On the left is the Asus Zenfone Lite L1 and on the right is Asus Zenfone Max M1.
Asus is serious about building a strong reputation in the Indian smartphone. They started this year with the ZenFone Max Pro M1 in the mid-range segment and followed it up with the excellent ZenFone 5Z in the premium category. Now, Asus is eyeing the entry-level segment and has launched two devices: ZenFone Max M1 and ZenFone Lite L1.
Both smartphones feature a similar design and have the same display too — a 5.45-inch IPS HD display with 18:9 aspect ratio. It’s an older style of display but it keeps the size down. Both ZenFone Max and Lite have plastic backs with a matte finish. Wile they’re hard to tell apart from the front, they don’t look the same from the back. This is because the ZenFone Max has a rear fingerprint scanner. Both phones come with a triple slot — you get two nano-SIM slots and a dedicated microSD slot for storage expansion. What we like most is that even though these are budget phones, the build quality is great: no creaking or bending and the phones look good and feel great in the hand.
The 5.45-inch screen in 18:9 aspect ratio on both phones has a resolution of 1440 x 720 pixels. The display on both phones is bright with good viewing angles but there is a visible difference in brightness (the Max display is brighter when compared side by side). You can adjust the display size, font size as well as control app scaling through the settings. There is also support for gestures in screen off mode — you can swipe in a particular way to launch preset apps. Other features include touch gestures, one hand mode and a glove mode.
In the hardware department, the two phones share a common processor — octa-core Snapdragon 430. The ZenFone Lite comes with 2GB RAM, 16GB storage while the ZenFone Max has 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. Even though the processor is the same, the performance difference is very visible between the two. The ZenFone Lite tends to get sluggish if there are a few apps running in the background and struggles to play PUBG even at low settings (we saw random frame drops). In contrast, the ZenFone Max was great for day to day tasks and did not show any sluggishness even with 10 apps running in the background. We were even able to play PUBG at low settings on the ZenFone Max without a hitch as long as there was nothing else running in the background.
Also interesting is that even though both phones are nearly identical in size, the Max has a larger 4,000mAh battery. Because of this, it manages to last a full day with around 15-20% battery to spare. In comparison, the Lite in comparison has to be charged twice a day with heavy usage. There is also a difference in the supplied chargers: Max comes with a fast charger (5V 2A or 10 watt) while the Lite comes with a 5V 1A (5 watt) charger. ZenFone Max also comes with an exclusive feature of reverse charging and 2x lifespan which can be enabled via the PowerMaster app.
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The rear camera on both the devices is a 13MP shooter with f2.0 aperture, phase detection autofocus and 1.12um pixels. Being a budget phone, we were not expecting much from the camera, but it can capture good images in daylight. Even indoors if there is ample light, the photos are good enough to view on screen and share on social media. However, as expected in low light, the camera tends to drop detail and suffer from heavy noise. There is a software-based portrait mode also on both the devices and while it delivers a good amount of bokeh, the edge detection is sub-par.
ZenFone Max comes with an 8MP front camera with f2.0 aperture and a wide-angle lens. Images taken have good details and natural colours plus the wide-angle lens helps you get a lot more of the background. The ZenFone Lite comes with a 5MP front camera with f2.4 aperture and lacks a wide-angle. Selfies taken suffer from soft details and are good enough only to view on the phone without zooming-in. Both phones have a front flash to help in low-light and a portrait mode which suffers from poor edge detection.
A few good things on both phones include fast face unlock, feature-rich user interface with minimal bloatware and loud audio output. The ZenFone Max has the physical fingerprint scanner which works great. We were slightly disappointed to see Android 8.0 and not Android 8.1 on both phones.
As entry-level phones from Asus, the ZenFone Max and ZenFone Lite both are impressive offerings. However, since they are budget phones, they come with their share of issues. From the pricing and feature perspective, ZenFone Lite is a direct competition of the Redmi 6A and Honor 7S. Where the Redmi 6A and Honor 7S have the benefit of Android 8.1 and slightly smoother interface, the ZenFone Lite scores with a better rear camera and front LED flash. The ZenFone Max is currently the king at Rs 7,499 for the features it delivers. However, if you can extend your budget, the Realme C1 gives you a larger 6.2-inch notch display, dual rear camera and a large 4,230mAh battery for Rs 7,999. You can also consider the Panasonic Eluga Ray 600 that has a 6-inch 18:9 display and large 4,000mAh battery for Rs 7,999.
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Picture Perfect: Try Trick Photography With Your Smartphone
1/5
Your phone camera is a lot more capable than you think.
While it may not offer as much control as a DSLR yet, you can use you phone to capture photos with amazing trick effects.
ET tells you tips and apps to get unique captures using your phone camera.
Your phone camera is a lot more capable than you think.
While it may not offer as much control as a DSLR yet, you can use you phone to capture photos with amazing trick effects.
ET tells you tips a..
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The idea behind HDR or High Dynamic Range is to enhance detail in an image (especially the shadows and darker areas) and make it appear more vibrant.
Typically, this is done by taking multiple photos with different exposure level and then combining them into one. On a majority of smartphones today, the HDR feature is built into the camera interface so you don’t need a separate app.
In case your smartphone does not have HDR feature, try an app called ‘A Better Camera’ by Almalence — it offers HDR for both stills and videos. iPhone users can enable or disable Auto HDR in the camera settings.
Head to Settings > Camera and you will see the option of Auto HDR along with the option to save the normal photo in addition.
The idea behind HDR or High Dynamic Range is to enhance detail in an image (especially the shadows and darker areas) and make it appear more vibrant.
Typically, this is done by taking multiple phot..
Read More
Tilt Shift lets you take miniature photos and is ideal for shooting cars or a cityscape from atop a building. It is important that you find the right place to shoot and make sure that the area you keep in focus has lots of bright colours to make it stand out.
Android users can try the Tilt-Shift Camera app by mrgnpza. This free app lets you adjust the focus area and lets you choose between linear or circular zones.
Various apps such as Instagram, Snapseed and Pixlr also offer the option to add the tilt-shift effect. If case you are an iOS users and want better control, you can get the Glass Tilt Shift app which costs US $2.99.
Tilt Shift lets you take miniature photos and is ideal for shooting cars or a cityscape from atop a building. It is important that you find the right place to shoot and make sure that the area you k..
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You’ve probably seen photos with beautiful light trails or a photo of a waterfall/river in which the water appears to be in motion. This is done by a technique called long exposure which requires control over the shutter speed.
In auto mode, any camera (including a DSLR) will tend to keep the fastest shutter speed that freezes everything in place. You will need to slow the shutter down with a manual mode. The first thing to keep in mind is that your camera needs to be steady — placing on a flat surface or stand/tripod is best.
Android users can check if the smartphone has a Pro/Manual mode. If yes, then open it and increase the shutter speed (make it a second or more). Next, go to the ISO setting and select the lowest available value. That’s it, you just need to find a subject — you can use a highway, shoot stars or even do light painting by pointing a light towards camera and moving it around in the air.
You will need to experiement with different shutter speeds for different scenarios. In case your Android phone does not have a manual mode, you can use apps like Long Exposure Camera 2 or Camera FV-5 Lite.
iOS users can use the Live Photo feature to create long exposure photos. Just enable Live in the camera interface and take a photo. Head to the Gallery, tap the photo you have taken and swipe-up — you will see four options including long exposure. Select it and your photo will be converted to one with a long exposure.
This might not give you the best results each time as the shutter speed is not that long. Alternatively, you can try out third party apps such as LongExpo, Slow Shutter Insta and Ultra Slow Shutter Cam.
You’ve probably seen photos with beautiful light trails or a photo of a waterfall/river in which the water appears to be in motion. This is done by a technique called long exposure which requires co..
Read More
In a panorama sequence, you can take a wideangle panorama with your subject appearing multiple times in the frame for a cool looking shot. Since almost all smartphones today come with a panorama mode, you don’t need to install any extra app.
Start shooting a panorama from one corner with your subject standing in one pose. Once you have panned enough to have the subject out of the frame, stop moving and let your subject circle around behind you to a new position in the frame.
Repeat this process a few times in a single panorama photo and you will get a panorama sequence. Your subject will appear in different poses in a single panorama photo.
In a panorama sequence, you can take a wideangle panorama with your subject appearing multiple times in the frame for a cool looking shot. Since almost all smartphones today come with a panorama mod..
