The approach of spring stimulates the emergence of fresh technical ideas, for which there is still no shortage in the world of smartphones. The end of February is marked by a premiere boom, causing considerable excitement, primarily among developers seeking to realistically assess their commercial prospects for 2016. Each gadget manufacturer voices its own melody of spring, which is quickly picked up by an army of thousands of fans. Presenting to the public smartphone ZTE Blade V7, ZTE did this too. But what exactly does the newcomer from the Celestial Empire carry within himself, we will now try to find out.
Not alone, and therefore not weak
Sharing the traditions of other smart families ZTE Blade V7 arrived at the exhibition not alone, but with the support of his younger brother ZTE Blade V7 Lite, which only gave him confidence. Even before finding out what was hidden under the cover of a durable metal case, the public had the honor of seeing a phone model, the thickness of which in some places does not exceed 3.5 mm, and on average no thicker than 7.5 mm. And this is actually not typical. Someone even found something in common with the iPhone 6 in appearance. It is assumed that the device will primarily receive recognition from young people or those who consider themselves to be one of them.
Face to face
The front decoration of the device running Android Marshmallow 6.0 is a 5.2-inch matrix with a resolution of 1920x1080p, which is under the reliable protection of 2.5D glass, ending with smooth curves of the profile. It's not new, but it's still fresh and relevant. In front there is only one control key in the form of a ring, a speaker and a microphone.
As a working basis, the manufacturer chose the MediaTek MT6753 chipset, which has 8 cores and operates at a frequency of 1.3 GHz. The presence of 2 GB of RAM, behind which there is a 16 GB potential of the internal storage unit, plus a reserve in the form of a microSD slot, which can be occupied by a second SIM card if desired, also looks optimistic. In one word, the smartphone’s cameras are good: the main one with a resolution of 13 megapixels and phase detection autofocus (PDAF), the front one – 5 megapixels. Note the expanded functionality of Smart Sense gesture control.
A 2500 mAh battery will allow you to stay in the company of the gadget without recharging for about a day and a half or a day in intensive use.
Market prospects
It is no secret that the device occupies a position closer to the middle of the functional vertical and with all its nature proves that this is its place, no matter what market it finds itself in. Most likely, domestic users will see this product later than V7 Lite, whose debut in Russia is scheduled for spring.
Appearance
As they say, “you meet people by their clothes.” Let's look at the box. The packaging design, in my opinion, has changed and become better. In the box you can find a power supply with a cable for connecting to a computer, a manual and a “clip” (a key to remove the SIM card tray).
The body of the smartphone is metal, the specifications indicate that it is made of aluminum. The case is non-separable, which affects its strength. The assembly is “at the level” - nothing creaks or plays. There are plastic pads on the top and bottom of the back that appear to be designed for better connectivity.
The phone size is the most standard: 5.2-inch screen, with a medium-width frame. If your fingers are not short, then you can easily operate with one hand.
The screen is protected by 2.5D glass - smooth edges are pleasant to the touch. Apparently, the glass has a good oleophobic coating, as a result of which prints can be easily wiped off with a napkin. Otherwise, the front side looks standard - three touch buttons at the bottom, a speaker with a camera at the top. By the way, the touch buttons are backlit. There is also a message indicator in the top left corner.
The display has FullHD resolution, which gives a high pixel density. Good viewing angles are provided by an IPS matrix made using OGS technology (without an air gap between the touch glass and the matrix). The smartphone uses MiraVision screen technology, which allows you to adjust brightness, contrast, saturation and color temperature.
The lock button and SIM card tray are on the right, and the volume control buttons are on the left.
At the top there is a jack for connecting a headset or headphones. The bottom end is “copied” from the iPhone - a speaker, microphone and charging connector.
I was pleased with the back panel - it is matte and does not slip in the hand. What’s remarkable is that there are no fingerprints left on it.
The touch screen supports five simultaneous touches.
Comparison with Samsung Galaxy J5
The ZTE Blade V7 smartphone can be compared with the Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016) according to several criteria (price, appearance, characteristics). At retailers they cost almost the same. How does the ZTE device differ from the “more branded” Samsung?
Appearance
The sizes and appearance are almost the same. But here it’s all about the details. For example, ZTE's 2.5D glass looks nicer due to its rounder edges. ZTE's cover is not as easily soiled as Samsung's.
Screen
The matrices of the ZTE Blade V7 and Samsung Galaxy J5 are made using different technologies. If ZTE uses IPS, then Samsung uses sAMOLED. Both technologies have their pros and cons. If you don’t go into technical terms, the difference is insignificant - basically the color rendition is slightly different. The J5's Super AMOLED is slightly more economical and produces high-quality blacks, while IPS produces “true” whites. Brightness and viewing angles are approximately the same.
Other
The software is almost the same: Android 6 and several proprietary applications.
If you compare the characteristics of V7 from J5, you can see:
- J5 has only 4 cores, unlike V7 which has 8 cores.
- The V7's front camera has more megapixels (8 versus 5).
- The battery is 600mAh smaller than the J5.
- The screen is different. Samsung's screen is made using SuperAMOLED technology and has an HD 720p resolution.
Results
In terms of characteristics and appearance, Samsung loses. Both devices work quickly, but in “cool” games they slow down, but in practice the J5 has some advantages: the J5’s camera works much better (photos are better under the same conditions), the GPS works stable and fast, the battery life is longer, there is NFC (wireless payment) ).
Software part (OS and installed applications)
It runs an Android 6 smartphone with ZTE's MiFavor shell. Everything works smoothly and quickly, there are no slowdowns or freezes. Android is almost no different from many other devices. The smartphone has standard applications (calculator, gallery, Google suite), several applications from ZTE (Support, Backup) and a couple of useful applications (antivirus and memory cleaner application).
In the settings, you can swap the positions of the side touch buttons and enable control gestures.
The windows with application requests to the phone’s internal resources (camera, memory, messages, etc.) are a little annoying. Some applications refuse to open or perform certain functions until you add permissions for the application in the settings. But this is rather a feature of the sixth Android, which was done for the security of the OS.
Photo
The ZTE Blade V7 phone has two cameras: 13 megapixels - the main one and 8 - the front one. The cameras are standard for smartphones, but the photo quality is terrible. The front camera does not have autofocus and is only intended for video calls.
The main camera only takes good pictures in very good lighting. In room lighting, noise appears, autofocus begins to miss, and photographs may be blurry. You can change some parameters in the settings, but the quality will not improve. To get a good photo you need to be “confused.”
So we won’t dwell on the camera, we’ll just show a few photos of an attempt to photograph a cat in a room.
Hardware
ZTE Blade V7 is powered by a MediaTek MT6753 chip with a Mali-T720MP2 video accelerator. These are eight cores with a frequency of 1.3 GHz, 2 GB of RAM.
AnTuTu Benchmark v6.1 produces about 3FPS; normal game requires more than 30FPS.
Antutu Benchmark v6.2.1 shows 33,217 points.
The game Asphalt 8 is slow, the phone is clearly too weak for this game. There are no problems with video - FullHD videos open and play without lag.
There is enough hardware to easily carry out any daily activities (calls, communication on social networks, searching for information in the browser) and play not very demanding games. New “cool” games, if they launch, will slow down.
When playing games, the smartphone heats up noticeably, it feels like about 35-40 degrees.
Connection
There are no problems with communication, the phone works reliably in 4G. You can install two SIM cards in the device (one is a micro-SIM format, the second is a drawable one). A combination slot is used, where instead of a microSIM you can put a microSD memory card.
Problems emerged when I tried to use GPS - it did not want to show my location. Maybe I got a defective smartphone, but judging by the reviews, it has a weak transmitter, even though it supports GLONASS technology.
Memory
In a smartphone, out of 16 gigabytes, 10.5 GB are available to the user. This is enough for all everyday needs, as well as for several games or movies. You can use a memory card up to 128GB instead of one SIM card. You can connect a flash drive via an otg cable.
The smartphone has 2GB of RAM.
Autonomy
The ZTE Blade V7 has a 2540mAh battery or almost 10Wh. In normal mode (WiFi, calls, social networks, video) it will easily last for a day or two. If you watch a video on YouTube, the smartphone will sit down in 7-8 hours.
The device charges in two hours.
Results
In terms of characteristics, the smartphone does not stand out in any way. But it differs from other mid-range devices in its design - it’s pleasant to hold in your hands.
pros
- Metal body;
- Android 6.0;
- Cute design;
- Oleophobic display coating, the device does not collect fingerprints;
- Smooth operation of the MiFavor shell;
- High-quality display picture.
Flaws
- Combined SIM card slot;
- Weak autonomy;
- Weak GPS signal;
- "Weak" cameras.
ZTE Blade V7 A stylish new product in a thin metal case with powerful characteristics. The smartphone is equipped with a powerful eight-core processor and two GB of RAM and is capable of completing any task. Work for ZTE Blade v7 with resource-intensive applications and run demanding Android games without freezing or stuttering.
Basic characteristics ZTE Blade V7 Dual Sim: two SIM cards, 5.2 inch Full HD screen, powerful 8-core processor with a frequency of 1300 MHz, Android 6 operating system, 2540 mAh battery, main 13 MP camera, 16 GB of internal and 2 GB of RAM.
Clear screen image from any angle, large 5.2 inch screen ZTE Blade v7 high resolution 2.5D design provides a great picture on the display. Read e-books, watch movies and browse the web with ease for your eyes. Support for two SIM cards allows you to save on communication services, select favorable tariffs, including for the Internet, and use one SIM card for personal calls and the second for work. High-speed Internet on the ZTE Blade V7, work in 4G LTE networks provides the Internet at enormous speed, download files or watch online videos without any slowdowns.
Built-in memory ZTE Blade V7 is 16 GB plus expandable via memory cards. Also, for lovers of selfies and video calls, the smartphone has a powerful front camera with a resolution of 8 megapixels. Powerful specs, a large screen, the latest operating system, dual SIM cards and the latest mobile technology, all packed into a slim metal body.
Full specifications, and user reviews See ZTE Blade V7 below.
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Full specifications of ZTE Blade V7. ZTE Blade v7 specifications.
- SIM card quantity: 2
- SIM card format: Nano-SIM
- Housing material: aluminum
- Operating system: Android 6.0
- Processor: 8-core 1.3 GHz / MediaTek MT6753
- Display: 5.2 inches / Full HD 1920 x 1080 / 424 pixels per inch
- Camera: 13 MP / flash
- Front camera: 8 MP
- Video camera: Full HD video recording
- Battery: 2540 mAh
- Talk time:
- Standby time:
- Built-in memory: 16 GB
- RAM: 2 GB
- Memory card: Micro SD up to 32 GB
- Bluetooth: 4.0
- Wi-Fi: yes
- Wi-Fi hotspot: yes
- Navigation: GPS/GLONASS
- 3G: supports
- 4G LTE: supports
- Sensors: accelerometer/gyroscope/light/proximity
- Music player: yes
- Radio: FM radio
- Speakerphone: yes
- Color: Silver, Gold, Gray
- Dimensions: (H.W.T) 146 x 72.5 x 7.95 mm.
- Weight: 136 grams.
Inexpensive model in a metal case with a fingerprint scanner
This spring, at the International Mobile Congress (MWC 2016) in Barcelona, the Chinese company ZTE presented its two new smartphones Blade V7 and Blade V7 Lite. From the names it is logical to conclude that the models are related to each other, and the prefix “Lite” for the second means “lightweight,” or, simply, a simplified version of the first. We'll get to know the older model a little later, but for now let's turn our attention to the younger model Blade V7 Lite. Everything is simple with her: she enters the Russian market without much delay, and under her own name. It is worth recalling that its immediate predecessor Blade V6, which we met under the name Blade X7, had several names at once, and was known under different names in different parts of the world. It should also be especially noted that our market was the first where the Blade V7 Lite was launched for sale. The smartphone is inexpensive, and in some ways it is even more interesting than the older model - this, at least, concerns the fingerprint scanner and the front camera with a higher resolution. You can find out all the other details from our review of the ZTE Blade V7 Lite.
Key Features of ZTE Blade V7 Lite (V0720)
- SoC MediaTek MT6735P, 4 cores ARM Cortex-A53, 1 GHz
- GPU Mali-T720
- Operating system Android 6.0
- Touch display IPS 5″, 1280×720, 294 ppi
- Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 16 GB
- Nano-SIM support (2 pcs.)
- microSD support
- FDD-LTE Band 1,3,5,7,8,20 networks; TDD band 40
- Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct
- Bluetooth 4.0
- GPS, A-GPS
- USB 2.0, OTG
- Camera 13 MP, f/2.0, autofocus, 720p video
- Front camera 5 MP, f/2.2, fixed. focus, flash
- Proximity sensor, light sensor, accelerometer, geomagnetic, fingerprint scanner
- Battery 2500 mAh
- Dimensions 144×70×7.9 mm
- Weight 136 g
Contents of delivery
ZTE Blade V7 Lite comes in a small rectangular box made of hard matte cardboard. The box is designed simply but neatly, the packaging does not correspond to its volume, there is more free space inside than necessary.
The kit consists of a network adapter (maximum output current 1 A), a USB connecting cable, a wired stereo headset with in-ear rubber ear pads, as well as a protective film for the screen, a paper clip and a thin booklet with documentation.
Appearance and ease of use
The ZTE Blade V7 Lite quite logically follows the design of its immediate predecessor Blade V6 (X7) and is less similar to the older V7 model of its subfamily, although, naturally, there are overlaps with it. The basis of the outer part of the case is a large metal cover made of aluminum (light aircraft grade, as manufacturers like to call it). The cover is not solid: inserts made of plastic, painted to match the color of the metal, are located on part of the sides and ends, where all the connectors are installed.
The ZTE Blade V7 Lite case does not look more expensive than it actually is, it is quite simple, but the assembly and workmanship do not cause any particular complaints. Due to its matte metal surfaces and very small weight (only about 136 grams!), the medium-sized five-inch device fits comfortably in the hand and does not slip out. It is convenient to carry in any clothing pockets; the strongly rounded corners do not allow the body of the ZTE Blade V7 Lite to rest unpleasantly on the body.
The practical and, apparently, reliable body of the ZTE Blade V7 Lite really fits perfectly in the hands, and its low weight is almost a record for a five-inch device. There are no glossy smooth surfaces on metal and plastic parts; these parts are not easily soiled. But the front glass seems to lack a grease-repellent coating, since the screen becomes covered with fingerprints extremely quickly, and they are difficult to wipe off.
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Ergonomics are also a little lame: the side buttons here, unlike most modern devices, are distributed on both sides. This is not convenient, since when you press one of the buttons, the other fingers of your hand rest against the opposite key and often press it too. You have to dodge and get used to holding the device with a slightly different grip, but why is all this necessary? The keys themselves are quite pleasant to the touch, large, protruding, and not too hard.
The card slot is located on the right side; the usual hybrid slot for two SIM cards or one SIM card plus a microSD memory card is used. Both slots support Nano-SIM; the truss itself is made of metal; it can be installed and removed without problems or distortions. Hot swapping of cards is supported.
The front panel is completely covered with 2.5D glass with sloping edges, the back wall also has rounded edges, but there is still a feeling that the previous Blade V6 (X7) device was more sloping and rounded to the touch, here the edges are a little rougher, and the glass less rounded than usual.
There is no LED indicator above the screen; sensors, a front camera and a speaker are located there as standard. The selfie camera, by the way, of the ZTE Blade V7 Lite has its own LED flash, which is quite unusual for a device of such a low level.
However, there is an event indicator here; it is implemented in the form of a pulsating light ring on the central touch button under the screen. The other two buttons on either side of it are simply marked with dots, so in the settings their purpose can be swapped, and this will not cause visual discomfort.
On the back side there is a main camera module with a single, but quite bright LED flash, as well as a fingerprint scanner. The camera module protrudes beyond the surface, so it is inconvenient to work with the device lying on a hard surface: it wobbles when touched. However, this doesn’t really matter, since you still can’t get to the fingerprint scanner on a lying device, and without it the smartphone won’t be able to be unlocked. The scanner is responsible for authorizing the owner using a fingerprint not only when unlocking the smartphone, but also when launching applications. It does not always work accurately, but erroneous recognitions are still rare. The smartphone will not be unlocked by touching the scanner; first you need to turn on the screen, and then touch the scanner pad.
The main speaker is located on the rear side, but this does not muffle the sound when the phone is lying on the table, since the grille covering the speaker falls on a small bevel of the case. There are two grilles, but the sound comes out only through one of them; there are no stereo speakers.
At the bottom end there is a universal Micro-USB connector, which supports connecting third-party devices in USB OTG (USB Host) mode, as usual located in the center. Nearby you can see the hole of the speaking microphone.
It was not possible to find the hole for the second, auxiliary microphone - perhaps this smartphone does not have it at all. At the top end there was only a single jack with a diameter of 3.5 mm for connecting headphones.
There is no fastening for a strap on the case, the connectors are not covered with plugs, and the device does not receive protection from moisture and dust. As for colors, the device is currently presented on the Russian market in only one color - light gray.
Screen
ZTE Blade V7 Lite is equipped with an IPS touch display combined with 2.5D glass with sloping edges. The physical dimensions of the screen are 62x110 mm, diagonal - 5 inches, resolution - 1280x720 pixels, pixel density is 294 ppi. The sides around the screen are 4 mm wide, and the top and bottom margins are 16 mm each; the frame is quite wide. The manufacturer painted the frame around the display black so that when turned off the display would look like it was “frameless,” but in reality the device is far from that.
The display brightness can be adjusted manually, there is also automatic adjustment, and among the sensors there is an ambient light sensor. Multi-touch technology supports up to 5 simultaneous clicks. When you bring the smartphone to your ear, the screen is locked using a proximity sensor. Double tapping on the glass wakes up the screen, and it is also possible to activate it by drawing special characters.
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A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.
The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are better than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the switched off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - ZTE Blade V7 Lite, then they can be distinguished by size):
The screen of the ZTE Blade V7 Lite is slightly darker (brightness according to photographs is 106 versus 114 for the Nexus 7). The ghosting of reflected objects in the ZTE Blade V7 Lite screen is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (more specifically, between the outer glass and the surface of the LCD matrix) (OGS - One Glass Solution type screen). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. There is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating on the outer surface of the screen (noticeably less effective than the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed a little easier and appear at a slower rate than with regular glass.
When manually controlling the brightness and displaying the white field in full screen, the maximum brightness value was about 310 cd/m², the minimum was 10 cd/m². The maximum brightness is low, however, given the excellent anti-glare properties, readability even on a sunny day outdoors should be at an acceptable level. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor (it is located to the right of the front camera eye). In automatic mode, as external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness adjustment slider. If it is 100%, then in complete darkness the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 90 cd/m² (too much), in an office illuminated by artificial light (about 400 lux) it sets it to 190 cd/m² (normal), in a very bright environment (corresponding to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more), the brightness increases to 310 cd/m² (to the maximum - this is how it should be); if the adjustment is approximately 50%, then the values are as follows: 10, 105 and 310 cd/m² (ideal combination); regulator at 0% - 10, 15 and 310 cd/m² (the average value is underestimated, which is logical). It turns out that the auto-brightness function works absolutely adequately and allows the user to some extent customize their work to individual requirements. At any brightness level, there is no significant backlight modulation, so there is no screen flicker.
This smartphone uses an IPS matrix. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:
For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.
The screen has good viewing angles without significant color shift even with large viewing deviations from perpendicular to the screen and without inverting shades. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of the ZTE Blade V7 Lite and Nexus 7, while the screen brightness is initially set to approximately 200 cd/m², and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K. There is a white field perpendicular to the screens:
Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture:
The color balance is slightly different, the color saturation is normal, the picture is a little dark. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:
It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens, but on the ZTE Blade V7 Lite the contrast has decreased to a greater extent due to the brightening of blacks and a strong decrease in image brightness. And a white field:
The brightness at an angle of the screens has decreased (at least 5 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but the ZTE Blade V7 Lite has a much darker screen. When deviated diagonally, the black field is lightened to a medium degree and acquires a red-violet hue. The photographs below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is the same!):
And from another angle:
When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is good (here the backlight brightness is set to maximum):
The contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is high - about 1500:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 26 ms (14 ms on + 12 ms off). The transition between halftones of gray 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 43 ms. The gamma curve, constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal any blockage in either the highlights or the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.25, which is slightly higher than the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma curve deviates little from the power law:
Due to the presence of dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness in accordance with the nature of the output image (in dark images, the brightness tends to decrease), the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential output of shades of gray almost the entire screen. For this reason, we carried out a number of tests - determining contrast and response time, comparing black illumination at angles - when displaying special templates with a constant average brightness, and not monochromatic fields in the entire screen. Let us show the dependence of brightness (vertical axis) on time when switching from a black field to a white field in half of the screen alternately, while the average brightness does not change and dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness does not work (graph 50%/50% ). And the same dependence, but with alternate display of fields in full screen (graph 100% ), while the average brightness is already changing and dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness is working with all its might:
In general, such non-disabled brightness correction does nothing but harm, since it reduces the visibility of gradations in the shadows in the case of dark images. In addition, this dynamic adjustment, when displaying any image other than a white field on the entire screen, significantly reduces the brightness (which is not too much anyway), which impairs readability in bright light. Note that the adjustment is slow, so at least there are no annoying sudden jumps in backlight brightness.
The color gamut is slightly different from sRGB:
The spectra show that the matrix filters moderately mix the components with each other:
As a result, the colors have more or less natural saturation. The balance of shades on the gray scale is average, since the color temperature is significantly higher than the standard 6500 K, however, the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is below 10, which is considered an acceptable indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, color temperature and ΔE change little from hue to hue - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)
This device has a fairly advanced system of profiles and settings, supposedly providing the opportunity to adjust the color balance, etc. It is called MiraVision. However, attempts to correct the color balance with its help were unsuccessful, since color temperature correction leads to the fact that the shade of the midtones changes, and the white point is almost absent, it looks disgusting.
Let's summarize: the screen has a low maximum brightness, but has excellent anti-glare properties, so the device can be used at least somehow outdoors even on a sunny summer day. For conditions of complete darkness, you can set a comfortable brightness level. The mode with automatic brightness adjustment works adequately. The advantages of the screen include the absence of an air gap in the layers of the screen and flickering, as well as a color gamut close to sRGB. Significant disadvantages include the weak oleophobic coating, as well as the non-switchable dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness. Nevertheless, taking into account the importance of characteristics for this particular class of devices, the screen quality can be considered at least above average.
Sound
The ZTE Blade V7 Lite sounds just as uninteresting as the other models in the Blade series that we have met before. Both in the headphones and in the main speaker, the sound is not only faded and colorless, with only high frequencies predominant, but also distortion and debris are noticeable. It is impossible to make out individual instruments; the higher the volume, the higher the background noise. However, it is worth noting this time the rather large volume reserve of the main speaker and its overall sonority; the sound cannot be called dull.
To play melodies, the standard Google Play Music player is used, and to improve the sound, the same built-in sound system from the French company Arkamys, which was previously present in ZTE Blade smartphones, is used. There are no separate settings in it, there is only the ability to enable or disable this function as a whole. The standard player has a familiar equalizer with preset values. In conversational dynamics, the interlocutor’s speech, timbre and intonation remain recognizable, but the sound is somewhat muffled.
There is an FM radio with the ability to record programs from the air in the smartphone; it only works with connected headphones. The built-in voice recorder is not particularly sensitive, there is no noise reduction, and apparently there is no auxiliary microphone provided here at all.
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There is a suspicion that the main 13-megapixel camera here, as in the Blade X7, is equipped with an 8-megapixel sensor, and the maximum resolution is achieved using image interpolation. The lens has an f/2.0 aperture. Autofocus is quite fast, there is no electronic stabilization, video is recorded at a maximum resolution of only up to 720p. The maximum ISO value can be set manually up to 1600, and in manual mode you can also influence brightness, contrast, sharpness, set white balance and select the metering point manually. You cannot transfer control of camera settings to third-party applications using the Camera2 API, and there is also no option to record images in RAW.
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The camera can shoot video in a maximum resolution of up to 720p, there are no 4K and 60 fps modes. In general, the camera shoots video at an average level, the image is loose and full of artifacts, and the sound is recorded well, although, apparently, there is no noise reduction system here.
- Video No. 1 (29 MB, 1280×720@30 fps)
| ZTE Blade V7 Lite | Apple iPhone 6 Plus |
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The pictures have good sharpness in the field and in the field, although it drops off a little towards the edges. The program works moderately, noise in the shadows can be found - both “cured” and unprocessed. Otherwise, the results are not at all outstanding, slightly above average, so the camera can be recommended for documentary shooting, nothing more.
Telephone and communications
The smartphone supports most of the 2G GSM, 3G WCDMA, and LTE Cat.4 wireless network bands used in Russia. The smartphone supports FDD LTE in all three of the most common bands among Russian operators: Band 3, 7 and 20. In practice, with a SIM card from the MTS operator, it was not possible to achieve high speeds in LTE from the device in the same test places where other smartphones demonstrate twice as high greater speed in the test program. The full list of supported frequencies is as follows:
- GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
- WCDMA/HSPA+ networks (850/900/2100 MHz)
- LTE networks (1800/2100/2300/2600/800/850/900 MHz)
The rest of the smartphone's network capabilities are also modest: there is no NFC, just like Hot Knot; Only one Wi-Fi band is supported (2.4 GHz), there is Wi-Fi Direct, you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth 4.0 channels. The Micro-USB 2.0 connector supports connecting external devices in USB OTG mode.
The navigation module only works with GPS (with A-GPS); the device does not see Russian Glonass satellites. During a cold start, the first satellites are detected within a minute. The smartphone is equipped with a magnetic field sensor, on the basis of which the digital compass of navigation programs operates.
The smartphone supports working with two SIM cards in Dual SIM Dual Standby mode, when both cards can be in active standby mode, but cannot work simultaneously - there is only one radio module. A SIM card in any slot can work with 3G/4G networks, but only one of the cards can function in this mode at a time. To change the assignment of slots, cards do not need to be swapped - this can be done directly from the phone menu. You can assign the desired card for calls or SMS in advance in the settings, or using the pop-up menu right during the call, if this has not been done in advance.
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OS and software
The system used in the device is the 32-bit Google Android software platform version 6.0, installed on a 64-bit SoC. There is no own shell here as such, only the external design of the theme has been changed, the icons and navigation bar have been redrawn, and a separate menu for installed applications has been removed. Wide support for gestures has been added, including body movements, strokes on the screen, and drawing of various characters.
There are not many pre-installed third-party programs: there is a file manager, an alternative to UC Browser, there is a set of applications for working with office documents WPS Office and the ubiquitous Clean Master. Access to individual applications and even files can be restricted using fingerprint scanner authorization.
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Performance
The ZTE Blade V7 Lite hardware platform is based on a quad-core 64-bit single-chip system (SoC) MediaTek MT6735P. The SoC configuration includes four Cortex-A53 processor cores, operating here at frequencies up to 1 GHz. The Mali-T720 video accelerator is responsible for graphics processing. The amount of RAM is 2 GB, and about 10 GB of own memory is available for the user’s needs in the device. It is possible to install microSD cards up to 32 GB, but in practice, our 128 GB Transcend Premium microSDXC UHS-1 test card was confidently recognized by the device. The device also supports connecting external devices to the USB port in OTG mode.
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We have thoroughly studied the capabilities of the MediaTek MT6735 level platform; this SoC belongs to the entry level, and here the maximum operating frequency of the CPU cores has been reduced to 1 GHz. Accordingly, one cannot expect any impressive test results from the device. In practice, the capabilities of the MediaTek MT6735P are enough to work reliably in most standard applications, but it is not intended for demanding games. In Modern Combat 5, there were slowdowns, the World of Tanks game runs more smoothly (by about 35-38 fps with drops to 29 fps). You can play if you really want to, but you still can’t get high graphics settings with such a screen and such a platform.
Testing in the latest versions of comprehensive tests AnTuTu and GeekBench 3:
For convenience, we have compiled all the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks into tables. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.
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Testing the graphics subsystem in 3DMark game tests,GFXBenchmark, and Bonsai Benchmark:
When testing in 3DMark, the most powerful smartphones now have the ability to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).
| ZTE Blade V7 Lite (Mediatek MT6735) |
Micromax Canvas 5 (Mediatek MT6753) |
ZTE Blade S7 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 615) |
Sony Xperia X (Qualcomm Snapdragon 650) |
LG G5 se (Qualcomm Snapdragon 652) |
|
| 3DMark Sling Shot (more is better) |
82 | 180 | 83 | 871 | 738 |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Onscreen) | 8 fps | 13 fps | 14 fps | 33 fps | 19 fps |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Offscreen) | 5 fps | 12 fps | 13 fps | 31 fps | 25 fps |
| Bonsai Benchmark | 1896 (27 fps) | 2532 (36 fps) | 2003 (29 fps) | 4119 (59 fps) | 3515 (50 fps) |
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Browser cross-platform tests:
As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowance for the fact that their results significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this is possible during testing not always. For Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.
Thermal photographs
Below is a thermal image of the rear surface, obtained after 10 minutes of running the battery test in the GFXBenchmark program (closer to white - higher temperature):
It can be seen that the heating is slightly more localized in the upper left part of the device, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. According to the heat chamber, the maximum heating was only 34 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), which is very little.
Playing video
To test the omnivorous nature of video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Internet. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a table.
According to the testing results, the test subject was not equipped with all the necessary decoders that are needed to fully play most of the most common multimedia files on the network, in this case, audio files. To successfully play them, you will have to resort to the help of a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, it is also necessary to change the settings and manually install additional custom codecs, because now this player does not officially support the AC3 sound format.
| Format | Container, video, sound | MX Video Player | Standard video player |
| BDRip 720p | MKV, H.264 1280×720, 24fps, AAC | plays normally | plays normally |
| BDRip 720p | MKV, H.264 1280×720, 24fps, AC3 | The video plays fine, there is no sound | |
| BDRip 1080p | MKV, H.264 1920×1080, 24fps, AAC | plays normally | plays normally |
| BDRip 1080p | MKV, H.264 1920×1080, 24fps, AC3 | The video plays fine, there is no sound | The video plays fine, there is no sound |
Further testing of video playback was performed Alexey Kudryavtsev.
We did not find the MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort, in this smartphone, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices) Red marks indicate possible problems associated with the playback of the corresponding files.
According to the frame output criterion, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can (but are not required) be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and almost without skipping frames. With the exception of 60 fps files in which many frames are skipped. The reason is the atypically low screen refresh rate of approximately 49.5 Hz, so even files with 50 fps are played either with a periodic skipping of one frame, or slightly slower. When playing video files with a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels (720p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, one to one in pixels, that is, in the original resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - all gradations of shades are displayed in shadows and highlights.
Battery life
The non-removable battery installed in the ZTE Blade V7 Lite has a capacity of 2500 mAh. In the absence of a productive platform or an energy-intensive high-resolution screen, the smartphone, as expected, demonstrates pretty good battery life results. But you need to be aware that this is achieved due to low performance and low graphics settings; the device is weak in multimedia tasks. The smartphone can easily survive until evening charging; in general, it can last about a day and a half under normal operation. The smartphone has an energy-saving mode, but testing, as usual, was carried out without using such functions.
Continuous reading in the Moon+ Reader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) with auto-scrolling lasted until the battery was completely discharged in just under 13.5 hours, and with continuous viewing of high-quality videos (720p) with the same brightness level via a home Wi-Fi network, the device almost reached the 9 o’clock mark. In 3D gaming mode, the smartphone worked for more than 5.5 hours.
The smartphone battery is fully charged from the standard AC adapter in about three hours with a current of 0.9 A at a voltage of 5 V.
Bottom line
ZTE Blade V7 Lite, as already mentioned at the very beginning, first went on sale on the Russian market. Here it is priced at official retail at 14 thousand rubles (but you can find offers from 11 thousand). In principle, given the price tags of modern top-end smartphones, it would be hard to call such a price high. However, this is not at all the case when we can say that the smartphone is extremely interesting to purchase at this price. No, the ZTE Blade V7 Lite is a rather modest device in all technical parameters and capabilities with a weak or at best average screen, cameras, sound, performance, and communication capabilities. Even the level of autonomy of the smartphone did not shine, although in general “hardy” budget devices with low performance (precisely due to this low performance) are not uncommon.
What you really can’t take away from the ZTE Blade V7 Lite is that the case is pleasant to the touch and practical to use, mostly made of metal. Another advantage of the model is the presence of a fingerprint scanner, which is extremely useful for people who care about the safety of personal data. But, in general, this is where all the advantages end. ZTE Blade V7 Lite is a real workhorse without a hint of multimedia focus. This is a low-performance but reliable smart phone from a large industrial giant of the industry, officially presented here, and therefore supported by warranty conditions, which is also important.
Color
Deciding on the type of device (phone or smartphone?) is quite simple. If you need a simple and inexpensive device for calls and SMS, it is recommended to choose a telephone. A smartphone is more expensive, but it offers a wide variety of options: games, videos, the Internet, thousands of programs for all occasions. However, its battery life is significantly less than that of a regular phone.General characteristics
Type
Modern smartphones can use not only regular SIM cards, but also their more compact versions micro SIM and nano SIM. An eSIM is a SIM card integrated into the phone. It takes up virtually no space and does not require a separate tray for installation. eSIM is not yet supported in Russia. Glossary of terms for the category Mobile phones
nano SIM Multi-SIM mode variable Weight 135 g Dimensions (WxHxD) 70.2x143.8x7.9 mmScreen
Screen type color IPS, 16.78 million colors, touch Touch screen type multi-touch, capacitive Diagonal 5 inches. Image Size 1280x720 Pixels per inch (PPI) 294 Aspect Ratio 16:9 Automatic screen rotation There isMultimedia capabilities
Number of main (rear) cameras 1 Main (rear) camera resolution 13 MP Photoflash front and rear, LED Functions of the main (rear) camera autofocus Recording videos There is Front-camera yes, 8 MP Audio MP3 Headphone jack 3.5 mmConnection
Standard GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G, 4G LTE LTE bands support FDD: bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20; TDD: band 40 Interfaces
Almost all modern smartphones have Wi-Fi and USB interfaces. Bluetooth and IRDA are a little less common. Wi-Fi is used to connect to the Internet. USB is used to connect your phone to a computer. Bluetooth is also found in many phones. It is used to connect wireless headphones, to connect your phone to wireless speakers, and also to transfer files. A smartphone equipped with an IRDA interface can be used as a universal remote control. Glossary of terms for the category Mobile phones
Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0, USB Satellite navigation
Built-in GPS and GLONASS modules allow you to determine the phone's coordinates using signals from satellites. In the absence of GPS, a modern smartphone can determine its own location using signals from cellular operator base stations. However, finding coordinates using satellite signals is usually much more accurate. Glossary of terms for the category Mobile phones
GPS/GLONASS A-GPS system yes
