Mid-range Asus ZenFone 5 Max with Android Oreo onboard surfaces online

Although Asus is a niche smartphone brand in most markets, the ZenFone family includes quite a few attractive models. Last year's ZenFone 4 Max, for example, offered a massive 5,000 mAh battery and a dual camera setup for less than US$250, making it one of the most attractive choices in its price range. Now, its successor has just received its WiFi certification and will probably get an official launch in less than a month, at the MWC 2018 trade show in Barcelona.

The Asus ZenFone 5 Max got its WiFi certification as ASUS_X00QD and, sadly, the official documents did not reveal any technical specs. However, it is obvious that we should expect a device with a display around the 5.5-inch size of its predecessor (expect a bezel-less design, maybe an 18:9 display ratio as well), next to a generous battery, at least a dual camera setup on the back (a dual front selfie shooter might also be included), and maybe a MediaTek processor like the recently introduced Asus ZenFone Max Plus M1 (however, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 seems to be very popular in the sub-US$250 segment these days, and using it instead of a MediaTek SoC would surely be a wise decision, especially since the ZenFone 4 Max also used Snapdragon chips).

A detail worth being mentioned is that the Asus ZenFone 5 Max will hit the market with Android 8.0 Oreo onboard. Since Asus is never quick when it comes to updating its handsets, this is a very good decision. We can only hope that the Asus ZenFone 5 Max will get at least Android P as an update at some point in the future.