A while back, ASUS had a regional event at Jakarta. We attended the event and witnessed the launch of 3 smartphones – the ROG Phone (which was already launched in Malaysia) and then there was the ZenFone Max Pro (M2) and also the ZenFone Max (M2). The non-Pro version of the M2 was the smartphone that piqued our interest – how does it fit into the roster of ZenFone Max smartphones?
ASUS once again calls the ZenFone Max (M2) as a gaming smartphone. However, when we looked into the specs, we found out that it is catered towards a lower segment of the mobile gaming market.
- 6.26-inch IPS LCD screen with 1520×720 pixels in resolution (yes 720p display)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 chipset
- 4x 1.8GHz Kryo 250 Gold + 4x 1.8GHz Kryo 250 Silver
- Adreno 506 graphics with 96 ALUs
- 3GB or 4GB RAM
- 32GB or 64GB storage (expandable with microSD)
- Dual rear-facing cameras
- 13MP f/1.8 with PDAF
- 2MP depth sensor
- 8MP f/2.0 selfie camera
- 4,000mAh battery
- Stock Android 8.1 Oreo
From here we can deduce a few things. It is indeed using a 720p display only – and with lower resolution means that the GPU will not be taxed as much compared to a 1080p display with the same chipset.
Speaking of chipsets, the ZenFone Max (M2) is equipped with a Snapdragon 632 chipset – which does not perform as much as the Snapdragon 636 found in the ZenFone Max Pro (M1) that we reviewed here. From what we can find out, the overall clock speeds of the Snapdragon 632 is higher, but can only support LPDDR3 RAM instead. The Snapdragon 636 can utilize LPDDR4 NAND chips.
Then comes the GPU. We do not know the GPU clock speeds of the Adreno 506 found in the Snapdragon 632 that is used on the ZenFone Max (M2) yet but the graphic performance might still be just okay if not better than the Max Pro (M1). Because it is using a 720p display, it is not that taxing on the GPU.
All that aside, we know that the ZenFone Max (M2) will be launching on the 11th of January 2018. We do not know the price yet, but we expect it to be somewhere around RM599 or something. Else, it will have a tough time against the Max Pro (M1).
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