Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 Vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro

Asus has launched its latest budget offering for the India market, the Zenfone Max Pro. The newly launched smartphone will go on sale via Flipkart on the 3rd of May at a starting price of Rs 10999. The Zenfone Max Pro, in the beginning, will be available two variants, one with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage and the other one with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The company also announced that a 6GB RAM and 128GB storage variant with improved camera capabilities will also launch soon in India.

At such a price range, the Zenfone Max Pro directly competes with the Redmi Note 5. However, in terms of features and hardware, it stacks up against the Redmi Note 5 Pro. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro was launched in February of this year and has garnered great reviews so far. The only caveat being its annoying flash sales which is still the only way to buy the smartphone. It starts at a price of Rs 13999 for the 4GB RAM and the 6GB RAM model costs Rs 16999.

In a price sensitive market like India, such a price gap between two smartphones can be telling. But, does the Asus Zenfone Max Pro hold up against highly successful Redmi Note 5 Pro? Let’s find out!

Design

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro and Asus Zenfone Max Pro look identical in more than one way. On the front, the bezels have a similar size around the displays of both the phones. On the back, both the devices have a vertically placed dual camera setup with very similar placements as well. However, the LED flash on the Note 5 Pro is placed between the two cameras while on Zenfone Max Pro, it is placed beneath the dual camera setup. The brushed metal finish on both the phones means that the devices can be a bit slippery, especially if you have smaller hands and cannot get a proper grip.

It is also worth noting here that the Redmi Note 5 Pro has a camera bump on the back while the cameras on the Zenfone Max Pro are flush along the body.

Display

The display on both the smartphones is identical. It is a 5.99 inch IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution. This translates into an 18:9 aspect ratio. The corners of the displays are curved giving the smartphones a bit more premium look compared to sharp corners found on something like the Honor 7X.

The viewing angles are great and the colour reproduction is exactly what you would expect from an HD+ LCD panel. Considering how smartphones are the primary source of media consumption for a lot of users, both the devices do a great job with their respective displays. Another advantage of a tall display and thin bezels is the ability to fit a larger display in a relatively smaller body.

Hardware

When the Redmi Note 5 Pro was launched, its chipset was one of the highlights. It was the only smartphone to run on the Snapdragon 636 chipset before the Zenfone Max Pro’s launch. The Zenfone Max Pro is available in three different RAM and storage options, while the Note 5 Pro is only available in two RAM and one storage options.

A department where the Zenfone Max Pro hands down one-ups the Note 5 Pro is the battery. The Zenfone Max Pro has a 5000 mAh battery compared to Redmi Note 5 Pro’s 4000 mAh battery. Also, Asus has managed to keep the weight of the Zenfone Max Pro at 180 grams, identical to that of the Redmi Note 5 Pro.

If you are someone who swears by the benchmark scores, here they are for both the devices:

Antutu Benchmark

Geekbench

Camera

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro has a 20MP Sony IMX376 camera on the front with an LED light. To the back of the smartphone is a vertically placed dual-camera setup. It is a 12MP colour sensor with an f/2.2 and a 5MPcolour sensor with an f/2.0 aperture setup. The smartphone clicks portrait mode photos from the front and rear cameras.

The Asus Zenfone Max Pro has a 13MP primary sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and the depth sensor is a 5MP camera. The front of the device houses an 8MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture and an LED flash. The Zenfone Max Pro records 4K videos at 30fps while the Redmi Note 5 Pro can only record 1080P videos. Both the smartphones have EIS (electronic image stabilisation) when recording 1080P videos.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro Samples:

Asus Zenfone Max Pro Samples

Specifications