Moto G7 Play vs Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 vs Realme 2 Pro: The Battle of Budget Smartphones Continues

The mid-range smartphone segment had an action-packed year 2018 and the action will continue in 2019, thanks to the increasing demand in the segment. Although it is ruled by the China-based handset maker Xiaomi, the likes of Moto, Asus and Realme are fast catching up. Recently, Samsung has also made its mark in the segment with the launch of its new M series (Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20). Recently Motorola launched its updated G7 series consisting of Moto G7, Moto G7 Plus, Moto G7 Power and Moto G7 Play. Today we’ll compare the Moto G7 Play with two of the good phones in the mid-range segment- Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 and Realme 2 Pro. Continue reading further if you are planning to buy any of these three devices.

The comparison will be based on below mentioned parameters:

• Display and Dimensions
• Processor and Memory (RAM + Storage)
• Battery Capacity
• Camera Configuration
• Software
• Price and Availability in India

Moto G7 Play vs Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 vs Realme 2 Pro: Display and Dimensions

In terms of design, Moto G7 Play is the cheapest looking device within the Moto G7 family which opts for plastic over glass on the rear. It has a conventional wide notch at the top of the display and runs visible bezels across the sides, which makes it look quite ordinary. There are two colour options available for the interested buyers- Deep Indigo and Viva Red.

The Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 introduces a new glass-like design with ‘dynamic optical finish’ and the phone looks good in Blue and Titanium color variants.

The Realme 2 Pro is big but not that heavy. The back of the device gives a feeling of glass due to multiple layers of lamination. It has the latest dewdrop notch design which makes it look striking and premium for its price range. The phone comes in Black Sea, Blue Ocean and Ice Lake colour options.

The Moto G7 Play features a 5.7-inch HD+ LCD Max Vision display with 720 x 1512 pixel screen resolution and a wide notch at the top. The Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 comes equipped with a 6.3-inch Full HD+ display with a screen resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels and a 19:9 aspect ratio. The display comes with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection on top, making it one of the first devices in this price range to feature the same. While the Realme 2 Pro sports 6.3-inch FHD+ display 1080 x 2340 pixel screen resolution, 19:5:9 aspect ratio and 409 ppi pixel density. The display comes with a unique dew drop notch at the top that houses the selfie camera. It is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 and has rounded edges and fairly slim bezels all around. Overall, the Realme 2 Pro has a better display as compared to the other two, thanks to the smaller notch which is better looking, less intrusive and offers a good screen-to-body ratio.

In terms of dimensions, Moto G7 Play has dimensions of 157 x 75.3 x 8 mm and weight of 172 grams. The Realme 2 Pro measures 156.7 × 74.0 x 8.5 mm, and it weighs about 174 grams, while the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 measures 157.9 x 75.5 x 8.5 mm and weighs in at 175 grams. So, the Moto G7 Play is the slimmest and lightest of the three devices.

Moto G7 Play vs Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 vs Realme 2 Pro: Processor and Memory (RAM + Storage)

The Moto G7 Play is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 632 chipset along with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of inbuilt storage, which is expandable up to 128GB via microSD card. The Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 draws power from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor coupled with Adreno 512 GPU. It is backed by a 4GB of RAM has two internal storage options- 64GB and 128GB, which can be further expanded up to 2TB via microSD card slot. The power of the Realme 2 Pro comes from the Snapdragon 660 AIE chipset underneath. The RAM of the device is up to 8GB (4GB, 6GB and 8GB). The 4GB and 6GB RAM options come with 64GB of internal storage, while the 8GB RAM variant comes with 128GB of internal storage. All the variants offer storage expandability up to 256GB via microSD card. In terms of processor, both the Zenfone Max Pro M2 and Realme 2 Pro are at par, but the Realme 2 Pro has better memory options as compared to the Max Pro M2. The Moto G7 Play clearly lags behind in this department.

Moto G7 Play vs Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 vs Realme 2 Pro: Battery Capacity

The Moto G7 Play is backed by a 3,000mAh battery and comes with 10W charger. The Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 packs a massive 5,000mAh battery which can provide up to 45 hours of talk time with a single charge as claimed by the company. The Realme 2 Pro is fueled by a smaller 3,500mAh battery. Needless to mention that the Zenfone Max Pro M2 is a clear winner in this department.

Moto G7 Play vs Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 vs Realme 2 Pro: Camera Configuration

In terms of optics, the Moto G7 Play gets a 12-megapixel single rear camera and an 8-megapixel selfie camera with a dedicated LED flash. Both the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 and Realme 2 Pro get a dual rear camera set up on the back. The Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 gets a vertically stacked dual rear camera set up comprising of a primary sensor of 12-megapixel with Sony IMX486 sensor, f/1.8 aperture and LED flash + a 5-megapixel secondary sensor with 84-degree Field of view. The front hosts a 13-megapixel shooter with f/2.0 aperture and LED flash. The front camera also doubles up as face unlock. The Realme 2 Pro gets a horizontally stacked dual rear camera set up placed on the top left corner with a combination of 16MP IMX 398 sensors with f/.17 aperture. For selfies, there’s a 16MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture on the front. The Realme 2 Pro seems to have a better camera set up as compared to the other two, at least on paper. The Zenfone Max Pro M2 doesn’t lag behind much though.

Moto G7 Play vs Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 vs Realme 2 Pro: Software

The Moto G7 Play runs Google’s latest Android 9 Pie operating system with Moto Experience out of the box. The Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 was made official running on a stock version of Android 8.1 Oreo, however Asus India officially confirmed the coming of Android 9 Pie beta to the Zenfone Max Pro M2 users in India. The Realme 2 Pro ships with Android 8.1 Oreo with ColorOS 5.2 on top.

Moto G7 Play vs Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 vs Realme 2 Pro: Price and Availability in India

The Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 comes in three variants-

• 3GB of RAM + 32GB of internal storage priced at Rs. 12,999
• 4GB of RAM + 64GB of internal storage priced at Rs. 14,999
• 6GB of RAM + 64GB of internal storage priced at Rs. 16,999

The Realme 2 Pro base variant i.e. 4GB of RAM + 64GB of internal storage is priced in India at Rs. 13,990, while the mid-variant i.e. 6GB of RAM + 64GB of internal storage comes with a price tag of Rs. 15,990. The top variant i.e. 8GB RAM + 128GB internal storage is priced at Rs. 17,990.

The Moto Z Play is yet to enter the Indian market and thus its price in the country is still unknown. The device is priced in Brazil at R$ 999 which roughly translates to Rs. 19,200. The price in India won’t be exactly as converted here though.

CompareRaja’s Verdict

In terms of specifications, the Moto Z Play clearly lags behind as compared to the other two devices. It’s a stiff competition between the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 and Realme 2 Pro. In our opinion, the Realme 2 Pro is a winner as it sports a striking design along with better display and camera set up. The Realme 2 Pro is also priced more aggressively than the Zenfone Max Pro M2 as its 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant will cost you Rs.13,990, while for the same memory configuration of Zenfone Max Pro M2, you will need to spend Rs. 14,999. If your requirement is of a good battery backup then you must opt for Zenfone Max Pro M2, thanks to its massive 5,000mAh capacity battery.

Here’s a quick specs comparison between Moto G7 Play, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 and Realme 2 Pro, which will help you further in the decision-making process.