2018 was a great year for Taiwan-based smartphone maker Asus and after a huge comeback in budget smartphones category with their Max pro M1 and Max m1, they launched successor of its M series Max pro M2 and Max M2.
With the launch of Zenfone Max M2 in December, it ended the year the same way it started.
Today i will be reviewing the 3+32 GB variant of the Zenfone Max M2 which is priced at Rs 9,999. So, first lets take a look at the specifications of the smartphone.
Technical specifications
6.26-inch IPS LCD (19:9 aspect ratio, 1520 x 720 pixels)
Snapdragon 632 octa core processor
3/4GB RAM, 32/64GB storage (expandable, dedicated slot)
Dual SIM
13MP f1.8 + 2MP dual rear camera, 8MP f2.0 front camera,
4G with VoLTE, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS,
rear fingerprint scanner,
4,000mAh
Android 8.1, 160 grams.
Design and Display
The Zenfone Max M2 sports a metallic rear panel bound by a plastic frame. The matte finish on the metal not only gives the device a premium look but it also feels very solid and comfortable in the hand. Another advantage of the matte finish is, the rear panel attracts very few fingerprints, as a result users can spare those bulky-looking back covers.
Talking about the display, the phone comes with a 6.26inch HD+ IPS Notch display with 1520×720 resolution, 430nits brightness and front 2.5D curved glass. The viewing angles are great and the screen projects great colours.
The phone has the usual buttons on the side that include the volume buttons, power button along with some ports that include the 3.5mm jack on the top with a micro USB port at the bottom, along with a 5-magnet speaker for louder, deeper and less distorted sound effect.
The fingerprint sensor is placed at the rear and is positioned perfectly for the finger to reach and unlock the phone quickly. The dual cameras are positioned vertically on the top left side of the phone above the LED flash.
Performance
As far as performance is concerned, the Zenfone Max M2 comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 Octa-core Processor with Adreno 506 GPU paired with 3GB RAM/32GB storage and 4GB RAM/64GB storage expandable upto 2TB using a MicroSD card.
Device did not show any signs of lagging or heating while multi-tasking or during long sessions of moderate usage, includes calling, browsing and streaming Youtube videos over Wi-Fi. Switching between running apps was smooth, there was no issue in playing full HD videos and we could also play PUBG with medium graphics.
Coming to the UI front, the smartphone runs on stock Android based on Android 8.1 Oreo. The UI is simple, clean and easy to understand. However, the device does come pre-loaded with third-party software such as Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, etc. As this smartphone is based on stock android so Max 2 users will receive Android updates and security patches.
I tested some games such as PUBG andAsphalt 9 on the Max 2. The device ran these games smoothly and fluidly in default settings of game.
Camera
Asus Zenfone Max M2 offers a 13-megapixel primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture at the back. There is also a secondary 2-megapixel depth sensor with LED flash. On the front, there is an 8-megapixel camera with f/2.0 aperture and LED flash for selfies.
Here are some samples which i took using the device in day light and low light conditions.
Lowlight shots are bright enough to view on the device screen and share on social media but they suffer from soft details when viewed in full resolution. The front camera offers similar results. Both rear and front cameras have the same problem — less than adequate portrait mode. A majority of the time, it just did not deliver the desired bokeh effect.
Software and battery
In terms of software department, the Asus Zenfone Max M2 runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with Stock Interface which makes the User Interface of this Device quite Clean and zero bloatwares means good Ram Management.
As far as battery is concerned The Asus Zenfone Max M2 has a massive 4000 mAh non-removable battery which is Usp of this device and which also makes it fall in the category of a budget device under 15,000 INR. The handset takes near two hours to get fully charged.
Is It worth to buy?
If you are looking for a budget device with balanced hardware and software then the Asus zenfone max M2 is a good choice in 10k price segment. The phone is light weight and is easy to handle with one hand. It has enough 4000mAh battery which will give you around 5 days of standby time.
Thats a wrap guys, see you in our next review, till then stay with us for latest tech updates.
