Asus Zenfone 3 Max (5.5 ZC553KL 3GB RAM) vs Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (SM-N960F/DS 128GB)
Side by side comparison between Asus Zenfone 3 Max vs Samsung Galaxy Note 9 phones, differences, pros, cons and full specifications. What's the better?
,
5.5"
IPS
IPS
1080x1920
16
MP
MP
8mp
3GB
RAM
RAM
Octa-core
4100
mAh
mAh
(Non removable)
vs
6.4"
AMOLED
AMOLED
1440x2960
12.2
MP
MP
8mp
6GB
RAM
RAM
Octa-core
4000
mAh
mAh
(Non removable)
What's the better phone? Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (SM-N960F/DS 128GB)
The phonemore's choice is much more technical than personal. Therefore, you shouldn't only consider this. Our goal is to help you, but what's important to us may not be important to you. You decide which one is the best! Comment!
3 Advantages 
31 Advantages | 25 Common items in both devices |
| 16 million |
| Dual-LED flash |
| LDAF/PDAF: laser/phase detection autofocus / PDAF on back camera and autofocus front camera |
| HDR photo on both cameras / HDR photo/video on both cameras |
| (front) 8MP |
| 4G LTE / 4G LTE-A |
| Capacitive |
| +18 specs and more in the table below |
Check the comparison table below for more items that are not evaluated in comparison score above.
Highlight differences Clear highlight📱 Model features | ||
| Asus Zenfone 3 Max (5.5 ZC553KL 3GB RAM) | Galaxy Note 9 (SM-N960F/DS 128GB) | |
| Model | Zenfone 3 Max (5.5 ZC553KL 3GB RAM) | Galaxy Note 9 (SM-N960F/DS 128GB) |
| Other model names | Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC553KL 3GB/32GB 5.5" Dual-Sim | Galaxy Note9 (Exynos) Dual-sim (6GB RAM), Samsung Crown |
| Country or region available |        (Global, International), (Europe), Philippines, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan |  (Europe), (Global, International), United Arab Emirates |
| Brand | Asus | Samsung |
| Release date | 9/1/2016 | 8/24/2018, Announced: 8/9/2018 |
| Depth | 8.3 millimeters (0.33 inches) | 8.8 millimeters (0.35 inches) |
| Size (width x height) | 76.24 x 151.4 millimeters (3 x 5.96 in) | 76.4 x 161.9 millimeters (3.01 x 6.37 in) |
| Weight | 175 grams (6.13 ounces) | 201 grams (7.04 ounces) |
| Build, materials | feature not registered | Aluminum frame, glass front/back Back: Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Protection against water and others | Not supported | IP68 certified: water-resistant up to 1.5 meters for 30min and dust-resistant |
📲 Display | ||
| Asus Zenfone 3 Max (5.5 ZC553KL 3GB RAM) | Galaxy Note 9 (SM-N960F/DS 128GB) | |
| Display type | TFT IPS LCD | Super AMOLED |
| Screen size | 5.5" inches | 6.4" inches |
| Screen-to-body ratio | ~72.2% (screen-to-body ratio) | ~84% (screen-to-body ratio) |
| Display resolution | 1080x1920 pixels | 1440x2960 pixels (18.5:9) |
| Touchscreen | Capacitive Multitouch 10-points | Capacitive Multitouch 10-points |
| Pixel density (dot pitch) | 401 PPI | 514 PPI |
| Colors | 16 million | 16 million |
| Scratch-resistant glass | Gorilla Glass 3 | Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Refresh rate | feature not registered | 60Hz |
| Display features | feature not registered | HDR10 2.5D glass Always-On Display |
🤖 Operating System | ||
| Asus Zenfone 3 Max (5.5 ZC553KL 3GB RAM) | Galaxy Note 9 (SM-N960F/DS 128GB) | |
| System version | Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow | Android 8.1 Oreo |
| Firmware update | Android 8.1 Oreo | Android 10 |
| User Interface | feature not registered | One UI 2.0 / 2.5 |
⚙️ Processor | ||
| Asus Zenfone 3 Max (5.5 ZC553KL 3GB RAM) | Galaxy Note 9 (SM-N960F/DS 128GB) | |
| Chipset | 64bit: Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 MSM8937 (28nm) | 64bit: Samsung Exynos 9810 (10nm) |
| CPU | Octa-core, 2 processors: 4x 1.4GHz ARM Cortex-A53 (Quad-core) 4x 1.1GHz ARM Cortex-A53 (Quad-core) | Octa-core, 2 processors: 4x 2.7GHz Mongoose M3 (Quad-core) 4x 1.79GHz ARM Cortex-A55 (Quad-core) |
| GPU graphical controller | Qualcomm Adreno 505 450Mhz | ARM Mali-G72 MP18 (572MHz) |
| Performance (benchmark) | feature not registered | AnTuTu: 249124 (v7), 316449 (v8) Geekbench: 9026 (v4.4), 2092 (v5.1) GFXBench: 15fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
💽 Memory and storage | ||
| Asus Zenfone 3 Max (5.5 ZC553KL 3GB RAM) | Galaxy Note 9 (SM-N960F/DS 128GB) | |
| RAM memory | 3GB LPDDR3 | 6GB LPDDR4X |
| Internal storage | 32GB (24GB available) | 128GB (111GB available) UFS 2.1 |
| External storage | Until 256GB microSD, microSDXC (hybrid slot/shares the same SIM-2 slot) | Until 1TB microSD, microSDXC (hybrid slot/shares the same SIM-2 slot) |
📶 Mobile networks | ||
| Asus Zenfone 3 Max (5.5 ZC553KL 3GB RAM) | Galaxy Note 9 (SM-N960F/DS 128GB) | |
| Dual-SIM | Dual-SIM Standby - Call active on one sim card (hybrid slot/shares the same microSD slot) | Dual-SIM Standby - Call active on one sim card (hybrid slot/shares the same microSD slot) |
| SIM card | 2 slots (Dual-SIM) micro-SIM (3FF) and nano-SIM (4FF) | 2 slots (Dual-SIM) nano-SIM (4FF) |
| Maximum Download / Upload | 150/50 Mbps | 1200/150 Mbps |
| Network technology | 2G, 3G, 4G | 2G, 3G, 4G |
| Frequency, bands | Expand band details Collapse details | |
| GSM MHz band | Quad-Band 850/900/1800/1900 | Quad-Band 850/900/1800/1900 |
| Primary 2G network | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 |
| Primary 3G network | Global version: UMTS 850/900/1900/2100 Taiwan/Japan: UMTS 800/850/900/1900/2100 India/Indonesia: UMTS 850/900/2100 | UMTS 850/900/1700/1900/2100 |
| Primary 4G network | LTE Cat4 Global version: LTE 800/850/900/1800/1900/2100/2600 (Bands 1,2,3,5,7,8,20) Taiwan/Japan: LTE 700/800/850/900/1800/1900/2100/2600 (Bands 1,2,3,5,6,7,8,18,19,26,28) TD-LTE 2500/2600 (Bands 38,41) India/Indonesia: LTE 850/900/1800/2100 (Bands 1,3,5,8) TD-LTE 2300 (Band 40) | LTE Cat18 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 28, 29, 30) TD-LTE (38, 39, 40, 41) |
| Primary 5G network | Not supported | Not supported |
| Primary data network | GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, TD-LTE, LTE | GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, TD-LTE, LTE, LTE-A |
| Secondary 2G network | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 |
| Secondary 3G network | Not supported | UMTS 850/900/1700/1900/2100 |
| Secondary 4G network | Not supported | LTE Cat18 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 28, 29, 30) TD-LTE (38, 39, 40, 41) |
| Secondary data network | GPRS, EDGE | GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, TD-LTE, LTE, LTE-A |
📷 Camera | ||
| Asus Zenfone 3 Max (5.5 ZC553KL 3GB RAM) | Galaxy Note 9 (SM-N960F/DS 128GB) | |
| Back camera (main camera) | 16 megapixels | (dual camera) 12.2 megapixels 12MP telephoto f/2.41/3.4"52mm1.0µmAFOIS2x-optical-zoom |
| Main camera resolution | 4608x3456 pixels | 4032x3024 pixels |
| Video recording (primary) | Full HD (1920x1080) 30 fps | 4K UHD (3840x2160) 60 fps |
| Flash | Dual-LED flash | Dual-LED flash |
| Focal aperture | f/2.0 (aperture) | f/1.5 (aperture) |
| Focal length | feature not registered | 26mm (lens) |
| Sensor size | 1/3" inches | 1/2.55" inches |
| Pixel size | feature not registered | 1.4µm pixel |
| Autofocus | LDAF/PDAF: laser/phase detection autofocus | PDAF on back camera and autofocus front camera |
| Touch focus | Supported | Supported |
| Image stabilization | EIS: Digital stabilization | OIS: Optical stabilization |
| Zoom | Only digital zoom | Digital and optical zoom |
| Face/smile detection | Face detection, Smile detection | Face detection, Smile detection |
| BSI sensor | Not supported | Supported |
| HDR | HDR photo on both cameras | HDR photo/video on both cameras |
| Camera extras | feature not registered | feature not registered |
📸 Front camera | ||
| Asus Zenfone 3 Max (5.5 ZC553KL 3GB RAM) | Galaxy Note 9 (SM-N960F/DS 128GB) | |
| Front camera (secondary) | 8 megapixels | 8 megapixels |
| Front camera resolution | 3264x2448 pixels | 3264x2448 pixels |
| Video recording (secondary) | HD (1280x720) | 2K UHD (2560x1440) |
| Front flash | Not supported | Not supported |
| Focal aperture | f/2.2 (aperture) | f/1.7 (aperture) |
| Focal length | feature not registered | 25mm (lens) |
| Sensor size | feature not registered | 1/3.6" inches |
| Pixel size | feature not registered | 1.22µm pixel |
🔉 Sound and multimedia | ||
| Asus Zenfone 3 Max (5.5 ZC553KL 3GB RAM) | Galaxy Note 9 (SM-N960F/DS 128GB) | |
| Loudspeaker | Supported | Stereo sound 32-bit/384kHz |
| Active noise cancellation | 2 microphones or more | 2 microphones or more |
| Radio | FM (RDS) | FM |
| TV | Not supported | Not supported |
| Video formats | MP4, H.264, H.263 | MP4, H.265, H.264, H.263, DivX, XviD |
| Audio formats | MP3, WAV, eAAC+, FLAC | MP3, OGG, eAAC+, FLAC |
🔌 Connectivity | ||
| Asus Zenfone 3 Max (5.5 ZC553KL 3GB RAM) | Galaxy Note 9 (SM-N960F/DS 128GB) | |
| USB | MicroUSB 2.0 | USB 3.1 Type-C, USB OTG On-The-Go |
| Audio output | 3.5mm jack | 3.5mm jack |
| TV output | Not supported | USB Type-C SlimPort® |
| Bluetooth | 4.1 + A2DP | 5.0 + A2DP/LE |
| WiFi | 802.11 b/g/n [wifi4] (2.4GHz) WiFi Direct, hotspot | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac [wifi5] (2.4GHz, 5GHz) + MIMO WiFi Direct, hotspot |
| DLNA | Not supported | Not supported |
| GPS | A-GPS, GeoTagging, GLONASS, BeiDou | A-GPS, GeoTagging, GLONASS, GALILEO, BeiDou |
| NFC | Not supported | Supported |
| Infrared port | Not supported | Not supported |
🧭 Sensors | ||
| Asus Zenfone 3 Max (5.5 ZC553KL 3GB RAM) | Galaxy Note 9 (SM-N960F/DS 128GB) | |
| Sensors | Accelerometer Ambient light sensor Compass Fingerprint sensor Gyroscope Hall effect Proximity sensor | Accelerometer Ambient light sensor ANT+ Barometer Compass Face unlock Fingerprint sensor (rear-mounted) Gyroscope Hall effect Heart rate Iris scanner Proximity sensor SpO2 |
| Vibrating alert | Supported | Supported |
🔋 Battery | ||
| Asus Zenfone 3 Max (5.5 ZC553KL 3GB RAM) | Galaxy Note 9 (SM-N960F/DS 128GB) | |
| Battery type | LiPo: li-ion polymer (Non removable) | Li-Ion: lithium-ion (Non removable) |
| Battery capacity | 4100 mAh | 4000 mAh |
| Charger, watts | 10W (5V/2A) Wired charging | 15W Wired fast charging |
| Inductive / wireless charging | feature not registered | Qi wireless charging (Qi/PMA) |
| Talk time autonomy | 17 hours | feature not registered |
| Standby | 912 hours (38 days) | feature not registered |
➕ Other features | ||
| Asus Zenfone 3 Max (5.5 ZC553KL 3GB RAM) | Galaxy Note 9 (SM-N960F/DS 128GB) | |
| Call control | Voice dialing, Voice recorder | Voice dialing, Voice recorder, Voice commands |
| Messaging | SMS (T9), MMS, E-mail, Push mail | SMS (T9), MMS, E-mail, Push mail |
| Hands-free calling | Supported | Supported |
| Video calling | Supported | Supported |
| Ringtones | Polyphonic and customized | Polyphonic and customized |
| Web browser | HTML, XHTML, HTML5 | HTML, XHTML, HTML5 |
| Antenna | Internal antenna | Internal antenna |
| Qwerty physical keyboard | Not supported | Not supported |
| Miscellaneous | • Colors: Titanium Grey, Glacier Silver, Pink, Gold • USB OTG On-The-Go • Asus ZenUI 3.0 • 2.5D glass screen • 450nits brightness screen | • Colors: Black, Copper, Purple, Blue • S Pen Stylus (Bluetooth) • Samsung Pay • Samsung DeX |
☢️ Radiation rate | ||
| Asus Zenfone 3 Max (5.5 ZC553KL 3GB RAM) | Galaxy Note 9 (SM-N960F/DS 128GB) | |
| SAR 1.6W/kg (USA, Mexico, etc.) | feature not registered | feature not registered |
| SAR 2W/kg (Europe, UK, etc.) | feature not registered | 0.381W/kg (head), 1.509W/kg (body) |