ZTE Axon 7: A Worthy Competitor to the Mighty Xiaomi Mi 5 is Here!

ZTE is a mobile brand that you might not have heard about in the past, but we guarantee you that you will, once their latest smartphone hits the market. The Axon 7 is ZTE's flagship for 2016 and with specifications like Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB RAM and a Quad-HD display, we aren't even done about what all the phone offers at just $500.

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Yes, that's right. The smartphone has 2016 flagship specifications and costs $200 less than the counterparts, LG G5 and Samsung Galaxy S7, albeit slightly more expensive compared to the Xiaomi Mi 5. Here are all the features of the ZTE Axon 7 that make it the perfect flagship smartphone on a budget.

Snapdragon 820 processor

Debuting with the Le Max Pro recently, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 is the processor that will be powering the latest ZTE Axon 7. This is the exact same processor that powers the internals on the Xiaomi Mi 5.

A quad-core 64-bit chipset, the Snapdragon 820 is succeeding the infamous flagship Snapdragon 810 processor of 2015. Clocked at 1.8 GHz, the processor will be accompanied by the Adreno 530 GPU for improved graphic performance.

Quad-HD display

Rocking a 2560 x 1440 resolution display, the Axon 7 is a smartphone with a Quad-HD display making it an awesome VR-ready device. This gives it an upper hand over the Mi 5 that is still equipped with a Full HD display.

The new smartphone is also compatible with Google's DayDream VR and ZTE will be launching its own VR headset that will be powered by the Axon 7.

Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0

The ZTE Axon 7 has a decent 3,140 mAh battery packed under the hood but the most interesting feature of the battery is its fast charging capabilities.

Powered by the Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology, we shall assume that the ZTE Axon 7 can go from 0% to 80% battery level in just about 35 minutes, something similar to what the Xiaomi Mi 5 offers. Now that's quite a feat.

USB Type-C Port

With the world moving towards this new technology for charging and data syncing, it is natural for ZTE to incorporate the USB Type-C port on their flagship smartphone, the Axon 7. With a reversible connector and fast charging support, the port will help offer better battery performance during regular daily usage.

An improved camera sensor

This time around, ZTE has fitted a Samsung Isocell sensor onto their flagship smartphone. The new camera has a 20MP sensor compared to the 16MP Sony IMX298 sensor on the Xiaomi Mi 5.

It also has features like Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF), dual LED flash, OIS as well as 4K video recording. The camera is capable of recording slo-mo video upto 240 FPS. The front camera also has an upgraded 8MP sensor.

Android Marshmallow

The ZTE Axon 7 will be running a slight modification of Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. This is currently Google's latest mobile operating system and brings in features like Now On Tap and Doze Mode. Being a flagship smartphone, the ZTE Axon 7 is also expected to receive future Android updates in time.

The Xiaomi Mi 5, on the other hand, runs a highly custom MIUI version on top of Android Marshmallow. MIUI is a highly modded version and suits not a lot of the general market.3

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BMW DesignWorks

The most unique selling point of the Axon 7 is the collaboration with BMW (the carmakers) to incorporate an extremely sleek design, coming in at just 8.7mm at its thickest point. The front is protected by the new 2.5D glass and the camera lens, by sapphire crystal. The new design allows for the inclusion of a fingerprint sensor just below the flash on the back.

Pricing and Availability

The Axon 7 currently has only one variant with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage that is priced around the $500 mark. Another variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage will be announced shortly and the price be release simultaneously. The ZTE Axon 7 was announced on May 26th and will go on sale in USA in the following weeks.