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

Almost all smartphone users have had to deal with such a situation when the phone is extremely necessary, 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 version of "smart devices". ZenFone line smartphones are made in many versions, with a wide range of functionality.

However, in the case of Max, the main emphasis is placed on the ability to long-term autonomous work without additional recharging of the device. This was achieved by increasing battery capacity, performance and functionality. With an average intensity of the phone, the battery lasts for two days. This unique feature was the main criterion for choosing those for whom the Internet or just talking on the phone is a lifestyle or part of their work, this brought the smartphone to the top ten "smart devices" in 2018.

Smartphone description

The 4100mAh battery capacity is not the only advantage. The phone has a lot to look at. The first thing that catches your eye is the 5.5-inch screen. There is another version of this model with a screen size of 5.2 inches. The 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 scanner on the back for fingerprint recognition, a 16MP rear camera, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of its own hard disk storage.

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;
• 5.5-inch liquid crystal IPS screen with a relative size of 77.5%. Has 2.5D rounded glass with oleophobic coating. The display has a maximum brightness of 450 nits. Filters the blue light spectrum. 10-finger interface designed to work even with gloves. 2.25mm bezel;
• 64-bit 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 series processor. Clock speed is 1.4 GHz, Cortex-A53 chip and Adreno 505 GPU;
• front camera with a resolution of 8 megapixels and luminous intensity f / 2.2;
• 16MP rear camera with f / 2.0 luminous power, PixelMaster 3.0 technology, 1/3-inch sensor size and maximum shutter speed of 32 seconds. Has phase, tracking and high-speed focusing modes. Dual color auto LED flash and real-time dynamic auto search mode. Sharpness autofocus;
• PixelMaster technology has several shooting methods: automatic is set by default.Other modes: panoramic, selfie, scanning a QR code, night, with special effects, with improving the quality of a portrait, professional, slow;
• video shooting function has image stabilization on three axes, as well as 1080p and 720p in high quality format (shooting frequency 30 frames per second);
• ultra short wave radio;
• microphone with noise suppression system;
• speaker with built-in power consumption and sound amplification;
• two slots for SIM cards supporting 4G, LTE and VoLTE technologies;
• Wi-Fi support with 802.1 protocol;
• Bluetooth support;
• GPS / GLONASS / BeiDou navigation function;
• 3.5mm SD card slot;
• battery with a capacity of 4100 mAh;
• Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system with ZenUI 3.0 user interface;
• sensor for measuring the distance to the object;
• illumination level assessment sensor;
• built-in gyroscope;
• electronic compass;
• scanner for capillary finger pattern recognition. The function is mainly used to unlock the device. Also applicable in other applications;
• acceleration 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 4100mAh battery, which keeps the devices running. In standby mode, it is able to ensure the operation of the device for 38 days. For telephone calls, 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 battery capacity, you can not only forget about recharging the gadget for a long time, but also charge other devices using a special cable. If the battery has enough power, 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 runs out unpredictably quickly. And it happens at the wrong time. For these purposes, the company's developers have introduced a new technology for saving battery energy.

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

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 efficient than the Snapdragon 650. Xiaomi can also be considered the best manufacturer capable of competing with Asus.

Delivery set

The package bundle 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 setting the warranty periods for the gadget. There is a USB cable for working with a computer. Through the USB interface, it can connect with other devices. The length of the cord is standard, so it is enough for a short distance.

To work remotely, you will have to buy an extension cord. It is possible to connect a keyboard and mouse through 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. Unfortunately, headphones are not included in the kit. You will have to buy them 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 attention on some details of the device, adding a silver color, thereby making it more attractive. The ergonomics make it very convenient to use, since everything you need is at the distance of the thumb.

However, the popularity of the models is determined not only by the appearance, but also by its hardware capabilities. The front glass is protected from scratches and cracking with a special oleophobic layer. Not all manufacturers can boast of such an undoubted advantage. According to statistics, many touchscreen smartphones are handed over for repair only because of inaccurate handling. According to user reviews, it is in the top ten rating of quality products for having such a screen protector. Returning to the design, it is necessary to note the rounded curves of the corners, which give 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 there are LEDs for indicating notifications.

Three navigation buttons are located directly below the screen. Their disadvantage is the lack of backlighting, which creates certain inconveniences 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 slots, and a special function informs the user with an audible response when pressed.

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

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

The back of the phone is made of plastic, but has a metal plate in the center. There is also a scanner and a rear camera. On the sides of the camera there is a flash with two LEDs and a laser distance sensor. Camera glass is not scratch resistant and must be handled with care to maintain image quality.

A review of the hardware functionality 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, since the assembly has a very high-quality workmanship, so the gadget gives its owner a feeling of solidity and confidence.

Thanks to its ergonomics, it fits comfortably in the hand. And even the large size of the battery does not make it massive. 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 less, so which model is better to buy, everyone can decide for himself.

Screen features

The device has a 5.5-inch liquid crystal IPS screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Such screen clarity 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 the images. However, not all owners believe that this function justifies itself, since in any case you have to hide it in the shade 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 the colors does not diminish all the advantages of the screen.

Smartphone performance and software

The smartphone has a ZenUI 3.0 user interface running Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system. This interface has a very nice design and a number of functions that the user needs.But even with all its convenience, many users note its significant drawback - a large number of preinstalled programs both by Asus developers themselves and by a number of other companies. They literally litter the functionality of the interface.

The developers should have provided most of the functionality as options. This is a pretty smart phone. It is great for shooting videos, photos, and active games. Therefore, everyone can fill the device with the options that he needs. However, you have to waste precious time on removing unnecessary junk, which the developers have so prudently taken care of. And if this is not done, working with it becomes extremely inconvenient. On top of that, there are several annoying options for this interface that it would not hurt to remove or completely disable.

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

For example, Xiaomi smartphones have a more powerful graphics processor, so they cope with such a volume better. Again, returning to those subjectivity, on the question of which smartphone and which company is better, opinions will certainly 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.

A few tips for choosing a phone

Here are collected frequently asked questions of 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 the 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 company's dealers, where the margin will usually be small. Another good tip on how to save money on your purchase is to keep an eye on store promotions. Sellers love to hold sales to attract customers, on such days you can get a phone with a good discount.

Total: about the pros and cons

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

1. Lack of headphones included;
2. The presence of a large number of useless programs;
3. For some, its size and weight may seem too large.

Overall, the Asus Zenfone 3 Max can be considered a good device, with excellent functionality and decent performance. It has a solid build and great design. For its price point, it has a quality screen with good resolution. Also for its price it is equipped with an excellent camera with a lot of possibilities.