ZTE Blade V50 Design Smartphone Review – The ZTE Blade V50 Design 4G and 5G are the newest smartphone releases by ZTE. They were released in October 2023 and will be available globally in many regions. With the release of these two new smartphones, ZTE focussed on the design aspect of the smartphone. On top of that, you get to choose either a 4G or 5G model depending on your budget.
ZTE also promises to provide a top-notch camera performance at this price range but that’s something we will find out for sure. So, let’s begin with a detailed review of both ZTE Blade V50 Design 4G and 5G and see if these smartphones are worth purchasing.
Table of Contents
ZTE Blade V50 Design Smartphone Review
Highlights
- Both ZTE Blade V50 Design 4G and 5G feature the same 6.6-inch IPS display with FHD+ resolution. But the ZTE Blade V50 Design 5G also has 90Hz high refresh rate support.
- The ZTE Blade V50 Design 4G features the Unisoc Tiger T606 SoC with 2×1.6 GHz clock speeds, while the ZTE Blade V50 Design 5G features the Unisoc Tiger T760 SoC with 1×2.2 GHz clock speeds.
- Both smartphones come pre-loaded with Android 13 out of the box with a stock user interface for a bloatware-free and clean experience.
- Both ZTE Blade V50 Design 4G and 5G feature the same 50MP rear camera system. For the selfie camera, both ZTE Blade V50 Design 4G and 5G have an 8MP selfie sensor.
- The ZTE Blade V50 Design 4G has a Li-Po 5000mAh long-lasting, while the ZTE Blade V50 Design 5G has a 4500mAh battery. Both smartphones have 22.5W fast charging support.
Design and Display
The design of both the ZTE Blade V50 Design 4G and 5G are completely at odds with each other. They feature unique design language and look quite fascinating. They kind of have to considering it’s in the name. Both smartphones feature a new and modern flat design, so the side and the mid-frames of both smartphones are also flat.
The ZTE Blade V50 Design 4G has more of an iPhone-like design with its iPhone-like camera island, while the ZTE Blade V50 Design 5G features more of a traditional vertically stacked camera island. Both look unique on their own. ZTE Blade V50 Design 4G is available in Beach Green, Sunrise Violet, and Diamond Black color options, while the ZTE Blade V50 Design 5G is available in Sky Blue, Starry Gray, and Gray Matt.
Both smartphones are extremely well built and there won’t be any bending or creaking under any normal usage. On the front, both ZTE Blade V50 Design 4G and 5G feature the same 6.6-inch IPS display with FHD+ resolution. This is where most budget smartphone manufacturers cheap out and provide an HD-only display but ZTE provided an FHD panel, which is saying something. Also, with the ZTE Blade V50 Design 5G, you also get 90Hz high refresh rate support.
Memory and Internal
The ZTE Blade V50 Design 4G is powered by the 12nm – Unisoc Tiger T606 SoC with 2×1.6 GHz clock speeds, while the ZTE Blade V50 Design 5G is powered by the 6nm – Unisoc Tiger T760 SoC with 1×2.2 GHz clock speeds. Both chipset has enough raw performance to run all your everyday apps easily, including the likes of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and more.
Both chipsets are tried and tested chipsets in the market and they perform quite well. But if you had to choose, then the Unisoc Toger T760 5G chipset in the ZTE Blade V50 Design 5G is the more powerful one out of the two. Its gaming performance is also more powerful as compared to the 4G variant. That’s not to say that the gaming performance of the 4G model is bad. It’s not and they can run games like PUBG and CODm at relatively decent framerates.
But don’t expect a miracle from them as they are just budget chipsets and not built specifically for games. However, most games should run without any major issues. Also, you can probably tell that the 5G model has 5G connectivity and can download stuff at gigabit-level speeds and the other cannot. For RAM and storage, the ZTE Blade A73 4G has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. While the ZTE Blade A73 5G has 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.
When it comes to the software side of things, the new smartphones are running on Android 13 with a stock user interface for a bloatware-free and clean experience. Also, the Unisoc T606 4G SoC is manufactured at 12nm process and the Unicsoc T760 5G chipset is manufactured at 6nm process, So 6nm should be a bit better technically. But both of them are efficient enough that they will not present any major difference in the real world.
Camera
Both ZTE Blade V50 Design 4G and 5G feature the same 50MP rear camera system. The main sensor of both smartphones produces top-quality pictures in its price category just like ZTE promised. The pictures have a lot of clarity, details, and the signature ZTE color tone. The sensor also allows more light in, so the pictures end up being better and brighter.
Also, if it gets dark, you can switch on the night mode which will further boost the picture quality. This goes for both the 4G and the 5G models. On the front, Both ZTE Blade V50 Design 4G and 5G have the same 8MP selfie camera. It can take some decent selfies with significantly better detail levels and overall lighting compared to other smartphones in the same price range.
As for video recording, Both ZTE Blade V50 Design 4G and 5G can record videos at up to 1080p@30FPS. This goes for both the rear and the selfie camera. The camera lacks any option to record at 4K resolution.
Battery and Others
The ZTE Blade V50 Design 4G has a Li-Po 5000 mAh long-lasting battery, while the ZTE Blade V50 Design 5G has a 4500 mAh battery. But realistically, both smartphones should provide 1 – 3 days’ worth of battery life with low to medium usage. While high usage and gaming will drain the battery faster, so the smartphones may not last a full day.
But both smartphones have 22.5W fast charging support, so there’s nothing to worry about. It should fully charge the smartphone in under 2 hours and 30 minutes. Apart from that, both smartphones have Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.2, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, NFC, GPS, stereo speakers with high-res audio, and a USB Type-C port for charging.
The ZTE Blade V50 Design 4G is available for a price tag of $190 (Rs 15,990 In India) approx, While the ZTE Blade V50 Design 5G is available starting at $263 (Rs 21,990 in India) approx.
ZTE Blade V50 Design Pros and Cons
ZTE Blade V50 Design Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the ZTE Blade V50 Design smartphone.
| Specifications | ZTE Blade V50 Design | ZTE Blade V50 Design 5G |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G |
| Announced | October 2023 | July 2023 |
| SIM | Dual SIM | Same |
| Dimensions | 6.50 x 3.00 x 0.33 inches | 8.0 mm thikness |
| Weight | 207 g | N/A |
| Size | 6.6 inches | Same |
| Display | IPS LCD 20:9 ratio ~400 PPI density | IPS LCD 90Hz 20:9 ratio ~400 PPI density |
| Protection | No | Same |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2408 pixels | Same |
| OS | Android 13 | Same |
| Chipset | 12nm – Unisoc T606 | 6nm – Unisoc T760 |
| CPU | Octa-core 2×1.6 GHz Cortex-A75 6×1.6 GHz Cortex-A55 | Octa-core 1×2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 & 3x Cortex-A76 4x Cortex-A55 |
| GPU | Mali-G57 MP1 | Mali-G57 |
| Card slot | microSDXC (dedicated slot) | No |
| RAM | 8GB | 4GB |
| Internal | 128GB | Same |
| Camera | 50 MP (wide), PDAF 2 MP (macro) 2 MP (depth) LED flash, HDR, panorama Max – 1080p@30fps | 50 MP (wide), PDAF 2 MP (depth) LED flash, HDR, panorama Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Selfie | 8 MP (wide) Max – 1080p@30fps | Same |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Same |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | Same |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band | Same |
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE | Yes |
| GPS | Yes | Same |
| NFC | Yes (market/region dependent) | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | Same |
| Radio | Unspecified | Same |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0 | Same |
| Sensors | Side-mounted fingerprint, accelerometer, proximity | Same |
| Battery | Li-Po 5000 mAh 22.5W wired | Li-Po 4500 mAh 22.5W wired |
| Colors | Beach Green, Sunrise Violet, Diamont Black | Sky Blue, Starry Gray, Gray Matt |
| Expected Price | $190 (Rs 15,990 In India) approx | $263 (Rs 21,990 in India) approx |
Conclusion
The ZTE Blade V50 Design 4G and 5G are two of the most beautifully crafted smartphones. Usually, budget smartphones don’t have an appealing design. The whole point of a budget smartphone is to provide the best bang for your buck, so design is not their focus. But ZTE has decided to do the impossible and created two great smartphones without compromising in other areas of smartphones.
They provided both 4G and 5G options, so no one should feel left out. They even managed to provide a more than decent camera experience and the pricing is also on point, considering the specs they come with. But that is more for the 4G model. The 4G model is adequately priced, but the price of the 5G model is on the higher side in some countries.
So, if you want a better alternative with 5G and at a similarly competitive pricing, we have another smartphone for you. Meet the Vivo Y200, which has a similar price tag but a vastly superior set of specs and features. However, the final decision is up to you, so it is better to choose a smartphone based on your requirements and needs.
