Asus ZenFone Max Vs Redmi Note 3: The Battle Between Giants

Few years back, asking for a power-packed phone under 10k was a matter worth laughing. There were tons of devices, but power-efficiency was something that came at a hefty cost. However, with things moving ahead, smartphone market has also come a long way. Now we have some of the finest smartphones that not only treat you with high-end internals, but also keep the price bar under control! Asus, the leading phone maker in the country, is trying to bounce back in the swing of things with its upgraded and spectacularly equipped Asus ZenFone Max smartphone. Touted as the upgraded iteration of the original ZenFone Max, the new variant promises a lot more with a small change of pricing. It follows the same trend that other smartphone giants have been following and takes a stab straight against Xiaomi’s recent success-story, Redmi Note 3.

Though ZenFone Max and Redmi Note 3 have a lot in common, there are some mind-boggling differences that leave buyers at dubious points. The two handsets fit perfectly in the sub-10k category and create a unique experience for both gamers and on-the-go power focused users. But when it comes to picking the best, the results look quite close as both are undeniably amazing.

Since ditching one for another looks quite unfair, let’s compare them individually and find out which one comes on the top!

Design and Build Quality

Despite sporting a big display, ZenFone Max and Redmi Note 3 fit nicely in one hand. Both phones boast a unique profile and flaunt a design strategy that you’ll hardly find on any device priced under 10k. The exemplary Redmi Note 3, at the first place, features an iPhone inspired design with a sleek and slim metal unibody and curved edges. It tips on the scale at 8.7mm, weighs around 164 grams, and sits proudly among meticulously crafted phablets in the entire segment. Metal body in Silver, Gray, and Gold adds a lot to the aesthetics and biometric scanner on the back packs benefits of advanced data security.

As for Asus ZenFone Max 2016, design strategy looks pretty much similar to what we witnessed on the original variant. The handset ships in new colours: Blue and orange, and flaunts a textured rear panel which feels great in hand and gives a firm grip. We had a great experience using this device, especially with that textured rear and golden rim surrounding the handset. Yes, it is slightly thicker and heavier than Note 3, but that’s a compromise you’d have to make for a big and better battery!

Display and Visual Experience

Up here, we have some major differences between Redmi Note 3 and Asus ZenFone Max. They both boast identical screen-size, but Redmi Note 3 makes a better package with a sharper and crispier display. The handset comes with a 5.5-inch full-HD IPS panel, and endows picture-perfect visuals with fine details and 403 pixels per inch. The ZenFone Max also packs a nice display, but it’s not as good as the one on Redmi Note. It’s just another HD IPS panel with decent colour output and sunlight legitimacy.

However, if we forget pixels for a second, the display bundled with ZenFone Max is also nice offering. It offers rich colours, perfect viewing angles and is just behind Redmi Note 3, if not a counterpart!

Asus ZenFone Max and Note 3 Hardware

Thanks to top-tier internals, Redmi Note 3 and Asus ZenFone Max both promise smooth and snag-free performance. The two phones feature an octa-core processor from Qualcomm and ship in two avatars, one with 2GB RAM and other with 3GB of RAM. But when go deep under the hood, the impeccable ZenFone Max looks a little weaker than Note 3. It ships with last year’s Snapdragon 615 SoC, which runs decently but fails to deliver against the latest Snapdragon 650 processor paired with Redmi Note 3.  Moderate usage will be a treat on both phones, but if you’re looking for hefty usage, we suggest going for a device with latest 64-bit processor, Snapdragon 650!

But, storage is something where Asus stands out. It is worth noting that ZenFone Max offers you more storage with 2GB RAM model when compared to Note 3. The handset offers 32GB inbuilt storage with both variants, while the Note phablet boasts 16 gigs with low-end model and 32 gigs with high-end variant.

You can even expand ZenFone Max up to 64GB via dedicated card slot, and Note 3 offers support up to 128 gigs via hybrid second SIM slot.

Software and UI

Software, though heavily customized, draws a clear line of difference between Redmi Note 3 and ZenFone Max. The super-impressive Note 3 runs MIUI 7 out-of-the box based Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. It gives you a decent user-experience with colourful app icons and a slew of customizations, but disappoints with mixed performance. You may witness occasional lags while switching from one app to another and may also miss the stock Android feel without an app-drawer.

Even ZenFone Max doesn’t give you stock Android experience. It features ZenUI, but there’s one good thing, the interface is based on Android 6.0.1, the latest and sweetest Android available for tech-buffs. We did like using Android Marshmallow with ZenFone experience. There were hardly any lags or performance issues, but the same old story of heavy bloatware is something that lets us down again and again. Overall, we feel the software of ZenFone Max is slightly better and snappier than on Note 3.

Camera Performance

Photography is a treat on both phones, but if you’re looking for detailed and well-lit images, we suggest going for Note 3 for its incredible focus speed and camera app. The phablet comes with a 16-megapixel rear autofocus shooter with an aperture as wide as f/2.0, PDAF (phase detection auto-focus), and dual-tone flash. It delivers vibrant and crisp shots with minimal noise, and is bundled with a 5-megapixel f/2.0 snapper with wide angle lens on the other side. Both front and back camera of this beauty is capable of capturing full-HD videos at 30 frames per second.

Even Asus ZenFone Max is a performer on the photography front. It boasts a 13-megapixel sensor on the back with f/2.0 aperture, Laser Autofocus and dual-tone flash. Whether indoors or outdoors, the outcome from this mind-boggling camera sensor is just spectacular. It delivers punchy and colour-rich shots in all environments, and makes sure you get a complete on-the-go photography and videography experience, just like high-end devices. Incredibly fast laser auto-focus and 5MP front-facing snapper with 85-degree wide lens is something that makes ZenFone Max unique and useful for photography addicts!

Connectivity Options

Moving towards connectivity, Asus ZenFone Max and Redmi Note 3 boast the usual suite of options that we see on phones priced under or around 10k. Both phablets create an ideal ecosystem for seamless work and play and pack a bunch of options such as, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, Bluetooth, 3G HSPA+, 4G LTE, and micro-USB 2.0 with support for USB OTG. They both support Indian LTE bands and also promise downloads up to 150Mbps and uploads up to 50Mbps. The entire package looks almost identical, but Note 3 might just have an advantage with a snappy biometric scanner on the back and an infrared port. It endows benefits of instant data transfer and also keeps it protected from unauthorized access.

Power-Backup

Power-backup is terrifically high on both phablets, but with a big battery and a less power hungry display, Asus ZenFone Max makes a better package for on-the-go users. The device ships with a whopping 5000 mAh non-removable battery and lasts up to 3 days on a single full-charge. You can use it as power bank to charge other devices via USB OTG, or can keep it as an on-the-go partner when you’re up and running on a long weekend or on a hectic business meet. You never run out of power on this handset, even on hefty usage with a lot of calling, messaging, emailing and social networking.

The beautiful Redmi Note 3 is also an impressive performer, but this one accommodates a slightly smaller 4000 mAh battery with a power hungry full-HD display. It eats up more power and is capable of lasting up to 2 days on moderate usage. Yes, it comes with fast-charging support and can give 3-4 hours on a single 15-minute charge, but that’s definitely not enough to match up with the 5000mAh battery of ZenFone Max.

Conclusion

As always, the face-off between these two giants is a close affair. They both look good, but in our view, Redmi Note 3 with better internals, good looks, and a lower price is a great competition for Asus ZenFone Max. The phablet misses out only on software and battery, but that’s a bargain we all are willing to make for a lower price.

However, if you want nothing less than a power-efficient device, ZenFone Max is the sole winner in the entire category. It gives you big battery and that too with Android 6.0 Marshmallow!

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