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Taking a cue from Gionee’s Marathon series of smartphones, Asus introduced a new ZenFone Max model at the start of this year. The focus was on delivering the maximum possible battery life without making too many compromises. The result was a decent package that balanced performance and price well enough, while still delivering its key objective.
A few months later, we had a refreshed model, simply called the ZenFone Max (2016) (Review), which added a bit more processing power while maintaining the long battery life. Both were still entry-level offerings though, and now Asus diversifying the Max series and bumping it up to the mid-range segment with two new models with very similar names – the ZenFone 3 Max (ZC520TL) which sits in the sub-Rs. 15,000 price bracket and the ZenFone 3 Max (ZC553KL), which resides in the sub-Rs.20,000 segment. The ZC520TL variant features a smaller 5.2-inch, 720p display; a MediaTek SoC and 13-megapixel and 5-megapixel cameras whereas the higher priced model features a larger, 1080p display, Qualcomm SoC and 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel cameras. We have the latter of the pair in for review today.
This price bracket has some really good value-for-money offerings such as the Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime (Review) and Lenovo Z2 Plus (Review), both of which offer tremendous performance and features under Rs. 20,000. In fact, Asus’s very own ZenFone 3 Laser (Review) can be found for just a bit more than the ZC553KL’s Rs. 17,999 price tag. So, how does the Asus compare? Let's find out.
A few months later, we had a refreshed model, simply called the ZenFone Max (2016) (Review), which added a bit more processing power while maintaining the long battery life. Both were still entry-level offerings though, and now Asus diversifying the Max series and bumping it up to the mid-range segment with two new models with very similar names – the ZenFone 3 Max (ZC520TL) which sits in the sub-Rs. 15,000 price bracket and the ZenFone 3 Max (ZC553KL), which resides in the sub-Rs.20,000 segment. The ZC520TL variant features a smaller 5.2-inch, 720p display; a MediaTek SoC and 13-megapixel and 5-megapixel cameras whereas the higher priced model features a larger, 1080p display, Qualcomm SoC and 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel cameras. We have the latter of the pair in for review today.
This price bracket has some really good value-for-money offerings such as the Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime (Review) and Lenovo Z2 Plus (Review), both of which offer tremendous performance and features under Rs. 20,000. In fact, Asus’s very own ZenFone 3 Laser (Review) can be found for just a bit more than the ZC553KL’s Rs. 17,999 price tag. So, how does the Asus compare? Let's find out.
Asus ZenFone 3 Max design and build
The design is one of the first things that will catch your attention. It’s not as busy as the other higher-end ZenFone 3 models, yet ends up looking really good. It feels sturdy too when you hold it, which is partly thanks to the unibody aluminium chassis. The grip is ergonomic and the buttons lined up nicely against our thumb.
Asus has gone with a 5.5-inch full-HD IPS display which fixes one of the biggest gripes we had with its predecessors. It produces sharp pictures, and brightness is very good, even under direct sunlight. The slim bezel reduces the width of the phone, thereby making it a little easier to use with one hand. There’s also a one-handed mode which you can activate in case you wish to do some serious typing on the move. Fingerprints aren’t much of an issue as there’s an oleophobic coating on the glass. What's dissapointing though, is that there isn't any form of scratch protection for the display, which is something we usually take for granted in this price segment
The design is one of the first things that will catch your attention. It’s not as busy as the other higher-end ZenFone 3 models, yet ends up looking really good. It feels sturdy too when you hold it, which is partly thanks to the unibody aluminium chassis. The grip is ergonomic and the buttons lined up nicely against our thumb.
Asus has gone with a 5.5-inch full-HD IPS display which fixes one of the biggest gripes we had with its predecessors. It produces sharp pictures, and brightness is very good, even under direct sunlight. The slim bezel reduces the width of the phone, thereby making it a little easier to use with one hand. There’s also a one-handed mode which you can activate in case you wish to do some serious typing on the move. Fingerprints aren’t much of an issue as there’s an oleophobic coating on the glass. What's dissapointing though, is that there isn't any form of scratch protection for the display, which is something we usually take for granted in this price segment
The ZC553KL is a hybrid dual-SIM phone, which is a bit of a letdown considering the previous model had true dual-SIM functionality. You can opt for a microSD card of up to 128GB in place of the second SIM. There’s a mono speaker on the bottom, just next to the Micro-USB charging port, while the headphones socket is placed on the top. There’s a notification LED in the front and capacitive navigation buttons below the screen, which annoyingly, aren’t backlit.
Around the back, we have a fingerprint sensor just below the camera module. You can use it to answer incoming calls, launch the camera app, or take a picture - but you can’t use it to lock apps or hide files. The bigger issue here is that fingerprint recognition was often not quick enough for us. It didn't misread fingerprints, which is flagged by a slight vibration, but it seemed more to do with the hardware not being able to authenticate fingerprints quickly. The issue was intermittent but was really frustrating when we ran into it.
Asus has done a commendable job in shedding the series’ budget image with the new Max. It looks and feels premium and has a much better display which we definitely appreciate. It’s not the slimmest phone around at 8.3mm, and is quite heavy at 175g, although you really don’t feel the heft too much when you carry it around. The phone ships with a headset, a 10W charger, a data cable, and an OTG cable. You also get 100GB of Google Drive space free for two years as a promotion.
Around the back, we have a fingerprint sensor just below the camera module. You can use it to answer incoming calls, launch the camera app, or take a picture - but you can’t use it to lock apps or hide files. The bigger issue here is that fingerprint recognition was often not quick enough for us. It didn't misread fingerprints, which is flagged by a slight vibration, but it seemed more to do with the hardware not being able to authenticate fingerprints quickly. The issue was intermittent but was really frustrating when we ran into it.
Asus has done a commendable job in shedding the series’ budget image with the new Max. It looks and feels premium and has a much better display which we definitely appreciate. It’s not the slimmest phone around at 8.3mm, and is quite heavy at 175g, although you really don’t feel the heft too much when you carry it around. The phone ships with a headset, a 10W charger, a data cable, and an OTG cable. You also get 100GB of Google Drive space free for two years as a promotion.
Asus ZenFone 3 Max specifications and features
The last ZenFone Max model used a Snapdragon 615 SoC, so naturally, we expected the new one to feature at least a Snapdragon 652 or a 625. Unfortunately, Asus has gone with the octa-core Snapdragon 430, just like with the ZenFone 3 Laser, which is disappointing. This chip handles day-to-day tasks pretty well but lacks punch when it comes to heavy apps and games. Even Asus’s ZenUI keyboard starts lagging after a while.
In benchmarks, the ZenFone 3 Max performs similarly to its predecessor. We got 43,573 points in AnTuTu; 9326 points in 3DMark Ice Storm; and 16fps in GFXbench’s T-Rex graphics test. The GPU is the weakest link here, and that means you can’t play heavy games like Dead Effect 2 smoothly, with all the settings cranked up. The phone also has 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, single-band Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, FM radio, and GPS. There’s 4G support on Band 1, 3, 5, 8, and 40 in India as well as VoLTE
The last ZenFone Max model used a Snapdragon 615 SoC, so naturally, we expected the new one to feature at least a Snapdragon 652 or a 625. Unfortunately, Asus has gone with the octa-core Snapdragon 430, just like with the ZenFone 3 Laser, which is disappointing. This chip handles day-to-day tasks pretty well but lacks punch when it comes to heavy apps and games. Even Asus’s ZenUI keyboard starts lagging after a while.
In benchmarks, the ZenFone 3 Max performs similarly to its predecessor. We got 43,573 points in AnTuTu; 9326 points in 3DMark Ice Storm; and 16fps in GFXbench’s T-Rex graphics test. The GPU is the weakest link here, and that means you can’t play heavy games like Dead Effect 2 smoothly, with all the settings cranked up. The phone also has 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, single-band Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, FM radio, and GPS. There’s 4G support on Band 1, 3, 5, 8, and 40 in India as well as VoLTE
Asus ZenFone 3 Max specifications and features
The last ZenFone Max model used a Snapdragon 615 SoC, so naturally, we expected the new one to feature at least a Snapdragon 652 or a 625. Unfortunately, Asus has gone with the octa-core Snapdragon 430, just like with the ZenFone 3 Laser, which is disappointing. This chip handles day-to-day tasks pretty well but lacks punch when it comes to heavy apps and games. Even Asus’s ZenUI keyboard starts lagging after a while.
In benchmarks, the ZenFone 3 Max performs similarly to its predecessor. We got 43,573 points in AnTuTu; 9326 points in 3DMark Ice Storm; and 16fps in GFXbench’s T-Rex graphics test. The GPU is the weakest link here, and that means you can’t play heavy games like Dead Effect 2 smoothly, with all the settings cranked up. The phone also has 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, single-band Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, FM radio, and GPS. There’s 4G support on Band 1, 3, 5, 8, and 40 in India as well as VoLTE
The last ZenFone Max model used a Snapdragon 615 SoC, so naturally, we expected the new one to feature at least a Snapdragon 652 or a 625. Unfortunately, Asus has gone with the octa-core Snapdragon 430, just like with the ZenFone 3 Laser, which is disappointing. This chip handles day-to-day tasks pretty well but lacks punch when it comes to heavy apps and games. Even Asus’s ZenUI keyboard starts lagging after a while.
In benchmarks, the ZenFone 3 Max performs similarly to its predecessor. We got 43,573 points in AnTuTu; 9326 points in 3DMark Ice Storm; and 16fps in GFXbench’s T-Rex graphics test. The GPU is the weakest link here, and that means you can’t play heavy games like Dead Effect 2 smoothly, with all the settings cranked up. The phone also has 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, single-band Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, FM radio, and GPS. There’s 4G support on Band 1, 3, 5, 8, and 40 in India as well as VoLTE
Videos look really good thanks to the vibrant display, and the phone handles high-bitrate videos just fine, at up to 1080p. Audio performance is particularly good through wired and wireless headphones. The volume can get really loud and audio has good separation with punchy bass. Even the bundled headset does a really good job at isolating ambient noise and delivering a good audio experience. The AudioWizard app lets you play around with equaliser settings in order to fine-tune the sound.
Asus's ZenFone Max models have always fared well in the camera department and the same story continues here. The 16-megapixel sensor and f/2.0 aperture lens result in detailed landscapes and macros in daylight. Colour reproduction is fairly accurate too although we could have used a bit more sharpness in captured images, especially around the edges of objects. In the macro shot sample below, notice that the edges of the flower are a bit fuzzy when seen at full size. Low-light shots look good, with little noise, and the low-light shooting mode really helps
Asus's ZenFone Max models have always fared well in the camera department and the same story continues here. The 16-megapixel sensor and f/2.0 aperture lens result in detailed landscapes and macros in daylight. Colour reproduction is fairly accurate too although we could have used a bit more sharpness in captured images, especially around the edges of objects. In the macro shot sample below, notice that the edges of the flower are a bit fuzzy when seen at full size. Low-light shots look good, with little noise, and the low-light shooting mode really helps
- KEY SPECS
- NEWS
- Good
- Good design and build quality
- Vibrant display
- Capable cameras
- Long battery life
- Good audio quality
- Bad
- Hybrid SIM slot
- Fingerprint sensor can be iffy
- Weak gaming performance
- No Gorilla Glass
- A bit expensive
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