Here’s how the ZenFone Max Pro M1 compares with the Redmi Note 5 in terms of paper specs.
Asus has launched the ZenFone Max Pro M1 in India to take on Xiaomi’s popular Redmi Note 5. The ZenFone Max Pro M1 is an interesting device from Asus as it marks a second coming for the company in the Indian market. And by the looks of it, there’s a lot to look forward to in the days to come, and that should make companies like Xiaomi very nervous.
The ZenFone Max Pro M1 brings many industry firsts for an Asus smartphone, but the biggest one perhaps, is the fact that it runs pure Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box and not the company’s custom ZenUI. The ZenFone Max Pro M1, additionally, brings bezel-less screens to the masses, as also dual rear cameras. But the second most distinguishing highlight of the ZenFone Max Pro M1 — after stock Android — is that it’s currently the most powerful phone that you can buy at around Rs 10,000. And it packs in a 5,000mAh battery which means that it’s also designed to last longer than competing phones.
Here’s how the ZenFone Max Pro M1 compares with the Redmi Note 5 in terms of paper specs.
1. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 comes with an almost full-metal body — with top and bottom ends being plastic with brushed metal finish — curved 2.5D glass with rounded edges and polished antenna lines. The ZenFone Max Pro M1, meanwhile, uses metal and plastic in equal measure in its construction. While the back-plate is carved out of Aluminium alloy, the upper and bottom ends as well as the outer frame and buttons, are made of polycarbonate. Both the phones have rear-mounted fingerprint scanners and charge over standard micro-USB.
2. The Redmi Note 5 comes with a 5.99-inch FHD+ display with a 2160x1080p resolution and 403ppi pixel density. Because Xiaomi has shaved off much of the bezels on the top and bottom and also on the sides, the Redmi Note 5 feels much smaller than regular 6-inch phones. Also, it supports an unusual aspect ratio of 18:9, as against the more traditional 16:9. The same is true about the ZenFone Max Pro M1, which is Asus’ first mainstream bezel-less phone in India. It has the same display specifics, but unlike Xiaomi’s phone, the ZenFone Max Pro M1 offers greater contrast (1500:1), according to Asus. The screen also offers 85 per cent NTSC colour gamut, and a screen-to-body ratio of 83 per cent.
3. In terms of core hardware, the ZenFone Max Pro M1, is powered by a 1.8GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor clubbed with Adreno 509 GPU. The Redmi Note 5 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor and comes with up to 4GB of RAM and up to 64GB of storage which is further expandable by up to 128GB via a hybrid micro-SD card slot. The ZenFone Max Pro M1 will be available in three options: 3GB RAM/32GB storage, 4GB RAM/64GB storage and 6GB RAM/64GB storage. All the versions will support expandable storage of up to 256GB via a micro-SD card slot.
4. Asus is highlighting the fact that the ZenFone Max Pro M1 comes with three different slots: two for two 4G SIM cards, and an additional one for micro-SD expansion. The Redmi Note 5, on the other hand, comes with a hybrid slot for either two SIMs or one SIM and one micro-SD.
5. The biggest USP of the ZenFone Max Pro M1 is that it runs pure Android 8.1 Oreo, and not Asus’ custom ZenUI software. Asus is promising two major software updates for the ZenFone Max Pro M1 as and when Google is out with both the versions which means the phone will be getting both Android P and Q in the future, and because it’s rocking stock Android, chances are it may have them faster than any other Asus phone out there, and also faster than competition like the Redmi Note 5. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat (based MIUI 9) out-of-the-box.
6. The ZenFone Max Pro M1 comes with a dual rear camera system on the rear consisting of one 13-megapixel camera (f/2.2 aperture) and a secondary 5-megapixel camera for depth sensing. The dual camera system is assisted by PDAF and LED flash, and is capable of shooting 4K videos as well. The Redmi Note 5, on the other hand, comes with a 12-megapixel rear sensor with f/2.2 aperture, phase detection autofocus and a dual-LED (dual-tone) flash.
7. On the front, the ZenFone Max Pro M1, comes with an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash. The front camera on-board the ZenFone Max Pro M1 can shoot software-assisted bokeh photos, and going forward it will also enable face unlock. The Redmi Note 5, on the other hand, comes with a 5-megapixel front sensor with LED flash.
8. Asus is highlighting the fact, that the ZenFone Max Pro M1 is the slimmest phone in the Indian market right now to house a massive 5,000mAh battery. The ZenFone Max Pro M1 supports fast charging, and the charger that Asus is bundling in the box, can apparently charge the phone up to 30 minutes faster than a Redmi Note 5 which ships with a smaller 4,000mAh battery, according to the company.
9. Elsewhere, the ZenFone Max Pro M1 also comes with outstanding audio credentials, according to Asus. It comes with a 5-magnet speaker and an NXP smart amplifier. Asus, in addition, will be bundling a Max Box passive amplifier with the ZenFone Max Pro M1, that can apparently amplify the audio up to 1.7X naturally without any electronics involved in the accessory. The Redmi Note 5 Pro comes with a bottom mounted mono speaker out.
10. The Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 will be available in two options: 3GB RAM and 32GB storage for Rs 10,999 and 4GB RAM and 64GB storage for Rs 12,999. It will be available in as many as two colours: Meteor Silver and Deepsea Black, and start selling in India from May 3 exclusively from Flipkart. Asus will launch a 6GB RAM and 64GB storage version of the ZenFone Max Pro M1 soon for Rs 14,999, it has announced. The Redmi Note 5 starts at Rs 9,999 for the base 3GB RAM and 32GB storage version while the top-end version with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage is available for buying for Rs 11,999.
