Taiwanese phone maker Asus has finally launched its first smartphone of 2018 in India. Dubbed as the Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M1), the smartphone is a direct competitor to Xiaomi's Redmi Note 5 Pro in India. The Zenfone Max Pro competes with the Note 5 Pro both in terms of specifications and pricing. Prior to the launch the renders and key specifications of the Zenfone Max Pro M1 have been revealed, but now, the smartphone went official. The USP of the Zenfone Max Pro is the 5000mAh battery inside, like the earlier Asus devices, but Asus has taken care of the hardware as well this time around.
The Zenfone Max Pro comes in two variants with different RAM and storage configuration. The device bears a model number ZB601KL and comes with a full metal body and 2.5D contoured glass display panel. It sports a 5.99-inch Full HD+ display with 2180 x 1080 pixel resolution. It comes with 83% screen-to-body ratio, 450 nits brightness and 85% NTSC colour gamut.
Under the hood, the ZenFone Max Pro is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor, same as Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro. The mobile chipset comes with an octa-core 64-bit CPU and Adreno 509 GPU. It will carry up to 4GB LPDDR4 RAM and a 64GB of internal memory. The phone comes in a 3GB RAM and 32GB storage option, along with a 4GB RAM and 64GB storage option.
In terms of camera, the device features a dual camera setup on the rear. It combines a 13MP f/2.2 aperture primary sensor with a 5MP depth sensing sensor for bokeh effects. An 8MP f/2.2 aperture selfie camera is up front. There’s a rear LED flash and a soft flash for selfie shooter. The cameras support PDAF, 4K video recording and as well shoots 1080p FHD video recording at 30/60fps and 720p video recording at 30fps.
Connectivity options on the phone include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, micro USB, 3.5mm headphone jack, dual SIM, microSD card support and more. The best part of the connectivity options is the support for dual VoLTE. Yes, the Zenfone Max Pro offers dual 4G and VoLTE support out of the box. Fueled by a 5000mAh battery the phone runs the Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box, and here's one more surprise. Asus has ditched the Zen UI for this model and has gone with stock Android Oreo ROM, which is a good thing for the consumers.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro Pricing and Availability
The ZenFone Max Pro will be exclusively available on e-commerce website Flipkart. The prices of have been Asus phone have revealed as well. While the 3GB RAM and 32GB variant will cost Rs 10,999 and the 4GB RAM and 64GB model will go for Rs 12,999.
Asus has also partnered with telecom operator Vodafone India and providing additional 10GB data for prepaid users recharging the Rs 199 plan and for Vodafone RED postpaid customers on Rs 399 plan and above, there will be 10GB extra data for one year. Additionally, Flipkart has introduced a new Flipkart Complete Mobile Protection service, which will cover the device damage entirely.
The Comprehensive cover includes broken screens, liquid damage, hardware & software issues and the best part is there's no charge for all these services; A first of its kind. The best part, however, is the price of this protection which is just Rs 49, exclusively for the Asus Zenfone Max Pro. For regular users, it will be Rs 999 per year.
Launch day offers include no cost EMI, Vodafone offers up to Rs 3200 at a special price of Rs 49 and Rs 1000 off on select exchange models.
