Introduction
The ZenFone Max Pro M1 was a sleeper hit for ASUS. Launched earlier this year, the phone impressed customers with its massive battery, stock Android experience, and powerful performance.
The ZenFone Max Pro M2 aims to build on that success. The new phone brings with it a more modern design, faster processor and improved cameras while maintaining things like the stock Android UI and a massive battery that made the original so popular.
Of course, the competition has heightened since the launch of the original, but with the right pricing, ASUS could still continue its winning streak with the new device.
ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2 specs:
- Design: Corning Gorilla Glass 6 front, aluminum frame, plastic back
- Display: 6.26-inch, 2280x1080, 19:9 IPS LCD, notched
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, 4x 2.2 GHz Kryo 260 Gold + 4x 1.8GHz Kryo Silver CPU, Adreno 512 GPU
- Memory: 3/4/6GB LPDDR4X RAM, 32/64GB eMCP storage, microSD expansion up to 2TB
- Rear Camera: 12MP Sony IMX486, f1.8, 4K30 video with EIS, single LED flash, 5MP depth sensor
- Front Camera: 13MP, f2.0, LED flash, 1080p30 video
- Battery: 5000mAh, 10W charging
- Connectivity: Dual SIM, dual VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11n 2.4GHz, Bluetooth 5.0, microUSB, GPS/GLONASS/BDS/BeiDou/QZSS
- Miss: Fingerprint sensor, face unlock, FM radio
On paper, the new ZenFone Max Pro M2 has everyone one could ask for or more. Like its predecessor, it has a no-compromise approach to specs so you're looking at pretty much the best you can get in this price range.
However, specs and features are just part of the story. So now we are going to take a look at what's it like actually using the device.
Unboxing
The ZenFone Max Pro M2 comes in fairly simple packaging. You get the phone, along with a 10W charger and a cable. Unfortunately, despite the massive battery, ZenFone Max Pro M2 once again has no fast charging support and as such, does not come with a fast charger in the box.
Box contents • Silicone case
Also found in the box is a soft silicone case. The case fits well enough and has cutouts in all the right places but tends to stick to the glossy back of the phone, which doesn't look very nice. It also has cutouts for the buttons on the side instead of raised bumps, which makes the buttons just a bit harder to use with the case on.
Disclaimer: You might notice that this review is shorter than usual and doesn't include some of our usual tests. The reason is it has been prepared and written far away from our office and test lab. Still, we think we've captured the essence of the phone in the same precise, informative and detailed way that's become our trademark. Enjoy the good read!
Design
For a phone that comes just about eight months after the launch of the original, the ZenFone Max Pro M2 looks quite different and almost nothing alike.
There are a number of design changes here. First of all, the M2 adopts a notched display design instead of having a thick top bezel. This gives the display a much more expansive and edge to edge feel. However, there is still a sizable bezel at the bottom, which somewhat breaks the illusion of being a truly bezel-less display.
Another major design change is that the back is no longer made out of aluminum. Instead, the M2 just has a glossy aluminum frame but the back is made out of glossy plastic.
Front and back
When we first held the device before anything was revealed to us about it, we assumed the back was made out of glass. The back material has similar shine and texture as glass, and it even has a shimmer similar to that of some of the glass phones on the market. ASUS has done a great job with the material and it's good enough to fool unsuspecting customers into thinking it's glass.
Sides
Of course, this can be seen as a downgrade from the previous model that had an aluminum back. We personally think it looks and feels fine in hand and the material is more durable than actual glass. And none of this will matter once you put the case on.
The new phone is ever so slightly lighter than the previous model, although it's unlikely you are going to notice the 5g difference in weight. Still, despite the gigantic battery inside, the phone feels about as light as any other phone in this segment; in fact, it's lighter than the Redmi Note 6 Pro that has a smaller 4000mAh battery.
Overall, the ZenFone Max Pro M2 is a well-designed and well-built smartphone. It does feel a bit plasticky compared to the previous model but the lightweight and attractive design make up for that.
Display
The ZenFone Max Pro M2 has a 6.26-inch, 2280x1080 resolution IPS LCD. The display has a 19:9 aspect ratio, 94% NTSC color gamut, 1500:1 contrast ratio and 450 nits of peak brightness.
The display on the M2 is physically larger than that on the M1 and it does feel that way as it stretches all the way up to the corners at the top. The notch is also one of the smaller ones we have seen and doesn't take up too much space.
In terms of color performance, however, ASUS could have done better. Out of the box, the display color temperature is set too cold, giving it a bluish appearance, and the colors are all boosted for greater saturation. You can go into the settings and adjust the color temperature but that's pretty much all you can do. We would have liked to see standard sRGB color calibration or at least an sRGB mode for those who like more accurate colors.
Display settings
Another problem with the display is the permanently enabled backlight dimming feature - sometimes referred to as dynamic contrast - that automatically dims the display when displaying darker content and conversely, increases it when displaying brighter content. There is a good reason companies like Apple, Samsung, and Google, who are known for good display calibration, don't ship their phones with this feature. Automatic backlight dimming is a ridiculously pointless feature that does more harm than good. If the display selectively dimmed parts of the display with local backlight dimming, it would have some value. But dimming entire display when doing something as simple as dragging down the notification shade make the whole thing look jarring because of the constant and large variations in backlight intensity every time something on the screen changes.
It's especially annoying and distracting while watching a video, where the display brightness would constantly change based on differences in the brightness level of the content on the screen. This made darker scenes hard to see and if you raised your brightness manually, the display would suddenly be too bright while displaying a brighter scene. Overall, it's an incredibly annoying "feature" that should just be done away with by now entirely.
Our review unit also had issues with the touchscreen failing to register touch inputs. It's likely this issue is limited to our unit but there's no way to be sure without checking more devices.
Overall, the display on the ZenFone Max Pro M2 is decent for the price. However, we really wish ASUS steps up its display game in the future by providing more color accurate settings and dropping gimmicky features like automatic contrast adjustment.
Software
Like its predecessor, the ZenFone Max Pro M2 comes with stock Android out of the box. The version of Android, in this case, is Android 8.1 Oreo with the October security patch on our review unit. To be clear, stock Android, in this case, doesn't mean Android One. Still, we're happy to see more phones with stock OS and no bloatware.
Yes, the software on the ZenFone Max Pro M2 is what we'd call stock. There are some pre-installed apps; ASUS does provide its own camera, calculator, FM radio, and voice recorder, there are three custom apps from Facebook (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger) and there are some additional features within the Settings app. However, outside of that, the software is largely untouched, and very rarely do you feel like this is a custom ROM.
Stock launcher and UI
This is both good and bad. For Android purists, this means you get to experience Android the way it was mostly intended, and everything looks and works the way you expect it to without too many surprises. All the apps also look at home within Google's Material Design UI and there aren't any weird quirks or UI idiosyncrasies to deal with. If you've used a stock Android phone in the past, you'd be right at home here.
However, there are some downsides to consider here as well. There aren't a lot of features or a range of settings for you to customize. Some of it is down to the fact that this is, after all, a budget phone. But a lot of it is due to stock Android itself not being especially feature-rich. Again, if you're used to stock Android, this shouldn't be anything new but if you're coming from other ASUS phones with ZenUI or other Android brands then you will notice that a lot of things are missing.
Settings and features
ASUS could have also done a better job of optimizing the software for the device. There are no notch settings on this phone, so you can't, for example, hide the notch if you want to. You also can't make apps go truly fullscreen, which means apps like games or video players don't actually have access to the area next to the notch, so that part of the display gets wasted when using fullscreen apps.
The ZenFone Max Pro M2 also ships with a poorly designed DPI setting. Everything looks massive on the display at the default setting. Going into the Settings and dropping the display size down a notch makes things look the right size but then the status bar becomes shorter than the height of the notch. Consequently, if you make the display size larger, the status bar extends past the notch. Ideally, the status bar should remain the same size regardless of the display size settings but the changing size reveals lack of attention to detail at the ASUS software department.
Status bar changes with display size
Even worse are the icons in the status bar. For some reason, the Wi-Fi and network bars are on the left. This causes the left side of the status bar to fill up quickly, leaving very little space for notification icons. The icons are also haphazardly sized, with the clock looking awkwardly small. The battery percentage even has its bottom chopped off on the version we were testing as it was out of alignment. Some of these issues are down to stock Oreo not being optimized for notch displays but again, this could have been solved if ASUS spent some time on it. With the ZenFone Max Pro M2, it feels having stock Android is just an excuse to not put any effort into the software.
It's also worth noting that having stock Android is no guarantee of quick updates. You're still at ASUS' mercy regarding when, if at all, it wants you to have the next version of Android or even the current month's security patch. We still don't know when this phone is even getting Pie.
Overall, we like the idea of having stock Android on this phone but the clumsy execution, lack of features, and no guarantee of quick updates means it loses some of its appeal.
Performance
The ZenFone Max Pro M2 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset, with a choice of 32GB or 64GB of storage. The 32GB model comes with 3GB RAM and the 64GB model comes in a choice of 4GB or 6GB RAM.
The overall performance is good. One of the advantages of stock Android is that it is a lot easier to run, making it ideal for budget smartphones. You can make it feel even faster by going into the developer settings and changing the animation and transition speed to 0.5x. But even without that, apps open and switch reasonably quick and scrolling is smooth in all the well-optimized apps. Overall, everyday performance is not a concern.
GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Honor Play
6696 - Realme U1
6004 - Oppo F7
5901 - Realme 1
5741 - Oppo F9 (F9 Pro)
5673 - Honor 8X
5651 - Realme 2 Pro
5531 - ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2
5169 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
4933 - Nokia 6.1 Plus
4929 - ASUS ZenFone Max Pro
4910 - Xiaomi Mi A2
4625 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
4446 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (Redmi 6 Pro)
4388 - Sony Xperia XA2
4215 - Realme 2
3881
GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Honor Play
1899 - Honor 8X
1618 - Xiaomi Mi A2
1617 - Realme U1
1567 - Oppo F7
1531 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
1524 - Realme 1
1511 - Oppo F9 (F9 Pro)
1497 - ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2
1465 - Realme 2 Pro
1462 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
1342 - ASUS ZenFone Max Pro
1340 - Nokia 6.1 Plus
1331 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (Redmi 6 Pro)
881 - Sony Xperia XA2
865 - Realme 2
790
AnTuTu 7
Higher is better
- Honor Play
204876
144436
139414
138524
137276
132958
130927
124039
123883
115605
115571
115509
77964
75434
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- Honor Play
39 - Xiaomi Mi A2
15 - Honor 8X
14 - Realme 2 Pro
14 - Realme U1
13 - ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2
13 - Oppo F7
12 - Realme 1
12 - Oppo F9 (F9 Pro)
12 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
10 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
10 - Nokia 6.1 Plus
10 - ASUS ZenFone Max Pro
10 - Sony Xperia XA2
9.6 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (Redmi 6 Pro)
6.5 - Realme 2
6.1
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Honor Play
36 - Xiaomi Mi A2
14 - Honor 8X
13 - Realme U1
12 - Realme 1
12 - Realme 2 Pro
12 - Realme 2
12 - ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2
12 - Oppo F7
11 - Oppo F9 (F9 Pro)
11 - Sony Xperia XA2
10 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
9.7 - ASUS ZenFone Max Pro
9.7 - Nokia 6.1 Plus
9.6 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
9.4 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (Redmi 6 Pro)
6.1
Basemark X
Higher is better
- Honor Play
32238 - Xiaomi Mi A2
21378 - Honor 8X
20416 - ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2
19320 - Realme U1
17290 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
15200 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
15025 - Nokia 6.1 Plus
14903 - Realme 2 Pro
14576 - Sony Xperia XA2
14312 - Oppo F7
11873 - Realme 1
10880 - Oppo F9 (F9 Pro)
10536 - Realme 2
6703
Basemark OS 2.0
Higher is better
- Honor Play
3294 - Honor 8X
2341 - Realme U1
2307 - Xiaomi Mi A2
2240 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
2051 - ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2
1993 - Oppo F7
1953 - Nokia 6.1 Plus
1951 - Realme 1
1940 - Realme 2 Pro
1911 - Oppo F9 (F9 Pro)
1904 - ASUS ZenFone Max Pro
1893 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
1812 - Sony Xperia XA2
1545 - Realme 2
1039
We also ran a few games, namely popular titles like PUBG Mobile and Asphalt 9. Asphalt 9 was an instant failure as the accelerometer didn't work properly in the game for some reason and the car was uncontrollable. PUBG Mobile, however, worked quite well. The frame rates weren't exactly smooth and stable at the highest available visual setting, which in case of the ZenFone Max Pro M2 was "HD" with "High" frame rate (30fps) but the game was still perfectly playable. And you can always reduce the image quality for an even more stable frame rate. The phone also runs relatively cool so extended gaming sessions shouldn't be an issue.
Audio
The ZenFone Max Pro M2 has a single loudspeaker at the bottom. The actual audio quality of the speaker isn't very good. The speaker sounds fairly tinny and somewhat unpleasant. It sounds its best till around 60% volume, after which the actual volume level doesn't increase, just the distortion. It also gets tinnier and worse sounding, so it's best to keep around the 50% mark.
This is another area ASUS should look into improving. Claiming 5-magnet speaker for every device isn't enough. The actual audio quality also needs to be up to higher standards.
Camera
The ZenFone Max Pro M2 has a dual camera system at the back comprising of a 12MP f/1.8 primary camera that can capture 4K video and a 5MP depth sensor. The depth sensor helps with the portrait mode images.
The camera app is one of the few custom apps from ASUS. It's improved over the barebones app that originally shipped with the ZenFone Max Pro M1 but it's not the same as the app that ships with ASUS' ZenUI devices.
Camera app
For what it's worth, the app still has all the basic features, including a fairly elaborate Pro mode. However, the UI is quite outdated and still looks like something you'd find on a phone from six years ago. There are also some minor issues with the app, such as the focus indicator, which by default appears in the center of the display rather than the center of the viewfinder, which matters since the viewfinder is not exactly in the center of the display in the 4:3 mode. Secondly, for some reason, ASUS hides the navigation keys in the camera app, making exiting the app a two-step process every time.
In terms of image quality, the ZenFone Max Pro M2 is quite good. Colors and white balance are accurate, the level of detail is good and the images have very little noise, even in indoor situations.
Camera samples
Where the camera struggles, however, is with dynamic range and it has a strong tendency of blowing out highlights. Fortunately, the HDR mode works relatively well and manages to rein in the highlight detail in most cases.
HDR Mode: Off • On
Video quality was also quite good. The 4K videos looked good with smooth motion and adequate detail. Unfortunately, the 4K mode does not benefit from the EIS, which only works in 1080p. Fortunately, the 1080p videos also look good and with the added advantage of electronic stabilization, should be the default choice unless you really want the higher resolution of the 4K mode and willing to tolerate some camera shake or you have somewhere to prop the phone while recording.
Battery
The ZenFone Max Pro M2 has a massive 5000mAh battery. It won't be an understatement to say the battery is the most important feature of this device, as it's easily the largest in its class.
Battery settings
As you'd expect, the battery life is excellent, with the phone providing a full two days of use. You can easily get upwards of 40 hours of standby time with about 10 hours of screen-on time. Achieving this battery life without major compromises to performance or aggressive battery management features is quite a feat.
Charging that big battery does take some time. The phone only supports up to 10W of charging, which means it's best to just leave it charging overnight as it takes around three full hours for the battery to charge from 0% to 100% with the supplied charger. Annoyingly, ASUS still ships the phone with microUSB port, which is a bummer. We wish everybody moved to USB-C already.
Verdict
The previous ZenFone Max Pro M1 was one of the top contenders in its price category due to its combination of performance, battery life, and stock Android. The new model maintains two of those things while improving on the performance and also camera quality. All this comes without a significant increase in price, making the ZenFone Max Pro M2 still one of the top contenders in its price range.
Xiaomi Mi A2 (Mi 6X) • Nokia 6.1 Plus (Nokia X6) • Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro • Huawei Honor Play
In terms of competition, there's the Mi A2 and the Nokia 6.1 Plus, both running stock Android. The A2 has a much smaller battery but a more refined software experience and also a much better camera. The Nokia 6.1 Plus is more compact and again, has a very good camera but the battery is smaller and the chipset is a bit slower.
If you don't care about stock Android, there's also the Redmi Note 6 Pro from Xiaomi and the now cheaper Honor Play. The Note 6 Pro has a great camera and a feature-rich (and somewhat ad-infested) software experience. The Honor Play, meanwhile, has a significantly more powerful processor. Both phones, once again, have a smaller battery.
You can probably tell by now that the ZenFone Max Pro M2 has a towering lead when it comes to battery size and as mentioned before, that is indeed its biggest feature. If battery life is all that matters to you, then the ZenFone Max Pro M2 is your best bet, and you won't be making any major compromises in other areas with it. However, if you want a better camera, or more powerful performance, or more feature-rich software experience, there are a lot of other choices out there, which are worth considering.
Pros:
- Attractive design
- Good performance
- Good cameras
- Stock Android experience
- Stellar battery life
Cons:
- Clumsy software implementation
- Aggressive display dimming
- microUSB connector
- No fast charging
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