Flagship smartphones might be the center of attention but we often forget models that are great value for money, such as the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max here that retails for just RM 899.
Unlike the Zenfone 2 where all models feels a little cheap due to the plastic back cover, the Zenfone 3 Max follows the design cue of the many Zenfone 3 models that boasts beautiful front screen, nice curved edges and metallic surface at the rear.
The key feature of the Zenfone 3 Max would be the 4100mAh battery that makes it pretty much a power bank with up to 38 days on 4G standby, with claims of up to 30 hours standby time with 10% battery.
The Zenfone 3 Max comes with 5.5″ Full HD IPS display screen, 2.5D glass, 2.25mm slim bezel and 77.5% screen to body ratio. It has a finger print sensor, a 16MP rear camera with f/2.0 aperture and laser auto-focus, image stabilization and an 8MP front camera.
More details at the official product page.
Benchmarks
3DMark
Antutu
GeekBench
PCMark
Interesting battery life reading the? More about it in the next section.
User Experience
I brought the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max on a trip overseas and what amazed me is the amount of hours I get with a single charge.
The device was unplugged from charger at 6AM and it remained at 100% through out the next 7 hours, it was until 1:30PM when a SIM card was inserted and I had the Zenfone 3 Max function as my Wi-Fi hotspot on a 4G network.
The readings on battery percentage are as follows.
– 1:30PM 100%
– 4:10PM 91%
– 9:10PM 62%
(next day)
– 6:13AM 53%
– 6:41PM 18%
– 10:31PM 2%
Now I wasn’t going easy on it, I was using it for GPS, information gathering, communicating with family and friends and that includes sending of images and also interacting with people on Facebook.
From 100% to 2% took me more than 24 hours, 33 hours to be exact. Amazing!
As for the phone itself, I had no problem with it at all and have absolutely no complaints when it comes to quality of calls and connectivity.
The camera is great too, capable of capturing images that pass the stringent quality control of stock photography site. Here’s the link to my Album on Facebook. Links to the images on ShutterStock are right after the image.
– Spaghetti with Bacon https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/spaghetti-bacon-618591023
– Milk Shake with Sweets, Cream and Popcorn https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/milk-shake-sweets-cream-popcorn-618591035
– English Style Roast Pork https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/english-style-roast-pork-618590411
– Salad with Crispy Pork https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/salad-crispy-pork-618590417
The Verdict
It’s a rock solid product, half the price of the flagship Zenfone 3 Zoom model but looking just as good and while not having the specs of the Zoom model, it is certainly a great performer at this price point.
