Buddy Refuelling – Asus Zenfone Max (2016)

Asus Zenfone’s confusing the Taiwanese company offer good value for money to consumers. Take the Zenfone Max, for instance. The phone found its audience with its large 5000mAh battery. Asus has now updated the same device with an upgraded processor, option of more RAM and expanded storage. This month,  we take a look at the new Zenfone Max to see if it’s worth the extra spend. Design and Build Quality The new Zenfone Max looks very similar to the older one in design from the front, but it’s the little nuances that sets this device apart from the predecessor. The phone now has metal-like sides, comes with a faux-leather back inish and more importantly, has become colourful! While the black-coloured version, is of course, still around, Asus is selling the phone in blue and orange as well. Our  colour of choice is black here but hey, that’s just us! Key Features This Asus works on Android 6.0 platform and uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor (2 x quad-core processors clocked at 1.5 and 1.2 MHz) with Adreno 405 GPU. The device has 2GB RAM and 32GB ROM (24.2GB to be precise). In addition to this, Asus provides you 5GB free lifetime ASUS WebStorage. The device has expandable memory up to 64 GB (microSD). The device supports dual Micro SIM with both supporting 2G, 3G and 4G and on Dual SIM, Dual Stand-by. The phone uses a 5.5-inch, HD 1280×720, IPS display. The rear camera is a 12.6 megapixel model that provides a native resolution of 4096 x 3072 pixels. The camera combines a dualcolour real tone lash and the lens has an f/2.0 aperture. Other features of this camera are Back Light (HDR) mode with ASUS PixelEnhancing Technology, Low Light mode with ASUS PixelMaseter Technology, Manual Mode for DSLR-like image detail, Real Time Beautiication, Autofocus, Wide View, LED Flash, f/2.0 aperture, PixelMaster, Panorama mode, Time Rewind and Smart Remove. The front camera uses a 5.0megapixel sensor and has a native resolution of 2592 x 1944 pixels. This camera offers modes such as Real Time Beautiication, Autofocus, Wide View, f/2.0 aperture, PixelMaster, Zero Shutter Lag, Night mode, Selie mode, Photo Effects, Time Lapse, Wide-angle lens, Selie Panorama (up to 140 ˚), HDR mode and GIF animation. The Zenfone Max is powered by a 5000 mAh Li-Polymer (non-removable) battery. The phone measures 77.5 x 156 x 10.55 mm (WxDxH) and weighs 202g. Ergonomics The Zenfone Max is the size of a phablet and hence slightly larger than an average smartphone. The device is thick with a textured back panel. The Zen UI is the same as any Asus smartphones and quite user-friendly. The buttons are thin and lined up on the right hand side on the bezel. We found it comfortable to handle, and the grip was really good.