A recent report released both the press renders and specifications of two upcoming smartphones from ASUS, the ASUS ZenFone Max M2, and the ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2. One of the key design differences between the two handsets is the materials used in manufacturing the devices. As seen from the leaked images of the two smartphones, the ZenFone Max M2 will have a metal back while the ZenFone Max Pro M2 will have a glass back. Both devices will have notches positioned above the smartphone’s display, although the screen notch of the ZenFone Max M2 is slightly wider compared to the notch of the ZenFone Max Pro M2. The two handsets feature a fingerprint sensor at the back, and users will find the dual rear cameras and LED flash at the upper left corner of the smartphones’ rear panels. Earlier reports claimed that the device will have three rear cameras, although this recent leak seems to refute previous rumors.
The leak also details the specifications of the ZenFone Max M2 and the ZenFone Max Pro M2. Both devices will likely sport a 6-inch IPS display with a resolution of 2,340 by 1,080 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The ZenFone Max M2 will reportedly feature the Snapdragon 636 chipset from Qualcomm. This SoC contains eight custom Kryo 260 CPU cores running at a maximum clock speed of 1.8GHz and the Adreno 509 GPU. Rumors claim that the smartphone will feature up to 4GB of RAM, and it will be available in models that contain either 32GB or 64GB of internal flash storage. The main rear camera will have a 13-megapixel sensor, although there is no information available about the imaging module used for the secondary rear shooter.
On the other hand, the ZenFone Max Pro M2 will sport the Snapdragon 660 chipset. This SoC features eight Kryo 260 CPU cores clocked at up to 2.2GHz and the Adreno 512 GPU. Recent leaks indicate that the device will include a 5,000mAh battery and 4GB of RAM, although previous reports have also stated that a variant of the ZenFone Max Pro M2 will contain 6GB of RAM. Rumors further state that the dual rear camera setup of the smartphone will come with a 12-megapixel Sony IMX486 sensor and a 5-megapixel imaging module. ASUS will offer the ZenFone Max Pro M2 in models with expandable internal storage capacities of 64GB and 128GB.
Background: While there is little information about the specifications of the ZenFone Max M2, a previous report already detailed some of the hardware features of the ZenFone Max Pro M2. Rumors claim that the Zenfone Max Pro M2 will have a dual SIM card slot and that the handset will support a number of connectivity features including Bluetooth 5 and 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi. The device will also include a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack and an NXP Smart Amp, and the product will ship with Android 8.1 Oreo pre-installed. However, ASUS’ proprietary skin will likely run on top of Google’s operating system. ASUS is expected to launch the two handsets in an event scheduled on December 11, and more information about the device’s features, availability, and pricing will likely become available on the launch date.
Impact: While the battery capacity of the ZenFone Max M2 remains unknown, it is expected that the device will also feature a large capacity battery like its predecessors. The large battery, along with the inclusion of power-efficient mid-range chipset should result in longer battery lives for both devices, which should appeal to people who are always on the go or simply use their smartphones for extended periods of time.
