ZenFone Pro Max M1 pre-orders will open via Flipkart at noon. Price in India starts at Rs. 10,999
Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 pre-orders open in India today, roughly 10 days after it was launched in the country. The ZenFone Max Pro M1 takes on the Redmi Note 5 Pro, Xiaomi's recent affordable offering, and even undercuts it in terms of pricing while offering similar hardware and the stock Android experience. Asus has announced three variants of the smartphone for India, 3GB RAM/ 32GB storage, 4GB RAM/ 64GB storage, and 6GB RAM/ 64GB storage - this last model (which has slightly different specifications as well) doesn't yet have a release date for India, with the company saying it would be released soon. Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 pre-orders go live at 12pm via Flipkart, where the smartphone will be exclusively available in the country.
Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 Review
Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 price in India has been set at Rs. 10,999 for the 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage variant. The 4GB RAM and 64GB storage variant will cost Rs. 12,999. As we mentioned, a 6GB RAM and 64GB storage variant of the ZenFone Max Pro M1 was also announced, priced at Rs. 14,999 - it also has better camera specifications, with a 16-megapixel + 5-megapixel rear camera setup on the back, and a 16-megapixel selfie shooter. No release date has been mentioned for this model, which is priced at Rs. 14,999.
The ZenFone Max Pro M1 will be made available across in Midnight Black and Grey colour options. The company has partnered with Flipkart to offer Complete Mobile Protection - which covers broken screens, liquid damage, hardware and software faults, etc. - at Rs. 49 for a year. On the first day of release, the handset will be available with no-cost EMI via credit cards and Bajaj FinServ.
As for the launch offers, ZenFone Max Pro M1 buyers on Vodafone will get 10GB complimentary data month for 12 months on recharges of Rs. 199 and above for prepaid users. They will also get weekly telco and non-telco offers, Asus said. For postpaid users on Rs. 399 Red plan, Vodafone will give 10GB additional data a month for a year, while those on Rs. 499 Red plan will get free Red Protect access free.
The Inside Story of How Asus Made the ZenFone Max Pro M1 for India
The dual-SIM (Nano) Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 runs a pure version of Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box, and will get Android P and Android Q upgrades. It sports a 5.99-inch full-HD+ (1080x2160 pixels) IPS Full View display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The handset is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC, coupled with an Adreno 509 GPU.
As for camera specifications, the ZenFone Max Pro M1 bears a dual camera setup at the back with a 13-megapixel primary Omnivision sensor (f/2.2 aperture) and a 5-megapixel secondary depth sensing sensor. On the front there is an 8-megapixel selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture, an 85.5-degree wide-angle lens, and a 5P lens. Both the rear and front camera get soft-light LED flash. There is up to 64GB EMCP inbuilt storage on the phone, with microSD card support up to 2TB for expansion. And, a 5000mAh battery, with a bundled 10W charger, powers in the internals from under the hood.
Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
Connectivity options include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n with Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.2 (with aptX), GPS/ A-GPS, BDS, GLONASS, Micro-USB, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Sensors onboard the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 include Face Unlock sensor, fingerprint sensor, and the likes. Dimensions are 159x76x8.61mm and weight is 180 grams.
We discussed whether Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 is a Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro killer 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.
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