ASUS launches refreshed ZenFone Max ft Snapdragon 615 & 5000 mAh battery

After a lot of teasers, ASUS has launched the refreshed variant of the Zenfone Max smartphone through a live stream dubbed “LiveUnplugged” in India. The upgraded Asus Zenfone Max sports a similar design like seen on its previous version and keeps the non-removable 5,000mAh battery as its key highlight.

To recall, the original Zenfone Max launched in January featured a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC with 16GB of storage. The company has not stopped the sale of the original Zenfone Max which is still available online at a discounted price of INR 8,999. The new Asus Zenfone Max comes with refreshed internals, that now include a powerful Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor clocked at 1.5GHz, clubbed with 2GB or 3GB RAM and Adreno 405 GPU. The biggest highlight of the Zenfone Max (ZC550KL) is its 5000mAh battery which the company says can work as a power bank for other devices. The manufacturer claims that the device is rated to deliver up to 914.4 hours of standby time, up to 37.5 hours of 3G talk time or up to 32.5 hours of Wi-Fi browsing before it runs out of juice.

The Asus Zenfone Max comes in black, white, orange and blue colors and is priced at ₹9,999 for the 2GB RAM variant and ₹12,999 for the 3GB RAM variant. It will be available through Flipkart, ASUS Exclusive Stores and retail outlets across India.

Asus Zenfone Max (ZC550KL-6A072IN/ZC550KL-6M079IN) specifications

• Dimensions: 77.5x156x10.55 mm; Weight: 202g
• 5.5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) display with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection
• 1.5 GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 615 processor with Adreno 405 GPU
• 2GB/3GB RAM
• 32GB internal storage, expandable memory up to 64GB with microSD
• Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) with Zen UI 2.0
• Dual SIM
• 13MP rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, Laser Auto Focus
• 5MP front-facing camera, f/2.0 aperture and 85-degree wide-angle lens
• 5000mAh (non-removable) battery

The Zenfone Max seems like a good device for its price range and could appeal users who are looking for better battery backup from their smartphones. The device is well equipped to face the likes of Le 1s, Coolpad Note 3, Redmi Note 3 and Moto G4.