A few weeks back Asus has announced its two new devices in the Indian smartphone market. We are happy to see that how Asus is leisurely occupying the budget smartphone market with its devices. The handset about which we will be discussing today is a sibling to the preexisting Zenfone Max Pro M1. In terms of specs and features on paper, this device falls below the Max Pro M1. The budget smartphone market is always hot. Almost every week a new smartphone appears which is claimed to dominate the market. This time as well it is filled with a lot of options from multiple brands.
In our today’s story, we will be checking out that how the new Zenfone Max M1 stands against the competition. Asus with its new budget segment devices is targeting the consumers who are generally influenced by brands like Xiaomi. Being a cutdown variant of Zenfone Max Pro M1, you may have to sacrifice a little when it comes to performance and experience. So without making any further delay let’s check out the review of Zenfone Max M1.
Design and Display
If you are familiar to the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 then this thing will appear similar to you. The in-hand feel of the smartphone is identical to what its Pro version offers. Zenfone Max M1 has been constructed by primarily employing the plastic material. The device measures at 8.7mm and weighs roughly around 150 grams. It has volume rockers and power button in the right while on the left you will get a SIM tray. The device has a 3.5mm jack on the top whereas bottom remains occupied by a USB 2.0 charging port and a single speaker. Zenfone Max M1 houses a 5.45(inch) HD+ IPS Display with a resolution of 1440 x 720 pixels, 16:10 aspect ratio. The display has huge bezels which are kinda okay considering its price tag. The panel is sharp, however, you may face some difficulty in direct sunlight.
Cameras
Asus Zenfone Max M1 offers a single 13MP snapper in the rear with Aperture f/2.0, PDAF, LED Flash whereas in the front a single 8MP selfie shooter is provided with Aperture f/2.0 as well. The Camera application on the device looks quite identical to what we have seen on the existing Asus devices. It offers all basic functions including Beautify, Time Lapse, Panorama, HDR, Portrait Mode, etc. Pictures taken in lit condition looks good whereas in zooming you witness lack of details. The focusing algorithm also performs poor at times. HDR shots were better than normal and in portrait mode the edge detection was disappointing. The condition got worse in the low light conditions and we must say that camera quality could be improved. The same story continues for the front camera as well, camera quality in overall is good but could be better. The device can record videos up to 1080p resolution at 30FPS.
Performance
Asus Zenfone Max M1 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430(64 bit) Octa-Core processor clocked at 1.4Ghz. The device offers an Adreno 505 GPU coupled with 3GB of RAM for multi-tasking. The device feels rapid in a day to day tasks and will hardly show any sign of lagging. A user will easily be able to perform casual multi-tasking. When it comes to raw performance, benchmarks, and gaming the device doesn’t perform as expected. The device has scored around 58,000 in Antutu, 672(Single-Core) and 2484(Multi-Core) in Geekbench. The scores are disappointing and so as the gaming performance. Even in the low graphics settings, PUBG Mobile shows noticeable frame drops. Games like Asphalt 9 Legends are simply not playable on it. In our tests, the Fingerprint Scanner and Face Unlock both performed well.
Battery and Miscellaneous
Asus has provided a 4000mAh battery inside the Zenfone Max M1 which is great. There are a number of battery saving modes which will help you get more out of your smartphone. The battery life of the device is one of its strongest features. The device on a single charge will get you through a day battery life easily. The handset comes with all essential connectivity options including Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth v4.0, FM Radio, Android 8.0 Oreo, OTG support, etc.
Conclusion
Asus Zenfone Max M1 is a great smartphone for the price, however, it falls short in some departments like performance when compared to its rival Redmi 6. Zenfone Max M1 comes in two color variants Black and Gold. The handset is priced at INR 8,999 and can be easily purchased through Flipkart. If your major concern is performance and camera then we would suggest you avoiding the Zenfone Max M1 and going with the Redmi 6. However, if battery life and overall presence of the device matters to you then sticking to the Zenfone Max M1 would be a great step.
