Introduction
The ASUS ZenFone Max Pro (M1) was announced last month in India. Well, the company will launch the phone on the 31st of May alongside with the ZenFone 5! Thankfully, we were able to get the device before the official launch. This is the ASUS ZenFone Max Pro (M1) hands-on!
Unboxing
Unlike other ZenFones, the ZenFone Max Pro (M1) box comes in a pretty different design, probably because it runs on pure Android.
The box contains:
- ASUS ZenFone Max Pro (M1)
- TPU Case
- User Guide and Warranty
- SIM Ejector Tool
- MicroUSB Cable
- Wall Adapter
- Earphones
- Extra Ear Tips
Surprisingly, ASUS didn’t include the USB OTG cable since the phone main selling point is its massive 5,000mAh battery and it also supports reverse charging.
Hands-On
The ZenFone Max Pro (M1) comes in two color options — Deepsea Blue and Titanium Grey. We were lucky enough to touch and feel these two color options. Personally, I prefer the Titanium Grey variant as it won’t really show the fingerprints.
The phone sports a 6-inch Full View Full HD+ 18:9 display, which looks surprisingly good! Additionally, it doesn’t have the notch!
Flipping to the back of the phone, you can see the dual-camera is placed vertically. The fingerprint sensor is located at the center where your finger naturally will rest when holding the phone.
The phone comes with a dual-camera setup, which has up to 16MP f/2.0 + 5MP (depth sensor) dual-rear camera. Our review unit is the lower-end variant that has a 13MP f/2.0 main camera and a secondary 5MP depth sensor. Since it runs on pure Android, the camera app isn’t the typical PixelMaster camera app you’ll find on a ZenFone. Instead, the phone uses Snapdragon camera.
The bottom of the phone houses the 3.5mm audio jack, microphone, MicroUSB port, and speaker. Yup, it still has the MicroUSB port, probably one of the reasons why the phone is affordable.
If you often travel overseas and use two SIM cards, but you want an expandable storage as well, this is a good news for you. The phone actually comes with two SIM slots and one MicroSD card slot, now you can have it all!
Finally, it runs on pure Android 8.1 Oreo, which means there’s no modification on the user interface. Duly note that this is not Android One but the same pure Android as the Pixel 2/Pixel 2 XL. In the end, there are still some differences between Android One and pure Android.
The ASUS ZenFone Max Pro (M1) will be officially launched in Malaysia on the 31st of May 2018, alongside with the ZenFone 5. Unfortunately, the price remains unknown, but it’ll be surprisingly low. Stay tuned as we will be attending the launch and the full review will be live on 31st May 2018 at 5 PM.