For those who are into mobile devices with longer battery life, the newly announced Asus ZenFone Max is like the sweetest treat they have been waiting for. The handset packs a battery unit with a massive 5,000mAh capacity.
Smartphone batteries have improved through the years, but they are still not on the level of basic feature phones that could last for several days or even a week without plugging in. For the most part, lots of smartphone models these days can indeed last for one day or more. However, with the introduction of the Asus ZenFone Max, the Taiwan-based device maker intends to push the limits.
The ZenFone Max has been launched during the recent ZenFestival event held in India alongside other handsets including the ZenFone 2 Deluxe, ZenFone Selfie, ZenFone 2 Laser, and tablet models such as the ZenPad 7.0 and ZenPad 8.0
It is not exactly clear how long this 5,000mAh battery will last because each users have varing requirements. Given the fact that most phones today last for roughly one day with capacities ranging from 2,000 to 3,000mAh batteries, we can assume that the Asus ZenFone Max can at least deliver one day and a half's worth of normal usage. Asus also mentioned that the smartphone may double as a power bank that can be used to recharge other devices.
For perspective, here's some of the most popular flagship smartphones today that claims to offer one day of battery life along with their battery capacities:
- Samsung Galaxy S6 - 2,550mAh
- Apple iPhone 6 Plus - 2,915mAh
- LG G4 - 3,000mAh
- OnePlus 2 - 3,300mAh
- HTC One M9 - 2,840mAh
Apart from its battery, which is obviously its key selling point, the Asus ZenFone Max packs a 5.5-inch IPS display. The screen resolution has not been disclosed yet but it will be protected by the latest Corning Gorilla Glass 4.
Asus opted for the slower Snapdragon 410 chipset from Qualcomm and partnered it with 2GB of RAM, perhaps to extend the battery even further. There's a 13-megapixel camera with laser auto-focus at the back as well as a 5-megapixel front cam. Both cameras feature wide f/2.0 aperture.
The device comes with 16GB of expandable storage, has dual-SIM card slots, and runs Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box layered with the company's own ZenUI. Connectivity options include 4G LTE network support, 3G with HSPA+, GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0.
People who are looking for devices with above average battery life but don't really mind mediocre specs, this is probably the perfect handset for them. The Asus ZenFone Max possesses one of the biggest batteries we've ever seen fitted in a mobile device. But then again, those specs may hold some users back when it comes to using complex apps or playing high-resolution games.
The Asus ZenFone Max is schedule to become available in October. We still have no clue about its price but we can expect that it will hover at the range of other mid-range phones given its aforementioned specifications.
