ZTE Blade

The ZTE A3 Prime delivers a pretty good balance of features and performance for its rock-bottom price, but the trade-offs are battery life and Android security.

Qi charging for cheap.

The ZTE Blade X1 is only available at Visible, but it's a hidden gem among mid-range phones. Find out more in our ZTE Blade X1 review.

The ZTE Blade 10 Prime performs better than your average cheap phone, but its battery doesn't last

We review the ZTE Blade V2020 with the MediaTek Helio P70, the ARM Mali-G72 MP3, 4 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of storage.

We have tested the ZTE Blade V10 equipped with a Mediatek Helio P70, an ARM Mali-G72 MP3, 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of eMMC flash storage.

Table Of Contents_Why We Like It – ZTE BladePerformanceDesignValueZTE Blade Wrap Up Reader Rating0 Votes08.1Expert RatingFeaturing an amazing android experience, the ZTE Blade L8 is one of the cheapest phones you can get. It comes with both a back and front camera both of which take pretty great pictures. Compare the specs in the ZTE with our Huawei Nexus 6P review to make sure you’re making the right choice. With a 5 Inch screen, the ZTE Blade L8 allows you to […]

Looking for a large phone with great battery life without breaking the bank? check out the ZTE Blade X Max review

ZTE have been around for three decades in international markets, and while they’ve done a lot of OEM work in Australia, including white-label phones for Telstra, their brand name isn’t especially well known to the Australian consumer. However, like many other Chinese manufacturers, they’re attempting to turn that around and make inroads into the Australian […]

The days of paying £300 for a sluggish Android handset are over – the Blade V might not be perfect but it has the specs of a phone three times the price

The ZTE Blade A3Y is the first exclusive phone from budget MVNO Yahoo Mobile, and it performs surprisingly well despite questionable build quality. I tested it for about a week, evaluating performance, reliability, usability, and more.

ZTE Blade V5 (Mobile Phone): 4 out of 5 stars on Australia's largest opinion site ProductReview.com.au.

With the ZTE Blade 11 Prime, they're aiming to deliver one of their best budget-friendly phones yet by including some features that you really don't see in

If you’re looking for a phone that is less than $500, that provides a near-flagship experience on both software and hardware fronts, there are quite a few solid options. The Pixel 4a 5G is the first device that comes to mind, but that’s priced at $499, while the OnePlus Nord N10 5G is the other, as it’s priced at just $299. OnePlus Nord N10 5G Review: This doesn’t feel like a $300 phone But there’s actually a device wedged right in between which could cause some ripples in the budget market. Earlier this year, ZTE announced the Blade X1 5G, bringing many of the bells and whistles you would like to see in a phone priced at less than $400. ZTE Blade X1 5G Specs Display: 6.5-inch IPS LCD, 2340 x 1080 resolution Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G RAM: 6GB Storage: 128GB, expandable via microSD card Front Camera: 16MP Rear Cameras: 48MP primary, 8MP Ultrawide, 2MP Macro, 2MP Monochrome Battery: 4,000mAh, 18W Fast charging Software: Android 10 Extras: Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, 3.5mm headphone jack Other than a mouthful of a name, the Blade X1 5G is equipped with the same Snapdragon 765G processor found in the Pixel 5 and the Pixel 4a 5G. This is coupled with 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of expandable storage. There’s also a quad-camera array on the back, along with a rear-mounted (and recessed) fingerprint scanner. The display measures at 6.5-inches, and features a resolution of 2340 x 1080, but is missing out on a faster refresh rate. ZTE also included just a 4,000mAh battery capable of taking advantage of 18W fast charging speeds, which is a bit less than we would expect to see in 2021. Hardware Taking the phone out of the box, you’ll come to realize rather quickly that you’re going to want to slap a case on this. The back is a fingerprint magnet which drives us absolutely crazy. But before you put a case on it, take a moment to appreciate the unique design when it comes to the frame. The sides of the Blade X1 5G start wide at the back of the phone while coming inward at an angle until the frame meets the display. In our time with the X1 5G, this became one of the best “features”, as using the phone was extremely comfortable, even when performing finger gymnastics. The top and bottom feature more of a “valley” design, with an indentation going from side to side and recessing the headphone jack, USB-port, and speaker on the bottom. The same goes for the microSD / SIM card slot and top-mounted microphone. Instead of throwing any unnecessary buttons onto the Blade X1 5G, the Power button and Volume rocker are located on the left side of the frame. This isn’t something that you should be super-excited about, but it’s just a relief to see that ZTE didn’t try to go above and beyond for this sub-$400 phone. Software For one reason or another, ZTE opted to ship the Blade X1 5G with Android 10, with no signs of Android 11 to be seen. Perhaps even more egregious is the fact that our unit is also still including the October 1, 2020 Android security patch, although it’s been a good four months since that was released. This is a common problem with many budget devices, as phone makers and carriers take months to push any type of meaningful updates. While Google is and has been attempting to make this easier, it’s still disappointing to see outdated software on a brand new device. Frustrations out of the way, you won’t find much more than a near-Stock Android experience across the board. There are a few extra software features onboard, which include ‘Smart Updates’ to schedule software updates to occur at specific times of the day. Changing around the home screen won’t require you to download something like Nova Launcher. There are a few different options at your disposal, including the ability to adjust the icon grid, switch up the page effects when scrolling, and opting into whether you want the Google Feed to appear on the left-most screen. Performance Some of the next “issues” that we had with the Blade X1 5G aren’t entirely the fault of ZTE directly. But instead are part of a problem that are growing across the Android market on the whole. The ZTE Blade X1 5G checks all of the boxes for those looking for a great budget phone. We recently published our review of the OnePlus Nord N10 5G, which is a fantastic phone in its own right. However, other than the price being a bit lower, the biggest difference is the fact that OnePlus included a 90Hz refresh rate. So going from the Nord N10 5G to the Blade X1 5G with its 60Hz refresh rate was a bit of a ‘shock’. Considering that we’ve seen companies put these displays with higher refresh rates in budget phones, it only hammers home the fact that more and more smartphone makers should be doing the same. Taking a step back, the overall experience with the Blade X1 5G was pretty enjoyable. This is in large part thanks to the fact that ZTE didn’t try to add too much bloatware, providing an almost Stock Android interface. There are some things missing, like being able to swipe down on the fingerprint scanner to reveal the notification shade. But this is somewhat made up by the ability to instantly turn on and unlock your phone just by placing your finger on the scanner. The only real “hiccup” that we came across was one that we couldn’t reproduce more than two different times over the course of our review. While perusing Reddit, we tried to switch over to another app, only to have the screen go completely dark. The Blade hadn’t turned itself off or anything, but we may have reached our limits on RAM and the phone just didn’t know exactly how to handle it. Should you buy the ZTE Blade X1 5G? The ZTE Blade X1 5G checks all of the boxes for those looking for a great budget phone. The phone is snappy, has a solid quad-camera system, and is extremely comfortable in the hand. Our biggest complaint comes down to the lack of software updates, which we are hoping to see the company improve upon in the very near future. Ignoring the software update issues that we have, there is one other potential hiccup for those interested in the Blade X1 5G. Currently, the phone is only available from either Visible or Yahoo Mobile. Both of those MVNO’s take advantage of Verizon’s network coverage, so you shouldn’t run into too many problems connecting to LTE or 5G networks. The phone also comes in at just $384 from either carrier, with both offering different incentives for signing up. Visible is offering a $150 Prepaid Mastercard Virtual Account, along with a free Amazon Fire TV Stick if you purchase the Blade X1 5G when you sign up for Visible’s service. Yahoo Mobile is upping the ante a bit, coming in with the same $384 price, but also providing a $300 Prepaid Mastercard Virtual Account when switching. But the real question is whether you should buy the Blade X1 5G. If you’re looking to switch to Visible (or Yahoo Mobile) and definitely want 5G, then this is more than enough of a phone to handle anything you need. The phone is snappy, has a solid quad-camera system, and is extremely comfortable in the hand. Our biggest complaint comes down to the lack of software updates, which we are hoping to see the company improve upon in the very near future. Buy the ZTE Blade X1 5G ZTE Blade X1 5G Rating: star_fullstar_fullstar_fullstar_fullstar_empty (4.0 / 5) The Good 5G connectivity for under $400 Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner Sleek and comfortable design Near-Stock Android software The Bad Outdated software at launch Only 60Hz refresh rate Only available from two carriers The Bottom Line The ZTE Blade X1 5G checks all of the boxes for those looking for a great budget phone. There's 5G connectivity, a sleek and comfortable build, rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and a near-Stock Android software experience. You just won't be able to get it from any carrier of your choosing, and the software needs an update.

Robin Sinha, TOI Tech Chinese smartphone maker ZTE has been trying to strengthen its presence in India since many years now (since 2013 to be precise). The company entered India even before the likes of Xiaomi and Coolpad, and has a wider range of smartphones under its wingspan than many newcomers. One of the most prominent sub-brands of the Chinese telecommunication company has been the 'Blade' series. And recently ZTE stretched the Blade series portfolio with the launch of ZTE Blade V6. It was introduced parallel to the Axon Mini, which is the company's first 'Axon' branded device in India. ZTE Blade V6, being one of the latest in the Blade V series is a definitive upgrade over its predecessor. But the question is whether the Rs 9,999 price tag of the handset justifies its specifications and the overall user experience. To find out, we used the Blade V6 as our daily driver for few days. Check out our review. ZTE Blade V6 review: Attractive design with refined performance