ZTE Blade X1

ZTE Blade X1 Review, Pros and Cons – Chinese smartphone company ZTE brings a new device under its hood. ZTE Blade X1 phone is the name by which you know the phone and, in addition, it is equipped with 5G technology. At least, you won’t have to worry about changing for years. Surprisingly, it is revealed exclusively for the US MVNO operator, visibly, which works on the Verizon network.

If you ask about availability, the ZTE Blade X1 5G smartphone has been made available on January 26th in the USA. But you must have heard of the Blade V2020 has the same design. However, the internals is slightly different. Although, there is no sign that this phone will hit the global stage anytime soon. With that said, let’s move on to the detailed review of the ZTE Blade X1 smartphone.

ZTE Blade X1 Review

Highlights

  1. The device is equipped with a tall 6.5 inches IPS LCD panel that combines the effects of pixel density.
  2. A 48 MP quad-camera configuration appears on the rear panel, while a 16 MP configuration on the front.
  3. As for the performance aspect, you will receive the Snapdragon 765G chipset with 5G technology.
  4. On the other hand, the relevant and old Android 10 has been boosted as a software interface.
  5. In addition, the 4000 lithium-ion battery works like a boar and supports 18W fast charging.

Design and Display

The ZTE Blade X1 smartphone rear panel resembles its older brother the V2020 also supports 5g. Although you can receive this phone only in dark blue color. If you prefer a strong, bright hue option, it may not be helpful here. Except, if you’re looking for something professional and robust, dark blue is a perfect soulmate for you.

In addition to choosing a single shade, the rear layout is a great entry with its eye-catching and engaging design. The smoky gradient adds a feather to the lid. In addition, it gives a feeling of premium class, although the phone has a polycarbonate design. The positioning of the camera is also accurate and tactile.

Moving to the front panel of the Blade X1 smartphone, you will notice that the bezels are as thin as possible, and the chin is not wide or covers your precious canvas. Not to forget, the Blade X1 arrives with a dot-notch camera that has been hidden behind the status bar. On the other hand, the IPS LCD technology panel provides soft, vivid colors for the screen. However, the appearance of the shine was not due to the brands.

Memory and Internal

Storage and RAM play a crucial role in providing users with greater convenience. Inside the ZTE Blade X1 smartphone, you’ll find support for 6 GB of RAM and colossal storage size of 128 GB. You can further increase the space using a Micro SD card. With this storage, it will take a while to push the limits.

The Blade X1 phone can be a future-proof smartphone as it harnesses the power of the latest 5G technology. For this, it is also possible to reach greater heights in the future. But still, at the age when Android 12 is getting ready to launch, and several smartphone companies are bombarding their smartphones with the Android 11 interface. This shy beast equips the Android 10 interface skin.

In terms of performance, it has the qualities of the best mid-range chipset aspects from last year. The Snapdragon 765G SoC provides powerful processing inside the board while visual graphics are rendered using the Adreno 620. The AI software is also quite decent, as you can record 4K videos and add contrast and vivid effects when streaming content.

In summary, you will get excellent performance and support features that allow you to play cutting-edge games without any graphics restrictions. Unfortunately, the old Android gives a negative impression if you are looking for the latest, as most devices are now even running Android 11.

Camera

You will see a typical 48 MP quad-camera house on the rear panel that includes the usual 8 MP ultra-wide with 2 MP macro and 2 MP depth combination of lenses. As for the selfie, the 16 MP drilling hole presents an elegant photo experience. Although you don’t judge a phone by the things written on the paper.

The quality of photo capture may not be incomplete, as you are getting a decent chipset that manipulates the camera’s AI to deliver fascinating results. Still, you will sometimes notice that the images are missing details. The camera launches the regular features of bokeh, macro, zoom, and professional mode to capture your exciting moments in life.

Considering that the video section has slow-motion and time-lapse as usual, except here, you can change the video resolution from 1080p to 4K. Not to forget, the night mode settings are average; you’ll get bright, colorful photos without proper lighting. However, getting fine details will still be a desire for many users.

Battery and Others

The Li-Po 4000 mAh battery power supply is sufficient to run the Blade X1 smartphone for more than 1 day on a single charge. In addition, you will have a screen time of 7 hours or more to watch movies, stream content online or do whatever you want. The gaming session will be smooth and without delay.

The handling of the charging department by the 18W brick may be the fastest, but the most subtle that hasn’t affected the battery cycle. On the Type-C port, you can fill the battery in less than 2 hours. At the same time, Quick Charge technology will increase the charging speed.

The ZTE Blade X1 5G phone reduces its price to $ 384 (27,999 INR) for 6/128 GB to shine in the mid-size segment.

ZTE Blade X1 pros and cons

ZTE Blade X1 Specifications Detail

Down below you can see the full specifications of the ZTE Blade X1 smartphone.

SpecificationsZTE Blade X1 5G
Network2G, 3G, 4G, 5G
AnnouncedJanuary 2021
SIMNano-SIM
Dimensions6.46 x 2.99 x 0.36 inches
Weight190 g
Size6.5 inches
DisplayIPS LCD
19.5:9 ratio
~396 ppi density
60Hz
ProtectionNo
Resolution1080 x 2340 pixels
OSAndroid 10
Chipset7nm – Qualcomm SM7250 Snapdragon 765G
CPUOcta-core
1×2.4 GHz Kryo 475 Prime
1×2.2 GHz Kryo 475 Gold
6×1.8 GHz Kryo 475 Silver
GPUAdreno 620
Card slotYes (dedicated slot)
RAM6GB
Internal128GB
Camera48 MP (wide)
8 MP (ultrawide)
2 MP (macro)
2 MP (depth)
LED flash, panorama, HDR
4K@30fps
Selfie16 MP
HDR
1080p@30fps
LoudspeakerYes
3.5mm jackYes
WLANWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, hotspot
Bluetooth5.0, A2DP, LE
GPSYes, with A-GPS
NFCYes
Infrared portNo
RadioNo
USBUSB Type-C 2.0
SensorsRear-mounted fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity
BatteryLi-Ion 4000 mAh
Fast charging 18W
ColorsDark Blue
Expected PriceUSD 384 (27,999 INR)

ZTE Blade X1 Pros and Cons

Down below you can see the list of pros and cons (advantages and disadvantages) of the ZTE Blade X1 Smartphone.

Pros

  1. Impressive battery life.
  2. 18 W fast charging support.
  3. Decent processing speed.
  4. Built for 5G technology.
  5. Decent storage and RAM.
  6. Record up to 4K videos.
  7. Decent day and low light photography.

Cons

  1. Stuck on the Android 10 version.
  2. Gyro-EIS is not present.
  3. Single storage variant.
  4. Old style fingerprint on the back panel.
  5. Without any gorilla glass protection.
  6. Without wireless charging.
  7. Little expensive compared to the specs.

Conclusion

The most likely thing about the ZTE Blade X1 smartphone would be the 5G technology, and you can buy it directly from the online store of the operator visible. Although it is available exclusively in the US, there is no news that it will be sold globally now. On the other hand, there are minor flaws that you may or may not notice during the review

Firstly, you are sacrificing OLED and vigorous colors for 5G, while at the same time, the quality of the camera is moderate compared to the smartphones in the same price range. However, battery life and standard fast charging support prevent the Blade X1’s image from declining. Overall, it is a reboot version of the previous model with some adjustments here and there.

But, if you are looking for some good 5G handset in the same range. It would be better to consider the Motorola One 5G Ace for more features and the Samsung Galaxy A32 for a higher quality camera.

Sumit Pandit
Sumit Pandit is a senior news reporter for Oispice. He is an expert on smartphones, apps, gadgets, and the tech industry. He writes for different tech news and has an excellent ability to make complex matters easy to understand. Sumit can be reached on Twitter @sumitkrpandit or Email at [email protected].