Asus' smartphone division seems like it has been charged with new energy this year and the strategy seems to be capturing one segment at a time. We saw the first attempt at this with the ZenFone Max Pro M1 (Review), a power-packed phone on a budget. It was aimed squarely at the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro (Review) and has made a place for itself in the market. The second attempt was the ZenFone 5Z (Review) which was equipped to take on the OnePlus 6 (Review), mangling to undercut it to quite an extent. Asus is now planning to try the same strategy again with the Zenfone Max M1, and has Xiaomi's Redmi 6 series in its crosshairs. With prices starting at Rs. 8,999, can the ZenFone Max M1 be the go-to phone in the segment? We put it to the test to find out.
The ZenFone Max M1 has a 5.45-inch HD+ display with 2.5D curved glass on top. The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor. It has 3GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage which is further expandable up to 256GB. The Max M1 is a dual SIM device and has two Nano SIM slots. There is support for 4G as well as VoLTE on both slots but only one can latch onto a 4G network. The Max M1 runs on Android Oreo with ZenUI on top and has a 4000mAh battery. It has a 13-megapixel primary camera and an 8-megapixel selfie shooter. There is a fingerprint scanner as well as face recognition to unlock the smartphone.
| Product Name | Price in India |
|---|---|
| Asus ZenFone Max M1 (ZB556KL) (3GB RAM, 32GB) - Gold | ₹ 5,999 |
| Asus ZenFone Max M1 (ZB556KL) (3GB RAM, 32GB) - Black | ₹ 8,999 |
Asus ZenFone Max M1 (ZB556KL) price in India starts from ₹ 5,999. The lowest price of Asus ZenFone Max M1 (ZB556KL) is ₹ 5,999 at Flipkart on 29th October 2025.
| Brand | Asus |
| Model | ZenFone Max M1 (ZB556KL) |
| Price in India | ₹5,999 |
| Release date | October 2018 |
| Launched in India | Yes |
| Form factor | Touchscreen |
| Dimensions (mm) | 147.30 x 70.90 x 8.70 |
| Weight (g) | 150.00 |
| Battery capacity (mAh) | 4000 |
| Removable battery | No |
| Colours | Black, Gold |
| Screen size (inches) | 5.45 |
| Touchscreen | Yes |
| Resolution | 720x1440 pixels |
| Processor | octa-core |
| Processor make | Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 |
| RAM | 3GB |
| Internal storage | 32GB |
| Expandable storage | Yes |
| Expandable storage type | microSD |
| Expandable storage up to (GB) | 256 |
| Dedicated microSD slot | Yes |
| Rear camera | 13-megapixel (f/2.0, 1.12-micron) |
| Rear flash | LED |
| Front camera | 8-megapixel (f/2.2, 1.12-micron) |
| Front flash | LED |
| Operating system | Android 8.1 Oreo |
| Skin | ZenUI 5.0 |
| Wi-Fi | Yes |
| Wi-Fi standards supported | 802.11 b/g/n |
| Bluetooth | Yes, v 4.00 |
| Headphones | 3.5mm |
| FM | Yes |
| Number of SIMs | 2 |
| Wi-Fi Direct | No |
| SIM 1 | |
| SIM Type | Nano-SIM |
| GSM/CDMA | GSM |
| 3G | Yes |
| 4G/ LTE | Yes |
| Supports 4G in India (Band 40) | Yes |
| SIM 2 | |
| SIM Type | Nano-SIM |
| GSM/CDMA | GSM |
| 3G | Yes |
| 4G/ LTE | Yes |
| Face unlock | Yes |
| Fingerprint sensor | Yes |
| Compass/ Magnetometer | Yes |
| Proximity sensor | Yes |
| Accelerometer | Yes |
| Ambient light sensor | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes |
Asus ZenFone Max M1 (ZB556KL)
₹5,999