THE ASUS ZenFone 3 Max (click for complete specs) was one of the better budget phones on the local market in 2016, impressing with its upmarket looks, good performance (for the price), and excellent battery life. This year’s iteration, the predictably named ASUS ZenFone 4 Max (click for full specs), seems determined to break new grounds while remaining grounded on the values of its predecessor.

(Update, July 27, 2017: There are telltale signs that the ZenFone 4 will be launching in the Philippines soon. Read 4 signs the ASUS ZenFone 4 could be launching in PH August 19.)

It’s still wrapped in a metal armor with a fingerprint reader and has a huge battery — up to 5,000mAh from last year’s 4,100mAh cell. As per usual with Max handsets, you can use the battery to charge other devices. Even better, the phone now supports fast charging, which should be a big help to those concerned about the time required to get the 5,000mAh unit charged to full.

SEE ALSO: 6 ASUS ZenFone 4 phones reportedly in the pipeline

However, the most significant upgrade comes in the form of two back-facing cameras, both equipped with a 13-megapixel sensor and f/2.0 aperture lens. We’re not exactly sure about the dual-lens system’s capabilities, but if we had to guess, it’s likely that the extra sensor provides depth information, which is used to add a bokeh effect to photos.

Yes, the sort of thing the Apple iPhone 7 Plus and ASUS’ own ZenFone 3 Zoom are capable of, only to a lesser (possibly even frustrating) extent. But hey, if Cherry Mobile can surprise us with a sub-P4,000 dual-camera smartphone, who are we to judge?

For a more objective comparison between the ASUS ZenFone 3 Max and the ASUS ZenFone 4 Max, check out the table below (for a clear version, go to our comparison page).

Display-wise, the new Max gets the same screen size and resolution as one of the older versions: 5.5 inches and 1080p. It should be pointed out that ASUS also came out with a lower-specced, 5.2-inch ZenFone 3 Max model. We liked the screen of the bigger ZenFone 3 Max — good for video, with decent contrast and wide viewing angles. Hopefully, ASUS didn’t cut corners here.

The ZenFone 4 Max comes with either a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset or an octa-core Snapdragon 430, the same chip used in last year’s 5.5-inch ZenFone 3 Max. It’s fitted with as much as 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, too.

READ ALSO: 10 smartphones in PH with batteries above 4,000mAh

Shipping with Android 7.0 Nougat should make the ZenFone 4 Max feel more responsive and enjoyable to use as a daily driver.

According to website Helpix, which first reported the launch, the ZenFone 4 Max will start at 13,900 Russian ruble (around P11,650 or $230), possibly making it more expensive than the two versions of the ZenFone 3 Max sold in the Philippines. The 5.2- and 5.5-inch Max currently retail for P7,995 and P9,995, respectively.

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