Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 vs Nokia 6 (2018) vs Redmi Note 5 Pro: Here’s a specifications comparison of all three phones.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 is another mid-budget smartphone to enter the Indian smartphone market. It will compete against the likes of Redmi Note 5 Pro and Nokia 6 (2018), both of which sport excellent on-paper specifications and then back it with performance as well. Asus’ smartphone is the most affordable in the list starting at Rs 10,999 for the base 3GB RAM+32GB storage model and the 4GB RAM+64GB storage variant costs Rs 12,999. Meanwhile, the Redmi Note 5 Pro starts at Rs 13,999, going up to Rs 16,999 for the 6GB RAM option. The Nokia 6 (2018) costs Rs 16,999. Based on specifications and features, here’s our comparison of Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1, Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro and Nokia 6.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1, Nokia 6, Redmi Note 5 Pro: Design and Display
The new Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 sports a metal unibody design, has no home button on the front and comes with a fingerprint sensor at the back. Redmi Note 5 Pro also gets a full metal design with rear-facing fingerprint sensor. Both the smartphones have a 5.99-inch Full HD+ IPS display with 18:9 aspect ratio, though the Zenfone Max Pro M1 lacks Corning Gorilla Glass protection.
Nokia 6 (2018) has been made from a single solid block of 6000 series aluminium complete with diamond-cut edges and metal frames. When it comes to durability, the smartphone is quite reliable. There’s no 18:9 aspect ratio and it comes with the standard 16:9 screen. Nokia 6 (2018) has a 5.5-inch full HD IPS LCD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection.
In terms of design, Nokia 6 (2018) does really stand out thanks to the copper trimmings on the side of the black coloured variant. It looks like the most polished and elegant phone in the list, while the others are more or less similar to what we have seen in the budget segment in the past. As we had noted in our review, for those who want a stylish phone under Rs 20,000, Nokia 6 fits the bill. However, for those who want the newer 18:9 aspect ratio, the Redmi Note 5 Pro or Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 are the phones to consider. Still display quality should not disappoint on all three smartphones.
The Nokia 6 has the most impressive design in the list of budget smartphones.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1, Nokia 6 , Redmi Note 5 Pro: Performance, Battery
Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 octa-core processor that is present on the Redmi Note 5 Pro. The Zenfone Max Pro M1 comes in 3GB/4GB RAM and 32GB/64GB storage models. The Redmi Note 5 Pro can be bought in 4GB/6GB RAM models, while the storage remains 64GB on both variants. Nokia 6 (2018) packs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage, expandable up to 128GB via a microSD card slot.
These mid-range phones should keep most users happy and offer snappy performance. Be it gaming or regular usage, the phones pack enough RAM and power in their processor to handle daily tasks. In our reviews, both the Nokia 6 (2018) and Redmi Note 5 Pro performed well, handling gaming and multi-tasking with ease. There were no heating issues either. With Zenfone Max Pro M1, we are yet to run a full fledged performance test on the phone.
Redmi Note 5 Pro comes in 4GB RAM and a 6GB RAM variant as well.
Coming to the battery, here’s where the Zenfone Max Pro M1 appears to have an edge as it sports a huge 5,000mAh one with claims that it will last up to two days. The Redmi Note 5 Pro is backed by a 4,000mAh battery which easily lasts for more than a day with moderate to heavy usage. Nokia 6 (2018) has a 3000mAh battery, though it too gave us impressive performance on the battery front and easily lasts a day.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1, Nokia 6, Redmi Note 5 Pro: Camera
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 sports dual rear cameras, a combination of 13MP PDAF sensor and a 5MP depth sensing camera. There’s a 5MP selfie shooter that comes with support for ‘Bokeh’ mode and LED flash. This is the department where Asus will have to perform better to stand out. So far in our first impressions, we feel the colours are a little washed out, though we will have the final verdict in our review later on.
Coming to the Redmi Note 5 Pro, it offers a dual 12MP+5MP rear camera with two RGB sensors. The primary 12MP camera has f/2.2 aperture, while the secondary lens comes with f/2.0 aperture. The front camera is 20MP with f/2.2 aperture and LED flash. The Redmi Note 5 Pro’s camera is certainly impressive for its price and as we noted in our review, the phone does capture details and colours well. The portrait mode is also impressive on Redmi Note 5 Pro.
The portrait mode is also impressive on Redmi Note 5 Pro, which has dual-rear cameras.
Coming to Nokia 6 (2018), the phone gets a single 16MP PDAF camera at the back, which supports f/2 aperture and dual-tone flash. It features an 8MP FF front camera with f/2 aperture with 84-degree filed-of-view. Still the camera’s performance is one of the best in the price range, even though it is missing that ‘Bokeh’ feature. Colours are accurate and the photos look crisp, though low-light performance could be better. Read our Nokia 6 review here.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1, Nokia 6 (2018), Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro: Software
This is the part where the Nokia 6 (2018) and Zenfone Max Pro M1 have another advantage over the Redmi Note 5 Pro. Asus is shipping its smartphone with stock version of Android and no ZenUI skin, and that’s a big change. In the past, ZenUI has been panned for its bloatware and terrible UI. It looks like Asus is finally changing track with the new phone. The phone runs Android Oreo 8.1 out-of-the box with two years of updates promised.
Asus is shipping its smartphone with stock version of Android and no ZenUI skin, and that’s a big change.
Nokia 6 (2018) runs stock Android Oreo and is already on 8.1. This is an Android one edition phone and will get Android updates for the next two years, which means Android P and Android Q are assured. In contrast, the Redmi Note 5 Pro runs MIUI 9, based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat and not Android Oreo. The company has said Oreo will be rolled out for Redmi Note 5 Pro, though it did not mention a timeline.