[Review] Asus ZenFone Max – Exceptional Endurance Exemplified

Battery Life
The key draw to the Zenfone Zoom – its battery – does not disappoint. With modest use – texting, a few phone calls, some social media use and web browsing, the ZenFone Zoom lasted easily north of three days closing onto four. The modest hardware specs worked in the ZenFone Max’s favour in enhancing its endurance and if you kick in its power saving mode, it should be able to last a bit longer than that.

After subjecting it to a more punishing gauntlet by leaving the GPS on, leaving data on all day along with using it as a Wi-Fi hotspot and with multiple phone calls, web browsing, e-mails and light gaming, it was able to make it with juice to spare by the end of the day. As far as phones in its price range go locally, this kind of battery life is excellent, only matched and exceeded by the Leagoo Shark 1 though that has a higher price tag at RM999 and a larger 6000mAh battery. The recently launched Samsung A9 Pro phablet also has a similarly large 5000mAh battery though it costs RM1,999.

The ZenFone Max was also able to act as an ersatz power bank to charge other devices with the provided USB OTG cable. This also means that you can hook it up with a host of other USB-powered devices like USB-powered fans, LED lamps and the like to further enhance its utility. Unfortunately, it’s biggest advantage is also something of a sore point as the ZenFone Max lacks wireless charging or fast charging capability which means you’ll need a good overnight charge if you’ve managed to somehow drain its capacious battery. It’s not a deal breaker though it would have been nice to have that ability and if you’re on the road you’ll have to factor that into how you use the phone.

Conclusion
As phones go, the ZenFone Max is a workhorse through and through. It won’t sprint first to the finish line in record time though it’ll still get there in reasonable time and its huge battery is a real lifesaver especially if you’re on the move and away from the mains. With dual SIM card slots, decent hardware and nigh Herculean battery life, this phone looks ideal for travellers and, in light of recent events, a sweet device for Pokemon Go.

The minimum requirements for Pokemon Go demand an Android phone that has at least a 720P display (check), Android 4.4 and higher (check) and doesn’t run an Intel CPU (check!), making it more than sufficient for the task. Seeing as leaving both data and the GPS on drains battery juice faster than a former seafaring nation state attempting to leave a union of nations, this makes the ZenFone Max with its mammoth battery ideally suited for the augmented reality aspect of the game. While the lack of fast charging is a bother, it’s not a major deal breaker. If you need a sub RM800 workhorse with a large screen and amazing battery life, this is a very worthy contender.

What We Liked Huge battery, decent build quality, solid hardware for price, reverse charging
What We Didn’t A lot of bloatware, no wireless or fast charging
What We Say If you’re looking for a sub RM800 workhorse with decent hardware and phenomenal battery life the Asus ZenFone Max is right up your alley

Specifications
Screen 5.5-inch LCD, 720 x 1,280 pixels, 267ppi
Processor Snapdragon 410 1.2GHz
OS Android 5.0.2
Memory 2GB RAM/ 16GB+microSD card
Camera 13-MP w/ f/2.0, dua LED flash & laser autofocus (rear) + 5-MP w/ f/2.0 (front)
Battery 5000mAh
Size/Weight 156 x 77.5 x 10.6 mm/202g
*Review unit courtesy of Asus Malaysia. To purchase the Asus ZenFone Max, swing by their official online store here
*Price RM799