The ZTE Axon Pro is powerful, stylish and inexpensive, but the OnePlus 2 has a lower price and more compelling features. When ZTE announced in July that it would begin a new line of marquee handsets, we were skeptical. With a slew of decent but ultimately memorable mid-range smartphones under its belt, ZTE didn't strike us as a strong contender for the flagship arena.
But with the Axon Pro, its inaugural flagship device, we stand corrected. Sporting a Snapdragon 810 processor, a sharp 1440p display and a dual rear-facing camera, the unlocked handset boasts powerful specs at an ultra-competitive $500 price. The Axon Pro is also undoubtedly ZTE's best looking handset. UK and Australian launches for the phone have yet to be confirmed, but the US unlocked price converts to around £300 or AU$600.
In a vacuum, the device would be a top choice for a high-end smartphone. But ZTE isn't the only one offering top-tier handsets. The OnePlus 2, for instance, is another unlocked device that has even more persuasive hardware at $390. With such a strong alternative available, ZTE's flagship ambition unfortunately doesn't reach far enough.
Design
5.5-inch display with 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution 6.1 by 2.9 by 0.37 inches (154 by 74 by 9.4mm) 6.1 ounces (173 grams) The Axon Pro comes in three colors: blue, gold and silver, and it sports a polished metal body. A triangular webbed pattern decorates the device near the top and bottom bezels and around the rear cameras. Though it doesn't look as slim and sleek as some high-end Nubia handsets (a subsidiary of the ZTE brand), the Axon Pro still has a solid build quality.We especially liked how well the gold detail contrasted well with the blue variant, and how sleek and luxurious the entire gold version looked. Overall, ZTE took the time to elevate the phone's aesthetic, and the general quality is superior to what we've usually seen in mid- and top-tier devices from the company.
One thing to consider, however, is the handset's substantial size. With its expansive display, the phone isn't pocket-friendly, and for those who have a petite grip (like me), it's difficult to maneuver the Axon Pro with just one hand. This isn't a deal-breaker of course, but it's something to keep in mind. On the device's left edge is a SIM card slot and a thin volume rocker subtly textured by the same triangle motif. Up top is a 3.5mm headphone jack. About midway down the right spine sits a sleep-power button with a textured launch key for the camera follows right below.
On the bottom is a Micro-USB port for charging and transferring data.The display is coated with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, and its 1440p resolution means images and video are clear, and text looks refined. It's also sensitive and responsive to the touch, and when outside in direct sunlight with the brightness cranked all the way up, its viewing angles were adequately wide and we could comfortably see the images on the display as we moved the handset around.
Operating system (OS), apps and other features
Google Android 5.1.1 Lollipop OS Some apps include RockMyRun, Argus and Yahoo Sports High-fidelity audio and Dolby Audio technology The phone runs the Google Android 5.1.1 Lollipop and features two health related apps. One is Argus, a pedometer that tracks your steps throughout the day and is viewable directly on the lock screen. The other is RockMyRun, which plays music and playlists that match the tempo and rhythm of your run.If you swipe up from the center soft key, a dash page shows up with your playing music, favorite contacts, steps taken and a recent news headline. Other apps are Yahoo Sports; an app that lets you download keyboard themes called TouchPal; several task-managing apps and tools (like a calculator, an FM radio, a sound recorder, a video player and more); and a bunch of Google apps such as Maps, the Chrome Web browser, Photos and YouTube.
The Axon Pro has two audio chips inside and is equipped with high-fidelity audio technology for the in-ear speaker. Thanks to software from Dolby Audio and the JBL ear buds the device comes packaged with, listening to music and movies was robust and clear. Bass tones were deep and in general, audio sounded full and richly dimensional.
Camera and video
13-megapixel (bottom) and 2-megapixel (top) rear-facing cameras 8-megapixel front-facing camera Can record 4K video (rear) and 1080p video (front) Additional 2-megapixel rear-facing camera with OmniVision lens adjusts depth-of-field The rear camera is impressive and takes sharp, accurate photos. Colors are true to life, objects are in focus and photos maintain plenty of clear detail when zoomed in at full resolution. The camera works quickly, but every time you press a shutter, its viewfinder purposely becomes grayed out, so you do have to wait a beat between taking shots. However, if you want to take pictures in quick succession without having to pause, you can long-press the shutter button.
Video quality was also satisfactory. Playback was smooth and both moving and still objects were sharp. Recordings had accurate coloring, and the camera adjusted quickly to different lighting situations and focus areas. There was no noticeable lag between my moving of the camera and what we saw in the viewfinder. Finally, audio was particularly notable, especially in-ear playback.
The handset was able to pick up near and distant audio clearly and with depth, like the sound of a car door slamming a few feet away from me, a bicycle whizzing by, and even far-off traffic down the street. For more information on camera quality, click the photos below to view them at their full resolution.The camera has three shooting modes that you can switch between by swiping left and right. The default is "Auto," which includes HDR shooting, a timer, geo-tagging and antibanding options.
You can also apply eight Instagram-like filters in real-time, and toggle on a "focus lock" when recording video. The second mode is an all-encompassing umbrella "mode" that features six other tools for photos and videos: panorama, multi-exposure, manual, sport, slow motion and interval. Under this category, the manual option grants users the most control over their photos. Here you can change the shutter speed, ISO and exposure levels; access the six white balance options; and adjust the beauty meter (which changes the blurriness and softness of an object or face).
You can also display either the golden spiral or rule-of-three guidelines and choose among nine photo resolutions (ranging from 640x480 to 4,096x3,072-pixel resolution) and five video sizes (from a MMS text video to 2160p 4K video). The third mode is "Bokeh" and it works with the top (2-megapixel) camera on the device's rear. With this mode, you can adjust the depth of field of your photos before you take a picture using the f-stop dial on the bottom of the viewfinder (it ranges from f8 to f1).
Shooting with Bokeh lets you edit after you snap the shutter, too, such as increasing or decreasing the level of blurriness in your images and changing the object in focus altogether. (That is, you can shift the focus to objects in the fore-, mid- or background.) This feature is nothing new, and we've seen it before in previous high-end (Nokia) Lumia, HTC, Samsung and LG handsets. Still, having the effect is a nice goodie, and it adds a pleasing touch of drama to your pictures.
There are tons of other camera tools that photography enthusiasts will find worthy of exploring. For example, you can adjust the brightness of the flash, which is unique and useful if you don't want the light to come off as too harsh in a given environment. Other features include smile detection and a beauty meter with the front-facing camera, a 4x digital zoom and the ability to pause recording and take pictures while shooting video.
Performance
2GHz octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor from Qualcomm 32GB of internal storage (with no expandable memory) 4GB of RAM 3,000mAh embedded battery The octa-core processor is fast enough to carry out daily and necessary tasks swiftly. Launching and quitting apps, calling up the keyboard, and swiping through the app drawer was smooth and quick. In addition, it takes about 26 seconds to shut down and restart the phone, and 1.47 seconds to launch the camera.Compared to other high-end devices sporting a Snapdragon 810 processor, the Axon Pro was on par with its competition. On 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited, it outperformed both the OnePlus 2 and HTC One M9. However, it had the lowest single-core Geekbench 3 result, with the OnePlus 2's 1.8GHz CPU scoring the highest on both single- and multi-core tests.Battery life The phone's battery has an estimated talk time of 12 hours and standby time of 10 days.
During our own lab tests for battery drain, it lasted an average of 8 hours and 8 minutes for continuous video playback. The phone does have a battery-saving mode that you can toggle on in the Settings menu, and it also features Quick Charge 2.0 technology from Qualcomm. The completely drained battery took about an hour and a half to fully charge with its stock charger. By comparison, the One M9, which has a smaller 2,840mAh battery, lasted a tad longer at 8 hours and 40 minutes. And while we don't have the OnePlus 2's results yet, it does sport a bigger 3,300mAh battery.
Call quality and data speeds
GSM/EDGE: (850/900/1800/1900MHz)LTE B2/B4/B5/B12/B17/B29/B30 LTE IR B7/B3/B1/B13
Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac; 2.4 and 5GHz
Call quality was satisfactory, with connection being strong and consistent. Our calling partner were easy to understand, and we didn't hear any extraneous buzzing or static noises. Volume range, however, could have been louder. When we initially picked up the call on medium volume, our partner's voice was too quiet. Though we were able to hear them just fine after increasing the volume, it was still considered too "soft" for a voice on maximum volume. Likewise, when we switched to audio speaker, we would have preferred the volume to be much louder.
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