- Analysis by KJ David
Somewhat a toned-down version of the Zenfone Max Shot, alongside which it entered the market, the Asus Zenfone Max Plus M2 suffers from a couple more cons than its sibling. For instance, it settles for only 3GB of RAM 
and 32GB of native memory , whereas the Max Shot has a 4GB RAM count and offers twice as much native storage -- this model still supports a whopping 2TB's worth of external storage 
, though. By the way, check out some of the newest Asus phones here.
Still on its hardware components, the Max Plus M2 is one of Asus's earliest models to run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon SiP 1 processor, which is the product of a collaboration between Qualcomm and USI that essentially integrates most performance pieces, such as the app processor and the modem, into a single semiconductor package, leaving more room for other components like the camera or the battery. Specs-wise though, the aforementioned eight-core chip does not sound like that big of a pro compared to those of the market's leading eight-core smartphones, since it peaks at a sober 1.8GHz only -- many of its competitors clock in at around 2.3GHz.
The rest of its pros and cons include a 12- plus 5-megapixel dual-lens main camera decked out with AI scene detection and a 6P lens. Note, though, that some of the best smartphones for imaging featured here on Phonerated throw more than two distinct lenses together -- its Max Shot sibling offers a three-lens setup. Up front, it offers a tolerable 8-megapixel selfie camera rigged with its own LED flash and automatic embellishment features.
For endurance, the Max Plus M2 banks on a 4000mAh battery whose stress test scores, which are led by a 44-hour 3G talk time , sound reassuring. As of this review, 4000mAh was somewhat the sweet spot for high-end smartphones.
Topping off its list of pros and cons are a 6.26-inch 19:9 FHD+ (1080p) display and a standard rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. It runs on Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box and is offered in colors like Red and Silver.
In essence, the Zenfone Max Plus M2 makes for a viable choice for middle-class smartphone shoppers who value stamina and photography a lot more than performance.
On-paper Star rating: 
The Zenfone Max Plus M2 can record high-resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) video clips. Bravo! But we couldn't confirm whether it had an HDMI port or not. HDMI, which lets you connect to an HDTV, is not essential, but would be great on an HD phone.
- Suggested reading: The latest HDMI phone models
It's disappointing that we were not able to find information about its weight.
- Suggested reading: Photo gallery of the latest slim phones
Its processor speed of 1.8GHz with 8 cores is among the fastest in the current market.
- More on this: List of the latest octa-core smartphones
We are talking about an above-average screen, making it a phablet: 6.3 (actual diagonal size is 6.26 inches) inches and a resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels means about 15.36 square inches and an image sharpness of at least 400.7 dots per inch (DPI)!
- More on this: View other large smartphones and phablets
The Zenfone Max Plus M2 doesn't come with an included memory card but it has a slot for up to 2000GB in memory expansion, which is convenient to store pictures and video clips shot with the included 12-megapixel (combined with a 5-megapixel depth cam) camera.
Superior camera resolution - 12-megapixel (combined with a 5-megapixel depth cam) - with these features: Automatic, Embellishment, HDR, Portrait, Pro.
The selfie cam resolution seems just about average.
** This phone is also known as: Asus Max Plus (M2), Asus ZB634KL
*** These cons and pros are identified automatically based on our proprietary algorithm and the specs we found for this phone. Should you spot an error, please let us know.
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