Asus ZenFone Max M2 vs Honor 8C vs Realme 2: Price, Specifications Compared

Asus introduced its budget Asus ZenFone Max M2 alongside the ZenFone Max Pro M2 in India earlier this week. The ZenFone Max M2 smartphone comes with a large battery, a display notch, a Snapdragon 632 SoC, dual camera setup, and stock Android. With the aggressive price tag, the Asus ZenFone Max M2 appears to be a good smartphone to consider, but it faces a lot of competition in the Indian market. The smartphone will go head to head with the Honor 8C and the Realme 2 especially in the country.

We pit the Asus ZenFone Max M2 with the Honor 8C and the Realme 2 to see if the newcomer is worth a purchase consideration, at least on paper.

Asus ZenFone Max M2 vs Honor 8C vs Realme 2 price

The Asus ZenFone Max M2 price in India starts at Rs. 9,999 for the 3GB RAM/ 32GB inbuilt storage variant, going up to Rs. 11,999 for the 4GB RAM/ 64GB storage variant. It will be available in Blue and Black colour variants in India from December 20, exclusively via Flipkart. Launch offers include no-cost EMIs, and discounted rates for Flipkart's Complete Mobile Protection programme (available at Rs. 99).

Asus ZenFone Max M2 vs ZenFone Max Pro M2: What's the Difference?

Honor 8C price in India has been set at Rs. 11,999 for the base 4GB RAM/ 32GB storage model, while its 4GB RAM/ 64GB storage variant is priced at Rs. 12,999. Both variants come in Aurora Blue, Magic Night Black, Platinum Gold, and Nebula Purple colour options. The Honor 8C is available in the country exclusively through Amazon.in and HiHonor Store.

Honor 8C Review

The Realme 2 was launched in India with a price tag of Rs. 8,990 for the base model with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of inbuilt storage. The company later increased the price of this variant to Rs. 9,499, but it's still the cheapest of the lot. The price of the 4GB RAM/ 64GB storage version of the Realme 2 is the same as the launch price. This variant is listed at Rs. 10,990 on Flipkart. It is available in Diamond Black, Diamond Red, and the Diamond Blue colour options exclusively on Flipkart.

Realme 2 Review

Asus ZenFone Max M2 vs Honor 8C vs Realme 2 specifications

While all the three phones run on Android Oreo, the Asus ZenFone Max M2 runs on stock Android while the Honor 8C comes with EMUI 8.2 customisations and the Realme 2 comes with ColorOS 5.1 customisations. All three phones support dual-SIM slots (Nano + Nano), dedicated microSD slot for memory expansion, rear fingerprint sensor, and Face Unlock as well. Coming to the display, the Honor and the Asus variant both sport a 6.26-inch display, while the Realme 2 sports a slightly smaller 6.2-inch display. All of them sport 720x1520 pixel resolutions and come with 19:9 aspect ratios thanks to the display notch. Again, Asus and Honor variants are powered by the Snapdragon 632 processor, while the Realme 2 is powered by the Snapdragon 450 processor. Both the Asus ZenFone Max M2 and the Realme 2 offer 3GB RAM + 32GB storage and 4GB RAM + 64GB storage options, while the Honor 8C offers 4GB RAM + 32GB storage and 4GB RAM + 64GB storage options.

Coming to the imaging front, the Asus ZenFone Max M2 sports a dual rear camera setup, with a 13-megapixel primary sensor (f/1.8 aperture, 1.12-micron pixels) coupled with a 2-megapixel dedicated depth sensor. The rear setup features 4K video recording support and an LED flash module. On the front, the ZenFone Max M2 sports an 8-megapixel sensor with an f/2.0 aperture, 1.12-micron pixels, and an LED flash module.

The Honor 8C smartphone also sports a dual rear camera setup that includes a 13-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor, paired with an LED flash. For selfies, the smartphone has a similar 8-megapixel camera sensor at the front that has a fixed focus lens with an f/2.0 aperture and a selfie toning light.

Even the Realme 2 bears a dual rear camera setup (stacked horizontally however) with a 13-megapixel primary sensor (f/2.2 aperture) and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor (f/2.4 aperture). On the front, the phone has an 8-megapixel sensor with fixed focus, an f/2.2 aperture, and an 85-degree wide-angle lens.

The Realme 2 packs the largest 4,230mAh battery, and the Asus ZenFone Max M2 and Honor 8C follow suit with a 4,000mAh battery pack. The Asus ZenFone Max M2 is the lightest and thinnest at 160 grams and 7.70mm, and the Realme 2 is the heaviest and thickest of the lot at 168 grams and 8.20mm. All the three phones support 3.5mm audio jack, Bluetooth v4.2, Micro-USB port, GPS, and more connectivity options.

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.