Asus Zenfone Max M2 review: Large battery, excellent rear camera make it a good buy for Rs 12K

Price: Rs 9,999 (3GB/32GB)
Rs 11,999 (4GB/64GB)

Specifications: 6.26-inch IPS LCD (19:9 aspect ratio, 1520 x 720 pixels), Snapdragon 632 octa core processor, 3/4GB RAM, 32/64GB storage (expandable, dedicated slot), dual SIM, 13MP f1.8 + 2MP dual rear camera, 8MP f2.0 front camera, 4G with VoLTE, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, rear fingerprint scanner, 4,000mAh, Android 8.1, 160 grams.


Pros: Sleek design, bright display, lightweight with a large battery, great battery life, good day-to-day performance, excellent rear camera, loud audio output.

Cons: 720p resolution display, front camera portrait mode is iffy, face unlock didn’t work for us.

It’s barely been a couple of months since Asus launched the ZenFone Max M1 and its successor has already arrived. While the M1 was priced in the entry-level range (Rs 7,499), the Max M2 takes is looking to take on the mid-range segment with a Rs 9,999 price tag.

There are a number of upgrades that the M2 has over M1. The most prominent one is the larger display. The Max M2 has a 6.26-inch size display with a notch — just like the Max Pro M2. We found the brightness of the Max M2 screen to be higher than the Max Pro M2 and also liked the rich colours and sleek bezels. The only letdown is that the screen is 720p (1520 x 720 pixels) and not full HD. Asus has kept a large notch and the reason for that is the inclusion of every feature that midrange consumers ask for: speaker, front camera, LED front flash, various sensors and LED notification light.

We also think the Max M2 design is pretty great. It weighs just 160 grams despite the 4,000mAh battery — quite impressive. It feels sturdy even though it has a plastic back but what we liked the most is the sleek form factor. The plastic back has a matte finish which feels and looks great but the camera module protrudes slightly which can result in scratches on the glass if you’re not careful.


The other big update is the processor. The Max M1 had an entry-level Snapdragon 430 processor but the Max M2 steps it up to a 600 series (Snapdragon 632) processor. Our review unit was the 3GB RAM, 32GB storage variant and we faced no problems with day-to-day use. Switching between running apps was smooth, there was no issue in playing full HD videos and we could also play PUBG with medium graphics (no apps running in the background). The Max series is also known for battery life and this phone is no different. We regularly got about a day and half of from a single charge. That being said, the lack of fast charge is disappointing.

The primary camera is a 13MP + 2MP with f1.8 aperture which delivers some good shots in daylight and indoors. Lowlight shots are bright enough to view on the device screen and share on social media but they suffer from soft details when viewed in full resolution. The front camera offers similar results. Both rear and front cameras have the same problem — less than adequate portrait mode. A majority of the time, it just did not deliver the desired bokeh effect. The front camera portrait mode shows you a preview with blur effect but the captured image shows no blur — puzzling! We hope Asus fixes this issue with software update soon. Even for video recording, the phone does not have EIS support which results in videos with a lot of shake.

We liked the fast and accurate fingerprint scanner on the Max M2. You also have the option of face unlock but it failed to work 9 out of 10 times which makes it unusable in our books. It’s better to stick with fingerprint scanning.

Overall, the Max M2 is a true successor to the Max M1 in almost every aspect and a very capable device to take on Xiaomi, RealMe and Honor. There is no other device in this price segment to offer similar features and performance. The next best option you can look at is Asus’s own ZenFone Max Pro M1 which has a 18:9 display, 5,000mAh battery and a Snapdragon 636 processor.