ASUS unveils the ZenFone Max Pro M1 in India with Snapdragon 636, 5000mAh battery, and Android 8.1 Oreo
ASUS is effectively undercutting Xiaomi in the budget segment with its latest phone.
ASUS hasn't fared all that well in India last year, but the Taiwanese manufacturer is looking to change its fortunes with its latest phone. The ZenFone Max Pro M1 is an India-first device that is targeted at the budget segment — specifically against the Redmi Note 5 Pro. ASUS is offering similar specs as Xiaomi's budget phone in the form of a Snapdragon 636, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, and a dual camera setup at the back.
The 5000mAh battery is larger than that of the Redmi Note 5 Pro, and ASUS is doing away with its ZenUI interface in lieu of a pure Android interface, with the phone running Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box. What's more interesting is the fact that the variant with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage will cost just ₹10,999 ($165), making the ZenFone Max Pro M1 an absolute steal. Here's a quick look at what's on offer.
ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1 specs
| Category | Features |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 8.1 Oreo |
| Display | 5.99-inch 18:9 FHD+ (2160×1080) IPS LCD panel 403ppi pixel density 450 nits brightness |
| SoC | Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 Eight Kryo 260 cores up to 1.8GHz 14nm |
| GPU | Adreno 509 |
| RAM | 3GB/4GB/6GB |
| Storage | 32GB/64GB/64GB microSD slot up to 256GB |
| Rear camera | 13MP Omnivision 16880 (f/2.2 lens) + 5MP secondary camera PDAF, LED flash 4K video recording |
| Front shooter | 8MP f/2.0 1080p video recording |
| Connectivity | LTE with VoLTE Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2 with AptX, GPS, GLONASS Micro-USB, 3.5mm audio jack |
| Battery | 5000mAh battery Fast charging (5V/2A) |
| Fingerprint | Rear fingerprint sensor |
| Dimensions | 159 x 76 x 8.61mm |
| Weight | 180g |
| Colors | Meteor Silver, Deepsea Black |
The phone is set to go on sale in India from May 3, and will be exclusive to Flipkart in the country. The variant with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage will cost ₹10,999, and the model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage will retail for ₹12,999. ASUS is also set to launch a version with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage for ₹14,999 ($225) in the coming weeks.
ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1 preview: Unmatched value in the budget segment
And while the phone is limited to India for the time being, ASUS says it is open to the possibility of launching the ZenFone Max Pro M1 in global markets. What are your thoughts on the Max Pro M1?
