As promised, please enjoy my full review of 3GB M1...

Coming from Nokia 3210, Moto Razr V3x, Nokia E61, Nokia N78, Sammy P780, HTC HD2, iPhone 4, LeMoto S890, LeMoto P780, Alcatel Idol X, LeMoto K910, Sammy Galaxy Note 3, Sammy Galaxy S5, Huawei Honor 3C, Huawei MediaPad X1, ZTE Blade S6, Meizu M1 Note, ASUS Zenfone 2 ZE550ML, Xiaomi Mi4i, Ulefone Be Touch 2, Meizu M2 Note, Elephone P4000, Alcatel OneTouch Flash Plus, Huawei Honor 7, ZTE Zubia Z7 Max, Xiaomi Redmi 3, Xiaomi Redmi 3S, Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro, Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime, Sammy Galaxy Note5, Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom, Huawei Mate 10 Pro and my current daily driver the LeMoto P2.

As a start, I shall rename the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 ZB602KL as the "M1".

Bought the Meteor Silver M1 3GB/32GB variant via online exclusive from Lazada Malaysia for RM599 (~USD146) with 0% interest of 6-month installment plan. Included in the intro-promo is "Garena Free Fire" gaming e-voucher and 100GB of 1-year Google Drive Storage.

I have been using it since 25th June 2018 (that's 6 weeks ownership as of releasing this review) and will give my honest review and comparison to my previous smart devices, where applicable. The M1 is being used as stock and no unlocked bootloader or rooting access permission are performed. At the current review state, the M1 is having a firmware build number OPM1.WW_Phone-15.2016.1805.318-20180712
A = Android
Asus has learned their mistakes in the past. No more funny/pesky/rogue bloat-wares is a good move. The brand new pure Android Oreo 8.1.0 is shipped out of the box. However, M1 is not certified as Android One program like the Xiaomi M1 A1/A2. The Android 8.1.0 has been slightly tweaked with "ZenMotion" extra features like :
1) Double-tap-to-wake the screen;
2) Double-tap-to-sleep;
3) Gestures when device is sleep;
4) Double-press power button to launch camera.

Overall experience is positive but if we are coming from "Android on Steroid" like MIUI, EMUI, ZENUI, Flyme OS, Colour OS, Fun-Touch OS, etc, we will not be happy with stock Android experience. We have to depend on a lot of 3rd party apps in the Google PlayStore in order to match the experience of "Android on Steroid" earlier.
B = Body-Built
As a budget device, Asus maintains the structure to be semi-unibody metal design. However, the rear-top and rear-bottom edges are slapped with plastic/PVC panels to allow great signal reception results. Also, like many other unibody metal design and with slim 8.5mm profile, at 180 grams, M1 is very slippery for dry palm human being. No wonder Asus provides free soft TPU transparent case to mitigate the slippery issue.

Physical buttons are positioned properly so that when mounting M1 onto car/camera holder and gimbal, these buttons are not clashed with the car holder/gimbal's legs/brackets. Buttons are satisfactorily give good tactile feedback and quite sturdy too. No capacitive button is presence as navigation is via on-screen navigation. Gesture navigation ala-iPhone X is not here at the moment. It might come with future Android "P"opcorn hopefully.

Camera lens are slightly buried underneath the metal plate by less than 1mm. The ever-die-ing 3.5mm audio jack is at the bottom which is the preferred location.

For other physical appearances, you can refer to online pix and YouTube vix. Overall, the M1 is close to "solid" build quality suited its price category. We should be glad that no glass panel is presence at the back. But 3rd party case is a must accessory nowadays.
C = Connectivity
The major function of any smart devices. Call quality is above average with good signal reception. Rare disconnection issue so far even while taking calls inside an elevator. At par with other Huawei and Motorola call quality results. Bluetooth 5.0 tech works as expected. It does pair with my Sammy Gear S3 Frontier smart watch flawlessly with all notifications and call communications running thru the smart watch without hiccup, including Samsung Pay. Sadly, M1 does not support dual band Wi-Fi connections for both 2.4GHz and 5GHz ac/a/b/g/n. Only 2.4GHz band is good enough for streaming HD videos but not fast enough for high speed data transfer for drone or NAS. No infra-red blaster and NFC are presence for cheap RM599 (~USD146) device.

Broadband data modules are compatible with all Malaysia telcos but local VoLTE support is yet to be discovered. Meaning, using M1 with "YES" Telco is a big fat "NO". Bands for 4G are derived from FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20); TDD-LTE (Band 40).

Dual SIM feature has been enhanced to Dual-SIM-4G active mode. M1 equipped with Qualcomm X12 LTE modem which is capable of holding 4G+4G simultaneously, something new in 2018 devices. But as usual, only one SIM can accept data from cell towers. In case in the future, carriers decided to terminate the 2G protocol, M1 is not into trouble. Both SIM slots are nano-SIM size and extra dedicated microSD expansion slot is available (2TB Max; supports exFAT format). This seems to be a selling point of the M1 compared to other similar price range database. But unfortunately, the dedicated microSD card cannot be converted as adoptable storage for apps database and default installation system files.

Wi-Fi Direct and vix Cast is supported.

Overall, if one is expecting stellar versatile mobile connectivity, M1 is not the perfect answer but reasonable enough for daily routines.
D = Display
No budget phones can get Super AMOLED or IGZO panel (except Meizu M1 Note). It's just ordinary 5.99" 1080 x 2160 pixels IPS panel (no LTPS, no OGS) with average brightness (450 nits) and color accuracy (85% NTSC). Screen-to-body ratio is shamefully at 76.87%. It's an affordable device anyway and forced to follow tall screen aspect ratio trend.

The screen color can be adjusted like warm or cold but not as flexible as in Huawei devices.

The 2.5D front glass panel is not upgraded with Corning Gorilla Glass protection but with enough oleophobic coating to make the fingers glide effortlessly during typing/swyping/gaming. Tempered glass screen protector is a must in this case to ensure scratches and cracks prevention.

Viewing angle is 170 degrees on all corners. However, exceeding 30 degrees angle will produce "shadow" effect, especially with white background. Direct sunlight readability is average unlike on some advanced sunlight readability features in Xiaomi phones.

As this is non-AMOLED panel, AOSD (Always On-Screen Display) to view as table clock at night is to be missed.

No iPhone-like notch for the 18:9 aspect ratio which maximizes the landscape viewing experience while watching YouTube or playing mobile games.

Overall, the screen panel of M1 is average at this price range. Tempered glass is a must if one is clumsy in holding the M1.
E = Ergonomic
Size-to-weight ratio is almost perfect. The tall 18:9 aspect ratio of the screen is well balanced vertically; though slippery, the device is stable enough to hold but not comfortable enough to be used with one hand. The 180 grams with slim 8.5mm profile and slight curve at the back-side edges giving a gentle grip on the palm and makes it easier to pick-up when lay on flat surface. No sharp edges is presence. Overall, M1 is not going to challenge the Meizu M1/M2 Note, which has one of the best ergonomic design for one-hand usage on a 5.5" screen in my honest opinion.
F = Fingerprint
The rear fingerprint sensor is always in active mode, whereby, one just need to tap to unlock from idle/sleep mode. One can register up to 5 fingers in the setting. Overall, it is not as fast and reliable as Huawei and Xiaomi. Asus better learn from these two manufacturers for next M2.
G = Gaming
Releasing M1 in the 2018 with the Snap636 + Adreno 509 chip is dedicated to the affordable gaming population. Other vendors like Raser, Xiaomi, Lenovo and even Asus ROG themselves come out with dedicated mobile gaming devices which is a niche market, hence, a very high price for Snap800 series SoC. Heavy gaming titles like Asphalt 8, Modern Combat 5 and N.O.V.A. 3 will show "slight" to none micro-stutter at highest gaming settings. However, one can do gaming for as long as he wants without worrying heating issue and NO throttling of the SoC too. M1 always runs in mild warm forever. Thanks to the new 14nm FinFET SoC of Snap636 and 3GB LPDDR4X Double-Channel RAM at 1,333 MHz couple with 32GB eMMC5.1 built-in storage. Overall, the owner will not be disappointed with M1's general performance in gaming. Please refer to various YouTube vix for more popular gaming titles like PUBG, Mobile Legend, etc.
H = Haptics
The sense of the vibration is firm while the device is in the pocket. Unfortunately, one cannot customise the vibration pattern like in the Sammy Galaxy Note 5 or even in Xiaomi devices. Overall, you can't miss any incoming notifications while watching cinema or in a noisy environment. The phone will vibrate in an adequate manner.
I = Internals
With 3GB LPDDR4X Double-Channel RAM at 1,333 MHz couple with 32GB eMCP 5.1 built-in storage, shows the capability of M1 to handle enormous heavy websites without stutter scrolling. Snap636 & Adreno 509 SoC makes heavy lifting tasks is possible without severe lag and hiccups. Using Google Chrome to surf the web is a breeze. Opening multiple tabs is no issue and the support of all LTE bands for Malaysia telcos is a plus. Overall, the 18:9 screen FHD+ is enjoyable experience for day and night online surfing, gaming, shopping, entertainment, VR and productivity purposes.

J = Juice
Finally, we have reached to the No. 1 selling point of the M1. The 5,000mAh sealed unknown brand of lithium-polymer cell UNFORTUNATELY cannot dethrone "The Best Energy Consumption Smartphone of 2016/2017/2018" which STILL belongs to LeMoto P2. Claimed talk-time, stand-by time, etc. are beyond achievable for dual-active-nano-SIM LTE phone. No words to describe the subjective usage patterns, just review the stats on my various posts in this thread. But getting beyond 7 hours of Screen-on-Time is GUARANTEED.

M1 proprietary "Rapid Charge" is presence only at the rate of Qualcomm Quick Charge 1.0. Stock "Rapid Charger" is bundled in the box at 5V-2A unlike other "stingy" vendors like Xiaomi, Huawei and Meizu. M1 is "some-what" reverse compatible with Qualcomm's Quick-Charge 2.0/3.0/4.0 technology but QC 1.0 will be used all the time. Using the provided stock "Rapid Charger and cable", re-energise from 15% to 100% (while device is idle/on), requires 3 hours and 4 minutes waiting time to fill-up the whole massive 5,000mAh lithium polymer battery capacity. No difference with certified Qualcomm QC 3.0 adapter.

Wireless Qi charging will only presence in flagship territory. Overall, the main reason somebody owns M1 is because of performance with longevity, PERIOD!
K = Keys
No hardware physical navigation keys for Back/Home/Recent is available as we are reaching towards 2019. Hence, only the on-screen navigation is allowed. Gesture navigation is yet to be seen but Asus has implemented this feature in Zenfone 5 and 5Z recently due to ZENUI platform. Hopefully, M1 will enjoy the gesture navi soon too either in Android "P"opcorn or "Q"uaker Oat.
L = Lights
Notification light is presence with either amber, white or green. But they are not customisable in Android Oreo 8.1.0.

The phone also embedded with single LED flash (both front and back) for low light pix & vix as well as emergency flashlight when entering the movie theater hall.
M = Multimedia
Media contents consumption is generally acceptable for FHD+ single-bottom firing mono speaker. What is surprising in M1 is that the speaker is very loud (1.5 watts to generate >85dB for sure) with the aid of built-in 5-magnet speaker with NXP smart amplifier. The 3.5mm audio jack is able to play audio files up to 192 kHz / 24-bit. No supports for Dolby 5.1. FM radio is supported with the hooked of bundled stereo headset.

Overall, the 2D multimedia usage is above average and acceptable in this price range.
N = Navigation
GPS is working as expected. Lock satellites within 10 seconds from cold start. Waze, Google Maps and HERE Maps are working normally, even indoors. Driving above 100 km/hr does not lost any GPS signal. Only luke warm heat after 1 hour of continuous navigation. Overall, this M1 should be used by those Uber and GrabCar pilots who don't need to charge while driving anymore.


O = Optimisation
M1 is Asus first device to have stock Android platform. As a first timer, Asus is doing a fine job in optimising M1 in terms of performance and energy consumption. The Oreo Doze feature kicks in almost instantly after the screen is turned off (provided Wi-Fi is off). Hence, there is no need to root this device in order to install 3rd party apps to "greenify" certain apps/services. No wakelock issue. No bloat-wares disturbing the Doze Mode. Incoming push notifications work as intended without the need to tweak the battery performance (Xiaomi devices are famous to miss push notifications in WhatsApp due to aggressive power saving mode). No overheating during heavy gaming, long hours navigation and pix/vix recording sessions. The supplied 3GB RAM is keeping at most 4 heavy apps/games running in the background.

Each OTA received is reliable and stable so far. Overall, it is performing as close as the legacy Google Nexus devices.
P = Photography
Many is awaiting this part of the review. Well, we have to realise that M1 is NOT born in this planet for hardcore photography fans. Use the output for social media sharing and personal media contents should be acceptable enough. Do not use the output for commercial use or professional events. The 13MP OmniVision OV13855 comes with f/2.0 @ 1.12um is acceptable with steady hands accompanied by single-tone LED flash. No lag while snapping pix but HDR mode as usual requires steady firm hands to get good results. Phase-detection Auto Focus (PDAF) is quick enough in any lighting conditions.

The stock "Snapdragon" camera app has no built-in "Smart/AI" mode. Auto mode camera snapshot is reliable. HDR has dramatic effect. Macro shots are acceptable to the nearest 3 inches distance. Low light image is average but sadly no "Pro" mode to tinker with shutter speed and ISO.

Bokeh/potrait/depth/variable aperture mode is captured by secondary rear 5MP SK Hynix HI556 with F2.4 at 1.12um. Output is above average with good edge detection and separation and the blur effect can be adjusted in real-time mode.

Selfie pix and vix is driven by OmniVision sensor OV8856 F2.2 with 1.0um capturing at 85 degrees angle; which is average and nothing to shout about. The front softlight LED flash does help a lot in pitch dark pix and vix. Selfie bokeh and face unlock are also using the same camera sensor.

No OIS for still pix and vix. But there is minor EIS for 1080P video at 30fps. 4K Ultra HD is supported (without EIS) but nothing to shout about...again. Both Slow-Mo and Fast-Mo vix are not available. OTA update is required here to enhance the pix and vix experiences in M1.

Overall, if photography is one of your top 3 reasons to get this device, you will just say "meh...". But, for me, with the proper use of 3rd party camera apps like Open Camera and steady hands, M1 is actually above average. Please refer to various posts of this thread and YouTube channel for camera samples.

Please enjoy the pix of M1 vs. Huawei Mate 10 Pro and Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom at:
ZenTalk A-to-Z Review : Zenfone Max Pro (M1) ZB602KL
Q = Quirks
Well... for the price we pay, absolutely nothing solid to command M1 to go back to the drawing board. Maybe lack of options for local accessories could be one of it. Second, the camera output is subjective so long as one understand how to install 3rd party camera app and have steady hands, then, one will either say "very good pix" or sadly "very nasty shots". Android update is for sure only up to Android "P"opcorn 9.1.0. There will be slim hope for Android "Q"uaker Oats in the future, unless, the XDA communities appreciate M1 potentials.

The charging port is the traditional/legacy microUSB 2.0 instead of getting-popular Type-C. Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0 license is not activated for Snap636. No wireless charging and water/dust resistance coatings. No infra-red blaster like in Xiaomis.

Auto-brightness feature is kind of wonky but can be easily calibrated. An OTA is expected to rectify M1's auto-brightness feature.

These quirks should not be a deal breaker to Average Joe user with tight budget and know what to expect from this "powerful" RM599 (~USD146) underdog apparatus.
R = Rooting
Flash-a-holic geeks will be happy in this department. One-Click root is definitely a Big-Fat-No-No because the Bootloader is Locked.

To-date, M1 has more than 5 mods in XDA community. This shows that M1 is well received by modders.
S = Sensors
All major sensors including magnetometer/e-compass and gyroscope are presence making sure auto-brightness, GPS navi, EIS vix, Virtual Reality & 360 vix are working as designed.

Asus claims the fingerprint sensor has damp finger recognition and 0.3 seconds unlock mechanism. But in reality, these bold claims are yet to be convinced enough. Perhaps future OTA(s) will improve the unlocking experience.

Face unlock is achievable but not in pitch dark room.

Earpiece/receiver is crystal clear with noise cancelling mic working as intended. The opposite party can hear our voice clearly with "muddy" background noise while we can hear the opposite party's voice without issue.

Overall, the basic sensors are well equipped in this RM599 (~USD146) device.
T = Texting
Stock Google keyboard is supplied. No need to install other 3rd party keyboard apps as one will get the best typing/swyping experience on screen. The 5.99" oleophobic protection makes our fingers glide happily during typing or playing games. Overall, the slim profile and well distributed weight in portrait and landscape orientation makes texting and gaming experience even more pleasurable.
U = USBs
Unfortunately, there is no Type-C for this mid-2018 device. Traditional micro USB 2.0 located at the bottom works as designed and nothing to complain about. It supports reverse charging as well (with proper adapter). OTG is also supported. MHL is yet to be confirmed. Overall, there is no need to have USB Type-C at the moment for this budget device.
V = Virtual Reality
Google VR support is still unknown. Gyroscope is presence to view 360-degree YouTube vix. Overall, it is a good option for beginners to explore VR contents before committing to full fledged immersive VR journey. Combining with loud external 5-magnet mono speaker, experiencing VR for the first time is well above expectations.
W = Warranty
1) General device components = 1 year local manufacturer warranty.
2) Battery = unknown.
3) Rapid Charger = unknown.
4) Earphones = unknown.
There is no options to extend the warranty like what Sammy is offering today. So, if one is expecting to keep the device after 1 year warranty lapsed, the cost of repair is yet to be discovered. If the screen replacement is above RM200, it is not worth to pay for this RM599 (~USD146) device.
X = X-factors
1) Longevity. 7 hours of Screen-on-Time is Guaranteed even non-stop continuous gaming.
2) Stock Android UI (to certain users).
3) Loud external mono speaker.
4) No throttling or overheating during heavy and prolong usage.5) Above average camera performance.
6) One of the most affordable smartphone with Qualcomm Snap636 SoC to-date.

Y = Yesterdays
Similar devices competing in the same price segment should be:
1) Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI/Pro.
2) Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite.
3) Motorola Moto E5 Plus.
4) Meizu M6 Note.
5) ZTE Nubia M2 Play.
6) Oppo RealMe One.
7) And many other yesterdays' devices that you are holding to right now.

Z = Zero-figure
Based price at Malaysia Ringgit RM599-point-zero-zero (~USD146) is a worthy long-term investment with current Snap636 (3GB RAM) and massive 5K mAh energy supply. But if you get this unit at RM699, better top-up a bit more to opt for other options which may provide better camera and perhaps better "Android-on-Steroid" experience. But for the current zero-zero figure, one should be more than happy to abuse the pure non-steroid stock Android platform until one eyes becoming red due to watching vix, social media activities and non-stop gaming for 7 hours straight! Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 ZB602KL is NOT Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI/Pro killer but it is a powerbank killer instead!!!

Thanks for your time to read my review and please refer to my posts of this thread for more details and updates...

azhar75 @ lowyat.net


The same full set review with camera samples are located at:
ZenTalk A-to-Z Review : Zenfone Max Pro (M1) ZB602KL