A month ago Qualcomm announced that it will be partnering up with Universal Scientific Industrial (USI) on a new semiconductor plant in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and now the first two devices running on the new system-in-package (SiP) processors have been released. The Zenfone Max Shot and the Zenfone Max M2 are the first two devices developed by the Asus Brazil team and featuring the Qualcomm Snapdragon SiP 1.
The two phones are almost indistinguishable except for the fact that the Max Shot will offer an extra 8MP wide-angle camera around the back while the Max Pus M2 will simply have a flash sensor in that spot. Both the devices feature the same 6.26-inch FHD+ notched IPS panels.
The Max M2 will come in lone 3GB RAM with 32GB storage variant while the Max Shot will offer a choice between 3GB RAM with 4GB storage RAM and 32GB RAM with 64GB storage. Both models bring dual sim capabilities and a separate micro SD slot.
The brand new Qualcomm SiP 1 processor is the main highlight of the new Asus line-up. SiP processor differ from their more traditional counterpart SoC (system on chip) processors, as the new module brings all major components in a single circuit, which later goes onto the motherboard. This, in turn, helps in saving space that can be utilized for more innovations. The 14nm chipset itself is essentially identical to the budget Snapdragon 450 with its 1.8GHz octa-core CPU and Adreno 506 GPU.
The Max Shot feature a triple-camera module compromising of a 12 MP regular, an 8 MP wide angle and a 5 MP depth sensor. The Max M2, on the other hand, comes with a dual camera setup with a 12-megapixel primary sensor and a 5-megapixel depth sensor. On the front, the two offer 8MP cameras with LED flash.
The storage on the devices can be expanded using a microSD card. Both the devices are backed up by a 4,000mAh battery. Stock Android 8.1 Oreo will come out of the box on both, with a Pie update promised in the coming months.
Zenfone Max Shot will start at BRL 1,349 (₹24,419 approx) and go up to BRL 1,699 (₹30,755 approx) while the Zenfone Max Plus M2 will set buyers back BRL 1,299 (₹23,519).
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