Yeah, it's true. Mi has increased the price of Redmi Note 5 Pro from Rs 13,999 to 14,999 due to increase in the taxes on PCBA imports and the depreciation of the rupee. Is the new price of Redmi Note 5 Pro worth it price 14,999 especially when Asus has emerged as Redmi's new budget-oriented competitor? Confused? Don't worry, we will help you in making a good decision for the best smartphone in your budget. We will compare Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 too with Redmi Note 5 Pro.

Redmi Note 5 Pro Price Increased - Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 A Better Alternate

Guys, we posted this comparison after a lot of testing and research, we covered almost all the points.

Any doubts? Let us know in the comment section, we will reply asap.

What is the new price of Redmi Note 5 Pro?

Mi increased the price of Redmi Note 5 Pro from Rs 13,999 to 14,999. Manu Kumar Jain informed this price hike via tweet:

https://twitter.com/manukumarjain/status/990874809600040960

Mi also updated to Mi Fans via its Mi Community, Click Here for the link.

Is Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 a better alternative?

A few days back, Asus launched its new smartphone 'Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1' in India at an amazing price. The specs of Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 and Redmi Note 5 Pro are almost similar, so definitely Max Pro will affect the sales of Redmi Note 5 Pro, as it will be sold via Open Sale. No doubt, at the budget of Rs 10,999 ZenFone Max Pro seems to beat Redmi Note 5.

According to me, when we compare Redmi Note 5 Pro vs Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1, Redmi Note 5 Pro loses to Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1. To make the comparison a bit more detailed, we are dividing this comparison in point:

Devices considered in this comparison:
  1. Redmi Note 5 Pro (4Gb, 14,999)
  2. Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 (3Gb, 10,999)
  3. Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 (4Gb, 12,999)
  4. Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 (6Gb, 14,999)

Both the smartphones run on Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 Processor, so hardware wise both are same but due to the Stock Android in Asus, no doubt it will perform better than Redmi Note 5 Pro (in case of Asus Zenfone Max Pro: 4 Gb variant).

So, the ranking as per Performance:

  1. Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 (6Gb, 14,999)
  2. Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 (4Gb, 12,999)
  3. Redmi Note 5 Pro (4Gb, 14,999)
  4. Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 (3Gb, 10,999)

You can consider the performance of Redmi Note 5 Pro and Asus Zenfone Max 3Gb variant at the same level, but after few hours of gaming, the performance of Redmi Note 5 Pro degrades due to minor heating (if compared to Asus) and its MiUi.

No doubt front camera of Redmi Note 5 Pro is better than Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 (3gb and 4gb variant), but we can't say anything about the 6gb variant.

Coming to the Rear Camera, this gives almost similar kind of results. But to be very frank, low light of Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 is not that great. Asus said that they will improve the Camera performance in the coming updates, let's see whether Asus can beat the Redmi Note 5 Pro Rear Camera.

Asus 6Gb variant will come with a 16MP front camera and 16+5MP Rear Camera. So, there are chances that Asus may beat the camera of Redmi Note 5 Pro with this variant.

So, the ranking as per Camera:

  1. Redmi Note 5 Pro (4Gb, 14,999)
  2. Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 (3Gb & 4Gb)

No doubt, the battery of Asus Zenfone Max Pro is better than Redmi Note 5 Pro in terms of usage and charging time. As Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 comes with 5000 mAh battery and it can last easily for 2 days for normal user but 1.5 days for a heavy user.

Whereas Redmi Note 5 Pro comes with 4000 mAh battery, which can last for 1.5 days for a normal user, but only 1 day for a heavy user (personally checked).

As the Redmi Note 5 Pro comes with its MiUi but Asus launched with almost stock like ZenUi, so it's totally based on personal preference of the user whether he likes the MiUi or stock Android.

Asus Zenfone Max Pro comes with Oreo Android, which is a plus point.

Again this one is based on personal preferance but technically, the design of Asus ZenFone Max Pro is better as there is almost zero Rear Camera bump and cellular call quality is better in Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1.

The display is almost similar in both the smartphones, but the main issue is with Asus Zenfon Max Pro, as there is no screen protection.

Redmi Note 5 Pro comes with hybrid sim slots whereas Asus Max Pro M1 comes with dedicated sim slots. Another plus point of the Asus Zenfone Max Pro is that you can use VoLTE Sim at the same time in both sim slots, like you can use 2 Jio Sims in Asus but not in Redmi Note 5 Pro as of now. Mi may enable it soon in the future updates.

As of now, fingerprint response time of Asus Max Pro M1 is almost twice if we compare it with Redmi Note 5 Pro, but Asus said that they will optimise it with upcoming updates. But as of now, fingerprint response of Asus Max Pro M1 is slow.

No doubt, gaming performance in Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 is better than Redmi Note 5 Pro because of its stock like Android and more battery. Although gaming performance is better in Asus Zenfone Max Pro.

There are almost all the sensors in Asus Zenfone M1, but there is no infrared sensor in it. And as usual, Mi comes with all the sensors, but no NFC support in both of the devices.

No doubt, sound of Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 is better than Redmi Note 5 Pro because of 5-magnet Speaker, takes the audiovisual experience to the next level.

The Verdict:

Both of the smartphones are almost similar with these number of pros and cons, so its totally based on personal choice.

If you want a smartphone with a better performance, battery, dedicated sim card, stock Android, then go for Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1.

If you want a smartphone with a better camera, an infrared sensor, MiUi, better fingerprint (minor difference), then go for Redmi Note 5 Pro. But Asus may start the sale of its 6gb variant in June starting and that's better in terms of Camera and more value for money.

Personal Opinions:

I would personally prefer to go for Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1, no matter if I want a high-performance device or a better camera device. If I have to select high-performance device then I would pick Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 (4gb variant) but 3gb variant can also be considered if the budget is a bit constrained.

For a better camera device, I would wait for Asus Zenfone Max Pro 6gb variant as it comes with 16MP front and 16+5MP rear camera & better performance, as I personally don't like MiUi. Another reason are the flash sales of Redmi Note 5 Pro.