Asus is starting off the year with its new ZenFone Max Plus (M1) smartphone.
The new ZenFone Max Plus utilizes a 5.7-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio to allow for more screen real estate. However, even with the 18:9 aspect ratio the smartphone still has a seemingly large bottom bezel. The IPS LCD display also has a 2160 x 1080 pixel resolution — which equates to a pixel density of 424ppi.
To go alongside its 5.7-inch display it utilizes a 4130mAh battery, which is large, but still smaller than 2017’s Asus ZenFone Max which featured a 5.5-inch display with a 5000mAh battery.
Camera-wise the ZenFone Max Plus utilizes a 16-megapixel selfie shooter with a f/2.0 aperture and 140-degree selfie panorama. On the rear, the device features a dual camera setup with a f/2.0 aperture as well as an 8-megapixel, 120-degree wide angle camera.
The device also has Asus’ own version of Face Unlock technology — which appears to be an upgraded version of the Face Unlock feature that some Android devices have been using for years — similar to Apple’s iPhone X, the ZenFone Max Plus will only reveal notifications when its user’s face is looking at the device. As many might have problems with Face Unlock technology, the ZenFone Max Plus also has a rear fingerprint sensor as an added security option.
In the U.S. the smartphone will be available in February in a 3GB of RAM/32GB of storage configuration in Azure Silver and Deepsea Black, while the Sunlight Gold is region specific.
The phone will cost $299 CAD.
Asus has yet to release information regarding Canadian specific availability.
