Honor 8X vs ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2 Specs Comparison

We have a new specs comparison for you and this time its on the PHP 12,990 range. We have the new ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2 and the Honor 8X.

Affordable mid-rangers

Let us see who will come out on top between these two PHP 12,990 devices.

Let the specs battle begin!

Honor 8X vs ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2 Specs

Device	Honor 8X	ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2 (ZB631KL) Specs
Display	6.5-inch 2.5D curved IPS screen w/ FHD+ 2340 x 1080 resolution at 396 ppi	6.3-inch 2.5D curved Gorilla Glass 6 protected IPS screen w/ FHD+ 2280 x 1080 resolution at 400 ppi
CPU	2.2GHz 64-bit Kirin 710 octa-core processor	1.95GHz 64-bit Snapdragon 660 AIE octa-core processor
GPU	Mali-G51 MP4 w/ GPU Turbo	Adreno 512
RAM	4GB	4GB/6GB
ROM	128GB expandable via microSD card slot up to 400GB (dedicated)	64GB expandable via microSD card slot (dedicated)
Back Camera	20MP f/1.8 + 2MP w/ PDAF, contrast focus, Master AI, and LED flash	12MP f/1.8 Sony IMX486 sensor + 5MP w/ PDAF and LED flash
Selfie Camera	16MP f/2.0 w/ AI face beauty	13MP f/2.0
Battery	3,750mAh w/ fast charging	5,000mAh
OS	Android 8.1 Oreo w/ EMUI 8.2	Android 8.1 Oreo
Connectivity	WiFi 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz), 700MHz 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.2, BLE, HWA, aptX, and aptX HD, FM Radio, OTG, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, dual SIM	WiFi 802.11b/g/n, 700MHz 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, FM Radio, OTG, NFC, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, dual SIM
Sensors	Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic	Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic
Others	Fingerprint sensor, face unlock, dual mic, Colors: black, blue, red, purple	Fingerprint sensor, face unlock, NXP Smart AMP, Colors: midnight blue, cosmic titanium color
Dimensions	160.4 x 76.6 x 7.8 mm	157.9 x 75.5 x 8.5 mm
Weight	175 g	170 g
Price	PHP 12,990	PHP 12,995 (4GB RAM), PHP 14,995 (6GB RAM)

Who has the more premium look and feel?

Real metal and glass

Build/Quality - The Honor 8X sports materials and design language that is found on most flagships. It has glass that covers the front and back with an aluminum frame sandwiched in between. It also has Gorilla Glass protection.

It also has super slim bezels at the sides and a 4.2mm chin bezel. There is indeed a notch up top but it is small enough to achieve a 91 percent screen-to-body ratio.

Glass like plastic

The ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2 also has a premium look. It has a 2.5D glass in front while the back has a glass-like plastic material. The frame is also plastic which feels less premium than the Honor 8X. Fortunately, it comes with Gorilla Glass 6 in front.

The side bezels are slim but the chin is noticeably thick.

Both comes with a notch, but the notch of the 8X is a bit smaller.

Higher screen-to-body ratio

Display - Both of these phones comes with tall screens! The Honor 8X has a 6.5-inch FHD+ IPS display with 2340 x 1080 resolution and 396 ppi. The ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2 has a slightly smaller 6.3-inch FHD+ IPS display with 2280 x 1080 with a 400 ppi.

The ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2 has a 6.3-inch FHD+ IPS display

The Honor 8X has a bigger screen-to-body ratio which means bigger space for navigation. The Max Pro M2 has a bigger notch and a thicker chin that ate up some of the real estate. Overall, we give this to the Honor 8X.

Honor 8X benchmarks

Specs - In terms of the key specs, the Honor 8X has a 2.2GHz Kirin 710 octa-core processor, Mali-G51 MP4 GPU, 4GB of RAM with 64GB of expandable storage. The ZenFone Max Pro M2 has a 1.95GHz Snapdragon 660 AIE processor, Adreno 512, 4GB of RAM with 64GB of expandable storage.

ZenFone Max Pro M2 benchmarks

The Honor 8X has the slightly faster processor with the Kirin 710 than the ZenFone Max Pro M2 with Snapdragon 660 AIE. It is the speedier device when it comes to opening apps, browsing sites, and more. But, the GPU of the Max Pro M2, the Adreno 512 could handle games better than Mali-G51 MP4 of the 8X.

The base RAM and storage are identical at 4GB/64GB. The Max Pro M2 has a pricier 6GB RAM variant though.

3,750mAh battery vs 5,000mAh battery

In terms of battery, the Honor 8X has a 3,750mAh battery while the Max Pro M2 has a whopping 5,000mAh battery. Battery life is the key selling point of the Max Pro M2.

However, the PCMark battery test score of the Honor 8X is even better.

Cameras - The Honor 8X has a 20MP f/1.8 + 2MP dual camera setup at the back with PDAF, contrast focus, Master AI and LED flash. The ZenFone Max Pro M2 sports a dual rear camera setup as well with a 12MP f/1.8 Sony IMX486 + 5MP sensor combo with PDAF and LED flash.

Overall, for the rear cameras, the Honor 8X just offer more features than the ZenFone Max Pro M2. It even has a handheld long exposure mode for taking amazing night shots.

Our review showed that ASUS also needs to have a lot of improvement in terms of camera. Even with the promise of AI scene detection, the lack of more manual controls is a dilemma.

Low light sample, Max Pro M2

Phones in this price range often offer a more robust camera app than what ASUS offers as of the moment.

For selfies, the Honor 8X has a 16MP f/2.0 sensor with AI face beauty while the ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2 has a 13MP f/2.0 sensor. The Honor 8X produces selfies with good color accuracy and detail. The ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2, on the other hand, also show good details, but color accuracy is lacking.

Overall, the Honor 8X offers a better photography experience than the ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2.

Other features - Both devices has a fingerprint sensor and face unlock as well as 700MHz 4G LTE, Bluetooth and GPS. The ZenFone Max Pro M2 also offer NFC and NXP Smart Amp.

Honor 8X advantages - Real metal and glass design, larger screen, faster processor, bigger storage, nicer cameras, better software

ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2 advantages - Better GPU for gaming, bigger max RAM (but more expensive), louder audio

Our thoughts

The ZenFone Max Pro M2 is a strong ASUS mid-range contender with large battery capacity and capable overall specs. However, it will still have a hard time going against the Honor 8X in terms of overall build/design, cameras, other features, and software.

What do you guys think?