ZTE Axon 9 Pro smartphone - advantages and disadvantages

For ZTE, 2020 was one of the most difficult years in history. The brand was hit by American sanctions that prohibit the sale of smartphones and other equipment in the United States and limit the supply of equipment. The restriction should be introduced for 7 years and could be a fatal blow to the company, because in this case it would not be able to purchase Snapdragon processors, which remain the best in the world and, most importantly, use Android. Under such conditions, the company would not have been able to release a single new gadget, but it was very lucky - the sanctions were lifted at the end of July. In exchange, the company's management must change or a fine of $400 million must be paid.

This situation is a thing of the past, and now the company has pleased us with its new product - ZTE Axon 9 Pro, which we will consider in detail as part of the review. It’s good that the dark days in the company’s history are behind us and it continues to delight us with its new products. The smartphone is created for those who like a wide-angle camera that captures more details in the frame, pure Android, a powerful 4000 mAh battery and an NFC chip. This set of characteristics is very rare even in the flagship segment, so the ZTE Axon 9 Pro promises to be very interesting. A full review of the new product will show all its strengths and weaknesses.

Design and ergonomics of the ZTE Axon 9 Pro case

Nowadays you won’t surprise anyone with the materials of the case - if previously glass in combination with a metal side frame was perceived as expensive and premium, now almost every modern device can boast of this. ZTE decided to attract attention with unusual body colors, which adds a touch of originality to the device. Huawei set the trend for a blue tint, and ZTE chose a dark blue color for its new flagship, which looks great. The hue may change depending on the lighting around you. The color can become almost black or bright blue. In this design, the ZTE Axon 9 Pro looks gorgeous in both women's and men's hands.

There is a dual camera installed horizontally at the back, which won’t surprise anyone. This arrangement was first used by Apple, after which almost all Chinese manufacturers began to actively copy it, and the hero of our review was no exception. Although the ZTE Axon 9 Pro phone looks beautiful, without a case it quickly becomes covered with fingerprints, as is always the case with a glass case. Fortunately, they are easy to remove; just go over them with a microfiber cloth once. The camera is in the top left corner, and the fingerprint scanner is lower and centered, so you won't accidentally smudge the lens. The scanner is easy to locate tactilely and operates quickly.

On the right side, the ZTE Axon 9 Pro has a power button and a volume rocker. The keys are different from each other, so there is no way to confuse them. The first has a ribbed surface, which makes it easy to find tactilely.

On the left is a tray that can accommodate two nanoSIMs. The ability to expand the memory capacity with a MicroSD card has not gone away, although the slot is hybrid, which is why you will have to sacrifice a second SIM card for this.

At the bottom of the ZTE Axon 9 Pro there is a place for a multimedia speaker and microphone, between which USB Type-C is installed.

On top are two noise-cancelling microphones. Alas, the production deprived us of a 3.5 mm jack, and therefore it will be possible to use our wired headphones only through an adapter. Another disadvantage is that you can charge your smartphone and listen to music at the same time only through a wireless headset.

The dimensions of the ZTE Axon 9 Pro are as follows: 156.5 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm and weighs 183 grams. The smartphone is noticeably heavier than its competitors, but this is not without reason, because unlike them, it has a 4000 mAh battery. This eliminates all complaints about thickness and weight, because they are within reason and the phone lies comfortably in the hand, while autonomy should be very impressive.

In the review, I would like to note another positive point - protection from water and dust according to the IP68 standard. You can safely wash it under the tap or immerse it under the surface of water to a shallow depth.

ZTE Axon 9 Pro review – gorgeous screen in elegant glass

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ZTE hasn't had any big announcements lately. The company's long-awaited return occurred in August 2020 with the announcement of the Axon 9 Pro. The device became the company's first full-fledged flagship since 2020, embodying all the trends of 2020 - there is FaceUnlock, a glass and metal body, and a dual camera. So what exactly is the Axon 9 Pro: one among many or a truly state-of-the-art device?

The smartphone, as mentioned earlier, is made of premium materials: glass and metal. Among the many “sandwiches” this year, Axon 9 Pro stands out with its unusual color scheme. Most of the device is a deep, dark blue, which can look purple or even black depending on the lighting. Moreover, the 3D glass that covers the back panel has a strength rating of 7H on the Mohs scale. In addition to this, ZTE offers Axon VIP Service - an additional year of warranty service, providing free screen replacement in the first six months of use and repairs in case of moisture ingress.

The back panel of the Axon 9 Pro is traditional for 2020, colored glass and a vertical dual camera. Below the photomodules are the logos of the line and the company. The fingerprint scanner is also located on the back. The glass on the back panel, as expected, quickly becomes covered with fingerprints, but all stains are easily removed thanks to the good oleophobic coating. The power button and volume rocker are located on the right side. The Axon 9 Pro's lock key has an interesting ribbed texture that makes it easier to locate by touch and generally improves your grip on the device. Microphones capable of recording stereo sound are scattered along the edges - one at the bottom and two at the top. The hybrid slot for 2 SIM cards and MicroSD is located on the left and can be removed using the included clip.

A giant 6.21-inch screen takes up most of the front panel. ZTE hid the speaker, front camera and sensors in the cutout on top. Thanks to the AMOLED matrix, the smartphone looks especially impressive with dark wallpaper.

6.21 inches, FullHD+, AMOLED, Axon Vision support - all these are not just words, the display of the ZTE Axon 9 Pro is definitely the best aspect of the smartphone. The picture looks bright and incredibly contrasty. In a word, only pleasant impressions remain from use. One can only find fault with the traditional AMOLED deviation into green shades at an angle, but it is worth noting that here this effect is minimized. The main feature of the screen is support for Axon Vision. This name combines a separate image processor, MEMC motion compensation technology and the HDR10 standard. In practice, this not only reduces noise and ensures picture clarity, but also increases the number of frames per second of any video to the coveted 60 fps. When compared with smartphones from other manufacturers, the effect is noticeable even with the naked eye - the image really looks smoother and more pleasing to the eye. ZTE also equipped the flagship with an RGB sensor that adjusts the temperature of the display to the environment - this reduces eye strain and provides greater enjoyment when using the smartphone. Indeed, the ZTE Axon 9 Pro display is one of the best on the market currently.

The “heart” of the smartphone is the top-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor with a clock frequency of up to 2.7 GHz. The amount of RAM is 6 GB, user memory is 64 GB. The solution is truly flagship and it can be seen in everything. Games run without problems at maximum settings with all effects, while the number of frames per second remains at a consistently high level. Obviously, there are no problems with the operation of the system either. Heating during everyday use, as well as during active testing, is minimal. All kinds of benchmarks predictably show the highest results. The smartphone offers exactly the power you expect from it at this price. NFC and GPS work properly.

ZTE Axon 9 Pro runs Android 8.1.0 Oreo with minimal fiddling. The company has made some visual changes to the standard system interface, but in general the shell does not look cluttered and follows modern design trends. Opening two applications on one screen and power saving mode are supported. The number of pre-installed applications out of the box is kept to a minimum.

There are two ways to unlock the ZTE Axon 9 Pro: using the fingerprint scanner on the rear panel and through Face Unlock. Surprisingly, the second option turned out to be faster and more accurate, despite the fact that there is only one front camera. The face is successfully recognized both day and night. The whole process takes no more than a second. Moreover, the smartphone recognizes the owner even when wearing a scarf or glasses.

In the vast majority of smartphones with a dual camera, an additional photo module is used for optical zoom. ZTE did not follow trends and, in addition to the main matrix, equipped the smartphone with a wide-angle camera with a viewing angle of 130°. The second module allows you to fit both a large company and a beautiful landscape into one frame. At the same time, wide-angle photos turn out to be moderately detailed. Simply put, the second camera opens up room for creativity.

Overall impressions of the camera are purely positive. Daytime photographs are moderately saturated and light. The level of sharpening is sometimes higher than necessary, which may affect the appearance of enlarged photographs. HDR is fast and efficient. What deserves more praise is how the smartphone handles night shots. A significant portion of low-light photographs turn out sharp and moderately bright, even when shot handheld. To improve pictures, ZTE Axon 9 Pro uses artificial intelligence. AI helps the smartphone recognize objects in the photo and adjust settings to suit the conditions. Video can be shot in 4K resolution, but optical stabilization only works when recording in FullHD quality. There is tracking autofocus, available in “sport” mode.

Axon 9 Pro can take portrait photos with bokeh effect. AI is good at identifying a person’s silhouette and correctly cropping the background. Blur doesn't just work on photos of people. There are effects that simulate studio lighting. The camera app has a manual mode where the user can adjust the shutter speed, ISO, white balance and other settings to get interesting shots. The 20 MP front camera takes detailed photos in any lighting and is sure to satisfy even the most demanding needs. There is a beauty mode that effectively hides facial imperfections and an automatic photo function when a person appears in the frame.

The smartphone supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ fast charging technology. This allows you to replenish 50% of the charge of a 4000 mAh battery in 15 minutes. Axon 9 Pro lasted 10 hours in the Trashbox.ru proprietary test - a strong result. Battery consumption statistics are smooth, without drops.

In everyday life, the smartphone confidently withstands a day of active use. This is facilitated by the artificial intelligence involved in battery analysis, which analyzes user behavior and optimizes performance to suit his needs. ZTE Axon 9 Pro supports Qi wireless charging, but you will have to purchase it separately.

If we consider the ZTE Axon 9 Pro as a device for the company's epic return to the mobile market, we can conclude that the smartphone was a success. This is a truly flagship solution with a minimum number of compromises. Axon 9 Pro meets all standards and follows all the trends of the outgoing year, while having a price tag significantly lower than well-known competitors - 46,990 rubles. The company managed to make a strong, competitive device with unique features that allow it to stand out from the existing monotony.

Pros:

• excellent screen with unique technologies
• powerful processor
• good night photos
• nice design
• long working time

Minuses:

• slippery body
• no optical zoom

May not like:

• wide bangs
• no gesture controls

Final score: 9 out of 10.

ZTE Axon 9 Pro review – display

The screen corresponds to the flagship level. It has maximum viewing angles, is easy to read in the sun and has a large brightness margin. Its surface is covered with tempered glass with an oleophobic coating, on which a finger glides easily, leaving virtually no fingerprints. But they didn’t stop there - a review of the ZTE Axon 9 Pro revealed support for the HDR10 format, which is not very popular yet, but has its advantages. It brings out details hidden in the shadows better.

There are also some weaknesses - during factory calibration, the picture turns into warm colors, which is especially noticeable on a white background. Of course, this can be changed in the settings, but it’s still an unpleasant moment, and from the flagship ZTE Axon 9 Pro you expect perfect display calibration right from the factory.

A controversial solution is the cutout above the screen. No matter how much people criticize it, manufacturers continue to equip their new devices with it no matter what, and surprisingly this does not prevent them from achieving popularity. At the same time, the bottom indentation cannot be called small. It would be logical to leave it on top, resulting in a ratio of 18:9. Traditionally, the AMOLED matrix produces rich and rich colors.

The ZTE Axon 9 Pro display is equipped with two proprietary technologies. Axon Vision provides accurate and widest possible color reproduction that goes beyond the palette that the human eye can recognize. In this way, it is possible to accurately convey colors and adjust them so that the picture on the phone screen becomes more beautiful.

The presence of a separate video chip with MEMC technology allows you to get clearer video. The video playback speed has been increased from the traditional 30 frames per second to 60, which avoids blur in the frame and makes viewing as comfortable as possible for the user. This feature is really very interesting. It’s much more pleasant to watch a video with it, but we recommend turning off Axon Vision, otherwise the white balance turns into warm shades.

Review of the ZTE Axon 10 Pro smartphone

ZTE presented its flagship smartphone Axon 10 Pro back in the spring at MWC 2020. For some markets (for example, Finland and the UAE) it is offered in a version with 5G support, but the new product arrived in Russia only in mid-summer - and so far only in 4G version. Nevertheless, in terms of the totality of its capabilities, the smartphone turned out to be very interesting and is quite worthy of close attention even in this modification.

Key Features of ZTE Axon 10 Pro

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, 8 cores (1 × Kryo 485 Gold @2.84 GHz, 3 × Kryo 485 Gold @2.42 GHz, 4 × Kryo 485 Silver @1.8 GHz)
• GPU Adreno 640
• Operating system Android 9
• Touch display AMOLED 6.47″, 2340×1080, 19.5:9, 398 ppi, Axon Vision
• Random access memory (RAM) 6 GB, internal memory 128 GB
• Supports microSD cards up to 2 TB
• Nano-SIM support (2 pcs.)
• GSM/WCDMA networks
• Networks LTE FDD B17/B8/B3/B20/B18/B12/B1/B2/B5/B4/B19/B7/B28/B26, LTE TDD B34/B38/B39/B40/B41
• VoLTE, VoWiFi support
• GPS/A-GPS, Glonass, BDS, Galileo
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz)
• Bluetooth 5.0
• NFC
• USB Type-C, USB OTG
• No audio output for headphones (3.5 mm)
• Stereo speakers, DTS:X Ultra support
• Main camera: 48 MP (f/1.7) + 8 MP (f/2.4) + 20 MP (f/2.2), optical zoom 3×
• Front camera 20 MP (f/2.0)
• Proximity and lighting sensors, magnetic field, accelerometer, gyroscope
• Fingerprint scanner (in-display)
• 4000 mAh battery, QC4+ fast charging
• Dimensions 159×73×7.9 mm
• Weight 178 g

Appearance and ease of use

The design of the ZTE Axon 10 Pro is good, if we look at it through the prism of modern fashion for mirror-shiny handheld devices, like Christmas tree decorations, reflecting everything around with their glass surfaces. The smartphone looks catchy, if described in one word.

The front and back panels are glass, the metal frame made of anodized aluminum between them smoothly tapers towards the sides, expanding towards the top and bottom ends. The huge screen is framed by a very thin frame, the thickness and weight of the device are small.

But such beauty, as usual, requires sacrifice. In principle, a slippery and easily soiled case cannot be called practical, but here the problem was maximized by narrowing and rounding the side frame so much that the smartphone scrolls in the palm, because the grip area with the hand is minimal.

And of course, when dropped, such a smartphone instantly splits the screen, transferring the impact energy from the metal frame to the glass - how many such cases have already happened... At the same time, the dimensions of the case are within adequate limits so that the smartphone fits in your hand and in your clothing pocket.

But the thin body could not accommodate the camera optics; the lenses protrude quite far beyond the back wall. This is not very noticeable, but on the table the smartphone sways like a paperweight whenever you touch the screen.

The selfie camera here does not appear with the help of circus or spy retractable mechanisms; a small teardrop-shaped cutout in the screen was simply made for it. It looks good and takes up little space, but still, one such camera cannot provide maximum protection when authenticating by face.

The side buttons are conveniently installed where they should be - on the right side. True, they are not tactilely different, both are smooth, without corrugated surfaces. Visually, the power and lock buttons are marked with a red dot - meaningless, but cute.

The tray for two Nano-SIM cards is hybrid; to install a memory card in it you will have to sacrifice one of the SIM cards. Hot swap supported.

The upper end has nothing but an auxiliary microphone, and the lower end has a card slot, a main speaker, and a USB Type-C connector. But, unfortunately, there is no 3.5 mm headphone output here.

Screen

ZTE Axon 10 Pro features a 6.47-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2340x1080. The display is covered with 3D glass with curved edges. The physical dimensions of the screen are 69x150 mm, the aspect ratio is 19.5:9, and the pixel density is 398 ppi. The frame around the screen has a width of 2 mm on the sides, 5 mm on the bottom, and 4 mm on the top. The screen occupies 92% of the front panel area.

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 no worse 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 when the screens are turned off (on the left is Nexus 7, on the right is ZTE Axon 10 Pro, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen of the ZTE Axon 10 Pro is slightly darker (brightness according to photographs is 106 versus 115 for the Nexus 7). The ghosting of reflected objects on the ZTE Axon 10 Pro screen is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of intense external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. The outer surface of the screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (better in efficiency than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed more easily and appear at a slower rate than with regular glass.

With manual brightness control and when the white field was displayed in full screen, the maximum brightness value was about 450 cd/m². It should be taken into account that in this case, the smaller the white area on the screen, the brighter it is, that is, the actual maximum brightness of the white areas will almost always be slightly higher than the specified value. For example, when displaying a black field on one half of the screen and a white field on the other, the brightness reaches 470 cd/m². As a result, given the excellent anti-glare properties, the smartphone can be used during the day in the sun. The minimum brightness value is 2 cd/m², so 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 close to the top edge to the left of the front speaker grille). 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: with it the user can try to set the desired brightness level in the current conditions. If you do not interfere, then in complete darkness the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 2 cd/m² (quite low), in an office illuminated by artificial light (approximately 550 lux) it sets it to 120 cd/m² (normal), and conditionally in direct sunlight the brightness reaches 450 cd/m² (maximum, which is what you need). We slightly increased the brightness in complete darkness and got 15 cd/m² in complete darkness, 120 cd/m² in an artificially lit office, and 450 cd/m² “in the sun”; we were satisfied with this result. It turns out that the auto-brightness function works adequately and allows the user to customize their work to individual requirements.

At any brightness level there is significant modulation with a frequency of 59 or 236 Hz. The figure below shows brightness (vertical axis) versus time (horizontal axis) for several brightness settings:

It can be seen that at maximum and average brightness the modulation amplitude is not very large; as a result, there is no visible flicker. However, with a strong decrease in brightness, modulation appears with a large relative amplitude; its presence can already be seen in a test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect or simply with rapid eye movement. Depending on individual sensitivity, this flickering may cause increased fatigue. However, the modulation phase varies across the screen area, so the negative effect of flickering is reduced.

This screen uses an AMOLED matrix - active matrix organic light-emitting diodes. A full-color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red, green and blue in equal numbers. This is confirmed by a fragment of a microphotograph:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The fragment above (screen in landscape orientation) corresponds to a 3x3 pixel area. On it you can count 3×8=24 triads of subpixels. That is, there are 2 and 2/3 triads per pixel instead of one, as is usually the case, and 3 rows of subpixels are output using 8 rows of triads. Such redundancy does not lead to anything good. This is, of course, better than the case when the number of triads is less than the number of pixels (as with AMOLED PenTile), but output in true resolution is no longer possible; there will always be interpolation to recalculate to the actual location of the subpixels. In particular, neither the horizontal nor the vertical world can be displayed through a pixel on such a screen in the form of even and clear stripes. In the photo below, horizontal stripes across a pixel are displayed on the left side (in landscape orientation), and vertical stripes are displayed on the right:

It can be seen that everything is bad with the horizontal stripes in general, they are fuzzy, vary in thickness and actually do not have a normal black gap, while the vertical ones are thicker than necessary and are perceived by the eye as uneven, not in the form of stripes, but like a mesh. However, the physical resolution of the screen is quite high, so artifacts are not visible in real images.

The screen has excellent viewing angles. True, the white color, when deviated even at small angles, alternately acquires a barely visible blue-green and pinkish tint, but the black color remains simply black at any angle. It is so black that the contrast setting is not applicable in this case. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of the ZTE Axon 10 Pro 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:

The uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field is good.

And a test picture:

The colors on the ZTE Axon 10 Pro's screen are oversaturated (note the tomatoes, bananas, napkins, and facial tint), and the color balance differs from the balance of the Nexus 7 screen. As a reminder, photographs are not a reliable source of color quality information and are provided as a guide only. visual illustration. In particular, the pronounced reddish tint of the white and gray fields present in photographs of the ZTE Axon 10 Pro screen is visually absent when viewed perpendicularly, as confirmed by hardware tests using a spectrophotometer. The reason is that the spectral sensitivity of the camera sensor does not exactly match this characteristic of human vision. Note that in this case, the image occupies in height (in landscape screen orientation) the entire area available for image display and extends onto the curved edges of the screen, which leads to slight darkening and color distortion. Also, in the light, these areas almost always glare, which makes it even more difficult to view images displayed on the entire screen. And even the picture of films with an aspect ratio of 16:9 comes to bends, which interferes with watching movies.

Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen. White field:

The brightness at an angle for both screens has noticeably decreased (to avoid strong darkening, the shutter speed has been increased compared to previous photographs), but in the case of the ZTE Axon 10 Pro the drop in brightness is less. As a result, with formally the same brightness, the ZTE Axon 10 Pro screen visually looks much brighter (compared to LCD screens), since you often have to look at the screen of a mobile device from at least a slight angle.

And a test picture:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens and the brightness of the ZTE Axon 10 Pro at an angle is noticeably higher. The shortcomings of the curved edges showed up in all their glory - the long leading edge of the test image is brighter, and the long trailing edge is darker. Switching the state of the matrix elements is almost instantaneous, but at the turn-on edge there may be a step with a width of approximately 17 ms (which corresponds to a screen refresh rate of approximately 60 Hz). For example, this is what the dependence of brightness on time looks like when moving from black to white and back:

In some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to (and does) trail trailing moving objects. However, dynamic scenes in films on AMOLED screens are distinguished by high clarity and even some “jerky” movements.

A gamma curve constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray showed that there is no significant blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.25, which is slightly higher than the standard value of 2.2. In this case, the real gamma curve deviates little from the power-law dependence:

Let us recall that in the case of AMOLED screens, the brightness of image fragments dynamically changes in accordance with the nature of the displayed image - it decreases for generally light images. As a result, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) most likely slightly does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential display of shades of gray on almost the entire screen.

The color gamut is noticeably wider than sRGB and close to DCI-P3:

The components in the spectra are very well separated, which allows for a wide coverage:

Note that on screens with a wide color gamut, without appropriate correction, the colors of regular images optimized for sRGB devices appear unnaturally saturated. In the screen settings you can enable Automatic image mode and the proprietary Axon Vision mode:

Maybe not everything is so bad, and the manufacturer gave the user the opportunity to still see videos and photos with natural colors? No, everything is exactly that bad. In Automatic mode the situation is even worse:

And in Axon Vision mode everything is just as bad:

The balance of shades on the gray scale is acceptable, since the color temperature does not differ much from the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is below 10, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device. However, in this case, color temperature and ΔE change significantly from hue to hue - this negatively affects 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.)

You can try to correct the balance of shades by choosing a warm or cold profile, or by manually adjusting it by dragging a point on the circle (have we seen such circles somewhere before?). But it doesn't work because the profiles change the color temperature too much, and the point on the circle changes hue in an unpredictable way.

Of course, there is a mode with reduced intensity of the blue component. Let us recall that, in principle, bright light can lead to disruption of the daily (circadian) rhythm (see the article about the iPad Pro with a 9.7-inch display), but everything can be solved by adjusting the brightness to a comfortable level (and for this there is no need to reduce the “point white"), and there is absolutely no point in distorting the color balance by reducing the contribution of blue.

Let's summarize. The screen has a high maximum brightness and has excellent anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. It is acceptable to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works adequately. The advantages of the screen include an effective oleophobic coating. At the same time, let us remind you about the general advantages of AMOLED screens: true black color (if nothing is reflected in the screen), good uniformity of the white field, noticeably less than that of LCDs, and a drop in image brightness when viewed at an angle. Disadvantages include screen brightness modulation and oversaturated colors due to the too wide color gamut. Users who are particularly sensitive to flicker may experience increased fatigue, and watching movies and photos on this screen may be unpleasant. Separately, we note that from the point of view of image quality, curved edges are only harmful, since this borrowed design element introduces color tone distortions and reduces brightness at the edges of the picture, and in ambient light conditions leads to inevitable glare along at least one long side of the screen. In general, the quality of the screen can be considered good only from the point of view of good visibility of the displayed information in various environmental conditions.

Camera

The ZTE Axon 10 Pro has a single front camera. It has a 20 megapixel sensor and a lens with an f/2.0 aperture without autofocus; it does not have its own flash. Even with one module, the camera copes with its tasks adequately in good lighting. The picture is juicy, the lights and shadows are well developed, although the sharpness can only be praised in the center of the frame. But the night picture is frankly weak; not a single decent picture was taken in dark conditions.

The rear camera of the ZTE Axon 10 Pro consists of three modules. The main lens (with a 48 MP sensor) and a telephoto lens (8 MP) are combined in a block protruding from the body, and the third, wide-angle lens (20 MP) is covered with glass on the back wall and is located separately from the first two. The telephoto lens provides 3x optical and 5x hybrid zoom, both main modules do not have optical stabilization, only what is called artificial intelligence-based stabilization. There is fast and adequate phase detection autofocus and a fairly bright LED flash.

The camera application interface here is standard and easy to understand. The most popular modes are scrolled at the bottom, other functions are scrolled at the top, as well as a menu button. There is AI support, manual control mode, portrait background blur mode, auto-HDR, color filters. It is possible to save in RAW (only in PRO mode).

The main module of the rear camera has a 48 MP sensor (1/2.0″, pixel size 0.8 microns) and a lens with an f/1.7 aperture; it is equipped with PDAF autofocus. By default, the camera shoots at 12 megapixels; you will have to switch to shooting at 48 megapixels each time through the settings menu.

12 MP, f/1.7 48 MP, f/1.7 12 MP, f/1.7 48 MP, f/1.7

12 MP, f/1.7 48 MP, f/1.7 12 MP, f/1.7 48 MP, f/1.7 12 MP, f/1.7 48 MP, f/1.7

However, in our opinion, there is no point in switching to the 48 MP mode here, it does not provide higher detail, the details are only drowned in noise, but processing in the 12 MP mode deals with noise quite accurately, so that, for example, small inscriptions become even more readable.

A telephoto lens with an f/2.4 aperture, providing 3x optical zoom, is paired with an 8 MP sensor, and a wide shooting angle is provided by a third lens with an f/2.2 aperture with a 20 MP sensor. To quickly switch lenses, the “w - 1× - 3×” button is displayed on the screen. Maximum digital zoom is possible up to 20×, and for wide-angle shooting there is a function for correcting geometric distortions. The same set of functions is offered, for example, by the latest Xiaomi flagships.

1×

3×

1×

3×

1×

3×

1× 3× 1×

3× 1× 3×

To be honest, neither the main nor the TV module impresses with the picture quality here, but the optical zoom does its job, offering a much better view of distant objects without loss in the overall level of detail. This is a picture quite typical for today, when the long-focus module produces an image quite comparable in quality to the seemingly most expensive main one. Of course, 5x “hybrid” and more multiple digital zoom no longer make any sense for taking a photo - you can just as well zoom in on a finished photo in the viewer, but it will take up less space. However, when looking at the details directly on the phone screen, the 20x zoom is certainly impressive: practically a spyglass! The quality of night photography on the TV module is low.

1× 3×

́́6× 20×

Unfortunately, the wide-angle camera here is absolutely in line with modern trends and takes pictures much worse than the main module: detail is lower throughout the entire field of the frame, and in the corners, no matter how you correct perspective distortions, all hell breaks loose. The quality of night photography is very low.

normal wide angle normal wide angle normal

wide angle normal wide angle

ordinary

wide angle normal wide angle

The main module here is clearly not flagship, although for ordinary daytime outdoor scenes the shooting quality is very good. And yet, when looking at full size, under-suppressed noises are visible (even in a clear sky on a sunny day), and other small details are smeared into mush by the noise suppressor. In general, detail is not the highest, and it quickly falls off when moving into the shadows. The quality of night photography (and, more generally, shooting in low light) is poor. In general, now they have learned how to shoot any smartphone above the budget level, this will not surprise anyone.

Video can be shot in maximum 4K format at 30 fps (60 fps is available for Full HD). There is no stabilization; shooting is not smooth while on the move. The picture itself is not bad in terms of detail and brightness. The sound is recorded with high quality, there is no distortion in the form of echo.

• Video No. 1 (136 MB, 3840× [email protected] fps, H.264, AAC)
• Video No. 2 (86 MB, 1920× [email protected] fps, H.264, AAC)
• Video No. 3 (120 MB, 3840× [email protected] fps, H.264, AAC)
• Video No. 4 (60 MB, 3840× [email protected] fps, H.264, AAC)

Telephone and communications

The smartphone supports operation in the LTE Cat.18 network (1.2 Gbit/s, 200 Mbit/s), most bands common in Russia are supported (FDD LTE: band 1—5, 7, 8, 12, 17—20, 26, 28a). In practice, within the city limits of the Moscow region, the device demonstrates reliable operation in wireless networks, does not lose connection, and quickly restores connection after a forced interruption. There are also no complaints about the operation of the Wi-Fi module (2.4 and 5 GHz, with support for 802.11ac). There is Bluetooth 5.0, there is also an NFC module with full support for Google Pay.

The navigation module works with GPS (dual-frequency, with A-GPS), with the domestic Glonass, with the Chinese Beidou and with the European Galileo. During a cold start, the first satellites are detected quickly, within the first seconds, and the positioning accuracy does not cause any complaints. A magnetic compass, necessary for navigation programs, is installed in the device.

The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing a phone number, a search is immediately carried out by the first letters in contacts. Methods for sorting and displaying contacts are standard for the Android interface; it is possible to block unwanted contacts. The vibration alert is not very powerful, it is felt weakly. The voice of the interlocutor seemed quiet in the speaker; I always wanted to turn up the volume or use my ear to look for a better place on the wide body. But no, it’s just such a quiet conversational speaker, nothing can be done. VoLTE and VoWiFi support is available.

Software and multimedia

As a software platform, ZTE Axon 10 Pro uses Android OS version 9 with the ability to update over the air. This is an almost untouched Android OS with minor improvements and additions: the notification shade has been slightly changed, the icons have been slightly redrawn, a beautiful animated theme, but that’s all.

You can hide the three classic Android navigation buttons in favor of gesture controls, or display a virtual navigation button to help you navigate the same steps back and to the home screen. True, you still have to open this button, it doesn’t always work, you need to get used to it. Due to the curved sides of the screen, you will also have to get used to the gesture controls.

The fingerprint scanner is built into the screen. It’s bad that this option is slower than the classic one, but one of the advantages of the implementation is that when you lift the device from the table, the location of the scanner is highlighted.

There is a face unlock function, but without support for an infrared sensor, such unlocking is not as reliable as the unlocking function is carried out only using the front camera. In the dark, the function does not work well - you have to use the fingerprint scanner.

The smartphone's two speakers provide very good stereo sound, and the sound in headphones is excellent, thanks to the dedicated WCD9430 audio chip and DTS:X Ultra. There are a lot of manual settings, an equalizer, and the ability to select the type of headphones. There is a voice recorder with good sensitivity, but no FM radio.

Performance

ZTE Axon 10 Pro runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 hardware platform. The SoC configuration includes three CPU clusters: one “senior” Kryo 485 core with a frequency of 2.84 GHz, three of the same Kryo 485 cores with a frequency of 2.42 GHz, plus four “ junior" Kryo 485 with a frequency of 1.8 GHz. The Adreno 640 GPU is responsible for graphics performance.

The amount of RAM (LPDDR4x) is 6 GB (of which more than 3 GB is free at startup), the amount of storage (UFS 2.1) is 128 GB (more than 107 GB is free upon purchase). MicroSD memory cards up to 2 TB are also supported, that is, the owner of the device will not complain about the lack of space. It is also possible to connect external devices to the USB Type-C port in USB OTG mode.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 is still the top SoC of the market leader, the platform is the most powerful, with excess performance for work, games and generally any tasks that you can think of for a modern smartphone. The test results are very high; such a device has a significant performance reserve for several more seasons to come.

Testing in comprehensive tests AnTuTu and GeekBench:

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.

Testing the graphics subsystem in 3DMark and GFXBenchmark gaming tests:

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).

Testing in 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.

AndroBench memory speed test results:

Heat

Below is a thermal image of the rear surface obtained after 15 minutes of fighting with a gorilla in the game Injustice 2 (this test is also used to determine autonomy in 3D games):

Heating is greater at the top of the device, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. According to the heat camera, the maximum heating was 40 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), this is the average heating in this test for modern smartphones.

Playing video

This device supports DisplayPort Alt Mode for USB Type-C - outputting images and sound to an external device when connected to the USB port of a smartphone (USBview.exe program report). We tested working in this mode together with the Aten UH3234 docking station. When connected to our monitor, video output is in 1080p mode at 60 Hz frame rate. There is only one operating mode - simple copying of the smartphone screen (without rounded corners). When the smartphone screen is in portrait orientation, the picture on the Full HD monitor is displayed inscribed in height and with wide black margins on the sides, and in landscape orientation - inscribed in width with narrow black margins at the top and bottom. Of course, there is no pixel-to-pixel output. Note that at the same time as image and sound output, you can connect USB flash drives to the smartphone via USB (the smartphone detects them), a mouse and keyboard, and the smartphone can be charged. As a result, using a smartphone, you can create a kind of workplace with a large screen.

To test the output of video files on the screen of the device itself, 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)”). Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps). In our tests, we used the MX Player video player in Hardware (“HW”) mode. The test results are summarized in the table:

Note: If both columns Uniformity and Skips have green ratings, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and skipping of frames will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect comfort viewing. Red marks indicate possible problems with 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 in most cases frames or groups of frames can (but are not required) be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without gaps. The refresh rate is below 60 Hz, about 59 Hz, so in the case of files with 60 fps, about once a second one frame is skipped. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels (1080p), the image of the video file itself is displayed conditionally one-to-one pixel by pixel, exactly along the height of the screen (in landscape orientation). The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235: in the shadows and in the highlights at maximum brightness, all gradations of shades are displayed. As brightness decreases, more and more dark shades of gray blend into black. Note that this smartphone has hardware decoding support for H.265 files with a color depth of 10 bits per color, while displaying on the screen with fewer visible gradients than in the case of an 8-bit file. HDR files are also displayed.

Battery life

ZTE Axon 10 Pro has a large battery of 4000 mAh. The autonomy of the smartphone is also quite decent, although not record-breaking. In real operating conditions, the smartphone confidently survives even eventful days.

Testing has traditionally been carried out at the usual level of power consumption without using power saving functions, although the device has them.

Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted until the battery was completely discharged for more than 21 hours, and when continuously watching videos in high quality (720p) with the same brightness level via a home Wi-Fi network, the device operates for up to 16 hours. In 3D gaming mode, the smartphone can work up to 6 hours, depending on the specific game.

The smartphone supports fast charging; it can be fully charged in two hours from the supplied AC adapter (9 V 2 A, 18 W). In addition, ZTE Axon 10 Pro supports the Qi wireless charging standard.

Bottom line

ZTE Axon 10 Pro is the company's flagship device, the most expensive and most technically advanced smartphone from the manufacturer. And its price of 40 thousand rubles in the current situation does not even seem high, but the device cannot be called balanced in price and quality. Yes, it is good in its own way, but no better, for example, than the same Honor 20 Pro, which can be bought for 35 thousand or even less. Very powerful, with very good battery life, sound and communication capabilities, the ZTE Axon 10 Pro is still not ready to stand on par with the true flagships of our time, either in display quality or in terms of photo and video shooting, although they are not bad at all. In general, this is rather a demonstration of possibilities: “We can do it too, look!” For 40 thousand, there are unlikely to be many takers for the ZTE Axon 10 Pro, but as a bright star in the manufacturer’s portfolio, why not.

ZTE Axon 9 Pro battery life

The ZTE Axon 9 Pro smartphone is equipped with one of the most capacious batteries in the flagship segment - 4000 mAh, combined with good system optimization and an energy-efficient processor, works wonders. Depending on the usage scenario, the hero of our review is discharged after 5-6 hours of display activity. This is well above average.

But this is not the only advantage - the latest generation of fast charging is supported - Quick Charge 4.0, so even with this capacity the device is fully charged in 1.5 hours. Moreover, after 30 minutes, 53% accumulates. Battery life is one of the main advantages of the new ZTE flagship.

ZTE Axon 9 Pro review

Surely everyone knows that ZTE is a major smartphone manufacturer and almost everyone knows its name. But in May 2020, an unpleasant incident happened to her, which greatly affected the company’s income and brought it out of the top. It produced smartphones exclusively on Qualcomm processors, but the US Department of Commerce imposed sanctions on ZTE, which included a ban on the supply of chipsets. Therefore, it could be concluded that the company will not go far with MediaTek alone. And so, soon all sanctions were lifted from ZTE, but for some reason it temporarily stopped producing smartphones. The reason for this is unknown to anyone, perhaps it was a strong blow to production and there was simply no budget. But how can this be if the company's profits were $17 billion a year? Well, okay, we won’t go into financial details, you can read about them in this article. Now we want to talk about the company's first smartphone in several months - ZTE Axon 9 Pro. The model turned out to be really powerful and interesting, but will it be able to get to the top? Or has ZTE completely lost its position?

Performance and specifications of ZTE Axon 9 Pro

Almost all 2020 flagships are built on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor and the Axon 9 Pro is no exception. The chip provides the highest possible performance today, accelerating to 2.8 GHz. It has 8 cores, and is manufactured using a 10-nm process technology, which makes the most of battery power and heats up less when performing complex tasks. This is a top-end solution, the power of which is sufficient for any purpose and will be sufficient for at least the next few years. In games, it is helped by a good graphics accelerator - Adreno 630. In Antutu, the ZTE Axon 9 Pro scores almost 300,000 points. The case hardly heats up even during long gaming sessions.

Currently, only one modification is available with 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal memory.

ZTE Axon 9 Pro specifications

• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, 4 Kryo 385 cores up to 2.8 GHz and 4 Kryo 385 cores up to 1.8 GHz, Adreno 630 graphics chip
• RAM: 4GB or 6GB LPDDR4X type
• Built-in memory: 128GB or 256GB
• Screen: 6.21″ diagonal, FullHD+ resolution, pixel density 402ppi, AMOLED matrix type, Gorilla Glass protection
• Main camera: dual 12MP+20MP, f/1.75 aperture, Sony IMX363 Exmor RS sensor
• Front camera: 20MP
• Battery: 4000mAh
• USB: Type-C
• Headphone jack: yes
• Operating system: Android 8.1 Oreo

As we can see, the characteristics of this smartphone are truly top-end. ZTE Axon 9 Pro has on board the flagship Snapdragon 845 processor, which scores about 220 thousand points in the AnTuTu benchmark, which is a lot. Of course, it’s still a long way to go for the top, but believe me, this is already a huge result. By the way, AnTuTu showed a list of the most powerful smartphones in the world, and the most interesting thing is that the iPhone X was not included in it. So, the capabilities of the Axon 9 Pro are completely unlimited, the smartphone will be able to cope with absolutely any task without slowing down. The user will be able to use heavy office programs, as well as demanding games that will run on ultra graphics settings, and the frame rate will be stable and, most importantly, high. Also, the new ZTE flagship has a lot of RAM. There is a version with 4GB on board and one with 6GB. Of course, when buying such a smartphone, it is better to take the fattest version. But let’s just say for now, 4GB is a completely acceptable amount for 2020. Thanks to the RAM, the user can enjoy fast shell operation and work with several applications at the same time. Also, ZTE Axon 9 Pro has a good Dolby Atmos stereo system, which makes listening to music as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.

Now you should go to the screen. It is quite large for this smartphone - as much as 6.21 inches. But this size is simply not felt, since the manufacturer tried to make it completely frameless. But as practice shows, in reality there are still small frames. Also, the display is elongated and thanks to this, you can easily use the phone with one hand. The standard resolution is FullHD+, and the pixel density is 402 ppi. Here we can already be indignant, since for that kind of money it would be possible to make 2K resolution, but ZTE decided not to bother. Of course, the picture will be good and of high quality, thanks to the AMOLED matrix, but it could be better.

The camera here is of course gorgeous. Firstly, the smartphone has two modules, the main one with 12 megapixels, and the secondary one with 20 megapixels. The main sensor is top-end - Sony IMX363 and the aperture is huge f/1.75. This means that the Axon 9 Pro can shoot well even in low light conditions, with minimal grain and maximum detail. In normal light, the pictures will turn out great, the color rendition and detail will be at their best. And thanks to the second module, the user can take high-quality portrait photographs. They also worked on the front camera and it turned out decent. Now the user will be able to take the highest quality selfies for his Instagram profile.

The appearance of the new flagship from ZTE is practically no different from the rest of the gray mass of smartphones. Every second state employee has this design, so the manufacturer was not surprised by this at all. We have a very thin case that comes in only two color options: black and blue. It is made of glass and aluminum. But even here, not everything is so smooth, fingerprints immediately appear on the phone, which can be seen from a kilometer away, so you definitely need a case. In principle, this is a standard situation for all smartphones. In addition, we have an elongated display with an eyebrow on which there are various sensors, and a fingerprint scanner at the back. Naturally, the charging connector is Type-C.

ZTE Axon 9 Pro camera review

They did a very interesting thing with the cameras in the new product. If usually the additional lens is responsible for 2x optical zoom and depth detection, in our case it provides wide-angle shooting, capturing more objects in the frame. The resolution of the main sensor is 12 megapixels, f/1.8 aperture, pixel size is 1.4 microns. Additional wide-angle with a focal length of 10 mm and a resolution of 20 megapixels. The second sensor clearly shows that resolution is far from the most important thing in a smartphone camera. It is noticeably larger, but at the same time the photos turn out much more detailed and beautiful with the main 12 megapixel camera.

Examples of photos taken with the main camera:

In my review of the ZTE Axon 9 Pro camera, I noticed that when shooting with a wide-angle lens, the edges of the frame are slightly rounded. The effect becomes more noticeable as the subject approaches the lens.

The same photos, but with a wide-angle module

During the day you can get great photos. Landscapes look especially good with a wide-angle lens.

The camera copes well with its task when shooting indoors, even if the lighting is low.

Night photos are not so good - detail is greatly lost, software algorithms overexpose the frame.

Selfies on the ZTE Axon 9 Pro are decent, but as the review showed, the result is highly dependent on lighting conditions.

When shooting video, stabilization works exclusively in FullHD quality. In this regard, 4K video quality is noticeably worse. The standard camera app allows you to quickly change the exposure value, making the result brighter or darker. You can also lock focus on a specific area. Below you can watch a couple of test videos.

Characteristics of ZTE Axon 9 Pro

Sound

The smartphone is equipped with a pair of stereo speakers. One is installed from below, and the second is used as a conversational one. Dolby Atmos technology is supported, enhancing sound quality. There is a noticeable transition into the bass, but this is not a drawback, rather a feature of the speakers.

But the rejection of the 3.5 mm jack is a clear minus of the ZTE Axon 9 Pro, which many will not like. Moreover, the case is quite thick and there is enough space for this connector. The quality of the headphones is on par with other flagships.

Firmware for ZTE Axon 9 Pro

Official firmware Android 8.1 Oreo [stock ROM file] - [Recovery] ZTE custom firmware -

Firmware for ZTE Axon 9 Pro can be done in several ways. If the firmware file has not yet been uploaded here, then create a topic on the forum, in the Android firmware section, specialists will help you and add the firmware. Don’t forget to write a 4-10 line review about your smartphone in the subject line, this is important. The official ZTE website, unfortunately, will not help solve this problem, but we will solve it for free. This ZTE model has on board Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, 2.8 GHz, 4 x Kryo 385, 4 x Kryo 385, Adreno 630, respectively, there are the following flashing methods:

1. Recovery - flashing directly on the device
2. A special utility from the manufacturer, or Qualcomm Flash Image Loader

We recommend the first method.
What custom firmware are there?

1. MIUI
2. CM - CyanogenMod
3. LineageOS
4. Paranoid Android
5. OmniROM
6. Temasek's

All firmware

1. AICP (Android Ice Cold Project)
2. RR (Resurrection Remix)
3. MK(MoKee)
4. FlymeOS
5. Bliss
6. crDroid
7. Illusion ROMS
8. Pacman ROM
9. AOKP

Problems and shortcomings of a ZTE smartphone and how to fix them?

• If the Axon 9 Pro does not turn on, for example, you see a white screen, hangs on the splash screen, or the notification indicator only blinks (possibly after charging).
• If stuck during update / stuck when turned on (needs flashing, 100%)
• Doesn't charge (usually hardware problems)
• Does not see the SIM card (SIM card)
• The camera does not work (mostly hardware problems)
• The sensor does not work (depends on the situation)

For all these problems, contact the forum (you just need to create a topic), specialists will help for free.

ZTE Axon 9 Pro interface

ZTE took the simplest but correct route, using pure Android in its new smartphone ZTE Axon 9 Pro. The manufacturer added only a few proprietary programs, including an online translator. It is very convenient, allowing you to translate not only text but also voice messages in real time. The translator supports 29 languages, including Russian.

Conclusion

ZTE Axon 9 Pro is an interesting flagship that attracts with a beautifully shimmering back cover, high-quality cameras, flagship performance and screen. Well, the main advantage was the battery life, which, thanks to the 4000 mAh battery, is pleasantly impressive. Also, for many, using a pure Android will be a plus. The only drawback that may prevent a smartphone from reaching potential buyers is the overpriced price at the start of sales.

Pros:

• Large and high-quality screen;
• Good performance in any task;
• 4000 mAh battery, and therefore excellent autonomy;
• Clear and loud stereo sound;
• Spectacular design and good cameras.

Minuses:

• Price;
• No 2x optical zoom.

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Review of ZTE Axon 9 Pro with dual main camera With glass body With good battery life with Snapdragon 845 processor

ZTE Axon 9 PRO. Like a Phoenix bird.

When almost all modern smartphones look and work approximately the same, nuances gradually come to the fore. This could be the color of the case, the features of the software, or the presence of some “feature” that distinguishes your choice from the choice of your neighbor. In 2018, such unifying factors were a dual rear camera module located along the side of the body, a notch cutout at the top of the screen, and an elongated body with an aspect ratio of at least two to one.

Well, if we mean an Android flagship, then even the Snapdragon 845 chipset used, the main camera resolution of around 12 megapixels and the amount of RAM of 6 gigabytes are completely the same in 9 out of 10 gadgets. And here those very nuances are the driving factor in our decisions. So, some people, all other things being equal, have a slightly cheaper flagship, some others have not forgotten about the NFC module and the possibility of contactless payments, others have not forgotten about a normal battery, and others are relying on a dedicated audio chip and cool sound in the headphones.

A device that combines a complete set of “joys of life” and performs equally well “on all fronts”, coupled with a fairly adequate price, is extremely rare, but our guest today is just like that. What’s especially cool is that this device came from the pen of a company whose very existence just a few months ago was “hanging by a thread,” and its fate was completely unclear. This is ZTE - one of the largest Chinese manufacturers, which was under US export controls for more than 3 months,” and Axon 9 PRO is the first flagship officially released after all claims were removed to the delight of fans and lovers of cool handsets.

The fact is that ZTE “had a good time” with this gadget, collecting all the most interesting, useful and pleasant technologies that a modern smartphone buyer might want. To see what I mean, let's just go through the list from the most obvious to the exotic.

So, a case made of tempered glass with rounded edges on the back does not give the impression of something unusual - many people do this now, but not every manufacturer uses glass with a hardness of 7H, which can withstand high-temperature overloads, for these purposes.

In other words, the back is not just glass, but a special high-strength material that can withstand scratches, frost and overheating. During a week of active use without any covers, it showed itself to be quite good, although the main problems of any glass surface have not gone away: the body is easily soiled and slippery, so a cover will come in handy in any case.

But the glass back opens up another opportunity to make the smartphone more convenient for the user, but unfortunately, not every manufacturer uses this opportunity behind various “excuses” - I mean support for wireless charging. ZTE acted extremely wisely and equipped the Axon 9 PRO with both high-speed wired charging Qualcomm QuickCharge 4+, capable of charging the smartphone battery up to 50% in just 15 minutes, and wireless charging according to the Qi standard.

Why others don't do this is unclear. The main excuse that I have heard more than once is that wireless charging is slow, so we decided not to use it. But friends! Let the user decide for himself how to charge his own gadget - quickly and by wire or slowly, but by air, without unnecessary movements involving plugging in a wire. In my opinion, both methods will be useful in different life situations, especially considering the almost record capacity of the built-in battery.

Here again a surprise awaits us in the form of a 4000 mAh battery. For a 6-inch smartphone today I have not seen more than 4 thousand anywhere, but less often. Usually, an energy-efficient processor and an AMOLED screen matrix are cited as justification for a battery in the region of 3000 Mah. But, let me! The Axon 9 PRO also has an AMOLED matrix and the same cool Snap dragon 845 processor as most competitors with their flagships.

Even the thickness of the case, with such a battery, is less than 8 millimeters. The only nuance that gives away a capacious battery is its weight. The smartphone weighs almost 180 grams, which is about a quarter more than the class average, but damn! Are you ready to put up with an extra 30 grams of weight for the sake of a battery that will allow the device to stay in active mode for several hours longer? I think the answer is obvious, and I very often in my reviews complained about such a bias in the minds of manufacturers who prefer to produce thin and light devices with small batteries. Thank you ZTE for still listening to me)))

We move on and are pleased to note the fact that ZTE did not skimp on protection from water, dust and dirt. In the case of Axon 9 PRO, the highest level of certification for such gadgets, IP68, is used, which implies protection not only from splashes, but also from immersion to a depth of 1 meter for up to half an hour with full functionality preserved.

And the fact that even the SIM card tray here has a dense rubber spacer, forcing it to be pushed in with noticeable effort, suggests that the developers are very serious about protection. Okay, what about NFC and the possibility of wireless payments? Again “bingo” and again the flagship from ZTE did not disappoint - Google Pay works without problems.

But damn it, in order not to completely splash the smartphone with your pink drool of delight, it is urgently necessary to mention some drawback, and its role in the case of the ZTE Axon 9 PRO is played by the lack of a jack for connecting wired headphones. Still, in pursuit of fashion, the developers overlooked one point, and it’s difficult to compensate for the absence of a harmless audio jack with a complete adapter tail.

Okay, with headphones it’s clear, but what about the sound in general? Those of you who follow the mobile gadget market may remember that the Axon series from ZTE has always relied on sound, and the new flagship also got it to the fullest.

On board are very loud stereo speakers on top and bottom, or, if you prefer, on the right and left, as many as 3 microphones for recording sound, as well as support for Dolby Atmos technology, which makes the smartphone “peck” so that not only everyone who gathered in the room, but also the neighbors behind the wall... There are really a couple of nuances here - although the sound is loud, there is not so much low end, and even at maximum volume the body itself begins to vibrate slightly, although it is really difficult to shout over the device at maximum.

Let's move on to the screen, and to begin with, the numbers and impressions are 6.21 inches diagonally, an Amoled matrix with a fantastic contrast ratio of 60000:1, FHD+ resolution and a standard brightness of 430 nits.

In terms of the layout of the front panel, everything is within reason, although the distance from the bottom of the screen to the edge is almost a centimeter, almost the same as the cutout at the top. This means that by moving the screen a little lower in relation to the rest of the body, it would be possible to avoid the bangs around the earpiece and front camera altogether, and why they didn’t do this to me, as an ordinary user, is not very clear.

The flagship mobile processor of 2018, the Snapdragon 845, is responsible for performance, scoring more than 270,000 parrots in synthetic tests. The RAM on board is 6 gigabytes, and the permanent one is 64, with the possibility of expansion - in general, nothing interesting - and in this the Axon 9 PRO is very similar to other flagships of the outgoing year.

Yes, and it’s worth noting the almost pure Android 8.1, on which the gadget runs with a minimum of visual additions and decorations, and many will like it.

But as for the picture, everything is very interesting and sophisticated, around the technology with the beautiful name Axon Vision. This is a whole complex of software and hardware that automatically adjusts the image on the screen to achieve the best result. There is also a special RGB sensor that monitors the balance of color and light, automatically adjusting image output parameters and color temperature, and video support in HDR 10 format

“The cherry on the cake” can be considered a separate image processing chip with Motion Estimation Motion Compensation technology, which provides smoother and clearer video playback by increasing the frame rate from 24 to 60 per second.

Interestingly, this difference is really visible even in comparison with other smartphones also equipped with Amoled screens, but without the involvement of Axon Vision. Here is the Xiaomi Mi 8 on top, very similar in size and display type.

In the normal mode of scrolling through screens or menu items, the difference with the Axon 9 PRO is completely unnoticeable, but as soon as you turn on the video, the difference becomes obvious in the deep colors, contrast and even richness of the picture. All this together gives a gorgeous effect of smooth video footage rich in incredible colors. I’m not sure that our camera is capable of conveying this effect fully, but I think that the differences in the image quality of the upper and lower gadgets will still be noticeable.

Let's move on to the cameras, and here ZTE again presents a surprise, this time in terms of the implementation of a dual main camera module. The fact is that the vast majority of other manufacturers use both eyes, either placing color and black-and-white sensors behind them to improve the quality of pictures, or installing both color matrices behind different lenses, thus realizing an honest optical zoom by switching between them in software.

The solution used on the AXON 9 PRO is extremely rare, since in addition to the 12 megapixel Sony IMX363 sensor, a 20 megapixel sensor with wide-angle optics settings of 130 degrees has been added.

A special icon on the camera application screen switches the normal view of the smartphone to a wide high-resolution scene, and shooting in this mode is not a compromise at all, since the 20-megapixel matrix allows you to see everything in the smallest detail. Below is an example of shooting with a normal field of view and a wide one from one point:

click on the picture to download the original

click on the picture to download the original

And in terms of image processing algorithms, there are practically no complaints about the new product. Contours and transitions between objects are clear, there is no chromatic aberration across the entire field of the frame, and color and light are reproduced extremely accurately.

Click on the picture to download the original

Click on the picture to download the original

Click on the picture to download the original

Click on the picture to download the original

Even in night mode, the Axon 9 PRO gets one of the top ratings in my eyes, allowing you to realize your photographic ambitions even in difficult shooting conditions. Notice the soft transition from light to shadow and the lack of color noise:

Click on the picture to download the original

Click on the picture to download the original

Click on the picture to download the original

Click on the picture to download the original

What's in the "dry residue"? It turns out that almost every component of this gadget is thought out to the smallest detail, and there is almost everything that you can expect from a flagship smartphone.

It’s easier to list what’s missing here and what you didn’t like, in order to somehow restore the balance of objectivity. So, I already talked about the missing headphone jack, and I won’t repeat it. I will also note the absence of the Always On function on the screen, although the Amoled matrix and a huge battery allow you to implement this mode without compromising autonomy at all.

I consider the third and final drawback to be the inability to programmatically hide that very cutout at the top of the screen, for example, if you, like me, do not share the delight of this design sophistication. However, in fairness, both Always On and software hiding of the notch ZTE can easily be added if desired with the next firmware update, and even the price of 46 thousand rubles at the start of sales is not at all scary, if you remember the baggage of goodies and chips that you get together with AXon 9 PRO.

The final argument for paying close attention to the new product is the included VIP card, which offers a number of very useful and practical privileges for the buyer, such as an additional year of service, free one-time screen replacement within 6 months from the date of purchase , or free repair in case of liquid ingress for a full 2 ​​years. This is what I understand!

With this approach and such bonuses, ZTE has every chance to regain its former glory and gain new popularity. This one managed to rise from the ashes and surprise the market with a new product!

And one more joy, this time from me personally. If you decide to buy the Axon 9 PRO and use the promotional code MobAXON , you will also receive a 10 percent discount on the retail price until the end of 2018.

ZTE Axon 9 Pro phone review

Chinese manufacturers are successfully storming the smartphone market, gradually displacing brands such as Samsung and iPhone. Why pay more? If a Chinese phone has the same functions and performance, but it costs an order of magnitude less.

While brands are trying to fool us into thinking that only they can create a flagship phone, the Chinese are doing it quietly. Remember - there is no secret recipe for creating a great smartphone! That is why you need to approach the choice of phone from the point of view of practicality.

In this article we will talk about the flagship smartphone ZTE Axon 9 Pro, which ticks all the boxes of an excellent phone. Like all flagships, the phone differs from the average one - it has a Snapdragon 845 processor (the best Android process in 2020).

Unlike analogues or well-known manufacturers who offer 4 GB of RAM in their flagships, ZTE Axon 9 Pro offers us 6 GB. Everything to ensure that your phone slows down as little as possible.

Currently, there are many fast charging standards. The ZTE Axon supports the newer one, Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+, although some still use Quick Charge 3.0. But, even if you use a non-original charger, the phone will charge faster than its Korean counterparts.

What else is interesting about a smartphone? In addition to 6 GB of RAM and a powerful Snapdragon 845 processor, you will receive: a 4000 mAh battery (using native charging, the battery will be charged in an hour + wireless charging); water protection IP68; NFC (Google Pay); camera with optical image stabilization; stereo speakers (+Dolby Atmos); AMOLED display with support for HDR 10 format (6.21-inch); Hybrid MicroSD card slot.

In general, the ZTE Axon 9 Pro has everything you need to meet the requirements of a modern smartphone.

Another plus is that the model is made of glass and metal. Its strength on the Mohs scale is 7H.

The camera in the ZTE Axon 9 Pro is fast (f/1.75 aperture), so you can get good photos even in the dark. The set includes a wide-angle camera (130 degrees) + a Japanese IMX363 camera sensor with good color rendition. The assistant (AI) will help you make your photos more enjoyable.

The front camera has a resolution of 20 megapixels, just imagine what detailed pictures it can take.

In addition to all the advantages listed above, there are also manufacturers who provide a very interesting guarantee for their product. It’s not for nothing that it’s a flagship.

So, ZTE Axon 9 Pro meets all the necessary requirements and is suitable for both a teenager and a businessman.

Its advantages:

• 4000 mAh will last for a long time, and native charging will restore the battery in a matter of time;
• Stereo speakers provide excellent sound;
• 6 GB of RAM and a modern processor for fast processes and without brakes;
• Good photos + wide-angle camera for shooting close to large objects;
• Excellent warranty + reliable, waterproof case.

Its disadvantages:

• The official price of the model in the official store is 46,990 rubles. For the fading manufacturer ZTE, the price tag is clearly too high;
• Lack of 4K.

Hard Reset for ZTE Axon 9 Pro

Instructions on how to do a Hard Reset on ZTE Axon 9 Pro (factory reset). We recommend that you familiarize yourself with a visual guide called resetting settings on Android. .

Reset codes (open the dialer and enter them).

1. *2767*3855#
2. *#*#7780#*#*
3. *#*#7378423#*#*

Hard Reset via Recovery

1. Turn off your device -> go to Recovery
2. "wipe data/factory reset"
3. “yes - delete all user data” -> “Reboot System”

How to log into Recovery?

1. hold down Vol(-) [volume down], or Vol(+) [volume up] and the Power button
2. A menu with the Android logo will appear. That's it, you are in Recovery!

Resetting your ZTE Axon 9 Pro can be done in a very simple way:

1. Settings->Backup and reset
2. Reset settings (at the very bottom)