The ASUS ZenFone Max Plus M1 came out earlier this year and it is the first Asus branded handset with an 18:9 near-borderless display. This is a budget device with a price tag of $229, but it brings a bunch of impressive things like a 5.7″ full-view slim-bezel display, dual rear-facing cameras, and a software-based face unlock.
Hardware
| ZenFone Max Plus (M1) | Specification |
|---|---|
| Android version | Android 7.0 with Zen UI 4.0 |
| Screen size | 5.65-inch IPS display |
| Resolution | 2160 x 1080 pixels |
| Rear cameras | 16MP, f/2.0 aperture, 0.03s PDAF | 8MP, 120° wide-angle 6-element lens | PixelMaster 4.0 camera modes including: Auto mode with HDR / Pro mode / Beauty mode / Super Resolution / Panorama / GIF animation / Time Lapse |
| Front camera | 16MP, f/2.0 aperture |
| Processor | MediaTek MT6750T 1.5GHz octa-core processor | Mali T860 GPU |
| Storage | 32GB or 64GB |
| Expandable storage up to | 256GB |
| RAM | 3GB or 4GB |
| Battery | 4130mAh mAh (nonremovable) |
| Ports | microUSB for charging |
| Weight | 160 g |
| Dimensions | 73 x 152.6 x 8.8mm |
| Other features | Rear-facing fingerprint sensor, Face Unlock software, Dual SIM card slots |
| Color options | Deepsea Black, Azure Silver |
| Carrier availability | 3GB/32GB model will be available in February 2018 |
| Base price off-contract | ~$229 |
| In-box accessories | TBD |
Wrap up
That 4,130 mAh battery should last you a very, very long time. Add that to the fact that Asus is using a FHD screen (vs a QuadHD one), and you should be able to expect much more than a full day out of the Max Plus. The other big draw of this phone are the dual camera sensors, with a main 16 MP sensor that has a wide, f/2.0 aperture lens. The secondary 8 MP camera has a 120 degree wide-angle sensor for capturing more people or scenery in the frame. The phone also has a 16 MP front-facing selfie camera.
The bad news about this phone is that it will ship with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. It also uses the older micro-USB connector instead of the new USB-C port, but still retains a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Videos
ASUS Zenfone Max Plus
208.79
Pros
- Big, bright screen
- Low cost
- Decent colors, good viewing angles, and adequate brightness.
- Thin
- Good battery life
Cons
- Biometric unlocking is tedious
- Performance of Mediatek processor is not good
- Outdated Android
- Poor dynamic range on camera
- No USB-C
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.