Redmi Note 5 Pro vs ZenFone Max Pro M1: Camera, Performance, Battery Life Detailed Comparison

 

In a bid to capture a share of the lucrative sub Rs. 15,000 segment, Asus has recently launched the ZenFone Max Pro M1 in India at a starting price of Rs. 10,999. With a large battery, stock Android, and dual rear cameras, the ZenFone Max Pro M1 seems to have all the ingredients needed to set the budget smartphone market on fire. Asus claims that this new phone was developed specifically for India, but can it challenge the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro, which has established itself as the segment leader and has been well received by buyers and critics alike. We spent some time with both smartphones, comparing them in detail, and here is what we found

Redmi Note 5 Pro vs ZenFone Max Pro M1 design

On the design front, both the Redmi Note 5 Pro and ZenFone Max Pro M1 have tall 18:9 displays, vertically stacked dual camera setups at the rear, and rear-mounted fingerprint sensors. While the Redmi Note 5 Pro is made entirely out of aluminium, the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 has a metal backplate but plastic inserts on the top and bottom

Both smartphones have similar dimensions and are easy to hold in the hand thanks to rounded corners and curved edges. While the Redmi Note 5 Pro has a noticeable camera bump, the camera module on the ZenFone Max Pro M1 barely protrudes from the chassis. One problem with the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 is that its back gets smudged with fingerprints very easily.

At a time when the industry is moving towards USB Type-C, both smartphones use age-old Micro-USB ports for charging and data transfers.

Redmi Note 5 Pro vs ZenFone Max Pro M1 price in India, specifications

Both smartphones are powered by the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor and have dual cameras at the back. The Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 significantly undercuts the Redmi Note 5 Pro in terms of price. The base variant of the ZenFone Max Pro M1 with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage is priced at Rs. 10,999, while the variant with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage costs Rs. 12,999. The Redmi Note 5 Pro in comparison starts with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, priced at Rs. 14,999 (after a recent price hike).

Both the ZenFone Max Pro M1 and Redmi Note 5 Pro are also available (or will soon be) with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, priced at Rs. 14,999 and Rs. 16,999 respectively. Interestingly, Asus has also bumped up the camera specifications for this particular variant, making it stand out even more.

You can expand the storage of both smartphones by up to 256GB. While the ZenFone Max Pro M1 has a dedicated microSD card slot, the hybrid dual-SIM tray of the Redmi Note 5 Pro forces you to choose between a microSD card and a second SIM.

Both models have 5.99-inch full-HD+ screens with an aspect ratio of 18:9, which makes content look immersive. The display on the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 is bright and has punchy and vivid colours. The Redmi Note 5 Pro's display has better viewing angles but seems a bit dull and washed out in comparison.

The Redmi Note 5 Pro has a smaller 4000mAh battery, compared to the sizeable 5000mAh unit found in the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1. Connectivity options for both phones include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, GPS/ A-GPS, Bluetooth 5.0, and a 3.5mm headphone socket. You can make 4G VoLTE calls from both sim cards on the ZenFone Max Pro M1, but 4G data is only supported on one at a time. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro in comparison does not support dual active 4G VoLTE.