of the phone lies its all the necessary ports like MicroUSB, 3.5mm Audio Jack and its Speakers. For the sides, right host the volume rocker and power/lock button while on the left you will find the sim and memory card tray. There's a pinhole which is for noise cancellation mic at the top of the device. It has combination of metal and polycarbonate in matte finish for solid built, heat dissipation and signal reception.
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| Zenfone Max Pro M1 Port Placements |
Front and center is its 6 inch 18:9 Full HD+ (2160 x 1080) IPS Display for which is just the right size for entertainment and gaming. It is bright and has good color reproduction for RGB but we find white is on the warm side. Topped with 2.5D Curved Corning Glass for scratch resistance and durability.
Powering the Zenfone Max Pro M1 is Snapdraon 636 14nm Processor which was specially design for performance and efficiency. Matched with Adreno 509 GPU, 3GB RAM and 32GB Internal Storage with dedicated MicroSD card slot for storage expansion, the smartphone was ready for action while keeping its cool with heavy use with multitasking, gaming, data and tethering at the same time. Yeah, we did that and it ran flawless Pure Android 8.0 Oreo with no hiccups. For games, heavy or online, this smartphone won't disappoint you as can run nearly every popular game titles even on high settings. Here is Antutu Benchmark and Stress Test for technical reference.
Comes with near complete connectivity from WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and 4G LTE for both sims with dedicated slots. Yet it uses still uses MicroUSB for charging and data transfers. Reverse charging is supported via USB-OTG. Signal Strength is very good considering my apartment has limited signal from network providers. Sensors is also complete and supports VR games.
As for camera, it is decent but has a learning curved to it since it uses Snapdragon Camera rather than the popular PixelMaster Camera. No Pro Mode here which is a bummer since even old zenfone model had one. Rear camera (13MP + 5MP for depth sensing) produce decent outputs in good lighting conditions but in low light details are washout. What I like though is its clean bokeh for depth of field mode. Focusing is a hit and miss sometimes as it is clear via screen but not the output. The 8MP Front camera takes acceptable results.
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| Daylight Landscape |
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| Foreground | Background |
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| Closeup | Detail |
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| Night | Low Light |
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| Depth Of Field |
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| Selfie | Depth of Field |
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| Groufie |
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| Snapdragon Camera |
If you are an avid Zenfone Fan, for sure you will miss ZenUI for its customization as Zenfone Max Pro M1 runs on Pure Android Oreo. With lesser apps to worry about, it is speedy, responsive and optimize for better battery life. Asus did made sure it has popular features like gesture controls, night light and facial and fingerprint security features. Oh it is said that it will be updated to Android P and Q.
To compliment its entertainment qualities, Asus made sure it has powerful audio as they equipped the Zenfone Max Pro M1 with NXT Amplifier and 5-magnet speakers. Stunning visuals deserves complimenting immersive sound.
Finally, Battery... Zenfone Max Pro M1 carries a Massive 5000mAH Battery. Charges more or less 3 hours to full via rapid charging feature as Asus calls it "Flash Charge". We gone true heavy usage as we played PUBG with Data On, Tethering On plus Facebook and Messaging on the side and got at least 5 Hours of juice. With Data and Tethering only, at least 15 hours as it acted as our main internet connection. With limited or moderate usage, it can last days and when the time has come to charge, we forgot where we kept the charger lol
To conclude, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 is a gaming powerhouse fit for entertainment and heavy use. I would recommend this for Gamers as it can run every game they want to play with lagless and long hours of gameplay. Best for those who need a smartphone that can last for days on a single charge. Definitely, this is the new Battery King to beat with performance and efficient Snapdragon 636, Entertainment-grade Visuals and Sounds and Massive 5000mAh battery.
So What you Think Geeks?
It is now up for Pre-Order starting price of 9,995 Pesos! Pre-Order Started on June 8, 2018 and ends on June 25, 2018 exclusively with Lazada Philippines. See Here:
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| Pre-Order Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M1) |
ZenFone Max Pro (M1) (ZB602KL) Specs:
Pure Android™ 8.1 Oreo™
Upgradeable to Android P and Q...
6 inch Full HD+ (2160 by 1080) 18:9 Full View IPS Display
Front 2.5D curved glass display
Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 636 Mobile Platform with 14nm, 64-bit Octa-core Processor
Adreno™ 509
LPDDR4X 3GB
eMCP 5.1 32GB Internal storage
Expandable via dedicated MicroSD card supports up to 2TB
Google Drive 100GB free space (1 year)
13MP PDAF F/2.0 Main Rear Camera
LED flash
5MP Second Rear Camera
For depth sensing - Portrait mode
8MP Front Camera
Up to 26mm equivalent focal length in 35mm film camera
85° field of view
Softlight LED flash
Face Recognition unlock
Video Recording
4K UHD (3840 by 2160) video recording for main rear camera
1080p FHD video recording at 30 / 60 fps
720p HD video recording at 30 fps
Dual SIM Dual Standby
4G LTE Cat5 / HSPA+ / 3G / 2G
WLAN 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz
Bluetooth 5.0, HID
GPS, AGPS, GLO, BDS
NFC (market dependent)
MicroUSB port
Sensor
Rear fingerprint sensor, Accelerator, Gyroscope, E-Compass, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor
Audio:
5-magnet loudspeaker
Audio Output
PMIC internal NXP smart amplifier
Microphone
Dual microphones with ASUS Noise Reduction Technology
FM Receiver
FM radio
3.5mm audio jack
Battery
5000mAh capacity with Fast charging (0-100% in 2 hours 42 minutes)
Quoted:
Up to 35 days of 4G standby
Up to 42 hours of 3G talk time
Up to 12 hours of gaming
Up to 20 hours of YouTube playback
Up to 28 hours Wi-Fi web browsing
Power Adapter
Output: 5V 2A 10W
Dimensions:159mm (6.25 inches) x 76mm (2.99 inches) x 8.45mm (0.33 inches)
Weight: 180 grams (6.34 ounces)
Color: Meteor Silver, Deepsea Black
