Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1

Price: Rs 10,999 onwards
Rating: 9/10

For a device that has the Redmi Note 5 series in its crosshairs, the Zenfone Max Pro M1 is a stupendous achievement by Asus — it matches the competition feature for feature and adds in a few perks such as a bigger battery, stock Android and a dedicated microSD slot. Winner material, as long as there’s adequate availability.

The Max Pro design is somewhat generic, now that tall displays and metal are no longer the exception even in the budget segment, but it comes across as well-built, and the added heft courtesy the gargantuan 5,000mAh battery gives it a good grip. The flush dual camera design and the dedicated microSD card slot are nice touches. Of course, the highlight of the phone, aside from its big battery, is the use of the premium mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 chip, which powers the pricier Redmi Note 5 Pro. Stock Android 8.1 is a bonus, and it runs snappily on the 3GB entry-level variant. No complaints about the 6-inch FHD+ IPS LCD panel.

For all that it delivers, the Max Pro lacks in the camera department, turning out decent daytime shots, but results that are strictly average in indoor and low-light conditions. Videos suffered as well, as did selfies if you use the harsh front-facing flash. The name is a mouthful!

Huawei P20 Pro

Price: Rs 64,999 
Rating: 8/10

For all its global telecom prowess, Huawei’s known in India more for its budget sub-brand Honor than for phones sporting its own brand. The P20 Pro is set to change that, allowing Huawei for the first time to challenge the Samsung-Apple flagship duopoly.

This is a downright gorgeous device, with a glass and metal aesthetic that stands out from the current crop. The glossy-finish rear panel, the triple Leica branded lens, the tall 6.1-inch display — this phone has premium written all over it. Yet, the triple camera setup is no gimmick, with the 40-megapixel RGB primary sensor (f/1.8), a secondary 8MP 80mm telephoto lens (f/2.4) and at the bottom, a 
20-megapixel monochrome sensor (f/1.6) combine turning out mostly stellar images across shooting modes. Particularly impressive was the Night Mode, which turns out more usable low-light images than the competition. The 4,000mAh battery is a standout spec in the flagship league.

The display, while adequately bright, lacks the flagship touch — no Quad HD+ high resolution, no HDR or wide-gamut colour support. The notch, while slimmer than the iPhone X’s, is plagued with buggy software support. Performance on the Kirin 970 is good, but occasional hiccups in gaming performance point to areas of improvement. Likewise, for video recording. The glossy rear picks up fingerprints like crazy. No support for wireless charging or expandable storage. A tad pricey, too.

Apple iPad (2018)

Price: Rs 28,000 onwards 
Rating: 8/10

The iPad’s yearly updates have settled into a cadence of sorts. So this year it’s the 9.7-inch iPad that is more powerful and slightly cheaper (even though it looks no different) than the one before it, and it now supports the Pencil stylus which was hitherto limited to the pricier iPad Pro. At its price, the power and polish you get with this iPad is unbeatable.

It’s a familiar design but it’s anything but boring, especially with the Pencil support now giving it entry-level iPad Pro capabilities, but at half the price! The Pencil is also the single most compelling reason to upgrade to this iPad — it opens up a bunch of possibilities for creatives, students and everyday users, whether it is scribbling notes, annotating documents or even merely doodling. The faster A10 Fusion processor gives it the chops to run whatever you throw at it, including the most demanding games around. The screen remains sharp and punchy, battery life is a solid 10-11 hours, and it’s gotten cheaper as well — though I’d factor in the cost of the Pencil to the overall cost.

Reflective screen. Uses the slower first-generation Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Pros will still prefer to spend extra for the iPad Pro for its significantly better screen and performance (plus the Smart Connector).

Nokia 8 Sirocco

Price: Rs 49,999 
Rating: 8/10

A tip of the hat to the original Nokia 8800 Sirocco and a clear nostalgia play, the Nokia 8 Sirocco is all about luxury and style and, for the most part, the slick combination of high quality materials in a refreshingly compact form factor works well. It’s priced uncomfortably close to the likes of the Pixel 2 and the S9, though.

Crafted from a single piece of stainless steel with Gorilla Glass 5 curving at both the front and rear edges and blending into the thin metal strip on the sides, the Nokia 8 Sirocco is a stunning piece of craftsmanship. Under the hood, the 8 Sirocco rocks a Snapdragon 835 (not the latest 845 chip, mind you), 6GB of memory and 128GB of fast storage. Coupled with stock Android courtesy the Android One program, you get a phone that doesn’t miss a beat while running heavy games or jumping from one app to another. The dual-camera setup, with Zeiss optics, was quick to focus and turned out good images in decent light but stuttered in anything other than ideal lighting. Waterproofing, wireless and fast charging, along with a competent full-day battery life round out the package.

The phone eschews the 18:9 display trend, and the resultant squat design is an ergonomic pleasure, save for the buttons that sit so flush with the side of the phone that they’re annoying to discern and use. The 5.5-inch quad HD POLED panel runs a tad oversaturated, and viewing angles and brightness, particularly at the edges, aren’t great either.

Tushar Kanwar is a tech columnist and commentator. Follow him onTwitter @2shar. Mail your tech queries to t2onsunday@abp.in