semi-budget range phone-off incoming!
Mabuhay, Manila. You got Drew here for ManilaShaker.com and join me on our latest phone-off between the Huawei GR5 2017 vs the Asus Zenfone 3 Max 5.5.
Design
The design elements for either contenders share a similar story between one another as both units are clad in metal with plastic caps for the top and bottom portions.
Stark differences will show the mono camera above the fingerprint scanner for the Zenfone 3 Max compared to the vertical dual camera setup for the GR5 2017 also placed above the fingerprint scanner.
It’s a 2.5D curved glass protection for both our units with non-back-lit capacitive keys for the Max 5.5 compared to only the Huawei moniker for the GR5 2017 which means on-screen navigation for the contender.
Everything else is a standard affair from the button placements at the right side where the volume rocker sits above the power button, micro-USB port at the bottom with the speaker grilles, and the headphone jack up top with the noise cancelling mic.
The design category places both phones at an equal footing earning themselves a tie this round.
Display
It’s a 5.5-inch 1080p battle in which the Zenfone 3 Max 5.5 utilizes an IPS LCD panel while the GR5 2017 using an LTPS IPS LCD.
Contrast is more apparent for the Huawei contender compared to the paler version on the Max 5.5.
Either phones prove readability under direct sunlight earning themselves another tie this round.
Camera
It’s a battle of a 12MP + 2MP camera setup in favor of the GR5 2017 over the singular 16MP rear camera contender for the Zenfone 3 Max. Both setups are equipped with phase detection
and laser autofocus in tow.
Solar assisted shots prove either cameras can keep up with demands showing a sharper version for the Max compared to detail handling on the GR5.
Colors appear to be livelier on the the Zenfone 3 Max 5.5 when used indoors compared to smoother details from the GR5 2017.
It seems low-light shooting won’t be a problem for the bright output of the Chinese contender in contrast to the darker version from the Taiwanese manufacturer. The LED flash compensation gives the GR5 a slight lead.
Night shooting will be a struggle for both phones here as the included camera app couldn’t make heads or tails of the scene.
Video recording at 1080p for both units will come out shaky at best with the absence of optical image stabilization.
The 8MP front facing camera revealed overexposure for the GR5 2017 over the softer version with wider angle for the Zenfone 3 Max.
We’re giving this another tie.
Performance
Expect Huawei’s proprietary HiSilicon Kirin 655 SoC to outshine the meager Snapdragon 430 placed inside the Zenfone 3 Max 5.5 paired with 3GB of RAM for both handsets.
Thanks to the extra horsepower, Huawei came out on top with 56389 points over the 44425 points from ASUS on Antutu Benchmark.
Real life testing showed the GR5 pulling ahead on games such as Real Racing 3 and NBA 2K17 with better frame rates and playability overall.
This goes without saying that both phones can and will be able to perform daily casual tasks without a hitch notwithstanding app crashes.
Nitpicking aside, Emotion UI 4.1 and ZenUI 3.0 both on top of Android Marshmallow 6.0 will come down to user preference from the skin heavy experience from Taiwan compared to the iOS-esque feel from China.
GR5 2017 wins this one.
Battery
The Max in Zenfone 3 Max 5.5 will start pulling ahead in the endurance category with 4100mAh of juice in tow that resulted in 5 hours of screen-on-time and about 36 long hours of standby time well over the 3340mAh of power from Huawei with 4 hours of screen-on-time and about a day’s worth of standby time.
This will mean that the Max will be kept plugged in at 30 minutes longer to filling up its tank at 2 hours and 50 minutes under the 2 hours and 20 minutes for the GR5.
As an added bonus the Zenfone 3 Max 5.5 can double as a powerbank with the included micro-USB to female USB dongle.
Zenfone 3 Max 5.5 wins.
Audio
Loudspeaker for both are average in quality and intensity at best.
The GR5 2017 gains points for DTS support via the audio jack.
By a small margin, we give props to Huawei’s contender.
Pricing and Verdict
The Huawei GR5 2017 will set you back P13,990 or about $278 USD way over what the Asus Zenfone 3 Max 5.5 at 10,995 or $217 USD.
It can be easy to justify the P3000 difference for more in terms of performance and the dual camera setup in favor of the GR5 2017 compared to endurance of the Max 5.5 with average performance and decent camera quality.
What do you think of our contenders this round? Let us know at the comments section below.
Huawei GR5 2017 / Huawei Mate 9 Lite / Huawei Honor 6x vs Asus Zenfone 3 Max 5.5 Full Specs, Official PH Price, Release Date in the Philippines
SPECS, PH Price | Huawei GR5 2017 | Asus Zenfone 3 Max 5.5 |
Display | 5.5-inch 1080p FHD, 401ppi | 5.5-inch 1080p Full HD, 401pi |
Size | 8.2mm thick, 162g weight | 151.4 x 76.2 x 8.3 mm, 175 g |
Design | metal body, 2.5D curved glass | Metal + 2.5D curved glass |
Colors | Black, Gold, Gray | Silver |
Chipset | HiSilicon Kirin 655 octa-core chipset | Snapdragon 430 |
Processor | 4 x 2.1GHz and 4 x 1.7GHz | octa-core at 1.4GHz speed |
Graphics | Mali-T830 MP2 | Adreno 505 GPU |
Memory | 3GB RAM, 32GB internal, microSD card slot up to 256GB | 3/4GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, dedicated microSD card slot |
Main Camera | 12MP+2MP PDAF, LED flash | 16MP, f/2.0 aperture, phase detection autofocus, laser focus assistance, 1080p video |
Multimedia | 1080p @ 30fps | 1080p 30fps |
Front camera | 8MP | 8MP f2.2 |
Connectivity | GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz | (3G)UMTS 4G LTE, WiFi b/g/n, Bt 4.1, GPSGPS |
4G LTE Cat. 6 at 300Mbps speed, dual-SIM (hybrid), GPS, WiFi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.1 |
OS | Android 6.0 Marshmallow | Android 6.0 Marshmallow |
Software | EMUI 4.1 | ZenUI |
Battery | 3340mah | 4,100 mAh, reverse charging |
Ports | micro-USB 2.0 port, 3.55mm headphone jack | microUSB 2.0, USB OTG, 3.55mm headphone jack |
Official Price | Php13,990 or ~$282 | estimated November 2016 availability ZC553KL in the Philippines, India, China, Indonesia |
Availability date | January 7, 2017 | official 10,995 pesos SRP or $300 to $220 USD via Asus Philippines |
Where to buy | Huawei Stores | Asus Stores |
In other words? Which one is better?
Huawei GR5 2017.
Woah! Thank you!
hmmm… GR5 has no gyroscope.