This model marks another era of the Zenfone as evidenced by the vertically oriented packaging that it comes in.
Pulling the Zenfone Max out of the box feels familiar but the heft and overall appearance remains distinct from all the other Zenfones that came before it. It comes with a pair of ZenEars and a 5.2V/1A wall charger. Even though it shares the panel (and most other specifications) of the earlier Zenfone Laser 5.5 it’s a tad bit taller (as tall as the Zenfone Selfie) and comes with more heft from its fantastically powerful 5000mAh lithium-polymer battery.
With me is the white version of this powerhouse. The phone is mostly in that singular color with the exception of the metal finished trim that runs around the sides. The black version has a leather-textured back cover while this one has a ceramic finish which is also plastic but is quite different from the matte finish that was used on the Laser 5.
This and the labels and icons in front of the phone, under glass, share a rose gold tint further enhancing its elegance.
The power button and volume rocker had been relocated to the right of the device – I feel that this design decision has been influenced somewhat by the battery profile which in reality isn’t that massive compared to other high capacity battery models being utilized by other companies.
Seen above side by side with another Zenfone (Laser 5), there is hardly a difference in overall thickness between the two.
It houses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 with 2GBs of RAM, a 13MP shooter with laser AF at the rear and a 5MP in front, again echoing most of the Zenfone 2 Laser 5.5 specifications.
Asus’ choice of spec combinations allow the phone to maintain uninterrupted activity for an incredibly long time – think an entire day of heavy usage and you’ve got yourself a pretty good picture of what the Zenfone Max is capable of. I had this with me during the Sinulog Zenfestival Weekend where it and the Zenfone Zoom were launched and had been using it purely as a mobile router and was still at 70% at dinnertime… that’s an approximately 12-hour near continuous stream of data for a mere 30% of the charge!
One of the identifying features of this device is, with the help of some proper cables, to act as a backup battery for another unit – a phone / power bank! As with similar hybrid devices coming also from Asus they once again were able to reduce the number of items one would need to be carrying freeing up very valuable space in bags.
An important thing to note here is that, due of the large battery, it also takes its time to recharge completely, but if you were to match that with your sleep cycle then that is hardly an issue. This phone does not feature fast-charging like the Intel powered Zenfone 2 and it really doesn’t need to – with its full charge, even if you practically have it on the entire day, the Zenfone Max provides peace of mind with whatever activity you can think of… yes, even LTE on and streaming if needed.
It might not be the fastest member of the Zenfone 2 family but it definitely is the most resilient. The Zenfone Max retails for Php8,495 on all major tech distribution channels.
Full PR after the break.
ZenFone Max with ridiculous 5,000 mAh Battery
A Ultimate Energy Smartphone with a massive screen and a massive battery!
Manila, Philippines (February 1, 2016) — The highlight of the new ZenFone Max (ZC550KL) is its incredibly-long-lasting, high-capacity 5000mAh lithium-polymer battery that gives users an unprecedented amount of mobile freedom. With capabilities of staying longer than most smartphones, the ZenFone Max has a standby mode of 38 days, or 37.5 hours of 3G talk time, or 32.5 hours of Wi-Fi Browsing, or 22.6 hours of video playback.
ZenFone Max has a bright and clear 5.5-inch HD IPS display with wide viewing angles, protected by the latest Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4 for unrivalled scratch-resistance, strength and everyday durability. On top of this, its back cover stands out with its leather finish texture for maximum grip. At the heart of ZenFone Max is a powerful yet power-efficient 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor with up to 2GB of RAM. ZenFone Max also features 13MP Rear /5MP Front PixelMaster cameras with a wide f/2.0 aperture. The rear camera also boasts laser auto-focus for sharp, near-instant shots with 0.03 focusing speed and dual LED tone flash for natural photos under the dark.
ZenFone Max also functions as a powerbank through its USB OTG capabilities to charge other phones and micro usb devices– a very useful feature when outside and no power outlets are available.
The ZenFone Max (ZC550KL) is now available in all authorized re-sellers nationwide for Php 8,495.00. You can also check out ZenFone Zoom (ZX551ML), ASUS World’s thinnest 3X optical zoom smartphone for PHP 26,995.00.
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