Taking a cue from Gionee’s Marathon series of smartphones, Asus introduced a new ZenFone Max model at the start of this year. The focus was on delivering the maximum possible battery life without making too many compromises. The result was a decent package that balanced performance and price well enough, while still delivering its key objective.
A few months later, we had a refreshed model, simply called the ZenFone Max (2016) (Review), which added a bit more processing power while maintaining the long battery life. Both were still entry-level offerings though, and now Asus diversifying the Max series and bumping it up to the mid-range segment with two new models with very similar names – the ZenFone 3 Max (ZC520TL) which sits in the sub-Rs. 15,000 price bracket and the ZenFone 3 Max (ZC553KL), which resides in the sub-Rs.20,000 segment. The ZC520TL variant features a smaller 5.2-inch, 720p display; a MediaTek SoC and 13-megapixel and 5-megapixel cameras whereas the higher priced model features a larger, 1080p display, Qualcomm SoC and 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel cameras. We have the latter of the pair in for review today.
This price bracket has some really good value-for-money offerings such as the Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime (Review) and Lenovo Z2 Plus (Review), both of which offer tremendous performance and features under Rs. 20,000. In fact, Asus’s very own ZenFone 3 Laser (Review) can be found for just a bit more than the ZC553KL’s Rs. 17,999 price tag. So, how does the Asus compare? Let's find out.