ZTE Axon 7 is the company’s most popular device launched in May 2016. It has received proper updates and security patches since the past couple of years. Recently, ZTE started pushing the Android Oreo-based update for Axon 7, but it carried some issues. As per some users, these are the same issues that have been found in the beta version which was rolled with July Security patch a few months ago.

It seems ZTE didn’t rectify few issues in the beta build and rolled out the stable build to all the ZTE Axon 7 devices. It resulted in app crashes, overheating problems and users are having difficulty with connectivity. It also lacks support for the Daydream VR in the latest so-called “stable build”.

Recently, ZTE faced sanctions from the US government which restricted the company to operate in the mainstream market. As now the sanctions are lifted, ZTE has launched the Axon 9 Pro and has started testing the software builds in open beta.

The stable build is not available for download via OTA, and you need to sideload it via SD card. Surprisingly, you have to wipe your data and install the update on ZTE Axon 7. Well, it is quite strange that ZTE is rolling the stable update without an OTA support. Some users are reporting that the update brings an encryption issue which doesn’t decrypt the data on device’s partition irrespective of what pin was entered.

• Read More: ZTE Axon 7 Receives MiFavor 5.2 Update, Brings Android 8.0 Oreo

Well, whatever the reason is, ZTE should rectify all the bugs that have been reported by the users who have installed this build on their devices. We suggest you keep a hold on the update and wait for another stable update from ZTE. If you have already installed the update, then restart your device to fix data connection and a few other issues.

(Via, Source)

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LineageOS 15.1 which based on Android 8.1 Oreo now supports devices such as  ZTE Axon 7, LG G2, Xiaomi Redmi 4X and ZUK Z1. LineageOS is a boon for those who are looking for a feature-rich, light-weight ROM without any bloatware. There are plenty of features it carries that are unmatchable with any other custom ROM present for the Android devices.

LineageOS 15.1 is fully stable with the devices mentioned above and is fully compatible as like of Stock ROM. Most of the vital features are running such as VoLTE and IMS without any bug. It packs all Android Oreo features, including picture-in-picture (PiP) mode, Autofill apps, notification channels/snoozing, and support for themes.

As there’s no official confirmation about the Android 8.1 Oreo update for the devices mentioned above, LineageOS 15.1 will act as a medium to embrace Android 8.1 Oreo on them. It is the best option out there to replace your stock ROM with feature enriched and simple ROM. Here is the list of devices that have been recently added to the lineages 15.1 support:

• LG G2 (d800) AT&T
• LG G2 (d801) T-Mobile
• LG G2 (d802) International
• LG G2 (d803) Canada
• Xiaomi Redmi 3S/3X (land)
• Xiaomi Redmi 4/4X (santoni)
• ZTE Axon 7 (axon7)
• ZUK Z1 (ham)

We suggest you flash the official build of LineageOS 15.1 using the TWRP recovery. Also, before installing the LineageOS make sure to back up the whole system, as you may lose data while flashing the ROM.

Read More: LineageOS 15.1 Based On Android 8.1 Now Available For OnePlus One, Galaxy S5 Plus, And OPPO Find 7

LineageOS 15.1 is compatible with many other devices, and you can have a look at the compatible devices from here. Additionally, Your phone can be bricked if you did not follow the correct procedure or made a mistake.

So, how many of you are going to install the LineageOS 15.1 on your device?

The post LineageOS 15.1 extends support for ZTE Axon 7, LG G2, Xiaomi Redmi 4X and few more devices appeared first on Gizmochina.

Earlier, ZTE had revealed that the Axon 7 will be receiving the Android Oreo update. Now, the China-based company has announced that the users of ZTE Axon 7 in the United States can now register to be the part of the its Android Oreo beta program.

The company says that following “a request voiced by consumers”, the Android 8 Oreo update will bring a near-stock Android experience to the Axon 7. Further, the Android Oreo update will also offer improved battery life, faster boot speeds, picture-in-picture (PiP) mode, and more enhancements.

However, the company has not yet announced the exact date of release for the public update. The phone was originally announced with Android Marshmallow out-of-the-box. Later, the Axon 7 was upgraded to Android Nougat and now its slated to receive Android Oreo update.

The ZTE Axon 7 features a 5.5-inch display with 2K resolution, 2.5D curved glass and a layer of Gorilla Glass 4 protection on top. The phone is fuelled by a 3,250mAh battery, which also supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology.

Under the hood, the device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. It comes with a 20MP f/1.8 aperture camera with OIS and EIS on the rear side, while up front, there is an 8MP f/2.2 88-degree wide angle shooter.

Read More: Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo, ZTE, Nokia 5G Smartphones with Snapdragon X50 5G NR Arriving in 2019

Recently, ZTE CEO Cheng Lixin announced that the company’s next flagship phone will be called ZTE Axon 9 and not Axon 8 as the rumor mill has been speculating. It will be the company’s weapon to rival with the flagship phones from Samsung and Apple in the United States.

The post ZTE Axon 7’s Android Oreo Update To Offer Near-Stock UI And Improved Battery Performance appeared first on Gizmochina.

Recently, we reported that ZTE Axon 7 will be getting the Android Oreo update. While the company didn’t provide any timeline for the update, it was reported that the update will be available as soon as April this year.

Now, according to the new reports, the ZTE Axon 7 has now started receiving the Android Oreo Beta update in the United States. The first beta build has already been rolled out to the users who have been a part of the company’s beta program.

According to a picture posted on the ZTE forums by a community manager, the latest beta build looks very much similar to the stock Android rather than a heavily skinned version of the operating system. ZTE is reportedly calling its new UI skin as “Stock+UI”, suggesting that it will be a stock version of Android with some added features.

Currently, we don’t have access to the full changelog for this new update. But, it seems that the update comes with the latest January security patch. While there is still no information when the final build will be released, it is assuring to see ZTE is working hard to keep its promise.

The Android 8.0 Oreo comes with several new features such as Picture-in-Picture, smart text selection,  notification dots, Project Treble, and more. Going by the reported April timeline for the update, by the time the Android Oreo update starts hitting the Axon 7, the phone will be almost two years old, surpassing the two years time limit for rolling out major updates.

The ZTE Axon 7 features a 5.5-inch display with 2K resolution, 2.5D curved glass and a layer of Gorilla Glass 4 protection on top. The phone is fuelled by a 3,250mAh battery, which also supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology.

Read More: ZTE Reveals The Axon M Will Launch in China On Jan. 20 & Would Hit Europe Soon

Under the hood, the device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. It comes with a 20MP f/1.8 aperture camera with OIS and EIS on the rear side, while up front, there is an 8MP f/2.2 88-degree wide angle shooter.

(Source)

The post ZTE Axon 7 Starts Getting Android 8.0 Oreo Beta Update In The US appeared first on Gizmochina.

Earlier this week, we reported that ZTE confirmed that it will roll out the latest Android 8.0 Oreo update for the Axon 7 smartphone. However, the company refrained from providing any specific timeline for the said update at that time.

But, according to ZTE Germany, the Android Oreo update for the Axon 7 will be available from April next year. The company has also revealed that the update will have a new skin layer called “Stock + UI” which is expected to remove bloatware that was a part of the customer interface.

By the time the Android Oreo update starts hitting the Axon 7, the phone will be almost two years old, surpassing the two years time limit for rolling out major updates. The Android 8.0 Oreo comes with several new features such as Picture-in-Picture, smart text selection,  notification dots, Project Treble, and more.

The post ZTE Axon 7 Android 8.0 Oreo Update Expected To Arrive In April 2018 appeared first on Gizmochina.

Even though the Axon 7 smartphone is no longer in production, ZTE has confirmed that the phone will receive the Android 8.0 Oreo update. While the company has not provided any timeframe for this update, it is expected to roll out soon.

It appears that the China-based company is already working on the Android Oreo update for the Axon 7. The smartphone, which was originally launched in May last year, comes with Android Marshmallow operating system out-of-the-box.

In an official statement confirming the Android Oreo update for the Axon 7, ZTE said:

We are announcing now that we are already developing Android 8 for the Axon 7, your positive feedback has been inspiring us a lot and made us very happy and because of this we try to get it customer ready as soon as possible for the best customers in the world, and I ask for your understanding because we still need some time to perfect it.

Since the post regarding this was made on the European forum, we are expecting the update to first hit the devices in the European market. It is not known if the over-the-air (OTA) update will roll out to other regions.

The ZTE Axon 7 was ranked among one of the best affordable premium smartphone last year. It comes with a 5.5-inch display with 2K resolution, 2.5D curved glass and a layer of Gorilla Glass 4 protection on top. The smartphone has a 3,250mAh battery, which also supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology.

Under the hood, the device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. It comes with a 20MP f/1.8 aperture camera with OIS and EIS at the back, while up front, it has an 8MP f/2.2 88-degree wide angle shooter.

Read More: ZTE Blade A6 Max Images, User Manual Surface Through FCC Certification

A couple of months ago, ZTE confirmed that it is working on a successor of the Axon 7 but apart from that confirmation, no other information is available related to the phone. We will just have to wait until more information comes up.

(Source)

The post ZTE Confirms That Axon 7 Will Soon Receive Android 8.0 Oreo Update appeared first on Gizmochina.

When ZTE launched the Axon 7 smartphone last year, it was well received by the users as well as critics and thus became a major hit. It was among the most affordable premium flagship smartphones launched last year.

This year, everyone was looking forward to the successor of the Axon 7, but instead, the company launched ZTE Axon M last month  — a smartphone that features a foldable dual screen.

The launch of Axon M confused many people who started wondering if the company will launch the Axon 7 successor or not. A Twitter users Andrew Wallace tweeted directly to ZTE USA and inquired about the launch of the Axon 7’s successor. And the response received from the company confirmed that it is working on the Axon 7 successor.

In its response, the company that “there will certainly be a follow on to the incredibly successful Axon 7.” However, apart from the fact that there will be a successor to the Axon 7, we don’t know anything about it.

To remind you of the specs, the ZTE Axon 7 comes powered by a Snapdragon 820 processor, coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. It features a 2K 5.5-inch display with 2.5D glass and Gorilla Glass 4 protection on top.

Under the hood, the device has a 3250mAh battery and supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology. It comes with a 20MP f/1.8 aperture camera with OIS and EIS at the back, while up front, it has an 8MP f/2.2 88-degree wide angle shooter.

Given that there are no leaks surrounding its successor, we don’t expect it to launch this year. However, it could be launched in early 2018 but we’ll have to wait sometime to get more information regarding the Axon 7 successor.

The Axon 7 was one of the best smartphone in the premium affordable segment, competing against the OnePlus 3 and later OP3T. Its successor is also expected to fall in the same category of affordable premium devices.

Read More: ZTE Voyage 5 Launched, Packs 5000mAh Battery and ¥1199 Price

The development related to the Axon 7 successor comes at a time when OnePlus is gearing up to launch a successor to its flagship smartphone — OnePlus 5T. While the company has not yet revealed the launch date, a leaked teaser poster has revealed that the smartphone will be launched later this month, on 16th November.

(Source)

The post ZTE Confirms That It Will Launch Axon 7 Successor appeared first on Gizmochina.

ZTE is rumored to be working on a successor version of ZTE Axon 7 as a device from the company bearing a model number of A2018 has appeared on GFXBench benchmarking platform. The ZTE A2018 is speculated to launch as ZTE Axon 8.

According to GFXBench listing of ZTE A2018, the device features a 5.5-inch display that supports QHD resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. It is powered by Snapdragon 820 chipset that includes a 2.1 GHz quad-core processor and Adreno 530. The Snapdragon 820 chipset had powered several flagship phones in 2016 such as Samsung Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, LG G5, LG V20, OnePlus 3, HTC 10 and more.

The Snapdragon 820 chipset on ZTE Axon 8 is coupled with 4 GB of RAM. It will be coming with an internal storage of 128 GB. It will have a 12-megapixel rear snapper that will carry support for 4K video shooting. For shooting selfies, it will have an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. The ZTE A2018 is running on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow that is overlaid with ZTE’s own skin.

Since the ZTE A2018 has appeared on the benchmarking site, it seems that the company is testing the prototype of the upcoming ZTE Axon 8 before announcing it. Most of the new smartphones from known companies are releasing with Nougat OS. Hence, it is likely that ZTE could be using Marshmallow OS mainly for testing purpose and the Axon 8 may actually release with Nougat OS.

Read More: ZTE Nubia Z17 Hands On: Bezel-less Dual Camera Beauty!

It is interesting to note that even the ZTE A2018 is a successor of Axon 7, the specs like 5.5-inch QHD screen, SD 820 chip, 4 GB RAM that are available on the alleged Axon 8 is also available on the Axon 7. In May, the ZTE A2018 had appeared on TENAA, it revealed that the smartphone features a dual rear camera system that includes a 20-megapixel sensor and a 12-megapixel sensor.

However, the device that showed up on TENAA was powered by Snapdragon 821, a revised edition of SD 820. The SD 821 is present in some of the newer phones such as Google Pixel, Pixel, LG G6 and HTC U Ultra. Since the ZTE Axon 7 was announced in May 2016, It seems that the Chinese company would be announcing the ZTE Axon 8 very soon. Speculations also indicate that since it is not a major upgrade over ZTE Axon 7, the device will launch as ZTE Axon 7s.

(source|via)

The post ZTE Axon A2018 Spotted with Snapdragon 820, 4 GB RAM, 128 GB Storage on GFXBench appeared first on Gizmochina.

ZTE Axon lineup has been really popular since these phones bring a lot of value to the table. I reviewed the original Axon phone 1.5 years ago and I was really impressed with it given its price tag of about $400. Right now you can get this phone for as low as $170 and I believe this is one of the best smartphones you can buy at the moment. Learn more in our full review.

Buy ZTE Axon from Gearbest

ZTE Axon Review: VIDEO REVIEW

ZTE Axon Review: SPECS

ZTE Axon Review: UNBOXING

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ZTE Axon Review: USER INTERFACE

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The ZTE Axon runs MiFavor UI 3.2, which is company’s own take on the Android 5.0.2 Lollipop. Honestly, it is really frustrating that ZTE didn’t update this phone at least to Android 6.0.

The user interface has preserved the aesthetics of the stock Android but ZTE added quite a lot of its own by offering some extra features, kind of cartoonish looking icons and tons of customization options. As usual to the Chinese phones, there is no app drawer and all the apps sit on the home screens.

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ZTE added some functionality with the gesture controls. Also, you can customize the phone by changing transition effects, accent colors and so on.

The system ROM takes a hefty amount of 7.5GB. Fortunately enough, the device comes with the microSD card slot.

Overall, I am very pleased with how the UI works even though it is based on the outdated Android 5.0. Most importantly, the phone is fast and responsive on the daily basis.

ZTE Axon: BENCHMARKS

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ZTE Axon Review: CAMERA

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The camera app is fast and responsive, and it has tons of controls, shooting modes and features. You may take pictures using the auto-mode or choose the “SLR mode” to take a full manual control of the camera. A neat feature is that you can play with the aperture number as well.

In addition, the “SLR mode” allows you to use the secondary 2MP camera sensor and change the focus point and level of it after you take the picture. I was actually really pleased with the results you can achieve with the extra camera sensor. Well, sometimes pictures may look a bit artificial but other times you can get some really nice-looking images.

ZTE Axon Review: IMAGE QUALITY

If you consider that the ZTE Axon costs just $170, the image quality is one of the best in class.The daylight images look great as they have plenty of detail, colours look nice and pictures look sharp overall. Sometimes the dynamic range can be off, though.

The images taken indoors usually look good too but with a bit less lighting, a visible noise kicks in and the amount of detail goes down significantly, like on most of the phones.

As for the low-light shots, they look prety good for such a cheap phone.

I tried to play with the bokeh effect using the “SLR mode” to see what the secondary 2MP camera sensor is capable of. What I can say is that you can get some really nice-looking images but it will not happen all the time. Sometimes some objects may look a bit artificial. Still, this is one of the best dual camera setups on any budget smartphone.

DOWNLOAD FULL-RES CAMERA SAMPLES

ZTE Axon Review: VIDEO QUALITY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAmSKg02nwY

ZTE Axon Review: BATTERY LIFE

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The post ZTE Axon Review After 1.5 Years – Amazing Value for $170! appeared first on Gizmochina.

Last year popular open-source operating system for android devices, CyanogenMod announced it was shutting down. Following that, the company started afresh and became LineageOS. Over the past couple of weeks, they have announced builds for a number of devices. Today, they have added six new custom ROMs for  the OnePlus 3T, OnePlus 3, ZTE Axon 7 and three other devices.

The ROMs all have build number 14.1, a continuation from CyanogenMod’s 14.0, and are based on Android Nougat 7.1. The company has merged the files of the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T, so you will see it as one device. Alongside the ZTE Axon 7, the LG G3, Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0, Galaxy Tab S2 9.7, HTC One M7 (GSM) and HTC One M7 (Verizon) have also gotten LineageOS 14.1.

LineageOS stats shows that the ROM for the OnePlus One (Bacon) is currently the most downloaded with a total of 35959. It is followed by Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 3 (Snapdragon Variant) with 18835 downloads and Samsung’s Galaxy S5 with 17100 downloads.

READ MORE: DBS Designing’ Renders of the OnePlus 4 is a Dream: Runs LineageOS, Has 8GB RAM and Waterproofing

The list of devices currently supported are impressive. There is the Yu Yureka, the Xiaomi Mi Max, and even the Redmi 1s. If you own the OnePlus 3 or OnePlus 3T, you can check here for the download link.

(Source,via)

The post OnePlus 3T, ZTE Axon 7 and Three Others Get LineageOS appeared first on Gizmochina.

ZTE is definitely one of the most respectable Chinese smartphone makers since our reviews have already proven that the company is capable of producing some high-quality products. The ZTE Axon mini was released more than a year ago and it used to cost $300. Now you can grab it for just $150 but you can find a $10 off coupon code at the end of the article. Find out if the ZTE Axon mini is still a decent phone for the price in our full review.

Thanks to Gearbest 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. Inside of it you can find the charging plug, USB cable, a pair of earphones, which actually sound pretty good; SIM ejector PIN, some documentation and a hard plastic case.

ZTE Axon Mini: SPECS

ZTE Axon Mini: DESIGN

As far as the design, we are looking at 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 are made of plastic.

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, a 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 speaker quality is really good considering the price of the phone.

It may look that the Axon mini has a dual camera setup but it actually has just a one 13MP shooter with dual-LED flash.

Underneath the camera, there is a fingerprint scanner, which is easy to setup, accurate and it unlocks the phone straight from the standby mode.

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 an 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 the outdated Android 5.1. It is a bit frustrating that the ZTE didn’t update this phone to Android 6.0.

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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 the iris scanner but I’m not sure if this feature is actually needed since it uses the front-facing camera to scan your eyes, not the dedicated sensor. That means that this feature works well in daylight but not so great in lower-lit situations.

All in all, the UI runs fast and fluid but again, you have to live with the Android 5.1 for now but the good news is that the phone should receive the update to the Android 6.0 pretty soon.

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 chipset may be showing its age but it can still handle a lot of stuff.

The 3D games work well but you have to make sure that any power saving features are off. The graphics look nice 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 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 detail.

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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 level of detail is pretty low.

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8MP selfie shooter is pretty good and it will definitely do the trick 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 detail 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 camera but it has some shortcomings like most of the cheap phones.

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 after 1 year. I have to tell you that there is a lot to love about this phone for the price of just $140. A great design and all-aluminum 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.

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

While the camera can take some nice-looking pictures, it is not always reliable, especially when it comes to the low-light photography or video recording.

The biggest frustration is that the phone still runs on the Android 5.1 but there are some news that the Andoid 6.0 update is just around the corner, which is a great move by the ZTE, considering the fact that the phone is more than 1 year old.

At the end of the day, the ZTE Axon mini may not be the most powerful device even in this price range and it has a few shortcomings you have to consider but it is still quite a solid offering for such a low price.

The Gizmochina readers get a special discount with the Coupon: AXGB that lets you buy the ZTE Axon mini for $139.99 (limited 150 Pieces for this price!  Valid to Dec 31)

Phones at GearBest 13% OFF Coupon: GBMBP

The post ZTE Axon Mini Review 1 Year Later – A Great Option for just $140? appeared first on Gizmochina.

The ZTE Axon 7 was released back in May as the successor to last year’s Axon. It has two other siblings: the ZTE Axon 7 Mini and the ZTE Axon 7 Max that was announced last month. That should have been the end of it but surprisingly, ZTE launched an upgraded version of the Axon 7 yesterday.

The new Axon 7 doesn’t have any suffix like ”Pro”, ”Plus”, ”S” or ”T”. It sports the same 5.5-inches screen size, the same Snapdragon processor, and even the same 20MP rear camera. What is different is the RAM, built-in storage, and a new trick up its sleeve screen.

Not wanting to be left out of the 6GB RAM party, ZTE has upped the RAM on its flagship. It has also doubled storage to 128GB while still giving you the option to further expand it via a micro SD card. In addition, the Quad HD AMOLED display gets pressure sensitivity which is also available on the Mini variant.

All the features you love from the 4GB variant are still there like the dual front-facing speakers, fingerprint scanner, dual SIM slots, and the 3250mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0.

READ MORE: ZTE Project CSX Top Three Device Ideas Selected, Design Submissions Begin

The new Axon 7 is priced at $499.98 (~¥3445) which means you are paying $100 more for more RAM, double storage, and a force touch display.

The post ZTE Axon 7 Gets 6GB RAM Variant: Doubles Storage and Adds Pressure Sensitive Screen Too appeared first on Gizmochina.

The market is full of flagship smartphones but most of them are pretty expensive. Last year the Chinese giant ZTE brought us the Axon phone that was a great all-around device. This year, we have a successor, which is called the Axon 7. It sports a familiar design and it has a lot of flagship-grade features for less than $400. Learn more in our full ZTE Axon 7 review.

Visit the official ZTE Axon 7 product page

ZTE Axon 7 Review: VIDEO REVIEW

ZTE Axon 7 Review: UNBOXING

ZTE just nailed the presentation as the phone comes in a premium box. The contents include all the usual stuff and some extras include a pair of decent sounding earphones, a micro USB adapter and a soft TPU case.

ZTE Axon 7 Review: SPECS

ZTE Axon 7 Review: DESIGN and DISPLAY

The Axon 7 is one of those phones that you simply want to hold it in your hand. It is made entirely of metal and the build quality is just top-notch.

Its rounded corners on the back make the phone comfortable to hold. Sure, the aluminum shell is a bit slippery but I always prefer metal over glass since it does not attract fingerprints and looks more premium.

The phone sports a 5.5” 2k resolution Amoled panel, which is sharp, vivid and it is a flagship-worthy display.

An 8MP camera is here for selfies and just below it, there is a notification LED light.

The capacitive navigation keys can be customized but they are not backlit, which is a bit strange decision by ZTE.

A good decision though is the front firing stereo speakers, which are just fantastic. The sound is balanced and rich, and the speakers can get really loud.

The phone sports a powerful 20MP camera with a bright f/1.8 aperture, OIS and LED flash.

The fingerprint sensor is very accurate, fast and it works from the standby mode. Also, you can use your fingerprint for other features, e.g. assign any app to your fingerprint and it will open up straight from the standby mode.

All the buttons are on the right, they are tactile and easy to press.

The sound quality via the headset jack is just fantastic and that is thanks to the built-in Hi-Fi audio chip and Dolby Atmos sound system. You can clearly hear the difference once you listen to the 32-bit audio.

ZTE Axon 7 Review: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

When it comes to the sheer power, the Axon 7 is no slouch either. It comes with a Snapdragon 820 chip, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, which can be further expanded via the microSD card slot.

As expected, gaming performance is excellent. The phone handles all 3D games without any issues.

Also, I didn’t notice any overheating issues.

ZTE Axon 7 Review: BENCHMARKS

ZTE Axon 7 Review: USER INTERFACE

As for the user interface performance, the phone runs fast and fluid on a daily basis and so far I didn’t have any hiccups or lag. The phone runs on the MiFavor 4.0, which is a pretty nice implementation of Android 6.0.

As it has become usual to most Chinese phones, there is no app tray. There are some basic customization options that allow you change transition effects and so on.

Also, you can select from a few different themes, use the Mi Pop button if you want, use gesture and motion controls that work well or adjust the display color temperature.

Finally, the phone has a few built-in apps like a toolkit if you need to measure things.

ZTE Axon 7 Review: CAMERA

The camera app is pretty simple and easy to use. The phone can take pictures very fast but it takes a fraction of second to process the image as the phone has to deal with 20MP after all.

We have a few shooting modes that include a full manual mode.

ZTE Axon 7 Review: IMAGE QUALITY

When it comes to the image quality, the 20MP camera can take some well-detailed and nice looking daylight images that have accurate color reproduction and sharpness.

The indoor and macro shots also look good but there is a little bit more noise in some of the shots.

The low-light camera performance is pretty good for a $400 phone. However, if we compare the Axon 7 to the top-tier flagships, there is a high amount of noise in all of the pictures and most of them look slightly underexposed. The phone is not the best in class for low-light photography (e.g. OnePlus 3 is a better performer) but it is definitely one of the best.

The Axon phone can shoot some awesome looking 4k videos that are very detailed and sharp. Also, I love the fact that the continuous auto-focus and OIS features work quite well during the video recording. See the video review for video samples.

An 8MP front-facing camera can take some detailed selfie images in good lighting but it is not so impressive in lower-lit environments.

Download full resolution camera samples

ZTE Axon 7 Review: CONNECTIVITY

I’ve used the Axon 7 in various locations to thoroughly test all the connectivity options. The phone performed well all the time whether | needed to make a call or use the GPS to find my way home.

ZTE Axon 7 Review: BATTERY LIFE

The phone sports a beefy 3250 mAh battery but it has to power up a 2k resolution display and powerful internal hardware.

Still, the device has a great battery life. You can easily get 1 or 1.5 days out of this phone on a mixed use. That translates to approx. of 5 hours of screen-on time. Overall, I would say that the Axon 7 has a great battery life.

In case you need to recharge the phone, the Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 comes to help. I was able to fully charge the phone in just one hour, which is a fantastic result.

ZTE Axon 7 Review: CONCLUSIONS

The ZTE Axon is a very solid $400 phone that can rival even the most expensive flagships.

It has a great design and exceptional build quality, brilliant display, flagship-grade specs and good all-around performance.

The user interface has quite a few features to play with and the 3250 mAh battery will definitely get you through the day or more.

Also, the Axon phone will not disappoint you on vacation when you want to take a lot of daylight pictures but the low-light camera performance could be slightly better.

Speaking of low-light situations, the phone’s capacitive keys are not backlit for some reason. Also, the selfie camera will take better pictures if you are in good lighting.

At the end of the day, the ZTE Axon 7 is without any doubt one of the best $400 phones. In fact, it is one of those devices that has quite a lot of features that allow this phone to rival even with the most expensive flagships. For less.

Visit the official ZTE Axon 7 product page

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Antutu usually releases the top 10 phones for each month based on performance and they’ve made the list for the phones that scored the highest in July.

Taking the lead which shouldn’t be a surprise is none other than the OnePlus 3. The OnePlus 3 which scored a total of 140288 points features a Snapdragon 820 processor clocked at 2.2GHz, 6GB of RAM, and 64GB of ROM.

Coming in second is Vivo’s X5 Play Elite with a score of 138706. The X5 Play features the same processor as the OnePlus 3, but it is clocked lower at 2.15GHz. It also features 6GB of RAM but doubles the storage to 128GB and comes with a curved 2K display.

The LeEco Le Max 2 is the third best smartphone scoring almost 700 points less than the Vivo (138026). The LeMax 2 uses the Snapdragon 820 SoC with the same clock speed as the Vivo, 6GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. There is a 4GB RAM version with 32GB ROM as well and with the same 2K screen as its sibling.

RELATED: Huawei Mate 9 With Android 7 Spotted on GFXBench

ZTE’s Nubia sub-brand comes in at number 4 with the standard edition of the Nubia Z11. The phone scores a total of 137,685 points and is equipped with the same processor as the top 3, but features 4GB of RAM and 64GB of built-in storage.

Other phones that made it to Antutu’s list includes the Lenovo sub-brand ZUK Z2 Pro, Xiaomi’s Mi 5, the Samsung S7 Edge, Apple’s iPhone 6S and the Axon 7. Apple rounds off the list with their most recent phone, the iPhone SE.

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ZTE has been having a great year so far with the launch of the flagship ZTE Axon 7 and the $99 Zmax Pro which have both been getting positive reviews. But it seems the company has a new phone in the pipeline. The phone which was spotted on TENAA’s website goes by the name ZTE BV0730. Speculations say it is probably a new Voyage 5 phone.

Specifications

The phone will feature a 5.5” Full HD display in a metal body. It will come with Android 6.0, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of built-in space, a 13MP primary camera and an 8MP camera in front. The octa-core processor is clocked at 1.5GHz and should probably be the MT6750 found in the Blade A2. The volume rocker and power button are positioned on the right and a SIM tray is on the left. There is also a fingerprint scanner positioned below the LED flash.

There’s an amazing feature about the ZTE BV0730. It’s dimensions are 155 x 76.2 x 9.8 mm. The reason for the thicker body is because ZTE has put a 4900mAh battery to supply power. This is a first for ZTE as their phones are not known to feature large batteries. Even the Zmax Pro which has a 6” FHD screen comes with a 3400mAh battery.

READ MORE: Curved Panel of Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Leaked

There are no details on the release date and price yet, but we expect it not to be around the $200 mark.

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“We’re very excited by our achievement in Europe, especially given that there are so many other smartphone companies that are trying to gain popularity here,” said Jacky Zhang, CEO of EMEA and APAC, ZTE Mobile Devices. “As we continue to launch premium smartphones pegged with an affordable price tag, it makes it easier for consumers to try our devices. We are thankful for the support fans have given us and we’re confident that we’ll soon rise to number four in Europe.”

ZTE seems to be focused on the European market with its mid-range and high-end smartphones. This includes the company’s ZTE Blade as well as the high-end Axon series. The ZTE Axon 7 was recently released in China and the phone is quite the beast with advanced audio capabilities. The company confirms that the Axon 7 will be announced in Europe and it’s positive about the consumer demand for the device in the region. ZTE also revealed that it sold over 30 million Blade series smartphones by the end of 2015 and European regions such as Germany, France, Spain and UK were a few of the key markets.

The company has been increasing expansion activities in Europe in the past few months, establishing cooperation with large retailers for its smartphones. The company has even co-sponsored sports teams like the German football team, Borussia Mönchengladbach. In the next one and a half years, the company aims to increase its market share in Germany to 4%. Then there’s Spain, wherein the company enjoys a share of 4.4%. To further increase brand awareness, ZTE signed with Sevilla Football Club as the official smartphone partner and even sponsored the Copa del Rey Championship. Plus, there was the ZTE Experience Tour that we reported earlier that toured across Europe showing off the company’s smartphones.

So, it looks like ZTE’s promotions to increase its brand awareness in Europe are slowly paying off.

The post ZTE Was The Fifth Largest Smartphone Maker In Europe In Q1 2016 appeared first on Gizmochina.

The company released the new Axon 7 flagship, marketing it as a phone meant for audio and camera lovers. While we know, on paper, the phone features pretty good hardware, what matters end of the day is the real life performance. This is true especially in the case of the camera on board, as we have seen devices with large megapixels and aperture, but only to disappoint us in terms of real camera quality.

On paper, the ZTE Axon 7 camera is powerful, featuring a 20MP rear sensor with f/1.8 aperture, OIS and PDAF. The company says that the camera functions are similar to professional level SLRs. So, the camera is expected to be quite impressive.

Now, ZTE has released some official pictures taken from the ZTE Axon 7 and they look quite good. The color reproduction is excellent and there doesn’t seem to be any visible noise.

You can check the Axon 7 camera samples from down below.

A word of advice, these are official camera samples released by the company, and hence, we better wait for real life camera performance test to check out the actual quality of images taken from the phone.

We hope we can capture some sample images and videos from the phone soon. So stay tuned for more updates.

The post Official ZTE Axon 7 Camera Samples Revealed appeared first on Gizmochina.

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 has been teasing its upcoming ZTE Axon 7 flagship for the past few days. Now, this beast is official, which means we know the entire specs and features of the device, and they are quite impressive.

We were present at the unveiling and also got to play around with the device for some time which means we have our first impressions of the device as well. Here’s all the details about the Axon 7.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z35TYn5bf2E

First of all, ZTE Axon 7 is built from the ground up for audio lovers. In fact, the company has made Lang Lang, a pianist famous in China as well as worldwide, the brand ambassador of the new Axon flagship. The company reportedly consulted with music professors and set up a dedicated lab to develop and perfect the phone’s audio quality. So, there’s no doubt that ZTE is targeting music lovers with its new device.

ZTE will continue with a similar design philosophy on the new Axon 7 as the previous generation flagships. So, you get the same dual speaker design up front, with a curvier back to ensure that the phone fits well in your hand. We got a good hands on with the gold version of the device and it looked attractive. Needless to say, you know this is an Axon flagship the moment you lay your eyes on it. The display looks good and the bezels are quite thin as well. You see thin black borders around the screen, but they blend well with the display. The company teamed up with Designworks, a subsidiary of BMW group to perfect the phone’s design.

The volume and power buttons are located on the right side of the device, while the dual nano SIM / MicroSD card tray lies on the left. The back feaures the 20MP sensor with dual LED flash and a fingerprint sensor. Down below, you have the USB Type-C port and on top, the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack. You get dual microphones on the new device as well.

Coming to the specification, the ZTE Axon 7 comes with the powerful Snapdragon 820 quad-core chipset inside with two memory variants, 4GB RAM + 64GB storage, and 6GB RAM + 128GB storage. Both the versions come with MicroSD expansion support up to 128GB. Up front, the phone features a beautiful 5.5-inch 2K AMOLED 2.5D glass display which is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 4 generation. This translates into a pixel density of 558 ppi, which is quite impressive and ideal for VR.

At the back, the Axon 7 sports a large 20MP sensor with OIS and PDAF with f/1.8 aperture. The company claims that the camera comes with functions similar to SLR-quality camera to capture perfect pictures and videos. Up front, the phone comes with an 8MP shooter with f/2.2 aperture and smart beautification feature. Like we saw in the teasers, ZTE is focusing on the audio quality of its new Axon smartphone and it features built-in  dual Hi-Fi (AK4961 + AK4490). Further, you get Dolby Atmos Suround Sound as well. So, expect the audio performance to be great. In fact, in the teaser, we got to hear the audio from the device, so check that out from here.

The phone runs on the Android Marshmallow version with Mifavor 4.0 on top. It has a fingerprint sensor located at the back and features NFC as well. What’s interesting is that ZTE has decided to add Force Touch feature on the top-end 6GB RAM + 128GB version of the flagship. Inside, the Axon 7 houses a 3250mAh battery which comes with QC 3.0 support. All this, inside a 7.9mm body.

As for the pricing, the ZTE Axon 7 starts at 2899 Yuan ($441) for the 4GB RAM + 64GB ROM model. The 4GB + 128GB model retails at 3299 Yuan ($503) while the top-end 6GB RAM + 128GB ROM model retails at 4099 Yuan ($625).

The phone will be first released in China, followed by other regions like United States and Europe. You can pre-order the device in China starting May 26 from JD.com, and the phone goes on sale online and in person at stores from June 2. You have two color choices, gold and silver.

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A few hours back, we reported that ZTE seems to have put in a lot of efforts on the sound quality output of the upcoming ZTE Axon 7 flagship smartphone. The company’s Mobile Devices CEO Adam Zeng even revealed that they invited a couple of music professors to test out their new flagship. Now, the company has sent us their first teaser video for the Axon 7 and guess what, it gives us a real life glimpse of the sound quality of the new smartphone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRA5n6CNmHA

From what we could hear, the phone managed to playback the piano piece very well. In fact, only by the end of the video we realised that the music is being played on the speakers of the new Axon 7 flagship. So, looks like the audio playback via the speakers is going to be amazing. But considering this is an official teaser clip, we would like to wait for our real life experience with the new smartphone to reserve our final judgements. This video also confirms that the phone will come with dual speakers located on the front. As per the earlier information, the Axon 7 is going to feature the audio DSP codec AK4961 from AKM

So, what else can we make out from this teaser video? At the end of the video, we can see the logo of VR, which is a clear indication that the Axon 7 can be used in a VR headset as well. ZTE’s CEO had earlier revealed its interest in the field of virtual reality and the company’s decision to use a top-end Sharp 2K panel was influenced by this feature. With Hi-Fi sound and high resolution display on board, VR experience should turn out to be pretty impressive on the new smartphone.

We have already spotted the Axon 7 on TENAA, revealing key specs like Snapdragon 820 and 4GB of RAM. You can read more about it from here.

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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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We know that ZTE will soon release its new flagship in the Axon series, which according to the usual naming scheme should be called as the ZTE Axon 2. The company’s CEO has started to reveal a few details about the device recently like the presence of a new design and a high-resolution 2K display from Sharp. Now, the company has sent out invites for the phone’s launch event (we are invited as well) which will be held on May 26 in China. However, what’s really interesting about the invite is the name printed on it.

According to the invites sent out to the media, ZTE is actually going to release a new device that goes by the name of ZTE Axon 7. Now, this is really surprising given that the company’s Axon series is just a year old and logically it should be called as the Axon 2. So, why would the invite say Axon 7? At present, we have no clear answer. But it is likely that ZTE is going to skip the name Axon 2 and jump right on to Axon 7. This may be done to compete directly with the iPhone 7 series models releasing later this year.

The invite also reveals that the phone will come with good audio output. These were the words written on the invite (translated) “Listening to the heart of power”. From the picture leaked recently and the TENAA images, we know that the phone will come with front facing speakers. Also, we can expect Hi-Fi audio support as well.

As for the specs, thanks to the previous TENAA listing, we know the Axon 7 will come with Snapdragon 820 chipset under the hood with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. At the back, there will be a 20MP sensor, while up front, you get an 8MP shooter. There will be a 5.5-inch 2K display on board and the phone will run on Android 6.0.1.

Since the launch is just two weeks away, expect more details about this flagship in the coming days.

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