Asus Launched its Zenfone Max through a unique ‘social circles only’ approach, the Zenfone Max was shipped to select influencers in a locked box that could be opened through a code visible at the end of the digital launch video via http://asus.in/liveunplugged/, featuring Peter Chang, Region Head – South Asia & Country Manager for ASUS India and Marcel Campos, Marketing Director – Mobile Division, India along with the TVC featuring Sonakshi Sinha – making her very first appearance as the brand ambassador of ASUS smartphones and tablets.
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The Locked Box idea was brilliant, and surely got me excited about the Phone.
First, right out of the box specification :
Sleek 10.6mm Thickness and weighs 202grams (nice!)
Massive 5000mAh Li-Po Battery (very nice!)
Awesome 13 MP Camera
16GB Storage with a microSD card slot (wow!)
2 GB RAM
Snapdragon 410
5.5 inch Display (meh..)
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The ASUS Smartphone was ‘ON’ when I unlocked the box. I have had the box for almost 4 days before I got the code to unlock it, add a day for shipping, thats pretty impressive I say!
Now coming down to the user experience. The first thing I did was install Clash Royale (my latest fad). There was a definite Lag in the game, so I lost a lot of battles, but the Look & Feel of the Game was pretty nice. I tried some other games where real-time lag wasn’t an issue (like off-line racing) and it worked just fine.
So I decided to take this along to Ladakh for 2 weeks. And My expectations were :
- To be able to reply to emails
- Interact on whatsapp with my clients
- Take calls & surf the net
- Carry a Huge amount of Music for the travels
- Play some off-line games
- Use & Abuse the battery like a Power bank
What worked great for me :
THE CAMERA!
For the first few days, I didn’t even use the camera for photographs. I had an iPhone, a DSLR, a mirrorless, a GoPro, and a Drone with me – and didn’t feel the need of another camera.
But was I surprised when I took the first picture! It has so many modes, to enhance images, and selfies are a breeze!
Just fell in love with the camera – and from being a Power Bank – the ASUS Zenfone just became Kanishka’s go-to camera phone.
The buck stops there.
Being a Photographer, the Camera is a very important accessory for me.
And having a Great camera with a lot of features really helps.
My favourite bits about the Zenfone Camera –
- Panorama Mode – works great
- Depth of Field – Faux Blur, but gives the user a lot of control
- Selfie – Beautification mode, Timer, lots of fun
- Super Resolution – For lossless pictures
- Time Lapse
- Manual & Auto Modes are easy to switch – giving me ISO & WB control at the time of taking the picture (love it)
Here are some pictures from Leh, Pangong & Nubra Valley – that I captured with the Zenfone.
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Another Amazing feature about the Zenfone is the MicroSD readability – I can access my GoPro, Drone or Mirrorless camera files directly within the Zenfone. Which Again, can be transferred to a USB drive with just a simple Drag & Drop. Big time saver!
What needs improvement :
- There’s no dedicated camera shortcut (The one that is there on the Lock screen – is just an eye-wash). You need to unlock, and then click the camera. Which again takes a few seconds to pop up.
- The Screen Resolution, Processing speed & Sound – was pretty average, didn’t enhance my gaming experience
- The camera hangs during burst mode or after a lot of pictures have been taken – very irritating.
- Touch screen response is pretty average, reminds me of the older TFT screens.
The Verdict –
Despite the shortcomings, the camera wins it all.
This definitely is a phone for the masses – especially the young college goers- who will always LOVE their selfies!
This also works great for those looking for a Bigger screen and a Travel companion within the 10k rupee price range.
Definitely worth a Buy!
The Mandatory Ratings-
Excitement 10/10
Value for money 10/10
Ease of Use 8/10
Build Quality 8/10
Audio Visual Experience 7/10
Travel-companion-qualities 7/10
Camera 9/10
Gaming Experience 4/10
Check out the ASUS Zenpad 8 that I reviewed a few weeks back!
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