Putting all the rumours to rest, Asus on Thursday made the ZenFone Max Pro M2 official in Russia. The smartphone is set to launch in India on December 11, and it is confirmed to now sport dual back cameras, rear fingerprint sensor, a gradient glossy back, and a display notch up front with 19:9 aspect ratio. The ZenFone Max Pro M2 is powered by the Snapdragon 660 SoC and it is listed to pack a 5,000mAh battery. The smartphone is expected to go head to head with the Redmi Note 6 Pro in the Indian market.
Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1, the predecessor to the ZenFone Max Pro M2, was a popular choice with buyers, with one million units sold in the country in less than six months, and a rival to Xiaomi's Redmi Note 5 Pro. Since then, Xiaomi has introduced a new offerings of its own around the same price. We pit the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro against the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 to see how the two devices stack up on paper.
Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro price
While the India pricing will be announced on December 11, the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 was made official in Russia a day ago, and its price has been set at RUB 17,990 (roughly Rs. 19,000). It is up for pre-orders and will be available from December 12 in the country. In Russia, the smartphone has launched in a single Blue colour option. Asus is offering a free JBL Tuner speaker and a free pair of Asus FonMate headphones to all pre-order customers.
On the other hand, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro price in India is set at Rs. 13,999 for the base 4GB RAM/ 64GB inbuilt storage variant, while the variant with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage goes up to Rs. 15,999. The phone is available for purchase at 12pm via Flipkart and Mi.com, and comes with Black, Blue, Red, and Rose Gold colour options.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro Review
Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro specifications
While both the device run on Android 8.1 Oreo, the Redmi Note 6 Pro comes with MIUI 10 customisations. Both the devices sport dual-SIM slots, and the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 sports a slightly larger 6.3-inch display, while the Redmi Note 6 Pro sports a 6.26-inch display. Both the displays sport 1080x2280 pixel resolutions and 19:9 aspect ratio. The Asus variant is powered by the Snapdragon 660 processor while the Xiaomi variant is powered by the Snapdragon 636 processor.
The Asus variant was launched only in 4GB RAM variant in Russia, the Redmi Note 6 Pro has been made available in India in 4GB and 6GB RAM options. It remains to be seen if Asus brings only one variant of the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2, or if it launches in multiple RAM + storage options like its predecessor. Both the phones offer internal storage at 64GB, with options to expand further via a microSD card slot. While the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 sports a dedicated microSD card slot, the Redmi Note 6 Pro sports a hybrid dual-SIM slot tray.
In terms of optics, the ZenFone Max Pro M2 sports a dual rear camera setup with a 13-megapixel primary sensor and a 12-megapixel secondary sensor. On the front, the handset bears a 5-megapixel camera sensor for selfies and video calling. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro also comes with a dual rear camera setup - with a 12-megapixel primary sensor and a 5-megapixel secondary depth sensor. Some of the features include Dual Pixel Autofocus, EIS, AI scene detection, AI Portrait 2.0 (with Dynamic Bokeh, Light Trails, and Studio Lighting. At the front, there is yet another dual camera setup with a 20-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor.
The Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 sports a larger 5,000mAh battery, and the Redmi Note 6 Pro sports a 4,000mAh battery. Connectivity options on both the devices include a Micro USB port, USB OTG, Bluetooth v5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11, GPS, and more. Both the devices sport rear fingerprint sensors as well. The Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 variant is lighter at 170 grams, while the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro weighs at 182 grams. The dimensions of the Asus model are at 157.90x75.50x8.50mm, while the Xiaomi model measures 157.91x76.38x8.26mm.
Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro comparison
 |  | |
| Ratings | ||
| Overall NDTV Rating | - | |
| Design Rating | - | |
| Display Rating | - | |
| Software Rating | - | |
| Performance Rating | - | |
| Battery Life Rating | - | |
| Camera Rating | - | |
| Value for Money Rating | - | |
| GENERAL | ||
| Release date | December 2018 | - |
| Dimensions (mm) | 157.90 x 75.50 x 8.50 | 157.91 x 76.38 x 8.26 |
| Weight (g) | 170.00 | - |
| Battery capacity (mAh) | 5000 | 4000 |
| Colours | Blue | Black, Blue, Rose Gold |
| Removable battery | - | No |
| Fast charging | - | Quick Charge 3.0 |
| Wireless charging | - | No |
| SAR value | - | 1.05 |
| DISPLAY | ||
| Screen size (inches) | 6.30 | 6.26 |
| Resolution | 1080x2280 pixels | 1080x2280 pixels |
| Protection type | Gorilla Glass | - |
| Aspect ratio | 19:9 | 19:9 |
| HARDWARE | ||
| Processor | octa-core | octa-core |
| Processor make | Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 |
| RAM | 4GB | 4GB |
| Internal storage | 64GB | 64GB |
| Expandable storage | - | Yes |
| Expandable storage type | - | microSD |
| Dedicated microSD slot | - | No |
| CAMERA | ||
| Rear camera | 13-megapixel + 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel (f/1.9, 1.4-micron) + 5-megapixel |
| Rear autofocus | Phase detection autofocus | Yes |
| Rear flash | LED | Yes |
| Front camera | 5-megapixel | 20-megapixel (f/2.0, 1.8-micron) + 2-megapixel |
| Front flash | Yes | - |
| SOFTWARE | ||
| Operating system | Android | Android |
| Skin | - | MIUI |
| CONNECTIVITY | ||
| Wi-Fi standards supported | 802.11 b/g/n | - |
| Bluetooth | Yes, v 5.00 | Yes, v 5.00 |
| NFC | Yes | No |
| Micro-USB | Yes | Yes |
| Number of SIMs | 2 | 2 |
| Active 4G on both SIM cards | - | Yes |
| SIM 1 | ||
| 4G/ LTE | Yes | Yes |
| SIM Type | - | Nano-SIM |
| SIM 2 | ||
| 4G/ LTE | Yes | Yes |
| SIM Type | - | Nano-SIM |
| SENSORS | ||
| Fingerprint sensor | Yes | Yes |
| Proximity sensor | - | Yes |
| Accelerometer | - | Yes |
