Price and specifications of ZTE Zmax advantages, disadvantages, and a comprehensive explanation

Overview of ZTE Zmax

The ZTE Zmax is a smartphone that was launched in September 2014, featuring a variety of specifications that were impressive at the time of its release, offering a big screen experience with functional performance suitable for everyday tasks. While it has been discontinued, it remains a device of interest for its price-performance ratio and serves as a reminder of the evolution of mid-range smartphones during that era.

Design and Build

In terms of dimensions, the ZTE Zmax measures 162.6 x 83.8 x 8.9 mm and weighs 189.9 grams, making it noticeable in hand due to its large screen and weight. The design features a plastic body with a matte finish that helps in gripping the phone securely. Although it doesn’t offer high-end materials like metal or glass bodies seen on flagship devices, the Zmax manages to deliver a solid build quality. The use of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for the screen protection is a notable feature at this price point.

Display

The Zmax comes with a large 5.7-inch TFT display that has a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. This results in a pixel density of approximately 258 pixels per inch, which is adequate for rendering text and images clearly, although not as sharp as newer high-resolution displays. The screen-to-body ratio stands at around 65.7%, indicating relatively large bezels, which is common for devices from that period.

Performance

At the core of the ZTE Zmax is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset, paired with a Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 CPU and an Adreno 305 GPU. This setup was common in mid-range smartphones during its release, offering enough power for basic tasks like browsing, social media, and video playback. However, the performance may struggle with more intensive applications or multitasking by modern standards. The phone is equipped with 2GB of RAM, which aids in running applications smoothly without significant lag.

Storage

The Zmax comes with 16GB of internal storage, which is on the lower end by today's standards but typical for its time. For users requiring more space, there is a dedicated microSDHC slot that allows for storage expansion, a feature convenient for media-heavy users who need extra storage for apps, photos, and videos.

Camera

The device is equipped with an 8 MP rear camera with autofocus and an LED flash, capable of recording 1080p video at 30 frames per second. Although not groundbreaking, it provides decent quality photos in good lighting conditions, adequate for casual photography. The selfie camera features a 1.6 MP lens that can record 720p video, which is quite basic and expectedly limited in performance, but sufficient for video calls and occasional selfies.

Battery Life

One of the highlights of the ZTE Zmax is its significant 3400 mAh Li-Ion non-removable battery. This size battery ensures long-lasting usage, facilitating up to 14 hours of talk time and up to 360 hours on standby, which is an advantage for users who need a device that can endure a full day's use without charging. Despite the lack of modern fast charging capabilities, the substantial battery capacity is one of the key selling points.

Network and Connectivity

The ZTE Zmax supports multiple network technologies, including GSM, HSPA, and LTE, ensuring versatile connectivity options. It can connect to various bands, including 4G bands 2, 4, 7, and 12, allowing for competitive mobile data speeds via LTE Cat4 networks. Additionally, the phone supports Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, and features a microUSB 2.0 port for charging and data transfer. Unfortunately, it lacks NFC but includes an FM radio, which is less common in modern devices.

Software

The ZTE Zmax originally runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat, an iteration of Android that provided good user experience improvements, although now it is quite outdated. It might not support newer applications that require recent Android versions. Nonetheless, the OS at its time was feature-rich with efficient resource usage.

Audio and Media

The ZTE Zmax features a loudspeaker and 3.5mm headphone jack, offering good flexibility for audio output, whether through external speakers or personal headphones. It supports standard audio file types and provides an acceptable sound quality for media consumption.

Overall Value

At an initial price of about 200 EUR, the ZTE Zmax provided an attractive proposition for users looking for a large-screen smartphone with sufficient performance for everyday tasks at a budget-friendly cost. Although newer devices have vastly improved specifications and capabilities, the Zmax offers an interesting look back at what constituted a mid-range offering in 2014.

Conclusion

In retrospect, the ZTE Zmax stands as a testament to the strides made in smartphone technology over the past decade. As a mid-range offering from 2014, it provided a larger display, adequate performance, and a superb battery life for its price segment, making it a noteworthy choice for its time. While it may not compete with today's offerings, it serves as a reminder of how the mobile device landscape has evolved and continues to do so rapidly.