Xiaomi just launched the highly-affordable Redmi 7A smartphone! Here are its official price list, specifications and availability!
The Xiaomi Redmi 7A Smartphone
The Xiaomi Redmi 7A is their new entry-level smartphone, offering a major upgrade over the Redmi 6A.
It has a better design built around a more powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 platform, a larger 4,000 mAh battery, and splash resistance.
The Redmi 7A has a 5 MP front camera, with a 12 MP rear camera. It also has a 5.45-inch HD+ display, with low blue light eye protection certified by TÜV Rheinland.
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ASUS had a reputation of being short on battery life with their Intel-powered ZenFone 2 smartphones, but almost on a dime, turned around with their ZenFone 3 smartphones to deliver truly amazing battery life. So one of the most anticipated ZenFone 4 model was the ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro, with its focus on battery life.
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro (Price Check) smartphone is designed to offer extremely-long battery life to users who are always on-the-go, and may not have ready access to a power source. On top of that, it boasts a fast reverse charging capability, as well as a dual lens camera system!
The Pro Edition Of The ZenFone 4 Max
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro (Price Check) is the “Pro Edition” of the regular ZenFone 4 Max (Price Check). It even comes in the same box as the regular ZenFone 4 Max, with a Pro Edition sticker slapped on it. So make sure it’s the ZC554KL (Max Pro), and not the ZC520KL (Max). Here’s a table comparing their key specifications :
Specifications
ASUS ZenFone Max Pro
ASUS ZenFone Max
Model
ZC554KL
ZC520KL
Design
2.5D glass with metallic design & multiple colour selections
Premium metal unibody
2.5D glass with metallic design & multiple colour selections
Premium metal unibody
Display
5.5" HD IPS display (720 x 1280)
Greater than 400 nits brightness for best outdoor readability
Capacitive touch panel with 10 points multi-touch (support glove touch)
5.2" HD IPS display (720 x 1280)
Greater than 400 nits brightness for best outdoor readability
Capacitive touch panel with 10 points multi-touch (support glove touch)
Operating System
Android 7.0 Nougat with ZenUI 4.0
Android 7.0 Nougat with ZenUI 4.0
System Platform
Qualcomm Snapdragon 430
Qualcomm Snapdragon 425
Processor
8 x ARM Cortex-A53 (up to 1.4 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 (up to 1.4 GHz)
Graphics Processor
Qualcomm Adreno 505
Qualcomm Adreno 308
Memory
3 GB LPDDR3 SDRAM
3 GB LPDDR3 SDRAM
Storage
32 GB internal flash storage
One microSD card slot (up to 256 GB)
32 GB internal flash storage
One microSD card slot (up to 256 GB)
Main Camera
Dual Lens Camera System
Main Camera (25 mm)
- 16 MP Omnivision 16880 sensor
- 1.12 μm pixel size
- f/2.0 aperture
5,000 mAh lithium-ion battery (non-removable)
Supports reverse charging (1A )
4,100 mAh lithium-ion battery (non-removable)
Supports reverse charging (1A )
Dimensions
76.9 mm wide
154 mm tall
8.9 mm thick
73.3 mm wide
150.5 mm tall
8.73 mm thick
Weight
181 grams
156 grams
Available Colours
Rose Pink / Sunlight Gold / Deepsea Black
Deepsea Black
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Unboxing The ZenFone 4 Max Pro
As mentioned above, the ZenFone 4 Max Pro (ZC554KL) comes in the same white box as the regular ZenFone 4 Max (ZC520KL). So look for the “Pro Edition” sticker, and check the label on the underside of the box for the model number.
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Here are the items you will find inside the ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro box :
One ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro (Price Check) smartphone
One ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro TPU bumper case
One ASUS 10 W fast USB charger
One set of micro USB 2.0 cable and OTG cable
One pair of ASUS earphones with spare ear buds
One set of warranty form, user guide and IMEI stickers
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The ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro (ZC554KL) Smartphone
Thanks to its thin bezel, the ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro (Price Check) has a 5.5″ IPS display in a form factor that is smaller and lighter than the iPhone 8 Plus (Price Check). The only downside – it only has a HD resolution of 720 x 1280.
Somehow, ASUS managed to pack a massive 5,000 mAh battery and everything else into a metal unibody chassis that is just 8.9 mm thick, and weighs only 181 grams. It may not be as svelte as the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check), but it has a much larger battery.
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro (Price Check) is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430, which has eight Cortex-A53 processor cores running at 1.4 GHz, and an Adreno 505 GPU. It also comes with 3 GB of LPDDR3 SDRAM and 32 GB of internal flash storage.
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Larger, Smarter, Safer Battery
The killer feature of the ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro (Price Check) is its phenomenal battery. It has a massive 5,000 mAh battery – equal to the capacity of most power banks, and much larger than what smartphones generally carry. In fact, you can use it like a power bank, thanks to its fast reverse charging ability.
This battery is not just bigger, it is smarter. It comes with a suite of power management technologies to optimise battery capacity, safety and lifespan. The ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro (Price Check) even has a double battery lifespan feature that extends its lifespan by up to 2X, allowing you to fully discharge and recharge the battery (0 to 100%) up to 500 times in a 25°C environment.
The ZenFone 4 Max Pro battery is also protected by 12 battery safety mechanisms. Combined with the automatic battery maintenance capabilities of ASUS PowerMaster, this battery is not only extremely safe, it will have 2X longer lifespan compared to other smartphones.
Finally, this battery has 10W fast charging capability, which allows you to fully recharge the ZenFone 4 Max Pro in just four hours. We will share with you our performance test results of this battery later in the review.
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Soft Lit Selfies
In addition to its battery, the ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro (Price Check) also boasts some serious photographic chops. First up is the high-resolution 16 MP front camera with a 140° wide-angle lens, with f/2.0 aperture. The wide-angle lens lets you fit more of your friends in the frame, while the fast aperture improves its low-light performance.
If the f/2.0 aperture is not sufficient, the front camera has a Softlight LED flash. It delivers just enough fill light, giving you the ability to take great selfies even in the darkest conditions, without harsh shadows and overblown highlights.
Dual Lens Camera
A nice surprise in a smartphone at this price point – a dual lens camera! It consists of a 16 MP main camera with f/2.0 lens, and a 5 MP wide-angle camera with f/2.2 lens. They are both supported by a single LED flash.
The 16 MP main camera is what you would be using for most of your shots. It has fast phase detection auto-focus, and electronic image stabilisation (EIS). But for greater creativity, and more dramatic photos and videos, you can switch to the 120° wide-angle camera. It may have a lower resolution, but it has a 200% wider view.
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SIM & microSD Capability & Fingerprint Sensor
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro (Price Check) has dual SIM, dual standby capability. But unlike many other smartphones, it has a full SIM tray for two nano SIM cards, as well as a microSD card (up to 256 GB). This allows you to use all three cards simultaneously!
It also boasts a fast, all-aspect fingerprint sensor integrated into the Home button. Our tests showed that it requires just 12 finger presses to register a fingerprint, and is very fast and accurate in recognising the registered fingerprint.
The Ergonomics
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro (Price Check) may have a large 5.5″ display, but it is svelte at less than 77 mm wide and relatively slim at just under 9 mm. Even though it packs a 5,000 mAh battery, it weighs just 181 grams. That said, it will feel a bit chunky, if you are used to really thin smartphones like the Galaxy S8 or ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro.
We really like the anodised metal chassis, which has a really premium feel that is resistant to fingerprint smears. We also give ASUS props for providing a soft bumper case in the package. It actually adds grip, while protecting the ZenFone 4 Max Pro (Price Check) without making it overly bulky, or covering up its look.
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Setting Up The ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro (Price Check) ships with Android 7.1.1 Nougat, and ASUS confirmed that it will be upgraded soon to Android 8.0 Oreo. It also comes with 100 GB of free Google Drive storage for 1 year. Let’s show you just how easy it is to set-up the ZenFone 4 Max Pro.
Available Memory & Storage
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro (Price Check) comes with 3 GB of LPDDR3 memory, of which 2.1 GB (70%) is free to use. That’s a lot of free memory, allowing you to run many applications simultaneously.
The ZenFone 4 Max Pro also comes with 32 GB of internal flash memory. Of that, just under 22.4 GB is available to use. That’s not a lot, but you can top it up with a microSD card (up to 256 GB).
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The Dual Lens Camera Comparison
The dual lens camera of the ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro (Price Check) consists of a 25 mm main camera, and an 18 mm wide-angle camera. The main camera pairs a 16 MP Omnivision 16880 sensor with a f/2.0 lens, while a 5 MP Omnivision 5675 sensor with f/2.2 lens.
The wide-angle camera may have a lower resolution, but it has a 2X wider angle of 120°. How useful is that? Let’s take a look at these full resolution samples.
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Main Camera Performance – Photos
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro (Price Check) uses the 16 MP Omnivision 16880 sensor with a f/2.0 lens for its main camera. The full 16 MP resolution is attained with the 4:3 aspect ratio. Each picture has a resolution of 4640 × 3480 and a file size of between 3.3 to 7 MB.
Here are 6 full resolution samples for you to check out. Click on them to load the full-sized photos, which you can also download to examine.
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Main Camera Performance – Video Recording
We tested the main camera’s video recording performance at its maximum resolution of 1080p. It supports EIS (electronic image stabilisation) at this resolution.
Video Recording Test #1 : Piano (1080p)
The EIS did an okay job in this video, but what was very noticeable was its inability to focus properly. It kept seeking, which was very distracting. The audio also lacked punch, with too little bass. It was almost all treble.
Video Recording Test #2 : Street Market (1080p)
The lack of optical image stabilisation is noticeable, although its electronic image stabilisation capability was decent enough to remove the worst hand shaking in this video. However, the audio was extremely thin… why is there so much treble?
Video Recording Test #3 : Cable Car (1080p)
This video showed the limits of electronic image stabilisation (EIS). It could not take out the vibration, but helped to smooth out the heavier hand shaking. From the recorded audio, it appears that the ZenFone 4 Max Pro is tuned to maximise the clarity of the voices, at the expense of other frequencies.
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Work Performance – PCMark
We tested the ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro’s performance using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.
Work 2.0
ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro
ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro
Samsung Galaxy S8
Huawei Mate 9
Performance Score
(Average)
3846
5656
5303
6316
Web Browsing
4371
5708
5155
5624
Video Editing
3716
5888
4998
5370
Writing
2822
4509
5158
6326
Photo Editing
6671
10698
7082
9864
Data Manipulation
2753
3570
4458
5333
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro (Price Check) may have an octa-core processor, like the other three smartphones, but it is a less-powerful model – the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430. It was 32% slower than the Snapdragon 625 processor used by the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check), and 27.5% slower than the Samsung Galaxy S8 (Price Check).
Battery Life – PCMark
We then tested the ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro’s battery performance using PCMark. It basically ran the PCMark work tests until its battery capacity dropped to 20%.
Thanks to its large 5,000 mAh lithium-ion battery, the ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro lasted 14 hours 19 minutes in our battery test. That’s more than 5.5 hours longer than its higher-performance brother, the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check)!
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Battery Recharging Performance
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro (Price Check) comes with a 10 W fast charger. It took about 172.5 minutes (2 hours 52.5 minutes) to recharge its battery from 17% to 100%. The fastest recharging happened in the first 90%, before recharging at a lower speed for the last 10%.
The recharging time of under 3 hours is far lower than the 4 hours quoted by ASUS. It also has a battery life : recharging ratio of just 5.2 : 1 – which is excellent.
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Gaming Performance – 3DMark
We tested the ZenFone 4 Max Pro’s gaming performance using 3DMark, using the Ice Storm Unlimited test.
Ice Storm Unlimited
ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro
ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro
Samsung Galaxy S8
Huawei Mate 9
Gaming Score
9751
14015
29509
27853
Graphics
9609
13470
33279
36605
Physics
10285
16328
21130
15164
Graphics Test 1
55.1 fps
80.7 fps
173.1 fps
202.5 fps
Graphics Test 2
33.6 fps
46.0 fps
124.3 fps
131.1 fps
Physics Test
32.7 fps
51.8 fps
67.1 fps
48.1 fps
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro (Price Check) uses the Qualcomm Adreno 505 GPU, which offers decent performance but is no match for the much faster GPUs in flagship smartphones. It is about 30% slower than the Adreno 506 GPU used by the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check).
Overall Performance
AnTuTu is a nice benchmark for testing various performance aspects of Android devices.
AnTuTu
ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro
ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro
Samsung Galaxy S8
Huawei Mate 9
TOTAL SCORE
41952
65302
175422
123167
3D SCORE
8282
13431
74336
40114
– 3D (Marooned)
5915
8230
43953
23313
– 3D (Garden)
2367
5201
30383
16801
UX SCORE
14099
24848
52159
39975
– UX Data Secure
4655
6226
7996
7943
– UX Data Process
2328
3404
5866
6985
– UX Strategy Games
1143
4611
11165
11860
– UX Image Process
3585
7291
22716
5580
– UX I/O Performance
2388
3316
4416
7607
CPU SCORE
14940
21357
38513
31992
– CPU Mathematics
2964
4304
10996
9680
– CPU Common Use
5180
7150
10939
11139
– CPU Multi-Core
6796
9903
16578
11173
RAM
4631
5666
10414
11086
Even with an octa-core processor, the ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro (Price Check) is no race horse. It is definitely much slower than the top-of-the-line processors used in flagship smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S8 (Price Check). But make no mistake – this is very decent performance at its price point..
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Our Verdict & Award
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro (ZC554KL) smartphone offers extremely-long battery life to users who are always on-the-go, and may not have ready access to a power source. With its large 5,000 mAh battery and the ASUS PowerMaster system, you can run the most strenuous apps on it for hours, and it will still have hours more of battery life to spare.
ASUS knows this, so they added a fast reverse charging feature. This allows the ZenFone 4 Max Pro to function like a power bank, recharging your other devices. If battery life is critical for you, there can be no doubt that the ZenFone 4 Max Pro is about as good as it gets!
But the ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro (Price Check) is not just a smartphone with large battery. It actually boasts some serious photography chops. It has a 16 MP front camera for really high-resolution selfies, with a soft LED flash for low-light conditions.
It even has a dual-lens camera system, albeit not as advanced as those in flagship smartphones. Still, this is a nice surprise for a smartphone at this price point. The main camera has a 16 MP sensor with f/2.0 lens – no complaints here. The wide-angle camera only has a 5 MP sensor, which reduces its utility.
What this means is you will most likely use the 16 MP main camera for a vast majority of your photos, switching to the wide-angle camera only when you really need the wider angle. Still, it is better than not having the option at all.
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What we did not like was its video and audio recording performance. It has focusing issues when there are multiple subjects at different distances, which detracts from its otherwise decent video recording performance. The recorded audio though was reedy and lacks punch. It appears to be tuned for voice recording, at the expense of other frequencies.
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro (Price Check) looks very similar to the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check). It has the same basic design with a premium anodised metal chassis. Other than the difference in the cameras, it looks like a thicker brother of the Selfie Pro.
All in all, we really like its awesome battery capabilities, premium build quality, and 16 MP front camera. Its dual-lens camera is also a nice bonus at this price point. With all that in mind, we think the ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro deserves no less than our Reviewer’s Choice Award!
Other ASUS ZenFone 4 Articles
Here are the links to our other ASUS ZenFone 4 previews and articles :
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!