Smartphone ASUS ZenFone 3 Max ZC553KL 2/32GB - advantages and disadvantages

Almost all smartphone users have had to deal with a situation where the phone is urgently needed, but its charge is already at zero or close to it. In 2016, Asus presented a new product - the ASUS ZenFone 3 Max ZC553KL 2/32GB smartphone, which is an inexpensive and budget option for "smart devices". Smartphones of the ZenFone line are made in many versions, with a wide range of functionality.

However, in the case of Max, the main emphasis is on the ability for long battery life without additional recharging of the device. This was achieved by increasing the battery capacity, performance and functional component. With an average intensity of the phone, the battery lasts for two days. This unique feature was the main selection criterion for those for whom the Internet or just talking on the phone is a lifestyle or part of the work, it brought the smartphone into the top ten "smart devices" in 2018.

Description of the smartphone

The battery capacity of 4100 mAh is not the only advantage. The phone has something to look at. The first thing that catches your eye is the screen diagonal of 5.5 inches. There is another version of this model with a screen size of 5.2 inches. Devices are similar only in design, then they differ in functionality, performance, filling, characteristics and many other parameters. The 5.5-inch smartphone has a Full HD screen resolution, a fingerprint scanner on the back, a 16 MP rear camera, 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal hard drive memory.

Detailed description of the characteristics of the smartphone

The phone has the following design:

• the weight of the device is only 175 g;
• its dimensions: 151.4x76.24x8.3 mm;
• colors of gray, silver gray, pink and golden pink;
• a 5.5-inch IPS LCD screen with a aspect ratio of 77.5%. It has 2.5D glass with rounded corners with an oleophobic coating. The maximum display brightness is 450 nits. It has blue light filtering. Ten-finger interface designed to work even when wearing gloves. 2.25mm bezel;
• Qualcomm 430 series 64-bit 8-core Snapdragon processor. Clock speed is 1.4 GHz, Cortex-A53 chip and Adreno 505 GPU;
• front camera with a resolution of 8 megapixels and a light intensity of f / 2.2;
• 16 MP rear camera with f/2.0 light intensity, PixelMaster 3.0 technology, 1/3-inch sensor, maximum shutter speed of 32 seconds. It has a phase, tracking and high-speed focusing mode. Two-color automatic LED flash and dynamic real-time automatic search mode. Sharpness autofocus;
• PixelMaster technology has several shooting methods: Auto is set by default. Other modes: panoramic, selfie, QR code scanning, night, with special effects, with improved portrait quality, professional, slow motion;
• video shooting function has three-axis image stabilization, as well as 1080p and 720p in high quality format (frame rate 30 frames per second);
• ultrashortwave radio;
• microphone with noise suppression system;
• speaker with built-in power consumption and sound amplification;
• two slots for SIM-cards with support for 4G, LTE and VoLTE technologies;
• Wi-Fi support with 802.1 protocol;
• Bluetooth support;
• GPS/GLONASS/BeiDou navigation function;
• 3.5 mm SD card slot;
• 4100 mAh battery;
• Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system with ZenUI 3.0 user interface;
• sensor for measuring the distance to the object;
• light level sensor;
• built-in gyroscope;
• electronic compass;
• scanner for recognition of the capillary pattern of fingers. The function is mainly used to unlock the device. Also used in other applications;
• acceleration detection sensor;
• laser action sensor.

Smartphone functionality

The 5.2 inch phone has a similar set of features and hardware, but with fewer features. They both have interesting features, both are very reliable, but the key element is still their capacious 4100 mAh battery, which ensures long-term operation of the devices. In standby mode, it is able to ensure the operation of the device for 38 days. For telephone conversations, its resource is enough for 17 hours, for working on the Internet - for 19 hours, for listening to music - for 72 hours or three days.

Thanks to the large capacity of the battery, you can not only forget about recharging your gadget for a long time, but also charge other devices using a special cable. If there is enough charge in the battery, the smartphone can easily share energy with others. But this is not even the most important thing. As you know, the battery of all devices sits unpredictably quickly. And it happens at the wrong time. For these purposes, the company's developers have introduced a new battery saving technology.

Even if it drops to a critical 10%, by activating this feature, the phone will be able to work in standby mode for up to 30 hours. This time is enough to get home or to a place to charge the phone. This feature significantly extends the battery life of the gadget. And all this for the price of a budget phone. Its average price is 11,000 rubles according to 2018 data.

The closest analogue can be considered the device Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, which also has a large battery that can maintain its performance for a long time. Its processor is more powerful than the Snapdragon 650.Xiaomi can also be considered the best manufacturer that can compete with Asus.

Delivery set

The complete set of the phone cannot be called rich. The kit includes, first of all, a charger. The device produces 5 V and 2 A of current. Attached are paper materials necessary to familiarize yourself with the operation of the device, and establishing the warranty period for the gadget. There is a USB cable for working with a computer. It can connect with other devices via the USB interface. The length of the cord is standard, so it is enough for a short distance.

For remote work, you will have to buy an extension cord. It is possible to connect a keyboard and mouse via a special USB adapter. The kit includes a special cord for connecting two gadgets to each other. It can also be used to connect a flash drive to a smartphone. There is a special tool for opening slots for SIM-cards. But the headphones are not included in the kit, unfortunately. They will have to be purchased separately. This is perhaps one of its shortcomings.

Smartphone hardware capabilities

The ZenFone 3 line has the same design style as the popular models in the same series. It is quite simple, but the designers tried to focus on some details of the device by adding a silver color, thereby making it more attractive. Ergonomics make it very comfortable to use, as everything you need is at a distance of your thumb.

However, the popularity of models determines not only the appearance, but also its hardware capabilities. The front glass is protected from scratches and cracking by a special oleophobic layer.Not all manufacturers can boast of such an undoubted advantage. According to statistics, many touchscreen smartphones are sent for repair only because they are not handled carefully. According to user reviews, it is in the top ten rankings of quality products for having such a screen protector. Returning to the design, it is necessary to note the rounded bends of the corners, giving it additional grace.

Above the top of the screen is a headphone jack. There is also a front camera, a sensor for determining the distance and light level. In the upper right part are LEDs for notifications.

Directly below the screen are three navigation buttons. Their disadvantage is the lack of backlight, which creates some inconvenience for navigation in the dark. On the side of the device are the volume and power buttons. This is a specific standard for all touch devices. The buttons sit in their sockets, and a special function informs the user with an audible response when pressed.

On the left side of the device are hybrid SIM slots. You can insert either one mini SIM card and one nano SIM card, or one SD card and mini SIM card.

At the bottom of the gadget is a microphone, a connector for USB category A cables, and a speaker. Another microphone is located at the top of the device.

The reverse side of the phone is made of plastic, but has a metal plate in the center. The scanner and the rear camera are also located here. On the sides of the camera are a flash with two LEDs and a distance sensor in a laser version.The camera glass is not scratch-resistant, so you need to handle it very carefully to maintain the quality of your shots.

A review of the hardware features shows that buyers may very much like the phone in terms of the style of execution, but this is a subjective assessment. And it is quite realistic, because the assembly has a very high quality performance, so the gadget gives its owner a sense of solidity and confidence.

Due to its ergonomic design, it fits comfortably in the hand. And even the large size of the battery does not give it massiveness. Although for some of the buyers it may seem too big. But this is already an exclusively subjective feeling of each person individually. For such cases, there is a model with a 5.2-inch screen, its dimensions and weight are smaller, so which model is better to buy, everyone can decide for himself.

Screen features

The device has a 5.5-inch IPS LCD screen with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. Such clarity of the screen is even implausible for gadgets of this price category. In the sun, the contrast of the image changes, which makes it possible to distinguish the silhouettes of images. However, not all owners believe that this function justifies itself, since in any case you have to hide it in the shade in order to see at least something on the screen.

Its color scheme is slightly muted, even closer to cold. Nevertheless, it is quite suitable for high-quality viewing of images and videos, as well as for rendering games. But even the coldness of colors does not belittle all the advantages of the screen.

Smartphone performance and software

The smartphone has a ZenUI 3.0 user interface running Android 6.0 Marshmallow.This interface has a very good design and a number of user-friendly features. But even with all its convenience, many users note its significant drawback - this is a large number of pre-installed programs, both by the Asus developers themselves and by a number of other companies. They literally clog up the functionality of the interface.

The developers should have provided most of the functionality as options. This is a pretty fast phone. It is great for shooting videos, photos, for active games. Therefore, everyone can fill the device with the options that he needs. However, you have to spend precious time removing unnecessary trash, which the developers have taken care of so prudently. And if this is not done, working with him becomes extremely inconvenient. On top of that, there are a few annoying options in this interface that would do well to be removed or completely disabled.

Even with such an unforgivable drawback, it is ideal for everyday use. The smartphone has good performance. Allows you to play most games, view web resources. A noticeable decrease in performance is noted only when working with heavy web pages that contain a large amount of advertising.

For example, Xiaomi smartphones have a more powerful graphics processor, so they can handle this volume better. Again, returning to subjectivity, on the question of which smartphone and which company is better, opinions will definitely be divided. This is only the opinion of one individual person, it will never coincide with the opinion of another person.It should only be borne in mind that there are no equally good goods, just as there are no equally bad goods.

Some tips for choosing a phone

Here are collected frequently asked questions from users, the answers to which are given by experts or real users of smartphones.

The most common question that can be found on the forums is how to choose the right phone. Experts advise, first of all, to pay attention to its appearance. This is especially true when shopping online. Next, check its performance, and how its camera takes pictures. So you can protect yourself from defective and low-quality goods.

The second most popular question is its cost, how much it costs and where it can be bought profitably. For 2018, the average cost of a phone starts at 11,000 rubles, for Kazakhstan it will be about 60,000 tenge. It is always worth buying in the official stores of the manufacturer or from the dealers of the company, where the mark-up, as a rule, will be small. Another good tip on how to save money on a purchase is to follow store promotions. Sellers like to hold sales to attract customers, on such days you can buy a phone with a good discount.

Total: pros and cons

1. Large battery capacity, allowing you to use the phone up to 32 days in standby mode;
2. Stylish design;
3. Availability of energy saving function;
4. Large screen with high definition resolution;
5. Camera with high resolution.

1. No headphones included
2. The presence of a large number of useless programs;
3. For some, its size and weight may seem too large.

In general, Asus Zenfone 3 Max can be considered a good device, with excellent functionality and good performance.It has a quality build and offers a great design. For its price range, it has a high-quality screen with a good resolution. Also for its price it is equipped with an excellent camera with a lot of features.