Asus’ ZenFone Max series, which is pegged purely as a road horse, lasts up to 2 days with ease. But we’ve never been happy with the design outlook of the ZenFone Max series, which is why the announcement of the ZenFone 3S Max comes as a refreshing change.
To be launched on 7 February, the ZenFone 3S Max will have to contend with other battery powerhouses in the market right now. So, is there anything new about the 3S Max that we haven’t seen before? Let’s find out.
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Review: Asus ZenFone Max Is a Powerbank With a Phone Built In!
Old Wine in a New Bottle
ZenFone 3S Max gives the Max series a much-needed design face lift, making it a logical upgrade on all counts. The leather body finish has given way to a classic touch of metal, ensuring the phone matches up to others that have been upgraded in 2017.
You’ll never feel that a 5000mAh battery is keeping this device chugging along, The phrase ‘old wine in a new bottle' perfectly fits here.
Nougat on a Budget
Most devices getting updated to Android 7.0 Nougat versions are either in the high-end space, or you have the likes of the OnePlus 3 getting the goodies.
But with the ZenFone 3S Max, Asus offers a Nougat version of its Zen UI for much less than what you’d pay for the OnePlus 3 or the Samsung Galaxy S7. The interface comes with its own set of customisations that may appeal to some of you.
Camera Takes a Hit for Good
ZenFone Max has a competent camera for a phone that was never known for its imaging prowess. But with the 3S Max, Asus has tweaked the innards to make the camera more appealing to users.
It still isn’t the best you can ask from a phone these days, especially with Honor 6X with a dual camera spicing up things in the mid-range segment.
All in the Name
Without reducing the battery size, Asus manages to tone down the size of the ZenFone 3S Max (though it’s still a handful to carry). You can easily expect to get over 1.5 days of battery life. And if you operate in power mode, you can stretch the tank up to 2 days as well.
The 3S Max, like its predecessors, is a reliable phone, which can double up as a power bank whenever needed. No fast charging though.
Asus will launch the ZenFone 3S Max with 5.2-inch display on 7 February. And going by its features, we reckon it could directly compete with 4000mAh battery devices like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, Lenovo’s K6 Note and the Honor 6X.
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