Many people are clamoring for longer battery life rather than flashy features and thin body. Why? Because most smartphones these days doesn’t last a day and there are a lot of people who are really annoyed with their smartphones as they always need a powerbank or a charger with them most of the time. But thankfully, there are smartphones like the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max that has a big battery capacity and is designed to last long than most smartphones. Today, we’ll review the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max.

Before we talked about the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max, let’s talk about the ASUS Zenfone Max, its predecessor. The ASUS Zenfone Max was one of our favorite smartphones last year as it can last up to more than 2 days of use because of the 5000mAh battery. In where you can find our review here.

A thinner and premium body

One of the things that we love with the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max is that it doesn’t feel that the smartphone has a 4100mAh of battery because the smartphone isn’t that thick compared to the ASUS Zenfone Max. It is thin for its battery and then there’re the right curves for your hands which make the smartphone feel comfortable to the hand.

The ASUS Zenfone 3 Max also opted for a metal body which makes the smartphone feel premium compared to last year’s plastic. At the back, you’ll see the non-removable back with the two thin lines at the top and bottom that look better than the white lines on the iPhone and then you can also see the fingerprint sensor camera and LED Flash. Surprisingly, the camera of the Zenfone 3 max isn’t protruding.

It’s a unibody device and I love it while on the front, you get the 2.5D curved glass with no capacitive buttons and just the ASUS logo below and it looks minimalistic to me while the buttons are on the side. Since there’s no removable back, there’s the hybrid sim card tray on the side.

Compared to the ASUS Zenfone 3, Zenfone 3 Ultra, and Zenfone 3 Deluxe, the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max is using the Micro USB than USB Type-C. Well, it’s not really disappointing for me since as of this posting, Micro USB accessories are cheaper than Type-C and yes, USB OTG is really important on this one as the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max can also be used as a power bank to your other device.

A smaller display

The ASUS Zenfone 3 Max has a smaller 5.2-inch display which means that the smartphone has a smaller footprint and actually, I was not surprised that the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max still packs an HD display since smaller resolution tends to have a smaller battery consumption.

Nonetheless, the display of the smartphone looks good especially that 2.5D glass which adds more sexiness and premium feel on the smartphone. The display looks fine even when using outside, the viewing angles and color reproduction was just fine. Not a great display but it will do.

Surprisingly, a MediaTek processor

One thing that surprised me when the ASUS Zenfone 3 max was announced was the company’s choice of processor. Most of the time, companies tend to use Qualcomm processors as they consume less power compared to the competition but the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max chose to use the MediaTek MT6737T processor. Was it a bad choice? No.

I was actually surprised that the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max doesn’t heat up that much compared to other smartphones with a MediaTek processor. The performance was pretty good too and ASUS decided to put in a larger 3GB of RAM which means that the smartphone can handle more apps and games without problems.

In terms of gaming, I had no idea with the processor when In got the review unit but I was happy to test out the smartphone as it can handle popular heavy games such as Asphalt 8 without problems and even NBA 2k17 at the low settings.

As always, we’ve already expected the bloatware that come with the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max and I’m happy to tell you that some cool bloatware like the Game Genie works fine on the ASUS Zenfone 3 max and yes, there were no random slowdowns on the smartphone. It’s fun to use.

Better camera but lacks laser auto-focus

One of the things that I love with the ASUS Zenfone Max was the laser auto-focus and on the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max, ASUS decided to chop it down. Maybe because to lower the manufacturing cost of the smartphone. But don’t worry, because the camera has improved over the predecessor but the slower focusing time was noticeable on the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max.

Some of the shots that I took tend to be overexposed and sometimes, the images are a hit and miss but again, it was still better than its predecessor. Check out the shots that I took using the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max below.

Lower battery capacity but still good battery life

I was surprised when I discovered that the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max has a lower battery life compared to its predecessor. Nonetheless, you would still get a long battery life on the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max’s 4100mAh battery. In my average use of the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max, I still get two days of average use and at heavy load, the smartphone can last up to a day of use or around 18 hours of use. Still not bad for me.

Verdict

Despite the trade-offs on the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max, I still think that the smartphone is still good. Why? Yes, it has a smaller battery life but it can still last more than a day without the need of a power bank. Yes, it lacks the laser autofocus on this one but it can now produce better photos.

There are still a lot of things to like in this smartphone including the sexy and premium body, the fingerprint sensor, and a pretty good performance. If you’re looking for a premium smartphone that lasts long and wouldn’t drain your wallet, then the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max is right smartphone for you.

But if you want a smartphone that has a long battery life, a laser autofocus, a better and faster Qualcomm processor, and a bigger display then better wait for the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max 5.5. Yes, that one has a much better hardware specs but expect that the bigger brother has a more expensive price compared to this one. If your budget only fits for this smartphone then get this, because the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max is really a good smartphone.

The ASUS Zenfone 3 Max is now available for P8,950.