Asus is on a roll these days with the launch of Asus 6z aka Zenfone 6 and ROG Phone 2 which are spectacularly priced for the specification they offer. But many may forget their mid-range series which is Zenfone Max series. No phone has been launched in that series since December 2018 meaning almost 1 year without any mid-range offering from the brand. Asus Zenfone Max Pro M3 is or should be very much due for launch this December and we can’t wait how it’ll tackle the competition. To recap both the Zenfone Max Pro M1 & Zenfone Max Pro M2 were very aggressively priced and gave competitors a run for their money. Irony is, Zenfone Max Pro M2 is always out of stock on Flipkart which leads to thinking that Asus has discontinued that phone due to high competition above the Rs. 11,000 range whereas Zenfone Max Pro M1 is selling on huge discounts. Asus seems to just focus under Rs. 10,000 range with the likes of Zenfone Max Pro M1 and Zenfone Max M2.
What Asus Zenfone Max Pro M3 Specs should be like?
Well, considering both the predecessors offered very good value so same is expected from the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M3. Let’s take a look at the key aspects of the phone:-
Display
The display should be at least 6.3″ inch or above considering what the competition is providing and what the people demand for media consumption and gaming. The display technology used will most probably be IPS LCD as at this range Asus would make lot of compromises to provide AMOLED also considering its flagship phone Zenfone 5z and Zenfone 6 neither of them have AMOLED displays.
Flagships may have moved away from notches but in mid-range phones notches are still popular which the Zenfone Max Pro M3 will have, water drop or U-shaped notch to be precise.
Processor
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M3 should be equipped with atleast Snapdragon 670 above or Snapdragon 710 above SoC. We have a feeling that it will boost the Snapdragon 675 SoC which is used in the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro which was announced way back in March 2019 and till yet no other brand has used this SoC in the mid-range segment except for the Galaxy A70/A70s which is priced double of Redmi Note 7 Pro. Zenfone Max Pro M3 has to be beast of the beasts in this cut throat competition to survive. India is a processor conscious region where a phone is mostly judged by its processor equipped. Though Zenfone Max Pro M3 release date is still unkown but expectations are high that it’ll announce soon with a great processor.
Camera
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M3 will most likely feature a dual camera setup only as its predecessors as even Asus flagship phones don’t have a triple camera setup. The camera setup on the Zenfone Max Pro M3 should be one normal camera and the other being a wide-angle camera. Even if it had a triple camera setup, the third would most probably be a depth camera. The pixel size and megapixels are obviously unknown at this point. Also Camera2api should be enabled out of the box to enjoy the goodness of Google camera mods. The front camera would be a single one and again megapixels, pixel size is unknown.
Battery
The battery on the Zenfone Max Pro M3 will most likely be 5000 mAh same as its predecessors. Asus is known for being a battery monster be it budget, mid-range or flagship phones. All of its phones have a high capacity battery and the same is expected with the Zenfone Max Pro M3. Also USB type-C should be provided as its high time and every brand has finally introduced type-C ports in all its mid-range phones be it Samsung, Realme, Redmi, Motorola etc.
Design
To pack all the pillars of a smartphone, a durable and sturdy design is required. The design of the Zenfone Max Pro M3 would be of polycarbonate build as is the competition providing. Would be a cherry on top if they provide atleast glass back but the frame being polycorbonate. For protection of the display, it will pack Corning Gorilla glass 6 which is flagship level. Or who knows, they might switch back to the design language of the Zenfone Max Pro M1 which means a metal back and a plastic frame. That combination is far better then a fully polycarbonate phone and also feels premium. Who knows, what will be the actual outcome but whatever they opt for, it would be from these 3 design aesthetics only. Headphone jack will also be most probably be retained from the predecessors.
Software & UI
Asus launched the Zenfone Max Pro M1 with stock android and the same time compromising its own custom UI skin i.e. ZenUI for stock Android in this specific Zenfone Max series. The same was carried forward to Zenfone Max Pro M2. But this stock android wasn’t the cup of tea for Asus tbh. With the introduction of software updates, it would also bring along bugs. In short, it wasn’t a pleasure experience for the users. Zenfone Max Pro M3 should improve the UI experience or just introduce ZenUI to the Zenfone Max series as well because so much R&D is invested in that custom UI throughout the years. The phone should launch with Android 10 out of the box.
Specs in brief:
- Display – 6.3″ inch or above IPS LCD with FullHD+ resolution
- Processor – Snapdragon 665/675 or Snapdragon 712
- Camera – Dual camera setup with a Wide-angle camera
- Battery – 5000mAh with USB type-C
- Software – Android 10
If the above mentioned specs are to be believed and turn out to be the actual product, then Asus may survive in the market. It also requires a unique feature like other brands are introducing like 64MP camera or a 6000mAh battery. Only time will tell what Asus has been cooking behind the scenes.
