ASUS Zenfone 4 Max or Huawei GR5 2017?

Allan August Corrales asks, “Which is better, ASUS Zenfone 4 Max or Huawei GR5 2017?“

In this match, a new smartphone will be entering our arena since this has just been released recently and will be facing against a veteran for being compared to other smartphones. Let’s begin.

The ASUS Zenfone 4 Max has arrived earlier this month in the Philippines. It has a 5.5“ HD IPS display with a 1280 x 720 resolution,  a Snapdragon 430 chipset, 32GB internal storage, 3GB RAM, Dual 13MP rear camera with Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) Phase Detection Auto-Focus (PDAF) and LED flash, 8MP front camera with LED flash, and a large 5000mAh battery to power-up the smartphone.

The Huawei GR5 2017 is one of the readers’ favorites when it comes to smartphone comparisons. It has a 5.5“ IPS LCD display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, Kirin 655 chipset, 32GB internal storage, 3GB RAM, Dual rear cameras (12MP + 2MP) PDAF with LED flash, 8MP wide-angle front camera and a 3340mAh battery to power-up the device.

Here are their detailed specs.

	ASUS Zenfone 4 Max	Huawei GR5 2017
Display	5.5-inch HD IPS display @ 1280 x 720	5.5-inch IPS LCD display @ 1920 x 1080
CPU	1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core	HiSilicon Kirin 655 2.1GHz octa-core
GPU	Adreno 505	Mali-T830
Memory	– 32GB internal storage – 3GB RAM	– 32GB internal storage – 3GB RAM
Camera	– Dual 13MP rear cameras (main + wide-angle), EIS, PDAF, LED Flash – 8MP front camera, w/ LED flash	– Dual rear cameras (12MP/2MP) PDAF, LED flash – 8MP wide-angle front camera
Battery	5,000mAh battery	3,340mAh battery
OS	Android 7.1.1 Nougat w/ ZenUI	Android 6.0 Marshmallow with EMUI 4.1

Here the advantages of each smartphone:

ASUS Zenfone 4 Max

+ Higher rear camera megapixel value

+ EIS and wide-angle on rear camera

+ LED flash on front camera

+ Larger battery

+ Android 7.1.1 out of the box

Huawei GR5 2017

+ Higher screen resolution

+ Better performing CPU

+ Better performing GPU

+ Wide-angle front camera

Both smartphones are good for their distinct aspects. The ASUS Zenfone 4 Max handles battery life optimization and performance better than the Huawei GR5 2017. In our recent review of the Zenfone 4 Max, the battery life of the smartphone reached 16 hours and 30 minutes when a Full HD video clip is played on a loop in airplane mode with 50% brightness. The Huawei GR5 2017 however, only has 9 hours and 26 minutes of battery life which is significantly lower than the Zenfone 4 Max.

As for the overall performance of the smartphone, Huawei GR5 2017 has the upper-hand since our AnTuTu benchmark score on our review for this smartphone clocked in at 57,945 while the Zenfone 4 Max only reached 43,967. From this, we can say that the Huawei GR5 2017 has more multitasking and gaming capabilities with its Kirin 655 chipset than the Zenfone 4 Max’s Snapdragon 430 chipset.

For their cameras, The Zenfone 4 Max’s rear camera has the higher megapixel value in both of its dual lenses compared with the Huawei GR5 2017. For the photo quality, however, you may look at our detailed reviews on these smartphones (already linked above) for their sample shots.

Overall, This match will actually be depending on the user’s preference since the Zenfone 4 Max’s focus is its battery life performance while the Huawei GR5 2017’s focus is its overall performance.

The ASUS Zenfone 4 Max is priced at Php9,995 and is now available on ASUS concept stores and kiosks and authorized dealers, while the Huawei GR5 2017 is priced at Php11,990 (see price listing here).