We were expecting a flagship smartphone from ZTE at MWC 2016, but the company surprised us all by unveiling two new mid-rangers in its popular Blade series. Like the other models in the lineup, the ZTE Blade V7 comes with mid-range specs with a premium design, attracting customers who are looking for a good looking, value for money smartphone.

We had the opportunity to get our hands on the ZTE Blade V7 at MWC 2016 and here’s our initial impressions.

The first thing you notice when you take the Blade V7 in your hands is that the phone looks strikingly similar to the new iPhone models. It comes with 2.5D curved screen up front, with a slightly curved back as well. Further, the positioning of the speakers and microphones gives it a similar look to the new iPhone 6S Plus.

Don’t get me wrong, the phone is well built and fits well in your hand, but its just that it reminds you that the design is not exactly original. But once you get over it, the device as a whole starts to impress.

The power button is located on the right side and the SIM card slot lies on this side as well. The slot is hybrid which means you can insert a MicroSD card in one slot, which transforms your phone into a single SIM device.

The Blade V7 comes with a compact 5.2-inch display with FHD 1080p resolution. Under the hood, the company went with the MT6753 octa-core chipset clocked at 1.3GHz. This is a tried and tested processor, that powers most Chinese mid-rangers in the market. There’s 2GB of RAM on board, 16GB storage and 13MP rear camera with PDAF and dual LED flash. You get a 5MP front facing shooter as well. The phone comes with the latest version of Android 6.0 Marshmallow and features 2500mAh battery.

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