ZTE USA, the fourth largest smartphone supplier in the U.S. and the second largest when it comes to prepaid devices, used CES 2016 to announce two new value packed smartphones – the ZTE Grand X3 and the ZTE Avid Plus. Neither one of these devices will win any specifications contests, but that is not what ZTE is all about…they offer up a solid device at an affordable price. Let us take a look at these two devices a little more in detail and see what they bring to the table as far as specifications, features and pricing. Lixin Cheng, chairman and CEO of ZTE USA said, “Today we are continuing our mission to deliver affordable premium smartphones with the Grand X 3. Our users are now 20 million strong in the U.S. and ZTE phones provide the affordable connectivity that empowers users, encourages individually, and opens a world of possibilities.”
The ZTE Grand X3 sports a large 5.5-inch TFT LCD HD display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. The brains of the device is a Qualcomm quad-core processor clocked at 1.3 GHz and is paired up with a full 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory that is expandable up to another 64GB via a microSD card. It packs an 8MP main camera with autofocus and an LED flash along with a 2MP front-facing camera (FFC) for selfies and video chatting. It has the usual suspects – GPS, Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi, VoLTE and Dolby Audio…although there is no NFC for mobile payments. Power is supplied by a large 3000 mAh removable battery with a USB Type-C connector and Texas Instrument’s rapid charge solution. The Grand X3 will be running Android 5.1.1 Lollipop out of the box. The device measures 6.07-inches x 2.99-inches x 0.37-inches and weighs in at 6 ounces and is priced at $129.99…you can find it at Cricket Wireless.
The new entry-level ZTE Avid Plus will be available at both T-Mobile on January 20 and soon after on MetroPCS for only $114.99 and will supplant the original ZTE Avid that made its debut on T-Mobile in 2013. Lixin Cheng, stated “The ZTE Avid Plus is a phone with wide appeal. Anyone looking for an affordable, durable and reliable option to stay connected can depend on the Avid Plus to be there when they need it. Staying true to our mission of providing affordable communication to everyone, the Avid Plus is economically priced so more people have access to the latest smartphone technologies.”
The ZTE Avid Plus comes with a 5-inch LCD display with a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels. A Qualcomm quad-core processor clocked at 1.1 GHz provides the brains, coupled with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory that may be expanded another 32GB via a microSD card. The main camera packs 5MP with autofocus and an LED flash. A 2MP FFC will handle selfies and video chatting. Power is provided by a 2300 mAh battery which they claim will last up to 8 hours of talking and 350 hours in standby. The ZTE Avid Plus measures 5.7-inches x 2.87-inches x 0.43-inches and weighs in at 5.8 ounces. It will be running Android 5.1 Lollipop out of the box.