Asus had launched another variant of the Zenfone Max, the new Asus Zenfone Max that houses an octa core processor, running Marshmallow out of the box and comes with non-removable 5000 mAh battery. Read this Zenfone Max review to know more.
Zenfone Max octa core unboxing
Inside the box you will find the handset, data cable, OTG cable, user guide, warranty card and travel charger 5.2V / 1A. Earphone is not included. SAR Value : 0.454 W/Kg (head) and 0.274 W/Kg (body).
Design, Display and OS
The Zenfone Max (octa core) is similar to the older Zenfone Max (quad core). Design, built quality is the same. This handset is using a plastic body with a metallic finishing on the sides and on the back there is leather type texture.
Handset is comfortable to hold though it is heavy at about 202 grams (with battery). Dimensions are 77.46 x over 154 x 10.27 (mm). Power button and volume rocker is on the right side, audio jack is on the top and mic + micro USB port is at the bottom. Speaker vents are on the rear side and this handset comes with dual Mics for noise cancellation.
There are dual SIM slots and a separate micro SD card slot. You can use 2 micro SIMS with 4G support.
Max comes with LED notification and following sensors – Accelerometer, light, proximity and magnetic.
Asus Zenfone Max Octa core sports a 5.5 inch screen TFT screen supporting 1280 x 720 pixels (HD) resolution. Colour reproduction, viewing angles and touch response are good.
This smartphone is running Zen UI over Android Marshmallow.
Memory and storage
This version of the Zenfone Max is available with 2GB RAM and 32GB storage or with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. You will get around 21GB free space and about 1GB free RAM (on 2GB RAM variant) on an average. OTG is supported. Apps are getting installed on internal storage and there is no option to move to external SD card.
Performance
The Max is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 64 bit octa core processor coupled with Adreno 405 GPU. Performance was smooth, lag free and battery temperature is well under control. The Maximum temperature I encountered was 39 degrees.
Benchmark
- Quadrant – 26784
- Antutu (64 bit) – 38824 | 3D score – 4300
- Nenamark 2 – 60.4fps
- Internal storage Speed – Read (73MB/s), Write (64MB/s)
- Multi Touch – 10 Point
Gaming
I tried Modern Combat 5 and Asphalt 8 (in high visual quality mode) both these games worked well without any issues – check video review for gaming action.
Camera
There is 13MP laser AF camera on the back using PixelMaster technology and front camera is a 5MP shooter. These cameras are with f/2.0 aperture. Camera quality is above average. The laser AF is really fast, many a times you might miss the shot as the focus might change, proper timing is the key, you will get used to.
Rear camera can shoot FHD videos. The video sound recording was pretty low.
Check camera samples at the end of this review.
Others
Speaker sound is loud and clear and in-call sound is also pretty good. I did not find any network issues. 4G, WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth worked well.
Zenfone Max octa core Battery
There is 5000 mAh non-removable battery that does a very good job. You can expect 7 to 9 hours of non-stop (moderate to heavy) usage.
Asus Zenfone Max Battery Performance (time / battery % drop / battery temperature)
- Running Benchmark app – 10 minutes / 2% / 37 degrees
- Played MC5 + Asphalt 8 – 22 minutes / 5% / 39 degrees
- FHD video playback with full brightness (WiFi /4G on) – 46minutes / 8% / 37 degrees
It took me 4 hours 46 minutes to charge the handset using wall charger (5.2V/1A) from 2% to 100%.
This handset can also charge other devices – you need special cable for that.
Verdict
The new Asus Zenfone Max is a very good option for under Rs. 10,000 if you are looking for a handset with exceptional battery performance.
Asus Zenfone Max octa core is available from Rs. 9,999.