This is the ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2….’s box

OK so you’ve seen unboxings before. You’ve probably seen reboxings too. But have you seen an article that’s just solely based on a smartphone’s box? Well, you’re about to because today I’m taking a look at the ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2‘s box.

Now I know you must be wondering why I’m doing such a thing. Well, it’s because I’m actually under an embargo that prohibits me from sharing anything other than the box with you. Believe me, this is more frustrating for me than it is for you, because this is a pretty exciting smartphone since it is the sequel to last year’s (almost) usurper. The good news is that boxes tend to have quite a lot of information, so I think you would still be somewhat interested.

This is what the front of the box looks like. The retail unit you’ll be able to buy off the shelf probably won’t come with a yellow sticky note that says SoyaCincau on it, but you can easily add that yourself if you’d like. It’s a relatively free country. Also, you’ll notice that it says M2 at the bottom right, so we didn’t just re-purpose an old M1 box.

Next, you’ll find an ASUS logo at both the bottom and top of the box, so you don’t forget who makes this smartphone. It’s not as reflective as this image suggests, so don’t get the wrong idea.

On either side of the box, you’ll find the device’s name printed in the middle with what looks like some underglow pattern at the bottom for reasons unknown. Maybe it looks cool? I’m not convinced.

Flip over to the back, and you’ll be greeted with the juicy stuff. Your unit probably won’t come with pixelised numbers, though.

According to the box, the ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2 will feature a 6.3-inch display that pushes a Full HD resolution. The phone will also be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor that’s mated to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. For photos, you’re getting what looks like a 13MP selfie shooter up front and a 12MP + 5MP main camera at the rear. It will also support LTE dual SIM and apparently will come with a bumper case. Unless W/BUMPER stands for something else (let me know in the comments).

This part of the box also confirms the model number. So, if we cross reference that with the SIRIM entry we spotted earlier, it looks like this phone will support NFC. But, it also confirms that this device will not feature 5GHz WiFi (802.11ac) and will be limited to 2.4GHz instead.

If we compare it to the leaked specs we saw last week, they’re pretty much identical. Well, except for the fact that the display is actually a larger 6.3-inch panel. Though, with the slimmer bezels and notch, I don’t think the M2 will occupy a bigger footprint than its predecessor. 

Moving on to the bottom half of the back, we see all of this text. Most of it isn’t super relevant, but there is one sentence that confirms that the smartphone will have a 5,000 mAh battery. This was also teased by ASUS awhile back, so it’s good to know that the company is keeping one of the M1’s biggest features.

But, that is about it. Everything else will have to wait until the embargo has been lifted, but you can be sure that we’ll have all the coverage you need right here. Stay tuned! In the meantime, let me know what you think of the Max Pro M2 in the comments below! Oh, and Lazada’s also listed the Max Pro M2 on their website, so you can be sure it’s coming to Malaysia.

Photography by Rory Lee with the Fujifilm X-T20.