ZTE Blade A7 Prime smartphone review with key features

The Chinese brand ZTE decided to please buyers with a budget novelty with a classic look, thin bezels and good performance. The ZTE Blade A7 Prime is an entry-level smartphone that will hit the markets in November-December 2019. Why is the model good? What are the main characteristics? Let's analyze in detail according to the available data.

A bit of history

The company was founded in 1985. For 2011, the telecommunications equipment manufacturer ranked second in China. 13 research institutes of the company are located in 4 countries of the world. 1/10 of the income per year is allocated to new developments. 10 years ago, about 2,000 patent applications were registered with the World Organization. During its history, ZTE has filed over 33,000 patent applications. Today the company is one of the main holders of world-class patents. The partners are Qualcomm, Microsoft, Alcatel, Intel, IBM and other well-known brands.

ZTE Blade A7 Prime

The novelty can be purchased for a user of any age and position. A device with basic functions will suit an ordinary schoolchild, a successful businessman for telephone conversations, and elderly people. The cost of the model is from 6 600 rubles.

Network technologies and communications

The device works on all major standards: 2G in the bands GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900, 3G bands HSDPA 850, 1700, 1900, 2100 and on 4G LTE bands, in the range from 700 to 2100. Data transfer speed over the 3G network is determined by the size 42.2 x 5.76 Mbit / s, on LTE - 150 x 50 Mbit / s.

The gadget works on one or two SIM cards the size of Nano-SIM, with dual standby. Wireless connections include Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n, access point; Bluetooth 4.2. Wired communications contain 3.5 mm jacks for headphones, micro-USB input version 2.0, supports OTG, type C 1.0 reversible connector. If necessary, you can use GPS navigation with A-GPS.

Appearance, design, ergonomics

The device case has the following dimensions: height - 156.7 mm, width - 72.9 mm, thickness - 8.1 mm. The small size, thick smartphone looks harmonious and impressive. It fits in the hand comfortably, without stress. With a weight of 165 grams, it is comfortable to hold and call on it. Compact size allows you to use the gadget with one hand and on the go. A monoblock with a classic boat shape, tapering from the center to the edges, a plastic cover in silver tones, matte, as if sprinkled with sand. The display is framed by a thin aluminum frame. Despite the low cost, thin frames on the sides and in the upper part are visible on the screen, the chin is not too wide at the bottom. The smartphone's camera hides in a neat little blob on the display. A protective Gorilla Glass is installed on top of the display. There is also an oleophobic coating in the form of a thin nanometer film deposited on glass using the vapor deposition method. It repels drops of moisture, grease, cosmetics from the screen. Screen prints are erased very quickly, the film ensures smooth sliding of fingers. An event LED is mounted above the display. Nearby is a speaker for conversations.

On the left side there is a slot for cards, on the left there is a button for adjusting the sound level and a power button marked in red. If the smartphone is used by a person with poor eyesight, the button will be visible in any case. The manufacturer placed the main camera unit together with the flash in the upper left part of the back cover. In the center there is a proprietary abbreviation ZTE, above it is an optical fingerprint scanner. At the top there is a headphone jack, at the bottom there is a micro USB jack for charging, connecting a flash drive, OTG format is supported.

Screen

The size of the capacitive screen has a universal aspect ratio of 19.5: 9. Diagonal 6.09 inches, usable area 91 sq. Cm. If we consider the screen in relation to the body of the device, it is almost 80%. The increase in usable area due to the display in the budget segment looks interesting, as in expensive models. If you put on an opaque case on your smartphone, you can give the device a solid appearance and protect the case from fingerprints, scratches and mechanical damage. The touchscreen display has a resolution of 720 x 1560 pixels, at a density of 282 dpi (HD + size). Matrix type - IPS LCD. 16 million shades and colors are supported. Such matrices are installed by all manufacturers on budget smartphones: matrices are of high quality and reliability at a low cost. IPS - matrices differ from the latest, more expensive Oled and Amoled in response time after touching. In IPS, it is slightly larger, but this fact remains invisible to the human eye.

The picture looks smooth and pleasant, there is no special graininess, the color rendition is good, with natural shades. You can watch photos, videos and films, read books on your smartphone. If we compare the ZTE Blade A7 Prime, for example, with the Xiaomi Redmi 6A, the color reproduction quality is the same in both models. White in Blade is less dirty, lighter, without any blotches. Of particular note is the wide range of brightness of the model in question. The minimum settings are sufficient to comfortably sit in the dark, the maximum settings are so bright that sometimes they do not allow you to see the picture behind the bright sunlight, if you look at the screen at a right angle.

Processor and memory

The Mediatek MT6761 Helio A22 chipset is tuned to the 12nm process. The processor consists of 4 identical Cortex-A53 cores, clocked at 2.0 GHz. The PowerVR GE8320 graphics processor is responsible for the smoothness and speed of flipping through menu tabs, pages in the browser. For stable system operation, these characteristics should be enough. The model belongs to the Android One series - it runs on a pure Android system version 9.0 (Pie). There are no gluttonous shells. Processes start quickly. The menu is familiar, the applications are standard, with convenient access. Sometimes you can notice the animation jams, but the device is not intended for solving serious problems.

The RAM of the smartphone is 3 GB. Menus and tabs open quickly, work goes without freezing, you can simultaneously open and run several programs or applications at once. It will run light games at minimum settings. If you want to use the device as a regular phone, with entries of numbers in the phone book, the built-in memory of 32 GB will do. It is not necessary to expand it. When saving a lot of photos, videos and other multimedia files, it is beneficial to add extra storage. The removable slot has a separate tray for installing a microSD memory card. The device memory can be expanded up to 1 TB.

Multimedia and additional features

The smartphone has two cameras - the main one on the back cover and the front one in the form of a drop on the display. Both cameras take photos and videos. The main camera works on a 16 MPix lens, with an aperture of f / 2.0, with autofocus. Photographing is allowed in the HDR high-quality picture mode, in panoramic mode, with an LED flash in places where brightness is simply needed. The output video is 1080 pixels x 30 frames per second. The main camera is suitable for photographing text. The disadvantage lies in the long autofocus.The pictures are very bright. The front camera is installed in a single unit. Its resolution is 5 MPix, aperture is f / 2.2. The modes can be seen in the menu. The parameters are not quite suitable for selfies, they are designed for video calls and Skype calls.

Additional features include an accelerometer, LED event indicator, proximity sensor to save battery power; rear fingerprint sensor. Added floating navigation buttons, screen recording function.

Speakers and sound

The earpiece is located at the top next to the display. The main multimedia speaker is fixed on the back cover in the lower left part. Hence the disadvantages of this model follow: the sound is muffled if the phone lies on a pillow or any other soft surface. The loudspeaker is of the middle range, but of good quality, the sounding of melodies is loud enough, messages will be heard. At the bottom end there is a single microphone, without an additional one, with an active noise suppression function, which is why speech may not be heard clearly in windy weather.

Battery

The smartphone has a non-removable medium-capacity battery with a size of 3200 mAh. For such dimensions, with active use, the charger lasts for a day.

Model Specifications

• classic appearance;
• ergonomic;
• compact, can be used with one hand;
• multifunctional;
• budget price;
• excellent value for money, characteristics and quality;
• thin frames for a budget model;
• excellent color rendering with pure white;
• high-quality IPS-matrix;
• the screen is protected by glass and an oleophobic coating;
• loud speaker;
• convenient menu.

• in bright sunlight, the picture is not visible at maximum brightness settings;
• the main speaker is located on the back cover, so the sound can be muffled;
• cameras with the declared resolution are more suitable for calls in messengers and skype;
• average quality of photos;
• the resolution of the main camera is less than stated by the manufacturer;
• long autofocus.

Conclusion

A budget smartphone with a loud speaker, mid-range cameras, and good color rendering of an IPS matrix will become a reliable assistant during calls and negotiations. Thin bezels make the device look solid and expensive. Manufacturers have invested in the cost of the device as much as possible. The model is similar to the previous version of ZTE Blade A7 2019. The difference lies in three main indicators: A7 Prime has more memory, an optical fingerprint scanner is added, and a more efficient processor is installed. We are looking forward to the appearance of new items on the shelves of telecom stores and in online stores.