Customers regard the Axon 7 mini as a good phone for its price point. They appreciate its camera quality, design, and the fact that it is unlocked and easy to use. However, they have concerns about its battery life, slow performance, overheating, and durability.
This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.
The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
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Rated 5 out of 5 stars
The best audio experience on smartphone.
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I've been using this phone for a couple if months now i never have any experience any issue yet.i would say this the best budget phone i have own.
This review is from ZTE - Axon 7 mini 4G LTE with 32GB Memory Cell Phone (Unlocked) - Ion Gold
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Camera
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great Camera/Memory
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Fast Processing speed.Good Camera and Good Memory Space.SD Card
This review is from ZTE - Axon 7 mini 4G LTE with 32GB Memory Cell Phone (Unlocked) - Ion Gold
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Battery Life?
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I've had this phone for over a month now, and battery life doesn't seem to be a problem for me. I have a car charger and an extra charger at work. With the "fast charging" feature, I can juice it up in a few minutes anytime.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
My husband like it
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Good for my husband he really likes it specially wide screen
This review is from ZTE - Axon 7 mini 4G LTE with 32GB Memory Cell Phone (Unlocked) - Ion Gold
I would recommend this to a friend
Cons mentioned:
Battery life
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Beautiful design but performance is only good.
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
As a YouTube reviewer, I’ve had the opportunity to use and review many of the latest and greatest smartphones of 2016, as well as many budget and mid-tier phones (all of which I have bought and purchased at full price). I would put the ZTE Axon 7 somewhere between budget and mid-tier based on the price alone. In this review I want to answer the question, is the ZTE Axon 7 Mini the best phone you can buy for $300, or should you consider spending a little more or a little less and get nearly an equal or better experience. My short answer to this question is no, the Axon 7 Mini is not the best phone for the price, but it is still a phone very worthy of your purchase. I’ve been using the phone for 10 days now (I got it on release day), and here are my thoughts so far:
Performance: 4/5 - This is the second phone I’ve purchased this year with the Snapdragon 617 processor. The first one was the Moto G4 Plus. The Axon 7 Mini is a decent performer, but you will experience some minor lag from time to time, and if you are used to a high end phone, this may bug you. In comparison, I definitely felt that with the exact same processor the G4 Plus didn’t have the same issue. I’m pretty convinced that the MiFavor UI that ZTE uses on the Axon 7 Mini is to blame for the slowdown, but I have no empirical evidence. The occasional slowness is certainly not a deal breaker by any means, but just be aware that it will be there.
Battery Life: 3.5/5 - The Axon 7 Mini will struggle to get you through a day, and that is partially due to ZTE electing to put a smallish battery in the Axon 7 Mini (2705 mAh). Again, I think that the UI is partially to blame here, but the battery size is also a culprit. The good news is that the Axon 7 Mini is a Qualcomm 2.0 fast charging phone, so you can get a full charge in right around 90 minutes, and you can get to 50% in about 30 minutes. Personally I am a very heavy user of my phone, and I generally keep all of my antennas on and working non-stop, but I always had to give the phone a quick charge in the evening after work to get through a full day. In general I could get just over 3 hours of screen on time, which isn’t great.
Camera: 4/5 - Once again, the Axon 7 Mini is decent here, but will not wow you in any way. The camera is good, but does not compete with the quality or quickness of cameras on the high end phones like the S7, LG V20, or the iPhone 7. In truth we shouldn’t expect it to either. The 16mp camera on the Mini takes good pictures in good lighting, but the slowness will be evident here. In less than optimal lighting the picture quality will be grainy and lack detail. Like it’s big brother (the Axon 7), the Mini tends to favor night mode and HDR mode even when the picture you are taking isn’t all that dark, which is partially to blame for the shutter delay on occasion. The front facing camera tends to overexpose and I definitely don’t recommend the beauty mode. Neither camera is great, but again, they aren’t terrible either.
Software: 3.5/5 - The MiFavor UI doesn’t add a ton of bloat to Android 6.0, which in my opinion is a good thing, but it does add some useful and other not so useful additions to Android Marshmallow. For a detailed look at the software please check out my video.
Hardware: 4.9/5 - The hardware is definitely a high point for the Axon 7 Mini, and is probably its biggest selling point outside of the price. The build quality is phenomenal, the fingerprint sensor works 95% of the time, and the speakers are just as good as the one’s on the Axon 7, which is to say that they are the best speakers on a smartphone that I am aware of. In addition to these things, for me the size of the phone is a very comfortable size to hold in my hand and keep in my pocket. This has a 5.2” Full HD Amoled screen, and in my opinion this is a good sweet spot. For me the biggest selling point of this phone is easily the hardware!
Conclusion: Is this the best phone you can get at this price point, no, but it is still a good phone. For my money I would say go ahead and spend the extra $100 and get the Axon 7 or the OnePlus 3, and if you don’t want to spend that much, then I would say get the Moto G4 Plus. I still think the G4 Plus is my favorite mid-tier phone for 2016. With that said, there is a lot going for the Axon 7 Mini, and if you want a smaller phone with good overall performance and a beautiful build, then I would say the Axon 7 Mini is a buy for you.
This review is from ZTE - Axon 7 mini 4G LTE with 32GB Memory Cell Phone (Unlocked) - Ion Gold
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Camera, Design, Price
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great phone for your music enjoyment
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This phone looks awesome it makes people take a second look, it has a very good looking flagship construction it feels good in your handand the dual front facing speakers sound very good. The HD screen is very pleasing ,and rear camera 16 MP takes very good picture's and for this price you cannot go wrong im very happy with this phone and so is my pocket.
This review is from ZTE - Axon 7 mini 4G LTE with 32GB Memory Cell Phone (Unlocked) - Ion Gold
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Dual sim
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
A great phone for a smart user
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I just switched from a Samsung S5 to this ZTE Mini. I am familiar with ZTE phones, I have a ZTE 740 I bought in 2014 and is fully functional. So despite the underdog reputation, in my experience this is a good brand.
In addition, I travel internationally quite a bit and the fact that this phone comes unlocked and has two SIM slots, which allows me to use it with other cell-phone carriers, is a huge advantage for me. The build quality is excellent, it does not fall behind any major brand. The 1.5GHz processor and 3GB of RAM delivers good performance, but I am not the type who carries unnecessary apps or keep always open those that I have installed. It says the 32G storage can be extended, I would not do that given the processor and RAM capacity, which I think is ideal only for the storage capacity that comes with it. Many have mentioned that battery life is a shortcoming. Well, through out a regular day, I make and receive a couple phone calls, spend around 1h texting and 3hs or so on internet. My battery lasts two full days, I don’t think it’s bad.
I mean, experts could say that this phone’s performance is mediocre, battery life is short, blah blah. Let’s be real, these people spend 24h messing with the freaking phone, have tons of apps, pictures, videos etc. As a smart user, I tend to ignore the some of these “tech savvy” people. Some of them will have you buy a "Ferrari "even if you drive on a 25-mph speed limit road.
The only thing that really don’t like about this phone are the headphones that come with it. Although they look nice, have a mic, pausing and playing music buttons, the sound quality is poor and there is no bass whatsoever.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Price
Cons mentioned:
Battery life
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great phone but it comes with flaws
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
For the price your getting a great phone. Unfortunately It's nothing compared to my wife's S8 Samsung which is understandable. I like its functionality and ease of use but the phone only charges with its charger. And battery life is about 15-18 on normal use. Other then that it's a good looking phone for a great price. Camera does kinda suck as well. Good pictures but nothing compared to my Samsung S6.
This review is from ZTE - Axon 7 mini 4G LTE with 32GB Memory Cell Phone (Unlocked) - Ion Gold
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Design, Price
Cons mentioned:
Case
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Made with Me in Mind
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I didn't want a *******(a leader in the mbile mkt). Great phones but typical User Interface that i had grown weary of after owning so many. Didn't want to spend more than $300. Love everything about this phone. Great features that I stumbled upon every day. Hard to top the specs and performance for that price. I use the MiFavor UI from ZTE and I loooove it. So much to customise. Weird maybe but I love that this UI does not permit me to see how many Whatsapp msgs are unread. Used to drive me nuts. I don't mind that I don't have physical buttons...like menu buttons... but I truly hate the fact that the capacitative buttons are not just left up and accessible. I have to swipe for it everytime. Tiresome that's my only drawback. The truth for me is that the fingerprint scan is a bit slower in responding than I expected but its not slow. My hands are small so the 5.2" screen is simply perfect. I can still do quite a bit with one hand holding while using the phone. Its a beauty to look at and to hold as it curves and sits perfectly in my palm. Since its always there its important that it sits naturally and it does. The only thing i might gripe about which not a soul mentioned in the tons of reviews I watched....your choices in phone case is pretty pathetic. Pretty pathetic....very limited choices. But no dealbreaker. No regrets. Got far more than the $200 in value. Enjoy
I would recommend this to a friend
Cons mentioned:
Battery life
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
As expected
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The ZTE Axon 7 Mini is exactly how I imagined it to be, judging from multiple reviews. It is a capable phone that has impressive sound quality in both the external speakers and audio jack. The only lacking quality is its battery life, but this is easily remedied with a full charge in about an hour. For such an economic pricetag, the Axon 7 Mini delivers.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Camera, Price
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Get more for your money
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I love this phone!! It was on sale for $199 but has features of a much more expensive phone. Read the specs to see the power package this offers. But additional features important to me - It has a notification light! Yes, this matters to me. Very handy if you are in a situation where the sound needs to be low. At a glance I can tell if I need to check a message. Also, large phones may be popular but I find them bulky for my hands and pockets. I like the size of this screen. For those who use it mostly for gaming or movies maybe the larger is better. But for my needs of calls, texts, email, photos and video this screen size is perfect. It has an ample display that I can still hold comfortably in my hand. I also like the camera options and that the volume keys can be used for zoom or shutter. The case is metal and classy. Best Buy employee told me it doesn't come with a case. It did. Has a very nice silcone case that is clear and wraps and protects it nicely. Also I was told since it is a smaller company that there isn't much support. But when I looked at the warranty it has a two year warranty (!) and the company will even send you a phone to use if you need to have it serviced. I've had no problems with it at all. There is decent support online for the learning curve if you're used to a different brand. Also a help app and on screen help if you want to turn it on. Very glad I chose this. I originally bought a "Blu" for the same price. Took it back after one day and chose this one. So glad I did. I use Consumer Cellular so it was a breeze to pop in the sim. Very easy to use.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Design, Speakers
Cons mentioned:
Battery life
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great stereo speakers
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Screen display was good.
Battery was ok. Didnt last me a full day. (Im a heavy user)
Speakers, best ive heard on a phone.
Camera was not great. (Reason why i returned it) Bought an honor 8.
Built of the phone and design was nice.
Overall. If you're into music and watching movies on your phone, worth it for $199. But make sure you have a power bank with you. Battery drains pretty fast. If you like to take pics, pass on this phone.
This review is from ZTE - Axon 7 mini 4G LTE with 32GB Memory Cell Phone (Unlocked) - Ion Gold
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Price
Cons mentioned:
Battery life
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Phone
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I always wanted $200-$250 with NFC and this one is a great phone in this price range. Display is crisp and clear. Camera is not that great in low lights. Battery could have been better. I was using a Xperia T2 which I had purchased on Black Friday 2 yrs ago. Xperia's battery life was mind blowing. It would easily last 2.5-3 days in one recharge with normal usage. It had a 3000 mah battery but the screen was too big 6" so handling was difficult. Axon mini having a 2705 mah battery and 5.2" screen I was expecting that the battery would easily last about 2 days with normal usage. But it gives close to 1.5 days in one recharge. I am able to get 4hr45min of on time screen usage. Battery is the only reason I took out one star. Overall with a price of $200 this is a terrific phone. Browsing is also faster. The only other option available was on Cyber Monday for Moto X Pure 4G which was available for $245. However it was a 5.7" which I was not comfortable with. Also in its review it was mentioned that the battery lasts for a 1.5 days in normal usage. So I am happy with my Axon mini purchase as all the features were available at a lesser price in a handy size. 5.2" sounds a bit big but since it is slim it easily slides in the front pocket.
This review is from ZTE - Axon 7 mini 4G LTE with 32GB Memory Cell Phone (Unlocked) - Ion Gold
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Price
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Best Android Phone for Price Right Now
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I'm writing this review in September of 2017. Keep this in mind, as price and time are imperative to determine the value of any electronics purchase. At this moment. this device is selling for just under $200. It has a mid-range processor, but similar specs to other flagship phones from late 2016 and early 2017. Most mid-range phones at the moment won't have nearly as many of the features as you'll find here. Let's run through just some of them.
Screen - The screen on this phone is a full HD (1920 x 1080) 5.2" AMOLED screen with Gorilla Glass 4. Many phones in this price range will have less resolution, smaller screens or an older version of Gorilla Glass. This screen is very nice, and matches that of many 2016 flagships. It's not 4K, but I doubt you'd need or expect that if you're looking at mid-range phones. Let's keep in mind that 4K resolution requires more processing power, which requires more battery power, so the improved resolution will generally kill the battery. In my opinion, 4K is rally unnecessary for smaller screens (anything handheld) since the pixels are so small anyhow. 1080 is a good standard. It will allow you to watch any HD movie without weird scaling issues, and can handle just about any app or web page made for a modern device.
RAM/ROM - This phone has a built in 32 GB ROM and 3 GB of RAM. It wasn't long ago that iPhones came with just 16 GB of ROM and no expansion. This phone will allow for expansion of the 32 GB with an addition 128 GB is needed. I've found 32 GB to be a sweet spot, as I can install all of my apps on the base phone and use an SD Card for my phones and other media. This way, I can transfer these files easily when moving to another device or if I want to put them on a PC. A lot of sub-$200 phones have either 8 or 16 GB of ROM space, and this hinders your ability to run lots of apps. The 3 GB of RAM is also very nice. It allows the more resource-intensive apps to run smoothly without constantly having to swap memory to the ROM. Yes, 4, 6 or 8 would be fantastic, but on a mid-range phone, 2-3 seems to be standard right now, and this is the high-end of standard.
Processor - OK, the Snapdragon 617 isn't anything to write home about, but it runs efficiently and doesn't overheat. I'm coming from a phone that had the beleaguered 810, which was prone to heat issues. Though this processor is slower, it actually handles itself quite well since it remains cool. Heat is the killer of performance and battery life, and I believe the 810 was the main reason my last phone failed. I have been using the HTC One M9 since December 2015. It was a decent flagship, but nothing stellar. This phone does 90% of what the HTC did. Sure, the M9 started up more quickly and had an infrared sensor (the Axon does not), and could handle 802.11 AC (the Axon 7 Mini goes up to 802.11 N) but that's basically all the flagship offered on the hardware front that this phone doesn't.
WiFi/Bluetooth/NFC - As I just stated, this phone doesn't support 802.11 AC, but it manages to connect to my dual-band network without issue. The bluetooth connection in my car was a little different than other phones. After pairing to the car, I had to have the radio set to bluetooth audio mode before the phone would check that box, but it did work once I did that. No biggie, really, just a different approach than my 2 HTC phones or my Windows phone. The addition of NFC is nice. Many mid-range phones don't have NFC. What does that mean? Well, if I want, I can use Android Pay. That may not be a big deal for many people, but it's a nice feature usually relegated to flagships only.
Operating System - The phone comes with Marshmallow installed, but updated to Nougat (7.1.1) as soon as I got home and checked for updates over WiFi. Oreo is just now becoming available for Google phones, so I have to give nod to ZTE for keeping this phone up to date with the latest Android patches. The ZTE enhancements are extremely limited, so the OS feels pretty much like out of the box AOSP. If you like that experience, you'll be fine with this. If you want, you can always add another launcher and get whatever look and feel you like. That's always been a hallmark of Android phones, and this is no exception. One last point on the OS that I noticed and was very happy with is the lack of bloatware. I only had to uninstall one app (Dropbox because I use Google Drive). I like this much better than having a bunch of vendor trash that offers no value to me. I do miss some of the "nice to haves" that HTC put into SenseUI, but I can live without them. HTC really does make a very nice Android experience, but it only runs on HTC devices and comes with the cost of those devices. Even their mid-range phones are twice the cost of this one and their flagships start around $600-700.
Audio - As you've probably read from others, the audio for Axon devices is exceptional. The phones are load, and the Dolby features work through the device, headphones, and bluetooth. Even though my HTC devices had Boomsound, it wasn't supported through bluetooth. That means this phone sounds better through my car stereo than the more expensive phones did.
Extras - I've read from some that the finger print scanner for this phone was problematic. That must have been a software issue that's been addressed by ZTE. The fingerprint scanner works very well for me and makes for a nice bonus feature that you'll rarely find on phones in this price point. Another little bonus is the warranty. This phone has a 2 year warranty! That's right. I thought the 1 year "Uh Oh" warranty from HTC was good, but 2 years is exceptional. Most phones give you 90-180 days. That shows me that ZTE stands behind their products. Even if there is a flaw, they're willing to fix it.
So, to sum this all up, you get a ton of flagship features in a really nice phone for $200. I imagine in a few months, a newer version will come out, and if this phone were still priced at $300, I would have passed and said the best bet would be to either pay another $100 and get the full Axon 7, or save a few dollars and go the Moto G5 route. But, at $200, you just won't beat this phone for the rest of 2017. I was in a position where my phone died. I needed a replacement but wasn't ready to shell out $400-700. Especially at a point where the newer version of Android has just been announced. I'll want to wait a few month and see who will support Oreo and what features I can get for my money. That may lead me to another ZTE, back to HTC or Motorola or even the more well-known manufacturers like Samsung, LG, or even Nokia. But for the moment, this is a gem that you just can't beat. I highly recommend this phone.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Camera, Price
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great phone for price!
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This phone holds a lot of power. Don't be fooled by it's size, has a great camera and pretty good processing speeds. Definitely would recommend if you're not trying to fork out a lot for the latest phone but need something decent.
This review is from ZTE - Axon 7 mini 4G LTE with 32GB Memory Cell Phone (Unlocked) - Ion Gold
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Camera
Cons mentioned:
Battery life
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great feature rich phone at a great price
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The phone is sleek & streamlined. It's fits the hand nicely, I can send text messages using my thumb and reach the corners of the keyboard with no problem. The phone loads apps pretty quickly & I've only had freezes from a couple of Beta Apps. The storage space is good & even better once you add in a 128GB sd card. The display is crisp and responsive. The camera takes crisp, clear, high resolution pictures. The phone charges pretty quickly thru it's Usb type C data/charge cable.
I wasn't too impressed with the battery life though, I run the screen at full brightness, Power Saver off, GPS on, Bluetooth on, WiFi on, Sync on. It's hard to find a TPU clamshell case/holster for this phone so I'm using the included gel case. Other than those 2 points, I love this phone almost more than the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 that this phone is replacing
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Price
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great phone for money
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This is a great phone for anyone looking for one under $200. Easy to learn how to use.
This review is from ZTE - Axon 7 mini 4G LTE with 32GB Memory Cell Phone (Unlocked) - Ion Gold
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Price
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Love this phone! Can't believe the price!
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I can't say enough good things about this phone. It's not TOO big which I like...can still be slipped in a pocket. Has amazing dual speakers and a tough metal case that looks and feels sleek. Runs everything smoothly. One note - the salesman tried to steer me toward a more expensive phone. But I had researched this one and really wanted to look at it. It actually has an awesome warranty and they'll send you a free phone to use if you have to have yours repaired. It DOES come with a nice little soft case though I was told it didn't. Can't beat this phone for $200 on sale!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Camera
Cons mentioned:
Battery life
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Dollar for dollar - best phone available!
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I waited 90 days to review this phone so that I could give this phone a proper assessment. And it has been nothing short of amazing! The ZTE Axon 7 mini has the features and quality you would expect from a much more expensive unit. The screen is clear and sharp from almost any viewing angle. The performance is lightning fast. The all metal case is durable. I don't play games on my phone. But do often run the GoPro Capture app to control my camera and it runs flawlessly. Speaking of cameras... The phone captures great video and photos. Now for the negative things I have discovered during my time with this phone ... The battery life (if you're using a lot of Bluetooth connectivity) is atrocious; the other side of this coin is the rapid charge is impressive (full charge in less than an hour). The led screen runs very close to the edge of the phone similar to the Samsung Galaxy (not exactly but close enough for comparison). This leads to the screen itself to be very fragile and likely to be broken with a hard impact. The glass itself is very tough and extremely resistant to scratching. While these things are something to consider ... If this happens the repair form their warranty service will cover it (if it's your fault it will cost you a $79.00 deductible, no shipping and even a loaner phone at no charge, which is very fair). These faults are worth thinking about, these issues exist with a much more expensive unit.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Camera
Cons mentioned:
Battery life
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great sound and picture!
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Awesome sound for a phone. Very loud. Also, the pictures and videos have a great resolution. Only thing i would change would be the battery, does not really last a full day.