Asus ZenFone Max M2 Review: The Best Phone Under Rs 10,000?
Asus gave u.s.a. an alternative to Xiaomi'southward entry-level Redmi phones with the launch of ZenFone Max M1, equally well every bit the ZenFone Lite L1, just a couple of months ago. And at present the company is out to completely accept over the budget segment. Asus ZenFone Max M2 is already out now, and brings along plenty of notable changes.
The ZenFone Max M2 (starts at Rs 9,999) might have a familiar feel to it, merely it has grown up in terms of the user experience, and is sticking its head out of the entry-level segment. The smartphone is at present powered past a Snapdragon 600-series chipset, features dual rear-cameras, a metal back, and also a massive bombardment, which sees Asus characterization it every bit the "most powerful and feature-laden" in its price bracket.
Well, those are some towering claims and I really wanted to put the ZenFone Max M2 to the test. Asus loaned usa the black variant of this smartphone and I've been using it as a daily driver for the past week, so let's meet if it's a befitting upgrade or not?
ZenFone Max M2: Specifications
Before we step ahead and share my experience with the ZenFone Max M2, permit'due south take a quick peek at the specifications tabular array for the device:
| Dimensions | 158.41 ten 76.28 x 7.7 mm |
|---|---|
| Weight | 160 grams |
| Display | half dozen.26-inch HD+ IPS LCD |
| Processor | Snapdragon 632 |
| RAM | 3/4GB |
| Internal Storage | 32/64GB |
| Rear Cameras | 13MP (f/1.8) + 2MP |
| Front Camera | 8MP (f/two.0) |
| Operating Organisation | Android 8.1 Oreo |
| Battery | 4,000mAh |
| Sensors | Rear-mounted fingerprint, Accelerator, E-Compass, Proximity, Ambience low-cal sensor, Gyroscope |
| Connectivity | WiFi 802.xi b/k/northward, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, 3.5mm sound jack |
| Colors | Blueish and Black |
ZenFone Max M2: What's in the Box
Asus still seems to be figuring out the vibe of its budget smartphone packaging and has grown up from the banal gray and blue artful. The ZenFone Max M2 comes packed inside a slick black paper-thin box, which you tin can slide out to gain access to all the contents listed down below:
- ZenFone Max M2 (Black)
- 10W charging adapter
- microUSB charging cable
- SIM ejector tool
- Clear silicone case
- User Transmission & leaflets
Information technology'due south good to see Asus include a silicone case inside the box as there'south no Gorilla Drinking glass 6 protection on board here every bit is the case with the ZenFone Max Pro M2.
ZenFone Max M2: Design and Build
Right off the bat, when you lot take the ZenFone Max M2 out of the box, you volition see that the smartphone holds an uncanny resemblance to the ZenFone Max Pro M1, in terms of the rear design. The placement of the dual cameras, the fingerprint scanner, and fifty-fifty the location of the Asus branding are identical.
While the ZenFone Max M1 featured the same polycarbonate build with a metallic terminate, it did accept its ain persona, merely the ZenFone Max M2 seems like Asus simply took a tried-and-tested design (ahem! Xiaomi, you know what I'm maxim, right?) and simply added a new display and internals to information technology. However, if you put ZenFone Max M2 next to its predecessor then you'll run into that information technology's much larger insize.
The pattern of ZenFone Max M2 is bland and unexciting but information technology's quite expert for a budget phone in this price segment.
The ZenFone Max M2 justifies the much-popular "Max" characterization with a huge 4,000mAh battery but you'll be surprised at how light the smartphone feels in daily use – just like I am. The device feels extremely calorie-free and is merely comfortable to hold, thanks to its soft and curved edges. It'south a pleasance to use the ZenFone Max M2 and the metallic finish too feels good against your palm, without attracting many fingerprints.
The smartphone has certainly grown in size over its predecessor, which was super handy and allowed i-handed use, and information technology makes reachability an issue on the device. While the power push (which is textured and I love that!) and volume buttons may be within reach, I did notice information technology a bit difficult to access the notifications and quick toggles. The fingerprint scanner placed at the center on the rear is okay-ish. It'south non the fastest I've seen only it gets the job done.
This is a sub-Rs 10,000 smartphone and fifty-fifty though the build might be well-nigh all-plastic with the metallic back beingness the exception, the buttons feel practiced and are quite clicky. Finally, coming to the port selection, yous become a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top and a microUSB charging port on the lesser. No, nosotros've not moved to USB Type-C ports on budget phones yet and won't for some time.
ZenFone Max M2: Display
Another of import aspect of the pattern this year is the inclusion of a notched brandish on Asus' budget smartphones. The ZenFone Max M2 comes with a massive 6.26-inch Hard disk drive+ IPS LCD screen that holds the notch (comes with its own problems), which is slightly larger than the notch we've seen on ZenFone Max Pro M2. I, nevertheless, would've loved to see a waterdrop notch on this upgraded ZenFone Max lineup.
The notch on this smartphone includes a deep-seated earpiece at the heart, which also hides a notification LED, a selfie camera, and a soft LED flash to help you illuminate the scenes in low-light weather condition. There'southward also a huge chin at the bottom – equally it the case in most upkeep phones – without whatever branding, but I don't mind it and have got used to it.
Delving into the display specs, the 6.26-inch screen here has a 1520×720 pixels resolution, a xix:9 aspect ratio, an 88.viii percent screen-to-body ratio, and a ii.5D curved glass cease to circular information technology all up. Different its Pro sibling, the brandish doesn't come up with the latest Gorilla Glass half-dozen protection on peak and you may want to take ameliorate care of the device by using a screen protector and silicone case.
The screen looks pretty competent in almost lighting conditions. Information technology doesn't matter if you're using the device indoors or in broad daylight, the screen is easily legible and the colour reproduction is pretty standard for a budget telephone – which yous can tweak based on your liking from the settings. I didn't come across any display problems over the past week and capeesh the Smart Screen, Night Light, and ambience display features.
ZenFone Max M2: User Interface
The software department is as well where the ZenFone Max M2 brings a notable upgrade (or downgrade, depending on the user) over its predecessor and I, for one, absolutely am in favor of information technology. The ZenFone Max M2 comes with stock Android on board, instead of the company'southward proprietary ZenUI 5.0 that came loaded in its predecessor.
The ZenFone Max M2 runs Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box, which definitely is a lilliputian disappointing for a smartphone launching months after Android Pie went official and is offering a pure feel. Asus, however, vows to deliver the Pie update by the end of January 2019, which should come equally a relief.
Opting for a clean and bloat-free feel on its budget smartphones seemed to have worked for Asus earlier this year and the visitor is sticking to its guns with its newest lineup. It may, still, be a setback for users who like custom Android skins like MIUI and EMUI for the myriad of add-on features. Asus has non fabricated any tweaks to the clean feel and information technology's the way I prefer information technology. Of course, you are very likely to find third-party apps to add together the features y'all might miss from Zen UI.
I, however, think that the company seems to be having a tough time with optimizing the Oreo stock UI for the notch cutout as the icons – the network bars and call profile icons – usually aren't visible fully, and a portion of those are hidden under the notch itself. Information technology surely comes every bit a huge distraction, with added frustration, but it's zero a future OTA update cannot fix.
At that place'due south besides a positive thing I would similar to bespeak out. Asus seems to be listening to the users, taking their feedback into account every bit a minor modify to the camera UI has been introduced to further simplify the feel. The UI is withal a fleck intimidating, with HDR, Pro and even a night mode toggle buried in the peak bar, and that makes changing to those modes a bit sluggish.
Overall, the software experience is simplistic and i surely cannot go wrong with a stock Android interface.
ZenFone Max M2: Functioning
The Asus ZenFone Max M2 is the second smartphone to exist powered by a Snapdragon 632 chipset to get in in India, and it'south a notable upgrade over the 400-series chipsets that are seen in as most sub-Rs 10,000 phones. It's coupled with two RAM and internal storage configurations, i.east a 3GB+32GB variant and a higher-end 4GB+64GB variant.
I've been using the lower-end variant of the ZenFone Max M2 for the past week and my experience has been quite informal, with nigh no stutters or lag beyond the board. It could exist credited to the stock Android experience and no bloatware on lath. The device can handle most task thrown at it comfortably, with multitasking and RAM management never being of any concern.
The 3GB RAM is enough and doesn't seem to be creating a bottleneck in daily apply, but I expect the 4GB RAM to offer an even fluid feel. The ZenFone Max M2 doesn't go very hot while using or charging, which is surely a plus.
Turning our attention togaming functioning on the ZenFone Max M2, which is disquisitional these days, all thanks to the popularity of PUBG Mobile, I found the phone to stand its ground and extend a more than satisfactory feel. I take adopted a slightly dissimilar approach than the typical chatter about how unlike games perform on this smartphone and provide a better insight into FPS and RAM usage.
I started off my gaming analysis with coincidental, not-so-taxing games including Supercell's latest release Brawl Stars and my personal favorite Guns of Boom. Both the multiplayer games, every bit per GameBench, didn't cake a ton of RAM and offered a stable 58fps and 30fps throughout. I tried bumping up Guns of Boom upward to 60fps only noticed multiple frame drops during my fights, so I had to plough it back to 30fps for a smoother experience.
I so moved on to the heavier and more taxing games including Asphalt Extreme and PUBG Mobile, of class. I only completed a couple of laps on the former to know that I really am not that good at racing games, and that 30fps and 600MB of RAM usage is needed to smoothly run this title.
PUBG Mobile, on the other hand, is a lot more demanding. Even though it takes the depression setting past default, the ZenFone Max M2 was able to handle the title at medium graphics without affecting the fun multiplayer experience. I got a stable 25fps during a friction match, with almost 700MB RAM usage and a battery drain of xiv percent an hour – which sounds decent enough.
1 could notice pocket-sized jitters and frame drops on both of these games, but information technology doesn't hamper the overall experience in whatever way.
ZenFone Max M2: Benchmarks
While the performance has been pretty great for me over the past week, here's a quick peek at the benchmark scores for those interested in numbers. I offset ran Geekbench 4 benchmarks, with single and multi-core scores continuing at 1257 and 4809 respectively.
I then moved on to AnTuTu Benchmark but was unable to download the companion 3D Bench, which was shown as incompatible for the phone. I'yard not entirely certain what the issue there was as sideloading the APK allowed me to run the criterion app without any hiccups. You tin check out a screenshot of the scores right here:
These scores are higher than those we've seen on the Honor 8C, which I'd reviewed final month, fifty-fifty though both the devices are powered by the Snapdragon 632 chipset. The college scores of the ZenFone Max M2 bear witness that its performance of this smartphone should be more optimized simply I didn't detect any significant difference in daily use.
ZenFone Max M2: Cameras
Asus ZenFone Max M2 comes equipped with a dual rear camera module, which packs a 13MP (f/1.8) principal photographic camera with a 1.12micron pixel size, paired with a secondary 2MP depth sensor. The rear camera module comes with PDAF, too as EIS support. There's besides an 8MP selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture, and 1.12-micron pixel size on lath.
While that does audio exciting, the cameras on the ZenFone Max M2 are pretty average. We expect them to become better with fourth dimension as Asus will be rolling out support for AI scene and object recognition with upcoming updates. Overall, the pictures captured using this smartphone are a little oversaturated, lack detail, blows out the highlights, and the photographic camera app has issues with focus and completely stops working at times, which can become frustrating actually before long.
Well, for an in-depth take on the ZenFone Max M2 cameras, y'all tin can check out all the samples and my experience down beneath:
ZenFone Max M2 Camera Samples: Daylight Photos
The daylight photos captured using the ZenFone Max M2 are pretty decent and that'due south all. They have good color reproduction, offers you lot enough particular to come across the social media needs, and looks quite crisp when viewed on this smartphone's HD screen. The dynamic range isn't that not bad and one shouldn't await Redmi-grade captures. All your photos, though, may non come up out as expected equally the Max M2 has some bug with locking focus.
ZenFone Max M2 Camera Samples: Low-light Photos
The depression-light performance of the ZenFone Max M2 is quite skillful and I really similar how the dual rear-cameras can capture a ton of light, and bring out the colours even in quite dim conditions. The images do await to be a tad scrap on the softer side but it tin be fixed via an OTA update. Check out the tiger, timepiece and the lamp perspective moving-picture show fastened below to see what I'grand maxim:
ZenFone Max M2 Camera Samples: Selfies
The 8MP selfie camera on board is decent enough for its price. You lot shouldn't exist expecting much from the ZenFone Max M2 in this section as the selfies look good in daylight, as well every bit low-light atmospheric condition. At that place'south a decent corporeality of detail, practiced color reproduction just the photographic camera suffers from overexposure and soft photos in artificial lighting.
ZenFone Max M2 Camera Samples: Portrait Mode
ZenFone Max M2 offers portrait mode photography via both the front end and rear camera. It offers proficient border detection and groundwork separation, while adding a decent amount of mistiness to the shot, but I noticed a considerable amount of softening on the edges. The photos also seem to lack detail in some cases, while the photographic camera shines in others. The portrait mode is works in low-light conditions as well.
ZenFone Max M2 Camera Samples: Videos
Like its elder brother, the ZenFone Max M2 is capable of recording videos of upwards to 4K resolution and it'south awesome to come across Asus include the same in this budget smartphone. If you take a look at the 4K sample recording beneath, you lot volition meet that the color reproduction and sharpness are good but there's stabilization beingness used here. The EIS kicks in during 1080p video recording.
Equally for the videos captured in 1080p, well, this is where the EIS on board comes into play and the recording instantly looks a lot smoother. The colors and sharpness are all intact her also, and Asus has actually done a great job to offer you stabilization at this cost point. Check out the 1080p video recording here:
ZenFone Max M2: Sound and Telephony
Similar most smartphone these days, Asus has also included only a unmarried bottom-firing speaker on the ZenFone Max M2 and the output is actually loud and articulate. Only like the ZenFone Max Pro M2, the smartphone also comes with a 5-magnet speaker and the NXP SmartAmp technology in tow and it makes a ton of difference.
The speaker output is super loud when compared to other smartphones in its price range and offers a balanced audio, with proficient treble, song clarity, but low bass, which may not be enough to delight virtually users. The smartphone offers 15 book steps, which is pretty decent, and the music output is pretty loud, in my opinion, even at 50-threescore percent.
The 3.5mm headphone jack at the top is also said to offer better sound quality and it was evident in my daily usage, but found it to be dependent on the earphones I was using as well, which is a given.
Coming to the telephony part, well, the earpiece on the ZenFone Max M2 also gets quite loud and the audio quality is pretty decent. The call quality has regularly been great and the callers were able to hear me clearly, with low groundwork dissonance.
ZenFone Max M2: Connectivity
Most phone brands nowadays are starting to understand what the consumer really wants out of their smartphones and Asus knows information technology well. This is the reason the company has also included a triple-slot tray on the left border, allowing you to use 2 micro-SIM cards and one microSD menu (storage expandable up to 2TB) at the same fourth dimension.
I have been using both of my SIM cards, Reliance Jio and Airtel, with Asus ZenFone Max M2 for the past calendar week and I believe at that place wasn't whatever fourth dimension when I faced an effect with the connectivity. The network bars were always standing tall and the VoLTE icons for both of my SIMs reassured me of the dual VoLTE connectivity on lath. The reception is also good and you won't face any bug in this department.
Further, you go the regular gear up of connectivity options including Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/due north, Wi-Fi Straight, Bluetooth 4.2, A-GPS, GLONASS, and more than. There'southward no NFC or other college-terminate connectivity options on board.
Just similar its elder brother, the ZenFone Max M2 too doesn't pack in support for 5GHz wireless connectivity and tin merely connect to two.4GHz networks. This indicates that you lot won't exist able to accomplish loftier network speeds and that's a bit disappointing. Otherwise, I didn't face whatever connexion issues and got consistent download/upload speeds at home, too as the Beebom office.
ZenFone Max M2: Bombardment Life
The bombardment, usually a big factor in the device's weight, doesn't add to the majority despite the big capacity. Itis obviously one of the primary highlights of ZenFone Max M2. The phone includes a massive 4,000mAh battery pack and information technology easily lasts the entire mean solar day on a single charge. I wasn't able to burn through the battery completely even subsequently a long and tiring day at piece of work.
The ZenFone Max M2 usually delivered v-six hours of screen-on time while I was using the smartphone, which saw me talking on the phone, enjoying videos on YouTube to and from the function, sneaking in a game or PUBG Mobile and more than. I ordinarily witnessed the device with twenty-30 percent charge left even subsequently the heavy workload, which is impressive, to say the to the lowest degree.
Talking most the charging aspect of the ZenFone Max M2, Asus has bundled a 10W (5V, 2A) charger in the box and information technology enables fast charging on this smartphone. It'southward not as fast as something like Quick Accuse 3.0 but information technology'southward decent enough for the price point.
The ZenFone Max M2 goes from being totally dead to fifty percent charge in under an 60 minutes, which is okay if you plug the phone in time before going out. It takes the device about 2 hours and 37 minutes to become fully juiced upwardly, I'm actually happy with the battery life on the ZenFone Max M2 and information technology justifies the Max moniker.
ZenFone Max M2: Pros and Cons
Finally, nosotros have made it to the verdict section of the ZenFone Max M2 review and if you want to know whether information technology's a smartphone worth ownership, then there's no thinking twice since my answer is surely a large fat – Get FOR It!! Asus ZenFone Max M2 not simply retains the essence of its predecessor, also as the Max series, but likewise brings along a ton of considerable improvements.
The ZenFone Max M2 (starts at Rs nine,999) features a well-known artful, that has now been paired with a massive display with a not-and then-massive notch.
The choice to offer a stock Android experience, with almost no bloatware and ads over its proprietary ZenUI is likewise noteworthy for users looking to buy a reliable upkeep smartphone in the sub-Rs 10,000 price segment.
Like its elder brother, the ZenFone Max M2 is also out here to kill its closest Redmi rival, the Redmi 5 (starts at Rs 9,990) and Redmi Note 5 (starts at Rs 10,999), which already didn't sell also well in the market. I'd choice ZenFone Max M2 over those two whatsoever day for the larger and better brandish, huge bombardment, and stock UI.
Information technology'southward probably the smartphone to buy if you're on a strict Rs ten,000 budget.
Nevertheless, if y'all have a little leeway in your spending upkeep and won't heed doling out a couple k bucks extra, so at that place are endless possibilities for the user in the mid-upkeep segment. You can certainly get for ZenFone Max M2'due south elderberry brother, ZenFone Max Pro M2 (starts at Rs 12,999), which is an awesome device, or y'all tin can option between the Redmi Note 6 Pro (starts at Rs 13,999) and the Realme U1 (starts at Rs 11,999) as well.
PROS:
-
- Extremely light
- Not a fingerprint magnet
- Good daily operation
- PUBG Mobile runs smoothly
- Stock Android feel
- Pretty loud speaker
- Long-lasting battery
CONS:
- Average cameras
- Unoptimized notch
- Boring charging
SEE ALSO: Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 Review: The All-time Upkeep Smartphone to Buy?
Asus ZenFone Max M2 Review: The Best Phone Under Rs x,000?
To circular everything up, 1 could obviously encounter that Asus ZenFone Max M2 is not only a worthy upgrade over its predecessor, but tin can be nevertheless some other ZenFone smartphone to pose a tough fight to the Redmi phones.
The ZenFone Max M2 is no longer a compact and teensy smartphone merely sports a well-known artful, a modernistic notched brandish, a pure and stock Android experience, and massive battery. These are all the features that should be enough to convince yous that ZenFone Max M2 is a powerhouse just the cameras are yet again a compromise here, something which Xiaomi never seems to have.
All said, I believe Asus has managed to develop a reputation in the budget segment and the ZenFone Max M2 lives upwards to that hype. What are your opinions on the ZenFone Max M2? Exercise let us know in the comments down beneath.
Buy ZenFone Max M2 from Flipkart (starts at Rs 9,999)
| REVIEW OVERVIEW | |
| Design And Build 8 | |
| Display nine | |
| User Interface 8.5 | |
| Functioning ix | |
| Cameras seven | |
| Telephony and Audio 8.v | |
| Connectivity ix | |
| Battery Life viii.5 | |
| Value for Money 9.v | |
| SUMMARY Asus ZenFone Max M2 is non only a worthy upgrade over its predecessor, and is notwithstanding some other ZenFone smartphone that brings the estrus to the Redmi competition. The ZenFone Max M2 looks functional, has a modernistic notched display, brings a stock Android experience, too a massive battery. All of these plus points and the crawly cost, make this smartphone is a winner for Asus! | eight.6 OVERALL SCORE |
Source: https://beebom.com/asus-zenfone-max-m2-review/
Posted by: shueylits1999.blogspot.com
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