Asus’ Zenfone Max Pro M2 phone takes on Xiaomi with a massive battery and a $180 price tag

Asus launched its mid-range Zenfone Max Pro M2 phone in India today, and priced it competitively at Rs. 12,999 ($181). The company’s aiming to woo customers with a massive 5,000 mAh battery, a powerful camera system, and near-stock Android on board.

The M2 is packed with solid hardware that should meet the needs of most folks looking for a handset at this price point:

• Screen: 6.26-inch fullHD+ display, 19:9 aspect ratio
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 660
• Memory: 3/4/6GB RAM
• Rear camera: 12-megapixel with f/1.8 aperture + 5-megapixel depth sensor camera
• Front camera: 13-megapixel with f/2.0 aperture
• Battery: 5,000mAh
• Software: Android Oreo 8.1
• Internal storage: 32/64GB
• SIM Support: Dual-SIM
• Expandable storage: up to 2TB

The company has modified the design slightly from the previous Zenfone Max Pro M1, and included a notch to incorporate a bigger display. Additionally, it’s upgraded the processor from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 in the Pro M1 to the newer, faster Snapdragon 660 in the Pro M2. That should allow for better performance in terms of multitasking, gaming, and streaming videos in Asus’ new offering.

The device’s updated camera system boasts a larger pixel size (from 1.12µm to 1.25µm) and a larger aperture (f/1.8 from f.2.0), which should help capture more light, and therefore improve imaging performance. We’ll have to see how this setup fares in real life in our own tests when we review it at length, but here are some sample shots we’ve got already:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Here are the prices for all variants of the Zenfone Max Pro M2:

• 3GB+32GB: Rs 12,999 ($181)
• 4GB+64GB: Rs 14,999 ($208)
• 6GB+64GB: Rs 16,999 ($236)

The device will be available on Flipkart from December 18 in blue and black colorways.

The phone’s set to compete with recently released the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 priced at Rs 13,999 ($194), and the Realme 2 Pro with the same price tag.  If we compare the spec sheets of these three phones, the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 wins in almost every segment. But it’ll have to battle with Xiaomi’s popularity, and the Realme 2 Pro’s camera performance and looks to entice users. But it’s safe to say that if you’re in the market for a phone and have $200 to spend, you’ve got a solid bunch of devices to choose from.