Upgraded Asus Zenfone Max 2016(ZC550KL) Launched, While Sonakshi Sinha gets appointed as the Brand Ambassador of Asus India.

Asus Zenfone Max (2016): Specifications & Features -

• So the new Zenfone Max ZC550KL comes with an updated 1.5Ghz Snapdragon 615 Octa-Core Processor, which Essentially is a 64-bit CPU. Whereas we have an Adreno 405 GPU handling the graphics rendering part.
• It's equipped with a 5.5 inch 720p HD (1280 x 720) IPS display giving it a pixel density of about 267ppi. 
• The part where the two new Variants differ is in the Ram memory department. One Variant has 2GB Ram, Whereas another has 3GB of Ram.
• Both Zenfone Max variants have 32GB of internal storage, which can be expanded to up to 64GB via a MicroSD card slot.
• It is equipped with a 13MP Pixel master rear camera alongside the laser autofocus sensor, and dual tone LED flash. This time, the PixelMaster 2.0 technology has been implemented in the camera sensor, and it has an aperture of f/2.0, which isn't the best aperture we've seen so far, but we'll have to test that. Since lower the aperture, better the picture quality. But it's performing exceptionally well.
• Asus claims that this camera sensor can let you focus any object within 0.03 secs, due to Laser autofocus. Whereas the Manual mode in the Camera pushes things to the next level.
• Whereas the Front selfie camera is a 5 MP Shooter, housing a f/2.0-aperture having 85° view of the field. Apart from that, there's also an exciting addition of Panorama selfie.
• The New Zenfone Max has the similar whopping 5000mAh non-removable battery as before, which is going to be a road warrior's delight! Previously Asus has shown us various commercials on how you can use Zenfone Max to charge your current device with, so the similar functionality is observed here. Although Charging speed's is what I'm looking forward to since we have a 1A/5W Charging output.
• It is powered by an updated Zen UI running on top of Android 6.0.1 which is by far the latest version of Android, publicly available. There aren't any changes here, but the bloatware is what concerns me a lot, although 90-95% of the bloatware can be easily uninstalled from this phone. It also comes pre-installed with the April security patch update.
• New Zenfone Max has Dual sim slots with 4G compatibility on 1st Sim, whereas the next remaining sim slot can be used with a 2G/3G sim. I'll test out the LTE speeds and let you know about this very soon in my upcoming post.
• It is Available right now in three different colors:  Black, Orange, and Blue.
• Even though the device might look bulky, it has a pretty sleek feel in hand due to that leather back plate, which for the first time isn't a fake plastic and the Metal like surrounding edges exudes a premium feel in the hand. Whereas it weighs about 202g which is quite huge, but that 5000mAh battery surpasses my needs. So I'm willing to be on board with that.
• It has all the usual set of sensors pre-installed, and the motion gestures are available here too, just in case you're wondering.
• It has Support for 802.11b/g/n Wifi, WiFi-Direct, Gps and Bluetooth V 4.0.
• Inside the box, we get a 5W Charger, A Micro USB to USB cable, an OTG cable, and some documentation.

          During the live launch event, Peter Chang, Region Head – South Asia & Country Manager for ASUS India commented, “Zenfone Max has been one of our star products. The product features including its long battery life, ability to be a portable charger for other devices, stunning good looks and an affordable price resonated well with our audiences and helped us deliver our promise of making luxury, affordable. The enhanced version of the Zenfone Max with a brand new processor increased memory, and more personalization options help us stay true to our ethos and offer an extremely cost-effective high-end luxury product.”

         He then stated that how they had uniquely planned and executed this digital launch event, As the Zenfone Max was previously shipped to select patrons to market the availability in a locked box. Which was supposed to unlock via a code, which was showcased after the digital launch event. This video also unveiled us that Sonakshi Sinha had made her first appearance as the brand ambassador of ASUS smartphones and tablets, India. Marcel Campos, Marketing Director – Mobile Division, India also shared his thoughts about how having Sonakshi Sinha onboard will help them leverage newer audiences and in getting more people involved in today's technological disruptments.

         Now being the brand ambassador, Sonakshi Sinha also commented, “I am honored to be associated with a brand that believes in strengthening the ambassador’s trust in them. My association with ASUS India, the second one since the Zen Festival in 2015, is in sync with today’s audiences that LiveUnplugged event, consume digital content and make decisions online. The launch for Zenfone Max has involved me in trying the smartphone and sharing my experience with the team at ASUS besides being a part of the digital campaign.”

         So at the end of the day, it's all about that Massive battery which is why Asus has given it a suffix: Max. They claim that the device will provide you about 914.4 hours of standby time or 37.5 hours of 3G talk time or 32.5 hours of Wi-Fi web browsing or 72.9 hours of music playback or 22.6 hours of video playback. But I need to test this before praising it out in the wild, though I must say it's giving me impressive Screen on time than any other device I've used in the past. Whereas the coolest thing about having this phone is that you can reverse charge any other phone, with the combination of USB + OTG cable, which is why it's provided. Though many won't prefer this, It's good to have a one and only exclusive flaunting feature. Also, there are five battery modes and two smart switches that help users increase the already humongous battery life, which we'll talk about in my final review.

The New Zenfone Max 2016

Where to buy Asus Zenfone Max 2016, How much would it Cost?

        Finally, you can pre-order the Zenfone Max(2GB RAM Variant) from Flipkart for Rs. 9,999 as it'll be available soon. Whereas the higher end 3GB variant of Zenfone Max can be bought right now from Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal for Rs. 12,999. Apart from that the Zenfone Max(3GB) variant will also be available at Asus Exclusive stores and all retail stores in India, Soon. Most of you would head over to the 2GB Variant; I'm pretty sure about this. I'll soon drop my Initial Impressions post about Zenfone Max 2016 edition, Hopefully Tomorrow. As currently I've just started to use this device as my daily driver. So make sure you follow me on all of our social media channels to be the first to know more about this Phone.

Also See: Android Instant Articled Launched at Google IO 2016.