ZenFone 4 Max, Max Pro round out ASUS' 2017 team

By JC Torres/Aug. 18, 2017 2:29 am EST

If you were surprised that ASUS announced four smartphones at the same time, all of them bearing the "ZenFone 4" name, worry not. ASUS actually announced six. Yes, six "ZenFone 4" models with very close specs and confusing names. Rounding out the list are two "Max" phones that boast of large batteries and very long battery lives. That is, if you can live with the very mid-range spec that the ZenFone 4 Max and ZenFone 4 Max pro are offering.

Truth be told, there is really no common thread that holds these six phones together other than the fact that ASUS chose to all name them "ZenFone 4". That said, you could pair them off and end up with three themes, with the main ZenFone 4 pair flaunting high or nearly high end specs and the ZenFone 4 Selfie pair putting the focus on, well, selfies.

The ZenFone 4 Max duo is then all about the battery. Both boast of 5,000 mAh packs that, when put to use in smartphones with Snapdragon 425 or 430 processors, 2 or 3 GB of RAM, and 5.5-inch, possibly HD, screens, will indeed net you a pretty long uptime.

The ZenFone 4 Max and ZenFone 4 Max Pro are nearly identical, as noted above, but they do have key differences, specifically around the cameras. Both do have dual cameras, but the ZenFone 4 Max puts a 13 megapixel sensor and 5 megapixel sensor together on the back, while the front gets 8 megapixels. The ZenFone 4 Max Pro, on the other hand goes with 16 and 8 megapixels on the back and a whopping 16 megapixels on the front. You could almost call it a ZenFone 4 Max Selfie Pro.

• Operating System: Android 7.0, ZenUI 4• CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 or 435• RAM: 2 or 3 GB• Storage: 16/32/64 GB (Max) / 32 GB (Max Pro)• Display: 5.5-inch IPS• Main Camera: 13 MP + 5 MP (Max) / 16 MP + 8 MP (Max Pro)• Secondary Camera: 8 MP (Max) / 16 MP (Max Pro)• Battery: 5,000 mAh, non-removable,

Unlike the other four, availability details for the ZenFone 4 Max and Max Pro aren't final. The ZenFone 4 Max might actually end up being the least expensive of this year's ASUS batch, a little over $200. Both Max phones are also expected to arrive later than the others.