ZTE Axon 30 Ultra review: ultra-good value
Our Verdict
The ZTE Axon 30 Ultra isn't the top performer in every category, but it gets enough right to be a viable smartphone pick. And it's much cheaper than comparable phones from Samsung or Apple.
For
- Cracking value for money
- 144Hz brandish
- Splendid portrait and telephoto photography
Confronting
- Uncomfortable design
- Poor 5G compatibility in U.Due south.
- Unrefined user experience
Tom's Guide Verdict
The ZTE Axon 30 Ultra isn't the top performer in every category, just it gets enough right to exist a viable smartphone option. And it'south much cheaper than comparable phones from Samsung or Apple.
Pros
- +
Great value for money
- +
144Hz display
- +
Excellent portrait and telephoto photography
Cons
- -
Uncomfortable design
- -
Poor 5G compatibility in U.S.
- -
Unrefined user experience
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra specs
Starting toll: $749/£649
Brandish: 6.7-inch FHD AMOLED (1080 x 2400)
Refresh rate: 60Hz/90Hz/120Hz/144Hz, adaptive
Rear cameras: 64MP main (f/1.9), 64MP ultrawide (f/2.2), 64MP portrait (f/one.9), 8MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom (f/3.4)
Front camera: 16MP selfie
Chipset: Snapdragon 888
RAM: 8GB/12GB
Storage: 128GB/256GB
Battery: 4,600 mAh
Charging: 66W wired
Operating organization: Android 11 with MyOS eleven
Size: six.36 ten ii.87 x 0.31 in (161.5 x 73 10 8 mm)
Weight: half-dozen.6 ounces (188 grams)
The ZTE Axon 30 Ultra is a pretty surprising telephone. It's non that the features are out of the ordinary — everything yous'd expect from a flagship-class handset is hither. It'southward just that you lot'll be surprised at only how capable this phone is while costing hundreds less than high-cease phones from Apple and Samsung
The "Ultra" badge has get increasingly common for the best of the best Android phones. Withal, the Axon thirty Ultra is the cheapest of these handsets while withal offer first-class hardware to back it up. Compared to the OnePlus ix Pro or the iPhone 12 Pro, it's a swell deal, as I found when testing the device for my ZTE Axon thirty Ultra review
ZTE Axon thirty Ultra review: Price and availability
ZTE volition sell the Axon 30 Ultra from May 27 via its web store. Although yous tin't get it via any carrier in the U.S. or U.Chiliad., it is sold unlocked in both regions.
The bones Axon 30 Ultra costs $749/£649, while the version with more RAM and storage costs $849/£739. This is incredibly inexpensive for an "Ultra" phone. The iPhone 12 Pro starts at $999/£999, and the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra at $1,199/£1,149. Even the competitively-priced OnePlus 9 Pro costs $969/£829 for the base model.
ZTE Axon xxx Ultra review: Design
Y'all aren't going to go many curious stares if you get around with the Axon xxx Ultra in your manus. The only distinguishing features on the back of the phone are its rectangular camera bump with four big lenses in the top left corner, a modest "Neovision Photography" badge attached to the bump, and the ZTE 5G logo on the lesser right. For an Ultra telephone, the ZTE sure doesn't shout about it.
The ZTE Axon 30 Ultra merely comes in black right now, which also causes the phone to blend into the background. Meanwhile on the forepart, a primal punch-pigsty notch and curved brandish edges give the phone a sleek symmetrical face.
There's no under-display photographic camera on the ZTE Axon xxx Ultra like there was on last twelvemonth's Axon twenty 5G, considering ZTE has accepted that the technology isn't proficient plenty yet. The phone maker continues to piece of work on under-screen cameras though, suggesting that this feature will return in future devices.
After holding the Axon 30 for a while, I began to notice the phone has weirdly prominent side track. They dug into my palm when holding the device with any force, and while it's not painful, I do worry that this could get annoying afterwards using the phone long-term. At least, you can dispense with some of the awkwardness past turning to a soft case that fits the 6.36 x 2.87 ten 0.31-inch phone.
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra review: Brandish
The Axon 30 Ultra'due south vi.7-inch display requires a modest merchandise-off. The screen refreshes at a 144Hz rate, higher than even the increasingly common 120Hz rate establish on premium Android phones. But y'all'll have to settle for FHD resolution, instead of the sharper QHD resolution of phones like the OnePlus nine Pro or Samsung Milky way S21 Ultra.
To relieve you some bombardment life, the Axon xxx Ultra uses an adaptive refresh rate organisation that can bandy the refresh rate downwardly equally low as 30Hz when you're engaged in more static activities. While the Axon 30 features a stepped arrangement rather than the fully variable displays institute on the S21 Ultra or OnePlus 9 Pro, it still works just as you'd desire information technology to.
Watching the latest "Miss Minutes" trailer for the Disney Plus' Loki, I loved how bright the Axon 30'south display was, plus how the dual speakers brought out the best in the punchy orchestral score. Still when I swapped dorsum to the OnePlus 9 Pro, information technology became articulate that the colors were not quite as rich on ZTE'south phone. And the college QHD resolution on the OnePlus flagship made a notable difference when looking at details on the TVA's monitors or the numerous establishing shots throughout the trailer. The Axon xxx Ultra's display is solid, but other phones boast more impressive panels.
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra review: Cameras
In truthful ultra way, there are 4 potent cameras on the dorsum of the Axon thirty Ultra — main, ultrawide and portrait cameras, all with 64MP sensors, plus an 8MP telephoto photographic camera capable of 5x optical zoom and 60x maximum zoom. On the front, the selfie camera uses a 16MP sensor.
I captured images of the entrance to Camden Market place with the ZTE Axon 30 Ultra and the OnePlus 9 Pro. Both photos await crisp, even with the bright sky taking upward a large amount of the background. The OnePlus does better with colors, since the Axon's shot is a little too bright and loses some richness in the metallic and brickwork.
I used the superior night way of the iPhone 12 Pro equally the yardstick for this nighttime shot of Kings Cross station. The Axon thirty produces a cooler paradigm that doesn't handle the brilliant sources of light as skilfully equally the iPhone. The ZTE'south night mode uses longer exposures than the iPhone, and every bit a result, raindrops turn into streaks. That's at least a absurd-looking issue that may be of involvement to some users.
Swapping back to the OnePlus ix Pro for an ultrawide comparison looking over the Regent'due south Canal, nosotros tin can see information technology again offers meliorate colors than the Axon thirty does. In that location'southward not much difference in overall quality though, since the OnePlus also uses a larger than average 50MP ultrawide photographic camera sensor.
I zoomed in on a pigeon posing on the roof of a Camden Market nutrient stall to test the Axon 30 Ultra's 5x telephoto lens. As expected, the higher magnification means you end upward with a brighter, clearer epitome than the OnePlus 9 Pro, which can manage iii.3x magnification earlier having to crop in digitally.
The near unique camera on the Axon thirty is its 64MP portrait camera While most phones with portrait lenses are fitted with a low-level optical zoom lens, such as the Galaxy S21 Ultra, ZTE has instead fiddled with the lens' focal length to give you the ability to fit in your subject without needing to dorsum away several steps.
When trying the portrait shooter out against the iPhone 12, I was able to position the ZTE far closer to myself, which certainly made it easier to get a good shot. While the iPhone offers more pleasantly warm colors and a neater separation between me and the trees in my backyard, the narrower bending of the Axon'due south photo and more gradual depth-of-field effect makes information technology feel more like a portrait rather than just me against a blurred background.
Our terminal comparison pits the OnePlus 9 Pro against the Axon 30 Pro in a selfie shot competition. The ZTE disappoints once more with its less vivid paradigm, plus its portrait cut-out algorithm has struggled to dissever the summit of my head from the tree behind me. I'd say the OnePlus does a better job with its bokeh consequence, likewise.
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra review: Performance
In line with its Ultra claim, ZTE has fitted this phone with a Snapdragon 888 chipset, and either 8GB RAM and 128GB storage or 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. That rivals all but the few phones that offer 16GB RAM, and for essentially less money.
Bearing in mind that my review unit is the 8GB/128GB base model, the Axon 30 Ultra managed 1,124 unmarried cadre and 3,637 multi-cadre scores on the Geekbench 5 general performance test. That's a touch lower than the 1,126 and iii,685 scored past the OnePlus nine Pro, and far worse than the class-leading iPhone 12 Pro Max'southward results of ane,603 and four,111 thanks to its A14 Bionic processor.
Withal, testing the Axon xxx Ultra with the 3D Mark Wild Life Unlimited benchmark produced more encouraging results. ZTE'southward phone scored 5,860 points in this test, and managed an boilerplate frame charge per unit of 35.1 fps. Information technology beats the OnePlus 9 Pro's 5,755 and 34.5fps, fifty-fifty with its RAM handicap. The Axon 30 still tin can't match the iPhone 12 Pro Max though, which scored nine,113 and 54fps on the aforementioned test.
My experience while gaming on the Axon xxx Ultra backed upward these test results. Equally I played Marvel Contest of Champions, the graphics looked crisp and polish as I directed Wolverine to lay a shell-downward on Captain America. While not touted explicitly as a telephone for diehard mobile gamers, the ZTE could be one to short-list for all-time gaming phones, considering the power you're getting for the price.
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra review: 5G
The Snapdragon 888 chipset comes with 5G compatibility built-in, so the Axon 30 Ultra is set up for the new network standard. At least in theory. Having examined ZTE'southward list of 5G bands compatible with the phone, U.K. users are able to use a SIM from any currently active 5G carrier and have it work with the ZTE. It'due south more complicated for U.S. users though.
Mobile carriers in the U.S. are much more than fragmented, which is bad news for finding a compatible network for the Axon 30 Ultra. At the time of writing, only T-Mobile appears to exist compatible with the Axon's bachelor bands, and even then, simply one of them, which could hateful unreliable reception. AT&T, Verizon and U.S. Cellular's 5G offering aren't compatible at all.
If you're an American customer, and 5G connectivity matters to you, the Axon 30 Ultra is a bad selection. Going with a OnePlus 9 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra or iPhone 12 Pro will offer a much more reliable 5G feel.
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra review: Battery and charging
Sporting a 4,600 mAh battery, the ZTE Axon thirty Ultra has an average-sized battery for a phone of its size, though it'due south a small power pack for a pinnacle-tier phone. On the Tom's Guide custom battery test, which drains a phone past constantly browsing the spider web on mobile data, the ZTE managed 11 hours and 38 minutes when fixed at a 60Hz refresh charge per unit. That's exactly an 60 minutes longer than the OnePlus 9 Pro managed when set to 60Hz (x hours and 38 minutes), so ZTE'south washed a proficient job hither.
There's no wireless charging on the Axon 30 Ultra, simply you might non miss information technology since you get rapid 66W wired charging. This gets you to 41% in xv minutes, 70% in xxx minutes and to 100% in 47 minutes. This is fairly fast, and reduces the sting of the poor battery life quite a bit. Nonetheless information technology's not as fast as the OnePlus 9 Pro, which manages 61% in 15 minutes and 99% in 30 minutes, thanks to its dual-cell battery blueprint.
ZTE Axon thirty Ultra review: Software
ZTE's MyOS 11 isn't my favorite version of Android 11, but in that location'south not much to complain nearly. ZTE pre-installs only a few not-Google apps, and the UI elements information technology has customized are abrupt and cleanly designed.
I did find that ZTE's not done the best job of translating descriptions and other longer explanatory captions when it comes to menus and settings. It doesn't become in the way of operating the telephone, merely information technology'southward a refinement issue that I've never come beyond while using Samsung or OnePlus phones.
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra review: Verdict
Having completed my ZTE Axon xxx Ultra review, it's safe to say that ZTE has earned the correct to call its phone "ultra". The majority of its hardware is up to par with the best phones around right now.
That said, the ZTE Axon 30 Ultra won't summit whatever best lists, as information technology'due south dragged down by its less refined features. Had the phone offered a little more battery chapters, a QHD resolution display or some consistent photography software, it would hands be equivalent to the OnePlus nine Pro, iPhone 12 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Fortunately, the ZTE Axon 30 Ultra doesn't have to be. Its current toll is depression enough that it's easy to overlook those shortcomings. ZTE's made a real flagship-killing phone with the Axon 30 Ultra, and it should be your top choice if you want the ultimate hardware for the cheapest price you tin get.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/zte-axon-30-ultra-review-ultra-good-value
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