ASUS has simultaneously released the Zenfone 4 series in the country and the most affordable of them all is the ASUS Zenfone 4 Max. Just like the other Zenfones, the Zenfone 4 Max is an affordable smartphone and yet, it packs a big battery inside its chassis. But unlike the previous Max models, the ASUS Zenfone 4 Max packs a dual lens camera. So what do I think about the smartphone? Check out our review below.

Solid but thick

The ASUS Zenfone Max series are known to be thicker than most smartphones as the Max series packs a larger battery compared to the competition. Nonetheless, the ASUS Zenfone 4 Max is still comfortable to hold because of its curve body design. The body? It’s pretty solid because this one packs a metal build. Yes, the design is simple but it feels solid.

There’s nothing really to hate about its build aside from its thicker profile compared to its competitors. The fingerprint scanner has also been changed from the back to the front which also serves as the home button of the smartphone. And of course, the capacitive buttons are alongside the home button of the ASUS Zenfone 4 Max.

It’s 2017 but ASUS still uses MicroUSB on the ASUS Zenfone 4 Max. Well, I understand since this is their budget smartphone and it’s an advantage for some people who already invested in Micro USB accessories and also, Micro USB accessories are cheap. And speaking of accessories, the ASUS Zenfone 4 Max comes with a USB OTG that you can use for file storage and also for charging other devices. Yes, you can use the ASUS Zenfone 4 max as a power bank.

The smartphone’s LTE connectivity is quite good but I’m not surprised because this one uses a Qualcomm processor. We didn’t had any problems with Wi-Fi too as the ASUS Zenfone 4 Max can easily scan and detect Wi-Fi hotspots.

Average Display

The ASUS Zenfone 4 Max got a 5.5-inch HD display. It’s not the best one in the market even at its price range but ASUS needs to compromise its display to HD for a longer battery life. Well, the display quality of the smartphone is just average. Actually, it’s even better than the one that we found on the ASUS Zenfone 4 Selfie.

I was quite happy with its color reproduction and viewing angles. Again, it’s not perfect but the display of the smartphone is quite able for everyday use without any problems.

Same processing power

This news might be disappointing to some as the ASUS Zenfone 4 Max packs the same processor that was used on the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max. For gamers, this might be a dealbreaker as there are no improvements in performance, however, the battery of the ASUS Zenfone 4 Max is bigger and it’s back on 5000mAh which is the same battery capacity of the original ASUS Zenfone 4 Max.

When it comes to playing games, the ASUS Zenfone 4 Max, well, the ASUS Zenfone 4 Max performs as I expected. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor can handle most apps well and casual games will be just fine such as Mobile Legends. But don’t expect high settings on games like NBA 2k17.

A better UI

The hardware inside is not a big change compared to the previous Zenfone 3 Max but this time, the ASUS Zenfone 4 Max now uses a more optimized and faster ZenUI 4.0. The bloatware have been minimized and I noticed that the smartphone is faster compared to the previous ASUS Zenfone 3 Max. The apps are streamlined and the apps barely lag now thanks to its better UI experience.

Amazing Battery Life

Its biggest selling point is its battery and the ASUS Zenfone 4 Max doesn’t disappoint. The smartphone does have a really good great battery. It delivers the numbers that I expect on a smartphone with 5000mAh battery and the smartphone would last up to 3 days on average use and even 1 ½ day at heavy usage. This smartphone is great for those people who are using their smartphones too much and want a longer battery life.

There’s a problem with this smartphone though. Yes, there’s a large 5000mAh battery capacity inside but the smartphone doesn’t support fast charging so yeah, it’ll take more than 2 hours before you can fully charge your smartphone.

Dual-Lens Camera

The main focus of the ASUS Zenfone 4 series is the dual lens cameras and on the ASUS Zenfone 4 Max, they placed a 13-megapixel dual-lens camera at the back that consists of a standard lens and also a 120-degree wide-angle lens that is great for taking landscape photos and also wider shots (Duh!).

The ASUS Zenfone 4 Max is one of the most affordable smartphones that comes with a real dual lens camera. The ASUS Zenfone 4 Max’s rear camera isn’t really that great. Both cameras at the back suffered at lowlight conditions and unfortunately, the game is not that good sometimes even at decent conditions. Check out the photos that I took using the ASUS Zenfone 4 Max.

The wide-angle lens at the back of the smartphone is really ideal for taking landscapes, however, you can notice that the wide-angle lens produces softer and reddish skin tones despite having decent lighting conditions. The standard lens takes better photos than the wide-angle lens but I’m not satisfied with its quality.

Verdict

The ASUS Zenfone 4 Max delivers what it promises – a long battery life. It’s also one of the most affordable in the Zenfone 4 family and probably the longest to operate on a single charge. The ASUS Zenfone 4 Max might have a disappointing camera and the same processor from the previous generation but the smartphone is one of the most affordable dual-lens cameras in the market and also the experience and performance of the smartphone have been a lot better.

So if you’re in the market of people who are looking for a decent Android smartphone that would last more than a day and you only play some casual games then the ASUS Zenfone 4 Max is the right smartphone for you. The ASUS Zenfone 4 Max is now available for Php9,995.