ASUS Zenfone Max: Smartphone that doubles up as charger for other devices

New Delhi As smartphones come out of the league and become powerful with highdefinition screens and professional camera technology they certainly lose when it comes to battery power With a powerful 5000mAh battery the ASUS Zenfone Max smartphone is here to help heavy smartphone users on the goASUS Zenfone Max PicIANSZenfone series is one of the popular series by Taiwanbased technology major ASUS which is affordable yet feature richThe Rs 9999 Zenfone Max has 55inch HD IPS display Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor 2GB RAM and runs on Android Marshmallow 601 operating systemHere is what works for the deviceZenfone Max resembles similar looks as previous Zenfone devices from Asus The device is well constructed durable and features a gold rim that runs along the body of smartphone enhancing its lookThe main USP is the 5000mAH battery for those who do not like carrying a power bank The Power Saver mode helps users manage and extend the battery life even moreFive battery modes and two smart switches that users can configure to make their own battery optimisation settings help the battery last even longerThe smartphone also comes with a USB OTG cable that turns the phone into a charger to power up other gadgets making it a useful everyday companionThe Zenfone Max with Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octacore processor clocked at 15GHz delivered fast and smooth performance be it playing games or working with productivity appsASUS ZenUI interface on top of Android Marshmallow felt fluidic and is easy to navigate Apps open up quickly and browsing between these was without any hiccupsThe onboard 32GB storage expandable up to 64GB gives the user ample storage option making it perfect for storing music videos games and other multimediaViewing videos was pleasant and HD IPS display produced good colours and contrast ratios even in darker scenesThe 13MP rear camera with PixelMaster 20 technology and dualLED flash captured good images that looked great on device The laser autofocus technology works well and focuses on an object in as fast as 003 secondThe front 5MP shooter is a delight for selfie lovers and 85degree wideviewing angle helps get more details into the pictureThe camera app comes with various modes like Manual Depth of Field Effect Miniature Smart Remove Time Lapse and Low Light etcThe 5000mAh battery easily lasted for two and a half days on mixed usage including social media apps light gaming and other productivity tools on a single chargeWhat does not workAlthough we liked the HD IPS display the resolution of 720p for a 55inch screen is low Other smartphones like Meizu M3 Note Le 1S Eco in the same price range offer fullHD displayAt this price a fingerprint sensor would have been appreciated especially when Le 1s Eco and Redmi Note 3 have one even affordable smartphones like Coolpad Note 3 Lite are loaded with a fingerprint sensorThe 5000mAh battery took approximately five hours for a full charge Once discharged remember that you need that much time for it to get fully charged A Quick Charge feature would have been great for such a massive batteryAt 202 grams the smartphone is bulkier than its competitorsConclusion The Zenfone Max device delivers good overall performance and certainly excels when it comes to battery The device also has the latest Android Marshmallow which most of us will like to use