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ASUS ZenFone Max M2 vs ZenFone Max M1: What’s Changed?

The ASUS ZenFone Max M2 has reached our shores and with that comes the question of “What has changed with it as compared with the Max M1?”. So today, we’ll be taking a look at its specs to see if there are significant changes or not. Let’s start!

Here are their detailed specs:

Specification	ASUS ZenFone Max M2	ASUS ZenFone Max M1
Display	6.3″ HD+ IPS display @ 1520 x 720px	5.5-inch HD+ IPS display @ 1440 x 720px
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 1.8GHz octa-core processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 1.4GHz octa-core processor
GPU	Adreno 506 GPU	Adreno 505 GPU
RAM	32GB internal storage	32GB internal storage
Storage	3GB RAM	3GB RAM
MicroSD	expandable up to 2TB via dedicated microSD card slot	expandable up to 256GB via microSD (dedicated slot)
SIM	Dual SIM (Dual standby)	Dual SIM (Dual standby)
Rear Camera	13MP f/1.8 + 2MP rear camera w/ PDAF, LED flash	Dual 13MP f/2.0 aperture + 8MP 120-degree wide-angle rear cameras w/ LED flash
Front Camera	8MP f/2.0 front camera w/ soft light LED flash	13MP front camera w/ softlight LED flash
LTE	4G VOLTE	4G LTE
WiFi	WiFi 802.11 b/g/n	WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.2	Bluetooth 4.0
GPS	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
Port	microUSB	microUSB
3.5mm audio port	Yes	Yes
Biometrics	-Fingerprint scanner -Face Unlock	-Fingerprint scanner -Face Unlock
OS	Stock Android (Android 8 Oreo)	Stock Android (Android 8 Oreo)
Battery	4,000mAh battery with fast charging	5,000mAh battery

So what has changed with the Max M2?

Larger screen size
Taller screen aspect ratio
Higher Horizontal screen resolution
Better performing CPU
Better performing GPU
up to 2TB expandable storage
Wider main rear camera aperture
Removed 120-degree wide-angle lens
Lower front camera resolution
Bluetooth 4.2
4G VOLTE
Smaller battery capacity
Fast charging capabilities

The ZenFone Max M2 now has a significantly larger display which is good for watching videos or movies but still retains that HD+ resolution.

Looking at their performance, the Max M2 is equipped with Qualcomm’s latest lower mid-range chipset, the Snapdragon 632 paired with an Adreno 506 GPU. As compared with the Max M1, users should now be able to do tasks such as browsing, social media posting, file transferring, and streaming videos/movies with the former.

Running light-to-moderate games will now have a smoother experience and will provide better frames per second (fps) to users.

While ASUS removed the 120-degree wide-angle lens on the Max M2, its main rear lens now has a wider aperture which allows people to take better photos in low-light conditions. The front camera also has a reduced MP value but as I’ve been saying all this time in my comparison articles, it’s not all about the camera resolution. We’ll test its camera capabilities very soon so stay tuned for that winks.

Last but definitely not the least is the battery performance. I’m quite surprised when I saw that the Max M2 has a smaller battery capacity than the Max M1 but in exchange, it now has a fast charging capability which is good. You see, ASUS told us that having the regular fast charging technology on their ZenFone Max phones with 5,000mAh could be dangerous due to its large capacity.

The ZenFone Max M2 is priced at PHP 8,995USD 153INR 12,994EUR 146CNY 1,116 while the Max M1 is priced at PHP 7,995USD 136INR 11,550EUR 130CNY 992. If you’re upgrading from a ZenFone Max M1 phone to this then it’s definitely worth the price.

The Max M2 is yet to be officially released in the Philippines (Villman already posted their pricing on the phone) but judging from its price, the Max M1 will get a price cut very soon.

What do you guys think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.