Another day, another phone that promises a long battery life. This week, its the Asus ZenFone 3S Max, which is an under-powered, smaller version of the ZenFone 3 Max.
The phone has been priced Rs 14,999, a price range dominated by Lenovo’s Z2 Plus, Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 4 and the Honor 6X. So does the ZenFone 3S Max live up to its competition? Take a look:
Pros:
- Bright display
- Decent camera
- Android 7.0 Nougat out of box
- Long battery life
- Online and offline availability
Cons:
- Sluggish UI
- Tough competition
- No fast charging
What’s Good?
The ZenFone 3S Max is the smaller sibling of the ZenFone 3 Max, which was launched last year. The body of the 3S Max gets a metallic finish; and the size of the battery keeps us from complaining about the dimensions and weight of the phone.
Also Read: Review: Asus Zenfone 3 Max is All About the Long Battery Life
The 5.2-inch display offers 720 pixels resolution. This is disappointing for this price point but the brightness quotient on offer is impressive.
A phone with Android 7.0 under 20K is a bonus, and with the Zen UI, Asus has managed to steal everyone’s thunder, including Moto’s.
The phone is powered by a Mediatek octa-core processor.
The 5000 mAh battery on the 3S Max can last upwards of 1.5 days on a single charge. This could translate into full 24 hours of use on a single charge for power users, which is quite impressive.
Traditionally, the Max series from Asus has been renowned for its battery life, and the 3S Max is no different.
You can buy this phone at a shop near you, or online platforms like Flipkart or Amazon, whenever you want. No flash or open sales.
What’s Bad?
For Rs 14,999, the battle to offer a compelling camera package has given us the Honor 6X with dual cameras and the Redmi Note 4. This is exactly where the Asus ZenFone 3 Max, with its 13 megapixel camera, loses out the most.
By opting for a 720 pixels display – instead of the expected full-HD 1080 pixels display – Asus has clearly focused on the battery with the 3S Max.
The 13-megapixel camera on the 3S Max is decent, as we’ve mentioned in our Pros column. But with competition being as fierce as it is, being decent is no longer the benchmark.
In daylight, the camera delivers bright images, but the lack of detail becomes evident once you take a closer look at the images. In low light, the camera leaves a lot to be desired. What the 3S Max needs is a better sensor so as to compete with the best in the business right now.
With 5000 mAh battery, you can be relaxed about charging the phone once in 2 days. But even that can’t be taken for granted, as the ZenFone 3S Max does not support fast charging (via microUSB 2.0 port) and that’s a bummer.
The Android UI is flush with pre-loaded apps that most of us may never use. These can’t be deleted. Asus has to get rid of the bloatware for good or their software will never match the potential of the hardware.
Why Buy It?
Asus ZenFone 3S Max is a smaller variant of the ZenFone 3 Max. The phone has a metallic body, a decent camera, 32GB onboard storage and Android 7.0 Nougat out-of-box.
For Rs 14,999, the ZenFone 3S Max is a battery contender that is right up there with the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 and the Honor 6X. However, the phone is just another competitor or two from disappearing into oblivion.
If battery is your primary concern, then the ZenFone 3S Max is the phone for you.
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