On 17th October, in an event held in Delhi, ASUS unveiled two new budget-friendly ZenFones for Indian consumers. These are ZenFone Lite (L1) and ZenFone Max (M1). Both new Zenfones are packed with a decent set of specifications and features. But their biggest strength against the competitors will be their competitive pricing.
ASUS ZenFone Lite (L1) Highlights:
ZenFone Lite (L1) is the cheaper of the two phones. It is equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 Octacore Processor. The smartphone has a 5.45-inch Full View 18:9 HD+ display. It is powered by a 3000mAh battery. The rear camera is 13MP. It is equipped with phase-detection autofocus (PDAF) and a five-element lens. The front camera is 5MP, with LED Flash. The phone has 2 GB RAM and 16 GB inbuilt storage. The storage can be expanded up to 256 GB using a microSD card. The phone has three card slots. Two for SIM cards, and one for the memory card. ZenFone Lite (L1) runs on Android Oreo and has ASUS ZenUI 5 user interface. It has the Face Unlock feature, but not the Fingerprint sensor.
ASUS ZenFone Lite (L1) has MRP of Rs. 6999 and it will be available exclusively on Flipkart. As an introductory offer, it will be available at Rs. 5999 during the festive season. The phone is available in Black and Gold colour options.
ASUS ZenFone Max (M1) Highlights:
ZenFone Max (M1) is the cheaper version of ZenFone Max Pro (M1). It powered by a 4000mAh battery. It has a 5.45” full view HD+ display with 18:9 aspect ratio. This phone is equipped with Qualcomm Octa-Core Snapdragon 430 (1.4GHz) processor, 3GB RAM and 32GB ROM. The storage can be expanded to 256GB by using a microSD card. The rear camera is 13MP PixelMaster camera with LED Flash and f/2.0 aperture. At the front, there is an 8MP 4P lens camera with LED flash and f/2.0 aperture. This phone too runs on Android Oreo and has a slimmed down ZenUI 5 which retains the essential features but has done away with unnecessary apps. For security, ZenFone Max (M1) has the Fingerprint Sensor, as well as the Face Unlock feature. As for appearance, it too is available in black and gold colour options. The back panel has a metallic finish and at the front there are 2.5D curved edges.
ZenFone Max (M1) has MRP of Rs. 8999. As an introductory offer, it will be available for Rs. 7999.
Overall:
ZenFone Lite (L1) and ZenFone Max (M1) are budget-friendly devices. They carry a decent set of specifications at a competitive price. Both are Android Oreo devices. Their specifications don’t suggest that they will receive any Android firmware upgrade. They have a pleasant and easy to use ZenUI user interface. The ZenUI 5 is very simplified and carrying less bloatware. There are only three third-party apps (Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger). The useful features like Smart Folders, Mobile Manager, Motion Commands are retained. Sales of both these smartphones will go live on Flipkart during the Festive Dhamaka days.
Key Specifications:
| ZenFone Lite (L1) – ZA551KL | ||
| Design & Dimension | Metallic Finish, 82% Screen to Body Ratio, 140g 147.26mm * 71.77mm * 8.15mm | |
| Display, Resolution | 5.45” HD+ IPS Display (1440*720) 18:9 Full view Brightness in 400 nits min 800:1 contrast ratio min 65% NTSC Color Gamut | |
| Camera | Front Camera | 5 MP, 3P Lens, f/2.4 aperture, 1.12um pixel size, LED Flash
Front camera modes – • Auto • Beauty • Portrait • HDR |
| Rear Camera | 13MP, 5P lens, f/2.0, 1.12um, 0.03s PDAF, LED Flash
Camera modes – • Auto • Beauty • Pro • Panorama • Time Lapse • Portrait • HDR | |
| Audio | Big magnet speaker, Single microphone | |
| Security | Face unlock | |
| Performance | Qualcomm Octa Core Snapdragon 430 (1.4GHz) | |
| Memory RAM / ROM | 2GB RAM/16GB ROM LPDDR3 microSD card support (Up to 256GB) | |
| Battery | 3000mAh Battery 5W adapter | |
| SIM | Dual SIM (VoLTE supported across all major carriers) 3 Slot, 2 SIM card, 1MicroSD | |
| OS | Android O with Zen UI 5.0 | |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11 b/g/n | |
| Sensor | Accelerometer E-Compass Proximity Ambient light | |
| GPS | AGPS, GPS, GLONASS | |
| Bluetooth | V4.0 | |
| ZenFone Max (M1) – ZB556KL | ||
| Design & Dimension | Metallic Finish, 2.5D Glass 82% Screen-to-body ratio 150g 147.3mm*70.9mm*8.7mm | |
| Display, Resolution | 5.45” HD+ IPS Display (1440*720) 18:9 Full view Brightness in 400 nits min 800:1 contrast ratio min 65% NTSC Color Gamut | |
| Camera | Front Camera | 8 MP, 4P Lens, f/2.0, 1.12um pixel size, LED Flash Front camera mode – • Auto • Beauty • Portrait • HDR |
| Rear Camera | 13MP, 5P lens, f/2.0, 1.12um, 0.03s PDAF, LED Flash
Camera modes – • Auto • Beauty • Pro • Panorama • Time Lapse • Portrait • HDR | |
| Audio | Big magnet speaker, bottom output Dual microphone | |
| Security | Rear fingerprint sensor, 0.3 sec fast unlock, 5-finger & 360° recognition, Face-unlock | |
| Performance | Qualcomm Octa-Core Snapdragon 430 (1.4GHz) | |
| Memory | RAM / ROM | 3GB RAM/32GB ROM LPDDR3 microSD card support (Up to 256GB) |
| Battery | 4000mAh Battery 10W adapter | |
| SIM | Dual SIM (VoLTE supported across all major carriers) 3 Slot, 2 SIM card, 1 microSD | |
| OS | Android O with ZenUI 5.0 | |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11 b/g/n | |
| Sensor | Accelerometer E-Compass Proximity sensor Ambient light sensor | |
| GPS | AGPS, GPS, GLONASS | |
| Bluetooth | V4.0 | |
