ZTE’s upcoming Axon 20 5G will be the world’s first commercially-available smartphone with an in-display selfie camera when it launches on September 1. Today, the Chinese manufacturer released a special post highlighting all the other technologies it brought to the market first.

1. Grand S II – World’s first phone with voice control technology

   Nowadays, it is easy to call on the voice assistant on your phone to carry out certain functions such as making a call, turning on/off Bluetooth, or launching an app. However, before Google Assistant and Siri became mainstream, ZTE was the first manufacturer to announce a phone you could operate simply by voice. This phone was called the ZTE Grand S II and it was announced in late 2014. You could even unlock the phone with your voice.

   

2. Grand S III – World’s first smartphone” with an eye-based biometric solution

   A few months after announcing the Grand S II, ZTE set another record when it launched the Grand S III at the 2015 edition of the Mobile World Congress. The phone was the first in the world with an eye-based biometric solution. The technology dubbed Eyeprint ID was able to unlock the phone by scanning the user’s eyes and the pattern of the blood vessels in them. It was a secure solution that could be used for payment as it was unique to each person.

   

3. Axon Mini – World’s first smartphone with a pressure-sensitive screen
   

   The Axon Mini launched as the first phone with a pressure-sensitive screen. Announced in July of 2015, the phone had a force touch display which means certain menus and options would become available depending on how much pressure you applied when pressing the display.

   

4. Axon M – World’s first foldable dual-screen phone (actually not true!)

   Before the Surface Duo, there was the Axon M. Just like Microsoft’s Android-powered device, the 2017 ZTE Axon M also launched with dual displays. ZTE claims it is the world’s first foldable dual-screen phone but that is not true. The 2011 Kyocera Echo and the 2012 Sony Tablet P arrived well before it did and with dual-displays too.

   

5. Axon 10 Pro 5G – First commercially-available 5G phone in China
   

   The Axon 10 Pro 5G launched as the first 5G commercially-available 5G phone in China. It was also the first 5G smartphone in Northern Europe and the Middle East.

   

6. Axon 11 SE 5G – First 5G phone to support all 4 major Chinese operators
   

   The Axon 11 SE 5G launched as the first smartphone in China to be compatible with 5G networks from all of China’s four major carriers.

ZTE has sure made its mark in the mobile industry and we are pretty excited to see how great the Axon 20 5G is at taking pictures and recording videos with its in-display camera.

UP NEXT: ZTE 8010 full specifications and images through TENAA certification

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The punch hole design first surfaced late last year. Expected to be the trend this year, most manufacturers have stuck to notches and pop-up selfie cameras. Most of the phones with a punch-hole display have been from the same manufacturers that pioneered the design and they are Huawei and Samsung. However, 2020 may actually be the year of the punch hole as more manufacturers will be adopting the design. ZTE may be among the adopters too but their design is unlike any we have seen.

A patent filed by the company at the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) in April 2019 was published a few days ago. The patent which is for a “display panel, camera device, terminal, and screen manufacturing method” describes a phone with a really small punch hole camera.

The size of the hole isn’t the interesting part but where it is located. Rather than placing it in the middle of the screen or in the corner as we have seen on the Galaxy Note 10 and Huawei Nova 5i respectively, the punch hole is nestled between the network and battery icons at the top of the screen. You can still say it is positioned in the corner but it is different since the hole is smaller and the icons flanking it on each side make it less noticeable.

LetsGoDigital has created renders based on the patent description to give us an idea of the design but the final product may be different.

The punch hole design isn’t the only thing about the patent. The description also mentions the phone will not have a traditional earpiece but will use Sound-on-Display technology. We have seen this technology appear on a number of phones such as the LG G8 ThinQ and the Galaxy A80. This technology vibrates the display to transmit sound and allows for a more full-screen device.

The Axon 10 Pro is ZTE’s flagship for 2019. It has an affordable price tag that made it a contender for the “flagship killer” title when it launched, runs near-stock Android on the international version, has a curved AMOLED display, triple cameras with optical zoom and support for wireless charging. We expect its successor will come with better features and hope it retains its affordable price tag.

UP NEXT: ZTE Blade 20 Smart and Blade A7s launched in China; Specifications, features and price

(Source)

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A couple of months ago the ZTE Axon 10 Pro got 20x hybrid zoom via a software update from the company. This time ZTE is showing off the Axon 10 Pro 5G’s 20x hybrid zoom capabilities before the device’s slated launch. Clearly, ZTE is pretty proud of the setup they have going on here, and it’s not much of a surprise to see why.

On the backside, the phone has a triple camera setup that includes an OIS enabled 48-megapixel main sensor, an ultra-wide 20-megapixel lens, and an OIS assisted 8-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom capabilities. The front notch houses a 20-megapixel selfie camera.

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The ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G is IP68 certified to ensure that it’s dust-proof and waterproof. It comes equipped with a 6.47-inch full HD AMOLED display with a little teardrop notch too. There’s even an under display fingeprint sensor on-board. The Snapdragon 855 SoC cocmes as a standard, and for 5G connectivity we’ve got the Snapdragon X50 5G modem. Backing that up we’ve got up to12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.

In the software department, the smartphone comes running MiFavor 9.1 user interface based Android 9.0 Pie operating system out-of-the-box. The device is powered by a 4,000mAh battery that comes with wireless charging support as well as support for Quick Charge 4+ fast charging technology.

As of right now, the 6GB RAM and 128GB storage model of the smartphone is available for reservation in China for a price of 4,999 yuan, which roughly converts to $726. If you’re not a big fan of blue, then you’re out of luck. The ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G comes exclusively in blue, though it’s certainly not a bad look for the device.

UP NEXT: ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G is now up for reservations in China for 4,999 yuan ($726)

(Source)

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ZTE unveiled its long-anticipated Axon 10 Pro 5G variant in China yesterday. The phone was announced alongside its 4G variant, which by the way, went on sale earlier today. However, ZTE failed to give out an official release date for its 5G variant at the time of its launch. Now, we have some more details on its availability.

ZTE has confirmed to us that the Axon 10 Pro 5G will be available in Europe in the first half of 2019. As we are almost halfway into the year, this timeline puts its release sometime within the next two months. A Europe launch for its 5G model makes sense since the new-gen wireless standard will roll out in a number of countries in the EU in 2019. Switzerland was first in Europe to roll out a commercial 5G network and will most likely be followed by countries like Finland, Austra, UK, Spain, and Italy. Taking advantage of the early Swiss 5G rollout, OPPO, Xiaomi, and others launched their 5G models in this market last week.

• RELATED: ZTE is eyeing $178 million first-half profit after boosting R&D spending for 5G development

The Axon 10 Pro 5G is a solid flagship on paper. The phone has a 48MP f/1.7 primary camera, a 20MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle lens with a 125° FOV, and an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto lens in a triple camera arrangement. It comes with 3x optical zoom, 5X hybrid zoom, and 10x digital zoom. There is also a 20MP front camera for selfies. it’s powered by the Snapdragon 855 processor with X50 5G modem and comes with an in-display fingerprint sensor. You can read more about the Axon 10 Pro 5G in our launch coverage here.

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ZTE’s troubled days might be over, but the company will still take some time to get back on track. We are seeing signs of recovery, like the ZTE Blade V9 going on sale this month and the recent confirmation of Axon 9 Pro launch on August 30 at IFA 2018.  Now, the same phone has been spotted on the benchmarking platform Geekbench, revealing a few details about the hardware inside.

The phone went through Geekbench under the name ZTE A2019G Pro and scores pretty well. In fact, with the base clock speed of 1.77GHz and single-core and multi-core scores of 2399 and 8785 respectively, we know for sure that the upcoming Axon flagship will be powered by the Snapdragon 845 chipset. The Axon series has always featured the top-end Snapdragon chipsets (Axon 7 had SD820 and Axon 7S came with SD821), so the new flagship was expected to come with SD845 on board. The listing also confirms that there will be 6GB of RAM inside.

A recently leaked poster of the Axon 9 Pro has also revealed its potential design. Its actually disappointing to see that the phone will feature a generic design. So, you have dual cameras at the back, arranged vertically with a flash underneath. Then there’s the Axon logo along with the ZTE logo below. The poster reveals the Blue color version of the device, but there should be a couple of other options too. Coming to the front, the Axon 9 comes with a notched display, with a chin below. The notch is relatively big, much like the iPhone X or the Mi 8, which adds the possibility of IR port for face recognition.

The ZTE teaser for the Axon 9 Pro had the 5G logo on top, which could hint at some kind of 5G support. However, with SD845 and its X20 LTE modem inside, its unlikely that we will see this flagship rock support for the next generation standard. So, don’t keep your hopes too high!

We await more details as the launch date nears.

(Source, Via1, Via2)

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ZTE has already confirmed that it will launch a new smartphone at IFA Berlin this year. The company has made sure that audio quality is going to be the trademark of its flagships, however, now, it looks like the camera is yet another highlight of the device. ZTE has released a new teaser which shows that the new Axon flagship will feature dual cameras.

UPDATE: Like one of our readers mentioned, it’s also possible that this teaser is for stereo speakers (which would make more sense since this is an audio-centric phone) and not for dual cameras. I guess, we’ll have to wait and see.

Dual cameras have become the new sought out feature in smartphones, with major manufacturers like Huawei, LeEco and Xiaomi releasing new models with such a setup at the back. So, it isn’t a surprise that ZTE is also trying out its luck with a dual camera setup on its upcoming Axon flagship.

RELATED: ZTE Will Release A New Device at IFA Berlin 2016 Featuring Breath-taking Audio

Unfortunately, at this moment, we are unsure about the specs of the device. The launch is just two days away, so we won’t have to wait too long to get those details.

Meanwhile, ZTE recently released the Axon 7 Mini in Europe. You can read all about that from our coverage on the phone.

(via1, via2)

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ZTE’s recent efforts have been to strengthen the audio on its smartphones and the ZTE Axon 7 made sure that the company’s flagship device featured top-notch audio support. For some, audio is just another feature in a smartphone, but for others, it is one of the most used as well as important features on their phone.

ZTE has now confirmed that we will meet another audio-centric smartphone at the famous IFA Berlin in 2016. The event will be held on September 1, the same day that Huawei unveils its brand new device. From the press release sent to us, it is confirmed that the phone will be a premium device, coming with superior audio quality.

“We’re delighted to be debuting our latest products to the world in Berlin,” says Adam Zeng, CEO of ZTE Mobile Devices. “Our fan community played a huge role in the development of our new smartphones, delivering valuable input that helped inspire and motivate our team. The result is a suite of devices that pack cutting-edge, innovative features and the latest technology.”

The company claims that audio has been a shortcoming on many of the flagship smartphones in recent times and with their advanced research and development, ZTE’s recent phones like the Axon 7 aims to fill these special needs of customers.

Hopefully, we will get to hear more about this audio-centric ZTE smartphone in the coming days.

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ZTE unveiled the brand new ZTE Axon 7 flagship a few weeks back in China. However, unlike some Chinese companies who are limited to China and nearby markets, ZTE is preparing to expand its market reach to more mature markets of Europe this year. As a result, the newly announced ZTE Axon 7 smartphone is now available for pre-order in Europe via Amazon starting today (links are given at the end of the article). So, European customers can finally get hold of the 4GB RAM version of the handset (no 6GB RAM version for now).

It took around a month for the flagship to enter the European market, since the device was announced on May 26 in China. The phone will be available for pre-order on Amazon in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK for a price tag of 449 Euros. The company also informs us that the phone will be available for purchase via GrosBill (online) and offline at Media Markt and Phone House in the coming months.

ZTE Axon 7 is powerful flagship coming with Snapdragon 820 chipset inside and 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage. The phone comes with a 2K 5.5-inch display with 2.5D glass and Corning’s Gorilla Glass 4 protection. Under the hood, the device has a 3250mAh with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging tech. At the back, the Axon 7 features a 20MP /1.8 aperture camera with OIS and EIS, while up front, the phone has an 8MP f/2.2 88-degree wide angle shooter.

RELATED: Hands on with the Axon 7 Flagship

One of the highlights of the new Axon 7 flagship is Hi-Fi audio on board along with dual speakers and Dolby Atmos surround sound. The company has particularly focused on the audio quality of the smartphone, making it an attractive option for audio lovers. As for software, the phone comes with Android M OS. At the back, you get a fingerprint sensor as well.

Preorder now on Amazon:

Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B01HFYMUAG

Spain:  https://www.amazon.es/dp/B01HG7DL0A

Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B01HG0UFEM

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01HGBVGPS

France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B01HGO5UWA

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After a few months of silence, ZTE announced the brand new flagship, the ZTE Axon 7 today. The phone comes with a premium metal design, with dual speakers up front beside the 5.5-inch display. Overall, the design of the phone is built to give it a premium feel, and the gold color option surely adds to the posh feel of the device.

Up front, the phone comes with a 5.5-inch 2K panel, which is bright and the 558 ppi resolution makes the images and videos on the display stand out. You will find black borders around the screen, but they are reasonably thin, so as to not interfere with the overall experience of the device. On top of the display you have an 8MP front camera.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT7biqcNzn4

Coming to the back, the phone features a 20MP sensor with dual LED flash and a fingerprint sensor. Also, you have the same “Designed in the USA” writing near the bottom of the metal back panel, like we saw in the Axon flagship last year. In fact, this year, the company worked with Designworks, a subsidiary of BMW group to design the Axon 7. You can read more about the specs and features of the device from our launch article.

But before that, check out our first Axon 7 hands on from below.

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ZTE Axon 7 smartphone is all set to be announced on May 26, which is just a week away. The company’s executives have already started to reveal a few details about the device, like a top-end Sharp screen with 2K resolution, and a brand new screw-less design. Now, the executives have revealed a new feature on the Axon 7 — advanced Hi-Fi sound quality with dual speakers. 

ZTE had already hinted that audio was going to be the highlight of the upcoming Axon 7 in the invitations sent last week. The invites also came with a brief music clip with the theme “Theatre Sound and More”. So, there is no doubt that the company has put in a lot of efforts to improve the audio output on the device.

Now, ZTE’s Mobile Devices CEO, Adam Zeng reveals a few more details about the Axon 7. He said on Weibo that the company invited a team of conservatory professors to help and advise them in the development of the phone’s audio. In fact, ZTE’s Deputy Head of Strategy & Marketing, Dr Lv Qianhao recently posted a picture of two professors from the Xian Conservatory of Music. There’s no doubt that these two professors were given an early preview of Axon 7’s audio capability. Dr. Lv reveals that their comments have been positive so far.

New reports have even said that ZTE has opened a new lab to design the sound of mobile devices. The company’s own research in this field and with the use of AKM’s latest audio chipset technology, we can expect the Axon 7 to deliver a great audio experience. It is said that the phone will feature the 32 bit AK4961 advanced DSP Codec from AKM.

This new information definitely makes us want to check out the real audio performance of the Axon 7. For that we won’t have to wait too long. The phone will be officially announced on May 26 and soon we will get more details about its special features.

Meanwhile, you can check out the possible specs of the Axon 7 from here.

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ZTE seems to be working on a new flagship smartphone, most likely the ZTE Axon 2. Recently, a new model from the company, namely the ZTE A2017 was spotted on the benchmarking website GFXBench revealing the specs of the device. However, at that time, we couldn’t see the performance of the phone. Now, the same phone has been spotted on the AnTuTu benchmarking revealing specs as well as the performance of the device.

According to the AnTuTu benchmark of the A2017, the phone comes with the powerful quad-core Snapdragon 820 chip inside with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The display sports a resolution of 2K, and it will most likely be a 5.5-inch panel. At the back, there will be a 20MP (most likely 21MP) sensor while on the front, there will be an 8MP camera sensor. As for software, it will run on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow.

These are some pretty great specs and are in line with what we saw on the GFXBench a few days back. With SD820 and 4GB RAM on board, the phone managed to score an amazing 140,086 points on the AnTuTu benchmark. This is even better than the scores posted by Xiaomi Mi 5 and Galaxy S7.

Overall, this looks like a powerful flagship in the making. While all we have is the model number, i.e. A2017, it’s possible that this is the Axon 2. The first generation ZTE Axon was a great flagship (check out our review from here | Axon Mini Review) and with these specs, the upcoming phone seems like a powerful device as well. One of the plus points of the Axon series is its pricing and we hope that ZTE can price its upcoming products competitively.

Anyways, stay tuned for more details. If ZTE plans to release this device anytime soon, we are surely going to hear more about it in the coming days.

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ZTE is definitely one of the most respectable Chinese smartphone makers since our reviews have already proven that the company is capable of producing high quality products. We have already reviewed the ZTE Axon Elite and even compared it to other Chinese flagships of 2015.

We were definitely impressed by an affordable yet premium handset and this time around we are looking at a little brother – ZTE Axon Mini. It turns out that it is not only another mini version of a flagship but it is one of the world’s first Android smartphones (along with the Huawei Mate S Luxury Edition) that has a force touch display technology. Find out more in our full review.

Thanks to the ZTE Official for sending ZTE Axon Mini for a review.

ZTE Axon Mini Review: VIDEO

ZTE Axon Mini: UNBOXING

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The ZTE Axon Mini comes in a premium looking packaging where all the items are packed neatly. The contents include the charging plug, USB cable, a pair of earphones, which actually sound pretty good; SIM ejector PIN, some documentation and a soft plastic case, which is always a nice addition to have.

ZTE Axon Mini: SPECS

ZTE Axon Mini: DESIGN

As far as the design, we are looking a really premium and well-crafted handset. It is made almost entirely of metal except for those top and bottom parts on the back, which imitate a leather finish with some fake stitching. It is very subjective and many people may not like it but I have to say that they look okay to me. As a matter of fact, they have a somewhat rubberised finish, which definitely helps with the grip.

The front top and bottom parts may give you an impression that the Axon Mini sports a dual stereo speakers setup. However, the top part is dedicated only for the earpiece, usual set of sensors, notification LED light and 8MP selfie snapper.

The bottom is the place where you can find a front firing speaker along with the main mic.

The ZTE Axon Mini keeps the same design language as its bigger brother but this time around it ditches the dual-camera setup and opts in for a more conventional 13MP shooter with dual-LED flash.

Underneath the camera there is a fingerprint scanner. I’ve setup it up since the first minute I had the phone and I have to say that it is super easy to setup, very fast and accurate to use. Also, the rear placement of the scanner feels much more natural than on the one found on the front. Again, this may be subjective.

On the top there is a headset jack and on the bottom – a regular micro USB charging port. On the right we have a power key and a dual SIM card and the microSD card slot for storage expansion. On the left, there is a just a volume rocker.

Overall, the build quality is top-notch and I love all-metal design of the phone. The Axon mini definitely feels great in the hand and I really appreciate the fact that it is easily manageable with one hand due to its 5.2″ display.

ZTE Axon Mini: Display

As far as display, we have a 5.2” 1080p Amoled panel, which is just gorgeous to look at. Honestly, it almost looks like an LCD display as it has all the good aspects like colour accuracy, brightness of liquid crystal displays but adds a little bit of punchiness and saturation, which is typical to  Amoled panels.

ZTE Axon Mini Review: UI

The Axon mini comes with the MiFlavor UI, which is built on top of Android 5.1. However, the app drawer has been removed and we are not huge fans of it.

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As usual to the Chinese skins, the MiFlavor has quite a few customisation options, gesture controls and a lot of little tweaks and extra features, which work pretty well but it depends on your habits if you will actually use them.

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For example, the Axon mini has one of the best implementations of the iris scanner but I’m not sure if this feature is actually needed. Well, it may be cool to show it off to someone in the bar.

The Pressure Sensitive Display Tech: Features and Functionality

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We’ve seen the latter features on other phones but the star of the show here is a force touch display technology and the Axon mini is one of the first Android phones to have it. Basically, it is a pressure sensitive display and, if we use Apple terminology, it works like peek and pop gesture as the panel recognises the amount of force of your pressure of your fingers.

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The main question here: is it useful? Once you get used to it, definitely yes. Does it work well? Again, when you get used to it, it is. Most of the force touch features are associated with the built-in apps and gallery, and they work pretty well. If the app does not support this feature, the screen will just blink. However, you may have a few accidental touches there and there. Finally, if you asked me if this feature is really necessary, I would say no but it is definitely a fun and innovative way of interacting with your phone. Also, ZTE did a pretty good job with the implementation. We suggest you checking out the video review to see how this technology works.

All in all, the UI is running fast and fluid, and it is really impressive given the early software build of the phone.

ZTE Axon Mini Review: BENCHMARKS

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ZTE Axon Mini Review: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

ZTE Axon Mini comes with an octa-core Snapdragon 616 chip with the maximum clock speeds of 1.5GHz, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage.

The 3D games work well but you have to make sure that any power saving features are off. The graphics look great although not that spectacular like on flagship phones. I encountered with just a few skipped frames but nothing major.

Finally, the phone doesn’t have any overheating issues.

ZTE Axon Mini Review: MULTIMEDIA

As far as multimedia consumption goes, the Axon mini is just fantastic. The front firing speaker is loud and it has quite a lot of depth in its sound. Also, listening to music via earphones is just a blast. The integrated Hi-Fi audio chips really make a difference if you love high quality sound with lots of depth and rich tones.

ZTE Axon Mini Review: CAMERA

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As far as the camera app, it is fast, responsive and easy to use. It has a few shooting modes to select but the settings menu works only in the portrait mode for some reason.

The 13MP camera can produce some nice and sharp looking images but it is inconsistent.

The positive side is that you will usually get a good looking image, which has a accurate colours, decent dynamic range and contrast.

If you are not lucky, you may take some daylight images with softer focus and not that impressive level of details.

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When it comes to the low light shots, some of them are pretty good but again, the camera is inconsistent as some of the images have a huge amount of noise and the lack of details.

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8MP selfie shooter is pretty good and will definitely do the tick for social media needs.

The phone can shoot videos at the max. resolution of 1080p. The most impressive thing is… the quality of sound recording. Other than that, the level of details is decent but the auto-exposure is too aggressive as it is jumping like crazy. Also, the footage looks shaky despite the fact that I tried to hold my hands as steady as possible. See a video review for the video sample.

All in all, the Axon mini has a good overall camera but hopefully we will see a software update as it needs some more polishing to show its full potential and be more consistent.

ZTE Axon Mini Review: CONNECTIVITY

The signal reception has been excellent and the call quality of  the Axon phone is good. Also, other connectivity options like Wifi, Bluetooth, GPS work absolutely fine.

ZTE Axon Mini Review: BATTERY LIFE

The 2800mAh non-removable battery performs very well both in terms of active usage and standby. I could constantly get over 4.5 hours of screen-on time using max. auto-brightness setting, browsing the web, checking emails and social media, taking pictures and so on.

ZTE Axon Mini Review: CONCLUSIONS

So, there you have, the ZTE Axon Mini Premium with a pressure sensitive display tech. I have to tell you that there is a lot to love about this phone. It all starts with great design and all-aluminum-titanium body makes it look like an expensive handset.

Also, the Axon mini is very compact considering today’s standards as it has 5.2” display, which is just brilliant to look at and pressure sensitive related features are definitely a fun way of interacting with your phone if you get used to using them.

Also, the phone has a great battery life, a microSD card slot, good performance, fast and accurate fingerprint scanner and high quality sound.

However, while the camera experience is mostly positive and you may get some good looking images, we may want to see a software update to improve its consistency. Also, the video recording quality could be a bit better overall.

Finally, the ZTE Axon Mini Premium is definitely a great all-around phone despite a few shortcomings that may be even fixed with future software updates. All in all, given the current pre-order price of just below $300, it is easy to recommend it.

Buy ZTE Axon Mini

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ZTE is definitely one of the most respectable Chinese smartphone makers since our reviews have already proven that the company is capable of producing high quality products. We have already reviewed the ZTE Axon Elite and even compared it to other Chinese flagships of 2015.

We were definitely impressed by an affordable yet premium handset and this time around we are looking at a little brother – ZTE Axon Mini. It turns out that it is not only another mini version of a flagship but it is one of the world’s first Android smartphones (along with the Huawei Mate S Luxury Edition) that has a force touch display technology. Find out more in our unboxing and first impressions article.

Thanks to the ZTE Official for sending ZTE Axon Mini for a review.

ZTE Axon Mini: UNBOXING

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The ZTE Axon Mini comes in a premium looking packaging where all the items are packed neatly. The contents include the charging plug, USB cable, a pair of earphones, which actually sound pretty good; SIM ejector PIN, some documentation and a soft plastic case.

ZTE Axon Mini: DESIGN

As far as the design, we are looking a really premium and well-made design. It is made almost entirely of metal except for those top and bottom parts on the back, which imitate a leather finish with some fake stitching. It is very subjective and many people may not like it but I have to say that they are okay to me. As a matter of fact, they have a somewhat rubberised finish, which definitely helps with the grip.

The front top and bottom parts may give you an impression that the Axon Mini sports a dual stereo speakers setup. However, the top part is dedicated only for the earpiece, usual set of sensors, LED light and 8MP selfie snapper.

The bottom is the place where you can find a front firing speaker along with the main mic.

The ZTE Axon Mini keeps the same design language as its bigger brother but this time around it ditches the dual-camera setup and opts in for a more conventional 13MP shooter with dual-LED flash.

Underneath the camera there is a fingerprint scanner. I’ve setup it up since the first minute I had the phone and I have to say that it is super easy to setup and very fast, and accurate to use. Also, the placement of the scanner feels much more natural than on the front. However, it may be just my habit I acquired after having reviewed tons of phones.

ZTE Axon Mini in pictures:

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ZTE Axon Mini: FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Honestly, I was pretty excited to test the ZTE Axon Mini but I have no reasons why. It may be due to the fact that I really liked the regular Axon phone.

Well, the reasons I like this phone start with a great presentation, which makes you believe that you have an expensive phone.

Of course, none of the presentations/packagings has ever made a phone great but as soon as you pick the ZTE Axon Mini up, you feel a well constructed device, which is compact due to its 5.2″ display, and it definitely feels great in the hand.

Also, I’ve played with the UI, camera (at the first glance the pictures seem to be pretty good), did some other stuff and everything seems to be running smoothly.

The force touch? Yes, it is working on the phone and it seems like a pretty neat feature. However, I need to spend a little more time with the device to tell my opinion.

All in all, the ZTE Axon Mini seems like a really decent offering for the price of just over $300. Stay tuned to our full review.

Buy ZTE Axon Mini

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ZTE, one of the largest smartphone makers on the planet, needs no further introduction when it comes to the smartphone game. We usually talk about the ZTE’s sub-brand Nubia and its smartphones but this time around we are looking at the just announced ZTE Axon Chinese model, meaning that it has a fingerprint scanner and some other minor differences than the international variant.

We wanted to say thanks for GIZTOP.com for sending the ZTE Axon for a review.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_2uUPzac90

ZTE Axon Fingerprint Model Review: CONCLUSIONS

So there you have, the ZTE Axon smartphone. To be honest, I don’t have any major complaints about this device and I believe that ZTE nailed it this time considering the price tag of $449.99 via third-party resellers.

It all starts with a beautiful design and a great choice of premium materials, which include  metal, plastic and glass. No one will make a mistake this is a flagship quality smartphone.

Also, the device has a great display, fast and fluid UI and awesome overall performance.

In addition, the ZTE Axon has plenty of really nice features that work great like a fingerprint and retina scanners, tons of customisation options and the state of the art Hi-Fi audio experience, and much more.

The 13MP/2MP camera combo on the back works great in the daylight and its rich camera app allows you to play with lots of settings and shooting modes. The extra 2MP sensor not only looks nice on the back and makes other people think that the ZTE Axon is a killer camera phone, but also allows you to take some great looking images with the bokeh effect. However, the night shots could be better as a visible noise may ruin some images.

Finally, this is a great device that does not have any disadvantages that could be a deal breaker. For the price of $449.99 you are getting a phone that may not have the best battery life or the best low-light camera, but it is definitely a looker, performs great and will provide you with an amazing multimedia experience.

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We were present at the ZTE’s Axon event today and we do have some pictures as well as videos of the device (coming soon). We already mentioned the four new products that were going to debut at the event, namely the ZTE Axon, Axon Lux, Axon Watch and SPro2 smart projector. But alongside these new devices, the company also showcased the upcoming ZTE Axon Mini smartphone.

While we don’t focus a lot on the Mini versions of flagships, the Axon Mini will be a bit unique. Gizmochina’s Shine was present at the event and he says that’s the touch screen on the new Axon Mini is amazing. The phone features the world’s first 5.2-inch Super AMOLED display with force touch screen. Yes, it looks like ZTE beat Apple to develop the world’s first smartphone with force touch display. Apple iPhone 6S was rumored to come with this tech, but ZTE will probably launch the device much before that.

Force Touch screen is quite unique as compared to traditional panels in the sense that users can perform additional gestures just by varying the force with which they press the screen. Its not like your regular long press to open additional dialog which operates by taking into consideration how long your finger is on the screen. Instead, the force touch display can actually measure how hard you are pressing the display. It can differentiate between a light touch and a hard press. So, you can basically assign different functions for varying levels of touch.

It opens up a lot of possibilities, especially in case of apps. For example, he could try out the piano app on the Axon Mini and the sound varies on the basis of the pressure applied. A light touch on the key produced soft sound, while a hard touch produced a much louder tone.

Apart from this amazing feature, we have little details about the new phone. The Axon Mini will come in four different silver, gold, orange and pink. ZTE is expected to release it sometime in September.

Unfortunately, the company didn’t allow attendees to take pictures or videos of the Axon Mini. So, those who were not present at the event will probably have to wait until the phone is announced official.

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