Asus has launched two new budget smartphones in India dubbed as the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 and Asus Zenfone Max M2. While the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 is the successor of the Zenfone Max Pro M1 which went head to head against the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro earlier this year, the Asus Zenfone Max M2 is more of a surprising launch since the Zenfone Max M1 was announced in the country around a couple of months back.
First, let’s talk about the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2. This smartphone will be taking in the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro in India and while it comes with a 6.26-inch FHD+ display, it has also become one of the cheapest smartphones to come with Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection. The Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 take the best of its predecessor and adds some new features such as a refreshing 3D glass-like rear panel featuring a wave design. There are also a host of AI features along with Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) for the front camera.
Also read: Realme U1 vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro vs Honor 9N: Price, specifications and features
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 continues to run stock Android out of the box while it also features the same 5000mAh battery. On the other hand, the display has gone bigger and here we have the first budget smartphone from Asus to sport a display notch at the top.
Now, let’s come to the Asus Zenfone Max M2. As mentioned above, we were more shocked than surprised with the launch of this device. For the unknown, the Zenfone Max M1 was launched a couple of months back along with the Zenfone Lite L1 and we already have its successor in form of the Asus Zenfone Max M2.
That said, Asus has done a great job in packaging the Zenfone Max M2 as the smartphone also comes with display notch, better screen-to-body ratio, Snapdragon 632 14nm processor, dual camera and a handful of other updates from the previous version.
Here we take a look at a detailed comparison between the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 and Asus Zenfone Max M2 in order to tell our readers what exactly will they get with both the devices and how justified is the price difference between the two smartphones. While the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 has been launched near the Rs. 15,000 mark, the starting price of Asus Zenfone Max M2 puts it into the sub-Rs. 10,000 segment.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 vs Asus Zenfone Max M2: Specifications and features compared
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 vs Asus Zenfone Max M2: Display
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2: 6.26-inch Full HD+ (2280 × 1080 pixels resolution) display with 19:9 aspect ratio, 94 per cent NTSC Color Gamut, 1500: 1 contrast ratio, 450 cd/m2 brightness and Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection
Asus Zenfone Max M2: 6.26-inch HD+ (1520×720 pixels resolution) with 19:9 aspect ratio, 2.5D curved glass and an unspecified screen protection.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 vs Asus Zenfone Max M2: Processor
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2: Qualcomm Octa Core Snapdragon 660 14nm SoC clocked at 1.8GHz and paired with Adreno 512 GPU for graphics
Asus Zenfone Max M2: Qualcomm Octa-Core Snapdragon 632 14nm SoC clocked at 1.8GHz and paired with Adreno 506 GPU for graphics
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 vs Asus Zenfone Max M2: RAM and storage
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2: 3GB of LPDDR4X RAM with 32GB of internal storage, 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM with 64GB of internal storage and 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM with 64GB of internal storage options, expandable up to 2TB with a microSD card.
Asus Zenfone Max M2: 3GB of LPDDR3 RAM with 32GB of internal storage and 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM with 64GB of internal storage, expandable up to 2TB with microSD card
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 vs Asus Zenfone Max M2: Software
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2: Stock Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box
Asus Zenfone Max M2: Stock Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 vs Asus Zenfone Max M2: Cameras
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2: 12MP primary rear camera with Sony IMX486 sensor, LED flash, f/1.8 aperture, Phase detection autofocus (PDAF), 1.25μm pixel size, Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS), Pro Mode and a secondary 5MP rear camera. At the front, there is a 13MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture, AI features, Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) and LED flash.
Asus Zenfone Max M2: 13MP primary rear camera with f/1.8 aperture, EIS, Phase detection autofocus (PDAF), Pro mode, LED flash and a secondary 2MP rear camera. At the front, there is an 8MP front camera with LED flash and f/2.0 aperture.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 vs Asus Zenfone Max M2: Battery
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2: 5000mAh battery with no support for fast charging
Asus Zenfone Max M2: 4000mAh battery with no support for fast charging
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 vs Asus Zenfone Max M2: Biometrics
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2: Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and Face Unlock
Asus Zenfone Max M2: Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and Face Unlock
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 vs Asus Zenfone Max M2: Other features
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2: Dual SIM (nano + nano + microSD), Dual 4G VoLTE, 3.5mm audio jack, 5-magnet speaker and NXP Smart Amp.
Asus Zenfone Max M2: Dual SIM (nano + nano + microSD), Dual 4G VoLTE, 3.5mm audio jack, 5-magnet speaker and NXP Smart Amp.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 vs Asus Zenfone Max M2: Price and variants
The Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 has been made available in Blue and Titanium colour options. It is priced at Rs. 12,999 for the 3GB RAM / 32GB internal storage version while the 4GB RAM / 64GB internal storage version is priced at Rs. 14,999. On the other hand, the top-end 6GB RAM / 64GB internal storage version retails at Rs. 16,999.
The Asus Zenfone Max M2 has been made available in Black and Blue colour options. The price for the smartphone starts at Rs. 9999 for the 3GB RAM / 32GB internal storage version while the 4GB RAM / 64GB internal storage version is priced at Rs. 11,999.
Here is the comparison between Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 and Asus Zenfone Max M2:
| Specifications | Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 | Asus Zenfone Max M2 |
| Display | 6.26-inch Full HD+ (2280 × 1080) pixels | 6.26-inch HD+ (1520×720) pixels |
| Processor | Qualcomm Octa Core Snapdragon 660 14nm | Qualcomm Octa-Core Snapdragon 632 14nm |
| Operating System | Android 8.1 Oreo | Android 8.1 Oreo |
| Camera | 12 MP + 5 MP | 13 MP + 2 MP |
| Front Camera | 13 MP | 8 MP |
| Sim Size | Dual SIM (nano + nano) | Dual SIM (nano + nano) |
| RAM | 3 GB/ 4 GB/ 6 GB | 3 GB/ 4 GB |
| Storage | 32 GB/ 64 GB | 32 GB/ 64 GB |
| Expandable Storage | Upto 2 TB | Upto 2 TB |
| Battery | 5000 mAh | 4000 mAh |
| Quick Charging | YES | NO |
| Sim Slot(s) | Dual SIM, GSM+GSM, Dual VoLTE | Dual SIM, GSM+GSM, Dual VoLTE |
| Fingerprint Sensor | Yes | Yes |
| Face Unlock | YES | YES |
It is more than evident that both the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 and Asus Zenfone Max M2 have been launched in two different segments. Moreover, with the kind of features these two smartphones have to offer, they can be considered worthy choices in their respective segments since you get stock Android, huge battery backup, powerful chipsets and a huge display, irrespective of which of these smartphones you pick.
However, when it comes to choosing the most value for money (VFM) product out of the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 and Asus Zenfone Max M2, we will recommend the former as it comes with some features which even its competitors couldn’t match.