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New Asus Zenfone Max Review, Pictures #LiveUnplugged, Indian Lifestyle Blog, Tech, Asus Phone, Smartphones

New Asus Zenfone Max Review, Pictures #LiveUnplugged

New Asus Zenfone Max Review, Pictures #LiveUnplugged

Hey guys, If you follow me on Snapchat (bhumika_t), you must have seen this phone a lot by now, right from the secret it was to the unveiling on 23rd May, it’s been a week and I have experimented a lot with this phone, so here are my two cents on it.

Features:

  • Powerful Performance: Octa-core processor, 2GB/ 3GB RAM variations and 32GB internal storage expandable up to 64GB
  • Uncompromising Battery: 5000 mAh battery with OTG cable that turns the Zenfone Max into an innovative charger for other devices.
  • Colors: Available in 3 colors and super stylish design, Black, Orange and Blue

MRP: Rs.9999/-

The new Zenfone Max is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 Octa-Core processor and provides the users an option to opt for a 2GB or 3GB RAM. The internal memory of the phone has now been increased to 32GB, in addition to an expandable memory of up to 64GB. Zenfone Max with 2GB RAM is available for Rs. 9,999 and can be pre-ordered on Flipkart while Zenfone Max with 3GB RAM is available for Rs. 12,999 and can be purchased from Amazon, Snapdeal and Flipkart. The 3GB RAM variant will also be available at ASUS Exclusive stores and all other retail stores across India, at a later date.

Equipped with a 5000 mAh battery, the Zenfone Max can last longer without charging and is also capable of being a power bank for other gadgets making it an essential product for daily use.

Available in three different colours – black, orange and blue, the new Zenfone Max boasts of an extremely thin body that measures only 5.2 mm at its thinnest edge. The surrounding metal-like edge makes it durable while the back with the look and feel of embossed leather makes the phone look chic and fashionable for every occasion.

More details about the battery: The powerful 5000 mAh battery requires fewer charging cycles making the phone last longer and more efficient. The lithium-polymer battery, when fully charged, provides 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. The accompanying OTG cable turns the phone into a charger to power up the users’ other gadgets, making it a useful everyday accompaniment.

Battery usage

Camera: The new ZenFone Max has a 13 Megapixel, f/2.0-aperture rear camera with the ASUS PixelMaster 2.0 technology and dual-LED flash for natural-looking photography. It also features Laser Auto Focus technology that helps photography enthusiasts focus on an object in as fast as 0.03 seconds. ZenFone Max’s front camera is a 5 Megapixel, f/2.0-aperture camera with 85̊ wide-viewing angle that helps in incorporating more information and details into the picture.

Screen: Featuring a 5.5 inch HD (1280 x 720) IPS display with full-screen lamination and ASUS TruVivid technology, the new Zenfone Max provides superior clarity, brightness and touch responsiveness. The Bluelight Filter for Eye Care protects the users’ eyes from strain during prolonged usage.

Coming to my experience:

Asus Zenfone Max comes with a USB charger, OTG cable and a warranty card.

OTG cable

It is slightly heavy at 205gms but then a 5000mAh battery comes with a little weight 😀 I love the look and feel of it, especially the textured back cover feels expensive and nice.

When I opened the phone on 23rd May, it had no battery, so I had to charge it fully and it did take a lot of time, because 5000 mAh does take time to get fully charged. The charger is 1amp and a 2amp charger might help you to lessen the charging time, but I am not sure if the phone has the capacity for that.

Battery Test

Once it was fully charged on 23rd May night untill today right now, I haven’t charged it even once, it’s been almost 6-7 days. Right now too the battery is 51% left. To be honest, I have not used it extensively like for gaming, etc., just the camera, apps, surfing and normal stuff, but I haven’t come across a phone yet, that did not charging for 7 days straight! I am pretty sure with gaming and more extensive use too, this phone would last for 2-2.5 days easily!

Talking about the next fabulous feature, the OTG cable. How amazing it is to charge other phones and devices through a phone and not a powerbank coz your phone itself is a powerbank 😀 The OTG cable that comes along with Zenfone Max turns the phone into a powerbank and you can charge any device with it’s USB through this.

The camera is pretty decent, I would not say it’s the most amazing camera I have seen, but at this price point, I may. The 13MP rear camera captures details, colours and clarity fabulously. I absolutely loved the front camera though, it’s pretty clear and you can even adjust focus. The camera features are the same as in all ASUS phones, read more about the camera features in detail HERE.

Here are some unedited pictures clicked with the rear and front camera..

Unedited pic- Rear Camera
Unedited pic Front camera- Beautification Mode

It is dual sim and comes with 2GB RAM,32GB internal memory and supports 4G. The Asus UI is pretty decent too, it does come with some pre loaded apps but you can always remove those. The USP of this phone is the battery and the OTG cable! I haven’t come across a phone with all these features at a price of Rs.9999/- yet.

Definitely recommend it for people who use their phones a lot throughout the day and don’t prefer carrying power bank and USB cords with them, you won’t need to with this phone, just charge it through the night and you are sorted for 1.5-2 days easily even with heavy use! My brother is one such person, his work solely depends on his phone and he is on calls throughout the day. His phone is always dead by the time he reaches home, so I am surely gifting the Asus Zenfone Max to him 🙂

What do you think of Asus Zenfone Max?

P.S: Phone sent by the brand in exchange of honest review.

OPPO F1 Plus Selfie Expert Review, Comparision

OPPO F1 Plus Selfie Expert Review, Comparision

Hi guys,

If you remember I reviewed the OPPO F1 phone before, see HERE. They had announced the launch of F1 Plus at the same event, but the official launch happened on 6th April at Hotel Lalit in Delhi. I had gone to Delhi for the event for a day. See the entire vlog and event details in my vlog below, Yuvraj Singh was also present at the event 😀 He came even with his ankle injury!

Anyhoo, coming back to the phone, OPPO F1 Plus. I am obviously no tech expert, so would not be reviewing from that point of view, though I am a tech and gadget freak! Also being a blogger, I am present on every social media channel on earth and use my phone 24/7 for everything from clicking pictures to updating you guys on social channels, replying to mails, etc. The best part of this phone is obviously the front camera, as the name goes ‘Selfie Expert’. The front cam is 16MP,f/2.0 which allows four times more light compared to other smartphones.

Price: INR 26,990/-

Colors Available: Gold and Rose Gold

I have been using the phone ever since the event and it’s been quite some time now, so it’s the perfect time to review it. To start with, it’s very light weight (only 145g) though standard 5.5 inches, you do not feel this phone at all even in your pocket.

I have the Color Gold which I like a little more than Rose Gold, coz of the deep matte gold finish. Also it is super comfortable to hold and ergonomically designed to fit in your hands.

The thick Corning Gorilla Glass 4 does not need a scratch guard. I bought one and when I was just about to place it, I realized this phone doesn’t need one. The glass is super thick and scratch resistant, I did not feel adding another layer was required.

It has it’s own Operating System Color OS 3.0 and the Lollipop version of Android, it is pretty smooth and fast untill now, quite impressed with the OS. I have always been on Android and can safely say, this OS is quite good.

It has 64GB internal memory which is expandable externally upto 128GB, there are very few phones in the market offering that! The 4GB RAM is sufficient and the phone never lagged even once, though I am not a gaming person, so did not try that. For me, I have 10-15 apps working all the time, and none stopped responding at any time.

I have always been using a dual sim phone and that is my priority when I have to select a phone for myself. I am so glad this is dual sim with both being 4G enabled.

Specs

Other notable features are fingerprint scanner, WiFi Direct, fast battery VOOC Flash charging, etc.

Coming to the main part and my favourite, the camera! It has 13MP rear camera with f/2.2 with auto focus, face detection and even Beauty and Panaroma features. The Beautify 4.0 brightens the skin and removes all blemishes, so without makeup, it gives a made up look 😀 I love the Ultra HD mode which gives super crisp and bright pictures and the GIF creator which is super fun! GIF creator option is also available for the front camera. It also has a range of inbuilt filters which lets you select a filter even before clicking a picture! My favourites are ‘Elegant’ and ‘British’. The rear camera also has an ‘Expert Mode‘ which lets you control the ISO and exposure, so even if you are a pro photographer, this will give you the freedom to work your way.

Beautify 4.0

The 16MP front camera has wide f/2.0 lens which allows more light in pictures coz of it’s unique sensor technology, so now you get bright selfies even in low light and during night time. And now fit in all your friends in a selfie with the amazing ‘Selfie Panaroma’ feature 😀 The ISOCELL technology reduces the noise in selfies, giving you super clear and sharp selfies. My favourite feature though is ‘Double Exposure‘ which helps you click two pictures in motion and combines them into one. I haven’t found a subject yet to use that, but I will be using it soon and would be posting it on my Instagram, so follow me there 😀

It also captures videos at 1080p@30fps, I would be using it for my vlogs too. Also love the ‘Time Lapse‘ feature! I am clearly bowled by the camera features.

I also compared it to Samsung Galaxy A7. It looks quite similar, weighs almost the same and the specifications and features too are similar. The Samsung A7 Operating System is so slow and it was a pain to use comparatively. It runs on Kitkat which is upgradable to Lollipop. I am not sure what exactly is the problem, but you need real patience to use Samsung A7.

Rear Camera
L- Clicked with OPPO
R- Clicked with Samsung
Front Cam
L- OPPO
R- Samsung

I have also compared the selfies and pics taken with both the phones. Samsung camera is pretty sharp too and love the clear pictures, but in terms of catching the true colours, OPPO F1 Plus is the clear winner.

OPPO F1 Plus has all the features and specifications that of iPhone6, some even better and at half the price! I totally recommend checking out OPPO F1 Plus, see more HERE

What do you think of the new OPPO F1 Plus Selfie Expert Phone?

P.S: PR Sample. Honest Review

How To Click The Perfect Selfie

How To Click The Perfect Selfie

Hey guys,

Just yesterday I was thinking how a decade ago we were super happy with our 3210 and 3310 cell phones where all we could do was talk and send/receive SMS.  Coming back to today, where apps like Whatsapp and Facebook/Twitter are a necessity and taking pictures everyday on our smart phone is a daily practice, that goes without saying.

I think our generation on an average clicks about 10 pictures daily on their smart phone, especially selfies! And if you are a blogger, you have to click 6-7 pictures at least to get that perfect selfie.

Now makeup and hair obviously play a very important role in your selfie if you are a girl. Your hair need not be all polished and glam, but a simple hairstyle and no frizz is perfect. When it comes to makeup, bright lips and evened base is all you need, you can also define your eyes with a liner/kohl if you feel like.

Another most important thing for a perfect selfie is lighting! If you have good lighting, don’t miss a chance to click selfie 😀 Don’t face the sun directly as that would lead to over brightness. You can stand opposite the window, or you can take a selfie in the car.

I absolutely love car selfies. Since it is covered from the top there is no chance of direct sunlight and the car window gives you required amount of lighting. I never miss a chance to click a selfie while in the car. Pro tip: Always hold the camera a bit higher than your face level.

And one thing which is absolutely essential is of course a good smart phone with an excellent camera. Now my phone has a terrible front camera and hence I have to use the rear camera which is not very selfie friendly obviously as I cannot see the perfect angle or how the picture is getting clicked.

I have been on the lookout for a phone with a good front camera since a long time. I stumbled upon the Asus Zenfone Selfie and I am blown away!! Why, you ask? 13MP front and rear camera and dual flash on both the cameras, 0.3s Laser Ultra Fast Auto-Focus rear camera.

The front camera has f/2.2-aperture, 88-degree wide-angle lens and with the unique Selfie Panorama mode, you will be able to shoot selfies with an outlook of up to 140 degrees — so everything and everyone is part of your shot!! More group selfies, yay! And no one will be missed out or half cut now onwards 🙂

Not only that, the front camera also has HDR mode, so every selfie can be a perfect selfie now and if not, we can always use the Beautification Mode 😉 The Beautification Mode enhances your features and corrects blemishes all in real time, you can adjust the effectiveness of the features and just go clicking.

Macro focusing down to 6cm means perfect product shots including the yummy food pictures. It also has a rear selfie button which now makes it easier to click without shaking the phone or blurring the image.

Read more HERE

It comes in super pretty colors like Pure White, Chic Pink and Aqua Blue. I am so loving the Aqua Blue. I don’t think I have to stress more on how this is perfect phone for selfies and clicking pictures!! Clicking pictures are an essential in my life, being a blogger and I definitely need a phone like this. I am surely getting this. What about you?

Register HERE to be notified when it releases, so that you can get it before it’s gone.