Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 vs ZenFone Max Pro M1: What's New and Different?

Asus launched the ZenFone Max Pro M1 in India in April this year, and with its mix of competitive specifications and a value for money price tag, the phone has been one of the hits of 2018. The company has now brought its successor, the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2, to India. The budget device comes with visible design differences, the notable one being the integration of the display notch up front. The ZenFone Max Pro M2 also sports a metal glossy finished back, giving it an overall premium look, and the phone sees a slight upgrade in specifications as well, the key ones being the Snapdragon 660 SoC. We pit the predecessor Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 with the successor Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 to see everything that's new and different.

ZenFone Max Pro M2 vs Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 price in India

Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 has been launched in multiple variants in India, just like its predecessor. The smartphone is priced a little higher than its predecessor, with the price in India starting at Rs. 12,999 for the 3GB RAM/ 32GB inbuilt storage variant, going up to Rs. 14,999 for the 4GB RAM/ 64GB inbuilt storage variant, and Rs. 16,999 for the 6GB RAM/ 64GB inbuilt storage variant.

The Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 will be available in Blue and Titanium colour variants from December 18, exclusively via Flipkart. Launch offers include no-cost EMIs, and discounted rates for Flipkart's Complete Mobile Protection programme (available at Rs. 99).

To recall, the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 was earlier launched only in two variants - the 3GB RAM/ 32GB storage model is priced at Rs. 10,999, and the 4GB RAM/ 64GB storage variant is priced at Rs. 12,999. Later in July, Asus also launched the 6GB RAM/ 64GB storage variant, and priced it at Rs. 14,999. The Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 6GB RAM variant has a different set of cameras as well.

ZenFone Max Pro M2 vs Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 specifications

The Asus ZenFone Max Pro 2 and the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 both run on Android 8.1 Oreo stock version. Both the smartphones support dual-SIM (Nano+Nano) slots, and a third dedicated microSD card slot for further expansion of memory. The Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 comes with a larger 6.26-inch full-HD+ (1080x2280 pixels) display with a notch, with an 19:9 aspect ratio, 2.5 curved Corning Gorilla Glass 6, a peak brightness of 450 nits, and support for a 94 percent NTSC colour gamut.

On the other hand, the ZenFone Max Pro M1 sports a traditional 5.99-inch full-HD+ (1080x2160 pixels) IPS Full View display along with an 18:9 aperture ratio. The new Asus variant is powered by the Snapdragon 660 processor, while the predecessor is powered by the Snapdragon 636 processor. Both the phones offer 3GB RAM, 4GB RAM and 6GB RAM options, and 32GB and 64GB internal storage offerings.

Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 Review

The Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 sports a dual rear camera setup, with a 12-megapixel primary sensor (Sony IMX486 sensor, f/1.8 aperture, and 1.25-micron pixels) coupled with a 5-megapixel dedicated depth sensor. The rear setup features EIS, 4K video recording support, and an LED flash module. On the front, the ZenFone Max Pro M2 sports a 13-megapixel sensor with an f/2.0 aperture, 1.12-micron pixels, and an LED flash module.

In the camera department, the 3GB RAM/ 4GB RAM variant of the ZenFone Max Pro M1 also bears a dual rear camera setup with a primary 13-megapixel Omnivision sensor, with f/2.2 aperture, and a secondary 5-megapixel depth sensing sensor, both with LED flash. On the front, the 3GB RAM/ 4GB RAM variant comes with an 8-megapixel selfie camera that offers a 5P lens, an 85.5-degree lens, and an aperture of f/2.0. The 6GB RAM variant of the ZenFone Max Pro M1 however has a 16-megapixel (f2/.0) + 5-megapixel rear camera combination and a 16-megapixel selfie camera (f/2.0). While the 6GB RAM variant came with EIS support out-of-the-box, the 3GB RAM and 4GB RAM variants got the support via an update recently.

Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 (6GB) Review

Both the phones pack a 5,000mAh battery under the hood, with support for 10W charging, a rear fingerprint sensor, and support face unlock as well. The Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 offers Bluetooth v5, while the ZenFone Max Pro M1 offers Bluetooth v4.2. All the other connectivity options are the same, and they both include a 3.5mm audio jack, Micro-USB port, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, and more.

The Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 is 8.5mm thick, while the predecessor is slightly thicker at 8.64mm. The latest variant is also lighter at 175 grams, while the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 weighs 180 grams.

Is Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 the ultimate Redmi Note 6 Pro killer? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.