Asus tries again with the new Max version of the Zenfone
Now the sudden rise of Asus in the mobile market it can be considered consolidated, thanks to some really performing devices and at a low price; after the excellent commercial success had earlier thanks to Zenfone 2 and later thanks to Zenfone Max, the Taiwanese company returns with a completely renewed range of products both in terms of design and in terms of the materials used. In this review we will give you our very personal opinions regarding the new one Zenfone 3 Max, which focuses above all on autonomy and on the really low price.
Bottle
Let's start from the sales package, which turns out to be rather standard, in particular we find the 5V / 2A power supply, a pair of medium-sized in-ear headphones, with a bag containing the spare rubber pads of various sizes, a cable USB / micro USB non Type C and a convenient OTG cable that can in fact be used to transfer energy to other devices.
Construction and Ergonomics
The device looks pretty good both in terms of materials (ASUS has decided to use metal) and in terms of the overall design, thanks to the bevel of the edges that make the device really pleasant not only to the eye but also to the touch. The dimensions of the Zenfone 3 Max are quite small (149.5 x 73.7 x 8.6 mm), with a really good weight (148 g) and one screen 5.2 inch IPS HD (1280 × 720). It turns out to be all in all compact (even in relation to the 4130 mAh battery) and is easily handled (although it is advisable to use a cover on the back as the smooth metal could easily make you lose the grip); the physical keys are positioned on the right side (volume adjustment and power button), on the left side, we have the compartment where you can insert 1 or 2 SIMs, while on the back we have the excellent fingerprint sensor (at times slightly slow) and the camera with LED flash embedded in the body of the device.
Hardware
ASUS Zenfone 3 Max has a hardware focused purely on energy saving, it consists in fact of a modest (although of the latest generation) processor MT6736M Mediatek, 1,25GHz quad core and one GPU Mali T720 MP2. 
La RAM is from 3GB, handled well, accompanied by 32GB of internal memory (expandable via microSD). On board the device we then have the following sensors: brightness, proximity, accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer. In reference to connectivity we have: Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and FM radio. On the other hand, the NFC chip is missing and there is no 5 GHz Wi-Fi band. Data connectivity is 4G LTE up to 150 Mbps and also (as previously written) we have support for two SIMs provided, however, to give up memory expandable. As for the fingerprint reader (located on the back), it works really well, but it requires a certain pressure of the finger for recognition. Finally, a sore point is the speaker positioned practically behind the smartphone, which will result in the loss of notifications and especially calls when it is placed on a table, bed or other surfaces.
Telephone Section
Although by now the telephone sector has become “optional” or almost on any smartphone, it must be said that this Zenfone 3 Max behaves in the average; we found a call volume not particularly exciting. at times muffled and not very clear (especially on the part of the receiver), the connectivity instead turns out to be good and very reliable. There is also the possibility to record calls (thanks to the appropriate key).
Camera
The camera positioned on the back is from 13 megapixel f / 2.2 with a single led flash; the speed of focus is all in all sufficient, as well as the speed with which the shots can be made. In particular, the latter, in optimal lighting conditions, turn out to be of good quality, also thanks to the HDR, which (although it aims to guarantee an excellent balance between lights and shadows) on balance works fairly well. Totally different speech when it is necessary to take pictures in low light or at night, as it is difficult to distinguish the details in relation to a graphic rendering unfortunately rather poor (in help there is the mode Low Light which at the expense of quality allows you to take slightly better photos). The front camera is 5 megapixel, nothing to complain or emphasize about it, it works well and you can take good selfies.
Software
As per tradition ASUS has stuffed its own device (which mounts on board Android 6.0 Marshmallow) of a whole series of custom functions with ZEN UI 3.0; this choice could make those who prefer a purer Android experience turn up their noses. 
It must be emphasized that the software works well, turns out to be fluid and reactive, for the price range in which the device is placed and we have a plurality of functions to explore.
A small note to do is related to the touch, which, on the upper part of the display, is not very sensitive, most of the time leading to the opening of the search rather than the drop-down menu of notifications.
From the point of view of customization we have: the launcher, which can be modified in every aspect, you can choose and reorder the quick toggles, use the fingerprint sensor to take pictures or to answer calls and much more. Furthermore, each pre-installed application has various settings that can be managed at will according to the needs.
Among the productivity applications to report we have: MiniMovie to make short videos from the photos taken, the Game Genie to stream your games on YouTube and Twitch, the gallery with cloud account support,QuickMemo, a file manager and a new one Mobile Manager to manage all the security aspects of the system, Super Note e Do it later (which allow you to manage multiple functions thanks to a single application). As for web browsing, first of all there is the abandonment of the ASUS proprietary browser which has been replaced by Google Chrome, which works in a reactive and flawless way (even when the site visited is in a bit heavy).
Autonomy
The battery from 4130 mAh, thanks to a low-energy processor, it guarantees a shorter autonomy than its predecessor but overall really good. We are talking about two days of average use and more than one day with intense use. Charging with the supplied power supply is quite fast but not as expected.
Price
ASUS Zenfone 3 Max is sold for 199 €.
On Amazon it is possible to find it at a slightly lower price than the market price.
Technical specifications summary
Finish / Color Glass finish:
Glacier Silver / Titanium Gray
Size
149.5 x 73.7 x 8.55 (LxWxH)
Weight
148 g
Operating system
Android ™ 6.0 with brand-new ASUS ZenUI 3.0
Processor
CPU: MediaTekQuad-Core Processor
GPU: Mali T720
Display
5.2-inch HD (1280 x 720) IPS display
75% screen-to-body ratio
400nits brightness
Memory
3GB RAM LPDDR3
Storage capacity
Internal Storage: 32GB eMMC
Micro SD: Micro SD Card up to32GB
ASUS WebStorage: 5GB free for life
Google Drive: 100GB free space (2 years)
Battery
4130mAh Lithium (non-removable)
Battery Life:
Stanby time: Up to 720 hours
Talk time: Up to 20 hours
(HD) Video Playback: Up to 15 hours
Web Browsing (Wi-Fi): Up to 18 hours
Depending on testing conditions, results may vary.
Audio
Speaker: Built-in Mono speaker
Video
Take still photo while recording video
Wireless technology
802.11b / g / n
Bluetooth V 4.0 + EDR
Wi-Fi Direct
Navigation
GPS / A-GPS
SIM Cards
Dual SIM card
SIM 1: 2G / 3G / 4G Micro SIM Card
SIM 2: 2G / 3G / 4G Nano SIM Card
Dual SIM Dual Standby
Network Standard
WCDMA / TD-SCDMA / LTE / TDD-LTE / FDD-LTE
Data Rate:
DC-HSPA +: UL 42 / DL 5.76 Mbps
LTE Cat3: UL 150 / DL 50 Mbps (WW version)
WW version:
2G:
850/900/1800/1900
3G:
WCDMA: Band: 1/2/5/8
WW version:
2G:
850/900/1800/1900
3G:
WCDMA: Band: 1/2/5/6/8
4G:
FDD: Band: 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/18/19/26/28
TD: Band: 38/41
WW version:
2G:
850/900/1800/1900
3G:
WCDMA: Band: 1/5/8
4G:
FDD: Band: 1/3/5/8
TD: Band: 40
WW version:
2G:
850/900/1800/1900
3G:
WCDMA: Band: 1/2/5/8
TD-SCDMA: Band: 34/39
4G:
FDD: Band: 1/3/7
TD: Band: 38/39/40/41
WW version:
2G:
850/900/1800/1900 3G:
WCDMA: Band: 1/2/4/5/8 4G:
FDD: Band: 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/17
DL Cat.12 / 13, UL Cat.11 speed vary with the mobile operator and regions. 4G LTE is supported in specific countries / regions only.
Sensor
Accelerator / E-Compass / Proximity sensor / Ambient light sensor / Fingerprint
I / O ports
micro USB
3.5mm audio jack (1 Head phone / Mic-in)
Front:
5MP Camera
PixelMaster Camera Modes:
Back Light (HDR) Mode
Low Light Mode
Real Time Beautification Mode
Night Mode
Photo Effect Mode
Time Lapse Mode
Rear:
13MP Camera, 5P Largan lens
Fix Focus
Auto Focus
LED flash
PixelMaster Camera Modes:
Back Light (HDR) Mode
Low Light Mode
Real Time Beautification Mode
Night Mode
Photo Effect Mode
Selfie fashion
Time Lapse Mode
Nutrition
Output: 5V 2A 10W
Input: 100-240V AC, 50 / 60Hz universal
Accessories
Main Battery
Headset
Adapter Type + Plug
USB On-the-go cable
User Interface
ASUS ZenUI 3.0
ZenMotion
ASUS Splendid
Kids Mode
PhotoCollage
MiniMovie
Google Apps
File Manager
Quick Memo
Themes
ZenCircle
Final commentASUS Zenfone 3 Max is practically the only Zenfone that can be purchased at a price below 199 euros; it is a good device for all those who have no particular needs or requirements in spending a higher amount. The hardware has been made well and is ultimately complete from various points of view, the fingerprint reader is good, but the choice of positioning the speaker on the back of the device is bad. Good display, cameras in the average compared to the price range in which this Zenfone 3 Max is placed and excellent autonomy, although slightly lower than the previous model. Furthermore, if you are not looking for a "pure" Android experience and the various Apps and customizations of the Taiwanese company do not represent a problem for your daily use, the purchase is highly recommended. |
| For | Cons |
|---|---|
| - Excellent autonomy although lower than the predecessor - Good RAM management - Build quality | - Slow processor - Too many pre-installed apps - Speaker placed on the back of the device |
| Overall rating: 77 |
