ASUS today unveiled the ZenFone Max (M1) smartphone in India. It’s an entry-level device which provides customers with the basics at a bargain price.

Check out the phone’s main specs below.

Related articles: Best ASUS phones to buy in 2018

Specs

  • 5.45-inch HD+ display with 18:9 aspect ratio
  • 1.4GHz Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor
  • 3GB of RAM
  • 32GB storage (microSD available for expansion up to 256GB)
  • 13MP main camera
  • 8MP front camera
  • 4,000 mAh battery
  • Android Oreo with ZenUI 5 on top

Related articles: ASUS Android 9 Pie update

6 things you need to know

Since the ASUS ZenFone Max will soon go on sale, the question is: should you buy it? Or should you opt for alternatives such as the Xiaomi Redmi 6? To help you answer this question, here are six important things you need to know about the ZenFone Max.

Modern 18:9 aspect ratio display

Even if the ZenFone Max is a budget device, it still adheres to the modern smartphone design trends. This means the phone boasts the taller and skinnier 18:9 aspect ratio. Bezels are relatively thin too, but you the chin and forehead are still noticeable. Unfortunately, the ZenFone Max offers the base HD+ resolution (1440 x 720), but given its low price, this shouldn’t come as such a shock.

Premium design

The days when affordable devices looked cheap are far behind us. Case in point, the ZenFone Max features a premium metallic finish and a unibody design that makes the phone look very stylish. And a lot more expensive than it actually is.

Big battery

One of the main highlights here is the 4,000 mAh battery, which according to the company should be able to sustain up to 4 days of music playback, 41 days on 4G standby and 23 hours of Wi-Fi web browsing.

Face unlock on board

The ASUS ZenFone Max bundles another feature you wouldn’t expect to see in such a low-end smartphone like this and that’s face unlock. On top of that, the phone also has a fingerprint scanner living on its back for added convenience.

Pretty ordinary cameras

The ASUS ZenFone Max features a pretty standard camera assembly. It features a 13MP main camera with f/2.0, PDAF and Portrait mode. While the selfie snapper is of 8MP (f/2.0) variety and also supports Portrait mode. ASUS says you can also snap true color selfies with it even in low light.

Slim chances for Android 9.0 Pie

The ZenFone Max will ship out with Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box. And unfortunately, we don’t really think the phone will receive Android 9.0 Pie. Like many Android OEMs, ASUS doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to updates. At this point, the company hasn’t even upgraded its flagship, the ZenFone 5Z to Android 9.0 Pie.

Pricing and availability

  • Available in India only at the moment
  • Priced INR 8,999 (USD 122 approx.)
  • Buy here

ASUS has exclusively partnered up with Flipkart to sell the ZenFone Max (M1) for the introductory price of INR 7,999 (or $102). You can get it in either Gold or Black.

After the promo period is over, the phone will retail for INR 8,999 (or $122). The ZenFone Max will go on sale during the Flipkart Festive Dhamaka Days sale, but we don’t have any exact dates to share with you. So you might want to bookmark the Flipkart page and keep an eye on it.

Is it worth it?

The ASUS ZenFone Max slightly undercuts the Redmi 6, price-wise.  Compared to the Xiaomi phone, the ZenFone Max has a larger battery to offer, while the Redmi 6 has a more advanced 4GB of RAM + 64GB of storage configuration available.

Our take is that the ZenFone Max is a worthy buy. Especially if you care about having a device with a long battery life.