Ever since Taiwanese electronics-maker Asus threw its hat in the ring in the country’s smartphone market a few years ago, we’ve seen a flurry of phones from them across price segments. Some have missed the mark, while some others have managed to hit it. A lot of what Asus has done includes focussing on a particular smartphone trait — like camera, selfies, battery, even AR and VR — and launch a phone or an entire range sometimes around it. The flagship-grade Zenfone AR, the budget Zenfone Live that focussed on social media, are some examples.

So when the company announced the Zenfone Max Pro M1, it did get our attention. Because given the spec sheet, it looked an all-rounder on a budget. When we speak of ‘budget all-rounders’, Xiaomi and Motorola come to mind, and now Honor is vying for some attention and market share in the space as well. Typically, such phones boast a decent performance and memory, a good camera set, and a battery that can last a day with regular use.

The Zenfone Max Pro M1 ticks those boxes, and it does so at a very good price. It’s also evident that this phone is taking on the likes of the hugely popular Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro. The phone comes in two variants — 3 GB RAM and 32 GB memory, 4 GB and 64 GB. We received the 4 GB RAM variant to review.

Full, rounded figure

It isn't exactly light, and that can be excused, given that it houses a 5,000 mAh battery. It is also slightly thick but that’s something we liked, given the thin phones that feel flimsy to hold currently flooding the market. The well-rounded edges along with the tall-boy design makes for a pleasant overall effect. The sim tray on the left is rather long when ejected and that is because it has a dedicated micro-SD slot apart from two others for nano-SIMs. Again, a nice touch. The volume rockers and power button are on the right.

An 18:9 aspect ratio is now a necessity and the Max Pro M1 has it too. The bezels on the top and bottom lose width but aren’t entirely gone and this is a breath of fresh air given how everyone is doing away with them. There is no notch on this phone and again, we’re thankful for it. The back is smooth and prone to smudges. The fingerprint sensor is towards the top and easy to reach and the dual camera set and flash gets a vertical orientation — another current design fad. The camera bump is ever so slight and hence can stay protected from scratches.

The display is vibrant and clear, with a large 5.99-inch screen and a resolution of 1080x2160 p. It is easy to view even under direct sunlight. It also gets a night mode that tints the screen to make it easy on the eye.

Specs, software, performance

The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 chipset, which is becoming the go-to processor for mid-range offerings. This chipset, along with 4 GB of RAM, meant a largely glitch-free performance. Daily-use apps shouldn’t give you any trouble and you can go ahead and put that impressive display to use with some long game time and the phone takes all of it with hardly any protests. In our use, we didn’t experience any heating up either, apart from the usual warmth.

The loudspeaker is actually loud and can fill a small room up. But it can get jarring at really high volumes and an external speaker or a headset is still recommended when listening to music or watching something. The fold-out cardboard phone stand included in the box is interesting and is supposed to help channel sound better, but we didn’t find too much of a difference.

Battery life is long, as is expected given its size. But you’d still expect a tad more from it, especially when gaming and during video playback. The phone said “rapid charging” when plugged in and took over three hours to go to full charge. If you aren’t a heavy user, it’ll last you easily over a day and more.

Kudos to Asus for finally getting rid of all the bloatware that plagued their phones. This one runs on Android 8.1 and is pretty much stock android, apart from Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and the Go2Pay app. This ensures a smoother, much-less confusing performance.

Camera

The rear dual camera set-up consists of a 13 MP, f/2.2 lens along with a 5 MP, f/2.4 lens to give you that depth effect. We used the camera at different points in the day — bright afternoon sunlight, soft pre-twilight, and night as well as indoors. In bright daylight and even in soft lighting outdoors, it more than held its own. Colours are vibrantly reproduced and images are sharp. Even the depth effect does okay and makes for nice portraits. However, the camera interface is a little cumbersome and very busy, and it could take you a while to get the hang of the numerous settings and how to get to them. Video recording is decent, but focus can be slightly all over the place. Pictures taken at night aren’t bad, but are also within the limitations of a camera on a budget phone — noise, some blurring, dull spots, etc.

The 8 MP selfie shooter is good for the job and is a typical Asus front camera, with beautification features and a front flash. It even has a depth effect mode, and this is mostly a gimmick but a fun one, at that.

At its price, the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 is a very compelling offering. And for those looking for something apart from a Xiaomi or without the patience for its availability, makes for a good buy.

Price: ₹10,999 (3 GB),

₹12,999 (4 GB)

Pros: Smooth performance, good display, impressive specs, good battery life, almost stock Android

Cons: Cluttered camera app, heavy, jarring speaker at loud volume

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