If my memory serves me right, this ZenFone 4 Max Lite is the second device ASUS has officially launched in the Philippines this year which a...
If my memory serves me right, this ZenFone 4 Max Lite is the second device ASUS has officially launched in the Philippines this year which also happens to be under the ever-growing family of Max series, a ZenFone lineup known for its massive battery packs. The first one, if you can still recall, was the ZenFone Max Plus sporting not just a huge and long-lasting 4130mAh battery but also the tall 18:9 aspect ratio display with Full HD+ resolution only released last month.
Today, we have the ZenFone 4 Max Lite! So here is my quick unboxing and initial impressions on this yet another member of their now-so-called "Battery King" lineup.
As the name suggests, the ZF4 Max Lite is a watered-down or lite version of the Max Plus. On the outside, the two look pretty similar to each other minus the 18:9 display and the fingerprint scanner on the back. But the metallic finish, placement of speaker grilles, ports, and physical buttons remained the same. And of course, the ZenFone 4 Max Lite is a lot more affordable than the ZenFone Max Plus.
Packaging
The unit comes in a very familiar boxing, similar to what we have seen from the other ZenFone 4 offerings. This one is also bearing the "We Heart Photo" moniker on the side of the box which means this phone is also marketed for its camera prowess in addition for its power longevity.
Sliding off the outer cardboard will reveal us the main container box holding the unit itself and its accessories. I must say that ASUS is very generous with the ZenFone 4 Max Lite's packaging as it comes with more items than usual. I think for the price of Php7,995, it is already a steal. Definitely provides value for our hard-earned money.
When it comes to earphones, I really like the in-ear variants. Knowing that this one comes with such and extra earbuds, and ASUS' in-ear earphones sound really good, I'm sold right off the bat. And then there is the standard wall charger and its USB-to-microUSB cable for charging and file transferring purposes. Additionally, there is also the unusual - the OTG USB dongle.
Most Android devices nowadays support OTG functionality, but almost all of them do not come with an adapter like this in their packaging. So why the ZenFone 4 Max Lite has one? I guess to give users an immediate access to the phone's unique feature called the Reverse Charging. In other words, the ZF4 Max Lite can be used as a powerbank to other battery-powered devices. Cool right?!
The phone's massive 4100mAh battery pack will not only last you a day usage but also provide extra power to your other devices while on the go.
The box also includes a soft clear case for the Max Lite for an added protection from scratch and other outside damages. Unfortunately, the front panel of the device does not have a pre-installed screen protector. Plus I don't even think it has Gorilla Glass 4 or higher, or anything at all. So be sure to at least buy a screen protector the same day you purchase this phone and have it installed as soon as you start using it.
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Lite
The ZenFone 4 Max Lite sports a 5.2-inch 16:9 aspect ratio IPS display with HD or 1280 x 720p resolution. On top of the front panel is a 2.5D curved glass, the curved on the edges are perfectly placed giving the device a more premium look and feel.
Display quality is pretty good and solid and clear based on my short time with it so far. But if you have been using a smartphone with Full HD quality for a long time, like I have, you can definitely see a slight difference in sharpness of texts and images. Color accuracy and reproduction is very good.
Having no taller 18:9 display, we can expect the device to have a thicker upper and lower bezels. But ASUS made sure to utilize those space to its advantage and to users' convenience. For example, instead of placing the fingerprint scanner on the back panel, they put it on the front's lower bezel. Not only that, this button also works as a Home key by simply soft pressing it (button does not push down). Moreover, navigation keys are not on-screen with this one which sometimes can be annoying while watching series on movies. So right here with this handset we have them on the sides of the fingerprint scanner.
Above the upper bezel are the 8MP selfie camera with the softlight LED flash to its right and the sensors and earpiece on the other side.
Flip the phone on its back and there we have the dual-rear camera setup pegged at 13MP for the primary rear lens with f/2.0 aperture and 5MP for the secondary with wide-angle view. There is also the LED flash and the upper and lower antenna bands visible for added design. At the center is nothing but the ASUS logo.
I don't have sample shots in this post but I will create a separate article providing you photos and a couple of videos taken using this device. One thing I noticed with the rear and front cameras this early is the quality is not that good, at least based on what I was seeing on the screen when the camera app is launched right after unboxing. I had a feeling that the camera software was out of date and that when I connect to the internet an update was already waiting for this device. True enough when I got home, there was a software update for this handset popped up on the screen as soon it went online. So, of course I downloaded the software update and I hope that the camera will provide an even better quality of photos moving forward.
As for the software side of this smartphone, it runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat with ASUS' ZenUI 4 on top. Plus it comes with the usual connectivity functions like WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, GLONASS as well as 4G support.
Powering the ZF4 Max Lite is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor with eight cores and clocked at 1.4GHz. Paired with it is 2GB of RAM and a default 16GB storage. Right out of the box, users get a little over 7GB of free space out of the 16GB. That's too small already for today's app sizes, so users will really need to utilize the microSD card slot for more storage options.
That's it for now. Watch out for my full review of this smartphone in the next few days. If you have questions or suggestions (on what to test) for this device, you may post them in the comments section below and I will answer you as soon as I can.
ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Lite specs:
- 5.2-inch HD IPS Display
- 1280 x 720 resolution
- 2.5D Curved Glass
- 1.4GHz octa-core Snapdragon 425 processor
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB Internal storage
- Supports microSD card up to 256GB (has own dedicated slot)
- 13MP + 5MP dual rear camera setup with f/2.0 and Wide-Angle lens
- 8MP front camera with Softlight LED flash
- Android 7.1.1. Nougat with ZenUI 4
- WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, GLONASS
- 4G LTE
- Dual-SIM (non-hybrid)
- Fingerprint Scanner
- OTG Support
- Reverse Charge Technology
- 4100mAh battery
- Php7,995
